US Patent 6920951 Regenerative damping method and apparatus

A regenerative damper and method for regenerative damping are disclosed. The regenerative damper uses the kinetic energy of undesirable vehicle motion to generate electrical current in a circuit. The electricity is generated by a power screw that operates like an alternator. Vehicle energy efficiency is increased by using the electrical current to charge a battery. The regenerative damper can be semi-active or passive. The semi-active embodiment is able to adapt to operating conditions to improve vehicle ride and handling, whereas the passive embodiment has a fixed response, regardless of operating conditions.