Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
232 words
An automotive suspension system comprising: a hollow cylinder (1a,101a) defining a chamber; a piston (1c,101c) thrustingly received within said chamber of said cylinder and defining therein first and second fluid chambers (1u,1e ...), both filled with a working fluid, said piston being free to move axially with respect to said chamber;characterized by a fluid pressure source (17,117); a hydraulic circuit (20,21 ...) connecting said first and second fluid chamber and said fluid pressure source; a pressure control valve (13, ...) disposed within said hydraulic circuit and adapted to selectively establish and block fluid communication between said first and second fluid chamber and said fluid pressure source; means (25,26,22), responsive to relative displacement between a vehicle body and road wheel assembly out of a predetermined normal range, for controlling said pressure control valve so as to adjust the fluid pressure in said first and second fluid chambers in order to adjust the relative distance between said vehicle body and said road wheel assembly back to within said predetermined normal range; and means (11,16), responsive to bounding and rebounding motion of said road wheel relative to said vehicle body, for controlling said pressure control valve so as to adjust the fluid pressure in said first and second fluid chambers to assist smooth displacement of said piston within said cylinder thereby absorbing bounding and rebounding energy which would otherwise be transmitted to said vehicle body.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
232 words
An automotive suspension system comprising: a hollow cylinder (1a,101a) defining a chamber; a piston (1c,101c) thrustingly received within said chamber of said cylinder and defining therein first and second fluid chambers (1u,1e ...), both filled with a working fluid, said piston being free to move axially with respect to said chamber;characterized by a fluid pressure source (17,117); a hydraulic circuit (20,21 ...) connecting said first and second fluid chamber and said fluid pressure source; a pressure control valve (13, ...) disposed within said hydraulic circuit and adapted to selectively establish and block fluid communication between said first and second fluid chamber and said fluid pressure source; means (25,26,22), responsive to relative displacement between a vehicle body and road wheel assembly out of a predetermined normal range, for controlling said pressure control valve so as to adjust the fluid pressure in said first and second fluid chambers in order to adjust the relative distance between said vehicle body and said road wheel assembly back to within said predetermined normal range; and means (11,16), responsive to bounding and rebounding motion of said road wheel relative to said vehicle body, for controlling said pressure control valve so as to adjust the fluid pressure in said first and second fluid chambers to assist smooth displacement of said piston within said cylinder thereby absorbing bounding and rebounding energy which would otherwise be transmitted to said vehicle body.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 1, which further comprises elastic means (11) associated with said piston through said piston rod for allowing limited axial movement of said piston in response to bounding and rebounding motion of said road wheel assembly.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
107 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 24 1, wherein said pressure control valve comprises a valve housing (14) defining first and second ports (14d,14e) respectively connected to said first and second fluid chambers (1u,1l) , a third port connected to said fluid pressure source (17) to introduce therefrom a fluid pressure and a fourth port (14b) connected to fluid pressure source for draining the pressurized working fluid for reducing fluid pressure, and a avalve member (15,16) selectively establishing fluid communication between said first and second ports and said third and fourth ports for adjusting the fluid pressure in said first and second fluid chambers.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
66 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said valve member comprises a first member (15) associated with said first means (25,26,22) and operable in response to relative displacement between said vehicle body and said road wheel assembly and a second member (16) associated with said second means (11,16) and operable in response to bounding and rebounding motion of said road wheel assembly.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
73 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said second member (16) is physically connected to said piston rod (1b) to establish a working fluid circulation path in which one of said first and second fluid chambers (14c,14d) being compressed due to piston stroke is connected to said fourth port (14b) and the other of said first and second fluid chamber being expanded is connected to said third port (14a).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
104 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said relative displacement responsive means (25,26,22) comprises a sensor (25) for monitoring relative distance between said vehicle body and said road wheel assembly for producing a sensor signal indicative of measured relative distance, said relative displacement responsive means comparing said sensor signal value with a reference value defining said predetermined normal range for producing a control signal to operate said first member to adjust fluid pressures in said first and second fluid chambers so as to adjust the relative distance between said vehicle body and said road wheel assembly within said normal range.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said relative displacement responsive means (25,26,22) further comprises an actuator (22) associated with said first member for driving the latter in response to the control signal for regulating relative distance between said vehicle body and said road wheel assembly.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
103 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 7, wherein said first member comprises a hollow cylindrical sleeve (15) having a cylindrical wall interposed between the inner periphery of said valve housing (14) and said second member (16), said cylindrical wall having a plurality of radially extending through openings (15a-e) respectively located in alignment with said ports (14a-d) formed in said valve housing (14) at the neutral position of said sleeve, said sleeve being associated with said actuator to be shifted from said neutral position for establishing fluid communication between said first and second fluid ports and said third and fourth ports.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
46 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said second member comprises a valve spool (16) defining annular grooves (16d,e) serving as fluid path for passing working fluid when said first and second ports are selectively communicated with said third and fourth ports.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
83 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said first and second member comprise a common valve spool (116) defining annular grooves (116d,e) serving as fluid paths for passing working fluid when said first and second ports are selectively communicated with said third and fourth ports (114a-d), said valve spool having longitudinal ends (116g,h) cooperative with said bounding and rebounding responsive means for selectively establishing fluid communication between said first and second ports and said third and fourth ports.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
93 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said longitudinal ends (116g,h) of said valve spool (116) have substantially the same diameters to each other, and said bounding and rebounding responsive means subjects fluid pressures of said first and second fluid chambers to the corresponding longitudinal ends of said valve spool as as to be shifted within said valve housing for selectively establishing fluid communication between said first and second ports and said third and fourth ports depending upon the fluid pressure difference between said first and second fluid chambers.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
104 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said relative displacement responsive means comprises a sensor (125) for monitoring relative distance between said vehicle body and said road wheel assembly for producing a sensor signal indicative of a measured relative distance, said relative displacement responsive means comparing said sensor signal value with a reference value defining said predetermined normal range for producing a control signal to operate said first member to adjust fluid pressures in said first and second fluid chambers so as to adjust the relative distance between said vehicle body and said road wheel assembly within said normal range.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
51 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said relative displacement responsive means further comprises an actuator (115) . associated with said first member (116; for driving the latter in response to the control signal for regulating relative distance between said vehicle body and said road wheel assembly.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
41 words
An automotive suspension system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said actoator is physically associated with said valve spool for shifting the latter to selectively establish fluid communication between said first and second ports and said third and fourth ports.