초록 ▼

An adjustable valve including a passageway, a field responsive fluid within the passageway, and flow adjustment of the fluid through the passageway. In another aspect, the valve is in a vibration damper. In yet another aspect, the damper includes a body, a piston, first and second chambers, a dampin

An adjustable valve including a passageway, a field responsive fluid within the passageway, and flow adjustment of the fluid through the passageway. In another aspect, the valve is in a vibration damper. In yet another aspect, the damper includes a body, a piston, first and second chambers, a damping valve, a piston rod, an auxiliary chamber, a passageway interconnecting to the auxiliary chamber, a field responsive fluid, a field responsive fluid valve for controlling flow to the auxiliary chamber, and pressurization means. Preferably included is a cavity partition having field responsive fluid disposed on one side and non-field responsive fluid disposed on the other. This allows a reduction of MR fluid allowing use of lighter-weight, less-expensive, hydraulic fluids for flow through the piston's damping valve. In another aspect, the damper includes mechanical adjustment device for manually adjusting a damping level. Adjustment is accomplished by a moveable permanent magnet, moveable pole piece, moveable pole-and-magnet assembly, or magnetic shunt. Manual adjustment may include a knob, lever, or cable actuation. Alternately, magnetic flux is provided by an electromagnet. The valve and damper finds utility in any suspension system where a damper body is attached to a frame component, such as a bicycle frame, and the piston rod is attached to a suspension component, such as a bicycle's swingarm.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An adjustable valve, comprising:(a) a passageway;(b) a field responsive fluid within said passageway, said field responsive having rheological properties that substantially change in response to an applied field; and(c) mechanical adjustment means for adjusting a flow of

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An adjustable valve, comprising:(a) a passageway;(b) a field responsive fluid within said passageway, said field responsive having rheological properties that substantially change in response to an applied field; and(c) mechanical adjustment means for adjusting a flow of said field responsive fluid through said passageway by changing the rheological properties of the field responsive fluid, said mechanical adjustment means including at least one magnet.