Lightweight gas spring design with volume compensator incorporated into a suspension fork for two wheeled vehicles
View Patent ↗A lightweight gas spring with a volume compensator, which is incorporated into a fork leg of a two-wheel vehicle fork. The fork leg includes a housing having an upper inner telescoping hollow rod with a closed top and bottom end which is partially inserted into a lower outer telescoping rod having a closed bottom end. The inner upper telescoping rod inside includes a stationary volume compensator, a reciprocating piston, a first expandable and contractible gas chamber between the volume compensator and the piston which functions as a positive gas spring, and a second expandable and contractible gas chamber between the piston and the bottom end which can function as a negative gas spring, an air bypass channel which is longitudinally positioned on the inner surface of the inner telescoping rod may open to the first and second gas chamber.
1. A suspension fork for a two wheeled vehicle having a fork leg comprising:
a. a gas spring housing which includes an inner telescoping hollow rod and an outer telescoping hollow rod, wherein the inner telescoping hollow rod is partially and movably inserted into the outer telescoping rod, the inner telescoping hollow rod includes an elongated circular wall having a top end which is air tightly sealed by an air top cap and a bottom end which is air tightly sealed by an air bottom cap, the outer telescoping hollow rod includes an elongated circular wall having a top end which is slidably connected to the inner telescoping rod and a bottom end with a central bore;
b. a volume control member which is placed inside of the inner upper telescoping rod and is connected to the air top cap and having an elongated hollow shaft which is connected to a lower stationary piston which is air tightly affixed to the inside of the inner upper telescoping rod;
c. an elastic volume compensator made of compressible foam material, which is connected to the lower stationary piston of the volume control member, comprising an elongated cylinder having a top end and bottom end;
d. a reciprocating piston including a top end, bottom end and circular side wall, wherein the piston is movably and air tightly contacted to the inner side of the inner upper telescoping rod;
e. a first expandable and contractible chamber filled with air and which is positioned between the volume compensator and the reciprocating piston, comprising a stationary chamber end and a changeable chamber end which is connected to the piston, wherein the changeable chamber end is changed along with the reciprocating movement of the piston;
f. a second expandable and contractible chamber filled with air and which is positioned between the reciprocating piston and the bottom end of the inner upper telescoping rod, comprising a stationary chamber end and a changeable chamber end which is connected to the piston, wherein the changeable chamber end is changed along with the reciprocating movement of the piston;
g. an air bypass channel, comprising an elongated slot having a top end and a bottom end, which is longitudinally positioned on the inner surface of the inner upper telescoping rod, the air bypass channel is connected between the first and second expandable and contractible chambers only when the second expandable and contractible chamber is in a contracting process to thereby cause the top end of the piston that is movably positioned to be lower than the top end of the elongated slot, and the air bypass channel is disconnected between the first and second expandable and contractible chambers only when the first expandable and contractible chamber is in a contracting process to thereby cause the top end of the piston that is movably positioned to be higher than the top end of the elongated slot;
h. a piston connecting hollow rod connected to the piston, which extends to penetrate through the air bottom cap and connect to the central bore at the bottom end of the outer lower telescoping rod; and
i. a gas valve, which is installed at the bottom end of the outer lower telescoping rod to connect to the piston connecting rod.