Patent ID: 8616351
Filing Date: 2013-12-31
Classification: B60G,F16F

Abstract:
1. A shock absorber comprising: a pressure tube forming a working chamber; a piston assembly slidably disposed within said pressure tube, said piston assembly dividing said working chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber, said piston assembly including a piston body defining a first fluid passage extending through said piston body and a first valve assembly controlling fluid flow through said first fluid passage; a second fluid passage separate from said first fluid passage, said second fluid passage extending from one of said upper and lower working chambers to a fluid chamber; a plurality of digital valve assemblies controlling fluid flow through said second fluid passage, the plurality of digital valves being the only valves controlling fluid flow through said second fluid passage; wherein fluid flow through said first valve assembly generates a high damping load for said shock absorber; fluid flow through said first valve assembly and said plurality of digital valve assemblies generates a low damping load, lower than said high damping load, for said shock absorber; a number of total flow areas available from said plurality of digital valve assemblies is defined by the equation TFA=2 each of said plurality of digital valve assemblies includes a first member, a second member disposed within said first member to move in an axial direction within said first member and a third member configured to move said second member in the axial direction; said second member and said first member cooperating to control fluid flow in the axial direction through said digital valve assembly; each of the digital valve assemblies includes a single inlet, a first outlet and a second outlet separate from the first outlet; and fluid flow from said single inlet to said first outlet is in a first direction parallel to the axial direction and fluid flow from said single inlet to said second outlet is in a second direction parallel to the axial direction, said second direction being opposite to said first direction.