Shock absorber

• US 7,455,154 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Karl Simon GmbH & Co. KG (Indus Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Karl Simon GmbH & Co. KG (Indus Holding AG)
• Inventors: Bantle, Ulrich, Eschle, Jurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Siconolfi; Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rashid; Mahbubur
• Application Number:
  US11/404,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20060261526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 188/282.7, 188/322.15, 267/156, 267/118, 267/124, 16/66, 16/84
• US Class Current: 188/287
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 5/10 with piston brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/21 Brakes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/256 with pistons or vanes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/264 linear
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/0209 Telescopic F16F9/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/5165 by use of spherical valve elements or like free-moving bodies

Abstract

A shock absorber with a shock absorber body having a cylinder. A piston is moveably guided in a receiving space of the cylinder. When the piston is moved, an air pressure generated in the receiving space exerts a braking force that acts on the piston. For air pressure reduction, the receiving space has at least one opening that produces an air-carrying connection between the receiving space and the environment. The shock absorber body has a simple design if the piston or the cylinder contains a receptacle into which an insert piece is inserted in a frictionally engaging fashion and if the opening is positioned between the insert piece and the wall of the receptacle that is touched by the insert piece.

Claims

1. A shock absorber with a shock absorber body (10) having a cylinder (11), a piston (43) moveably guided in a receiving space (11.1) of the cylinder (11), when the piston (43) is moved an air pressure generated in the receiving space (11.1) exerts a braking force that acts on the piston (43), and for air pressure reduction the receiving space (11.1) has at least one opening (16) that produces an air-carrying connection between the receiving space (11.1) and the environment, the shock absorber comprising:

one of the piston (43) and the cylinder (11) having a receptacle (16.3) into which an insert piece (16.2) is press-fitted in a frictionally engaging manner, and the opening (16) is provided between the insert piece (16.2) and a wall of the receptacle (16.3) touched by the insert piece (16.2);

the opening (16) formed by a groove in the wall of the receptacle (16.3) that extends in a direction of a central longitudinal axis of the receptacle (16.3) and has a region oriented toward the receptacle (16.3) that is covered by the insert piece (16.2); and

a bellows section (44) having a cylindrical part spaced apart from an inner wall of the cylinder (11), and a region encompassed by the cylindrical part is associated with a pressure chamber of the cylinder (11).

2. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein the receptacle (16.3) is a bore into which the insert piece (16.2) embodied in a form of one of a cylinder and a sphere is inserted.

3. The shock absorber of claim 2, wherein the receptacle (16.3) is adjoined by a cross-sectionally reduced passage (16.4) which forms a shoulder (16.5), and the shoulder (16.5) forms a stop for the insert piece (16.2).

4. The shock absorber of claim 3, wherein a material of the insert piece (16.2) and a second material of the receptacle (16.3) are of different hardnesses.

5. The shock absorber of claim 4, wherein the insert piece (16.2) is of a metal and the material forming the receptacle (16.3) is of a plastic.

6. The shock absorber of claim 5, wherein the bellows section (44) is outwardly inflatable within the cylinder (11) by pressure within the receiving space (11.1).

7. The shock absorber of claim 6, wherein the piston (43) and the bellows section (44) are integrally joined to each other.

8. The shock absorber of claim 7, wherein a piston rod (42) is integrally formed onto the piston (43).

9. The shock absorber of claim 8, wherein the piston rod (42) is one of associated with and has a supporting body (30), the supporting body (30) has a stop end situated outside the shock absorber body (10), and the supporting body (30) is supported against the piston (43) via a shoulder (32).

10. The shock absorber of claim 9, wherein the piston rod (42) is braced by a casing part (31).

11. The shock absorber of claim 9, wherein the piston (43) and the bellows section (44) are of a soft elastic material.

12. The shock absorber of claim 11, wherein the piston rod (42) is braced by a casing part (31).

13. The shock absorber of claim 12, wherein an end of the piston rod (42) oriented away from the piston (43) forms an impact piece (41) of a soft elastic material.

14. The shock absorber of claim 13, wherein the cylindrical part of the bellows section (44) forms a spring receptacle (46) that at least partially accommodates a spring (50) and the spring (50) supports the piston (43) with respect to the cylinder and counteracts an inserting motion of the piston (43) into the cylinder (11).

15. The shock absorber of claim 14, wherein the bellows section (44) supports a formed sealing element (45) which produces a seal between a pressure chamber and a negative pressure chamber of the cylinder (11).

16. The shock absorber of claim 15, wherein the negative pressure chamber and the pressure chamber communicate with an environment by at least one opening (16, 16.1).

17. The shock absorber of claim 16, wherein at least one of the openings (16, 16.1) has a diameter D<

0.2 mm.

18. The shock absorber of claim 17, wherein in a region oriented toward the cavity a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the piston (43) to an opening cross section of the at least one of the openings (16, 16.1) is greater than 4000:

1.

19. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein a material of the insert piece (16.2) and a second material of the receptacle (16.3) are of different hardnesses.

20. The shock absorber of claim 19, wherein the insert piece (16.2) is of a metal and the material forming the receptacle (16.3) is of a plastic.

21. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein the bellows section (44) is outwardly inflatable within the cylinder (11) by pressure within the receiving space (11.1).

22. The shock absorber of claim 21, wherein the piston (43) and the bellows section (44) are integrally joined to each other.

23. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein a piston rod (42) is integrally formed onto the piston (43).

24. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein a piston rod (42) is one of associated with and has a supporting body (30), the supporting body (30) has a stop end situated outside the shock absorber body (10), and the supporting body (30) is supported against the piston (43) via a shoulder (32).

25. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein the piston (43) and the bellows section (44) are of a soft elastic material.

26. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein an end of a piston rod (42) oriented away from the piston (43) forms an impact piece (41) of a soft elastic material.

27. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical part of the bellows section (44) forms a spring receptacle (46) that at least partially accommodates a spring (50) and the spring (50) supports the piston (43) with respect to the cylinder and counteracts an inserting motion of the piston (43) into the cylinder (11).

28. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein the bellows section (44) supports a formed sealing element (45) which produces a seal between a pressure chamber and a negative pressure chamber of the cylinder (11).

29. The shock absorber of claim 28, wherein the negative pressure chamber and the pressure chamber communicate with an environment by at least one opening (16, 16.1).

30. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein at least one of the openings (16, 16.1) has a diameter D<

0.2 mm.

31. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein in a region oriented toward a cavity a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the piston (43) to an opening cross section of the at least one opening (16, 16.1) is greater than 4000:

1.