Patent No.:CN111720468A Date:2020-07-02

Google Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/CN111720468A/en?oq=CN111720468A

China Patent: http://epub.cnipa.gov.cn/

Abstract: This invention relates to a balanced gas spring with a bidirectional power airflow control component. It comprises:

• Sealing element
• Piston rod
• Elastic stop element

The elastic stop element includes:

• Piston assembly
• Piston cover
• Power airflow control component

The piston assembly consists of:

• Piston body
• Rubber O-ring

The piston body is equipped with a groove for the O-ring, which limits the movement distance of the O-ring. The piston body also features a longitudinal through-hole, with one end directed away from the piston cover and the other end towards the power airflow control component. A transverse through-hole is provided in the middle of the longitudinal through-hole, connecting to the central part of the groove for the O-ring.

This invention’s elastic stop element has a simple structure and low processing difficulty, making it suitable for applications in various fields.

Title: Balanced Gas Spring with Bidirectional Power Airflow Control Component

Technical Field: This invention relates to the field of balanced gas springs, particularly to a balanced gas spring with a bidirectional power airflow control component.

Background Technology: A gas spring is an industrial component that can serve functions such as support, buffering, braking, height adjustment, and angle adjustment. It consists of the following parts: a pressure cylinder, piston rod, piston, seal guide sleeve, and filling material (inert gas or oil-gas mixture). It also includes internal and external control elements (for controllable gas springs) and joints.

The principle involves filling the sealed pressure cylinder with an inert gas or oil-gas mixture, making the pressure inside the chamber several times higher than atmospheric pressure. The movement of the piston rod is achieved through the pressure difference created due to the smaller cross-sectional area of the piston rod compared to the piston. Gas springs have distinct advantages over ordinary springs: relatively slow speed, minimal dynamic force variation (generally within 1:1.2), and easy control.

As gas springs are increasingly applied in various fields, the demand for balanced gas springs in multiple applications has grown. For instance, application number CN201711296002.X discloses a high-pressure micro-adjustment valve based on an air spring. The air spring chamber is connected to the welded base of the air spring chamber using argon arc welding. The upper part of the air spring chamber is provided with a locking cover. The lower end of the air spring is connected to the air spring connection seat through the first hexagon socket bolt, placed in the air spring chamber. The return spring is placed between the air spring connection seat and the welded base of the air spring chamber. The upper end of the valve fixing seat is connected to the welded base of the air spring chamber through the second hexagon socket bolt. The adjustment valve is installed at the lower end of the valve fixing seat and connected to the air spring connection seat through the valve coupler and limit connecting shaft.

Another example, application number CN201920474811.3, discloses a nitrogen spring structure, including a cylinder and a piston rod with an intermediate sleeve. The cylinder is provided with a cylinder hole, and the intermediate sleeve is sealably connected to the upper part of the inner wall of the cylinder hole. The piston rod is slidably connected to the inner hole of the intermediate sleeve. The cylinder hole is filled with high-pressure nitrogen gas. The inner end face of the piston rod is provided with an outwardly extending stepped boss with at least two sections. The inner wall of the intermediate sleeve is provided with an inwardly extending stop boss and limit boss. A Y-shaped sealing ring is provided in the seal ring accommodating groove. The outer circumference of the intermediate sleeve is provided with an annular pressure relief thin-wall boss. The outer end face of the piston rod is provided with at least one force-receiving surface inclined relative to the outer end face. The bottom of the cylinder hole is provided with a mounting hole, where a plug mounting seat is fixed, and a plug blind hole facing the cylinder hole is provided on the plug mounting seat.

The piston structure of the above gas spring designs is overly complex and difficult to process, making it challenging to meet multi-field application demands.

Summary of the Invention: This invention aims to provide a balanced gas spring that is simple in structure, easy to process, has a long service life, stable elastic performance, and is suitable for various fields.

Technical Solution: This balanced gas spring with a bidirectional power airflow control component includes:

• A sealing element with a sealed cavity
• A piston rod, with one end set in the sealed cavity of the sealing element and the other end extending outside the sealing element
• An elastic stop element fixedly connected to the piston rod within the sealing element

The elastic stop element includes:

• A piston assembly fixedly arranged on the piston rod
• Piston covers symmetrically arranged at both ends of the piston assembly and fixedly connected to the piston rod
• A power airflow control component set between the piston assembly and piston covers

The piston assembly includes:

• A piston body that is dynamically sealed with the inner wall of the sealing element and a rubber O-ring positioned at the longitudinal middle of the piston body for blocking gas flow.
• The piston body has a groove for placing the O-ring, which limits the O-ring’s movement distance and works with the O-ring to form sealing surfaces on both sides of the groove.
• The piston body also has a longitudinal through-hole, with one end penetrating both ends of the piston body, and the power airflow control components symmetrically arranged at both ends of the longitudinal through-hole.
• There is also a transverse through-hole in the middle of the longitudinal through-hole, with one end connected to the longitudinal through-hole and the other end to the middle of the O-ring groove.

In one embodiment, the power airflow control component includes:

• A sealing wafer placed on the longitudinal through-hole to close it, and an elastic pressure ring on the side of the sealing wafer away from the longitudinal through-hole to provide sealing resistance.

In another embodiment, both the elastic pressure ring and the rubber O-ring are made of elastic deformation materials.

In another embodiment, the elastic pressure ring is annular and can have a circular or square cross-section.

In another embodiment, the piston cover includes:

• A first piston cover and a second piston cover, with each cover arranged on either end of the piston body. There is also a power airflow control component set between the first and second piston covers.

In another embodiment, the power airflow control component includes:

• A first power airflow control component between the first piston cover and the piston body, and a second power airflow control component between the second piston cover and the piston body.

In another embodiment, the first and second piston covers are respectively provided with first and second stepped grooves at the connection points with the piston assembly. These grooves are used to install the first and second power airflow control components respectively. Openings are provided on the outer sides of these grooves to connect the sealed cavity and the gap formed between the piston body and the sealing element.

In another embodiment, the first power airflow control component includes a first sealing wafer and a first elastic pressure ring, while the second airflow control assembly includes a second sealing wafer and a second elastic pressure ring.

In one embodiment:

• The sealing element includes a cylinder, a guide seal system at one end of the cylinder, and an end cap at the other end of the cylinder. The elastic stop component is placed within the cylinder, with one end of the piston rod connected to the elastic stop component and the other end passing through the guide seal system to the outside.

In another embodiment:

• The guide seal system includes a guide limiter and a lip seal on the guide limiter. The guide limiter prevents the piston rod from wobbling during displacement, and the lip seal ensures airtightness within the cylinder when the piston rod moves.

According to the present invention:

• The balanced gas spring with a bidirectional power airflow control component has a simple structure, low processing difficulty, a long service life, and is suitable for multiple fields of application.

Figures Description: To better illustrate the embodiments or existing technologies of the invention, a brief description of the accompanying drawings used in the descriptions will be provided. Clearly, the following drawings only show some embodiments of the invention, and other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown without creative effort by those skilled in the field.

• Figure 1: Overall schematic of the invention
• Figure 2: Overall schematic of the elastic stop component
• Figure 3: Schematic of the piston assembly of the elastic stop component
• Figure 4: Schematic of the power airflow control component of the elastic stop component
• Figure 5: Schematic of the gas flow in the extended state of the elastic stop component
• Figure 6: Schematic of the gas flow in the compressed state of the elastic stop component
• Figure 7: Schematic of the piston body with a longitudinal through-hole in the elastic stop component

Detailed Implementation Method It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, inside, outside, center…) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement, etc., between the various parts under a certain posture (as shown in the drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

In the present invention, unless explicitly defined and limited otherwise, the terms “connection” and “fixed” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, “fixed” can refer to either fixed connections or detachable connections or integrally formed connections; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediary; it can be an internal communication between two elements or a mutual interaction relationship between two elements, unless explicitly defined otherwise. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood based on specific situations.

Additionally, the technical solutions of various embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other, but such combinations must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to realize. If the technical solutions are combined and result in contradictions or cannot be realized, it should be considered that such combinations do not exist and are not within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Example 1 Refer to Figures 1 to 3 for a balanced gas spring with a bidirectional power airflow control component. The piston rod includes: a sealing element 2 with an internal sealed cavity 10, one end of which is set inside the sealing element 2 and the other end extends outside the sealing element 2. It also includes an elastic stop component 1 connected to the piston rod body 3 within the sealing element 2. The elastic stop component 1 is set in the sealed cavity 10 and includes: a piston assembly 11 fixed on the piston rod body 3, piston covers 12 symmetrically set at both ends of the piston assembly 11, and a power airflow control component 13 set between the piston assembly 11 and the piston covers 12.

The piston assembly 11 includes: a piston body 111 with a gap relative to the inner wall of the sealed cavity 10, and a rubber O-ring 112 positioned on the side of the piston body 111 for blocking gas. The piston body 111 has a groove 113 for placing the rubber O-ring 112, which limits the movement distance of the rubber O-ring 112 and cooperates with the rubber O-ring 112 to form sealing surfaces on both sides of the groove 113. The sealing surfaces are formed by the rubber O-ring 112 fitting with the inner wall of the sealing element 2, the groove bottom of the groove 113, and the side end face of the groove 113 to form a three-point seal.

The piston body 111 also has a longitudinal through-hole 114 for communicating the two end faces of the piston body 111. The power airflow control components 13 are symmetrically set at both ends of the longitudinal through-hole 114. A transverse through-hole 115 is also set in the middle of the longitudinal through-hole 114, with one end connected to the longitudinal through-hole 114 and the other end connected to the middle of the groove 113 containing the rubber O-ring 112. When the rubber O-ring 112 is at either end of the groove 113, the rubber O-ring 112 exposes the transverse through-hole 115 for ventilation.

With reference to Figure 2:

• The piston cover 12 includes a first piston cover 121 and a second piston cover 122, which are respectively set at both ends of the piston body 111. A power airflow control component 13 is also set between the first piston cover 121 and the second piston cover 122.

With reference to Figure 3:

• The power airflow control component 13 includes a first power airflow control component 131 and a second power airflow control component 132. The first power airflow control component 131 is set between the first piston cover 121 and the piston body 111, while the second power airflow control component 132 is set between the second piston cover 122 and the second piston body 111.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3:

• The first piston cover 121 and the second piston cover 122 each have a first installation groove 1211 and a second installation groove 1221 at the connection points with the piston assembly 11. These grooves are used to install the first power airflow control component 131 and the second power airflow control component 132 respectively. Openings 123 are provided on the outer sides of the first and second installation grooves 1211 and 1221, creating a gap between the sealed cavity 10 and the piston body 111.

With reference to Figures 2 to 4:

• The first power airflow control component 131 includes a first sealing wafer 1311 set on the longitudinal through-hole 114 to close it, and a first elastic pressure ring 1312 on the side of the first sealing wafer 1311 away from the longitudinal through-hole 114 to provide sealing resistance.

Further preferred embodiment:

• The second power airflow control component 132 includes a second sealing wafer 1321 set on the longitudinal through-hole 114 to close it, and a second elastic pressure ring 1322 on the side of the second sealing wafer 1321 away from the longitudinal through-hole 114 to provide sealing resistance.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 5:

• The elastic stop component 1 divides the sealed cavity 10 into two cavities, the first cavity 6 and the second cavity 5, which can only allow gas to flow through the longitudinal through-hole 114. When there is no external force, the gas pressure per unit area in the first cavity 6 and the second cavity 5 is the same. Since the area exposed by the first piston cover 121 in the first cavity 6 is smaller than the area exposed by the second piston cover 122 combined with the end of the piston rod body 3 in the second cavity 5, there is always a thrust that pushes the piston rod body 3 and the elastic stop component 1 to extend outwards. During the extension displacement, the rubber O-ring 112 moves and closes the gap between the transverse through-hole 115 and the first cavity 6 formed by the piston body 111 and the sealed cavity 10. The gas flows from the longitudinal through-hole 114 to the second sealing wafer 1321. Due to the interference fit between the second sealing wafer 1321 and the second elastic pressure ring 1322, the outlet on that side of the longitudinal through-hole 114 is also closed, generating the required supporting balance force. Only when external pressure forces the gas to push open the second sealing wafer 1321, the gas in the second cavity 5 can flow to the first cavity 6, maintaining the balance of gas pressure between the two cavities.

As shown in Figure 6:

• Due to the initial thrust, the elastic stop component 1 will only undergo compressive displacement from the piston body 111 towards the second piston cover 122 under external force. During the compressive displacement, the rubber O-ring 112 moves and closes the gap between the transverse through-hole 115 and the second cavity 5 formed by the piston body 111 and the sealed cavity 10. The gas flows from the longitudinal through-hole 114 to the first sealing wafer 1311. Due to the interference fit between the first sealing wafer 1311 and the first elastic pressure ring 1312, the outlet on that side of the longitudinal through-hole 114 is also closed, generating the required supporting balance force. Only when external pressure forces the gas to push open the first sealing wafer 1311, the gas in the first cavity 6 can flow to the second cavity 5, maintaining the balance of gas pressure between the two cavities.

The elastic stop component 1 achieves the function of the balanced gas spring through a simple structural setup, with low processing difficulty of parts, meeting the application needs of various fields.

By setting two power airflow control components 13 at both ends of the longitudinal through-hole 114 on a single piston body 111, the spring force during compression and extension of the gas spring can be controlled. The power airflow control components 13 will not wear out during use, thus preventing the spring force of the gas spring from decreasing.

Further embodiments:

• The rubber O-ring 112 is made of materials with good wear resistance and sealing properties.
• By setting the contact area between the sealing wafer 131 and the elastic pressure ring 132 after being subjected to pressure, the purpose of achieving a certain external force can be reached. For example, the larger the contact area set between the first elastic pressure ring 1312 and the first sealing wafer 1311 after being subjected to pressure, the greater the external force required to deform the first elastic pressure ring 1312.
• The first elastic pressure ring 1312, the second elastic pressure ring 1322, and the rubber O-ring 112 are all made of elastic deformation materials.
• The first elastic pressure ring 1312, the second elastic pressure ring 1322, and the rubber O-ring 112 are arranged in an annular shape, and their cross-sections can be either circular or square.

With reference to Figure 7:

• At least two longitudinal through-holes 114 are set in an annular, equally spaced manner on the piston body 111. This arrangement of multiple longitudinal through-holes 114 at equal intervals helps stabilize the working of the elastic stop component 1, ensuring that it will not get stuck inside the sealed cavity due to uneven gas pressure during displacement.
• Preferably, the first piston cover 121, the second piston cover 122, and the piston body 111 have corresponding mounting holes 14. These mounting holes 14 are used to assemble the elastic stop component 1 with other devices.
• Further, the connection points between the piston rod body 3 and the first piston cover 121, and the second piston cover 122 have stepped structures 31, which limit the displacement of the first piston cover 121 and the second piston cover 122 through these stepped structures 31.
• As shown in Figure 1, the sealing element 2 includes: a cylinder 21, a guide seal system 22 at one end of the cylinder 21, and an end cap 23 at the other end of the cylinder 21. The elastic stop component 1 is set inside the cylinder 21. One end of the piston rod body 3 is connected to the elastic stop component 1, and the other end passes through the guide seal system 22 to the outside.
• Further, the cylinder 21 is set as a hollow column, which can be of any columnar shape, such as cylindrical, square columnar, etc.

The elastic stop component 1 is set according to the hollow shape of the cylinder 21, ensuring that it always fits with the inner wall of the cylinder 21.

Preferably, the guide seal system 22 includes a guide limiter 221 and a lip seal 222 set on the guide limiter 221. The guide limiter 221 prevents the piston rod body 3 from wobbling during displacement. The lip seal 222 ensures the airtightness within the cylinder 21 when the piston rod body 3 moves.

Preferably, one end of the piston rod body 3, away from the elastic stop component 1, is provided with a connection structure 4. This connection structure 4 is used to connect the piston rod body 3 to other structures.

Further, one end of the end cap 23, away from the elastic stop component 1, is also provided with a connection structure 4. This connection structure 4 allows the piston rod to be assembled onto other structures. For example, by connecting the connection structure 4 on one end of the end cap 23 to a windowsill and the connection structure 4 on the other end of the piston rod body 3 to a window, the piston rod can function as a windowsill support rod. Additionally, this connection structure 4 enables the piston rod to be used in various other fields.

In one embodiment, a weight is set on the piston rod body 3 through the connection structure 4. The weight’s gravity is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the initial thrust of the elastic stop component 1. This configuration ensures that the elastic stop component 1 is in a force balance state without additional forces.

In this force balance state, the elastic stop component 1 is stationary. In this state, the elastic stop component 1 can only be displaced by applying additional power, thereby performing extension or compression movements. During displacement, the longitudinal through-hole 114 of the elastic stop component 1 connects the first cavity 6 and the second cavity 5, maintaining equal gas pressure per unit area in both cavities. When the external force is removed, the displacement of the elastic stop component 1 stops, and it remains in a force balance state.

The working principle of the invention: The gas pressure in the first cavity 6 and the second cavity 5 of the piston rod is set so that the support force provided by the gas pressure in the first cavity 6 is equal to or slightly less than the minimum gravity of the support object. When the elastic stop component 1 is compressed inward, the rubber O-ring 112 in the groove 113 moves to tightly press against the groove 113 near one end of the piston rod body 3 and the inner wall of the cylinder 21, forming a seal for the first cavity 6. This seal holds the power gas, generating the required support balance force. Only when external force pushes open the first sealing wafer 1311, can the power gas on both sides of the elastic stop component 1 flow to the first cavity 6, allowing the piston rod to perform compressive movement.

When the piston rod extends outward, the rubber O-ring 112 in the groove 113 moves to tightly press against the groove 113 near the first cavity 6 and the inner wall of the cylinder 21, forming a seal for the second cavity 5. However, the power gas passes through the gap between the outer diameter of the elastic stop component 1 and the inner diameter of the cylinder 21, through the transverse through-hole 115 to the second power airflow control component 132. Only when external force pushes open the second sealing wafer 1321, can the power gas on both sides of the elastic stop component 1 flow to the second cavity 5, allowing the piston rod to perform extension movement.

By setting power airflow control components 13 at both ends of the elastic stop component 1, the invention ensures that the piston rod body 3 maintains its static balance better when no displacement occurs. This setup allows it to resist winds up to level 6 without changing its position.

The above descriptions and illustrations present the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that the invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions provided are only meant to explain the principles of the invention. Various changes and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, all of which fall within the protected scope defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims:  – A Balanced Gas Spring with Bidirectional Power Airflow Control Component, invented by LeiYan Gas Spring, a pioneer Chinese Gas Spring Manufacture

1. A balanced gas spring with a bidirectional power airflow control component, comprising:
   • A sealing element with a sealed cavity,
   • A piston rod with one end set inside the sealed cavity of the sealing element and the other end extending outside the sealing element,
   • An elastic stop component fixedly connected to the piston rod within the sealing element, characterized in that the elastic stop component includes:
     • A piston assembly fixedly arranged on the piston rod,
     • Piston covers symmetrically set at both ends of the piston assembly and fixedly connected to the piston rod,
     • A power airflow control component set between the piston assembly and the piston covers.
2. The piston assembly includes:
   • A piston body with a gap relative to the inner wall of the sealing element, and
   • A rubber O-ring positioned on the side of the piston body for blocking gas flow.
   • The piston body has a groove for placing the rubber O-ring, limiting its movement distance and forming sealing surfaces on both sides.
   • The piston body also has a longitudinal through-hole for communicating the two end faces of the piston body.
   • The power airflow control components are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the longitudinal through-hole, and a transverse through-hole in the middle connects the longitudinal through-hole to the groove containing the rubber O-ring.
3. The power airflow control component includes:
   • A sealing wafer on the longitudinal through-hole to close it, and
   • An elastic pressure ring on the side of the sealing wafer away from the longitudinal through-hole to provide sealing resistance.
4. The elastic pressure ring and the rubber O-ring are made of elastic deformation materials.
5. The elastic pressure ring is annular, and its cross-section can be circular or rectangular.
6. The piston cover includes:
   • A first piston cover and a second piston cover, which are set at both ends of the piston body, with power airflow control components set between them.
7. The power airflow control component includes:
   • A first power airflow control component between the first piston cover and the piston body, and
   • A second power airflow control component between the second piston cover and the piston body.
8. The first and second piston covers each have a first and second installation groove at the connection points with the piston assembly, used to install the first and second power airflow control components respectively. The outer sides of these grooves are not tightly sealed, creating a gap between the sealed cavity and the piston body.
9. The first power airflow control component includes:
   • A first sealing wafer and a first elastic pressure ring.
   • The second airflow control component includes a second sealing wafer and a second elastic pressure ring.
10. The sealing element includes:
    • A cylinder,
    • A guide seal system at one end of the cylinder, and
    • An end cap at the other end of the cylinder.
    • The elastic stop component is assembled in the cylinder, with one end of the piston rod connected to the elastic stop component and the other end passing through the guide seal system to the outside.
11. The guide seal system includes:
    • A guide limiter and a lip seal on the guide limiter. The guide limiter prevents lateral displacement and wobbling of the piston rod during movement, and the lip seal ensures airtightness within the cylinder during the displacement of the piston rod.