Hydraulic shock absorber with self-adjusting reaction.

The invention concerns an hydraulic shock absorber with self-adjusting reaction, that is, a shock absorber which, whilst being entirely hydraulic, in other words, completely free of chambers containing pressurised gases, or gas emulsions with liquids, enables the reaction to be varied, in opposite directions, both in compression and in extension.

The prior art does not comprise entirely hydraulic shock absorbers with self-adjusting reaction. It comprises, however, various types of shock absorber in which the hydraulic liquid is made to pass through openings with differing and/or adjustable sections, the so-called throttles, that affect the speed of contraction, under the action of the applied force, and/or the speed of extension of the shock absorber supports when it is unloaded. Furthermore, there are devices for adjusting the trim of vehicles, achieved using single or double acting hydraulic annular cylinders that shift the reaction point of the spring with respect to the shock absorber, of the known prior art variety, thereby requiring external hydraulic or electro-hydraulic control and adjustment circuits. Furthermore, all shock absorbers of the known type, if not designed to operate with an emulsion of liquid and air or gas, have to have a pneumatic-hydraulic accumulator integrated or laterally associated with the body of the shock absorber, in order to compensate for the variation in volume caused by the entry of the stem into one of the chambers of the cylinder. This type of design makes all shock absorbers subject to a non zero intervention force threshold, depending on the minimum pressure in the said accumulator and on the section of the stem.

Such prior art may be subject to considerable improvements with a view to disassociate the reaction force of the shock absorber from the presence, or otherwise, of the pneumatic-hydraulic accumulator and making it directly related to the load applied to the shock absorber.

From the foregoing emerges the need to solve the technical problem of modifying the response of the shock absorber in function of the instantaneous load applied between its supports, of compensating the increase in volume due the entry of the stem of the piston into the cylinder of the shock absorber whilst favouring the adjustment of the reaction to the applied load.

The invention solves the said technical problem by adopting a shock absorber consisting of: a first double-acting hydraulic cylinder, associated with an elastic element, positioned between the support of the shock absorber on the stem of the first cylinder and the external casing of the said first cylinder, for returning it to its original position after the external dynamic load ceases to be applied, having a piston with openings for the reflux of hydraulic liquid from one chamber to the other; a second hydraulic cylinder, single or double acting, connected in series with the previous one so that the two chambers without stem are directly communicating, constituting a variable volume correction chamber; the second support of the shock absorber rigidly connected to the stem or the body of the said second cylinder; the two chambers of the first cylinder and of the second cylinder filled with a predetermined quantity of hydraulic liquid, but less than the total volume of the said chambers calculated with the pistons and relative stems fully extended.

Also adopting: control elements for the reflux of the liquid through the openings in the piston of the said first cylinder consisting of disk shaped blades, flexible or not, of which at least the one on the opposite side to the stem, being adjustable from the outside with a rod inside the said stem acting on it by means of an elastic element.

Also adopting: the said second cylinder consisting of a double acting cylinder with annular chamber on the side of the stem connected to the outside.

Also adopting: the said annular chamber of the second cylinder connected, by means of an hydraulic connection inside the piston, or external to it, to the correction chamber so as to recover the liquid flowing out, during retraction, of the said annular chamber, thereby constituting the recovery chamber, in the correction chamber.

Adopting, in combination with one or more of the previous characteristics: a diameter of the second hydraulic cylinder which is larger than the diameter of the said first cylinder, in order to limit overall axial dimensions.

Also adopting: a diameter of the stem of the said first cylinder which is smaller than the diameter of the stem of the said second cylinder.

Also adopting: the said hydraulic connection between the correction chambers and the recovery chambers including a one-way check valve in parallel with a throttle valve that can be adjusted even during operation.

Adopting, finally, in combination with one or more of the previous characteristics: a pneumatic-hydraulic accumulator connected to the said correction chamber, either directly or through a throttle and interceptor valve.

The advantages offered by this invention are an extremely high degree of adaptability to the variations in the applied loads and of the reactions of the shock absorber in the various load conditions.

In fact, this adaptability is made possible by the pressure, in the lower chamber of the cylinder and in the correction chamber, depending exclusively on the instantaneous applied load, apart from a possible pre-pressurisation generated by the said accumulator; the return stroke, that is the extension of the shock absorber, is also dependant on, as well as the spring and the reflux openings, the said pressure in the lower and correction chambers which is a direct function of the instantaneous load applied to the supports. The configurations indicated above enable the automatic adaptation of the response, that is, of the damping, without necessarily requiring external devices that modify the characteristics of the shock absorber. Finally, the equilibrium level of the shock absorber can be easily adjusted by pumping liquid into the chambers of the shock absorber, thereby achieving a different equilibrium height with a greater distance between the supports.

Some embodiments of the invention are illustrated, purely by way of example, in the three tables of drawings attached in which Figure 1 is the longitudinal section of a shock absorber with self-adjusting reaction in compact form; Figure 1A is the hydraulic circuit of the shock absorber as described; Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the shock absorber in an extended position; Figure 3 is a representation as in Figure 2 but in a retracted position; Figure 4 is the typical response diagram with different assembly and/or operation configurations; Figure 5 is the application of a known type of pneumatic-hydraulic accumulator and the control of the hydraulic recovery effect with a one way adjustable throttle; Figure 6 is the lower extremity of an hydraulic shock absorber as described having the second correction cylinder with a diameter equal to the diameter of the first cylinder.

The figures show: 1, Figure 1, a cylindrical tube in side which a piston 2 moves in the known manner and which has openings 3 and 4, gauged and adapted for the flow of liquid between the upper chamber 5 and the lower chamber 6, in both directions, against the action of the blade 7 occluding the opening 3 for controlling the extension, counteracted by an adjustable helical spring 8, and by the flexible blade 9 occluding the opening 4, for controlling the retraction; 10, the hollow stem containing rod 11 for adjusting the said spring 8, by rotating the upper attachment 12 with respect to guide and support disk 13 of the helical reaction spring 14; 15, a support ring for the said helical spring 14 made integral with and positioned on the outside of the cylindrical tube 1; 16, the end cap, of the known type, of the upper chamber 5 and guide for the stem 10; 17, a cylindrical correction chamber directly communicating with the lower chamber 6 constituting an extension of it; 18, an annular piston applied to the lower end 19 and to the outside of the said cylindrical tube 1, separating the annular recovery chamber 20 from the correction chamber 17; 21, the body of the second cylinder outside tube 1, which is fitted with the lower support 22 of the shock absorber; 23, the end cap of the said annular chamber 20, with a guiding hole for the cylindrical tube 1 constituting a stem; 24, a conduit connecting the recovery chamber 20 to the outside; 25, a conduit connecting the correction chamber 17 to the outside; 26, the schematic hydraulic connection between the two correction and recovery chambers by means of corresponding conduits 25 and 24.

The figures also show: DS, Figure 2, the diameter of stem 10; DP, the diameter of piston 2; DT the external diameter of cylindrical tube 1, coinciding with the internal diameter of the annular recovery chamber 20; DC, the diameter of the correction chamber 17, coinciding with the external diameter of the annular recovery chamber 20 and with the diameter of the annular piston 18; F, Figure 3, the external force applied to the shock absorber, the instantaneous sum of the force (load) normally applied and of the variable force to be damped; CA, the retraction stroke of the shock absorber and CT, the correction stroke in the opposite direction of the annular piston 18 and, consequently, of the cylindrical tube 1 and of the support ring 15 of the helical spring 14; 27, Figure 4, the characteristic line of proportionality between the force F and the pressure P of the liquid in chambers 5, 6, 17 and 20, with recovery between the last two; 28, an analogous characteristic line, with identically sized component parts, but with the annular chamber 20 connected to the outside; 29 and 30, two characteristic lines analogous to the previous ones, but shifted by the pressurisation pressure PP generated by a pneumatic-hydraulic accumulator 31, Figure 5, of a known type.

Finally, the figures also show: 32 the interceptor and throttle valve in the schematic hydraulic connection 33 between the said accumulator 31 and the conduit 25 of the correction chamber 17; 34, the one way check valve coupled with an adjustable throttle valve 35, placed in the hydraulic line 36 controlling the recovery effect between the chambers 17 and 20; 37, Figure 6, an annular piston with a diameter equal to the internal diameter of the cylindrical tube 1, but outside a cylindrical tube with smaller diameter 38, constituting a hollow stem, to which a lower attachment 39 is rigidly fixed with seal; 40, the correction chamber included between the lower chamber 6 and the piston 37; 41, the body below the said cylindrical tube 1 guiding the said smaller diameter cylindrical tube 38 and piston 37; 42 an annular recovery chamber connected with a conduit 43 to the outside; 44, the conduit connecting the chambers 6 and 40 to the outside; 45, the one way check valve coupled with an adjustable throttle valve 46, placed in the hydraulic line 47 controlling the recovery effect between the chambers 42 and 40.

Operation of the shock absorber is as follows: when an external load is applied, force F in Figure 3, the two supports 12 and 22 or 39 come closer together with the compression of the spring 14 and the flow of liquid from the lower chamber 6 to the upper chamber 5, through the opening 4 controlled by the flexible blade 9; when contraction ceases the subsequent extension is controlled by blade 7 loaded by the helical spring 8 so as to allow a rapid extension if in the meantime the pressure in chamber 6 has dropped to zero or to values corresponding to the normal load supported by the shock absorber: in this way extension occurs very rapidly as blade 7, pushed by spring 8 with a force lower and proportional to the pressure in chamber 6, lifts more easily from opening 3; on the other hand, if, after the retraction, a high load F remains applied, sufficient to press on the plate of the adjusting rod 11 and, therefore, on the said spring 8, thereby allowing only small displacements of the blade 7 from the opening 3, the extension is braked in a more marked manner the higher force F is and, therefore, the higher the pressure P in the chamber 6 is: if in this situation there is a further increase in force F, this is compensated by the compliance of the shock absorber and the further compression of spring 14.

Because of the low pressures involved, the liquid used, hydraulic oil, can be considered to be incompressible, that is, it is not subject to reductions in specific volume within the range of the operating pressures: in the shock absorber as described, therefore, the total volume of chambers 5 and 6 of the cylinder and of the correction chamber 17 or 40 are constant in all conditions; if the connection 26, 36 or 47 of the recovery chamber 20 or 42 is present, its volume is included in the sum of volumes that remain constant.

The correction chamber 17, 40, being of variable volume, and being in direct contact, so constituting a single volume (6+17, Figure 1A), with the lower chamber 6, compensates the effect of the stem 10 entering into the upper annular chamber 5: the compensation occurs with the expulsion of the second piston 18, 38 and with the total volume of the three chambers 5, 6 and 17 or 40 remaining constant; the recovery effect between the annular chambers 20 or 42, when they are connected to the respective correction chambers, highlights the correcting effect with a further addition of volume of liquid: the constant volume in this case is maintained with the sum of the volumes of the four chambers 5, 6 or 17 and 20 or 40 and 42.

The particular arrangement of the cylinders in series, filled only with a predetermined volume of liquid creates a fluid mechanical connection between the two supports 12 or 22, 39 of the shock absorber, even though between them there is an incompressible fluid, the hydraulic oil: it follows that the reaction of the shock absorber is limited only to when there is an external load applied which keeps all the chambers constantly connected with one another pressurised, because if the external load ceases then also the reaction to it ceases, as occurs with the well known ideal behaviour of constraints. Furthermore, due to the particular compensation of the volumes, it follows that it is no longer necessary to adopt a pneumatic-hydraulic accumulator in order to compensate for the variations in the volume inside one of the chambers of the cylinder of the shock absorber, but the constant connection between one another brings about their mutual compensation.

Design adjustments with a view to obtaining different slope characteristic lines, as shown in Figure 4, can be achieved by connecting recovery chambers 20 or 42 with air: with unaltered dimensions a shallower slop in the line of proportionality between the force F and the pressure P of the liquid in the chambers; otherwise, varying the dimensions of the stems, DS and DT in the case of Figure 1, or of the diameters of the stems 10 and 38 in the case of Figure 6, and of the diameters of the pistons, DP and DT in the case of Figure 1, or of the diameters of the piston 2 and 37 in the case of Figure 6, one can alter the said characteristic line as desired. The relationship that is thereby modified is that between the retraction stroke CA and the correction stroke CT, enabling the designer of the shock absorber to achieve any desired response.

Adopting, in combination with the characteristic series arrangement of the cylinders, the one way control of the recovery, with the recovery connection 36 or 47, enables the recovery effect of the fluid from the corresponding chambers 17 or 42 to be modified at will and in an unsymmetrical manner by using the throttle valve 35 or 46, that may be adjusted at will even during operation, and the check valve 34 or 45, which forces the liquid to pass through the throttle during the retraction phase: this brings about a correction of the reaction with higher values.

The shock absorber as described in the present invention can be equipped with a pneumatic-hydraulic accumulator 31 of the known type, connected to the correction chamber 17 or 40, by means of hydraulic connection 33 and the relative interceptor and throttle valve 32, whether or not the recovery connection 26, 36 or 47 is present, so achieving a characteristic line, as shown in Figure 4, which is offset by the pressure PP at which the pneumatic-hydraulic accumulator is set; in this way a shock absorber is obtained that has a double characteristic response line: at very low pressures, that is, with external loads that are not high, the elastic effect is supported primarily by the accumulator, whereas the correction effect is active with higher external loading; this difference in operation can occur both as a result of the complete compression of the accumulator 31 and as a result of the closure of the interceptor valve 32.

The volume of the accumulator has to such as to avoid contact between the piston 18 of the correction chamber and the internal extremity of the correction chamber 17, or, in the case of the piston 37, preventing its complete retraction.

In practice the materials, dimensions and details of execution may be different from, but technically equivalent to those described without departing from the juridical domain of the present invention. The stem of the piston 37, for example, can be solid rather than hollow.