Patent ID: 7770701

Claim:
A strut for a vehicle suspension system comprising: a primary fluid chamber; a displacement member extending into said primary fluid chamber; a damper element mounted to said displacement member and disposed in said primary fluid chamber for moving with said displacement member to dampen movement of said displacement member; a secondary fluid chamber having at least two distally disposed sections in fluid communication with said primary fluid chamber on respective opposite sides of said damper element, for fluid flow into and out of said two distally disposed sections of said secondary fluid chamber and said primary fluid chamber on respective opposite sides of said damper element; a compressible fluid which varies in viscosity in response to application of an electromagnetic field; field means disposed proximate to said secondary fluid chamber for generating an electromagnetic field within said secondary fluid chamber to determine an effective viscosity of said compressible fluid exposed to said electromagnetic field in a portion of said secondary fluid chamber disposed between said distally disposed sections; and wherein an effective pressure of said compressible fluid within said primary fluid chamber and an intensity of said electromagnetic field is determined by a controller external to said strut.