Rotation-retarding device and use therefor

• US 20030146061A1
• Filed: 02/03/2003
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ITW Fastex France S.A.S. (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Tournier, Ludovic
• Granted Patent: US 6,951,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 188/373
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 2040/225 characterised by the opening or closing movement of the lid
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 40/221 Features of the hinge
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/084 the friction depending on direction of rotation or opening angle of the hinge
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/105 the maintaining means acting perpendicularly to the pivot axis
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/538 Interior lids
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2999/00 Subject-matter not otherwise provided for in this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 2222/04 Friction
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 2224/025 Elastomers
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 7/06 in a direction perpendicular or inclined to the axis of rotation F16F7/023 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a device comprising two members having rotational movement relative to each other to be retarded, of which the first member comprises an axle and the second a housing (25) adapted to receive the axle. This device is characterized by retarding means comprising at least a part of the wall (24) bounding the housing, of elastically deformable flexible material, and having, facing the axle, at least one working surface (28) of cam form, and at least one projection on that axle, adapted to cooperate with a working surface (28) associated therewith to retard the movement with the resisting couple being adapted to the driving couple at each angular position. Preferably, the first member is a rotor and each projection is a gadroon extending the length of a generatrix of the axle.

Application for retarding rotational movement of an opening member, such as the lid of a make-up box.

Claims

1. A rotation-retarding device (10) comprising a first member (12) and a second member (11) having rotational movement relative to each other to be retarded, the first member (12) comprising an axle (13) and the second member (11) comprising a housing (25) adapted to receive the axle (13) of the first member (12), and means (16, 24, 28) for retarding rotation by deformation of elastically deformable flexible material, characterized in that the retarding means (16, 24, 28) comprise at least a part of the wall (24) bounding the housing (25), of elastically deformable flexible material and comprising at least one working surface (28) of cam form, facing the axle (13) of the first member (12), and at least one projection (16) of rigid material on the axle (13) of the first member (12), adapted to cooperate with a working surface (28) associated therewith to retard the rotational movement with the resisting couple being adapted to the driving couple at each angular position.

2. A rotation-retarding device according to claim 1, characterized in that the entire wall (24) of the housing (25) is of elastically deformable flexible material.

3. A rotation-retarding device according to claim 2, characterized in that each working surface (28) of cam form extends over the entire length (24) of the wall of the housing (25).

4. A rotation-retarding device according to claim 3, characterized in that the wall (24) of the housing (25) comprises two working surfaces (28) of cam form which are symmetrical with respect to an axis of symmetry (27) of the wall (24).

5. A rotation-retarding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that each projection is formed by a gadroon (16) extending along a generatrix of the axle (13) of the first member (12).

6. A rotation-retarding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the wall (24) comprises a hollow (26) for each projection (16), by means of which each projection (16) is housed in a resting position.

7. A rotation-retarding device according to claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the wall (24) comprises at least one groove (26) of U-shaped cross-section, extending substantially parallel to the axis of symmetry (27) of the wall (24) and adapted to receive a gadroon (16) in a resting position.

8. A rotation-retarding device according to claim 7, characterized in that each groove (26) is connected to a working surface (28) adapted to cooperate with the gadroon (16) housed in that groove (26) in resting position, by a longitudinal recess (29) formed by two facets (30, 31) which together form an obtuse angle.

9. A rotation-retarding device according to claims 4 and 8, characterized in that the wall (24) comprises two grooves(26), each adapted to receive one of the two gadroons (16) diametrically opposite of the axle (13) of the first member (12), these grooves (26) and the adjacent recesses (29) being respectively symmetrical with respect to the axis of symmetry (27) of the wall (24) of the housing (25).

10. A rotation-retarding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the elastically deformable flexible material is a thermoplastic elastomer.

11. A rotation-retarding device according to claim 10, characterized in that the thermoplastic elastomer has a hardness between a shore A value of 55 and a shore D value of 50.

12. A rotation-retarding device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the thermoplastic elastomer is Santoprene®

.

13. A rotation-retarding device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the material of which the first member (12) is made is a rigid material, preferably chosen from the group comprising a polyether, a polyolefin, and a polyamide.

14. A rotation-retarding device according to claim 13, characterized in that the polyether is a polyacetal.

15. A rotation-retarding device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the first member (12) is a rotor comprising, in a T-shaped general configuration, the axle (13) extended by a coaxial head (14) and the second member (11) is a stator comprising an axially symmetrical tubular envelope (19) forming the wall (24) of the housing (25).

16. A rotation-retarding device according to claim 15, characterized in that the head (14) and the envelope (19) each comprise connection means (17, 20) by which the rotor and the stator are respectively able to be connected to a first and a second part having rotational movement relative to each other to be retarded.

17. A rotation-retarding device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the axle (13) of the first member (12) is housed in the housing (25) of the second member (11) with radial compression of the elastically deformable flexible material.

18. Use of a rotation-retarding device according to any one of claims 1 to 17 for retarding the rotational movement of an opening member.

19. Use according to claim 18, characterized in that the opening member is a lid of a make-up box.