Nested Damper Unit for Compact Vehicle Suspension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing damper units for vehicle suspension systems face challenges in achieving independent stiffness and damping for heave and roll while maintaining a compact package size, as they often require excessive length that is not suitable for high-performance vehicles with low vehicle height requirements.
Innovation Solution
A damper unit design featuring two chambers with pistons that allow for varying volume sizes, where the second chamber slides inside the first, reducing overall length by overlapping components, and includes connections for fluid coupling with external apparatus to provide both stiffness and damping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If two separate chambers are positioned one on top of the other with a common axis, then independent stiffness and damping for heave and roll are provided, but the damper unit length becomes at least twice the maximum travel which is excessive for high-performance vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The second chamber is positioned inside the first chamber, with the second piston dividing the second chamber into two volumes. This nested configuration allows both chambers to share space, reducing the overall length of the damper unit from twice the maximum travel to a more compact dimension while maintaining the ability to provide independent stiffness and damping characteristics for heave and roll control
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of arranging chambers vertically one on top of the other along a single axis, the invention repositions the second chamber inside the first chamber, utilizing radial or concentric spatial arrangement. This dimensional reorganization reduces the axial length requirement while preserving the functional independence of each chamber for different motion controls
2Ease of operation
If the two chambers share a common piston rod, then both pistons move in unison providing synchronized control, but the structural complexity and difficulty of providing independent volume control increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damper unit employs two separate pistons (first piston and second piston) that can move independently within their respective chambers. Each piston controls the volume of fluid in its chamber independently, allowing for decoupled control of heave and roll dynamics. This segmentation eliminates the need for a complex common piston rod mechanism while maintaining synchronized operation through fluid coupling
3Length of moving object
If wheel travel is reduced to shorten damper length, then package size is improved, but the maximum travel of the damper unit is compromised affecting suspension performance
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the second chamber inside the first chamber, the invention achieves a compact overall length without reducing the stroke or travel range of the damper. The internal arrangement allows the full extent of piston movement to occur within a shorter external envelope, maintaining suspension travel capability while reducing package size for high-performance vehicle applications
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 allows for a more compact damper unit that maintains effective stiffness and damping performance for heave and roll, reducing the overall length below twice the maximum travel, thus accommodating space constraints in high-performance vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
This force is transmitted via the hydraulic fluid 104 to the fourth piston 108
Implementation Method 2
The pneumatic fluid 102 in the second chamber 30 maintains a pre-determined pressure
Implementation Method 3
The second chamber 30 is arranged inside the first chamber 20 such that the second chamber 30 slides inside the first chamber 20 during movement of the mounting points 11, 12 relative to one another
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A damper unit comprising: a first chamber; a second chamber; a first piston dividing the first chamber into a first volume and a second volume, and a second piston dividing the second chamber into a third volume and a fourth volume, each piston being moveable along the length of the respective chamber to vary the size of the respective volumes; wherein the second chamber has a cross-sectional area, in a plane perpendicular to the length of the second chamber, that is smaller than the cross-sectional area, in a plane perpendicular to the length of the first chamber, of the first chamber so that the second chamber at least partially slides inside the first chamber and at least part of the first chamber can be located around the outside of the second chamber; the first piston is attached to the part of the second chamber that slides inside the first chamber; the position of the second piston is fixed relative to the first chamber as the second chamber slides relative to first chamber; and the length of the damper unit changes as the second chamber slides relative to the first chamber.