IP Library Granted Patent US 11,072,219
Granted Patent B2
US 11,072,219 · App. 16/696,312 · Granted Jul 27, 2021

Vehicle height adjusting apparatus

Inventors: Yukihiro Hoshino (Fukuroi, JP); Takafumi Ito (Fukuroi, JP); Hidenori Shirabe (Fukuroi, JP); Toshitaka Aoki (Fukuroi, JP)
Assignees: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.; Harley-Davidson Motor Company Group, LLC
B60G17/0565B60G13/06F16F9/5126B60G17/08B60G2202/24B60G2202/413B60G2500/30
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,072,219
App. No.
16/696,312
Granted
Jul 27, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle height adjusting apparatus includes: a cylindrical body internally partitioned into a plurality of oil chambers by a partition wall provided along an axis, the oil chambers filled with oil, and respectively provided with cylindrical body oil holes to be connected to an outside; one operating portion rotatably provided on the cylindrical body, and rotated to be moved along the axis; pistons moved along the axis by the operating portion, and received in the oil chambers respectively; and a plurality of damper devices respectively provided with damper oil holes into which the oil flowing out of the cylindrical body oil holes when the pistons move flows, the damper devices that can adjust a vehicle height by amounts of the oil filled into the damper devices through the damper oil holes, and that can absorb impact energy inputted on a wheel.

Claims (58)

1. A vehicle height adjusting apparatus comprising:

a cylindrical body that is to be attached to a vehicle body and is shaped as a cylinder, the cylindrical body being internally partitioned into a plurality of oil chambers parallel to an axis by a partition wall provided along the axis, the oil chambers being filled with oil and respectively provided with cylindrical body oil holes to be connected to an outside;

one operating portion that is rotatably provided on the cylindrical body, and that can be rotated to be moved along the axis;

pistons that can be moved along the axis by the operating portion, and that are received in the plurality of oil chambers parallel to the axis, respectively; and

a plurality of damper devices that are respectively provided with damper oil holes into which the oil flowing out of the cylindrical body oil holes when the pistons move flows, that can adjust a vehicle height by amounts of the oil filled into the damper devices through the damper oil holes, and that can absorb impact energy inputted on a wheel.

2. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a load transmitting portion that is provided between the operating portion and the pistons, wherein

the load transmitting portion allows the operating portion to rotate and transmits a load of the operating portion in a direction of the axis to the pistons.

3. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the pistons include seal members provided at one ends of the pistons respectively to suppress the oil from leaking,

the other ends of the pistons are retained by one retention member,

the seal members make tight contact with inner circumferential surfaces of the oil chambers, and

the retention member abuts against an inner circumference surface of the cylindrical body, and is movable along the axis together with the pistons.

4. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,

the cylindrical body is provided on the vehicle body swingably.

5. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:

connection members that connect the cylindrical body oil holes to the damper oil holes respectively, wherein

the cylindrical body oil holes are provided adjacently to one another.

6. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the vehicle body is a vehicle body of a saddle-riding type vehicle to be straddled and ridden by an occupant.

7. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the pistons include seal members provided at one ends of the pistons respectively to suppress the oil from leaking,

the other ends of the pistons are retained by one retention member,

the seal members make tight contact with inner circumferential surfaces of the oil chambers, and

the retention member abuts against an inner circumference surface of the cylindrical body, and is movable along the axis together with the pistons.

8. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein,

the cylindrical body is provided on the vehicle body swingably.

9. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising:

connection members that connect the cylindrical body oil holes to the damper oil holes respectively, wherein

the cylindrical body oil holes are provided adjacently to one another.

10. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the vehicle body is a vehicle body of a saddle-riding type vehicle to be straddled and ridden by an occupant.

11. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

the cylindrical body is provided on the vehicle body swingably.

12. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising:

connection members that connect the cylindrical body oil holes to the damper oil holes respectively, wherein

the cylindrical body oil holes are provided adjacently to one another.

13. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

the vehicle body is a vehicle body of a saddle-riding type vehicle to be straddled and ridden by an occupant.

14. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the vehicle body is a vehicle body of a saddle-riding type vehicle to be straddled and ridden by an occupant.

15. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

the vehicle body is a vehicle body of a saddle-riding type vehicle to be straddled and ridden by an occupant.

16. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

the cylindrical body is provided on the vehicle body swingably.

17. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

the vehicle body is a vehicle body of a saddle-riding type vehicle to be straddled and ridden by an occupant.

18. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein

the vehicle body is a vehicle body of a saddle-riding type vehicle to be straddled and ridden by an occupant.

19. The vehicle height adjusting apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein

the vehicle body is a vehicle body of a saddle-riding type vehicle to be straddled and ridden by an occupant.

20. A vehicle height adjusting apparatus comprising:

a cylindrical body that is to be attached to a vehicle body and is shaped as a cylinder, the cylindrical body being internally partitioned into a plurality of oil chambers by a partition wall provided along an axis, the oil chambers being filled with oil and respectively provided with cylindrical body oil holes to be connected to an outside;

one operating portion that is rotatably provided on the cylindrical body, and that can be rotated to be moved along the axis;

pistons that can be moved along the axis by the operating portion, that are received in the oil chambers respectively, and that include seal members provided at one ends of the pistons to make tight contact with the oil chambers;

a load transmitting portion that is provided between the operating portion and the pistons, that allows the operating portion to rotate, and that transmits a load of the operating portion in a direction of the axis to the pistons;

a retention member that retains the other ends of all the pistons, that abuts against an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, and that is movable along the axis together with the pistons; and

a plurality of damper devices that are respectively provided with damper oil holes into which the oil flowing out of the cylindrical body oil holes when the pistons move flows, that can adjust a vehicle height by amounts of the oil filled into the damper devices through the damper oil holes, and that can absorb impact energy inputted on a wheel.

Assignments (3)
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 23, 2021
From: SHOWA CORPORATION; HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
To: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
Reel/Frame 056641/0538 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 23, 2021
From: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
To: HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY GROUP, LLC
Reel/Frame 056641/0820 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 26, 2019
From: HOSHINO, YUKIHIRO; ITO, TAKAFUMI; SHIRABE, HIDENORI; AOKI, TOSHITAKA
To: SHOWA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 051121/0183 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2017-146762 · Jul 28, 2017 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2017027957 · Aug 2, 2017
Related Publication 20200094646A1 · Mar 26, 2020