Internal Floating Piston Layout for Shorter Shock Absorbers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles often face limited space in packaging suspension systems, making it difficult to accommodate external reservoirs or piggyback chambers, necessitating a shorter shock absorber design without performance compromise.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an internal floating piston with a larger diameter than the standard design, which allows for a reduced shock length without sacrificing performance, achieved by using a twin tube shock with an internal bypass and a body cap configuration that includes a larger internal floating piston and base valve piston, allowing for fluid flow and pressure adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external reservoirs or piggyback chambers are used to maintain shock performance, then shock performance is maintained, but shock length increases and packaging space is exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an internal floating piston nested within the body cap of the shock absorber. This internal piston creates an internal reservoir function without requiring external additions. The floating piston is positioned inside the body cap, utilizing the existing shock absorber volume to provide reservoir capacity, thereby maintaining shock performance while avoiding increased length.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the reservoir function with the body cap structure by incorporating an internal floating piston within the body cap. This integration combines the reservoir capacity and the body cap into a single unified structure, eliminating the need for separate external reservoirs or piggyback chambers while maintaining the necessary fluid storage capacity for shock performance.
2Length of moving object
If shock length is reduced to fit packaging envelope, then packaging space is optimized, but shock performance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal floating piston is nested within the body cap, creating an internal reservoir that provides necessary fluid storage capacity without increasing the external dimensions of the shock absorber. This nested configuration allows the shock to maintain performance characteristics while fitting within restricted packaging envelopes.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing length to provide reservoir capacity, the patent utilizes the radial dimension by implementing a floating piston with a diameter larger than the internal cylinder but smaller than the body cap inner diameter. This dimensional approach allows volume expansion in the radial direction rather than the longitudinal direction, maintaining compact length while providing adequate reservoir capacity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enables a shorter shock absorber length without the need for external reservoirs or piggyback chambers, maintaining performance and accommodating thermal expansion while being cost-efficient and compatible with standard legacy parts.
Implementation Method 1
The internal floating piston also allows for thermal expansion of the fluid
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a shock absorber comprising a cylinder, a rod, a main damping piston, the main damping piston coupled to the rod and configured for operation within the cylinder, the main damping piston configured to divide the cylinder into a compression side and a rebound side, a body cap disposed at one end of the cylinder, wherein the body cap has a second inner diameter greater than an inner diameter of the cylinder, an internal floating piston disposed within the body cap, configured to divide the body cap into a first side and a second side, and a base valve piston disposed to separate the compression side from the first side.