Lid hinge assembly with snubber and counterbalance spring

• US 10,538,950 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2016
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mansfield Engineered Components, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mansfield Engineered Components, Inc.
• Inventors: Collene, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Troy, Daniel J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ayres, Timothy M
• Application Number:
  US15/344,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20170130502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 3123192
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/14 Doors or covers; Securing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 58/20 General details of domestic laundry dryers D06F59/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 13/1207 with tension springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 7/00 Hinges or pivots of special construction used for special suspension arrangements E05D15/00; so as to be self-closing E05F1/06, E05F1/12; with means for raising wings before being turned E05F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/10 with a spring, other than a torsion spring, and a piston, the axes of which are the same or lie in the same direction
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/18 with counteracting springs double-acting springs E05F1/14
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/20 in hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/10 with piston brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/312 for washing machines

Abstract

A hinge assembly for pivotally connecting an associated appliance lid to an associated appliance body includes a base adapted to be connected to the associated appliance body. The hinge assembly also includes a snubber housing connected to the base. A cam is rotatably supported on the snubber housing, and the cam is adapted to be engaged by the associated appliance lid and rotate about a lid pivot axis in a first direction and in a second direction that is opposite the first direction. A snubber is operatively connected to the snubber housing. The cam exerts a snubber activation force on the snubber when the cam rotates about the lid pivot axis in the second direction corresponding to movement of the associated appliance lid from an opened position toward a closed position and such that the snubber damps movement of the cam when the cam rotates in the second direction. A counterbalance spring is operatively engaged between the base and the cam and exerts a counterbalance force on the cam that biases the cam in the first direction.

Claims

1. A hinge assembly for pivotally connecting an associated appliance lid to an associated appliance body, said hinge assembly comprising:

a metal base adapted to be connected to the associated appliance body, said base comprising a projecting tail;

a one-piece polymeric snubber housing connected to the base, said snubber housing comprising a snubber installation bore, wherein a first end of said snubber installation bore is at least partially closed by an inner wall;

a cam rotatably supported on the snubber housing, said cam adapted to be operably connected to the associated appliance lid and rotatable about a lid pivot axis in a first direction and in a second direction that is opposite the first direction, said cam comprising a camshaft supported for rotation about said lid pivot axis in said first and second directions and comprising a lobe that projects outwardly from the camshaft and that rotates with the camshaft about the lid pivot axis;

a snubber slidably engaged with the snubber housing, said snubber comprising;

(i) a snubber body including a bore defined therein and including first and second end walls located at opposite ends of the snubber body bore;

(ii) a piston slidably located in the snubber body bore between the first and second end walls;

(iii) a piston rod connected to the piston and projecting outwardly from the piston through the first end wall of the snubber body;

(iv) a piston return spring that urges the piston toward the first end wall; and

, (v) a damping fluid located in said snubber body bore and acting on said piston;

said piston slidable in said snubber body bore to and between an extended position and a retracted position, wherein said piston is located closer to said first end wall of said snubber body and said piston rod projects outwardly away from the first end wall of the snubber body to a greater extent when said piston is located in said extended position as compared to when said piston is located in said retracted position;

said snubber body positioned in said snubber installation bore of said base and adapted for reciprocal linear sliding movement in said snubber installation bore;

wherein the lobe of the cam moves on an arc relative to the base and the snubber housing about the lid pivot axis and said lobe of said cam is in contact with said second end wall of said snubber body and exerts a snubber activation force on said snubber when said camshaft rotates about said lid pivot axis in the second direction corresponding to movement of the associated appliance lid from an opened position toward a closed position and such that said snubber body is moved slidably in said snubber installation bore toward said inner wall of said snubber installation bore and such that said piston moves from said extended position toward said retracted position through said damping fluid whereby said snubber damps movement of said cam when said camshaft rotates in said second direction, said piston return spring urging said piston toward its extended position to reset the snubber when the snubber activation force is removed from said snubber;

a counterbalance spring comprising a coiled tension spring operatively engaged between said projecting tail of said base and said cam and exerting a tension counterbalance force on said cam that biases said cam in said first direction corresponding to movement of the associated appliance lid from said closed position toward said opened position.

2. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the piston is configured such that the damping fluid passes by the piston with less resistance when the piston is moving from its retracted position toward its extended position as compared to when the piston is moving from its extended position toward its retracted position such that said snubber provides greater damping force during movement of the piston from its extended position toward its retracted position as compared to movement of the piston from its retracted position toward its extended position.

3. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a primary spring operatively positioned in said snubber installation bore between said inner wall of said snubber installation bore and said snubber body and biasing said snubber body away from said inner wall toward a first position, said snubber body selectively moveable by said snubber activation force into said bore toward a second position against said biasing of said primary spring.

4. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 3, wherein said primary spring biases said snubber body outwardly away from said inner wall such that said second end wall of said snubber body is in continuous abutment with the cam lobe for all operative positions of said cam.

5. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said piston return spring is operatively located in the snubber body bore between the second end wall and the piston.

6. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said piston return spring is located external relative to said snubber body and is operatively located between the snubber body and an outer end of said piston rod.

7. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said hinge assembly is operatively connected to an appliance, said appliance comprising:

an appliance body including a chamber with an open mouth; and

a lid for selectively covering the open mouth of the chamber;

wherein said base of said hinge assembly is connected to said appliance body and said lid is connected to said cam such that said hinge assembly pivotally connects the lid to the appliance body for movement of the lid between opened and closed positions relative to said chamber of said appliance body.