Controllable vibration damper
View Patent ↗A controllable vibration damper includes a damping force control system, having a damper housing tube. The damper is at least partially filled with a damping medium. A damping valve for damping force control is arranged on and fluidly connected to the damper housing tube. The damper housing tube has an inner tube, which is inserted into the tubular damper housing via a bottom valve element. The vibration damper has a piston rod, which can be moved longitudinally in the inner tube and has a working piston.
1 . A controllable vibration damper having a damping force control system, the controllable vibration damper comprising:
a tubular damper housing which is at least partially filled with damping medium, and a damping valve element for damping force control, which is arranged on and fluidly connected to the tubular damper housing;
an inner tube, which is inserted into the tubular damper housing via a bottom valve element;
a piston rod, which can be moved longitudinally in the inner tube and has a working piston;
wherein the bottom valve element divides the tubular damper housing into a low-pressure working chamber and a high-pressure working chamber, which is acted upon by means of the working piston; and
a separating piston seated in the tubular damper housing that separates the damping medium in the low-pressure working chamber from a gas volume held in the tubular damper housing;
wherein an inlet opening of the damping valve element is fluidly connected to the high-pressure working chamber, and an outlet opening of the damping valve element is fluidly connected to the low-pressure working chamber, such that the damping valve element is connected in parallel with the working piston;
wherein the damping valve element can be closed during a rebound stage such that the damping medium can be forced to flow through the working piston and through the bottom valve element without flowing through the damping valve element;
wherein the damping valve element can be opened during the rebound stage such that the damping medium can be forced to flow through the working piston, through the bottom valve element, and through the damping valve element.
2 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inner tube is inserted into the tubular damper housing via the bottom valve element in such a way that the bottom valve element is inserted into the tubular damper housing on the inner circumference and forms a hydraulic seal with the inner tube.
3 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 2 wherein the damping valve element is selectively adjusted continuously between any desired minimum damper characteristic and any desired maximum damper characteristic.
4 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the damper valve element has at least one controllable valve unit, by means of which the damper characteristic is selectively switched.
5 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the at least one controllable valve unit comprises one of a manually, electrically and electromagnetically adjustable valve for switching the damper characteristic.
6 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the at least one controllable valve unit is a first valve unit and the controllable vibration damper further comprises a second valve unit with a defined flow cross section connected one of upstream and downstream of the first valve unit in the flow direction of the damping medium.
7 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the damping valve element can be closed during the rebound stage such that the damping medium is forced to flow through the working piston, from a piston-rod side of the working piston to a region remote from the piston rod, and through the bottom valve element, from the low-pressure working chamber into the high-pressure working chamber, without flowing through the damping valve element, such that no damping force is produced by the damping valve element and a hard characteristic is provided by the controllable vibration damper; and
the damping valve element can be opened during the rebound stage such that the damping medium is forced to flow through the working piston, from a piston-rod side of the working piston to a region remote from the piston rod, through the bottom valve element, from the low-pressure working chamber into the high-pressure working chamber, and through the damping valve element, from the high-pressure working chamber into the low-pressure working chamber, such that a damping force is produced by the damping valve element and a soft characteristic is provided by the controllable vibration damper.
8 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inlet opening and the outlet opening are the only openings that fluidly connect the damping valve element to the rest of the controllable vibration damper.
9 . A controllable vibration damper having a damping force control system, the controllable vibration damper comprising:
a tubular damper housing which is at least partially filled with damping medium, and a damping valve element for damping force control, which is arranged on and fluidly connected to the tubular damper housing;
an inner tube, which is inserted into the tubular damper housing via a bottom valve element;
a piston rod, which can be moved longitudinally in the inner tube and has a working piston;
wherein the bottom valve element divides the tubular damper housing into a low-pressure working chamber and a high-pressure working chamber, which is acted upon by means of the working piston; and
a separating piston seated in the tubular damper housing that separates the damping medium in the low-pressure working chamber from a gas volume held in the tubular damper housing;
wherein an inlet opening of the damping valve element is fluidly connected to the high-pressure working chamber, and an outlet opening of the damping valve element is fluidly connected to the low-pressure working chamber, such that the damping valve element is connected in parallel with the working piston;
wherein the damping valve element can be closed during a compression stage such that the damping medium can be forced to flow through the working piston and through the bottom valve element without flowing through the damping valve element;
wherein the damping valve element can be opened during the compression stage such that the damping medium can be forced to flow through the working piston, through the bottom valve element, and through the damping valve element.
10 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the inner tube is inserted into the tubular damper housing via the bottom valve element in such a way that the bottom valve element is inserted into the tubular damper housing on the inner circumference and forms a hydraulic seal with the inner tube.
11 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 10 wherein the damping valve element is selectively adjusted continuously between any desired minimum damper characteristic and any desired maximum damper characteristic.
12 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the damper valve element has at least one controllable valve unit, by means of which the damper characteristic is selectively switched.
13 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the at least one controllable valve unit comprises one of a manually, electrically and electromagnetically adjustable valve for switching the damper characteristic.
14 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the at least one controllable valve unit is a first valve unit and the controllable vibration damper further comprises a second valve unit with a defined flow cross section connected one of upstream and downstream of the first valve unit in the flow direction of the damping medium.
15 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 9 , wherein:
the damping valve element can be closed during the compression stage such that the damping medium is forced to flow through the working piston, from a region remote from the piston rod to a piston-rod side of the working piston, and through the bottom valve element, from the high-pressure working chamber into the low-pressure working chamber, without flowing through the damping valve element, such that no damping force is produced by the damping valve element and a hard characteristic is provided by the controllable vibration damper; and
the damping valve element can be opened during the compression stage such that the damping medium is forced to flow through the working piston, from a region remote from the piston rod to a piston-rod side of the working piston, through the bottom valve element, from the high-pressure working chamber into the low-pressure working chamber, and through the damping valve element, from the high-pressure working chamber into the low-pressure working chamber, such that a damping force is produced by the damping valve element and a soft characteristic is provided by the controllable vibration damper.
16 . The controllable vibration damper as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the inlet opening and the outlet opening are the only openings that fluidly connect the damping valve element to the rest of the controllable vibration damper.