GB2396681A

GB2396681A - A rotary force control apparatus for the damping of vibrations using oil pressure

Info

Publication number: GB2396681A
Application number: GB0230013A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jae-Ik Son
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-12-23
Filing date: 2002-12-23
Publication date: 2004-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2022-12-23
Also published as: GB2396681B; GB0230013D0; CA2417527A1

Abstract

A rotary force control apparatus comprises a housing h; a circular oil-collecting chamber 10 within the housing which is formed to be eccentric to the housing h; an oil partition wall 20 extending from an inner wall of the chamber 10 towards the centre of the chamber 10, the oil partition wall having a vertical through-hole 21 in which a pin 30 is located; oil passage openings 22, 31 which allow controlled fluid communication across the partition wall 20, the opening 31 controlling the flow of oil across the partition wall 20; a rotatable member 50 including a dam portion 51, the dam portion 51 providing the damping; and a cover hi for the housing h. The apparatus may be applied to a variety of situations including vehicle suspensions, aircraft, marine vessels and general industrial machinery.

Description

- 1 - 2396681

ROTARY FORCE CONTROL APPARATUS USING OIL PRESSURE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

5 1. Field of the Invention

[1] The present invention relates to a rotary force control apparatus capable of being used widely in an automobile, an airplane, a ship and a general 10 industrial machinery, etc. 2. Background of the Related Art

[2] The rotary force control apparatus according 15 to the present invention is applied to such an apparatus as a shock-absorber used for a shock absorption purpose in machineries for the transport such as the automobile, the airplane and the ship, in order to improve unsatisfied parts only with an 20 existing shock absorber using an oil or air cylinder or using springs. Also, in the case that the present rotary force control apparatus is applied to a rotary door, the rotary force control apparatus is capable of effectively controlling a rotation speed with which 25 the door is opened or closed, and in the case that the present invention is applied to an engine room cover of the automobile or the airplane, or a cover of a trunk for loading cargos, the present rotary force control apparatus is capable of controlling a speed 30 with which the cover is opened or closed as needs.

[3] The shock-absorber used in the automobile or the airplane, etc., among the existing shock absorbers which have been used widely, has used coil springs or uses an air or oil cylinder.

35 [4] However, in case of using the coil springs or the air or oil cylinder, there is a problem that a

contractile force and a repulsive force generated by an external force are limited.

[5] Also, in the case that a same pressure is applied, because the speed with which the shock 5 absorber is contracted and the speed with which the shock absorber is returned to the former condition are constant, an effective shock absorption can not be expected. [6] For example, a problem is generated in that 10 it is impossible to control the shock absorber to fasten the contracted time and slow the returned time to the former condition, or contrarily slow the contracted time and fasten the returned time, according to the use of the shock absorber. Therefore, 15 it is impossible to efficiently relax the shock absorption. [7] Also, in case of such an apparatus for performing an open-and-shut action as the engine room cover for the automobile or airplane, or the cover of 20 the trunk for loading the cargos, because the apparatus employs a cylinder using air or oil for controlling an opening speed of the cover, it is impossible to efficiently control the opening or closing speed with which the cover is opened or 25 closed, thereby causing many inconveniences. In addition, in case of the air or oil cylinder, a problem of a pressure change due to the loss of air or oil and a problem of a poor operation due to the deterioration or hardening of oil may be generated.

30 [8] Besides, there is a problem that in case of the shock absorber used in a general industrial machinery, the shock absorber uses elastic members such as the coil springs, leaf-springs or a rubber, and therefore the shock absorber must be manufactured 35 and used differently to have different elastic moduluses or sizes of the elastic members from one another, according to weights or pressures applied

- 3 thereto. Also, there is a problem that the elasticity is deteriorated when the shock absorber is used for a long time.

[9] In case of a rotary door built in the 5 entrance of a general building, the rotary door controls a rotary force thereof by utilizing a door check using the oil pressure cylinder. However, because the door check is built in the exposed state to an exterior, there is a problem that the appearance 10 of the rotary door is poor, the configuration of the rotary door is complicated and also the rotary door has a frequent failure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[10] An object of the invention is to solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described hereinafter.

[11] Accordingly, one object of the present 20 invention is to solve the foregoing problems by providing an apparatus for efficiently performing a rotary force control or a shock-absorption control, which is used in an automobile, a ship or another industrial machinery, wherein the apparatus is 25 controlled to make a difference in the rotation speed thereof upon a forward rotation or a backward rotation though a same pressure of force is applied from an exterior, or to also maintain a constant rotation speed thereof as in an alternative embodiment of the 30 apparatus configuration.

[12] To achieve the above object, the apparatus according to the present invention is provided for optionally controlling a travailing pressure and a travelling amount of oil filled in a housing of a 35 rotary force control apparatus as needs. In the case that the present apparatus is used in the engine room cover or trunk cover of the automobile, the cover is

- 4 opened lightly and fast upon being opening and is closed heavily and slowly upon being closed, thereby preventing a safety accident by the cover. In the case that the present apparatus is used in a rotary door, 5 the door is opened lightly and fast upon being opened and is closed heavily and slowly upon being closed, thereby preventing the safety accident.

[13] Now, a configuration of the present invention for efficiently solving the above problems 10 will be described.

[14] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become

apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art 15 upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[15] The invention will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like 25 reference numerals refer to like elements wherein: [16] Fig. 1 is a exploded perspective view of the present invention; [17] Fig. 2 is a vertical-sectional front view showing an assembly state of the present invention; 30 [18] Fig. 3 is a plan of the present invention; [19] Fig. 4 is a plan showing another embodiment to which the present invention is applied; [20] Fig. 5 is a plan showing another embodiment to which the present invention is applied; 35 [21] Fig. 6 is an illustration view showing the state that the present invention is applied to a shock-absorber of an automobile;

[22] Fig 7 is an illustration view showing the state that the present invention is applied to an engine room cover and a trunk cover of an automobile, a airplane or a ship; and 5 [23] Fig. 8 is an illustration view showing the state that the present invention is applied to a rotary door.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[24] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 1, a rotary force control apparatus (also, referring to A-type rotary force control apparatus) in accordance with the 15 present invention, comprises a housing hi a circular oil-collecting room 10 which is mounded to be eccentric to a housing h; an oil blocking wall 20 which is formed from one side of an inner wall of the oil-collecting room 10 toward a center of the 20 oil-collecting room 10, the oil blocking wall having a hole 21 punched vertically thereto; an oil passage opening 22 which is punched through the hole 21 and then through front and back surfaces of the oil blocking wall 20; an aperture 30 for controlling an 25 oil passage amount, which is inserted into the hole, having an opening 31 for controlling an oil passing amount punched; an axis opening 40 which is mounted to be eccentric to the center of the oil-collecting room 10; a rotation member 50 having an 30 oil pushing plate 51 on one side wall thereof in the case that a lower end of the rotation member 50 is inserted into the axis opening 40i semicircular oil collecting rooms lOa and lOb which are formed with a boundary of the oil blocking wall 20 and the 35 oil pushing plate 51; and a cover hi for covering the housing h. [25] Fig. 4 is a plan showing another embodiment

- 6 (also, referring to B-type rotary force control apparatus) to which the present invention is applied, wherein the rotation member 50 is axismounted to be eccentric to the circular oil-collecting room 10.

5 [26] Fig. 5 is a plan showing another embodiment (also referring to Ctype rotary force control apparatus) to which the present invention is applied, wherein the rotation member 50 is axis-mounted to the center part of the oil-collecting room 10.

10 [27] Fig. 6 is a view showing the state that the A-type apparatus among the above-described rotary force control apparatuses of the present invention is mounted to a shock-absorber used as a buffer member in the automobile or the airplane, etc., wherein by 15 mounting the lower end of a piston of the shock -absorber 100 in the upper part of the rotation member 50 of the present apparatus, when the shock-absorber 100 was dropped by a load of a body 110, the rotation member 100 is rotated, accordingly the oil pushing 20 plate formed as one unit with the rotation member 50 is rotated toward the oil-collecting room lOa to push oil toward the oil blocking wall 20, and thereby oil receiving the pressure of the oil pushing plate 51 flows through the oil passage 25 opening 22 punched in the oil blocking wall 20 to an opposite oil-collecting room lob.

[28] The circular oil-collecting room 10 is formed to be eccentric toward the oil blocking wall 20 with the center of the axis opening 40. When the oil 30 pushing plate 51 of the rotation member 50 is stopped in a linear state with the oil blocking wall 50, the end of the oil pushing plate 51 becomes in a contact state with the inner wall of the oil-collecting room 10. When the oil pushing plate is rotated, as shown in 35 Fig. 3, an interval between the end of the oil pushing plate 51 and the inner wall surface of the oil-collecting room 10 is widened gradually, the

- 7 amount of oil passing through the interval formed between the end of the oil pushing plate 51 and the inner wall of the oil-collecting room 10 is increased gradually, and accordingly the rotation speed of the 5 rotation member 50 is fastened, thereby fastening a dropping speed of the body 110.

[29] When the dropped body 110 is risen, the oil pushing plate of the rotation member is returned to the former condition by the oil pressure or the spring 10 mounted to the shock-absorber lOO. When the oil pushing plate 51 of the rotation member 50 is returned to the former condition, the interval between the end of the oil pushing plate 51 and the inner wall of the oil-collecting room 10 becomes narrower gradually, 15 accordingly the oil passage amount is reduced, and the pressure of oil travelling to the opposite oil-collecting room becomes higher. Then, the rotation speed of the rotation member 50 is slower and accordingly a returned speed of the dropped body 110 20 becomes slower, thereby reducing the shock being transferred to the body 110.

[30] Fig 7 is an illustration view showing the state that the present apparatus (A-type or B-type apparatus) is applied to an engine room cover and a 25 trunk cover of an automobile, an airplane or a ship, wherein the present A-type or B-type apparatus is applied to a hinge 230 in which a bracket 220 of the engine room cover or trunk cover 210 is installed, for the purpose of preventing a safety accident as such a 30 case that a user's hand is injured when the engine room cover or the trunk cover is opened or closed fast. [31] Also, Fig. 8 is an illustration view showing the state that the A-type or B-type apparatus of the 35 present invention is applied to a door, wherein the rotation member of the present invention is mounted to interlock with a door hinge of the door, so that the

- 8 door is opened fast and lightly upon being opened and the door is closed slowly and heavily upon being closed, thereby preventing a safety accident generated by the door, without a complicated door check or a 5 complicated rotary force control apparatus.

[32] Fig. 5 is the B-type apparatus of the present invention, wherein the B-type apparatus is provided for maintaining the rotation speed constant upon the forward or backward rotation by axis-mounting 10 the rotation member 50 in the center part of the oil-collecting room 10. This apparatus can be applied widely to the automobile, the airplane or the industrial machinery.

[33] The aperture 30 for controlling an oil 15 passage amount, which is applied to the A-type, B-type and C-type apparatuses of the present invention, is inserted to the vertical hole 21 of the oil blocking wall 20. The oil passage opening 22 is punched through the front and back surfaces of the oil blocking wall 20 20 and the opening 31 for controlling a oil passage amount is punched in the aperture 30 for controlling the oil passage amount. In the state that the oil passage opening 22 and the opening 31 are in a line, the greatest oil is passed through, thereby making the 25 pressure lowered and fastening the rotation speed of the rotation member. For slowing the rotation speed of the rotation member, the aperture 30 is rotated and the oil passage opening 22 and the opening 31 are crossed to each other, thereby having a small amount 30 of oil passed through. It makes the pressure higher As a result, it makes the rotation speed of the rotation member slow.

In accordance with the present invention, both the A-type apparatus for forming the oil-collecting room 35 10 to be eccentric and the apparatus for axis-mounting the rotation member 50 to be eccentric to the oilcollecting room 10 obtain a same effect. The both

9 - apparatuses are technical means for differing the forward rotation speed from the backward rotation speed. In the case that the present invention having the 5 above-described configuration and effect is used as a shock absorber in an automobile, an airplane or an industrial machinery, the damage or breakage of a body by a shock can be prevented and the noise generated upon a vibration is reduced significantly, and in the 10 case that the present invention is applied to a door, both a speed with which the door is opened and a speed with which the door is closed can be controlled easily. Also, the present invention has a simple 15 configuration, which facilitates a manufacture process, thereby allowing it to be used conveniently and reducing an operation failure significantly.

[34] While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred 20 embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

25 [35] The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses.

The description of the present invention is intended

30 to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In the claims, means-plus- function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as 35 performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A rotary force control apparatus using an oil . pressure, compr1s1ng: 5 a housing; a circular oil-collecting room which is mounded to be eccentric to the housing; an oil blocking wall which is formed from one side of an inner wall of the oil-collecting room 10 toward a center of the oil-collecting room, the oil blocking wall having a hole punched vertically thereto; an oil passage opening which is punched through the hole and then through front and back surfaces of 15 the oil blocking wall; an aperture for controlling an oil passage amount, which is inserted into the hole, having an opening for controlling an oil passing amount punched; an axis opening which is mounted to be eccentric 20 to a center part of the oil-collecting room; a rotation member having an oil pushing plate on one side wall thereof in the case that a lower end of the rotation member is inserted into the axis opening; semicircular oil- collecting rooms which are 25 formed with a boundary of the oil blocking wall and the oil pushing plate; and a cover for covering the housing.

2. The rotary force control apparatus according to 30 Claim 1, wherein the rotation member is

axis-mounted to be eccentric to a center of the oil-collecting room.

3. The rotary force control apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the rotation member is axis-mounted to a center of the 35 oil-collecting chamber.

3. The rotary force control apparatus according to 35 Claim 1, wherein the rotation member is axis-mounted to a center of the oil-collecting room.

4. The rotary force control apparatus according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, being used as a rotary force control member of a shock absorber in an 5 automobile. 5. The rotary force control apparatus according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, being used as a rotary force control member of a shock absorber in an airplane 10 or a ship.

6. The rotary force control apparatus according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, being used as a rotary force control member of a shock absorber in an industrial machinery.

7. The rotary force control apparatus according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, being used as an apparatus for controlling a rotary force by mounting the rotary 20 force control apparatus to hinges of an engine room or a trunk cover in an automobile or an airplane. 8. The rotary force control apparatus according to 25 Claims 1, 2 and 3, being used as an apparatus for controlling a rotary force by mounting the rotary force control apparatus to a hinge of a door.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows: 1. A rotary force control apparatus using an oil pressure, comprising: 5 a housing; a circular oil-collecting chamber which is mounted to be eccentric to the housing; an oil blocking wall which is formed from one side of an inner wall of the oil-collecting chamber toward a center of the 10 oilcollecting chamber, the oil blocking wall having a hole punched vertically thereto; an oil passage opening which is punched through the hole and then through front and back surfaces of the oil blocking wall; an aperture for controlling an oil flow amount, which is 15 inserted into the hole, having an opening for controlling an oil flow amount; an axis opening which is mounted to be eccentric to a center part of the oil- collecting chamber; a rotation member having an oil pushing plate on one side 20 wall thereof in the case that a lower end of the rotation member is inserted into the axis opening; the circular oil-collecting chamber comprising two semicircular oil-collecting chambers which are formed by a boundary of the oil blocking wall and the oil pushing plate when 25 the oil pushing plate is aligned linearly with the oil blocking wall; and a cover for covering the housing.

2. The rotary force control apparatus according to Claim 1, 30 wherein the rotation member is axis-mounted to be eccentric to a center of the oil-collecting chamber.