Flat-Cross-Section Damper Structure for Thinness and Open-Side Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dampers are inefficient in reducing thickness while maintaining performance and preventing deformation due to environmental changes.
Innovation Solution
A damper design featuring a piston and cylinder with width-side and thickness-side wall portions, a connection portion bridging the width-side wall portions, and a long hole in the piston to prevent dislodgment, enhancing rigidity and maintaining consistent distance between wall portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the cylinder is designed with a flat cross-section to reduce thickness, then the thickness is reduced, but the rigidity on the open side deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cylinder is divided into width-side wall portions and thickness-side wall portions, with connection portions bridging the width-side walls. This segmentation allows the flat cross-section design for reduced thickness while adding localized structural elements (connection portions) to maintain rigidity on the open side without increasing overall thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection portions extend in the thickness direction to bridge the width-side wall portions, adding structural reinforcement in the thickness dimension. This allows the cylinder to maintain a thin overall profile while having internal three-dimensional structures that provide the necessary rigidity on the open side.
2Length of moving object
If the cylinder is made thinner to reduce overall size, then the thickness is reduced, but the distance between width-side wall portions becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The cylinder structure is segmented into distinct wall portions connected by connection portions. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component, enabling the overall thickness to be reduced while the connection portions specifically maintain the stable distance between width-side wall portions through their bridging structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection portions are designed to preemptively counteract deformation forces that would otherwise cause the distance between width-side wall portions to change. By providing these reinforcing structures in advance, the design prevents instability before it occurs, maintaining consistent spacing even in a thinner cylinder configuration.
3Reliability
If environmental changes occur, then deformation is caused, but adding protective structures increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The connection portions serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural reinforcement to prevent deformation from environmental changes, maintain the distance between wall portions, and integrate with the existing cylinder geometry. By merging these functions into a single structural element rather than adding separate protective components, the design achieves improved reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
4Reliability
If a pin member is added to prevent falling off, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection portions are designed to simultaneously prevent falling off and provide structural reinforcement. By integrating the retention function into the existing connection structure rather than adding a separate pin member, the design achieves improved reliability while minimizing increases in device complexity. The connection portions serve both as structural elements and as retention mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A damper includes a piston provided with a rod, and a cylinder storing the piston, and generates a braking force by a movement or relative movement of the piston. The cylinder is provided with width-side wall portions and thickness-side wall portions, and a shape in a cross section of the cylinder in a direction orthogonal to a moving direction of the piston is flat. The cylinder has a connection portion on an open side thereof, and the connection portion bridges the width-side wall portions.