Appliance lid hinge assembly with snubber

• US 10,724,284 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2016
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2015
• 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:
  US15/342,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20170122020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 3123192
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/18 Doors or covers; Securing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 37/24 in machines with a receptacle rotating or oscillating about a vertical axis
• 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: E05F 3/104 with cam-and-slide transmission between driving shaft and piston within the closer housing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/21 Brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/264 linear
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/30 for domestic appliances
• 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. A cam is rotatably supported on the base and is adapted to be engaged by the associated appliance lid and is rotatable about a lid pivot axis. A snubber/damper is operatively connected to the base. The cam exerts a snubber activation force on the snubber when said cam rotates about the lid pivot axis in a first direction corresponding to movement of the associated appliance lid from an opened position toward a closed position such that the snubber damps movement of the cam when the cam rotates 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 one-piece polymeric base adapted to be connected to the associated appliance body, said base comprising a mounting flange including one or more mounting apertures and comprising a snubber installation bore, wherein a first end of said snubber installation bore is at least partially closed by an inner wall of said base, said base further comprising an upper portion including first and second spaced-apart support walls and a slot defined between the first and second support walls, said first and second support walls comprising respective notches that are aligned with each other such that said notches of said first and second support walls cooperate to define a cam-receiving recess in said polymeric base;

said snubber installation bore of said base comprising a second end located opposite said first end and in open communication with said slot;

a cam rotatably supported in said cam-receiving recess of said base, said cam adapted to be engaged by the associated appliance lid and rotatable about a lid pivot axis, said cam comprising a camshaft comprising opposite ends respectively support for rotation in said respective notches of said first and second support walls such that said camshaft is supported in said cam-receiving recess for rotation relative to said base about said lid pivot axis, said cam further comprising a lobe that projects outwardly from the camshaft and that rotates with the camshaft about the lid pivot axis, said lobe of said cam located in said slot for at least some angular positions of said cam about said lid pivot axis;

a snubber operatively connected to the base, said snubber comprising;

(i) a snubber body including a bore defined therein;

(ii) a piston slidably located in the snubber body bore and a piston rod connected to and projecting outwardly from the piston through a first end wall of the snubber body, said piston slidable 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;

(iii) a second end wall that is spaced from the first end wall such that said piston is slidably located between said first end wall and said second end wall;

(iv) a piston return spring that urges the piston toward its extended position; and

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

said snubber body positioned in said snubber installation bore of said base and adapted for reciprocal linear sliding movement in said snubber installation bore toward and away from said inner wall;

said hinge assembly 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;

wherein said lobe of said cam moves on an arc relative to said base about the lid pivot axis and said lobe of said cam is in contact with said second end wall of said snubber body in said slot and exerts a snubber activation force on said snubber when said camshaft rotates about said lid pivot axis in a first 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 by said lobe of said cam in said snubber installation bore toward said inner wall of said snubber installation bore against said biasing of said primary spring and said piston moves inside said snubber body bore 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 first direction;

said piston return spring urging said piston toward its extended position and said primary spring urging said snubber body away from said inner wall of said base to reset the snubber when the snubber activation force is removed from said snubber.

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, wherein said piston return spring is operatively located in the snubber body bore between the second end wall and the piston.

4. 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.

5. The hinge assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said primary spring biases said second end wall of said snubber body outwardly away from said inner wall of said snubber installation bore into continuous abutment with the cam lobe for all operative positions of said cam.

6. 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 by one or more fasteners respectively received in said one or more mounting apertures of said mounting flange, and wherein 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.