Patent ID: 8561768
Filing Date: 2013-10-22
Classification: F16F

Abstract:
1. A vehicle damper, comprising: a damper tube having a first portion and a second portion located along a longitudinal axis of the damper tube; a piston located in the damper tube; a piston rod attached to the piston at the first portion of the damper tube and extending from the first portion of the damper tube to the second portion of the damper tube along the longitudinal axis of the damper tube; a rod guide located adjacent the piston rod and the second portion of the damper tube and made from a hard material; a working volume defined by the damper tube; and an outer seal located between the rod guide and the damper tube and made from a relatively softer material than the rod guide, wherein the outer seal includes an outer seal top surface that faces away from the working volume, the rod guide includes a rod guide top surface that faces away from the working volume, and the damper tube includes a damper tube top surface that faces away from the working volume, the working volume is located at a first longitudinal axis position with respect to a longitudinal axis direction, the rod guide top surface is located at a second longitudinal axis position with respect to the longitudinal axis direction, the outer seal top surface is located at a third longitudinal axis position with respect to the longitudinal axis direction, the damper tube top surface is located at a fourth longitudinal axis position with respect to the longitudinal axis direction, the second longitudinal axis position of the rod guide top surface is spaced from the first longitudinal axis position of the working chamber at a rod guide longitudinal axis distance, the third longitudinal axis position of the outer seal top surface is spaced from the first longitudinal axis position of the working chamber at an outer seal longitudinal axis distance, the fourth longitudinal axis position of the damper tube top surface is spaced from the first longitudinal axis position of the working chamber at a tube top longitudinal axis distance, the tube top longitudinal axis distance is less than or substantially equal to the rod guide longitudinal axis distance, the outer seal further includes a main portion and an overhang portion cantilevered to the main portion, the overhang portion extending away from the longitudinal axis across the damper tube top surface and engaging the damper tube top surface, and the rod guide has a guide maximum width and the outer seal has a seal maximum width that is greater than the guide maximum width, where the respective maximum width is measured from the longitudinal axis of the damper tube to a farthest point of the respective one of the rod guide and the outer seal in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis such that the outer seal is spaced from the piston rod along the extent of the outer seal, where the extent of the outer seal is measured in a direction substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the damper tube.