Patent ID: 8800729

Claim:
A damping force control type shock absorber comprising: a cylinder including a hydraulic liquid sealed therein; a reservoir including the hydraulic liquid and a gas sealed therein; a piston slidably fitted in the cylinder to divide an interior of the cylinder into a first chamber and a second chamber; a piston rod connected at one end thereof to the piston and including an another end extended to an outside through the first chamber; a base valve for dividing the second chamber and the reservoir from each other; a first check valve provided in the piston to allow a flow of hydraulic liquid from the second chamber toward the first chamber; a second check valve provided in the base valve to allow a flow of hydraulic liquid from the reservoir toward the second chamber; a passage for connecting the first chamber and the reservoir; and a damping force control mechanism for adjusting damping force by controlling a flow of hydraulic liquid in the passage; an orifice passage provided in parallel to at least one of the first check valve and the second check valve; and a sub-check valve provided in the orifice passage, the sub-check valve being configured to open at a lower pressure than the check valve to which the orifice passage is provided in parallel and to allow a flow of hydraulic liquid in a same direction as the check valve, wherein the damping force control mechanism is a pilot-type control valve, and wherein the piston speeds at which the first check valve and the second check valve open, respectively, are lower than a piston speed at which the pilot-type control valve opens.