Shock absorber

1. A shock absorber comprising:

a cylinder sealingly containing hydraulic fluid;

a piston slidably inserted in the cylinder;

a piston rod coupled with the piston and extending out of the cylinder;

a disk valve configured to, with respect to a flow of the hydraulic fluid that is caused by a sliding displacement of the piston, generate a damping force by being separated from or seated onto a valve seat to control the flow;

a bottomed cylindrical pilot body opened toward the disk valve; and

an annular elastic seal member fixedly attached to an outer circumferential portion of one surface side of the disk valve and slidably and liquid-tightly fitted to an inner circumferential portion of the pilot body, the elastic seal member forming a pilot chamber configured to apply an inner pressure therein to the disk valve in a valve-closing direction,

wherein the elastic seal member includes

an annular proximal portion fixedly attached to the disk valve,

an annular lip portion extending from the proximal portion toward a bottom portion of the pilot body, having a radially thinner thickness than the proximal portion, and forming a stepped portion on an inner circumferential side between the proximal portion and the lip portion, and

an annular seal portion protruding from an outer circumferential portion of the lip portion and slidably contacting the inner circumferential portion of the pilot body, and

wherein the stepped portion is disposed at a position closer to the disk valve than a portion of the annular seal portion having a maximum radius in an axial direction of the elastic sealing member.

2. The shock absorber according to claim 1 , wherein an outer diameter of the disk valve is larger than an inner diameter of the inner circumferential portion of the pilot body to which the elastic seal member is fitted, and the outer circumferential portion of the disk valve and one end of the pilot body face each other with a space generated therebetween.

3. The shock absorber according to claim 2 , wherein a flange portion extending so as to face the one end of the pilot body is formed at an outer circumferential portion of the elastic seal member that is fixedly attached to the disk valve, and

wherein an outer circumferential recessed portion is formed between the flange portion and the seal portion.

4. The shock absorber according to claim 2 , wherein a distance (L 1 ) between the disk valve and the stepped portion is longer than a distance (L 2 ) of the space formed between the disk valve and the one end of the pilot body when the disk valve is seated on the valve seat.

5. The shock absorber according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the disk valve and the stepped portion is longer than a distance between the disk valve and the one end of the pilot body when the disk valve is seated on the valve seat.

6. The shock absorber according to claim 1 , wherein inner circumferential portions of the proximal portion and the lip portion of the elastic seal member each have a diameter increasing from the disk valve side to the bottom side of the pilot body.

7. The shock absorber according to claim 6 , wherein the stepped portion includes a planar surface extending generally in parallel with the disk valve, and a stepped shape is formed by the stepped portion between the proximal portion and the lip portion of the elastic seal member.

8. The shock absorber according to claim 6 , wherein inner circumferential portions of the proximal portion and the lip portion of the elastic seal portion include inclined surfaces, respectively, and

wherein the inclined surface of the proximal portion is positioned so as to be offset from the inclined surface of the lip portion in a radial direction of the elastic seal member by the stepped portion.

9. The shock absorber according to claim 1 , wherein the lip portion is deflected radially inwardly around the stepped portion serving as a supporting point, when the elastic seal member is fitted in the pilot body.

10. The shock absorber according to claim 1 , wherein the stepped portion includes a planar surface extending generally in parallel with the disk valve, and a stepped shape is formed by the stepped portion between the proximal portion and the lip portion of the elastic seal member.

11. The shock absorber according to claim 1 , wherein the seal portion is formed as a cross-section of a generally triangular shape, and

wherein an apex of the generally triangular shape serves as the portion of the seal portion having the maximum radius.