CN210239417U

CN210239417U - Damping hinge

Info

Publication number: CN210239417U
Application number: CN201821606762.6U
Authority: CN
Inventors: Xiuyong Liu; 柳秀勇; Zhong Zou; 邹忠
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: BESTKO PRECISION Ltd
Priority date: 2017-10-06
Filing date: 2018-09-29
Publication date: 2020-04-03
Anticipated expiration: 2028-09-29
Also published as: GB2567221A; TWM577881U; GB2567221B; GB201716415D0; CN109629941A

Abstract

A damped hinge including a damping mechanism for controlling rotational movement of the hinge from an open position to a closed position, the damping mechanism comprising: a hinge shaft installed on an axis and rotatable with respect to the housing; the housing contains a damping piston engaging the hinge shaft, the hinge shaft having a cam surface; the damping piston is movable within an orifice extending at right angles to the hinge axis; the damping piston having a driven surface urged forward by a spring into engagement with the cam surface of the hinge shaft such that the cam surface moves the damping piston rearward away from the hinge shaft axis as the hinge is moved to the closed position; wherein the follower surface is inclined with respect to a plane at right angles to the axis of the damping piston such that the cam surface of the hinge shaft contacts the follower surface at a decreasing distance in a direction parallel to the axis of the piston as the hinge moves from the open position to the closed position.

Description

Damping hinge

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a damping mechanism for a hinge of a door or other closure. The present invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a damped hinge or closure for framed or frameless glass, wooden or other doors. In an embodiment, the hinge may be used for a shower door.

Background

Wooden or glass doors tend to be heavy. The glass door may be double or triple glazed, especially when intended for outdoor use or for a cold room. The wood doors can be very large and may require a strong hinge to allow the door to reliably self-close to a centered closed position, avoiding the need for external latching or blocking mechanisms. These doors may contain internal door stops, for example as disclosed in US6560821 or WO 2011/020630.

Although various damping mechanisms have been disclosed, there is a need for a hinge or door closer that can provide a controlled degree of enhanced damping as it approaches a closed position. In this mechanism, damage to the door due to a slamming shut is avoided without preventing the door from closing properly.

For example, for doors that can be opened from either direction of a central closed position, known hinges are provided that rotate 180 °. In such a mechanism, for example, as disclosed in GB 2525444, a hinge shaft having a cam surface is engaged with a piston having a left-right symmetrical pusher to provide a damping action which rises to a maximum when a central position is reached. Employing such a mechanism for a door that opens in only one direction is inefficient and may have drawbacks.

It may be more difficult in situations where it is desirable to pre-fix the closed position of the door to an angle greater than the 0 position. For example, shower doors have flexible sealing strips. In particular, if the damping mechanism reduces the closing force as the fully closed position is reached, such a strip may interfere with the final stage of closing and sealing of the door. If the dampened closing force is not fully effective to close the door, the seal may cause the door to spring back from the closed position. A similar situation may occur at windy sites where strong winds may push the door back, preventing the door from closing completely. In these cases, it may be desirable to preset the shower door to an angle of more than 0 ° position, such as 5 °.

The damping force at the last stage of closing, such as the last 5 ° to 10 °, may be weakened because of the small displacement of the piston and thus the small displacement of the oil. However, the damping of the door during the final stage of closure is important because it is during this stage that accidents are more likely to occur, for example, a hand or finger being trapped between the door and the door stop. Therefore, there is a need for a method that does not interrupt the damping force as the door approaches and exceeds the 0 ° closed position.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

According to the utility model discloses, a hinge contains the damping mechanism who is used for controlling the hinge from the rotary motion of opening the position to the closed position, and this damping mechanism includes:

a hinge shaft installed on an axis and rotatable with respect to the housing;

the housing contains a damping piston engaging a hinge shaft, the hinge shaft having a cam surface;

the damping piston has an axis and is movable along the axis within an orifice of the housing, the orifice extending at right angles to the hinge axis;

the damping piston having a driven surface urged forward by a spring into engagement with the cam surface of the hinge shaft such that the cam surface moves the damping piston rearward away from the hinge shaft axis as the hinge is moved to the closed position;

wherein the driven surfaces comprise a first contact surface and a second contact surface, the contact surfaces abutting at a top portion extending parallel to the hinge axis;

wherein the first contact surface slopes rearwardly away from the hinge axis with increasing distance from the top portion;

wherein the first and second contact surfaces are asymmetrical with respect to the piston axis;

wherein the driven surface is inclined with respect to a plane at right angles to the axis of the damping piston such that the cam surface of the hinge shaft contacts the driven surface at a decreasing distance in a direction parallel to the axis of the piston as the hinge moves from the open position to the closed position. The driven surface may be wholly or partially planar.

In use, the driven surface may extend fully or partially across the diameter of the damping piston in the direction of movement of the hinge shaft cam surface.

In a second aspect of the invention, the driven surface is planar such that the distance decreases uniformly as the hinge moves from the fully open position to the closed position.

The distance decreases linearly with angular rotation of the hinge.

In some embodiments, the damping mechanism further comprises a circuit of working fluid arranged such that movement of the damping piston from the closed position causes fluid to flow freely in the circuit, and the circuit is further arranged such that movement of the damping piston from the open position to the closed position causes fluid to flow restrictively, thereby damping the closing movement.

The invention is particularly applicable to hinges that are arranged to open or close in only one direction, i.e. from an open position of 90 ° to a closed position at or about close to 0 °. The present invention is particularly applicable to shower doors or other doors that incorporate a flexible seal between the door and the mounting member.

The fully closed position may be at an angle greater than 0 deg., for example, over 0 deg. or up to 30 deg., typically about 5 deg. or 10 deg. in the closed position.

The apex may be in the form of a straight edge where the first and second contact surfaces abut, for example, in the form of a ridge or corner upstanding between the surfaces.

In an embodiment, the top is located on one side of the piston axis, such that the inclined first contact surfaces extend on both sides of the piston axis.

In an embodiment, the first contact surface is planar. Alternatively, the first contact surface may be concave or convex.

In an embodiment, the second contact surface is at right angles to the piston axis. The second contact surface may be planar. Alternatively, the second contact surface may be concave or convex or otherwise shaped so as to complement the configuration of the hinge axis.

The position of the first contact surface on the first side of the piston axis and on the second side of the piston axis allows the hinge to continue to provide an uninterrupted damping force as the door approaches or exceeds the closed position at 0 °. The hinge can be rotated beyond the closed position, for example, by up to 5 ° or 10 ° beyond the closed position, while the cam surface of the hinge shaft is held in contact with the first follower contact surface, thereby maintaining a continuous damping force applied to the hinge.

The ability of the hinge to provide a damping force at angles in excess of 0 °, i.e., in excess of the standard closed position, gives the advantage that the hinge can be installed and used in situations where the door frame or other mounting surface is not perfectly straight. Inaccuracies or irregularities in structure or assembly can be accommodated without compromising the performance of the hinge. The use of a gasket material between the hinge mounting plate and the bearing surface can be avoided.

Facilitating use with shower doors having flexible seals without preventing the door from fully closing, thereby forming a watertight seal.

In an embodiment, the second contact surface is at right angles to the axis of the hinge shaft, which has a surface arranged to engage the second contact surface in the open position of the hinge.

The radial dimension of the second contact surface may be large enough to provide a hold open position for the hinge in which the restraining force exerted by the damping piston is greater than the closing force exerted by the closing piston or other closing mechanism on the hinge or door.

The damping mechanism of the present invention may also be provided for an adjustable hinge disclosed in uk patent application no 1704958.6 (attorney docket No. CHO-P5736GB), filed on 28/3/2017. Such a combination may provide an easier fit in an improperly configured situation without the use of padding materials or other aids.

In an embodiment, the damping piston may be cylindrical, received in a cylindrical bore in the hinge body.

An alignment member may be provided to ensure that the orientation of the first contact surface is correct with respect to the hinge axis. The alignment member may prevent rotation of the piston within the bore in use.

The alignment member includes a guide structure extending forwardly from the piston and arranged to engage the hinge shaft as the open position is approached, thereby rotating the piston within the bore as necessary so that the top is parallel to the hinge shaft axis as desired.

The alignment member may be located at a circumference of the second contact surface and may include a circumferentially extending flange having a radially inwardly facing surface extending between circumferential end faces. The inwardly facing surface may be configured to engage a complementary outwardly facing surface of the hinge shaft when in the open position of the hinge, the end surface being engaged with the hinge shaft if the piston is in an incorrect axial orientation or an incorrect rotational orientation, and the end surface being further arranged not to engage the hinge shaft if the orientation of the piston is correct. As the hinge shaft moves to the open position, engagement with the piston may rotate the piston to ensure proper alignment.

This arrangement has the advantage that the piston and the bore do not need to incorporate a spline or other additional feature to keep the pistons aligned. Thus, the machining of the piston and the orifice is simplified.

The hinge shaft may be an elongated member having upper and lower mounting portions and a cam portion extending between the mounting portions. In an embodiment, the cam surface of the hinge shaft may be elongated in cross-section, have a damping cam surface at one end, and a secondary hold-open cam surface extending along the long side of the hinge shaft.

In a variant embodiment, the articulation axis may be generally opposite the piston, and may be semicircular in section. The cam surface of the hinge shaft may extend inwardly parallel to a diameter passing through the axis of the hinge shaft.

The cam surface may further include an end portion located on a diameter passing through the hinge shaft axis and arranged to engage the follower surface of the damping piston as the closed position is reached, in the closed position and as the hinge moves beyond the closed position. The end portion may include a top portion or an edge extending parallel to the hinge axis.

The cam surfaces may extend uninterrupted along the entire length or axial length of the dampening cam surfaces and closing cam surfaces of the hinge shaft. This makes the machining of the hinge shaft and the damping piston easy and economical and reduces wear.

The cam follower surface may be fixed to or integral with the piston.

The hinge according to the invention can be used for door panels or glass doors, for example, for internal hinges for wooden doors or shower doors. A pair of clamps may be provided to secure the door panel to the hinge. Movement of the hinge to the open or closed position moves the door to the open or closed position, respectively.

Alternatively, a door closer according to the invention may conveniently be fixed to the top edge of a wooden or other door, the closer having an articulated arm fixed to the frame of the door. In another mechanism, the hinge shaft is mounted within the housing for rotation about an axis extending through the housing and in spaced relation to the hinge axis of the door. The damping mechanism is described in this specification for a damped hinge, but it will be appreciated that the damping piston and hinge shaft configurations may be the same for a door closer mechanism.

The hinge may also include a closing piston. The shutoff piston can be arranged completely opposite the damping piston or alternatively parallel to the damping piston and can be arranged to act on the shutoff cam surface of the hinge shaft.

As a further alternative, the damping piston and the closing piston can be arranged on the hinge axis of the respective hinge of the door, so that in particular in the final phase of the closing movement one hinge provides the closing force and the other hinge provides a force damping the closing movement.

In an embodiment, the damping mechanism is arranged to increase the displacement of the damping piston during the final phase of closing of the hinge. For example, the displacement of the damping piston away from the hinge shaft axis may be increased upon rotation through a stepwise increasing angle from 20 ° to 0 °, from 10 ° to 0 °, or from 5 ° to 0 °. This may apply a greater pressure to the liquid that damps the movement of the piston. However, the flow of liquid is restricted by the regulating valve or valves so that a damping force is applied to the hinge shaft, thereby reducing the rate of rotation and damping the movement of the door. The rate of rotation of the articulation shaft decreases with the approach of the 0 position because the damping loop imposes the greatest restriction on the flow.

Advantageously, the configuration of the cam surface of the hinge and the cam follower surface, and in particular the radial profile thereof, is selected to control the distance the damping piston moves during the final angular increment as the hinge approaches the closed position.

In the first embodiment, the closing cam surface and the damper cam surface are in the same position on the axis of the hinge shaft. This mechanism reduces the torsional forces on the hinge shaft and the holder and also minimizes the height of the housing.

Alternatively, in the second embodiment, the closing cam surface and the damper cam surface may be disposed at different axial positions so as to be one above the other along the hinge shaft axis in the housing. The closing piston and the damping piston may extend in parallel on the same side of the axis of the hinge shaft. Such a mechanism is disclosed in GB 2484527, the disclosure of GB 2484527 being incorporated by reference into this specification for all purposes.

In some embodiments, the closing mechanism and the damping mechanism extend radially from the hinge shaft axis in parallel directions or in opposite directions.

In a further different embodiment, the hinge shaft may have a damping cam surface axially between the two closing cam surfaces, and the closing pusher comprises two plate-like members extending toward the hinge shaft to engage with the two closing cam surfaces.

Instead, the closing cam surface may be located between two driven surfaces of the damping cam, and the damping piston has two cam followers extending toward the hinge shaft so as to engage with the two driven surfaces.

In these mechanisms, wear on the hinge shaft is reduced because each piston only engages a respective cam surface. However, this mechanism is not very robust.

The use of separate closure and damping mechanisms enables each of them to be manufactured in a simple and robust construction, such that the closure and damping forces and damping profiles of each mechanism can be selected to suit a particular application. For example, stronger damping mechanisms may be used for heavy or large doors that are prone to slamming shut during use.

The damping piston may include a forwardly facing piston head and a rearwardly extending sleeve slidably movable within the piston cylinder.

The working fluid may be oil or hydraulic fluid.

In an embodiment, the regulating valve is located in the housing;

a first conduit communicates between a first chamber on one side of the damping piston and the regulating valve;

the second pipeline is communicated between the second chamber on the other side of the damping piston and the regulating valve;

thus, adjusting the valve controls the flow of working fluid from the first chamber to the second chamber, thereby damping the movement of the hinge to the closed or centered position.

A single regulating valve may be used. However, two or more regulator valves may be used if desired. When two valves are used, one valve may be opened throughout the motion of the closing hinge, while the other valve may be closed, for example, by the motion of the damping piston at a selected hinge angle position as the hinge approaches the fully closed position.

The damping mechanism includes a loop of working fluid extending from a chamber formed by the rear face of a damping piston in which a spring is disposed to a regulator valve, and from the regulator valve to a chamber in which the front outer surface of the damping piston engages the cam of the hinge shaft. Thus, the moving parts maintain good lubrication conditions.

One or more regulating valves may be located on the outside of the housing, allowing for simple and convenient adjustment.

The closure mechanisms in separate chambers within the housing may be filled with oil or other liquid, but this is not required. When a piston mechanism is used, one or more apertures may be provided to circulate the working fluid as the piston is extended and retracted in use. The orifice may be sized to restrict the flow of liquid to provide additional damping to the hinge. Alternatively, the perforations may be large enough to allow free flow.

If the hinge is used with a glass door, a gripper may be employed to fixedly engage the glass door panel. The glass plate may have holes to accommodate bolts passing through the clamps. Alternatively or additionally, the grippers may engage the glass sheet using friction or using an adhesive.

Drawings

The invention will be further described, by way of example and without any limitative meaning, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a hinge according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the housing of the hinge shown in FIG. 1;

figures 3a, 3b and 4a, 4b show the damping piston and the hinging shaft of the hinge shown in figures 1 and 2;

figures 5a to 9c show the various closing phases of the damping piston and of the hinge shaft of the hinge shown in figure 1 or 2;

figure 10 shows the various closing phases of another hinge;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another hinge; and

figure 12 shows the closing phases with another hinge.

Detailed Description

The hinge shown in fig. 1 and 2 comprises a housing (1), a first clamping member (2) and a second clamping member (3) being secured to the housing (1) by bolts (4) to form a slot dimensioned to receive a glass or wood door panel (not shown). The resilient tab (5) acts as a spacer for the door panel and prevents movement during use.

A substantially cylindrical hinge axis (6) extends vertically through an opening (7) in the housing and an opening (10) in the clamping element (2). The collars (8, 9) allow precise alignment of the hinge axis in the aperture (7).

The housing (1) is fixed to the mounting plate (11) by bolts (12).

Parallel cylindrical upper (13) and lower (14) ports extend radially from the housing to the mounting plate (11) and communicate with the port (7).

A closing piston (15) is fixed in the lower orifice (14), and the closing piston (15) is urged by a closing spring (16) into engagement with a planar closing cam surface (17) of the hinge shaft (6). The pressure of the piston (15) against the hinge axis urges the hinge to the closed position and provides a self-closing function. Axial bores (51) in the piston head (22) allow free flow of working fluid through the piston head as the piston moves in the bore.

A damping piston (18) is slidably received in the cylindrical upper bore (13) and urged into contact with a damping cam surface (19) of the hinge shaft (6) by a damping spring (20).

The damping piston (18) includes a piston head (22), the piston head (22) having a front face with a first contact surface (23) and a second contact surface (24), as described in more detail below. A cylindrical sleeve (33) extends rearwardly from the piston head (22) to accommodate the valve assemblies (40-44).

An axial bore (25) extends from the front of the piston head (22) and communicates with the interior of the sleeve (33).

The check valve assembly is formed by a valve stem body (40), the valve stem body (40) having a disc-shaped valve seat (41) with an axial passage (42) and a hollow valve stem (43) extending rearwardly. The pressure of the spring (20) holds the triangular valve member captive in the valve seat against the interior of the piston (18).

When the hinge is open, the valve opens as the piston (18) moves forward towards the hinge axis, allowing free flow of the working fluid and undamped movement of the hinge. When the hinge is moved towards the closed position, the piston (18) moves rearwardly away from the hinge axis. As the closed position is approached, pressure of the working fluid against the valve member (44) causes the valve to partially or fully close, restricting the flow of working fluid and thereby damping the rotational movement of the hinge.

Fig. 3a, 3b and 4a, 4b show embodiments of the damping piston.

Figure 3a shows a damping piston similar to that shown in figures 1 and 2 and as shown in figure 11. In fig. 11, parts similar to those shown in fig. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The piston head (22) has a front face with a first planar contact surface (23) and a second planar contact surface (24). The axial bore (25) allows oil or other working fluid to flow past the piston head. The second contact surface (24) may be planar and may be disposed generally at right angles to the piston axis.

The first contact surface (23) is inclined rearwardly away from the top portion (53) and away from the central contact surface.

The distance of the first contact surface (23) from the hinge axis increases with the distance from the top.

Fig. 3b is a rear view of the damping piston (18) showing the relationship with the hinge shaft (6).

For the upper cam surface (19) of the hinge shaft, the first contact surface (23) provides a cam follower surface, as shown in figure 3 b.

The top portion (53) comprises a rectilinear ridge or upwardly extending edge, forming a junction between the first contact surface (23) and the second contact surface (24). The top portion (53) extends vertically across the piston head in use. The top portion is disposed in spaced relation to one side of the piston axis (and offset from the axis of the bore (25)), as shown in figure 3a, such that the first contact surface extends from the top portion across the hinge axis to the circumference of the piston head.

Fig. 4a and 4b show another configuration of the damping piston. The top part (53) and the first (23) and second (24) contact surfaces have the same construction as the embodiment shown in fig. 3a, 3 b. The projection (54) extends forwardly from the piston head parallel to the piston axis and in a direction toward the hinge shaft (6). The projection (54) is located on the circumference of the second contact surface at the midpoint of the circumference of the second contact surface at the maximum distance from the top. The projection extends around a portion of the circumference of the damping piston and has a partially cylindrical outer surface and a radially inwardly facing linear articulated shaft contact (55), the linear articulated shaft contact (55) extending parallel to the top (53) between two end shoulders (56, 57). The shoulders (56, 57) are concave. The body (58) of the projection between the head (55) and the second contact surface (24) is concave or trough-shaped to receive and accommodate rotation of the cam surface of the hinge shaft in use. The contact faces of the contact heads (55) form a chord (chord) configuration parallel to the top, both extending perpendicularly in an orientation in operation of the damping piston. In the fully open position, the contact may abut against the hinge axis, thereby providing a blocking function.

If the damping piston is rotated in use so that the top is no longer vertical, rotation of the hinge shaft causes the cam surface of the hinge shaft to engage the head (55), thereby causing the head (55) to rotate until it returns to the correct vertical orientation.

The subsequent operating stages of the damping piston are shown in fig. 5a to 9 c. Fig. 10 shows a mechanism employing a differently shaped hinge shaft.

In each of fig. 5a to 9c, sub-figure (a) corresponds to fig. 2. Drawing (b) shows the engagement of the contact surfaces (23, 24) of the damping piston with the cam surface (19) of the hinge shaft (6). Sub-diagram (c) shows the relative position of the damping piston and the closing piston with respect to the hinge axis.

In fig. 5a to 5c, the hinge is in the open position at an angle of 90 °. The planar cam surface (19) of the hinge shaft abuts the planar second contact surface (24). In such a mechanism, the hinge may be in a position to remain open when the damping piston pressure against the hinge may be sufficient to prevent rotation due to the closing force.

Fig. 6a to 6c show a first stage of closing the hinge, in which the cam is rotated to an angle of 60 °. The cam surface (19) pivots about the top (53) and is now substantially parallel to the first contact surface (23). Moving the damping piston away from the hinge axis causes the valve member (44) to engage the valve seat (40), which restricts or prevents oil flow and provides a low damping force.

In fig. 7a to 7c, the hinge is closed to an angle of 30 °. An intermediate surface (59) of the hinge shaft engages the first contact surface (23) to move the piston further away from the hinge shaft and increase the damping force applied.

In fig. 8a to 8c, the hinge is at a standard zero degree in the closed position. The axially aligned edge (60) contacts the first contact surface (23) to urge the piston (18) to the extended position in the normal closed position of the hinge. In the final closing phase, the first contact surface (23) continues to provide an uninterrupted damping force.

In the mechanism shown in fig. 9a to 9c, the hinge has been rotated 5 ° beyond the closed position, i.e. to an angle of-5 ° relative to the previous position. The edge (60) of the cam surface of the hinge shaft moves along the contact surface (23) beyond the piston axis toward the top (53). As the hinge shaft rotates to the over-zero position, the damping force exerted by the movement of the damping piston (18) away from the hinge shaft continues to be applied. The force applied to the hinged door against wind or contact with the resilient sealing strip ensures that the door is fully closed and sealed, preventing wind or water from passing.

Fig. 10 shows the same angular closing phase as in fig. 5a to 9 c. The hinge shaft has an elongated configuration in plan view with a cam surface (62) similar to the cam surface (19) of the previous embodiment.

The hinge shown in fig. 11 comprises a housing (1), a first clamping member (2) and a second clamping member (3) being secured by bolts (4) to form a slot dimensioned to receive a glass or wood door panel (not shown). When in use, the elastic sheet (5) cushions the door panel and prevents movement.

A substantially cylindrical hinge shaft (6) extends vertically through an aperture (7) in the housing and an aperture (10) in the clamping member (2). The collars (8, 9) allow precise alignment of the hinge axis in the aperture (7).

The housing (1) is fixed to the mounting plate (11) by bolts (12).

Parallel cylindrical upper (13) and lower (14) orifices extend in the housing radially away from the orifice (7) and the articulated shaft (6) located in the orifice (7).

A closing piston (15) is fixed in the lower orifice (14) and is urged into engagement with a closing cam surface (17) of the plane of the hinge shaft (6) by a closing spring (16). The pressure of the piston (15) against the hinge axis urges the hinge to the closed position.

A damping piston (18) is slidably received in the cylindrical upper bore (13) and urged into contact with the damping cam surface of the hinge shaft by a damping spring (20). An annular sealing ring (21) forms an oil seal with the aperture (13) in the housing.

The damping piston (18) includes a piston head (22), the piston head (22) having a front face with a first contact surface (23) and a second contact surface (24), as described in more detail below. A cylindrical sleeve (33) extends rearwardly from the piston head (22).

An axial bore (50) extends from the front of the piston head (22) and communicates with the interior of the sleeve (33).

The valves (26, 27) and the sealing ring (28) are located in a collar (29). A spring (20) mounted on a spring support (30) urges a collar (29) into contact with the rear of the piston head. A sealing ring (31) and a sealing cover (32) seal the upper orifice (13) to provide a sealed chamber for oil or other working fluid.

Fig. 12 shows a variation of the mechanism shown in fig. 10, in which the cam follower surface (70) is a single planar surface extending across the entire diameter of the piston (71). The surface (70) is inclined to a plane (73), for example at right angles to the piston axis (75), so that the distance between the points at which the surface (70) contacts the edge (74) increases as the hinge rotates from an open position, for example as in (c) of figure 12, to a closed position as in (d) of figure 12, or a closed position as in (e) of figure 12. The distance may decrease uniformly as the hinge moves from the open position to the fully closed position or beyond the closed position into the final position as shown in fig. 12 (e).

Claims

1. A damped hinge including a damping mechanism for controlling rotational movement of the hinge from an open position to a closed position, the damping mechanism comprising:

a hinge shaft installed on an axis and rotatable with respect to the housing;

the housing contains a damping piston engaging the hinge shaft, the hinge shaft having a cam surface;

said damping piston being movable within an orifice extending at right angles to said hinge axis;

said damping piston having a driven surface urged forwardly by a spring into engagement with said cam surface of said hinge shaft such that said cam surface moves said damping piston rearwardly away from said hinge shaft axis as said hinge is moved to said closed position;

the method is characterized in that:

wherein the driven surfaces comprise a first contact surface and a second contact surface, the contact surfaces abutting at a top portion, the top portion extending parallel to the hinge axis;

wherein said first contact surface slopes rearwardly from said hinge axis with increasing distance from said top portion;

wherein the first and second contact surfaces are asymmetric with respect to the damping piston axis;

wherein the driven surface is inclined with respect to a plane at right angles to the damping piston axis such that the cam surface of the hinge shaft contacts the driven surface at a decreasing distance in a direction parallel to the damping piston axis as the hinge moves from the open position to the closed position.

2. The damped hinge according to claim 1 wherein the driven surface is entirely or partially planar.

3. The damped hinge according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the hinge is configured to open in only one direction from a closed position, wherein the closed position is at an angle greater than 90 ° relative to the open position.

4. The damped hinge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the closed position is at an angle greater than 90 ° relative to the open position.

5. The damped hinge according to claim 2 wherein said hinge further comprises a loop for the working fluid, said loop being configured such that movement of said damping piston from a closed position to an open position causes fluid to flow freely in said loop, and further configured such that movement of said damping piston from an open position to a closed position causes fluid to flow restrictively, thereby damping closing movement.

6. The damped hinge according to claim 2 wherein the top is located to one side of the damping piston axis;

wherein the first contact surface extends on both sides of the damping piston axis;

wherein the first contact surface is planar;

wherein the second contact surface is at right angles to the damping piston axis;

wherein the second contact surface is planar.

7. The damped hinge according to claim 2, wherein said hinge is rotatable through an angle of up to 100 ° while maintaining contact between said cam surface of said hinge shaft and said first driven contact surface, whereby the damping force applied to the hinge in use remains continuous.

8. The damped hinge according to claim 7, wherein said second contact surface is parallel to said hinge shaft axis, said hinge shaft having a surface configured to engage said second contact surface in a hold open position of said hinge;

wherein the second contact surface is a position in which the hinge remains open.

9. The damped hinge according to claim 2 wherein the damping piston is cylindrical and is received in a cylindrical bore of a hinge body;

further comprising an alignment member to ensure top alignment, parallel to the hinge axis;

wherein the alignment member includes a guided structure extending forwardly from the damping piston and arranged to engage the hinge shaft as the open position is approached.

10. The damped hinge according to claim 9 wherein said alignment member is located at a circumference of said second contact surface and includes a circumferentially extending flange having a radially inwardly facing surface located between circumferential end surfaces.