Patent ID: 8794405

Claim:
A damping force control type shock absorber comprising: a cylinder having a hydraulic fluid sealed therein; a piston movably fitted in the cylinder to define two chambers in the cylinder; a piston rod secured at one end thereof to the piston, the other end of the piston rod projecting out of the cylinder; a first passage, a second passage and a third passage, through which the hydraulic fluid flows from either one of the two chambers in the cylinder toward the other of the two chambers in response to movement of the piston in one direction; a main damping valve provided in the first passage to regulate a flow of the hydraulic fluid induced by movement of the piston to generate a damping force; a first orifice provided in the second passage; a second orifice provided in the second passage downstream of the first orifice; a back pressure chamber supplied with a pressure between the first orifice and the second orifice to urge the main damping valve in a direction for closing the main damping valve, the back pressure chamber being provided in the second passage; and a third orifice provided in the third passage; wherein at least one of the first orifice and the second orifice is an externally adjustable variable orifice, wherein the third orifice is an externally adjustable variable orifice, and wherein the second passage and the third passage are joined downstream of the second orifice and the third orifice, and a first sub-damping valve is provided downstream of where the second passage and the third passage are joined.