JP7541740B2 - Swing Damper - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a swing damper used for damping liftable storage shelves, etc.

As an example of an oscillation damper, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is one that is provided with a blade member that is provided along the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface of a rotating member and protrudes in the radial direction, and a valve member that covers this blade member.

This oscillating damper works in such a way that almost no torque is generated when the rotating member rotates in one direction, and a large damping torque is generated only when the rotating member rotates in the opposite direction.

In order to obtain a high torque ratio characteristic, such a swing damper must be made large, making it difficult to obtain a small swing damper with a high torque ratio.

JP 2007-327578 A JP 2014-224582 A

The problem to be solved was the difficulty of obtaining a small oscillation damper with a high torque ratio.

In order to obtain a small-sized oscillating damper with a high torque ratio, the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a case in which a viscous hydraulic fluid is sealed in an operating chamber, a rotor that is rotatable around an axis relative to the case and has a partition wall that divides the operating chamber into a pressure chamber and a non-pressurized chamber, and a valve body portion that is provided in the partition wall of the rotor and operates in response to the rotation of the rotor, and when the partition wall is displaced toward the pressure chamber due to the rotation of the rotor in one direction, the valve body portion receives the pressure of the hydraulic fluid and becomes in an operating state, thereby increasing the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the pressure chamber, and when the partition wall is displaced toward the non-pressurized chamber due to the rotation of the rotor in the other direction, the valve body portion becomes in an inoperable state due to the pressure from the hydraulic fluid and releases the pressure of the pressure chamber, and further comprises a rotating plate that is disposed opposite the inner surface of the operating chamber and is pressed against the inner surface by the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the pressure chamber when the rotor rotates in the one direction, and is capable of rotating integrally with the rotor.

In the oscillation damper of the present invention, when the pressure of the working liquid in the pressure chamber increases, the rotating plate is pressed against the inner surface of the case, so that the frictional force acting between the case and the rotating plate can be applied to a rotating body that can rotate integrally with the rotating plate, making it possible to obtain a small oscillation damper with a high torque ratio.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the swing damper taken along line II of FIG. 2 (embodiment); FIG. 4 is a side view of the swing damper (embodiment example). 13 is a table showing measurement results of operation time (Example). 13 is a graph showing measurement results of operation time (Example). 13 is a graph showing a torque waveform during operation (Example).

The present invention achieves the objective of producing a small-sized oscillating damper with a high torque ratio in the following manner.

That is, the oscillation damper includes a case, a rotor, a valve body, and a rotor plate. The case seals a viscous working liquid in the working chamber. The rotor is provided so as to be rotatable relative to the case around its axis, and has a partition wall that divides the working chamber into a pressure chamber and a non-pressurized chamber. The valve body is provided on the partition wall of the rotor and operates in response to the rotation of the rotor. When the partition wall is displaced toward the pressure chamber side by the rotation of the rotor in one direction, the valve body receives the pressure of the working liquid and becomes in an operating state, increasing the pressure of the working liquid in the pressure chamber, and when the partition wall is displaced toward the non-pressurized chamber side by the rotation of the rotor in the other direction, the valve body becomes in an inoperable state due to the pressure from the working liquid, releasing the pressure in the pressure chamber. The rotor plate is disposed opposite the inner surface of the working chamber, and when the rotor rotates in one direction, it is pressed against the inner surface by the pressure of the working liquid in the pressure chamber, and is capable of rotating integrally with the rotor.

The valve body can be operated in various ways, including a valve that is part of the valve body and that operates to open and close the flow path, or the entire valve body can be operated relative to the partition wall to open and close the flow path.

The rotating plate may be either a single plate or multiple plates. In the case of multiple plates, the outer plate and the inner plate are arranged alternately, the inner plate can be integrated with the rotating body, and the outer plate cannot rotate with respect to the case.

The rotating plate is pressed against the inner surface of the case by the pressure in the pressure chamber, and as long as it can generate friction between it and the case, the material, shape, thickness, etc. can be freely selected.

The oscillation damper may be provided with a spacer that is arranged opposite the inner surface of the operating chamber via a rotating plate and cannot rotate relative to the case.

The spacer should be able to improve the functionality of the rotating plate, and its material, shape, thickness, etc. can be freely selected.

Figures 1 and 2 show a swing damper according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the swing damper taken along line I-I in Figure 2, and Figure 2 is a side view of the swing damper. In the following description, the axial direction means the direction of the rotation axis of the rotor, the rotation direction means the rotation direction of the rotor, and the radial direction means the radial direction of the rotor.

The swing damper 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises a case 3, a rotor 5, a valve body 7, and a rotor plate 9.

The case 3 has a cylindrical shape overall, and includes an operating chamber 11 that contains a viscous operating liquid such as silicone oil. The case 3 includes a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 15, and side walls 17, 19 on both axial sides of the peripheral wall portion 15. The shape of the case 3 does not need to be cylindrical as long as the operating liquid can be contained in the operating chamber 11, and it can also be, for example, a cylinder with a sector-shaped cross section.

Two operating chambers 11 are provided by dividing the inside of the case 3 with partition ridges 13a and 13b that act as partition plates. However, it is also possible to have one operating chamber 11 or three or more operating chambers. The partition ridges 13a and 13b protrude radially inward from the case 3.

In this embodiment, the partition convex portions 13a, 13b are integrally and symmetrically protruded from the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 15 inward in the radial direction. The partition convex portions 13a, 13b are formed with engagement convex portions 23a, 23b. The engagement convex portions 23a, 23b protrude in the axial direction from the partition convex portions 13a, 13b, respectively. In addition, the partition convex portions 13a, 13b are formed with bottomed holes 25a, 25b radially outward from the engagement convex portions 23a, 23b. The bottomed holes 25a, 25b are provided with accumulators 27a, 27b. The outer periphery of the peripheral wall portion 15 is symmetrically formed with mounting convex portions 29a, 29b equipped with screw holes.

One side wall portion 17 is formed integrally with the peripheral wall portion 15. This side wall portion 17 has a recess 31 for supporting the shaft.

The other side wall portion 19 is screwed to the peripheral wall portion 15. The side wall portion 19 may be joined to the peripheral wall portion 15 by caulking or welding. A through hole 33 for supporting the shaft is formed in the side wall portion 19. An O-ring 35 is provided as a seal member between the peripheral wall portion 15 and the side wall portion 19.

The axial inner surface 19a of the side wall portion 19 is spaced a distance t from the partition ridges 13a and 13b of the peripheral wall portion 15.

The rotor 5 is provided so as to be rotatable about an axis relative to the case 3, and has driving convex portions 39a, 39b as partition walls that divide the working chamber 11 into a pressure chamber 11a and a non-pressure chamber 11b. The rotor 5 of this embodiment has a shaft portion 37, and the driving convex portions 39a, 39b protrude radially outward from the shaft portion 37.

The rotor 5 is rotatable around the axis of rotation relative to the case 3, and the shape is not particularly limited as long as it has a partition wall. The pressure chamber 11a is one in which the pressure of the working fluid increases with the rotation of the rotor 5 when the valve body 7 is in the actuated state. The non-pressure chamber 11b is one in which there is no increase in pressure like the pressure chamber 11a with the rotation of the rotor 5 when the valve body 7 is in the non-actuated state, and does not mean that no pressure is generated at all.

The shaft-shaped portion 37 is inscribed in the partition ridges 13a and 13b. One end 37a of the shaft-shaped portion 37 is rotatably fitted and supported in the recess 31 of the side wall portion 17. The other end 37b of the shaft-shaped portion 37 is supported and rotatable through the through hole 33 of the side wall portion 19. An O-ring 41 is provided between the shaft-shaped portion 37 and the through hole 33 as a sealing member.

The valve body 7 is provided on the driving ridges 39a, 39b of the rotor 5 and operates in response to the rotation of the rotor 5. In this embodiment, the valve body 7 is disposed between the driving ridges 39a, 39b and the inner surface of the working chamber 11, and its outer surface in the radial direction is a sliding surface that faces the inner peripheral surface of the working chamber 11 and engages with the driving ridges 39a, 39b by fitting.

The radial outer surface of the valve body 7 is a sliding surface against the inner circumferential surface of the working chamber 11, but an arrangement in which they face each other with a small gap is permissible as long as it is possible to provide resistance to the working liquid. In addition, the outer edge of the valve body 7 can be made to face the inner circumferential surface of the working chamber 11 with a gap, and a closure member can be provided on this outer edge to make sliding contact with the inner circumferential surface of the working chamber 11. In this case, the surface of the closure member that slides against the inner circumferential surface of the working chamber 11 constitutes the radial outer surface of the valve body 7.

The valve body 7 includes vanes 43a, 43b and valves 45a, 45b. The vanes 43a, 43b and the valves 45a, 45b have the same structure.

The vanes 43a and 43b have grooves 47 along the axial direction. The grooves 47 of the vanes 43a and 43b are fitted into the drive ridges 39a and 39b, respectively. The vanes 43a and 43b have valve holes 49 on the pressure chamber 11a side of the drive ridges 39a and 39b. The valve holes 49 are formed to communicate between the pressure chamber 11a and the non-pressure chamber 11b via flow paths 50 formed in the vanes 43a and 43b and the drive ridges 39a and 39b.

The valves 45a and 45b are provided on the pressure chamber 11a side of the valve hole 49. The valves 45a and 45b are supported by the vanes 43a and 43b so that they can open and close within a small range relative to the valve hole 49. Note that the valve body may simply be configured such that a flow path consisting of a hole that connects the pressure chamber 11a and the non-pressure chamber 11b provided in the drive ridge portion is opened and closed by the valve in response to the pressure of the viscous fluid.

The rotating plate 9 is disposed opposite the inner surface 19a of the side wall portion 19 that constitutes the working chamber 11, and when the rotor 5 rotates in one direction, it is pressed against the inner surface 19a by the pressure of the working fluid in the pressure chamber 1a, and is capable of rotating integrally with the rotor 5. In this embodiment, the rotating plate 9 is concentric with the rotor 5 and is capable of rotating integrally with it.

Although the rotating plate 9 is not pressed against the inner surface 19a under normal conditions, it may be pressed against the inner surface 19a under normal conditions to generate an initial torque. This initial torque can be set by the amount of screwing of the side wall portion 19.

The rotating plate 9 in this embodiment is a doughnut plate shape and is disposed within the space t between the inner surface 19a of the side wall portion 19 and the partition ridges 13a, 13b of the peripheral wall portion 15. The thickness and planar shape of the rotating plate 9 can be set arbitrarily as long as they fall within the space t. The inner periphery of the rotating plate 9 is formed in a rectangular shape and is fixed by fitting into the fitting portion 37c formed in the rectangular cross section of the rotor 5.

The outer periphery of the rotating plate 9 is formed to have a slightly smaller diameter than the inner periphery of the peripheral wall portion 15. The outer periphery diameter of the rotating plate 9 is set to a value that allows the rotating plate 9 to rotate relative to the peripheral wall portion 15 and provides a flow resistance to the working liquid so that the rotating plate 9 can be pressed against the inner surface 19a of the side wall portion 19 when the pressure on the pressure chamber 11a side rises.

However, the outer periphery of the rotating plate 9 only needs to be formed with a small diameter relative to the inner periphery of the peripheral wall portion 15, since the gap between the rotating plate 9 and the inner surface 19a is extremely small and can provide resistance to the entry of the working liquid.

A spacer 51 that cannot rotate with respect to the case 3 is disposed between the rotating plate 9 and the partition convex portions 13a, 13b. As a result, the spacer 51 is disposed facing the inner surface 19a of the side wall portion 19 via the rotating plate 9. The spacer 51 is a plate-shaped body, and is prevented from rotating by engaging with the engaging convex portions 23a, 23b of the partition convex portions 13a, 13b.

The spacer 51 in this embodiment fits onto the outer periphery of the circular cross section of the shaft-shaped portion 37, allowing the shaft-shaped portion 37 to rotate relative to the spacer 51. The thickness of the spacer 51 is slightly thicker than the thickness of the rotating plate 9. The total thickness of the rotating plate 9 and the spacer 51 is set to be equal to the distance t. The thickness and planar shape of the spacer 51 can be set as desired. It is also possible to omit the spacer 51.

With the above configuration, when the rotor 5 rotates in one direction and the driving ridges 39a and 39b are displaced toward the pressure chamber 11a, the valves 45a and 45b of the valve body 7 are actuated by the pressure of the working fluid in the pressure chamber 11a, and the valve hole 49 is closed. In other words, the valve body 7 is in an actuated state.

As a result, the flow of hydraulic fluid through the valve hole 49 between the rotor 5 and the valve body 7 is blocked or resisted. As a result, the pressure in the pressure chamber 11 increases.

When the rotor 5 rotates in the other direction and the drive ridges 39a, 39b are displaced toward the non-pressurized chamber 11b, the valves 45a, 45b of the valve body 7 are subjected to the pressure of the working fluid in the second pressure chamber 11b, causing the valves to return to their original position and the valve hole 49 to open. In other words, the valve body 7 is in a non-operated state.

Therefore, the flow of hydraulic fluid is permitted through the valve hole 49 between the rotor 5 and the valve body portion 7. As a result, the pressure in the pressure chamber 11a is released.

In this way, almost no torque is generated when the rotor 5 rotates in the reverse direction, and a large torque is generated only when the rotor 5 rotates in one direction. This action allows damping of opening and closing doors and other objects connected to the shaft-shaped portion 37 that protrudes outward.

When the rotor 5 rotates in one direction and the pressure in the pressure chamber 11a increases, a relatively high pressure also acts on the surface of the rotor plate 9 facing the spacer 51, pressing the rotor plate 9 against the inner surface 19a of the side wall portion 19, generating a frictional force between the rotor plate 9 and the inner surface 19a of the side wall portion 19.

In this case, there is a small gap between the outer edge of the rotating plate 9 and the inner surface of the case 3, but the gap is not sealed. Therefore, a sudden increase in pressure in the pressure chamber 11a creates a pressure difference between the two sides of the rotating plate 9, and the rotating plate 9 is pressed against the inner surface 19a of the side wall portion 19.

The frictional force caused by this pressing is transmitted from the fitting portion 37c of the rotating body 5 to the shaft portion 37, adding frictional resistance to the rotating body 5.

By adding this frictional resistance, combined with damping by the hydraulic fluid, it is possible to obtain a small-sized oscillation damper 1 with a high torque ratio.

Figures 3 to 5 show the results of comparing the characteristics with and without the rotating plate 9, with Figure 3 being a chart showing the results of measuring the operating time, Figure 4 being a graph showing the results of measuring the operating time, and Figure 5 being a graph showing the torque waveform during operation.

Figures 3 and 4 show the results of an embodiment in which the internal pressure-responsive friction damper uses a rotating plate 9, while the oscillating damper is a comparative example of the same size that does not use a rotating plate 9. Note that in Figure 4, (oscillating damper + constant friction) is a hypothetical example in which the results are predicted assuming that the initial frictional force with which the rotating plate 9 is pressed against the inner surface 19a of the side wall portion 19 does not change regardless of the increase in the internal pressure of the pressure chamber 11a.

The measurements were taken by attaching an object equivalent to a door to the rotating body 5 and rotating the object under its own weight from vertical (60°) to horizontal (0°).

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the oscillating damper 1 of the embodiment, which is an internal pressure type friction damper, had a longer operating time than the comparative example in all ranges of 60° to 40°, 40° to 20°, and 20° to 0°, and had improved damping function.

Moreover, in the range of 20° to 0°, the operating time is relatively longer compared to the ranges of 60° to 40° and 40° to 20°, and it is possible to obtain characteristics that exert a stronger damping function towards the end of the operation.

In Figure 5, "Oil flow path: large" and "Oil flow path: small" refer to the size of the valve hole 49. Figure 5 shows the torque generated according to the angle when the rotor 5 is rotated from 0° at a rotation speed of 7.5 rpm.

As shown in Figure 5, when looking at the torque waveform, the oscillation damper 1 of the embodiment has the upper two torque waveforms. The torque was increased more than the oscillation damper of the comparative example, which has the lower two torque waveforms.

Moreover, the characteristics of the oscillating damper 1 of this embodiment could be changed significantly depending on the size of the valve hole 49, whereas the characteristics of the oscillating damper of the comparative example hardly changed at all.

In this way, the embodiment of the present invention is able to provide a small, high-torque ratio oscillation damper with a simple structure by adding a rotating plate 9.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 swing damper 3 case 5 rotor 7 valve body 9 rotor plate 11 working chamber 13a, 13b partition ridge portion 19a inner surface of working chamber 37 shaft portion 39a, 39b drive ridge portion 43a, 43b vane 45a, 45b valve 49 valve hole 51 spacer

Claims (2)

a case in which a viscous working fluid is sealed in a working chamber;
a rotor provided to be rotatable about an axis relative to the case and having a partition wall that divides the working chamber into a pressure chamber and a non-pressure chamber;
a valve body portion provided in a partition wall of the rotor and operable in response to rotation of the rotor,
a swing damper in which, when the partition wall is displaced toward the pressure chamber due to rotation of the rotor in one direction, the valve body receives pressure from the working liquid and enters an activated state, thereby increasing the pressure of the working liquid in the pressure chamber, and, when the partition wall is displaced toward the non-pressure chamber due to rotation of the rotor in the other direction, the valve body enters a non-activated state due to pressure from the working liquid, thereby releasing the pressure in the pressure chamber,
a rotating plate disposed opposite to the inner surface of the working chamber, and pressed against the inner surface by the pressure of the working fluid in the pressure chamber when the rotating body rotates in the one direction, so as to be rotatable integrally with the rotating body;
Swing damper. 2. The sway damper according to claim 1,
a spacer disposed opposite the inner surface of the working chamber via the rotating plate and unable to rotate with respect to the case;
Swing damper.

Images