PURPOSE: To provide the damping force switching mechanism for a damper, which has a sufficient change width for damping force, and enables damping force to be set at an arbitrary value within the aforesaid change width.
CONSTITUTION: An operating shaft 31 is rotated by the lever 35 of a damper 1, torque is transmitted to a second bevel gear 71 through a first bevel gear 64, so that a variable vane 90 is thereby rotated around its shaft within the fluid passages 45 and 47 of a piston 7. Meanwhile, a magnetic field is formed in the direction normal to the movement of a rod 5 by two electric magnets 111 which gives a magnetic field to magnetic fluid 101 within the fluid chambers 11 and 13 of a cylinder 3. A variable resistor is provided for a circuit including the electric magnets 111. When an effective opening area is made maximum by the lever 35, and when magnetic force is simultaneously nullified with the electric resistance value of the variable resistor made maximum, the damping force of the damper 1 becomes minimum. When the effective opening area is made minimum by the lever 35, and when the electric resistance value of the variable resistor is made minimum, the damping force thereby becomes maximum.
TANIGAWA MITSURU
NAKAGAWA ASAHARU
