Damper

1 . A damper filled with a damping medium in use comprising:

an inner tube;

an end member disposed at an end of the inner tube, the end member having an inner surface facing towards a first working chamber;

a movable assembly comprising a piston assembly and a piston rod attached to said piston assembly, said movable assembly being slidably disposed within the inner tube, the movable assembly defining the first working chamber and a second working chamber within the inner tube, the piston rod being disposed in the second working chamber, said movable assembly having a surface facing towards the first working chamber;

an actuated valve assembly being provided in the end member, said actuated valve assembly being configured to control a damping medium flow entering or exiting the first working chamber;

wherein the movable assembly comprises:

a stem assembly resiliently connected to the piston assembly and/or the piston rod via at least one biasing member, and

an elongated cavity opening in the surface facing towards the first working chamber and extending in a direction opposed to the end member,

wherein the stem assembly and the elongated cavity are adapted so that the stem assembly is guided in translation within the cavity,

wherein the damper is configured so that the stem assembly actuates the actuated valve assembly, thereby causing a reduction in the damping medium flow exiting the first working chamber via the actuated valve assembly, while the movable assembly nears the end member, and

wherein the actuated valve assembly comprises a flow control member slidingly mounted in said assembly, said actuated valve assembly being configured to be actuated when a proximal end portion of the stem assembly presses the flow control member.

2 . The damper according to claim 1 , wherein the elongated cavity is formed in the piston rod.

3 . The damper according to claim 1 , wherein the stem assembly and the elongated cavity are configured so that a portion of the stem assembly protrudes towards the end member from the surface of the movable assembly facing towards the first working chamber, when the stem assembly does not press the flow control member.

4 . The damper according to claim 1 , wherein a spring is interposed between the flow control member and the end member, urging the flow control member away from said end member.

5 . The damper according to claim 1 , wherein the flow control member is configured to reciprocate so as to allow the opening and closing of a control flow passage that is fluidly connected to the first working chamber.

6 . The damper according to claim 1 , wherein the flow control member comprises a cup having an interior side facing the inner surface of the end member.

7 . The damper according to claim 1 , wherein an outer tube is arranged around the inner tube, the outer tube defining an outer chamber between the inner tube and the outer tube, the outer chamber being in fluid communication with the second working chamber.

8 . The damper according to claim 5 , wherein an outer tube is arranged around the inner tube, the outer tube defining an outer chamber between the inner tube and the outer tube, the outer chamber being in fluid communication with the second working chamber, wherein the control flow passage is fluidly connected to the outer chamber.

9 . The damper according to claim 1 , wherein the stem assembly comprises an actuating member for actuating the actuated valve assembly, said member forming the proximal end portion of the stem assembly, said member being fixed in rotation to a stem element of said stem assembly, said stem element axially extending from the elongated cavity to the actuating member.

10 . The damper according to claim 9 , wherein the actuating member is connected to a proximal end of the stem element by a spherical connection.

11 . The damper according to claim 9 , wherein a distal end of the stem element is connected to the at least one biasing member, said at least one biasing member comprising at least one spring.

12 . The damper according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one spring comprises a first spring that is connected at an end thereof to the distal end of the stem element adapted to reciprocate within the piston rod and at another end thereof to a distal or a proximal portion of the piston rod.

13 . The damper according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one spring is arranged in the elongated cavity.

14 . The damper according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one spring comprises a first spring and a second spring, wherein the first and second springs are in stack arrangement and the distal end of the stem element is sandwiched between said first and second springs.

15 . The damper according to claim 1 , further comprising:

two additional valve assemblies, namely a first and a second valve assembly disposed, respectively, in a first and a second valve assembly chamber, the two valve assemblies each comprising a bleed valve, namely a first and a second bleed valve with an upstream side in fluid communication with the first working chamber and the outer chamber, respectively;

two check valves, namely a first and a second, the first check valve being configured to allow flow from the first working chamber to the second working chamber via the first bleed valve, the second check valve being configured to allow flow from the second chamber to the first chamber via the second bleed valve; and

a pressurization reservoir divided by a separating member to define a third chamber filled with the damping medium, in use, and pressurized by a force acting on the separating member, the third chamber being in fluid communication with a downstream side of the first bleed valve and a downstream side of the second bleed valve.

16 . The damper according to claim 1 , wherein the end member is provided with a first pressure regulation valve for regulating flow between the first working chamber and the second working chamber, the first pressure regulation valve having an upstream side in fluid communication with the first working chamber via the actuated valve assembly.

17 . The damper according to claim 9 , wherein the actuating member comprises a puck.

18 . A damper filled with a damping medium in use comprising:

an inner tube;

an end member disposed at an end of the inner tube, the end member having an inner surface facing towards a first working chamber;

a movable assembly comprising a piston assembly and a piston rod attached to said piston assembly, said movable assembly being slidably disposed within the inner tube, the movable assembly defining the first working chamber and a second working chamber within the inner tube, the piston rod being disposed in the second working chamber, said movable assembly having a surface facing towards the first working chamber;

an actuated valve assembly being provided in the end member, the actuated valve assembly comprising a flow control member, said actuated valve assembly being configured to control a damping medium flow entering or exiting the first working chamber;

wherein the movable assembly comprises:

a stem assembly resiliently connected to the piston assembly and/or the piston rod via at least one biasing member, and

an elongated cavity opening in the surface facing towards the first working chamber and extending in a direction opposed to the end member,

wherein the stem assembly and the elongated cavity are adapted so that the stem assembly is guided in translation within the cavity,

wherein the damper is configured so that the stem assembly actuates the actuated valve assembly, thereby causing a reduction in the damping medium flow exiting the first working chamber via the actuated valve assembly, while the movable assembly nears the end member, and

wherein the flow control member comprises a cup having an interior side facing the inner surface of the end member.

19 . A damper filled with a damping medium in use comprising:

an inner tube;

an end member disposed at an end of the inner tube, the end member having an inner surface facing towards a first working chamber;

a movable assembly comprising a piston assembly and a piston rod attached to said piston assembly, said movable assembly being slidably disposed within the inner tube, the movable assembly defining the first working chamber and a second working chamber within the inner tube, the piston rod being disposed in the second working chamber, said movable assembly having a surface facing towards the first working chamber;

an actuated valve assembly being provided in the end member, said actuated valve assembly being configured to control a damping medium flow entering or exiting the first working chamber;

wherein the movable assembly comprises:

a stem assembly resiliently connected to the piston assembly and/or the piston rod via at least one biasing member, and

an elongated cavity opening in the surface facing towards the first working chamber and extending in a direction opposed to the end member,

wherein the stem assembly and the elongated cavity are adapted so that the stem assembly is guided in translation within the cavity, and

wherein the damper is configured so that the stem assembly actuates the actuated valve assembly, thereby causing a reduction in the damping medium flow exiting the first working chamber via the actuated valve assembly, while the movable assembly nears the end member,

wherein the stem assembly comprises an actuating member for actuating the actuated valve assembly, said member forming the proximal end portion of the stem assembly, said member being fixed in rotation to a stem element of said stem assembly, said stem element axially extending from the elongated cavity to the actuating member,

wherein a distal end of the stem element is connected to the at least one biasing member, said at least one biasing member comprising at least one spring, and

wherein the at least one spring comprises a first spring and a second spring, wherein the first and second springs are in stack arrangement, and the distal end of the stem element is sandwiched between the first and second springs.

20 . The damper according to claim 19 , wherein the actuating member comprises a puck.