US4673171A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Air suspension
Assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
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Filing: 1984-12-14
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Granted: 1987-06-16
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Expires: 2004-12-14
Abstract
Abstract An air suspension comprises a shock absorber having a piston rod in which a control rod for adjusting damping force is disposed, an air spring having a main air chamber and an auxiliary air chamber, a valve body for affording and shutting off communication between both air chambers to adjust the spring constant of the air spring, a support connected to a car body and including a rigid member with which the piston rod is coupled and in which the valve body is disposed and a bushing disposed diametrically outward of the rigid member and having a hole opened to the auxiliary air chamber and an actuator fixed to the piston rod above the support to operate the control rod and valve body. The actuator is provided with an electric motor, a gear fixed to the motor and a pair of rods arranged parallel to each other and extending toward the rigid member of the support, one of the rods being connected to the control rod and the other rod being connected to the valve body respectively. Each rod is coupled through a pin with a tube supported rotatably by a bracket. Gears are fixed to the respective tubes to mesh with the gears.
Inventors
- 👤 Shuuichi Buma
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 22:57
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60G; B60G17/00; B60G17/02; B60G17/04; B60G11/00; B60G11/26; B60G11/30; F; F16; F16F; F16F9/00; F16F9/06; F16F9/08; F16F9/084
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
186 words
An air suspension comprising: a shock absorber having a piston rod in which a control rod for adjusting damping force is disposed; an air spring having a main air chamber and an auxiliary air chamber; a valve body for affording and shutting off communication between both air chambers to adjust the spring constant of the air spring; a support connected to a car body and including a rigid member with which said piston rod is coupled and in which said valve body is disposed and a bushing disposed diametrically outward of the rigid member and having a hole for an air passage between the air chambers which is controlled by said valve body; and an actuator disposed above said support to operate said control rod and valve body, said actuator comprising a rotary means, a pair of rods disposed parallel to each other and extended toward said rigid member of said support, one being connected to said control rod and the other being connected to said valve body respectively and a means for transmitting the turning force of said rotary means to said pair of rods.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
186 words
An air suspension comprising: a shock absorber having a piston rod in which a control rod for adjusting damping force is disposed; an air spring having a main air chamber and an auxiliary air chamber; a valve body for affording and shutting off communication between both air chambers to adjust the spring constant of the air spring; a support connected to a car body and including a rigid member with which said piston rod is coupled and in which said valve body is disposed and a bushing disposed diametrically outward of the rigid member and having a hole for an air passage between the air chambers which is controlled by said valve body; and an actuator disposed above said support to operate said control rod and valve body, said actuator comprising a rotary means, a pair of rods disposed parallel to each other and extended toward said rigid member of said support, one being connected to said control rod and the other being connected to said valve body respectively and a means for transmitting the turning force of said rotary means to said pair of rods.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
An air suspension as claimed in claim 1, wherein said main air chamber is formed of a housing and a diaphragm and said support is connected to said car body through said housing, the effective diameter of said support being smaller than that of said diaphragm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
An air suspension as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transmitting means includes a gear fixed to said rotary means and a pair of gears engaging respectively to said pair of rods, at least one of gears meshing with said gear.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
An air suspension as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said rods is coupled through a pin with a tube supported rotatably by a bracket and each of said gears is fixed to said tube.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
225 words
An air suspension comprising: a shock absorber having a piston rod in which a control rod for adjusting damping force is disposed; an air spring having a main air chamber and an auxiliary air chamber; a valve body for affording and shutting off communication between both air chambers to adjust the spring constant of the air spring; a support connected to a car body and including a rigid member with which said piston rod is coupled and in which said valve body is disposed and a busing disposed diametrically outward of the rigid member and having a hole for an air passage between the air chambers which is controlled by said valve body; and an actuator fixed to said piston rod above said support to operate said control rod and valve body, said actuator being provided with a rotary means, a gear fixed to said rotary means and a pair of two rods arranged parallel to each other and extended toward said rigid member of said support, one rod being connected to said control rod and the other rod being connected to said valve body respectively, each of said rods being coupled through a pin with a tube supported rotatably by a bracket and a pair of gears respectively fixed to said pair of tubes, at least one of the gears meshing with said gear.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
225 words
An air suspension comprising: a shock absorber having a piston rod in which a control rod for adjusting damping force is disposed; an air spring having a main air chamber and an auxiliary air chamber; a valve body for affording and shutting off communication between both air chambers to adjust the spring constant of the air spring; a support connected to a car body and including a rigid member with which said piston rod is coupled and in which said valve body is disposed and a busing disposed diametrically outward of the rigid member and having a hole for an air passage between the air chambers which is controlled by said valve body; and an actuator fixed to said piston rod above said support to operate said control rod and valve body, said actuator being provided with a rotary means, a gear fixed to said rotary means and a pair of two rods arranged parallel to each other and extended toward said rigid member of said support, one rod being connected to said control rod and the other rod being connected to said valve body respectively, each of said rods being coupled through a pin with a tube supported rotatably by a bracket and a pair of gears respectively fixed to said pair of tubes, at least one of the gears meshing with said gear.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
215 words
An air suspension comprising: a shock absorber having a pistion rod in which a control rod for adjusting damping force is disposed; an air spring having a main air chamber and an auxiliary air chamber and formed by a diaphragm and a housing which is connected to a car body and the diaphragm respectively; a valve body for affording and shutting off communication between both said air chambers to adjust the spring constant of the air spring; a support including a rigid member to which said piston rod is connected and in which said valve body is disposed and a rubber bushing disposed diametrically outward of the rigid member and having a hole for an air passage between the air chambers which is controlled by said valve body, the bushing being connected to the housing and thereby to the car body; and an actuator disposed above said support to operate said control rod and said valve body, said actuator comprising a rotary means, a pair of rods disposed parallel to each other and extended toward said rigid member of said support, one being connected to said control rod and the other being connected to said valve body respectively and a means for transmitting the turning force of said rotary means to said pair of rods.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
215 words
An air suspension comprising: a shock absorber having a pistion rod in which a control rod for adjusting damping force is disposed; an air spring having a main air chamber and an auxiliary air chamber and formed by a diaphragm and a housing which is connected to a car body and the diaphragm respectively; a valve body for affording and shutting off communication between both said air chambers to adjust the spring constant of the air spring; a support including a rigid member to which said piston rod is connected and in which said valve body is disposed and a rubber bushing disposed diametrically outward of the rigid member and having a hole for an air passage between the air chambers which is controlled by said valve body, the bushing being connected to the housing and thereby to the car body; and an actuator disposed above said support to operate said control rod and said valve body, said actuator comprising a rotary means, a pair of rods disposed parallel to each other and extended toward said rigid member of said support, one being connected to said control rod and the other being connected to said valve body respectively and a means for transmitting the turning force of said rotary means to said pair of rods.
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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) | 1990-06-15 | 1990-12-15 | 1991-06-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-06-15 | 1994-12-15 | 1995-06-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-06-15 | 1998-12-15 | 1999-06-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |