US4648622A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Suspension device for automobile
Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
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Filing: 1986-06-10
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Granted: 1987-03-10
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Expires: 2006-06-10
Abstract
Abstract A suspension device for automobile performs changing-over of the damping force of a shock absorber and the spring constant of a suspension spring by an output from an acceleration sensor or an output from a road clearance sensor mounted on the vehicle body. The changing operation is not performed by magnitude of an output but is performed only when an output greater that a predetermined level continues for a predetermined time period to avoid unnecessary change-over operations of the suspension characteristic during cruising a rough road.
Inventors
- 👤 Shunichi Wada
- 👤 Setsuhiro Shimomura
- 👤 Naotake Kumagai
- 👤 Shozo Takizawa
- 👤 Mitsunori Maruyama
- 👤 Minoru Tatemoto
- 👤 Hiroyuki Takada
- 👤 Mitsuhiko Harara
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 10:03
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60G; B60G17/00; B60G17/015; B60G17/016; B60G17/0165; B60G2400/00; B60G2400/10; B60G2400/102; B60G2400/20; B60G2400/204; B60G2400/25; B60G2400/252; B60G2400/80; B60G2400/82; B60G2400/821; B60G2401/00; B60G2401/14; B60G2500/00; B60G2500/10; B60G2500/20; B60G2500/22; B60G2500/30; B60G2600/00; B60G2600/02; B60G2600/14; B60G2600/60; B60G2600/70; B60G2800/00; B60G2800/16; B60G2800/162; B60G2800/90; B60G2800/91; B60G2800/916
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
112 words
A suspension device for an automobile, comprising: a shock absorber provided with a damping force change-over mechanism; sensor means including means for detecting horizontal and vertical vibration of the vehicle body; and control device which detects a sustaining time period of an output of said sensor means exceeding a determination value, said control device outputting a change-over for changing a damping force of said shock absorber to a large value only when said sustaining time period exceeds a predetermined time period, and outputting a signal for maintaining the damping force of said shock absorber to be a large value for a predetermined time period even through the output of said sensor disappears.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
112 words
A suspension device for an automobile, comprising: a shock absorber provided with a damping force change-over mechanism; sensor means including means for detecting horizontal and vertical vibration of the vehicle body; and control device which detects a sustaining time period of an output of said sensor means exceeding a determination value, said control device outputting a change-over for changing a damping force of said shock absorber to a large value only when said sustaining time period exceeds a predetermined time period, and outputting a signal for maintaining the damping force of said shock absorber to be a large value for a predetermined time period even through the output of said sensor disappears.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein said means for detecting horizontal and vertical vibrations in the vehicle body include a vibratory acceleration detecting means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The suspension device according to claim 2, wherein said vibratory acceleration sensor for detecting vibrations in the vehicle body outputs a signal only when the vibratory acceleration exceeds a predetermined value.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor means further includes a road clearance sensor for detecting road clearance of the vehicle.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
146 words
A suspension for an automobile, comprising a shock absorber provided with a damping force change-over mechanism; a self-suspension spring provided with a spring constant change-over mechanism; sensor means including means for detecting horizontal and vertical vibrations of the vehicle body; and control device which detects a sustaining time period of an output of said sensor means exceeding a determination value, said control device outputting a change-over signal to change at least one of the damping force of said shock absorber and the spring constant of said spring to be a large value only when said sustaining time period continues for a predetermined time period, and outputting a signal for maintaining said at least one of the damping force of said shock absorber and the spring constant of said spring to be the large value for a predetermined time even though the output of said sensor disappears.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
146 words
A suspension for an automobile, comprising a shock absorber provided with a damping force change-over mechanism; a self-suspension spring provided with a spring constant change-over mechanism; sensor means including means for detecting horizontal and vertical vibrations of the vehicle body; and control device which detects a sustaining time period of an output of said sensor means exceeding a determination value, said control device outputting a change-over signal to change at least one of the damping force of said shock absorber and the spring constant of said spring to be a large value only when said sustaining time period continues for a predetermined time period, and outputting a signal for maintaining said at least one of the damping force of said shock absorber and the spring constant of said spring to be the large value for a predetermined time even though the output of said sensor disappears.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-03-09 | 1990-09-08 | 1991-03-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-03-09 | 1994-09-08 | 1995-03-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-03-09 | 1998-09-08 | 1999-03-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |