U.S. patent application number 11/771946 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-10 for bicycle damping enhancement system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Specialized Bicycle Components, Inc.. Invention is credited to Michael McAndrews.
Application Number | 20080007027 11/771946 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23105340 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080007027 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McAndrews; Michael |
January 10, 2008 |
BICYCLE DAMPING ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM
Abstract
A bicycle shock absorber and methods for differentiating between
rider-induced forces and terrain-induced forces includes a first
fluid chamber having fluid contained therein, a piston for
compressing the fluid within the fluid chamber, a second fluid
chamber coupled to the first fluid chamber by a fluid communication
hose, and an inertial valve disposed within the second fluid
chamber. The inertial valve opens in response to terrain-induced
forces and provides communication of fluid compressed by the piston
from the first fluid chamber to the second fluid chamber. The
inertial valve does not open in response to rider-induced
forces.
Inventors: |
McAndrews; Michael; (Santa
Cruz, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KNOBBE MARTENS OLSON & BEAR LLP
2040 MAIN STREET
FOURTEENTH FLOOR
IRVINE
CA
92614
US
|
Assignee: |
Specialized Bicycle Components,
Inc.
Morgan Hill
CA
|
Family ID: |
23105340 |
Appl. No.: |
11/771946 |
Filed: |
June 29, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11417554 |
May 3, 2006 |
7270221 |
|
|
11771946 |
Jun 29, 2007 |
|
|
|
11301456 |
Dec 13, 2005 |
7299906 |
|
|
11417554 |
May 3, 2006 |
|
|
|
10811784 |
Mar 29, 2004 |
6991076 |
|
|
11301456 |
Dec 13, 2005 |
|
|
|
09919582 |
Jul 31, 2001 |
6722678 |
|
|
10811784 |
Mar 29, 2004 |
|
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|
09288003 |
Apr 6, 1999 |
6267400 |
|
|
09919582 |
Jul 31, 2001 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
280/285 ;
188/275 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62K 3/02 20130101; B62K
2025/048 20130101; F16F 9/504 20130101; B62K 25/20 20130101; B62K
25/04 20130101; B62K 25/286 20130101; F16F 9/096 20130101; B62K
25/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
280/285 ;
188/275 |
International
Class: |
F16F 9/34 20060101
F16F009/34; B62K 17/00 20060101 B62K017/00 |
Claims
1. A bicycle, comprising: a bicycle frame; a wheel; a shock
absorber coupled to the bicycle, the shock absorber comprising: a
primary tube comprising a fluid chamber; a piston rod that supports
a piston, wherein said piston is movable within said primary tube;
a remote tube comprising a remote fluid chamber; an inertial valve
within said remote tube that is responsive to terrain-induced
forces and not responsive to rider-induced forces, wherein said
inertial valve opens in response to said terrain-induced forces and
fluid flows from said fluid chamber of said primary tube to said
remote fluid chamber in response to movement of said piston rod and
said piston into said primary tube and said inertia valve has a
closed position wherein flow from said primary tube to said remote
tube in response to movement of said piston rod and said piston
into said primary tube is reduced; a floating piston in said remote
tube, wherein said floating piston moves in response to said flow
of said fluid from said fluid chamber of said primary tube into
said remote fluid chamber.
2. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein said piston rod is coupled to a
seat tube of said bicycle frame and the primary tube is coupled to
an upper arm member of said bicycle frame.
3. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein said piston rod is coupled to a
seat tube of said bicycle frame and the primary tube is coupled to
a lever of said bicycle frame.
4. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein said remote tube is connected to
a wheel member of said bicycle frame.
5. The bicycle of claim 4, wherein said wheel member is an upper
arm member.
6. The bicycle of claim 5, wherein said remote tube is connected to
said bicycle separately from said primary tube.
7. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein said floating piston separates
said remote fluid chamber from a gas chamber of said remote
tube.
8. The bicycle of claim 7, wherein said gas chamber contains a
pressurized gas.
9. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein said inertial valve comprises a
mass that moves along a line of motion within said remote tube in
response to said terrain-induced force.
10. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein said inertial valve permits
said flow of said fluid between said fluid chamber of said primary
tube and said remote fluid chamber through a connector hose.
11. The bicycle of claim 10, wherein said shock absorber exhibits a
soft damping rate when said inertial valve is open and a stiff
damping rate when said inertial valve is closed.
12. The bicycle of claim 11, wherein any significant relative
motion of said primary tube and said piston rod is prevented when
said inertial valve is closed.
13. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein said shock absorber further
comprises a refill port that permits fluid to move from said remote
fluid chamber to said fluid chamber of said primary tube.
14. The bicycle of claim 13, wherein said refill port is within the
inertial valve.
15. The bicycle of claim 13, wherein said refill port is separate
from said inertial valve.
16. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein said piston comprises passages
that permit fluid communication through said piston.
17. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein said shock absorber further
comprises a return spring pulling said piston rod out of said
primary tube.
18. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein said remote tube is connected
to said bicycle separately from said primary tube.
19. A bicycle, comprising: a bicycle frame; a wheel; a shock
absorber coupled to the bicycle, the shock absorber comprising: a
first damper tube comprising a first damper fluid chamber; a piston
rod that supports a piston, wherein said piston is movable within
said first damper tube; a second damper tube comprising a second
damper fluid chamber; an inertia valve within said second damper
tube that is responsive to terrain-induced forces and not
responsive to rider-induced forces; a floating piston in said
second damper tube, wherein said floating piston is located
downstream from said inertia valve relative to a direction of a
compression flow of fluid through said inertia valve.
20. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said piston rod is coupled to
a seat tube of said bicycle frame and the first damper tube is
coupled to an upper arm member of said bicycle frame.
21. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said piston rod is coupled to
a seat tube of said bicycle frame and the first damper tube is
coupled to a lever of said bicycle frame.
22. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said second damper tube is
connected to a wheel member of said bicycle frame.
23. The bicycle of claim 22, wherein said wheel member is an upper
arm member.
24. The bicycle of claim 23, wherein said second damper tube is
connected to said bicycle separately from said first damper
tube.
25. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said floating piston separates
said second damper fluid chamber from a gas chamber of said second
damper tube.
26. The bicycle of claim 25, wherein said gas chamber contains a
pressurized gas.
27. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said inertia valve comprises a
mass that moves along an axis within said second damper tube in
response to said terrain-induced force.
28. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said inertia valve permits
said flow of said fluid between said fluid chamber of said first
damper tube and said second damper fluid chamber through a
connector hose.
29. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said inertia valve opens in
response to said terrain-induced forces and fluid flows from said
first damper fluid chamber to said second damper fluid chamber in
response to movement of said piston rod and said piston into said
first damper tube and said inertia valve has a closed position
wherein flow from said first damper fluid chamber to said second
damper fluid chamber in response to movement of said piston rod and
said piston into said first damper tube is reduced.
30. The bicycle of claim 29, wherein said shock absorber exhibits a
soft damping rate when said inertia valve is open and a stiff
damping rate when said inertia valve is closed.
31. The bicycle of claim 30, wherein any significant relative
motion of said first damper tube and said piston rod is prevented
when said inertia valve is closed.
32. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said shock absorber further
comprises a refill port that permits fluid to move from said second
damper fluid chamber to said first damper fluid chamber.
33. The bicycle of claim 32, wherein said refill port is within the
inertia valve.
34. The bicycle of claim 32, wherein said refill port is separate
from said inertia valve.
35. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said piston comprises passages
that permit fluid communication through said piston.
36. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said shock absorber further
comprises a suspension spring that applies a force tending to
extend said piston rod relative to said first damper tube.
37. The bicycle of claim 19, wherein said second damper tube is
connected to said bicycle separately from said first damper tube.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/417,554, filed on May 3, 2006, pending,
which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/301,456, filed Dec. 13, 2005, pending, which is a continuation
of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/811,784, filed Mar. 29,
2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,991,076, which is a continuation of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 09/919,582, filed Jul. 31, 2001, now
U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,678, which is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/288,003, filed Apr. 6, 1999, now U.S. Pat.
No. 6,267,400.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0002] The entireties of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/417,554, filed on May 3, 2006, U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/301,456, filed Dec. 13, 2005, U.S. patent application Ser. No.
10/811,784, filed Mar. 29, 2004, U.S. patent application Ser. No.
09/919,582, filed Jul. 31, 2001, and U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 09/288,003, filed Apr. 6, 1999, are hereby expressly
incorporated by reference herein and made a part of the present
disclosure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] This invention relates generally to the field of bicycle
suspensions. More particularly, the invention relates to a damping
enhancement system for a bicycle.
[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0006] For many years bicycles were constructed using exclusively
rigid frame designs. These conventional bicycles relied on
air-pressurized tires and a small amount of natural flexibility in
the frame and front forks to absorb the bumps of the road and
trail. This level of shock absorption was generally considered
acceptable for bicycles which were ridden primarily on flat, well
maintained roads. However, as "off-road" biking became more popular
with the advent of All Terrain Bicycles ("ATBs"), improved shock
absorption systems were needed to improve the smoothness of the
ride over harsh terrain. As a result, new shock absorbing bicycle
suspensions were developed.
[0007] Two such suspension systems are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and
2. These two rear suspension designs are described in detail in
Leitner, U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,837, and Leitner, U.S. Pat. No.
5,509,679, which are assigned to the assignee of the present
application. Briefly, FIG. 1 illustrates a telescoping shock
absorber 110 rigidly attached to the upper arm members 103 of the
bicycle on one end and pivotally attached to the bicycle seat tube
120 at the other end (point 106). FIG. 2 employs another embodiment
wherein a lever 205 is pivotally attached to the upper arm members
203 and the shock absorber 210 is pivotally attached to the lever
205 at an intermediate position 204 between the ends of the lever
205.
[0008] There are several problems associated with the conventional
shock absorbers employed in the foregoing rear suspension systems.
One problem is that conventional shock absorbers are configured
with a fixed damping rate. As such, the shock absorber can either
be set "soft" for better wheel compliance to the terrain or "stiff"
to minimize movement during aggressive pedaling of the rider.
However, there is no mechanism in the prior art which provides for
automatic adjustment of the shock absorber setting based on
different terrain and/or pedaling conditions.
[0009] A second, related problem with the prior art is that
conventional shock absorbers are only capable of reacting to the
relative movement between the bicycle chassis and the wheel. In
other words, the shock absorber itself has no way of
differentiating between forces caused by the upward movement of the
wheel (i.e., due to contact with the terrain) and forces caused by
the downward movement of the chassis (i.e., due to movement of the
rider's mass).
[0010] Thus, most shock absorbers are configured somewhere in
between the "soft" and "stiff" settings (i.e., at an intermediate
setting). Using a static, intermediate setting in this manner means
that the "ideal" damper setting--i.e., the perfect level of
stiffness for a given set of conditions--will never be fully
realized. For example, a rider, when pedaling hard for maximum
power and efficiency, prefers a rigid suspension whereby human
energy output is vectored directly to the rotation of the rear
wheel. By contrast, a rider prefers a softer suspension when riding
over harsh terrain. A softer suspension setting improves the
compliance of the wheel to the terrain which, in turn, improves the
control by the rider.
[0011] Accordingly, what is needed is a damping system which will
dynamically adjust to changes in terrain and/or pedaling
conditions. What is also needed is a damping system which will
provide to a "stiff" damping rate to control rider-induced
suspension movement and a "soft" damping rate to absorb forces from
the terrain. Finally, what is needed is a damping system which will
differentiate between upward forces produced by the contact of the
wheel with the terrain and downward forces produced by the movement
of the rider's mass.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] A bicycle shock absorber for differentiating between
rider-induced forces and terrain-induced forces including a first
fluid chamber having fluid contained therein. A piston is
configured to compress the fluid within the fluid chamber. A second
fluid chamber is coupled to the first fluid chamber by a fluid
communication hose and an inertial valve is disposed within the
second fluid chamber. The inertial valve is configured to open in
response to terrain-induced forces and provides communication of
fluid compressed by the piston from the first fluid chamber to the
second fluid chamber. The inertial valve does not open in response
to rider-induced forces and prevents communication of the fluid
compressed by the piston from the first fluid chamber to the second
fluid chamber.
[0013] A preferred embodiment is a bicycle, including a bicycle
frame, a wheel, and a shock absorber coupled to the bicycle. The
shock absorber includes a primary tube having a fluid chamber. A
piston rod supports a piston that is movable within the primary
tube. A remote tube has a remote fluid chamber. An inertial valve
is within the remote tube and is responsive to terrain-induced
forces and not responsive to rider-induced forces. The inertial
valve opens in response to the terrain-induced forces and fluid
flows from the fluid chamber of the primary tube to the remote
fluid chamber in response to movement of the piston rod and the
piston into the primary tube. The inertia valve has a closed
position wherein flow from the primary tube to the remote tube in
response to movement of the piston rod and the piston into the
primary tube is reduced. A floating piston in the remote tube moves
in response to the flow of the fluid from the fluid chamber of the
primary tube into the remote fluid chamber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] A better understanding of the present invention can be
obtained from the following detailed description in conjunction
with the following drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art rear suspension configuration
for a bicycle.
[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art rear suspension configuration
for a bicycle.
[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention
reacting to a rider-induced force.
[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention
reacting to a terrain-induced force.
[0020] FIG. 6 illustrates the fluid refill mechanism of an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment of the present
invention.
[0022] FIG. 8 is an enlarged schematic view of an embodiment of the
present invention wherein the primary tube is mounted directly to
an upper arm member and the remote tube is connected to an upper
arm member of a bicycle. An angled position of the remote tube is
shown in phantom.
[0023] FIG. 9 is an enlarged schematic view of an embodiment of the
present invention wherein the primary tube is mounted directly to
an upper arm member and the remote tube and the primary tube are a
single unit. An angled position of the remote tube is shown in
phantom.
[0024] FIG. 10 is an enlarged schematic view of embodiment of the
present invention wherein the primary tube is mounted to a lever
and the remote tube is connected to an upper arm member of a
bicycle. An angled position of the remote tube is shown in
phantom.
[0025] FIG. 11 is an enlarged schematic view of an embodiment of
the present invention wherein the primary tube is mounted to a
lever and the remote tube and the primary tube are a single unit.
An angled position of the remote tube is shown in phantom.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0026] A damping enhancement system is described which
differentiates between upward forces produced by the contact of the
bicycle wheel with the terrain and downward forces produced by the
movement of the rider's mass. In the following description, for the
purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in
order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention.
It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art
that the present invention may be practiced without some of these
specific details. In other instances, certain well-known structures
are illustrated and described in limited detail to avoid obscuring
the underlying principles of the present invention.
An Embodiment of the Damper Enhancement System
[0027] One embodiment of the present damper enhancement system is
illustrated in FIG. 3. The apparatus is comprised generally of a
primary tube 302 and a remote tube 304 coupled via a connector hose
306.
[0028] The damper enhancement system described hereinafter may be
coupled to a bicycle in the same manner as contemporary shock
absorbers (i.e., such as those illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2). For
example, the damper enhancement system may be coupled to a bicycle
as illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein the upper mount 318 is pivotally
coupled to the seat tube at point 106 and the lower mount 342 is
fixedly coupled to the upper arm member 103. Moreover, the damper
enhancement system may be coupled to a bicycle as illustrated in
FIG. 2 wherein the upper mount 318 is pivotally coupled to the seat
tube at a point 206 and the lower mount 342 is fixedly coupled to a
point 204 on lever 211. These two constructions are illustrated in
FIGS. 8-9 and FIGS. 10-11, respectively.
[0029] In addition, depending on the particular embodiment of the
damper enhancement system, the connector hose may be of varying
lengths and made from varying types of material. For example, the
connector hose 306 may be short and comprised of metal. In this
case, the primary tube 302 and the remote tube 304 will be closely
coupled together--possibly in a single unit. Such a construction is
illustrated in FIG. 9 and FIG. 11. By contrast, the connector hose
may be long and comprised of a flexible material. In this case, the
remote tube 304 may be separated from the primary tube 302 and may
be independently connected to the bicycle (e.g., the remote tube
may be connected to one of the wheel members such as upper arm
member 103 in FIG. 1). FIG. 8 and FIG. 10 illustrate such a
construction, wherein the primary tube 302 is coupled to upper arm
member 103 and the remote tube 304 is connected to the upper arm
member 103 by a connector. Regardless of how the remote tube 304 is
situated in relation to the primary tube 302, however, the
underlying principles of the present invention will remain the
same.
[0030] A piston 308 on the lower end of a piston rod 310 divides
the inside of the primary tube 302 into and upper fluid chamber 312
and a lower fluid chamber 314 which are both filled with a viscous
fluid such as oil. The piston rod 310 is sealed through the cap
with oil seals 316 and an upper mount 318 connects the piston to
the chassis or sprung weight of the bicycle (e.g., to the seat
tube). A lower mount 342 connects the primary tube 302 to the rear
wheel of the bicycle via one or more wheel members (e.g., upper arm
members 103 in FIG. 1 or lever 205 of FIG. 2). Longitudinally
extending passages 320 in the piston 308 provide for limited fluid
communication between the upper fluid chamber 312 and lower fluid
chamber 314.
[0031] An inertial valve 322 which is slightly biased by a
lightweight spring 324 moves within a chamber 326 of the remote
tube 304. The lightweight spring 324 is illustrated in a fully
extended state and, as such, the inertial valve 322 is illustrated
at one endmost position within its full range of motion. In this
position, fluid flow from the primary tube 302 to the remote tube
304 via the connector hose 306 is blocked or reduced. By contrast,
when the lightweight spring 324 is in a fully compressed state, the
inertial valve resides beneath the interface between the remote
tube 304 and the connector hose 306. Accordingly, in this position,
fluid flow from the primary tube 302 to the remote tube 304 through
the connector hose 306 is enabled. In one embodiment, the inertial
valve 322 is composed of a dense, heavy metal such as brass.
[0032] Disposed within the body of the inertial valve 322 is a
fluid return chamber 336, a first fluid return port 337 which
couples the return chamber 336 to the connector hose 306, and a
second fluid return port 339 which couples the return chamber 336
to remote fluid chamber 332. A fluid return element 338 located
within the fluid return chamber 336 is biased by another
lightweight spring 340 (hereinafter referred to as a "fluid return
spring"). In FIG. 3 the fluid return spring 340 is illustrated in
its fully extended position. In this position, the fluid return
element 338 separates (i.e., decouples) the fluid return chamber
336 from the fluid return port 337. By contrast, when the fluid
return spring 340 is in its fully compressed position, the fluid
return element 338 no longer separates the fluid return chamber 336
from the fluid return port 337. Thus, in this position, fluid flow
from the fluid return chamber 336 to the connector hose 306 is
enabled. The operation of the inertial valve 322 and the fluid
return mechanism will be described in detail below.
[0033] The remaining portion of the remote tube 304 includes a
floating piston 328 which separates a gas chamber 330 and a fluid
chamber 332. In one embodiment of the present invention, the gas
chamber 330 is pressurized with Nitrogen (e.g., at 150 p.s.i.) and
the fluid chamber 332 is filled with oil. An air valve 334 at one
end of the remote tube 322 allows for the gas chamber 330 pressure
to be increased or decreased as required.
[0034] The operation of the damping enhancement system will be
described first with respect to downward forces produced by the
movement of the rider (and the mass of the bicycle frame) and then
with respect to forces produced by the impact between the wheel and
the terrain.
1. Forces Produced by the Rider
[0035] A rider-induced force is illustrated in FIG. 4, forcing the
piston arm 310 in the direction of the lower fluid chamber 314. In
order for the piston 308 to move into fluid chamber 314 in response
to this force, fluid (e.g., oil) contained within the fluid chamber
314 must be displaced. This is due to the fact that fluids such as
oil are not compressible. If lightweight spring 324 is in a fully
extended state as shown in FIG. 4, the inertial valve 322 will be
"closed" (i.e., will block or reduce the flow of fluid from lower
fluid chamber 314 through the connector hose 306 into the remote
fluid chamber 332). Although the entire apparatus will tend to move
in a downward direction in response to the rider-induced force, the
inertial valve 322 will remain in the nested position shown in FIG.
4 (i.e., it is situated as far towards the top of chamber 326 as
possible). Accordingly, because the fluid in fluid chamber 314 has
no where to flow in response to the force, the piston 308 will not
move down into fluid chamber 314 to any significant extent. As a
result, a "stiff" damping rate will be produced in response to
rider-induced forces (i.e., forces originating through piston rod
310).
2. Forces Produced by the Terrain
[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the damping enhancement system
will respond in a different manner to forces originating from the
terrain and transmitted through the bicycle wheel (hereinafter
"terrain-induced forces"). In response to this type of force, the
inertial valve 322 will move downward into chamber 326 as
illustrated and will thereby allow fluid to flow from lower chamber
314 into remote chamber 332 via connector hose 306. The reason for
this is that the entire apparatus will initially move in the
direction of the terrain-induced force while the inertial valve 322
will tend to remain stationary because it is comprised of a dense,
heavy material (e.g., such as brass). Thus, the primary tube 302
and the remote tube 304 will both move in a generally upward
direction and, relative to this motion, the inertial valve 322 will
move downward into chamber 326 and compress the lightweight spring
324. As illustrated in FIG. 5 this is the inertial valve's "open"
position because it couples lower fluid chamber 314 to remote fluid
chamber 332 (via connector hose 306).
[0037] Once the interface between connector hose 306 and remote
fluid chamber 332 is unobstructed, fluid from lower fluid chamber
314 will flow across connector hose 306 into remote fluid chamber
332 in response to the downward force of piston 308 (i.e., the
fluid can now be displaced). As remote fluid chamber 314 accepts
additional fluid as described, floating piston 328 will move
towards gas chamber 330 (in an upward direction in FIG. 5), thereby
compressing the gas in gas chamber 330. The end result, will be a
"softer" damping rate in response to terrain-induced forces (i.e.,
forces originating from the wheels of the bicycle).
[0038] Once the inertial valve moves into an "open" position as
described above, it will eventually need to move back into a
"closed" position so that a stiff damping rate can once again be
available for rider-induced forces. Thus, lightweight spring 324
will tend to move the inertial valve 322 back into its closed
position. In addition, the return spring surrounding primary tube
302 (not shown) will pull piston rod 310 and piston 308 in an
upward direction out of lower fluid chamber 314. In response to the
motion of piston 308 and to the compressed gas in gas chamber 330,
fluid will tend to flow from remote fluid chamber 332 back to lower
fluid chamber 314 (across connector hose 306).
[0039] To allow fluid to flow in this direction even when inertial
valve 322 is in a closed position, inertial valve 322 (as described
above) includes the fluid return elements described above. Thus, as
illustrated in FIG. 6, in response to pressurized gas in gas
chamber 330, fluid in remote fluid chamber 332 will force fluid
return element 338 downward into fluid return chamber 336 (against
the force of the fluid return spring 340). Once fluid return
element 338 has been forced down below fluid return port 337, fluid
will flow from remote fluid chamber 332 through fluid return port
339, fluid return chamber 336, fluid return port 337, connector
hose 306, and finally back into lower fluid chamber 314. This will
occur until the pressure in remote fluid chamber 336 is low enough
so that fluid return element 338 can be moved back into a "closed"
position (i.e., when the force of fluid return spring 340 is
greater than the force created by the fluid pressure).
[0040] The sensitivity of inertial valve 322 may be adjusted by
changing the angle with which it is positioned in relation to the
terrain-induced force. For example, in FIG. 5, the inertial valve
322 is positioned such that it's movement in chamber 326 is
parallel (and in the opposite direction from) to the
terrain-induced force. This positioning produces the greatest
sensitivity from the inertial valve 322 because the entire
terrain-induced force vector is applied to the damper enhancement
system in the exact opposite direction of the inertial valve's 322
line of movement.
[0041] By contrast, if the remote tube containing the inertial
valve 322 were positioned at, for example, a 45 degree angle from
the position shown in FIG. 5 the inertial valve's 322 sensitivity
would be decreased by approximately one half because only one half
of the terrain-induced force vector would be acting to move the
damper enhancement system in the opposite direction of the valve's
line of motion. Thus, twice the terrain-induced force would be
required to trigger the same response from the inertial valve 322
in this angled configuration. FIGS. 8-11 illustrate the remote tube
304 positioned at an angle from the primary tube 302 (shown in
phantom). With such a construction, the sensitivity of the inertial
value 322 may be adjusted as described immediately above.
[0042] Thus, in one embodiment of the damper enhancement system the
angle of the remote tube 304 in which the inertial valve 322
resides is manually adjustable to change the inertial valve 322
sensitivity. This embodiment may further include a sensitivity knob
or dial for adjusting the angle of the remote tube 304. The
sensitivity knob may have a range of different sensitivity levels
disposed thereon for indicating the particular level of sensitivity
to which the damper apparatus is set. In one embodiment the
sensitivity knob may be rotatably coupled to the bicycle frame
separately from the remote tube, and may be cooperatively mated
with the remote tube (e.g., with a set of gears). Numerous
different configurations of the sensitivity knob and the remote
tube 304 are possible within the scope of the underlying invention.
The connector hose 306 of this embodiment is made from a flexible
material such that the remote tube 304 can be adjusted while the
primary tube remains in a static position.
[0043] Another embodiment of the damper enhancement system is
illustrated in FIG. 7. Like the previous embodiment, this
embodiment includes a primary fluid chamber 702 and a remote fluid
chamber 704. A piston 706 coupled to a piston shaft 708 moves
within the primary fluid chamber 702. The primary fluid chamber 702
is coupled to the remote fluid chamber via an inlet port 714 (which
transmits fluid from the primary fluid chamber 702 to the remote
fluid chamber 704) and a separate refill port 716 (which transmits
fluid from the remote fluid chamber 704 to the primary fluid
chamber 702).
[0044] An inertial valve 710 biased by a lightweight spring 712
resides in the remote fluid chamber 704. A floating piston 720
separates the remote fluid chamber from a gas chamber 718. In
response to terrain-induced forces (represented by force vector
735), the inertial valve, due to its mass, will compress the
lightweight spring 712 and allow fluid to flow from primary fluid
chamber 702 to remote fluid chamber 704 over inlet port 714. This
will cause floating piston 720 to compress gas within gas chamber
718.
[0045] After inertial valve 710 has been repositioned to it's
"closed" position by lightweight spring 712, fluid in remote fluid
chamber 704 will force fluid refill element 722 open (i.e., will
cause fluid refill spring 724 to compress). Thus, fluid will be
transmitted from remote fluid chamber 704 to primary fluid chamber
702 across refill port 716 until the pressure of the fluid in
remote fluid chamber is no longer enough to keep fluid refill
element 722 open. Thus, the primary difference between this
embodiment and the previous embodiment is that this embodiment
employs a separate refill port 716 rather than configuring a refill
port within the inertial valve itself.
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