Including Means Connecting Thrust Member To Load Patents (Class 188/321.11)
  • Patent number: 6843352
    Abstract: A shear mount assembly and a compression mount assembly are combined to control ride harshness of a shock absorber. The shock absorber includes a body and a shock rod having a hydraulically sealed portion within the body and a distally extending free portion. A mount assembly is connected at the free portion having both a compression mount and a shear mount therein. The shear mount absorbs low-input vertical loads transferred from the shock rod, and the compression mount limits vertical displacement of the shear mount and absorbs a medium-input vertical load. The shear mount and the compression mount are tuned by selecting the durometer, dimensions, and physical configuration of each mount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignees: DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Trelleborg Corporation
    Inventors: Mark F Jacoby, Kelly J Reynolds, James M Stevens, Timothy S O'Bryan, Phillip C Boss
  • Patent number: 6840358
    Abstract: A motor vehicle strut and a rod guide assembly for the same. The strut includes a body, a rod slidable within the body, and a guide assembly. The guide assembly includes a housing assembly with a compliant member positioned adjacent a sleeve. An aperture is formed within the housing assembly. A bearing receives the rod, is positioned substantially within the aperture, and engages the sleeve. At least one seal is positioned substantially within the aperture. A seal cover and a retainer are operably attached to the housing assembly. Lateral movement of the rod causes deformation of the compliant member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Piotr A. Kos, Saiman Lun
  • Publication number: 20040251098
    Abstract: A shock absorber includes a cylindrical shock absorber body, a mounting portion 4 disposed bulgingly in an outer surface of the shock absorber body, and a spring seat 3 inserted into the shock absorber body and engaged with the mounting portion 4, supporting a suspension spring. The mounting portion 4 has, on the top face, a flat face portion perpendicular to an axis of the shock absorber body. The spring seat 3 includes a cylindrical seat body15, a seat portion 16 projected from an outer side of the cylindrical seat body 15 and an engagement portion 18 projected from an inner side of the cylindrical seat body 15. Further a travel stop device is disposed between the spring seat 3 and the mounting portion 4, thereby to stop relative rotation and upward/downward-direction travel thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2004
    Publication date: December 16, 2004
    Inventor: Shigeru Kojima
  • Patent number: 6827184
    Abstract: A shock-absorbing device includes an outer threaded tube, a threaded rod having a retractable rod, a compression spring, an adjusting nut, and an urging nut. Thus, when the urging nut on the outer threaded tube is unscrewed, the threaded rod can be rotated relative to the outer threaded tube, thereby adjusting the relative distance between the threaded rod and the outer threaded tube, such that the height of the automobile can be adjusted largely. In addition, the scales of the flat surface can be used to indicate the length of the shock-absorbing device, so that the height of the automobile can be adjusted exactly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Inventor: Wei-Li Lin
  • Publication number: 20040168870
    Abstract: Suspension strut unit comprising a connector bearing for a piston rod of the suspension strut unit, where a spring plate for a vehicle spring has a bearing with a connector bearing-side bearing part and a spring plate-side bearing part, which bearing allows relative rotational movement between the vehicle spring and the connector bearing of the piston rod, where, after the piston rod has traveled inward a certain distance, a stop buffer rests against a cylinder; where a second bearing allows relative movement between the connector bearing and the cylinder after the stop buffer has become active; and where the second bearing allows the stop buffer to move relative to the spring plate at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the suspension strut unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Publication date: September 2, 2004
    Applicant: ZF Sachs AG
    Inventors: Gunther Handke, Manfred Schuler, Wolfgang Breun, Ali Dogan, Stephan Zuber
  • Patent number: 6764066
    Abstract: An hydraulic damping mount has an outer sleeve, an inner sleeve for securing thereto a piston of a spring strut (activatable in at least one direction), an elastomeric body and two chambers. The two chambers are interconnected via a gap. The inner sleeve comprises a radially projecting boss separating the two chambers from each other. The connection between the two chambers is configured in accordance with the invention as a gap between the boss and the outer sleeve so that when activated, the fluid flow through the gap is in the direction opposite to the movement of the boss, resulting in a reduction in the stiffness. This simplifies assembly whilst enhancing the stiffness response of the mount. The invention relates furthermore to a mount for supporting a spring strut in making use of such a mount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Trelleborg Automotive Technical Centre GmbH
    Inventor: Arndt Graeve
  • Patent number: 6749047
    Abstract: In a dust cover mounting structure of a hydraulic shock absorber (10), a spring seat (15) is formed in a non-annular outer shape, a standing-up rib (34) is provided in an outer edge thereof, and a mounting portion (51) of a dust cover (50) is formed in a non-annular outer shape profiling an inner periphery of the rib (34) of the spring seat (15) and is received in the inner periphery of the rib (34).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Showa Corporation Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidehiko Koyano, Takeshi Murata, Jiro Segawa, Shuichi Kato, Keiichi Sunami, Toshiya Hasegawa, Shigenori Inaba
  • Publication number: 20040079600
    Abstract: A spring strut support bearing, has a top bearing that can be affixed by its inner ring to the front end of an automobile, e.g. to the end of a piston rod of a shock absorber facing a vehicle body. The inner ring is surrounded by an outer ring with radial clearance; at least one elastic spring element made of rubber-elastic material is arranged in a gap formed by the clearance. The outer ring is disposed in a stationary manner with respect to the vehicle body; and only the component of the loading force of the shock absorber extending through the elastic spring element of the top bearing reaches the vehicle body. The inner ring has on each of its two end faces at least one elastically flexible stop buffer for limiting extreme deflection movements in moving direction of the shock absorber, the stop buffers each having the capability of being brought into contact with counter stop faces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2003
    Publication date: April 29, 2004
    Inventor: Michael Schutz
  • Patent number: 6705438
    Abstract: A damper, such as a vehicle shock absorber, and a method for attaching a ring to a base cup of a damper. The method includes the step of autogenously welding the ring to the damper base cup. The damper includes a ring autogenously welded to the damper base cup. In one variation, the ring is continuous and the base cup has a substantially convex surface with an outward projection. In another variation, the ring is split and has an end portion having a tab which projects radially outward. In one implementation, the welding consists essentially of drawn arc welding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Venkatasubramanian Ananthanarayanan, Steven Paul Donahue
  • Publication number: 20040041320
    Abstract: An upper portion of a rod protruding telescopically from an upper end of a hydraulic cylinder of a hydraulic shock absorber which suspends a wheel from a vehicle body is inserted from below into a mounting hole in an upper wall of a wheel house, and with a lower portion and an upper portion of the mounting hole being held by a lower damper mount bushing and an upper damper mount portion, respectively, a nut is then screwed on the upper portion of the rod to thereby fasten the rod to the upper wall of the wheel house. A temporarily fastening locking portion which is brought into engagement with the mounting hole in the wheel house to prevent the fall of the hydraulic shock absorber is integrally formed on the lower damper mount bushing fixed to the rod.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2003
    Publication date: March 4, 2004
    Applicant: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yutaka Hodumi
  • Patent number: 6684990
    Abstract: In a tube structure of a hydraulic damper, an outer tube and an inner tube are separately formed by extrusion, and using this outer tube or inner tube, as it has ribs integrally formed on an inside wall of the outer tube or outside wall of the inner tube, the inner tube is inserted into the outer tube, and the outer tube is forced to be reduced in diameter so that the outer tube is compression-joined onto the inner tube, whereby the outer and inner tubes and are integrally joined
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignees: Showa Corporation, Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Takakusaki
  • Publication number: 20030234147
    Abstract: A top mount for a damper having a piston rod tenon comprises a mount insert and an o-ring. The mount insert is disposed on the tenon, and the o-ring is disposed on the tenon and within a cutout of the mount insert. A damper including the top mount, and a method of assembling a top mount, are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2002
    Publication date: December 25, 2003
    Applicant: DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventor: Saiman Lun
  • Patent number: 6666311
    Abstract: A spring strut support bearing, has a top bearing that can be affixed by its inner ring to the front end of an automobile, e.g. to the end of a piston rod of a shock absorber facing a vehicle body. The inner ring is surrounded by an outer ring with radial clearance; at least one elastic spring element made of rubber-elastic material is arranged in a gap formed by the clearance. The outer ring is disposed in a stationary manner with respect to the vehicle body; and only the component of the loading force of the shock absorber extending through the elastic spring element of the top bearing reaches the vehicle body. The inner ring has on each of its two end faces at least one elastically flexible stop buffer for limiting extreme deflection movements in moving direction of the shock absorber, the stop buffers each having the capability of being brought into contact with counter stop faces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Firma Carl Freudenberg
    Inventor: Michael Schütz
  • Patent number: 6640942
    Abstract: The present invention is intended to reduce the weight of the suspension support without increasing its production cost. An inner and outer cylinders (1), (2) are made of aluminum. Out of the upper and lower inner circumferential flanges (6), (7) which hold vertically a rubber elastomer (3) in between, one flange is formed on an open condition when the outer cylinder (2) is forged, and after inserting the rubber elastomer (3) from the opening (11) a circumferential edge of the opening (11) is inwardly folded to form the inner circumferential flanges (6), (7), thus completing a product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasukuni Wakita
  • Patent number: 6637555
    Abstract: The invention provides a damper assembly (10) comprising a housing (12) defining an inner chamber (22, 24) having a damping fluid disposed therein. A piston rod (14) is slidably retained by the housing (12), and at least partially extends into, the chamber (22, 24). A piston (18) is disposed at a first distal end (21) of the piston rod (14) and strokes inside the housing (12). The piston (18) defines a first chamber (22) and a second chamber (24) within the housing (12) and includes at least one aperture (26) for allowing damping fluid to flow between the first (22) and second (24) chambers. An actuator (30) is disposed within the piston (18) for varying the flow of damping fluid through the aperture (26) between the first (22) and second (24) chambers within the housing (12). The piston rod (14) includes an inner bore (16) that receives pressurized air from an external source for communicating pneumatic control signals to the actuator (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Troy A. Miller, Michael L. Oliver, William C. Kruckemeyer
  • Publication number: 20030178269
    Abstract: An upper mount in a suspension system of an automotive vehicle, including a metal housing, a cylindrical body accommodated in the housing, and an outer metal sleeve bonded to the outer circumferential surface of the elastic body and fitted in the housing, wherein the elastic body has an annular sealing lip integrally formed of a rubber material and located radially outwardly of a central opening formed through an upper wall portion of the housing such that the sealing lip is held in pressing contact with an inner surface of the upward wall portion or a cylindrical wall portion of the housing, for preventing a flow of an aqueous component such as water from the central opening to the outer metal sleeve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2003
    Publication date: September 25, 2003
    Applicant: TOKAI RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yukio Hayashi, Koichi Kobayashi, Michiharu Hikosaka, Yorikazu Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20030178268
    Abstract: A method of forming an attachment fitting for a suspension tube comprises providing an insert in a mold, and casting a ring element in the mold. The ring element is metallurgically bonded to the insert. An attachment fitting formed by this method is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2002
    Publication date: September 25, 2003
    Applicant: DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: Venkatasubramanian Ananthanarayanan, Stephen C. Hagwood, Essam E. Salama
  • Patent number: 6592112
    Abstract: A mount assembly for a vehicle suspension strut includes a mount plate assembly having upper and lower plate members secured together and supporting a cushion member. The cushion member is secured to a retainer which is secured directly to a damper piston rod or through a bearing assembly. Multiple load paths may be provided by a bumper mounted on a spring seat member secured to the piston rod and engageable with the lower plate of the plate assembly for transferring jounce loads directly to the vehicle body structure. The steering bearing may be mounted to engage the lower plate for transferring loads directly through the bearing and the lower plate to the body structure. The plate assembly may include a composite upper plate member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd A. Bishop, Dennis R. Hurst
  • Patent number: 6581918
    Abstract: The present invention provides a shock absorbing device comprising: a hollow spring including a chamber having a proximal end, a distal end, and a bellows comprised of a springy material connecting the proximal end to the distal end and enclosing the chamber; a shock absorber extending through the hollow spring, the shock absorber including a cylinder and a piston which slidably engages the cylinder, the cylinder extending through and being attached to the hollow spring proximal end, the piston extending through and slidably engaging the hollow spring distal and the piston including contacting device located distally of the hollow spring distal end for urging the hollow spring distal end proximally when the contacting device is forced against the hollow spring distal end and for urging the piston distally when the hollow spring distal end is forced against the contacting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Inventor: Bret Voelkel
  • Publication number: 20030102194
    Abstract: The present invention is intended to reduce the weight of the suspension support without increasing its production cost. An inner and outer cylinders (1), (2) are made of aluminum. Out of the upper and lower inner circumferential flanges (6), (7) which hold vertically a rubber elastomer (3) in between, one flange is formed on an open condition when the outer cylinder (2) is forged, and after inserting the rubber elastomer (3) from the opening (11) a circumferential edge of the opening (11) is inwardly folded to form the inner circumferential flanges (6), (7), thus completing a product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2001
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Inventor: Yasukuni Wakita
  • Patent number: 6494443
    Abstract: The air bellows device for use with automobiles has a bellows element as commonly understood for use in slidable engagement with for example the struts of an automobile to raise and lower the frame relative to the axles. The air pressure end plate and pressure end plate are attached to the end caps of the bellows element using five or more holes through which bolts pass to threadably engage five or more threaded holes in each end cap. In addition the gap between the strut shaft and the wall of the openings in each end plate to receive the strut shaft is sealed by the use of two O-rings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: Ecore Corporation
    Inventor: John Valdez
  • Patent number: 6427814
    Abstract: A liquid-encapsulated damper mount includes an outer member fixed to a vehicle body, and an inner member fixed to an upper end of a damper. The outer member and the inner member are connected to each other by first, second and third elastomer members. A first liquid chamber defined between the first and second elastomer members communicates with a second liquid chamber defined between the second and third elastomer members through a restriction. The restriction is defined in mating surfaces of the inner member and a ring member which are made of a metal and hence, even if the second elastomer member is deformed in any manner, the cross-sectional area of the restriction is not changed. Thus, when a load of a very low speed is inputted from a road surface, a stable damping force can be generated in the liquid-encapsulated damper mount, thereby preventing the resonance of an unsprung portion to enhance the riding comfort during traveling of a vehicle on a flat road.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuo Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 6425467
    Abstract: An actuation arrangement for movable components on vehicles, particularly for trunk lids or hoods, doors, vehicle tops and top covers, including at least one hydraulic cylinder (1) pivotably coupled to a cylindrical pivot pin (11) on the vehicle and/or on the movable vehicle component, and having at least one line (1) for the pressure medium in at least one working chamber (6, 9) of the hydraulic cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: Hoerbiger Hydraulik GmbH
    Inventors: Gerhard Huber, Klaus Schweiger
  • Patent number: 6398202
    Abstract: A mounting for a shock absorber or a pneumatic spring of a wheel suspension at the body of a vehicle is supported by bearing bolts, which are held in a bearing element. The shock-absorber strut is set at an angle and, with its free upper end and with interposing the supporting element, is held in a bearing bushing, which has two bearing bolts, which lie opposite to one another on a swiveling axis and which are supported cardanically and/or pivotably in a support fastened to the vehicle. The air spring is mounted only over the bearing element, the supporting element being omitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG
    Inventor: Walter Schaible
  • Patent number: 6357564
    Abstract: A connection bearing with a line connection comprises an annular bearing body with a through-opening which receives a bearing pin. The connection bearing has a receiving channel for receiving a line penetrating the connection bearing. The receiving channel is constructed at least up to the annular bearing body. Therefore, one end of the line can be grasped to hold it in a coaxial arrangement relative to the longitudinal axis of the connection bearing. The receiving channel in the bearing body for the line has an extension which extends along a direction that passes outside of the through-opening for the bearing pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Mannesmann Sachs AG
    Inventor: Andreas Tantius
  • Publication number: 20020027050
    Abstract: In a tube structure of a hydraulic damper, an outer tube and an inner tube are separately formed by extrusion, and using this outer tube or inner tube, as it has ribs integrally formed on an inside wall of the outer tube or outside wall of the inner tube, the inner tube is inserted into the outer tube, and the outer tube is forced to be reduced in diameter so that the outer tube is compression-joined onto the inner tube, whereby the outer and inner tubes and are integrally joined
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Publication date: March 7, 2002
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Takakusaki
  • Patent number: 6298962
    Abstract: There is disclosed a member for use with an arm that is used as an automobile suspension arm, for example. The member comprises a rodlike body and bushing-mounting portions formed at both ends of the rodlike body. The rodlike body consists of a hollow tube fabricated by extruding an aluminum material into a circular cross section. The bushing-mounting portions are formed by welding bushing-mounting members to both ends of the rodlike body. Each bushing-mounting member has a hole in which a bushing is mounted with a press fit. The curved wall of the rodlike body is recessed at the longitudinal center of the rodlike body. When an automobile having the aforementioned member collides, an axial compressive load is applied to the rodlike body. The rodlike body buckles at the recessed portion. This mitigates the impact in the collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: Showa Denko K.K.
    Inventors: Rentaro Kato, Koji Uchino, Yuichi Ogawa, Masaharu Tochigi, Masatoshi Enomoto, Naoki Nishikawa, Noriyuki Iwameji, Naoyuki Kawata
  • Patent number: 6290218
    Abstract: A spring-strut supporting bearing has at least one rubber bearing and a first fastening part for connecting it to the vehicle body. A second fastening part fixes a piston-cylinder assembly in position relative to the at least one rubber bearing and the first fastening part, the first fastening part being fixedly connected to the vehicle body via a securing ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Mannesmann Boge GmbH
    Inventor: Wilhelm Mayerböck
  • Patent number: 6269920
    Abstract: A tension stop limit holder for a vibration damper in a vehicle suspension, comprises a U-shaped base section with a base plate and two opposing side walls. The base plate has a cutout which is adapted to the outer contour of a container tube of the vibration damper so that the tension stop limit holder contacts the container tube and the side walls can be welded with the container tube. At least one of the side walls has a receptacle for a connection with a stabilizer link of the vehicle length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: Mannesmann Sachs AG
    Inventor: Günther Handke
  • Patent number: 6260835
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a vibration damper such as a shock strut for articulated installation between a car body and a wheel guide part in a motor vehicle by a quick connection. For this purpose, the vibration damper on the shock strut, together with an elastic joint and a connection part, forms a constructional unit or assembly unit. The quick connection is formed between the connection part and the body or the wheel guide without a catch connection and in a rigid manner, so that relative movement is prevented between the connection part and the body or wheel guide part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Mannesmann Sachs AG
    Inventors: Manfred Angles, Günther Handke, Robert Pradel
  • Patent number: 6182953
    Abstract: A spring and strut mount assembly for an automotive vehicle including a strut in the form of a shock absorber having a piston reciprocable within a cylinder, and a piston rod extending axially outwardly from the piston through a cap on an end of the cylinder. The assembly also includes a strut mount adapted to be secured to rigid frame structure of the vehicle. The piston rod is secured to the strut mount. A spring unit resists retraction of the piston rod into the cylinder. A jounce bumper of flexible compressible material is sleeved on the rod between the strut mount and the end of the cylinder. The jounce bumper is compressed axially by contact with the end of the cylinder when the piston rod strokes. A cup is provided to limit radially outward expansion of the jounce bumper when it is compressed by the end of the cylinder. The cup includes a side wall of plastic material surrounding the jounce bumper. The base of the cup is a metal washer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Chrysler Corporation
    Inventors: Mark C. Smith, Slawomir J. Herman