Fluid Damper With Rotatable Sleeve and Wing for Simplified Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid dampers for furniture parts face challenges in assembly complexity and component wear due to uneven stress distribution, leading to potential seizing and reduced lifespan.
Innovation Solution
The fluid damper design incorporates a sleeve with radially rotatable wings and transverse grooves for simplified assembly and symmetrical loading, along with a helical spring to maintain the sleeve in a retracted position when openings are open, ensuring stable operation and reduced wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the piston rod is inserted into the piston with the wing and spring in a recess, then the assembly is completed, but the assembly process requires great effort and skill due to simultaneous alignment through central openings
Solution Approach 1:
The closing element is divided into a sleeve component and a wing component that can be assembled separately. The sleeve is first inserted into the piston through transverse grooves, and then the wing is attached to the piston rod. This segmentation eliminates the need for simultaneous alignment through multiple central openings, significantly simplifying the assembly process while maintaining functional integrity.
2Device complexity
If a conventional piston design is used, then the structure is simple, but uneven stress distribution causes component wear and potential seizing
Solution Approach 1:
The closing element employs an asymmetric design where the sleeve rotates about the piston rod axis, creating symmetrical loading conditions during operation. The transverse grooves and guide elements are positioned to ensure uniform stress distribution across the piston components, preventing localized wear and seizing while maintaining overall structural simplicity.
3Ease of operation
If the wing closes the through opening progressively with speed or pressure, then damping control is achieved, but assembly requires precise simultaneous alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve is preliminarily positioned in the piston through transverse grooves before the wing is attached to the piston rod. This preliminary action ensures that the closing element is already in the correct position and orientation, eliminating the need for precise simultaneous alignment during final assembly while preserving the progressive closing function that provides speed and pressure-dependent damping control.
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
This design simplifies assembly, enhances stability by distributing loads symmetrically, and reduces wear on components, resulting in improved operational reliability and extended lifespan of the fluid damper.
Implementation Method 1
when the furniture parts move away from one another, a spring moves the wing on the piston back and opens the through opening
Implementation Method 2
a fluid damper, that is, a damper with fluid, for furniture parts that are movable relative to one another
Data Source
AI summary
The invention describes a fluid damper for furniture parts that are movable relative to one another, said fluid damper comprising a piston (4) guided movably in a cylinder (1) along a longitudinal axis. At least one through opening (4.1, 4.2) for fluid flowing through is provided in the piston (4) and/or between the piston (4) and cylinder (1). A sleeve (2) is arranged so as to be radially rotatable, relative to the piston (4) against a spring loading, about the longitudinal axis or about an axis running parallel thereto, which sleeve comprises, on its circumference, a number of wings (2.1, 2.2, 2.1′, 2.2′) corresponding to the number of through openings (4.1, 4.2). The spring loading is directed such that the wing (2.1, 2.2, 2.1′, 2.2′) exposes the through opening (4.1, 4.2) when the piston (4) is stationary in the cylinder (1) and in the event of a movement in a movement direction of the piston (4) and of the cylinder (1) relative to one another along the longitudinal axis, and progressively closes said through opening in the event of a movement against the movement direction with increasing relative speed between the piston (4) and cylinder (1) along the longitudinal axis. The fluid damper comprises a hollow-cylindrical part of the piston (4), which surrounds the sleeve (2) and the at least one wing (2.1, 2.2, 2.1′, 2.2′), which is arranged on the circumference of said sleeve, along at least part of the longitudinal axis thereof.