Vehicle height adjusting device

Abstract

A vehicle height adjusting device includes a cylinder (1), a rod (3) inserted in the cylinder (1), a piston (4) connected to the rod (3) and movable within the cylinder (1), and defining a rod side chamber (2a) and an non-rod side chamber (2b) in the cylinder (1), damping parts (4a, 4b) for generating a damping force by the movement of the rod (3), a high pressure chamber (18) and a low pressure chamber (16) charged with gas, a pump chamber (25) for adjusting the vehicle height by supplying the working fluid in the low pressure chamber (16) into the non-rod side chamber (2b), a communicating path (5a) for communicating the non-rod side chamber (2b) and the high pressure chamber (18), and a valve body (20) for increasing and reducing a channel area of the communicating path (5a) depending on the fluid pressure of the high pressure chamber (18).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional diagram showing the vehicle height adjusting device of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross sectional diagram showing essential parts of the vehicle height adjusting device illustrated in FIG. 1 in enlarged scale.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional diagram showing, as similar to FIG. 2, essential part of the vehicle height adjusting device in enlarged scale.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross sectional diagram showing the vehicle height adjusting device of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional diagram showing a part of the vehicle height adjusting device illustrated in FIG. 4.

Claims

1. A vehicle height adjusting device capable of adjusting a vehicle height of a vehicle comprising: a cylinder charged with working fluid;a rod inserted in the cylinder so as to be movable in back and forward;a piston connected to the rod and movable within the cylinder in a freely sliding manner, and defining a rod side chamber and an non-rod side chamber in the cylinder;a damping part provided to the piston and for generating a damping force by a passage of the working fluid by the back and forward movement of the rod;a low pressure chamber provided at outside the cylinder and charged with low pressure gas in a part thereof;a high pressure chamber provided at outside the cylinder and charged with high pressure gas in a part thereof;a pump chamber for adjusting the vehicle height of the vehicle by supplying the working fluid in the low pressure chamber into the non-rod side chamber with the back and forward movement of the rod;a communicating path for communicating the non-rod side chamber and the high pressure chamber; anda valve body for increasing and reducing a channel area of the communicating path depending on the fluid pressure of the high pressure chamber.

2. The vehicle height adjusting device according to claim 1 further comprising a bottom block blocking an end part opening of the non-rod side chamber in the cylinder and formed with the communicating path penetrating therethrough, whereinthe valve body is containably installed in the bottom block in a freely sliding manner to set the channel area of the communicating path by moving back and forward depending on the fluid pressure of the high pressure chamber which is applied to the back side thereof.

3. The vehicle height adjusting device according to claim 2 wherein: the bottom block comprises a pilot chamber into which the working fluid of the low pressure chamber is guided;the valve body comprises a guide part inserted into the pilot chamber in a freely sliding manner;the pilot chamber is containably installed with a biasing member biasing the valve body against the fluid pressure of the high pressure chamber; andthe valve body set the channel area of the communicating path to small by advancing, when a load calculated from a pressure difference between the high pressure chamber and the low pressure chamber, and the cross-sectional area of the guide part becomes greater than the biasing force of the biasing member.

4. The vehicle height adjusting device according to claim 1 further comprising a path for communicating the high pressure chamber and the low pressure chamber, whereinthe path is provided with a relieving valve allowing a flow of the working fluid from the high pressure chamber to the low pressure chamber, when the pressure difference between the high pressure chamber and the low pressure chamber reached to the predetermined level or higher.