Drawer Slide Fluid Damper With Speed-Dependent Valve Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Typical dampers for movable furniture components lack the ability to vary damping based on speed, often leading to over-damping or under-damping, and are typically separate components from drawer closing devices, resulting in increased space consumption, higher costs, and mechanical failures.
Innovation Solution
A fluid damper system with two interconnected conduits and a regulator that adjusts fluid flow through movable valves, allowing for varying damping based on speed, integrated with a drawer closing device to provide compact, cost-effective, and reliable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a typical damper is used to dampen high-speed furniture component movement, then the furniture component is prevented from slamming, but the damper either over-dampens causing the component to stop or rebound, or under-dampens allowing it to slam
Solution Approach 1:
The regulator incorporates movable valves that dynamically adjust the damping characteristic based on the speed of the furniture component. When the component moves at high speed, the valves remain in a position that provides strong damping. When the component slows down, the valves automatically shift to provide less damping, enabling gentle closure without stopping or rebounding the drawer.
Solution Approach 2:
The damping force is varied by changing the flow resistance parameters within the regulator. The movable valves alter the effective orifice size and flow path characteristics based on the instantaneous speed of the furniture component, allowing the damper to adapt its damping parameter to match the current operating condition.
2Reliability
If a separate damper component is operably coupled to a drawer closing device, then damping function is provided, but space consumption increases, manufacturing cost increases, and susceptibility to mechanical failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damper is fully integrated with the drawer closing device, merging two previously separate functions into a single unified component. The regulator and damping mechanism are incorporated directly into the closing device structure, eliminating the need for separate dampers and reducing the overall number of parts, assembly steps, and potential failure points.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated closing device performs multiple functions: it provides the closing force to move the drawer and simultaneously provides speed-dependent damping to control the closure. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate dedicated damper components while maintaining both closing and damping capabilities.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively adjusts damping to match the speed of the furniture component, preventing damage and noise, while being more compact and reliable than traditional solutions, with reduced mechanical failures and assembly complexity.
Implementation Method 1
As fluid moves through the orifices in the damping direction, the valves are urged by the fluid pressure toward a seated position within the orifices. As fluid pressure increases, the valves move closer to the fully seated position and impede the fluid flow to a greater degree.
Implementation Method 2
The valves may include one or more bypass channels and may be spring biased toward an unseated position within the orifices.
Implementation Method 3
Damping occurs when a movable furniture component engages a movable member in one fluid conduit, causing it to shuttle the fluid through the regulator and into the other fluid conduit.
Data Source
AI summary
A damper including a first fluid conduit in fluid communication with a second fluid conduit via a regulator, a first movable member disposed within the first fluid conduit, a second movable member disposed within the second fluid conduit, and a fluid residing between the first and second movable members. The regulator may include one or more orifices each having a valve disposed therein, wherein the valves are moveable between a seated position and an unseated position with respect to the orifices and are spring biased toward the unseated position. The damper may be spring biased such that when it is mounted on a stationary rail of a drawer slide, and engages with a movable rail of the drawer slide, it urges the drawer slide toward a closed position and dampens the closing motion of the drawer slide.