Patent ID: 7644943

Claim:
A gas spring and gas damper assembly for an associated vehicle having an associated sprung mass and an associated unsprung mass, said assembly comprising: a first gas spring assembly operatively connected between the associated sprung and unsprung masses, said first gas spring including a first end member disposed toward the associated sprung mass, a second end member spaced from said first end member toward the associated unsprung mass, and a flexible spring wall secured between said first and second end members that at least partially defines a first gas chamber therebetween; a first gas damper operatively connected to said gas spring assembly and including a first confinement that at least partially defines a second gas chamber having a substantially fixed volume and a first porous flow restrictor disposed in fluid communication between said first and second gas chambers, said first porous flow restrictor defining a plurality of fluid flow pathways establishing a first fluid flow rate of said first porous flow restrictor, and said first porous flow restrictor being operative to maintain laminar gas flow through said plurality of fluid flow pathways upon movement of said first and second end members relative to one another and to thereby dissipate kinetic energy associated with said gas spring assembly corresponding to a first range of frequencies of gas flow having a relation to said first fluid flow rate of said first porous flow restrictor; and, a second gas damper operatively connected to said gas spring assembly and including a second confinement that at least partially defines a third gas chamber having a substantially fixed volume and a second porous flow restrictor disposed in fluid communication between said first and third gas chambers, said second porous flow restrictor defining a plurality of fluid flow pathways establishing a second fluid flow rate of said second porous flow restrictor that is different from said first fluid flow rate of said first porous flow restrictor, and said second porous flow restrictor being operative to maintain laminar gas flow through said plurality of fluid flow pathways upon movement of said first and second end members relative to one another and to thereby dissipate kinetic energy associated with said gas spring assembly corresponding to a second range of frequencies of gas flow having a relation to said second fluid flow rate of said second porous flow restrictor such that said second range of frequencies of gas flow is different from said first range of frequencies of gas flow.