Fluid damper, particularly for movable pieces of furniture

• US 20030075845A1
• Filed: 11/15/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Julius BLUM GmbH (BLUM Verwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Julius BLUM GmbH (BLUM Verwaltung GmbH)
• Inventors: Krammer, Bernhard
• Granted Patent: US 6,802,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 267/64.11
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/0094 Drawer damping device with 2 relatively movable parts to convert kinetic energy
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/10 with piston brakes
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/348 Throttling passages in the form of annular discs or other plate-like elements which may or may not have a spring action, operating in opposite directions or singly, e.g. annular discs positioned on top of the valve or piston body F16F9/341, F16F9/3415 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/512 Means responsive to load action, i.e. static load on the damper or dynamic fluid pressure changes in the damper, e.g. due to changes in velocity F16F9/504, F16F9/516 take precedence; non-automatic damper adjustment from a distance using servo control, the servo pressure being created by the flow of damping fluid F16F9/465; self-pumping fluid springs in vehicle suspensions B60G17/044
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/516 resulting in the damping effects during contraction being different from the damping effects during extension , i.e. responsive to the direction of movement F16F9/504 takes precedence

Abstract

A fluid damper for movable pieces of furniture comprises a cylinder (1) and a piston (3) than can be linearly displaced therein. The piston (3) is provided with interspaced ring disks (8, 9, 10, 11), which comprise, in part, through-openings (15) for the damping fluid and can, in part, be elastically bent or can be displaced.

Claims

1. Fluid damper, in particular for moving furniture parts, with a cylinder and a piston linearly displaceable therein which has at least one opening for a damping fluid provided in the cylinder, and at least one movable ring disk in the area of the opening(s), characterized in that the at least one ring disk (8, 9, 10, 11) is arranged such that it at least partially covers the opening(s) (15) of the piston (3) during the damping stroke of the piston (3).

2. Fluid damper according to claim 1, characterized in that at least two ring disks (8, 9) are provided, at least one of the ring disks (8, 9) being provided with openings (15) for the damping fluid.

3. Fluid damper according to claim 2, characterized in that three ring disks (8, 9, 10) are provided, two of which have openings (15) for the damping fluid.

4. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the ring disk(s) (8, 9, 10, 11) is or are arranged at the side of the piston (3) that is at the front only during the damping stroke.

5. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the piston (3) has a piston rod (4) and in that the ring disk(s) (8, 9, 10, 11) is or are arranged on the side of the piston (3) lying opposite the piston rod.

6. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the ring disk(s) (8, 9, 10, 11) is or are elastically bendable during the damping stroke.

7. Fluid damper according to claim 6, characterized in that several ring disks (8, 9, 10, 11) are provided with different rigidities.

8. Fluid damper according to claim 7, characterized in that the ring disks (8, 9, 10, 11) have different thicknesses (D).

9. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the ring disks (8, 9, 10, 11) are arranged such that, during the damping stroke of the piston (3), in each case one ring disk (9, 10, 11) at least partially covers the openings (15) of the ring disk (8, 9, 10, 11) lying behind.

10. Fluid damper according to claim 9, characterized in that, during the damping stroke of the piston (3), in each case a bent ring disk (8, 9, 10, 11) at least partially covers the openings (15) of the ring disk (9, 10, 11) lying behind.

11. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the ring disks (8, 9, 10, 11) are provided from the front to the rear with an increasing number of openings (15) in the direction of movement of the piston (3) during damping.

12. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that viewed in the direction of movement of piston during damping, a ring disk (8) which has no opening (15) is provided at the front at the piston (3).

13. Fluid damper according to claim 12, characterized in that this front ring disk (8, 9, 10) is elastically bendable.

14. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that all the elastically bendable ring disks (8, 9, 10, 11) are made of a rubber or plastics material.

15. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that there are ring gaps (14) between the elastically bendable ring disks (8, 9, 10, 11) and the cylinder wall (13).

16. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the piston (3) is provided with a pin (21) on which the ring disks (8, 9, 10, 11) are housed axially displaceable.

17. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the ring disks (8, 9, 10) have ring projections (18, 19, 20) in the hub area.

18. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that springs (24, 25, 26) are provided which, in the resting position of the piston (3), separate the ring disks (8, 9, 10) from the piston (3) and from one another.

19. Fluid damper according to claim 18, characterized in that the springs (24, 25, 26) are of different thicknesses.

20. Fluid damper according to claim 19, characterized in that the weakest spring (26) is arranged at the piston (3) and the thickest spring (24) behind the foremost ring disk (8).

21. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the ring disks (8, 9, 10) are provided with a peripheral ring projection (27).

22. Fluid damper according to claim 16, characterized in that several ring disks (8, 9, 10, 11) are housed on the pin (21), a flat ring disk (11) being housed directly in front of the piston (3), which is freely displaceable on the pin, whereas the remaining ring disks (8, 9, 10) have ring projections (18, 19, 20) in the hub area and/or are separated from the adjacent disk (8, 9, 10, 11) by means of springs (24, 25, 26).

23. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the piston (2) is provided with three movable ring disks (8, 9, 10, 11) and in that the first ring disk (8) which is foremost in the direction of the damping movement of the piston (3) has no opening, the adjacent second ring disk (9) one opening (15), and the third ring disk (10) two openings (15).

24. Fluid damper according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that in sum the cross-sections of the openings (15) of the flat ring disk (11) are approximately half as large as the sum of the diameters of the openings (15) of the piston (3).

25. Fluid damper according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least one side chamber (18), with connection to the cylinder chamber (2) in which the piston (3) is guided, is provided in the cylinder wall (13).