KR100767564B1 - A damper mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

The damper mechanism installed on the open light closing device having an arcuate plunger equal to the radius of curvature of the cylinder slidably engages. The torsion coil spring causes sliding operation of the plunger in the cylinder in one direction.

Cylinder, Damper Mechanism, Torsion Coil Spring, Opening and Closing Member, Plunger

Description

 Damper mechanism {A DAMPER MECHANISM}

This application refers to and claims priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000/275249, filed September 11, 2000, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2000/275249 is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a damper mechanism provided as an additive on an open or closed member, such as a door or cover that rotates about a predetermined axis of rotation.

When a door, cover or other opening and closing member using a hinge is rotated or moved in one direction, such as in the closing direction, the member is automatically closed by this rotational force, which ensures the stability of the opening and closing movement and closes. It is a common practice to incorporate a damper mechanism that causes the member to rotate slowly to mitigate shock at the time.

In the conventional damper mechanism used for this purpose, the simplest structure is a single acting damper mechanism having a tubular part, a closed cylinder and a piston that fixes the interior of the cylinder in a freely slidable manner and divides the interior of the cylinder into two chambers. to be. The two chambers are configured to communicate by an orifice provided by a piston. A pressing mechanism, such as a coil spring for pressing the piston in the first sliding direction, is provided in one of the two chambers. A pressure regulating valve is also provided in the orifice that regulates the opening of the orifice in accordance with the sliding direction of the piston. The pressure regulating valve regulates the hydraulic pressure against the piston that withstands the applied force. The base of the cylinder and the tip of the piston are respectively connected to the stationary side (the structure for receiving the open and closed members) and the movable side (for example the open and closed members such as doors). In general, the coil spring acts to close the opening and closing members with the orifice narrowing, so that the pressure spring closes the members slowly and suppresses the impact sound upon closing.

In a conventional damper mechanism, a piston sliding through a cylinder performs a linear motion. As a result, when the damper mechanism is mounted directly on the opening and closing member, it is inherently impossible to maintain a proportional relationship between the force applied by the damper mechanism and the degree of rotation by the opening and closing member. In addition, since such a damper mechanism is not easy to cause the member to rotate at a large angle, it is necessary to provide some kind of link mechanism that facilitates opening and closing.

The preceding damper mechanism has many parts, resulting in high weight and high production costs. In addition, maintenance of the preceding damper mechanism (e.g., maintenance diagrams) is problematic due to many moving parts.

It is desirable to provide a simple and convenient damper mechanism capable of minimizing the number of parts and having good water retention.

Briefly described, according to one aspect of the invention, an damper mechanism is an arc shaped cylinder that is open at a first end and closed at a second end, and has a predetermined radius of curvature, and an arc type with the same radius of curvature as the cylinder. A plunger, means for pressurizing (eg, moving) the plunger in one sliding direction with respect to the cylinder, a passage provided at the first end of the plunger, and a pressure regulating valve provided at the passage, One end is slidably mated with the cylinder in a way along an arcuate path corresponding to the predetermined radius of curvature, the passageway connecting the interior of the cylinder defined by the first end of the plunger to the outside, the valve being plunger The cross-sectional area of the passageway decreases as the glide moves in the one sliding direction and the cross-sectional area of the passageway increases as the plunger moves in the opposite direction.

The invention will be understood in more detail from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention in which a damper mechanism is installed on a housing cover.

2 is a perspective view showing the same damper mechanism.

3 is a sectional view showing a structure of main features in the same damper mechanism.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the circular region in FIG. 3 with passages in the largest cross section. FIG.

6 is an enlarged view of the circular region in FIG. 3 with passages narrowing to the smallest cross section.

 Although the present invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, it will be understood that it is not limited to the embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

According to the present invention, since the movement or rotation of the opening and closing member coincides with the center of curvature of the cylinder and the plunger by mounting the damper mechanism on the opening and closing member, the direction in which the opening and closing member rotates is substantially the pressure means ( For example, the same direction of force exerted by the applied motion), and allows the applied force to be effectively transmitted to the opening and closing member. In this case, the cross section of the passage is reduced by the pressure regulating valve which causes the opening and closing members to rotate slowly. However, when the force acts on the opening and closing member in a direction opposite to the direction of the force exerted by the applied motion, the passage cross-sectional area is increased by the pressure regulating valve so that the opening and closing member rotates in accordance with the force applied thereto. do.

The damper mechanism of the present invention may employ a torsion coil spring where each end engages a pair of notches formed 180 degrees apart from one end of the cylinder and one end of the plunger. 180 degrees occurs between two notches disposed facing each other on the cylinder surface.

In this case, the center of curvature of the cylinder and plunger preferably coincides with the center of rotation of the torsion coil spring.

Preferably, the plunger is also formed at the first end of the pair of engagement grooves engageable with the first end of the torsion coil spring.

The casing (ie, the body of the cylinder) and the plunger may be composed of thermoplastic resin.

The damper mechanism of the present invention is described more fully below in conjunction with the accompanying Figures 1-6 which show an embodiment in which the damper mechanism is installed on an outer open and closed cover. However, the invention is not limited to this type of embodiment, but can also be applied to other techniques covered by the concepts described in the appended claims.

1 is a perspective view showing the damper mechanism of this embodiment after being installed. 2 shows the same damper mechanism. The box-shaped housing 11 is capable of opening and closing the open end 12 and having an open end pivotally attached by a plurality of hinges 14 to which the cover 13 serving as the opening and closing member of the present invention ( 12). The catch (not shown) provided between the cover 13 and the housing 11 is closed when the first portion of the catch attached to the cover and the second portion of the catch attached to the housing are closed. Keep it. Releasing this engaged state of the catch causes the cover 13 to open.

The damper mechanism 15 of this embodiment is mounted between the housing 11 and the cover 13 and functions to slowly open the cover 13 when the catch is released from the engaged state.

The damper mechanism 15 includes a cylinder 16 which depicts an arc having a circular cross section and having a predetermined radius of curvature; A mounting bracket 18 integrally provided with the cylinder 16 for attaching the cylinder 16 to the housing 11 because the center of curvature of the cylinder is concentric with the pivot 17 of the hinge 14; A plunger 19 having a circular cross section and having a shape of the base end in which the cylinder 16 is slidably matched in an arc having an arc of curvature equal to the cylinder 16 and along an arc-shaped path corresponding to a specific radius of curvature; ; As a means of movement of the present invention, the plunger 19 comprises a torsion coil spring 20 which causes the cylinder 16 to protrude. This structure allows the cover 13 to automatically move or rotate from the closed state to approximately 70 degrees open. Preferably, the outer diameter of the plunger 19 inserted corresponding to the inner diameter of the cylinder 16 allows a suitable gap between about 0.2 mm when matched. If necessary, it may be effective to place an O-ring in the gap between the cylinder 16 and the plunger 19.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the mating area between the cylinder 16 and the plunger 19, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. One end of the torsion coil spring 20 is fixedly coupled to the tip of the plunger 19 that presses against the cover 13. The second end of the spring 20 engages from one of the sides of the pair of parallel notched grooves 21 facing each other along the central axis of curvature of the cylinder 16 and the plunger 19, and each extending toward the central axis of curvature. Or fix it. The center of this notched groove 21 opens to the cylinder 16. In other words, the thickness of the notched groove 21 is used to allow the plunger 19 to slide into the base cylinder 16 together with the second end of the torsion coil spring 20 that presses against the plunger periphery at the end. It is formed somewhat larger than the wall thickness. In addition, the base end of the plunger 19 is formed on the pair of coupling grooves 22 facing the interior of the cylinder 16 and through the notched groove 21 the second end of the torsion coil spring 20. Can be combined with Engaging grooves 22, such as notched grooves 21, face each other along the central axis of curvature for the cylinder 16 and plunger 19 and extend in parallel to each other toward the central axis of curvature.                 

Thus, although the force exerted by the torsion coil spring 20 to cause the plunger to protrude from the cylinder 16 may displace the plunger 19, the second of the coupling groove 22 and the torsion coil spring 20. The engagement of the ends further interferes with the outward movement of the plunger 19. Of course, the plunger 19 pulls out of the cylinder 16 when a force greater than the engaging force associated with the fixed pressure by the second end of the torsion coil spring 20 against the engaging groove 22 acts on the plunger 19. Can be. This structure can greatly facilitate the assembly of the damper mechanism 15 by inserting the plunger 19 into the cylinder 16. Further, since the second end of the torsion coil spring 20 engages with the engaging groove 22 formed at the base end of the plunger 19, the movement in the rotational position of the plunger 19 corresponding to the cylinder 16 is carried out by the cover ( Is modified each time 13) is opened and closed. This helps to prevent problems such as digging a groove from the minimum rotation of the plunger 19 corresponding to the cylinder 16 and always allows the plunger 19 to slide smoothly.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the coil spring portion of the torsion coil spring 20 has a notch formed in the cover 13 and the housing 11, the center of the spring 20 being concentric with the pivot 17 on the hinge 14. 23) is accommodated.

In FIG. 3, the interior of the cylinder 16 is distributed to the closed damper chamber 24 and the base of the plunger 19 accommodated in the cylinder 16 passes through the interior of the plunger 19 to the outside with the damper chamber 24. A passage 25 for connecting is formed. The pressure regulating valve 26 is installed in this passage 25. The valve reduces the cross-sectional area of the passage 25 when the plunger 19 moves out of the cylinder 16 (ie by the moving force of the coil spring 20) and decreases the cross-sectional area of the passage when the plunger 19 moves in the opposite direction. Increases.

Referring to FIG. 5, the pressure regulating valve 26 has a plunger 19 on the side of the first conical valve body 27 and always has an elevated region 28 which forms a gap having an end face at the base of the plunger. Is a type of poppet valve having a second valve body 29 side on a damper chamber 24 (FIG. 3). In an embodiment of the present invention, valve 26 is a Hytrel® available from DuPont-Toray Company Limited ^. Polyester elastomers or teeth. children. Zytel ^? Available from DuPont de Nemours & Company ^? It is formed of a thermoplastic resin such as nylon resin. The valve 26 is compressed and elastically deformed at one end in such a way that it is strongly inserted into the passage 25. Once inserted, the valve 26 is designed to move back and forth along the passage 25.

Thus, when manipulating the catch (not shown) to release the engagement between the cover 13 and the housing 11 when the cover 13 is blocked, the plunger 19 pressurizes the torsion coil spring 20. The cover 13 is operated to deviate from the cylinder 16 and open it under (eg a force). 5 shows the state of the pressure regulating valve 26 at this time. The pressure difference between the interior of the plunger 19 maintained at atmospheric pressure and the interior of the damper chamber 24, which is about to be below the reduced pressure, is such that the damper chamber (1) is positioned in a narrow state by the first valve body 27. 24) Move the pressure regulating valve 26 to the side. As a result the plunger 19 slowly exits the cylinder 16 and pushes up the cover 13, which limits the ingress of air into the damper chamber 24. Pushing of the cover 13 stops when the second end of the torsion coil spring 20 engages with the engagement groove 22 on the plunger 19. Because the cover 13 only contacts the tip of the plunger 19 in a stationary state, if the cover 13 needs to be opened further, it may be able to open by hand as far as is allowed by the hinge 14. will be.

Conversely, at this time, as shown in Fig. 6 showing the state of the pressure control valve 26, when the cover 13 is closed by the force of the torsion coil spring 20 from the open state, the damper chamber 24 Since the interior is compressed and the pressure therein tends to be higher than atmospheric, it moves the pressure control valve 26 to the plunger 19 side. The passage 25 is kept open by the raised region 28 of the second valve body 29 so that the air inside the damper chamber 24 is discharged from the passage 25 through the interior of the plunger 19 to the outside. Therefore, the cover is easily blocked by the force applied against the force of the torsion coil spring 20.

The cylinder 16 and plunger 19 described above are difficult to produce material from metal due to the inherent technical shrinkage of the metal machining process. However, moldings required to be shaped into plastics can be made delicately by numerically controlled machine tools and other suitable equipment. Thus, the above-described cylinder 16 and plunger 19 are made of acetyl resin (e.g. children. It can be made elaborate by selecting suitable materials such as the Delrin ^® 500 OP, available from DuPont de Nemor & Company.

In the embodiment described above, damper actuation is used when opening the cover 13. However, it is also possible to use the damper actuation in reverse, i.e. when blocking the cover 13. It is understood that the design of the damper mechanism 15 may be modified as appropriate depending on the particular object in which it is used or the need for that object within the scope of the appended claims.

Since the damper mechanism of the present invention each has a matching cylinder and a plunger having an arcuate of the same specific radius of curvature, by mounting the damper mechanism on the opening and closing member so that the center of curvature of the damper mechanism coincides with the rotation of the opening and closing member. The plunger follows the arcuate passage corresponding to the radius of curvature, and the direction in which the member rotates may be configured to be substantially the same as the direction of the opposing force generated by the damper mechanism. This alignment allows the present invention to provide an effective damper mechanism that minimizes the number of parts.

The pressurizing or moving means can be a torsion coil spring, a first end that engages with a pair of notches formed at 180 degrees apart from one end of the cylinder and a second end that is coupled to the other end of the plunger. When the center of the cylinder and plunger curvature coincides with the center of rotation of the torsion coil spring, the direction in which the opening and closing members rotate can be configured substantially the same as the direction of the opposing force generated by the damper mechanism, so that the number of parts It is possible to provide an effective damper mechanism with a minimum.

By providing a pair of engagement grooves at one end of the plunger that can engage one end of the torsion spring coil, the movement of the sliding one end of the plunger relative to the cylinder is thus limited to preventing the plunger from being pulled out of the cylinder completely. Can be.

If the casing and plunger are composed of thermoplastic resin, no lubricant is required, and a lightweight damper mechanism is possible.

Thus, it is apparent that according to the present invention, a damper mechanism is provided that satisfies the objects and advantages described above sufficiently. Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, many variations, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.

Claims (6)

A cylinder having a circular cross section that is open at the first end, receives the arc plunger, is closed at the second end, and has an arc shape with a predetermined radius of curvature, The arc-type plunger of the same radius of curvature as the cylinder, slidably mated with the cylinder in a manner along an arc-shaped path corresponding to the predetermined radius of curvature, Means for pressing the plunger in one sliding direction relative to the cylinder; A passage provided at the first end of the plunger, A pressure regulating valve provided in said passage, The arc plunger has a circular cross section to mate directly with the cylinder and to be movable within the cylinder, wherein the passage connects the interior of the cylinder defined by the first end of the plunger to the outside and the pressure regulating valve Damper mechanism for reducing the cross sectional area of the passage when the plunger moves in the one sliding direction and increasing the cross sectional area of the passage when the plunger moves in the opposite direction. The torsion coil spring of claim 1, wherein the pressing means has a first end that engages a pair of notches formed on the cylinder having a 180 degree separation from the first end of the cylinder and a second end that is coupled to one end of the plunger. Damper mechanism having a. The damper mechanism of claim 2 wherein the center of curvature of the cylinder and plunger coincides with the center of rotation of the torsion coil spring. 4. The damper mechanism according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a pair of engaging grooves that can engage the first end of the torsion coil spring are formed at the first end of the plunger. The damper mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cylinder and the plunger main body are made of thermoplastic resin. The damper mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the main body of the cylinder and the plunger is made of thermoplastic resin.

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