Patent GB-1050064-A (GB)
IPC: B60G17/015
Abstract: 1,050,064. Vehicle suspensions. J. M. HANNAN. April 7, 1965 [Aug. 31, 1964], No. 14703/65. Heading B7D. [Also in Division F2] A shock-absorber A, with height regulating means, comprises a valved piston 10, Fig. 1 (not shown), which works in a cylinder B communicating through a valve 3 at its lower end with a reservoir chamber C, and which has a piston-rod 6 which sealingly extends through another piston 8 which is carried by the upper end of the cylinder B and which works in an air cylinder 9, the upper and lower compartments of which have openings 13, 14 for connection to a compressed air supply, to regulate the overall length of the shock-absorber. A bellows D is connected between the cylinder 9 and the reservoir C. Fig. 5 shows control mechanism for four shock absorbers A mounted on a vehicle to automatically feed air under pressure to the two shock-absorbers disposed on the side of the vehicle which is further from the centre of the curvature the vehicle takes when cornering. If the vehicle starts to take a right-hand turn a mercury switch 44 is tilted so that a coil 34 around a three-way air valve J is energized and an armature 32 descends to open an outlet 30a at the end of a compressedair supply pipe 30 and to close the outlet 36a on an exhaust pipe 36 compressed-air being supplied to the upper compartments 9a and the lower compartments 9b respectively of the left-hand side and right-hand side pairs of shock-absorbers to correspondingly lengthen and shorten them. The lower compartments 9b of the left-hand shock-absorbers and the upper compartments 9a of the right-hand shockabsorbers are connected to atmosphere through a pipe 23 connected to a three-way air valve K which is similar to the valve J and which has its solenoid armature urged upwardly to close a compressed air inlet 30a<SP>1</SP> and open air exhaust outlet 36a<SP>1</SP> of a pipe 36 which leads to a pipe 37 connected to an inlet pipe 38 for an aircompressor F. Automatic pendulum-operated valves 73, 73<SP>1</SP> increase the pressure of air supplied respectively to the pipes 22, 23 if the speed of the vehicle exceeds a certain value or if the turn is too sharp. The sensitivity of the control mechanism can be altered by adjusting the angle of a pivoted rod 53 which, through a link 55, changes the angle of tilt of the mercury switch 43 and a similar switch 49. For a lefthand turn the action of the air control valves J, K and the mercury switches 43, 47 is reversed the left-hand side and right-hand side shock-absorbers being shortened and lengthened respectively. The air line 29 is connected, through an adjustable regulator H, to an air tank G which is supplied through a pipe 27 and a one-way valve 28 with compressed-air from a compressor F driven by an I.C. engine, not shown, through a pulley 24 and an electric clutch E. A battery M supplies current by way of switches 62, 64 to the solenoid coils 34, 34<SP>1</SP> and to an air pressure control valve 66 which, when the pressure in the tank G falls below a certain value, switches the battery supply to the electric switch E so that the compressor F is started and compressed-air is supplied to the tank G until the pressure therein rises to the said value.