Patents by Inventor Eric Lee Jensen
Eric Lee Jensen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 6547224Abstract: A suspension damper includes a reservoir housing with a piston slidably mounted therein and including a piston rod extending from the reservoir housing and attached to the vehicle by a mount assembly. An air chamber is defined by a sleeve cirucmscribing the piston rod and connected to the reservoir housing by a flexible portion. The mount assembly includes a pumping chamber which expands and contracts in response to normal road undulations to inflate the air chamber. A valve controlled by the flexible portion of the sleeve controls communication from the air chamber to ambient atmosphere to thereby control inflation of the air chamber and thereby controlling ride height.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2001Date of Patent: April 15, 2003Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Eric Lee Jensen, William Charles Kruckemeyer, Troy Allen Miller, Ronald Gene Smith, Jr., Michael Leslie Oliver
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Publication number: 20020148692Abstract: A suspension damper includes a reservoir housing with a piston slidably mounted therein and including a piston rod extending from the reservoir housing and attached to the vehicle by a mount assembly. An air chamber is defined by a sleeve cirucmscribing the piston rod and connected to the reservoir housing by a flexible portion. The mount assembly includes a pumping chamber which expands and contracts in response to normal road undulations to inflate the air chamber. A valve controlled by the flexible portion of the sleeve controls communication from the air chamber to ambient atmosphere to thereby control inflation of the air chamber and thereby controlling ride height.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2001Publication date: October 17, 2002Inventors: Eric Lee Jensen, William Charles Kruckemeyer, Troy Allen Miller, Ronald Gene Smith, Michael Leslie Oliver
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Publication number: 20020139624Abstract: A magnetorheological damper includes an inner tube, a magnetorheological piston, and an outer tube. The magnetorheological piston is located within and slideably engages the inner tube. The outer tube surrounds the inner tube. The outer tube is in fluid communication with the inner tube.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2001Publication date: October 3, 2002Inventors: Eric Lee Jensen, Michael Leslie Oliver, William Charles Kruckemeyer
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Patent number: 6419058Abstract: A magnetorheological damper includes a cylinder and a magnetorheological piston. The magnetorheological piston is located within and slideably engages the cylinder. The magnetorheological piston includes a magnetically energizable passageway and a magnetically non-energizable passageway spaced apart from the magnetically energizable passageway. The magnetorheological piston also includes a pressure and flow control valve disposed to allow pressure-dependent fluid flow in the magnetically non-energizable passageway when the magnetorheological piston slides towards the first end of the cylinder.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2001Date of Patent: July 16, 2002Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael Leslie Oliver, William Charles Kruckemeyer, Eric Lee Jensen
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Patent number: 6318519Abstract: An improved magnetorheological fluid damper is provided which effectively provides a smooth transition, without a sharp break in the damper force/velocity curve, between very low damping forces near zero damper velocity to higher damping forces at higher piston velocities while maintaining desirable maximum force levels. The damper includes a piston assembly, including a magnet assembly and a flow gap extending through the piston assembly to permit fluid flow between the chambers. The force/velocity optimization feature includes a groove or passage open to the flow gap, positioned in series with a part of the flow gap in a magnetic circuit generated by the magnet assembly and dimnensioned/sized to permit fluid flowing through the passage to experience a magnetorheological effect less than a magnetorheological effect experienced by fluid flowing through the flow gap but not through the groove. Preferably, the passage is formed in an inner annular surface of a flux ring positioned around a piston core.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2000Date of Patent: November 20, 2001Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.Inventors: William Charles Kruckemeyer, Eric Lee Jensen, Richard Edward Longhouse, Patrick Neil Hopkins, John David Fehring, Ilya Lisenker, James A. Morgan
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Patent number: 6296090Abstract: A rotary damper for use in an automotive vehicle. The rotary damper includes an outer casing having a main chamber and a pair of piston orifices, the main chamber and the piston orifices being filled with a damping fluid, a pivotable cam located in the main chamber and attached to an arm for transferring the rotary movement of the arm to the cam. The damper also includes a pair of pistons, each located in its own orifice, and connected to opposite sides of the cam. When the ami transfers the rotary movement to the cam, each piston is moved in opposite directions in its respective piston orifice to damp the rotary movement of the arm.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2000Date of Patent: October 2, 2001Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael Leslie Oliver, William Charles Kruckemeyer, Ilya Lisenker, Eric Lee Jensen
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Patent number: 5878850Abstract: A damper with continuously variable rates in both extension and compression operation is provided. The damper includes a single tube carrying a piston having at least one pressure chamber and separating the tube into extension and compression chambers. A bi-directional control valve is carried by the piston. The control valve includes a first annular disc carrying a seal and separating the pressure chamber from the extension chamber. A second annular disc carrying a seal separates the pressure chamber from the compression chamber. The discs are variably deflectable under fluid force to provide an opening through the piston. A pair of armatures control the fluid pressure in the pressure chamber to change the deflective characteristics of the discs by varying a backpressure in the pressure chamber. A coil is positioned near the first and second armatures and is operable to draw both the first and the second armatures to close the passages.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 1996Date of Patent: March 9, 1999Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Eric Lee Jensen
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Patent number: 5749596Abstract: A roll control system with a latchable stabilizer bar actuator includes an anti-roll bar that is mounted to a vehicle's body and includes a pair of ends with one end rigidly connected to the vehicle's chassis and the second end connected to the vehicle's chassis through a hydraulic actuator. The hydraulic actuator includes a single cylindrical tube slidably carrying a piston. The piston separates the tube into first and second chambers. The piston carries a solenoid operated valve that effects latching and de-latching of the actuator for selectively effecting operation of the anti-roll bar.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 1996Date of Patent: May 12, 1998Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventors: Eric Lee Jensen, William Charles Kruckemeyer, John David Fehring
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Patent number: 5667041Abstract: A rebound cutoff feature is provided for a strut-type suspension damper which includes a hydraulic stop feature in combination with a mechanical stop to limit rebound travel. The strut's piston rod carries a valve collar which interacts with the sole flow passage between the compression and rebound chambers of the strut to hydraulically decelerate movement as the rebound travel limit of the strut is approached.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 1995Date of Patent: September 16, 1997Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Eric Lee Jensen
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Patent number: 5647461Abstract: An adjustable damper is provided with a variable electrically controlled damping rate being effected through the use of a sliding spool control valve carried on the piston in cooperation with a passive damping valve also carried on the piston to provide a compact and unitized assembly. Damping fluid flow through the piston passes through both the control valve and the passive damping valve.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 1995Date of Patent: July 15, 1997Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventors: Eric Lee Jensen, William Charles Kruckemeyer
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Patent number: D620613Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2009Date of Patent: July 27, 2010Inventor: Eric Lee Jensen