Vehicle dampers

Abstract

A vehicle damper, equipped with a piston that reciprocates within the damper body during compression and rebound strokes, has variable hydraulic fluid compression and rebound volumes on the opposite side of the piston. An array of multiple compression valves and an array of multiple rebound valves connected in parallel resist the hydraulic fluid flow in compression valve active mode during the compression stroke and rebound valve active mode during the rebound stroke, and provides minimal resistance to the hydraulic fluid flow in compression valve passive mode during the rebound stroke and rebound valve passive mode during the compression stroke, respectively. A hydraulic fluid passage guides the hydraulic fluid through valves and return tubes. A sensor array senses the piston position. A controller adjusts the resistance to the hydraulic fluid flow by progressively opening and closing selected valves in the compression and rebound valve arrays according to the sensed piston position during the compression and rebound strokes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 513,471, filed on July 13, 2023. The entire disclosure of the above - referenced application is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This application relates to the field of dampers, particularly to the field of vehicle dampers.

Background Art

[0003] A typical vehicle damper includes a piston attached to a piston rod that reciprocates in hydraulic fluid within the damper body. Each wheel of a vehicle is typically provided with a damper that functions with a spring to provide a vehicle's suspension system. The spring responds to the movement of the wheel on the road surface, and the damper absorbs energy and returns the spring to its neutral loaded position or ride height, damping the induced movement and preventing the vehicle from bouncing up and down. Generally, in an operation commonly referred to as the compression stroke, bump stroke, or jounce stroke, when velocity is input to the damper via the piston rod, the piston is further pushed into the damper body against the resistance of the hydraulic fluid, generating a velocity - dependent resistance force. The terms compression, bump, and jounce may generally be used interchangeably. Subsequently, in an operation generally referred to as the rebound stroke, the piston is pulled back towards its original position by the vehicle's spring against the resistance of the hydraulic fluid in the opposite direction.

[0004] During the bump and rebound strokes, the hydraulic fluid flows through one or more orifices in the piston, generating a resistance force defined by the characteristics of the orifices. Heat is generated as the hydraulic fluid passes through the orifices, and this heat is dissipated to release the energy of the piston movement.

[0005] Off-road vehicles require more robust suspension systems than typical on-road vehicles because they travel over challenging terrain. Position-sensitive dampers facilitate stepped damping resistance, with low resistance during partial compression strokes and maximum resistance during full damper compression strokes. This controls vehicle movement and prevents damage to the dampers and other suspension components. Stepwise increases in damping force are also typically performed during the rebound stroke. The extremely rough conditions of off-road driving generate considerable heat within the dampers, which must be dissipated quickly.

[0006] Conventional position-sensitive dampers consist of a cylindrical damper body surrounding a piston with an attached piston rod. In virtually all similar damper systems, the hydraulic fluid flows under pressure from the volume on one side of the piston to the volume on the other side. A reservoir for the hydraulic fluid is usually provided between these volumes to account for the fluid volume removed by the piston rod and the volume changes of the hydraulic fluid due to heating and cooling.

[0007] A typical prior art position-sensitive damper (100), as shown in Figures 1A to 1E, comprises a robust cylindrical damper body (102), a piston (104), and a piston rod (106). Similar to most automotive dampers, in addition to the flow of hydraulic fluid through the piston (104) from the high-pressure side to the low-pressure side during the compression stroke (Figures 1C, 1D) and rebound stroke (Figures 1A, 1B), this position-sensitive damper (100) allows for further hydraulic fluid outflow from the damper body (102) through longitudinally spaced orifices (108, 110, 112, 114, 116) along the wall of the damper body (102). These spaced orifices are positioned along the length of the damper body (102) between the neutral piston position and the closed end of the damper body (102). The number of orifices determines the number of possible pressure zones. Each orifice is connected to a return tube passage (119) that returns the hydraulic fluid to the low-pressure side volume. The flow of the hydraulic fluid can be controlled by a valve (128). In Figures 1A to 1E, a black disc (120) next to the valve (128) indicates that the valve (128) is closed, and a white disc (122) indicates that the valve (128) is open. The black and white discs (120, 122) represent the state of the valve, not a physical element. A hydraulic fluid reservoir (118) is provided. In the intermediate stroke, i.e., the low-pressure zone which is typically in the vehicle's ride height zone, the hydraulic fluid can flow through the piston orifice and several spaced-apart orifices (108, 110, 112, 114, 116) along the damper body (102) (see Figures 1A and 1D). As the piston (104) moves toward the full damper compression stroke (Figure 1B), it passes through each spaced-out orifice in sequence, reducing the number of fluid passages, which increases the pressure at the tip of the piston (104) and consequently increases the damping force. Finally, at a predetermined distance from the fully compressed position, i.e., the fully extended position, the hydraulic fluid can flow only through the piston (104), resulting in the highest damping force (see Figures 1B and 1C).

[0008] A position-sensitive damper provides several pressure zones. These may be three, five, or any other number of zones. For example, a position-sensitive damper with three zones has two spaced-out orifices positioned along the length of the damper body. When the piston is in the neutral position, its piston orifice and the two spaced-out orifices are open, allowing for the maximum hydraulic fluid flow and exhibiting minimal resistance to such flow. In the event of a short bump stroke, all three orifices may remain open during both the bump stroke and the rebound stroke. For a longer bump stroke, the first spaced-out orifice may be blocked by the piston. The hydraulic fluid flow is now restricted to two orifices, so the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the high-pressure volume increases. The damper is transitioning from the first lowest pressure zone to the second higher pressure zone.

[0009] If the piston is prompted to move further during the compression stroke, the second separated orifice may also be blocked by the piston, leaving only a single piston orifice open. This creates a third pressure zone that offers greater resistance to the piston's movement, because only the single orifice is open to allow the hydraulic fluid to escape from the high-pressure volume of the damper body.

[0010] In the rebound direction, a similar arrangement may be implemented by a second set of spaced-out orifices, or the hydraulic fluid may flow only through the piston orifice. In the case of multiple spaced-out rebound orifices, a check valve is usually used for all flow paths, allowing flow only through the dedicated spaced-out bump orifice or rebound orifice.

[0011] The number of orifices and return tubes increases with each additional zone. These zones are fixed once the damper is constructed, as their physical position determines their response. Once the zones are selected when the damper is constructed, they cannot be changed. Furthermore, each zone with a fluid passage increases weight, potentially increasing the size of the damper as its external dimensions increase. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 8,235,186, [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 8,800,732 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent No. 11,733,940 [Overview of the Initiative]

[0013] Therefore, it is advantageous to create a damper that allows for pressure zone changes with a single configuration. It is also advantageous to reduce complexity by decreasing the number of passages required to circulate the hydraulic fluid from the high-pressure volume to the low-pressure volume within the damper body. Furthermore, it is useful to provide effective cooling of the damper hydraulic fluid as close as possible to the flow-limiting orifice that generates heat.

[0014] Advances in position-sensitive damping, which may be called position-selective or position-selectable damping, have been developed. Instead of using multiple rebound and compression tubes positioned at various points along the length of the damper, a single passage is employed for the fluid to exit the damper during compression. The hydraulic fluid passes through a single passage and then through an array of specially designed spool valves, as described in Patent Documents 1-3. This allows the hydraulic fluid to move from a high-pressure region to a lower-pressure region. Such spool valve damper technology provides unparalleled force-velocity ("FV") characteristics and cavitation-free operation even under extreme conditions.

[0015] The spool valve is located in the top and bottom housings outside the damper body, and the low-pressure fluid is preferably cooled immediately by finned radiant heat exchange tubes, maximizing the radiation and dissipation of the converted kinetic energy. This arrangement allows the hydraulic fluid to be kept cooler than in conventional position-sensitive dampers, especially in thermally critical areas such as solid pistons and rod seal regions. These innovative position-selectable dampers can function in the most extreme temperature and terrain conditions without overheating. The use of a large-capacity low-pressure reservoir ensures temperature insensitivity and minimizes its impact on the vehicle's spring constant at each wheel.

[0016] A series of force-velocity curves with customizable transition points are created by actively controlling the spool valve. Linking the control of the spool valve to the detected piston position, rather than relying on physically predetermined pressure zones for the damper's function, offers several advantages. For example, factory-adjusted settings are loaded as defaults but are adjustable. Various different configurations can be defined for different vehicle setups, including terrain, ambient conditions, vehicle mass, load capacity, suspension spring stiffness, tire selection, etc., or to suit user preferences. When the damper system is configured in this way, the user can even adjust the pressure zone transition points from inside the vehicle using a human interface module mounted in the vehicle, or wirelessly, for example, using a mobile software application loaded on a portable smartphone.

[0017] The vehicle damper comprises a cylindrical damper body, a piston rod connected at a first end outside the damper body to the unsprung mass or sprung mass of the vehicle, and connected at a second end inside the damper body to a piston, the piston being adapted to reciprocate within the damper body during the compression stroke and rebound stroke, a variable hydraulic fluid compression volume within the damper body limited by the position of the piston's compression surface, a variable hydraulic fluid rebound volume within the damper body limited by the position of the piston's rebound surface, an array of compression valves connected in parallel, the array of compression valves adapted to provide resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in an active mode during the compression stroke and to provide minimal resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in a passive mode during the rebound stroke, and an array of rebound valves connected in parallel, the array of rebound valves adapted to provide resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in an active mode during the rebound stroke and to provide minimal resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in a passive mode during the compression stroke. The damper includes an array of rebound valves adapted to provide minimal resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid, a hydraulic fluid passage which, during the compression stroke, leads hydraulic fluid from the compression volume through a compression valve in active mode to a low-pressure return tube and through a rebound valve in passive mode to the rebound volume, and during the rebound stroke, leads hydraulic fluid from the rebound volume through a rebound valve in active mode to a low-pressure return tube and through a compression valve in passive mode to the compression volume, an array of sensors longitudinally spaced along the outer surface of the damper body adapted to sense the position of the piston, and a controller adapted to increase resistance to the flow of hydraulic fluid by progressively closing selected valves in the array of compression valves and rebound valves in accordance with the sensed piston position during the compression stroke and the rebound stroke, respectively.

[0018] In a further embodiment, the sensor is a Hall effect sensor adapted to sense a magnet attached to a piston.

[0019] In a further aspect, the array of compression valves and rebound valves comprises spool valves.

[0020] In a further aspect, the array of compression valves comprises three spool valves.

[0021] In a further aspect, the array of rebound valves comprises two spool valves.

[0022] In a further aspect, an array of fins for air-cooling the hydraulic fluid is provided outside the low-pressure return tube.

[0023] In a further aspect, each of the compression valves and the rebound valves is adapted to close electronically under the control of a solenoid valve.

[0024] In a further aspect, each of the compression valves and the rebound valves may close within 3 milliseconds.

[0025] In a further aspect, each compression valve and rebound valve is a spool valve having a pressure pin adapted to block the flow of hydraulic fluid when closed electronically.

[0026] In a further aspect, the controller is programmed to select the piston position at which a selective closure of any one of the compression valves occurs to vary the pressure response zone.

[0027] In a further aspect, the pressure response zone may vary to adapt to vehicle and road surface conditions.

[0028] In a further aspect, the pressure response zone can be remotely varied by either a vehicle-mounted human interface module or a mobile computer software application loaded on a portable smartphone.

[0029] In a further embodiment, the multiple compression valves and the multiple rebound valves are all identical.

[0030] In a further embodiment, one of the multiple compression valves and the multiple rebound valves may be different from one of the other multiple compression valves and the multiple rebound valves.

[0031] In a further embodiment, one compression valve remains passive during the rebound stroke, and another rebound valve remains passive during the compression stroke.

[0032] Typically, closing all valves at once would cause the damper system to hydraulically lock, so one valve remains passive during both the rebound and compression strokes. Also, since each valve in the bump and rebound valve arrays may have different characteristics than the others, it is possible to keep one valve open at all times. Keeping different selected valves open at all times in different situations can increase adjustability.

[0033] These and other features can be best understood from the following specification and drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0034] [Figure 1A-1D] Figures 1A to 1D are schematic cross-sectional elevation views of prior art position-sensitive dampers. [Figure 1E] This is an external perspective view of a prior art position-sensitive damper. [Figure 2] This is a partial perspective view of a typical position-selectable damper. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a partial elevation cross-sectional view of the position-selectable damper. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the position-selectable damper, including the reservoir, as shown in Figure 2. [Figure 5] This is a partial elevation schematic cross-sectional view of a position-selectable damper equipped with a controller and sensor array. [Figure 6]This is a schematic diagram of various pressure zones in a position-selectable damper, and also shows handheld and vehicle-mounted controller input devices. [Figure 7A] This is an elevation view of a solenoid valve. [Figure 7B] This chart shows typical solenoid valve response times for a specific solenoid valve configuration. [Figure 7C] This is an elevation cross-sectional view of a solenoid valve showing the flow of hydraulic fluid in the open and closed valve positions. [Figure 8A] These are cross-sectional views of a compression spool valve or rebound spool valve in the open position, and elevation views of a solenoid valve, showing the flow of hydraulic fluid. [Figure 8B] These are cross-sectional views of a compression spool valve or rebound spool valve in the closed position, and elevation views of a solenoid valve, showing the flow of hydraulic fluid. [Figure 9A] The football curve of a conventional position-sensitive damper and the conventional position-sensitive damper are shown. [Figure 9B] The football curve and position-selectable damper are shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0035] Typical position-selectable dampers are shown in Figures 2 to 8B. Referring to Figures 2 to 5, a vehicle damper (1) comprises a cylindrical damper body (3). A piston rod (5) is conventionally connected at a first external end (7) of the damper body (3) to the unsprung mass (6) or sprung mass (8) (circularly shown) of the vehicle. The piston rod (5) is connected at a second internal end (9) of the damper body (3) to a piston (11). The piston (11) is adapted to reciprocate within the damper body (3) during the compression and rebound strokes of the damper (1). The variable hydraulic fluid compression volume (13) within the damper body (3) is limited by the position of the compression surface (15) of the piston (11). The variable hydraulic fluid rebound volume (17) within the damper body (3) is limited by the rebound surface (19) of the piston (11).

[0036] When the volume of hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic fluid compression volume (13) increases, the volume of hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic fluid rebound volume decreases proportionally. As a natural consequence, when the volume of hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic fluid compression volume decreases, the volume of hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic fluid rebound volume increases proportionally.

[0037] Multiple compression valves (21) in an array are connected in parallel. During the compression stroke, these compression valves (21) are adapted to provide resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in the compression valve active mode. During the rebound stroke, these compression valves (21) provide minimal resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in the compression valve passive mode. The array of multiple compression valves (21) may consist of two, three, or more valves.

[0038] Multiple rebound valves (23) in an array are connected in parallel. During the rebound stroke, these rebound valves (23) are adapted to provide resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in the rebound valve active mode. During the compression stroke, these rebound valves (23) provide minimal resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in the rebound valve passive mode. Any suitable number of rebound valves (23) can be used, but it has been found that having two rebound valves (23) in combination with three compression valves (21) is particularly functional.

[0039] While several conventional valve types can be used in a position-selectable damper, it is particularly beneficial to employ spool valves such as those taught in U.S. Patents 8,235,186, 8,800,732, and 11,733,940, the teachings of which are incorporated herein. In these spool valves, a coil spring is loaded and unloaded to move a spool within a cylinder, controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid by exposing or covering orifices of different shapes in various ways. In the illustrated embodiment of the position-selectable damper, three spool valves, as shown in Patent Document 3, are used as compression valves (21), and two such spool valves are used as rebound valves (23). The structure of such spool valves is best illustrated in Figures 3, 8A, and 8B. Optimally, each compression valve (21) and rebound valve (23) is a spool valve (22) having a pressure pin (24) adapted to shut off or allow the flow of hydraulic fluid when electronically closed or opened under the control of a solenoid valve (39). The solenoid valve (39) is shown alone in Figures 7A, 7C, 8A, and 8B. As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the solenoid valve (39) is provided for the active spool valve but not for the passive spool valve. Thus, there are two solenoid valves (39) for three compression valves (21) and one solenoid valve (39) for two rebound valves (23).

[0040] The control of the spool valve (22) by the solenoid valve (39) is shown in Figures 8A and 8B. When the solenoid valve (39) allows hydraulic fluid to flow into the low-pressure return tube (27), thereby reducing the hydraulic pressure acting on the pressure pin (24) in the spool valve (22), the pressure pin (24) may move outward within the spool valve (22) and expose the flow port within the spool valve (22). This is the open (O) spool valve position, as indicated by the solid arrows showing the flow of hydraulic fluid in the solenoid valve (39) in Figures 8A and 7C. In contrast, when the solenoid valve (39) allows the flow of hydraulic fluid from the high-pressure region within the spool valve (22) and increases the hydraulic pressure acting on the pressure pin (24), the pressure pin (24) may move inward again within the spool valve (22) and close the flow port within the spool valve (22) again. This is the closed (C) spool valve position, as indicated by the dashed arrow showing the flow of hydraulic fluid within the solenoid valve (39) in Figures 8B and 7C.

[0041] The solenoid valve (39) is preferably a three-way high-speed valve. Typical response times for such a solenoid valve (39) to transition to the open (O) and closed (C) states are shown in the chart of Figure 7B. The response time (RT) is given in milliseconds (MS). The response time (RT) is given for a continuous-use coil (CDC) in a three-way normally closed (3WNC) configuration. In the cross-sectional image of Figure 7C, the flow of hydraulic fluid through the solenoid valve (39) is shown by solid arrows for the open (O) spool valve position and dashed arrows for the closed (C) spool valve position, corresponding to the illustrations in Figures 8A and 8B above. To obtain a high level of damping performance, each of the compression valve (21) and rebound valve (23) can be closed within 3 milliseconds using a three-way high-speed solenoid valve.

[0042] Various possible valve configurations may be employed. For example, the compression valve (21) and the rebound valve (23) may each be identical. Alternatively, one of the compression valve (21) and the rebound valve (23) may be different from the other one of the compression valve (21) or the rebound valve (23). In a preferred embodiment, one compression valve (21) remains passive during the rebound stroke, and one rebound valve (23) remains passive during the compression stroke.

[0043] During the compression stroke, the hydraulic fluid passage (25) directs the hydraulic fluid from the compression volume (13) through the compression valve (21) in the active mode to the low-pressure return tube (27), and then through the rebound valve (23) in the passive mode to the rebound volume (17). During the rebound stroke, the hydraulic fluid passage (25) directs the hydraulic fluid from the rebound volume (17) through the rebound valve (23) in the active mode to the low-pressure return tube (27), and then through the compression valve (21) in the passive mode to the compression volume (13). The hydraulic fluid passage (25) may include multiple segments. Furthermore, a hydraulic fluid reservoir (38) may be provided to receive excess hydraulic fluid when it is not needed in the rest of the damper (1), and conversely, to supply additional hydraulic fluid to the rest of the damper when needed. The large-capacity low-pressure reservoir (38) ensures temperature insensitivity while minimizing the impact on the vehicle's spring constant at each wheel.

[0044] At least one low-pressure return tube (27) is required, but in the illustrated embodiment, two low-pressure return tubes (27) are used to double the volume of the low-pressure return tubes (27). Increasing the number of low-pressure return tubes (27) helps to keep the pressure in these tubes low enough for optimal damper performance. Furthermore, since the hydraulic fluid in the damper is heated by being compressed and forced to pass through the orifice, the low-pressure return tubes (27) are provided with an array of multiple external fins (37) to increase the surface area of ​​the low-pressure return tubes (27) in contact with the ambient air and promote cooling of the hydraulic fluid. Here again, such cooling improves damper performance.

[0045] Multiple sensors (29) in an array are arranged longitudinally spaced apart on a sensor strip (30) that is positioned longitudinally along the outer surface of the damper body (3), as shown in Figure 5. Typically, these sensors (29) are arranged at equal intervals along the sensor strip (30), but any desired interval is possible. These sensors are adapted to sense the position of a piston (11) moving longitudinally within the damper body (3). Different means are available to sense the position of the piston (11), but magnets (33) placed on or inside the piston (11) provide a useful object to be sensed by the sensors (29). Multiple magnets (33) may be employed as needed. The more sensors employed, the higher the sensitivity or accuracy of determining the position of the piston (11). However, it may be beneficial to maintain sufficient spacing between sensors for optimal function. In this regard, Hall effect sensors are particularly useful.

[0046] A controller (31), which may include multiple components, receives signals from these sensors (29). In response to these signals, the controller is adapted to increase resistance to the hydraulic fluid flow by progressively closing selected valves in the array of compression valves (21) and rebound valves (23), depending on the position of the piston (11) sensed in the compression stroke and rebound stroke, respectively. Preferably, the controller (31) is programmed to select the position of the piston (11) at which selective closure of either the compression valve (21) or the rebound valve (23) occurs in order to change the pressure response zone. As a further improvement, the pressure response zone can be varied to adapt to vehicle and running surface conditions. As shown in Figure 6, the pressure response zone can be remotely varied by a vehicle-mounted human interface module (40), such as a dedicated tablet device, using a mobile computer software application loaded on a portable smartphone (41), or by other suitable means. The controller (31) may include a circuit board connected to the sensor strip (30), as shown in Figure 5.

[0047] A display for remote setting of the pressure response zones is shown in Figure 6. The display is shown on a portable smartphone (41) or on a vehicle-mounted human interface module (40), such as a tablet mounted on the dashboard. Both can communicate with the controller (31). The set zero line (0) is indicated in the middle of the damper body (3). The compression stroke (CS) zone is indicated to run substantially along the length of the damper body (3) in either direction, and the rebound stroke (RS) zone is also indicated to run substantially along the length of the damper body (3) in either direction. The notations 30, 50, and 80 indicate the percentage of the stroke boundary position of the selected pressure response zone in the compression stroke (CS) zone. The notations -30, -60, and -80 indicate the percentage of the stroke boundary position of the selected pressure response zone in the rebound stroke (RS) zone. Compression zone adjustment is indicated by the notation CZA, and rebound zone adjustment is indicated by the notation RZA. BR indicates the soft range in the compression zone, BM indicates the mid-range in the compression zone, and BS indicates the stiff or hard range in the compression zone. RN indicates the normal range in the rebound zone, and RS indicates the stiff or hard range in the rebound zone. Unlike dampers of prior art, each of these ranges is fully adjustable. Even the set zero (0) line can be shifted. Each vehicle damper (1) located on the four wheels of the vehicle may be controlled separately, or all vehicle dampers (1) may be set to the same pressure response zone parameters.

[0048] The improved performance of the disclosed position-selectable damper compared to conventional prior art position-sensitive dampers (such as those shown in Figures 1A to 1E) can be illustrated graphically. Figures 1A to 1D show a position-sensitive damper with only one force level for the compression and rebound strokes. With additional ports and piping as shown in Figure 1E, the prior art position-sensitive damper may have three stages in any direction. When the force (F) and displacement (D) in the piston of a conventional position-selectable damper are measured using a test apparatus and plotted on a screen, a so-called "football curve" is generated, as shown in Figure 9A. The football curve is an irregularly shaped closed loop that shows abrupt increases and decreases in pressure as the orifice allowing the flow of hydraulic fluid is closed and reopened. As mentioned above, the shape of the football curve is fixed because the structural parameters of conventional dampers are fixed during manufacturing.

[0049] In contrast, the parameters of a position-selectable damper may be varied as needed. The position where force steps occur is electronically adjustable in virtually infinite ways. Each step position can be adjusted individually, and a very large number of steps are possible. Thus, multiple force-velocity curves can be generated. Multiple force-velocity football curves for a position-selectable damper are shown in Figure 9B. The solid closed-loop curve represents the baseline parameter setting. The dashed closed-loop curves offset from the solid line represent different parameter settings. Although only a single dashed line is shown, multiple such different parameter settings are possible. In the position-selectable damper shown below the corresponding football curve, it is possible to step between three compression force levels and two rebound levels. It is possible to move between high and low rebound force levels as many times as needed. In practice, it is preferable to generate football curves as shown in Figure 9B. If necessary, it is also possible to omit force transitions by not switching between different force levels. In a position-selectable damper, a series of force-velocity curves with customizable transition positions are created by actively controlling the compression valve (21) and the rebound valve (23), particularly when such a valve is a spool valve (22). Various different configurations can be defined to suit different terrains, ambient conditions, vehicle mass, vehicle setup, or user preferences. As described above, when the damper system is configured in this way, the user can adjust the transition points of the pressure zones from inside the vehicle using a vehicle-mounted human interface module (40), such as a dedicated tablet device, or remotely, for example, using a mobile software application loaded on a portable smartphone (41).

[0050] While different examples are shown having specific components, the examples in this disclosure are not limited to any particular combination thereof. Some components or features of any embodiment can be used in combination with features or components of any other embodiment.

[0051] The foregoing description is illustrative and should not be interpreted restrictively. Those skilled in the art will understand that certain modifications may fall within the scope of this disclosure. For these reasons, the following claims should be considered to determine the true scope and content of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A damper for vehicles, A cylindrical damper body, A piston rod connected to the unsprung mass or sprung mass of the vehicle at the first end of the damper body, A piston connected to the piston rod at a second end inside the damper body, the piston being adapted to reciprocate within the damper body during the compression stroke and the rebound stroke, A variable hydraulic fluid compression volume within the damper body, limited by the position of the compression surface of the piston, A variable hydraulic fluid rebound volume within the damper body, limited by the position of the rebound surface of the piston, An array of multiple compression valves connected in parallel, wherein the array of compression valves is configured to provide resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in an active mode during the compression stroke and to provide minimal resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in a passive mode during the rebound stroke, An array of multiple rebound valves connected in parallel, wherein the array of multiple rebound valves is configured to provide resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in rebound valve active mode during the rebound stroke and to provide minimal resistance to the passage of hydraulic fluid in rebound valve passive mode during the compression stroke, During the compression stroke, the hydraulic fluid is guided from the compression volume through the compression valve in the active mode to the low-pressure return tube, and then through the rebound valve in the passive mode to the rebound volume; and during the rebound stroke, the hydraulic fluid is guided from the rebound volume through the rebound valve in the active mode to the low-pressure return tube, and then through the compression valve in the passive mode to the compression volume; An array of multiple sensors spaced apart longitudinally along the outer surface of the damper body and adapted to sense the position of the piston, A controller is configured to increase or decrease the resistance to the flow of hydraulic fluid by gradually opening and closing selected valves in one array of compression valves and one array of rebound valves in each of the compression stroke and rebound stroke, respectively, in accordance with the sensed piston position. A vehicle damper equipped with the following features.

2. The vehicle damper according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a Hall effect sensor adapted to detect a piston-mounted magnet.

3. The vehicle damper according to claim 1, wherein one array of compression valves and one array of rebound valves are equipped with spool valves.

4. The vehicle damper according to claim 3, wherein one array of the compression valves comprises three spool valves.

5. The vehicle damper according to claim 3, wherein one array of the rebound valves comprises two spool valves.

6. The vehicle damper according to claim 1, wherein an array of multiple fins for air-cooling the hydraulic fluid is provided outside the low-pressure return tube.

7. The damper for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each of the compression valve and the rebound valve is adapted to be electronically closed under the control of a solenoid valve.

8. The damper for a vehicle according to claim 7, wherein each of the compression valve and the rebound valve can be closed within 3 milliseconds.

9. A vehicle damper according to either claim 7 or 8, wherein each compression valve and rebound valve is a spool valve having a pressure pin adapted to shut off the flow of hydraulic fluid when electronically closed.

10. The vehicle damper according to claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to select a piston position at which selective closure of either the compression valve or the rebound valve occurs in order to change the pressure response zone.

11. The vehicle damper according to claim 10, wherein the pressure response zone can be varied to adapt to vehicle and running surface conditions.

12. The vehicle damper according to claim 11, wherein the pressure response zone can be remotely changed by either a vehicle-mounted human interface module or a mobile computer software application loaded on a portable smartphone.

13. The damper for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the compression valve and the rebound valve are each the same.

14. A vehicle damper according to claim 1, wherein either the compression valve or the rebound valve may be different from the other one of the compression valve or the rebound valve.

15. A vehicle damper according to claim 1, wherein one compression valve remains passive during the rebound stroke and another rebound valve remains passive during the compression stroke.

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