Rotary damper

Abstract

The present application provides a kind of rotation damper that can remove the air bubble generated when assembling appropriately;According to the present application, a kind of rotation damper is provided, which includes shell, shaft, cover and sealing component;The shell is in the form of a bottomed cylinder with a filling space, and is configured to fill the filling space with viscous fluid;The shaft is configured to be rotatably mounted on the shell;The cover is in the form of a cylinder, has an insertion hole for the shaft to be inserted, and is configured to have an outer peripheral surface abutting against an inner peripheral surface of the shell, and an inner peripheral surface abutting against the sealing component;The sealing component is in the form of a ring, and is mounted on the shaft with an inner peripheral surface abutting against the shaft;The cover abuts against the sealing component between the inner peripheral surface of the shell and the shaft, thereby sealing the filling space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a rotation damper for applying moderate rotational resistance to the hinge axis of an opening and closing component. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a rotation damper for applying moderate rotational resistance to the hinge axis of opening and closing components such as the center console lid of a vehicle.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4657083 Summary of the Invention

[0006] When a shaft is introduced into the filling space within the housing for assembling a rotary damper, air bubbles may form in the viscous fluid within the housing's filling space. In this case, in the prior art, once the shaft is installed, the filling space of the housing is sealed, making it difficult to remove the air bubbles from the viscous fluid within the filling space. These air bubbles in the viscous fluid can sometimes hinder the rotary damper from applying a stable braking torque to the hinge shaft. Therefore, a technique is needed to properly remove the air bubbles generated during the assembly of the rotary damper.

[0007] The present invention was made in view of this situation and aims to provide a rotational damper that can properly remove air bubbles generated during assembly.

[0008] According to the present invention, the following invention is provided.

[0009] [1] A rotary damper includes a housing, a shaft, a cover, and a sealing member. The housing is a bottomed cylindrical shape with a filling space and is configured to fill the filling space with a viscous fluid. The shaft is configured to be rotatably mounted on the housing and has a flange and a sealing member mounting portion. The flange is formed to have an outer diameter that matches the inner diameter of the housing. The sealing member mounting portion is configured to mount the sealing member on the side of the opening near the housing relative to the flange. The cover is cylindrical and has an insertion hole for inserting the shaft. Its outer circumferential surface abuts against the inner circumferential surface of the housing, and its inner circumferential surface abuts against the sealing member. The sealing member is annular and is mounted on the shaft such that its inner circumferential surface abuts against the shaft. Between the inner circumferential surface of the housing and the shaft, the inner circumferential surface of the cover abuts against the sealing member, thereby sealing the filling space. The space defined by the cover, the sealing member mounting portion, the inner circumferential surface of the housing, and the flange constitutes a sealing chamber for receiving the sealing member.

[0010] [2] As described in [1], a first gap is formed between the cover and the flange in the sealed chamber after the filling space is sealed.

[0011] [3] As described in [1] or [2], the rotating damper has an end face on the opening side, and a second gap is formed between the cover and the end face when the filling space is sealed.

[0012] [4] A rotary damper as described in any of [1] to [3], wherein the cover has a first surface, a joint, an inner peripheral surface, and a guide portion, the first surface being opposite to the flange portion of the shaft, the joint being configured to be fused to the housing, the inner peripheral surface having a sealing portion and a bearing portion, the sealing portion being a region that abuts against the sealing member when the filling space is sealed, the bearing portion being a region that supports the shaft so that it can rotate relative to it, the guide portion being disposed between the first surface and the joint portion, and being configured to have a length in the direction of rotation of the rotary damper that is longer than the length of the fused region with the housing.

[0013] [5] A rotary damper as described in any of [1] to [4], wherein the housing and the shaft have mounting portions that can be respectively mounted on the rotating component side and the body component side, and the mounting portions of the housing and the shaft are configured to be symmetrical to each other in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotary damper.

[0014] (Invention effect)

[0015] In the rotary damper of the present invention, when the shaft with the sealing component is installed into the housing, the filling space of the housing is not sealed until the cover is installed. Therefore, even if there are air bubbles remaining in the viscous fluid during assembly, the air bubbles can be easily and properly removed. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 middle, Figure 1 A is a perspective view of a rotary damper 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 B is a perspective view showing the state after the shaft 14 and cover 16 have been removed from the housing 12. Figure 1 C is different from Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the rotating damper 10 viewed from angle A.

[0017] Figure 2 middle, Figure 2 A means Figure 1 A diagram showing the state of the rotary damper 10 after the housing 12 and cover 16 have been cut open. Figure 2 B is a side cross-sectional view of the rotary damper 10. Figure 2 C is Figure 2 A magnified view of region A in area B.

[0018] Figure 3 middle, Figure 3 A is a diagram showing the shell 12 from an angle where the interior is visible. Figure 3 B is a 3D view of axis 14. Figure 3 C is a top view of the rotary damper 10. Figure 3 D is Figure 3 BB cross-section diagram of C. Figure 3 E is a front view of the rotary damper 10. Figure 3 F is Figure 3 CC section view of E.

[0019] Figure 4 middle, Figure 4 A is a 3D diagram of Cover 16. Figure 4 B is a side cross-sectional view of cover 16.

[0020] Figure 5 middle, Figure 5 A is a three-dimensional view showing the state of the rotary damper 10 before assembly. Figure 5 B is a diagram showing the state of the housing 12 before assembly.

[0021] Figure 6 middle, Figure 6 Figure A shows the state in which the shaft 14 with the sealing component 18 is installed in the housing 12. Figure 6 B is a diagram showing the rotation damper 10 before the cover 16 is installed. Figure 6 C is a diagram showing the rotation damper 10 after the cover 16 is installed. Figure 6 D is Figure 6 Enlarged view of the area near the sealing component 18 of C.

[0022] (Symbol Explanation)

[0023] 10: Rotary damper; 12: Housing; 14: Shaft; 14a: First shaft section; 14b: Second shaft section; 14c: Third shaft section; 15a: First gap; 15b: Second gap; 16: Cover; 18: Sealing component; 20: Ultrasonic welding head; 22: Welding section; 24: Flash bag; 121: Filling space; 122: Bearing section; 123: Blade section; 124: End face; 125: Mounting device. 126: Joint; 128: Inner peripheral surface; 142: Flange; 143: Blade; 144: Groove; 145: Mounting part; 146: Sealing component mounting part; 161: Insertion hole; 162: Inner peripheral surface; 162a: Sealing part; 162b: Bearing part; 163: Flange; 165a: First surface; 165b: Second surface; 166: Joint; 168: Guide part Detailed Implementation

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described. The features illustrated in the embodiments shown below can be combined with each other. Furthermore, the invention is independently established for each feature.

[0025] <Overall Structure of Rotary Damper 10>

[0026] The rotation damper 10 is configured to apply appropriate rotational resistance to the hinge shaft (hinge portion) that connects rotating components such as covers to the body component. In this embodiment, it is envisioned to generate braking torque for reducing the rotational movement of a vehicle's center console lid or trash can lid, but it is not limited thereto. Figure 1 A~ Figure 1 As shown in C, the rotary damper 10 includes a housing 12, a shaft 14, a cover 16, and a sealing component (e.g., an O-ring) 18.

[0027] <Shell 12>

[0028] like Figure 2 A~ Figure 2 C and Figure 3 As shown in Figure A, the shell 12 is made of resin or the like and is a bottomed cylindrical shape with a filling space 121. For ease of explanation, Figure 2 Figure A shows the state after the housing 12 and cover 16 have been cut open. The filling space 121 of the housing 12 is filled with a viscous fluid for generating braking torque. In this embodiment, silicone oil is used as the viscous fluid, but other viscous fluids besides silicone oil may also be used.

[0029] Additionally, the housing 12 includes a bearing portion 122, a blade portion 123, an end face 124, and a mounting portion 125. The bearing portion 122 is configured to support the first shaft portion 14a at the front end of the shaft 14 so that it can rotate relative to it. Figure 3 As shown in Figure A, the blade portion 123 is arranged to stand upright from the inner circumferential surface 128. The end face 124 is opposite to the flange portion 163 of the cover 16, which will be described later. The mounting portion 125 is configured as a hinge shaft connected to the rotating component (cover) or the body component.

[0030] <Axis 14>

[0031] Shaft 14 is configured to be rotatably mounted on housing 12. Shaft 14 is made of resin or metal, etc. Shaft 14 has a second shaft portion 14b and a third shaft portion 14c continuously arranged with the first shaft portion 14a at the front end. The second shaft portion 14b is provided with a blade portion 143. The third shaft portion 14c is provided with a mounting portion 145. The mounting portion 145 is configured as a hinge shaft connected to the rotating component (cover) or the main body component. The mounting portion 145 of shaft 14 and the mounting portion 125 of housing 12 are configured to have shapes that are symmetrical to each other in the direction of rotation axis of rotation damper 10 (both are convex or concave). Therefore, the mounting portion 145 and the mounting portion 125 can each be mounted to the hinge shaft on the rotating component side or the main body component side. In addition, in order to rotate integrally with the hinge shaft of the rotating component (cover) or the main body component, the mounting portion 145 and the mounting portion 125 are each provided with an H-cut portion, the cross-section of which is machined into an elongated oval shape with the rotation axis direction as the normal. However, the shapes of the mounting parts 145 and 125 can also be cylindrical or other shapes, and other planar cuts can be used instead of H-cuts.

[0032] The boundary between the second shaft portion 14b and the third shaft portion 14c is provided with a flange portion 142 and a sealing member mounting portion 146. The flange portion 142 is formed to have an outer diameter that matches the inner diameter of the housing 12. The sealing member mounting portion 146 is a recess formed on the entire circumference of the flange portion 142 near the opening side (the third shaft portion 14c side), and a sealing member 18 is mounted thereon.

[0033] Braking torque when housing 12 rotates relative to shaft 14

[0034] Here, use Figure 3 A~ Figure 3 F explains the braking torque generated by the blade portion 123 of the housing 12 and the blade portion 143 of the shaft 14. Two blade portions 123 are provided opposite each other at a 180-degree angle on the inner circumferential surface 128 (positions symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis). On the other hand, two blade portions 143 are provided at a 180-degree angle on the circumferential surface of the second shaft portion 14b. Furthermore, as... Figure 3 As shown in Figure B, the first shaft portion 14a of the shaft 14 is provided with a groove portion 144. The groove portion 144 has the function of guiding the viscous fluid between the bearing portion 122 of the housing 12 and the first shaft portion 14a of the shaft 14 to the second shaft portion 14b side. In addition, it has the effect of allowing air to be discharged to the outside of the housing 12 even if air is trapped in the viscous fluid in the bearing portion 122 of the housing 12 during assembly, via the groove portion 144.

[0035] When shaft 14 rotates relative to housing 12, the flow of viscous fluid within the filling space 121 of housing 12 is restricted by blade portions 123 and 143. As housing 12 rotates relative to shaft 14, the viscous fluid moves between the multiple chambers (four chambers in this embodiment) defined by blade portions 123 and 143 within the filling space 121. The viscous fluid passes through narrow gaps and moves, thereby generating resistance to the relative rotation of housing 12 and shaft 14, which becomes the braking torque. The desired braking torque can be obtained by appropriately adjusting the number and arrangement of blade portions 123 and 143, the gap between blade portion 123 and the second shaft portion 14b, and the size of the gap between blade portion 143 and the inner circumferential surface 128.

[0036] <Cover 16>

[0037] The cap 16 is made of resin and is cylindrical (as shown in the image). Figure 4 A and Figure 4 (As shown in B). The cover 16 has an insertion hole 161 for inserting the third shaft portion 14c of the shaft 14. When the cover 16 is installed to the housing 12, it is configured such that its outer peripheral surface abuts against the inner peripheral surface 128 of the housing 12, and the inner peripheral surface 162 inside the insertion hole 161 abuts against the sealing member 18. More specifically, the inner peripheral surface 162 has a sealing portion 162a and a bearing portion 162b. The sealing portion 162a is the area that abuts against the sealing member 18 when the cover 16 is installed (when the filling space 121 is sealed). By the mutual abutment or pressing of the sealing portion 162a and the sealing member 18, the filling space 121 of the housing 12 is sealed. The bearing portion 162b is the area that supports the third shaft portion 14c of the shaft 14 so that it can rotate relative to it. The cover 16 is configured such that in the direction of rotation ( Figure 4 In the left-right direction of B, the length of the sealing portion 162a is greater than the cross-sectional thickness (wire diameter) of the sealing member 18, and the length of the bearing portion 162b is greater than the length of the sealing portion 162a. By continuously forming the sealing portion 162a and the bearing portion 162b on the inner circumferential surface 162, a guide portion 168 that is longer than the welding area can be formed.

[0038] The cover 16 has a flange 163, a first surface 165a, a second surface 165b, and a joint 166. When the cover 16 is installed on the housing 12, the flange 163 is disposed on the outer side of the housing 12. At this time, the first surface 165a faces the flange 142 of the shaft 14, and the second surface 165b faces the end face 124 of the housing 12. The joint 166 is a joint 126 fused to the housing 12 (see reference). Figure 2 In this embodiment, the joint 166 of the cover 16 is pressed against the joint 126 of the housing 12, which is inclined at approximately 45 degrees relative to the direction of rotation axis, while the ultrasonic horn 20 (see reference) is simultaneously applied. Figure 6C) Press the cap 16 onto its outer end face in the axial direction to make it vibrate and heat up, thus performing the welding. Of course, the welding method is not limited to this.

[0039] Compared to typical rotary damper covers, the cover 16 in this embodiment is configured such that the distance between the joint 166 and the first surface 165a is longer. This is to prevent molten resin from flowing out and reaching the first surface 165a when the joint 126 of the housing 12 and the joint 166 of the cover 16 are welded together. If the molten resin solidifies during the welding process when the cover 16 is installed, it will become a so-called weld flash. This weld flash reaches the first gap 15a between the first surface 165a and the flange 142 (see reference). Figure 2 If option C) is used, it may have adverse effects on the rotary damper 10, such as failure to obtain the desired torque, individual differences in torque, abnormal noise during operation, reduced durability, or welding at locations other than the desired position. Therefore, the cover 16 is provided with a guide portion 168 that is sufficiently long in the direction of rotation axis. In the direction of rotation axis, the length of the guide portion 168 is more than twice, and more preferably more than three times, the length of the welding area between the joint portion 126 and the joint portion 166.

[0040] <Sealing component 18>

[0041] The sealing component 18 is annular and is mounted such that its inner circumferential surface abuts against the sealing component mounting portion 146 of the shaft 14 (e.g., Figure 2 (As shown in B). The sealing component mounting portion 146 is provided on the outside of the flange portion 142 of the shaft 14. Therefore, when the cover 16 is installed, the sealing component 18 installed on the sealing component mounting portion 146 can abut against the sealing portion 162a of the inner peripheral surface 162 of the cover 16. Unlike the conventional method of sealing the filling space 121 by the seal between the inner peripheral surface 128 of the housing 12 and the sealing component 18, the filling space 121 is sealed by the sealing component 18 and the sealing portion 162a when the cover 16 is installed. More precisely, the cover 16 and the sealing component 18 are sandwiched between the sealing component mounting portion 146 and the inner peripheral surface 128 to complete the seal. That is, the space defined by the cover 16, the sealing component mounting portion 146, the inner peripheral surface 128, and the flange portion 142 constitutes a sealed chamber for receiving the sealing component 18. In this embodiment, a rubber O-ring is used as the sealing component 18, but it is not limited to this.

[0042] The rotation damper 10 is configured such that, when the cover 16 is installed, a second gap 15b is formed in addition to the first gap 15a described above. The second gap 15b is located between the second surface 165b of the flange portion 163 of the cover 16 and the end face 124 of the opening side of the housing 12. The second gap 15b is provided to facilitate assembly so that the first gap 15a can be set to the desired size. In addition, it has the function of maintaining the first gap 15a at the desired size even if the cover 16 has dimensional errors. In order to properly form the second gap 15b, for example, the distance between the flange portion 163 and the joint portion 166 in the cover 16 can be designed to be slightly longer than the usual distance.

[0043] By setting the first gap 15a and the second gap 15b, the degree of freedom in adjusting the braking torque setting can be increased.

[0044] Assembly of Rotary Damper 10

[0045] Then, use Figure 5 and Figure 6 The assembly of the rotating damper 10 is described. Figure 5 A shows the housing 12, shaft 14, cover 16, and sealing component 18 of the rotary damper 10 before assembly. First, as... Figure 5 As shown in Figure B, the housing 12 is placed with the mounting portion 125 facing downwards, and a predetermined amount of viscous fluid (figure omitted) is injected into the filling space 121. Then, as... Figure 6 As shown in Figure A, a sealing component 18 is installed on the sealing component mounting portion 146 of the shaft 14, and the shaft 14 is then inserted into the filling space 121.

[0046] It is believed that when the shaft 14 is introduced into the filling space 121, air will be mixed into the viscous fluid. The rotary damper 10 is configured such that even when the shaft 14 with the sealing member 18 is installed in the housing 12, the filling space 121 will not be completely sealed until the cover 16 is installed. That is, at this point, the sealing function of the sealing member 18 is not performed. Therefore, the cover 16 can be installed after a predetermined venting time has elapsed after the shaft 14 is installed in the housing 12. This venting time can be appropriately set according to the viscosity of the viscous fluid. For example, when using a low-viscosity viscous fluid, the venting time is shorter. On the other hand, when using a high-viscosity viscous fluid, the venting time is longer. In this way, by setting an appropriate venting time according to the viscosity of the viscous fluid used, air bubbles mixed in with the viscous fluid are less likely to remain.

[0047] After the predetermined exhaust time, if Figure 6 As shown in Figure C, the cover 16 is installed onto the housing 12, and ultrasonic welding is performed using an ultrasonic welding head 20 with an annular front end. The joint portion 126 of the housing 12 and the joint portion 166 of the cover 16 melt due to the frictional heat generated at the boundary surface by ultrasonic vibration, and the fusion is achieved at the weld portion 22 (see reference). Figure 6 D) Integration at the weld. Molten resin flowing out of the weld 22 is typically contained in the burr bag 24. The cover 16 has a sufficiently long guide portion 168 so that the molten resin does not reach the first gap 15a. In addition, it is designed to form a second gap 15b, so there is no undesirable situation where the first gap 15a cannot be set to the desired size due to physical interference between the housing 12 and the cover 16, etc.

[0048] As described above, in the rotary damper 10 of this embodiment, air bubbles in the viscous fluid filling the space 121 of the housing 12 are easily removed. Furthermore, the size of the first gap 15a can be appropriately adjusted to easily obtain the desired braking torque. In addition, it is less likely to cause adverse effects on the operational stability of the rotary damper 10 due to weld flash generated during ultrasonic welding.

[0049] <Other Implementation Methods>

[0050] The above embodiments employ a configuration that generates braking torque regardless of the direction of rotation, but a configuration that generates braking torque by utilizing movable blades or the like when rotating in only one direction is also possible.

[0051] In addition, the rotating damper 10 is cylindrical, but the shape of the rotating damper 10 is not necessarily circular and other shapes may also be used.

Claims

1. A rotary damper, comprising a housing, a shaft, a cover, and a sealing component, The shell is a bottomed cylindrical shape with a filling space, and is configured to fill the filling space with a viscous fluid. The shaft is configured to be rotatably mounted on the housing and has a flange portion and a sealing component mounting portion. The flange portion is formed to have an outer diameter that matches the inner diameter of the housing. The sealing component mounting portion is configured to mount the sealing component on the side closer to the opening of the housing, relative to the flange portion. The cover is cylindrical, has an insertion hole for inserting the shaft, and is configured such that the outer peripheral surface of the cover abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the housing, and the inner peripheral surface of the cover abuts against the sealing member. The sealing component is annular and is mounted on the shaft such that its inner circumferential surface abuts against the shaft. Between the inner circumferential surface of the housing and the shaft, the inner circumferential surface of the cover abuts against the sealing member, thereby sealing the filling space. The space defined by the cover, the sealing component mounting portion, the inner circumferential surface of the housing, and the flange portion constitutes a sealing chamber for accommodating the sealing component.

2. The rotary damper according to claim 1, wherein, In the sealed chamber, after the filling space is sealed, a first gap is formed between the cover and the flange.

3. The rotary damper according to claim 2, wherein, The housing has an end face on the opening side. When the filling space is sealed, a second gap is formed between the cover and the end face.

4. The rotary damper according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The cover has a first surface, a joint portion, an inner peripheral surface, and a guide portion. The first surface is opposite to the flange portion of the shaft. The joint is configured to be fused to the housing. The inner circumferential surface has a sealing portion and a bearing portion. The sealing portion is the area that abuts against the sealing component when the filling space is sealed, and the bearing portion is the area that supports the shaft so that it can rotate relative to it. The guide portion is disposed between the first surface and the joint portion, and is configured to have a length in the direction of rotation axis of the rotary damper that is longer than the length of the welding area with the housing.

5. The rotary damper according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The housing and the shaft have mounting portions that can be respectively mounted on the rotating component side and the main body component side. The mounting portion of the housing and the mounting portion of the shaft are configured to be symmetrical to each other in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotary damper.

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