Tunable Air Spring Suspension with Segmented Chambers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard air springs in vehicle suspension systems lack initial suppleness and exhibit spiking in spring rate, making them less desirable compared to coil springs, and attempts to address this with negative springs result in reduced effectiveness at higher pressures.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a vehicle suspension system with a fork design that includes a positive air spring, a negative air spring, and an adjustable air chamber, where the adjustable air chamber can decrease in volume initially to increase spring rate progressiveness and expand later to reduce spiking, allowing for lower initial air pressure operation and improved suppleness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If standard air springs are used in suspension systems, then the system can operate with high air pressure for bottom-out resistance, but the initial suppleness is poor and the spring rate exhibits spiking
Solution Approach 1:
The air spring is segmented into two separate chambers: a positive air chamber that provides initial suppleness and a negative air chamber that provides bottom-out resistance. This segmentation allows each chamber to be optimized independently, resolving the contradiction between initial suppleness and spring rate consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
A diaphragm acts as an intermediary between the positive and negative air chambers, allowing controlled interaction between the two chambers while maintaining their distinct functions. The diaphragm enables the positive chamber to expand into the negative chamber during compression, smoothing the spring rate transition.
2Ease of operation
If negative springs are added to increase initial suppleness, then the fork feels softer initially, but they lose effectiveness when running higher air pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of positive and negative springs into a unified air spring system with two chambers. The positive air chamber provides initial suppleness like a negative spring, while the negative air chamber maintains bottom-out resistance even at higher pressures, combining the benefits of both approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows independent adjustment of air pressure in the positive and negative chambers. By changing the pressure parameters in each chamber separately, the system can optimize both initial suppleness and bottom-out resistance, overcoming the limitation of traditional negative springs that lose effectiveness at higher pressures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If spacers or oil are added to the positive chamber to lower total volume and make the spring rate more progressive, then lower initial air pressure can be used, but spiking occurs in the spring rate
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the air spring into positive and negative chambers, the system achieves spring rate progressiveness through the positive chamber's variable volume ratio design without compromising smoothness. The negative chamber compensates for any spiking by providing consistent resistance, allowing the positive chamber to be optimized for progressiveness independently.
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 enhances the initial suppleness of the suspension system while maintaining bottom-out resistance, reducing the stiffness and spiking issues associated with standard air springs, allowing for a more progressive spring rate and improved user experience.
Implementation Method 1
When subjected to a vertical load, the piston may generally push on the gas in the air chamber and cause it to compress, initiating travel of the stanchion into the lower tubular portion
Implementation Method 2
The second air chamber may generally operate as a negative air spring by applying pressure to the opposite side of the piston head as the positive air spring
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to vehicle suspension systems and devices, and particularly to vehicle suspension systems and devices having an air spring with adjustable and/or tunable characteristics. The vehicle suspension may generally include features for modifying the spring rate of an air spring, such as, for example, to increase initial suppleness and to decrease spiking during later portions of travel. In an exemplary aspect, the fork may include features for decreasing the initial volume of the air chamber of the positive air spring during the initial part of travel and may further include features for expanding the air chamber of positive air spring during a later part of travel.