Patent ID: 7954609

Claim:
A damping force generating mechanism for a shock absorber which comprises a first fluid chamber, a second fluid chamber, a valve disk which separates the first fluid chamber from the second fluid chamber, and a passage formed through the valve disk to connect the first fluid chamber to the second fluid chamber, comprising: a damping valve which exerts a resistance on a fluid flowing in the passage from the first fluid chamber to the second fluid chamber; a partitioning member which covers the valve disk and partitions an inflow space into the passage in the first fluid chamber; a flow path connecting the first fluid chamber and the inflow space, the flow path including a first flow path portion and a second flow path portion, the second flow path portion being formed by the partitioning member and facing the outer circumference of the valve disk so as to allow fluid to flow from the first fluid chamber into the inflow space; a spool which decreases a flow cross-sectional area of the first flow path portion when a fluid pressure in the first fluid chamber increases beyond a fluid pressure in the second fluid chamber by more than a predetermined pressure, the spool having a first pressure receiving area which receives a pressure in the first fluid chamber and a second pressure receiving area which receives a pressure in the second fluid chamber; a pressure chamber into which the pressure in the second pressure chamber is introduced, the pressure chamber facing the second pressure receiving area; an orifice interposed in an introduction path of the fluid pressure from the second fluid chamber to the pressure chamber; and a spring which pushes the spool in an identical direction to the pressure in the pressure chamber, wherein the second flow path portion allows the fluid to flow from the first fluid chamber into the inflow space even when the first flow path portion is closed by the spool.