Abstract: A vibration damper, e.g. for damping retraction or extension springing forces on motor vehicles, includes a pressure medium cylinder in which a piston with a piston rod is axially slidably arranged. The piston divides the cylinder into first and second chambers which contain an electrorheological or magnetorheological fluid as a pressure medium. The two chambers are connected with one another through a throttle gap with at least one field generating element arranged adjacent thereto. The length of the throttle gap is divided by a gap intersection point into a first throttle gap section connected with the first chamber, and a second throttle gap section connected with the second chamber. A non-return check valve is arranged in a bypass gap connected parallel to the first throttle gap section between the gap intersection point and the first chamber.

Abstract: A passive force element on the basis of electrorheological liquids includes a piston with a piston rod guided in a cylindrical housing, and a force introduction element connected with the piston rod. The piston forms, in the cylindrical housing, two variable-volume working chambers, which are filled with electrorheological liquids, and which are connected by a fluid connection including a valve arrangement with an electrorheological liquid valve for controlling the throughflow characteristic. A regulated damping characteristic can be adjustedly set and force peaks are avoided, because the force introduction is achieved via the force introduction element, and the piston is coupled onto the force introduction element via an elastic element.

Abstract: A passive force element on the basis of electrorheological liquids, in which there is arranged a piston with piston rod, which is guided in a cylindrical housing, whereby the piston rod is connected with a force introduction element, and whereby the piston forms, in the cylindrical housing, two variable-volume working chambers, which are filled with electrorheological liquids, and which are connected by a fluid connection, and whereby the fluid connection comprises a valve arrangement for controlling the throughflow characteristic, which comprises an electrorheological liquid valve, is to be further embodied in such a manner, that a regulated damping characteristic can be adjustedly set and force peaks are avoided. This is achieved in that the force introduction is achieved via a force introduction element and the piston (11, 12, 13, 14) is coupled onto the force introduction element via an elastic element.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electrically variable spring/mass vibrating force coupler with variable damping, electrically adjustable spring characteristic curves and electrically adjustable, variable natural frequencies using electro-rheological or magneto-rheological fluids in its coupling elements to couple masses and springs

Abstract: The invention relates to a controllable adjustment and damping device comprising at least one pressure chamber (4) filled with hydraulic fluid, a fluid container (11), a pump (5) connecting the pressure chamber to the fluid container, a compensating volume (8) and a return line (13) with a passthrough valve (7). An electro-rheological fluid or magneto-rheological fluid is used as a hydraulic fluid (6) which exerts pressure upon a piston (3) that juts out into the pressure chamber or on a membrane (17), the intensity thereof being controlled by the passthrough valve.

Abstract: A valve (1) on the basis of electrorheological and/or magnetorheological fluids includes a fluid inlet channel (3) connected through a valve gap (5) to a fluid outlet channel (4). The valve gap is filled with an electrorheological and/or magnetorheological fluid and is bounded by bounding surfaces that are embodied as electrically energizable capacitor electrodes and/or coil arrangements, whereby the field excitation thereof acts on the fluid flowing through the valve gap. At least one bounding surface of the valve gap is embodied to be movable selectively toward and away from another bounding surface, so as to superimpose a squeeze mode and a flow mode of the electrorheological and/or magnetorheological effect. The valve gap may define a meandering or spiral flow path for the fluid. In this manner, a compact valve can provide high blocking pressures and high through-flow rates.

Abstract: A valve and a shock absorber based on electrorheological liquids A valve and a shock absorber are described which are based on electrorheological liquids and which contain a valve aperture between two chambers, wherein the boundary faces of the valve aperture consist of electrically conductive material and are insulated from each other, and which comprise a source of high voltage, each of the voltage terminals of which can be connected to one of the boundary faces, with the characterising feature that the valve aperture has a meander-shaped cross-section.

Abstract: A hydraulic displacement machine that can operate as a pump or a motor in connection with an electrorheologic or magnetorheologic fluid includes a housing, a rotary piston arranged to rotate within a chamber in the housing, at least one displacement vane provided on the rotary piston, a plurality of field generating elements such as capacitor plate segments and/or coil arrangements that are each individually electrically energizable and that are arranged on the two sidewalls of the housing chamber distributed around the circumferential direction, and an actuator connected to each field generating element so as to move the elements of each pair selectively closer together and farther apart from each other. By applying an appropriate electric or magnetic field to the electrorheologic or magnetorheologic fluid between the field generating elements, the fluid is locally solidified in the "flow mode" to form a stationary seal plug within each fluid chamber between respective consecutive vanes.

Abstract: In a pressure motor for electro-rheological fluids comprising a housing (1) surrounding two operating chambers (A, B), a piston (3) moveable in the housing (1), an inlet channel (22) for supplying, and an outlet channel (23) for discharging an electro-rheological fluid, and electro-rheological valves (1a, 1b, 2a, 2b) comprising an annular gap (8) which in each case connects an operating chamber (A and B) to the inlet channel (22) or the outlet channel (23) and whose boundary surfaces form electrodes for the generation of an electric field, the electro-rheological valves (1a, 1b, 2a, 2b) are formed by bores (6) which penetrate through the housing wall in the longitudinal direction and by mandrels (7) which are arranged in the bores (6) and are insulated from the housing (1), where the bores (6) and the mandrels (7) co-define annular gaps (8) of a constant gap width and the mandrels (7) can be connected to a high voltage and the housing (1) can be connected to earth potential.

Abstract: This invention relates to a controllable clutch based on electrorheological or magnetorheological liquids, in which the transmission of force or the transmission of torque is achieved in that an electrorheological or magnetorheological liquid is pushed through an electrode gap or magnet gap of the clutch by means of a surface acting as a piston.