Category: Patents

LeiYan Gas Springs having patents for various gas spring products and production equipments.

 

A Friction Piston Gas Sping

Patent No.:CN214999037U Date:2021-04-25

Google Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/CN214999037U/en?oq=CN214999037U

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

A Friction Piston Gas Sping
Abstract
This utility model provides a friction piston device, which includes a piston assembly and a closed cavity. A Y-type lip seal is arranged in the closed cavity, where the Y-type lip seal includes an outer lip and an inner lip, and the outer lip abuts against the inner wall of the closed cavity. The piston assembly includes a piston rod, a piston body, and a piston cap, and several flow holes are provided on the piston assembly. Through the inner lip of the Y-type lip seal tightly abutting against the piston body and the outer lip being squeezed by the air pressure in the cavity and the inner wall of the closed cavity, complete friction of the inner lip and sealed belt state frictional motion of the outer lip are formed. Moreover, gas or oil can only flow through the damping structure to form a certain damping force. Therefore, the friction generated by the friction piston device of this utility model achieves the effects of enhancing friction and excellent sealing performance, and at the same time improves work efficiency and service life, thereby solving the problem of poor sealing friction damping effect in the prior art.

This passage describes a patent for a “friction piston device.” Here’s a breakdown of the information:

  • Device Components:
    • The device consists of a piston assembly and a closed cavity.
    • The piston assembly contains a piston rod, a piston body, and a piston cap, and has several flow holes.
    • The closed cavity has a Y-type lip seal with an outer lip and an inner lip.
  • Functionality and Working Mechanism:
    • The inner lip of the Y-type lip seal tightly abuts the piston body.
    • The outer lip is subject to cavity air pressure and squeezing from the cavity’s inner wall, resulting in different types of friction for the inner and outer lips.
    • Gas or oil can only flow through a damping structure, creating a damping force.
  • Advantages:
    • The friction generated by this device enhances friction and provides excellent sealing performance.
    • It improves work efficiency and service life.
    • It aims to address the problem of poor sealing friction damping effect in existing technologies.

This device seems designed to improve the performance of piston systems by using a unique Y-type lip seal configuration and associated friction and damping mechanisms to achieve better sealing and more efficient operation compared to prior art solutions.

Description
A Friction Piston Device
Technical Field
This utility model relates to the field of gas springs, and specifically to a friction piston device.
Background
A gas spring is a component that can realize functions such as support, buffering, and braking. In construction machinery, it is mainly used in parts such as covers and doors. A gas spring mainly consists of a piston rod, a piston, a sealing guide sleeve, a filler, a pressure cylinder, and joints. Among them, the pressure cylinder is a closed cavity filled with an inert gas or an oil-gas mixture, and the pressure inside the cavity is several times or dozens of times the atmospheric pressure.
The O-ring of a traditional gas spring is arranged in the piston groove, and the frictional force between the O-ring and the inner wall of the cylinder body is limited, resulting in problems such as poor sealing friction damping effect, unstable spring speed and compression speed, which reduces the consistency, stability, and service life of the product.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for a gas spring with an enhanced friction piston device to solve the problems of poor sealing friction damping effect and unstable spring speed and compression speed.
Utility Model Content
In view of this, this utility model provides an enhanced friction piston device that can solve at least one of the above problems. Through the frictional motion resistance generated by the extrusion of the outer lip to form a sealing belt state with the inner wall of the closed cavity, and then through the damping force generated by several flow holes and the damping structure on the piston assembly, the effect of enhancing friction and excellent sealing performance is achieved, meeting the working purpose of slow spring speed and slow compression speed.
To achieve the above purpose, this utility model provides the following technical solution: A friction piston device includes a piston assembly and a closed cavity, and the piston assembly moves back and forth in the closed cavity; wherein,
A Y-type lip seal is arranged in the closed cavity, the Y-type lip seal includes an outer lip and an inner lip, the outer lip abuts against the inner wall of the closed cavity, and a distance is preset between the inner lip and the damping hole;
The piston assembly includes a piston rod, a piston body sleeved on the piston rod, and a piston cap. The piston cap includes a left piston cap and a right piston cap. Several flow holes are provided on the piston assembly. The piston body includes a socket part and a stop part. The cross-sectional diameter of one end of the socket part is smaller than that of the other end. A damping structure is provided on the socket part and the piston rod, and the Y-type lip seal shifts by friction between the stop part and the piston cap.

This section of the patent description for the “friction piston device” includes the following key points:

  • Technical Field and Background:
    • The device belongs to the gas spring field, which is used in construction machinery.
    • It points out the problems with traditional gas springs, where the O-ring’s limited friction with the cylinder wall leads to poor sealing, unstable speeds, and reduced product quality.
  • Utility Model Content:
    • The friction piston device aims to solve these issues.
    • It consists of a piston assembly and a closed cavity, with the piston assembly moving back and forth in the cavity.
    • The closed cavity contains a Y-type lip seal with outer and inner lips. The outer lip contacts the cavity wall, and there’s a preset distance between the inner lip and the damping hole.
    • The piston assembly has a piston rod, piston body, and piston cap (left and right). It has several flow holes.
    • The piston body has a socket part with different cross-sectional diameters at its ends and a damping structure on the socket part and piston rod.
    • The Y-type lip seal moves by friction between the stop part and the piston cap.

This design appears to utilize the Y-type lip seal and damping structure to address the problems of traditional gas springs, with the aim of improving friction, sealing, and speed control through the interaction of these components and structures.

In some preferred embodiments, several of the flow holes include several first through holes provided on the stop part and several second through holes provided on the piston cap.
In some preferred embodiments, a first included angle and a second included angle are respectively set between the outer lip and the inner lip and the axis, where the first included angle and the second included angle are greater than zero degrees and less than ninety degrees.
In some preferred embodiments, the damping structure includes a damping hole and a damping gap, the damping hole is provided at one end near the socket part, and the damping gap is provided between the socket part and the piston rod.
In some preferred embodiments, the socket part includes a first socket part and a second socket part, and the first socket part and the second socket part are distributed on both sides of the stop part.
In some preferred embodiments, the Y-type lip seal includes a first Y-type lip seal and a second Y-type lip seal.
In some preferred embodiments, the first Y-type lip seal and the second Y-type lip seal are respectively sleeved on the first socket part and the second socket part.
In some preferred embodiments, the axial height of the outer lip is greater than the axial height of the inner lip.
In some preferred embodiments, the number of the damping holes is one.
In some preferred embodiments, the first through hole and the second through hole are adapted.

Features and Advantages of the Utility Model:
When the piston assembly is performing a compression motion, the Y-type lip seal forms a frictional displacement with the inner wall of the closed cavity and moves towards one end of the socket part (the end with a smaller cross-sectional diameter). The outer lip abuts on the left piston cap, and at this time, the inner lip disengages from the piston body to form an annular gas passing gap, and most of the gas or oil directly flows through several through holes on the piston assembly, enabling the compression motion to be completed easily, conveniently, and quickly, with high work efficiency. When the piston assembly is performing an extension motion, the Y-type lip seal is frictionally displaced to the other end of the socket part (the end with a larger cross-sectional diameter). At this time, the inner lip of the Y-type lip seal is on the piston body, and the outer lip is under the action of air pressure in the cavity and the squeezing of the inner wall of the closed cavity, forming a complete seal of the inner lip, and the outer lip is in a sealed belt state of frictional motion. Moreover, gas or oil can only flow through the damping hole and the damping gap to form a certain damping force. Therefore, the friction generated by the friction piston device of this utility model is much greater than the friction generated by the piston groove with an O-ring in the prior art, achieving the effect of enhancing friction and excellent sealing performance, and at the same time improving work efficiency and service life, thereby solving the problem of poor sealing friction damping effect in the prior art and meeting the working purpose of slow spring speed or slow compression speed.

Here is a detailed explanation of this part of the patent:

  • Detailed Implementation of the Flow Holes:
    • The flow holes are divided into first through holes on the stop part and second through holes on the piston cap, which may play a role in gas or fluid flow during different motion states of the piston assembly.
  • Angles of the Lips:
    • The outer and inner lips have first and second included angles with the axis, which are within a specific range (greater than 0° and less than 90°). These angles might affect the way the lips interact with other parts and the sealing and frictional behavior.
  • Damping Structure Details:
    • The damping structure consists of a damping hole and a damping gap. The damping hole is located near one end of the socket part, and the damping gap is between the socket part and the piston rod. These components contribute to generating damping force during the motion of the device.
  • Socket Part Configuration:
    • The socket part is divided into a first socket part and a second socket part on both sides of the stop part, which may provide more stable support or different functional requirements.
  • Multiple Y-Type Lip Seals:
    • There can be first and second Y-type lip seals that are respectively sleeved on the first and second socket parts, possibly enhancing the sealing function.
  • Lip Heights:
    • The axial height of the outer lip is greater than that of the inner lip, which could influence the sealing and frictional behavior of the device.
  • Number of Damping Holes:
    • There is typically one damping hole, which is part of the damping force generation mechanism.
  • Matching of Through Holes:
    • The first and second through holes are adapted, perhaps for better gas or fluid flow control.

Advantages and Working Mechanism of the Device:

  • Compression Motion:
    • During compression, the Y-type lip seal moves, and the outer lip contacts the left piston cap, creating an annular gas passing gap. Gas or oil flows through the through holes, making compression easy and efficient.
  • Extension Motion:
    • In extension, the Y-type lip seal moves to the other end of the socket part, resulting in complete sealing by the inner lip and frictional motion of the outer lip. Gas or oil can only pass through the damping hole and gap, generating damping force.
  • Overall Benefits:
    • The device generates more friction than traditional piston grooves with O-rings, improving sealing, efficiency, and lifespan, addressing the poor damping issue, and meeting the need for slow motion speeds.

This utility model uses various configurations and interactions of components to optimize the performance of the friction piston device, particularly in terms of friction, sealing, and damping, compared to existing technologies.

Appendix Description
The following figures are used to provide a further understanding of this application, form a part of this application, and are only intended for schematic explanation and illustration of the utility model, not to limit the scope of the utility model. In the figures:
Figure 1 is the air flow diagram of the single enhanced friction piston device during compression motion in Example 1 of this application;
Figure 2 is the air flow diagram of the single enhanced friction piston device during extension motion in Example 1 of this application;
Figure 3 is the left side view of the Y-type lip seal in Example 1 of this application;
Figure 4 is the cross-sectional view along A – A in Figure 4;
Figure 5 is the left side view of the piston body in Example 1 of this application;
Figure 6 is the cross-sectional view along B – B in Figure 6;
Figure 7 is the air flow diagram of the double enhanced friction piston device during compression motion in Example 2 of this application;
Figure 8 is the air flow diagram of the double enhanced friction piston device during extension motion in Example 2 of this application;
Figure 9 is the cross-sectional view of the piston body including the double socket part in Example 2 of this application.

Reference numerals:

  1. Closed cavity; 2. Y-type lip seal; 3. Piston rod; 4. Piston body; 21. Outer lip; 22. Inner lip; 201. First Y-type lip seal; 202. Second Y-type lip seal; 41. Socket part; 42. Stop part; 51. Left piston cap; 52. Right piston cap; 401. First socket part; 402. Second socket part; 410. Damping hole; 420. First through hole; 510. Second left through hole; 520. Second right through hole.

Specific Implementation Mode
The following will disclose several implementation modes of this application through diagrams, and clearly and completely describe the technical solution of the utility model. The accompanying drawings of the specification that form a part of this application are used to provide a further understanding of the utility model. The schematic examples and descriptions of the utility model are used to explain the utility model and do not constitute an improper limitation of the utility model. Based on the examples in the utility model, all other examples obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work fall within the protection scope of the utility model.

It should be noted that unless otherwise defined, the directions of up, down, left, right, inner, and outer mentioned in this article are based on the up, down, left, right, inner, and outer directions shown in Figure 1 of this application example. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly. The meanings of “multiple” and “several” are two or more. Here, it is explained together that the use of “first”, “second”, “third” and similar words does not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but is used to distinguish different components. In addition, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar components.

In the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, terms such as “connection” and “fixing” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, “fixing” can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection, unless otherwise clearly limited. For ordinary technicians in the field, the specific meaning of the above terms in the utility model can be understood according to specific circumstances.

In addition, the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the utility model can be combined with each other, but it must be based on what ordinary technicians in the field can achieve. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be realized, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the utility model.

Here is an explanation of this section of the patent:

  • Figure Overview:
    • The figures provide visual aids to understand different states and components of the friction piston device. Figures 1 and 2 show the air flow during compression and extension motion of the single enhanced friction piston device in Example 1.
    • Figures 3 and 4 show different views of the Y-type lip seal. Figures 5 and 6 show the piston body from different perspectives.
    • Figures 7 and 8 depict the air flow during motion of the double enhanced friction piston device in Example 2, and Figure 9 shows a cross-section of the piston body with double socket parts.
  • Reference Numerals:
    • Each part of the device is labeled with a unique reference numeral, making it easier to identify and discuss specific components. For example, the closed cavity is 1, and different parts of the Y-type lip seal, piston rod, and piston body have their own reference numbers.
  • Implementation Mode:
    • The specific implementation section aims to describe the technical solution clearly using the figures. It emphasizes that the figures are for understanding the utility model, not for limiting it.
    • It clarifies the meaning of directional terms and the use of ordinal words like “first”, “second”, etc., which are used for component distinction.
    • It also mentions the broad understanding of terms like “connection” and “fixing” and the conditions for combining different embodiments, ensuring that the patent’s protection scope is clear and reasonable.

This part of the patent uses figures and reference numerals to help understand the structure and function of the friction piston device in different motion states and configurations, and sets rules for interpreting the patent’s terms and combining embodiments.

Example 1
Please refer to Figures 1 to 6. A friction piston device in this example includes a piston assembly and a closed cavity 1. The piston assembly moves back and forth in the closed cavity 1, that is, performs extension or compression motion. Among them, a Y-type lip seal 2 is arranged in the closed cavity 1. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the Y-type lip seal 2 in this example includes an outer lip 21 and an inner lip 22, and the outer lip 21 abuts against the inner wall of the closed cavity 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the piston assembly includes a piston rod 3, a piston body 4 sleeved on the piston rod 3, and a piston cap. The piston cap includes a left piston cap 51 and a right piston cap 52, and is respectively provided with a second left through hole 510 and a second right through hole 520. The piston cap plays a role of shielding the Y-type lip seal 2 and increasing the force-bearing strength of the piston body 4 in the device. In combination with Figures 5 and 6, the piston body 4 in this example includes a socket part 41 and a stop part 42. One end 411 of the socket part is a cone structure, and the other end 412 is a column structure. As shown in Figure 6, D1 < D2, that is, the cross-sectional diameter of the cone structure gradually decreases along the direction away from the column structure. Further, a damping hole 410 is provided on the socket part 41, and a damping structure such as a damping gap is provided between the socket part 41 and the piston rod 3. Among them, the damping gap is preferably a threaded damping groove. The number of Y-type lip seals 2 in this example is one, and it can be set to two, three, or more according to actual conditions.

As shown in Figure 5, as a specific implementation, several flow holes in this example include several first through holes 420 provided on the stop part 42 and several second through holes provided on the piston cap. Further preferably, the aperture sizes and numbers of the first through holes 420 and the second through holes are adapted. In this example, the number of both the first through holes and the second through holes is 6. Of course, it can be set to 3, 4, or more according to actual conditions.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, as a specific implementation, the axial height H1 of the outer lip 21 of the Y-type lip seal 2 in this example is greater than the axial height H2 of the inner lip 22. The design of this solution is more conducive to the smooth flow of gas or oil.

As shown in Figure 4, as a specific implementation, a first included angle α and a second included angle β are respectively set between the outer lip 21 and the inner lip 22 and the axis in this example, where the degrees of the first included angle α and the second included angle β are: 0° < α ≤ 45°, 0° < β ≤ 45°. The design of this angle makes the Y-type lip seal have strong elasticity, resistance to friction aging, and good sealing effect.

As a specific implementation, the number of damping holes 410 in this example is one, which is more conducive to the implementation of the damping effect, making the spring speed of the piston assembly stable, the working state stable, and the service life extended.

Combined with the air flow diagrams of the compression motion and extension motion in Figures 1 and 2, the working principle of applying the enhanced friction piston device with a single Y-type lip seal in this example in a gas spring is described as follows:
As shown in Figure 1, when the piston assembly moves to the right during the compression motion in the closed cavity of the gas spring, the Y-type lip seal 2 forms a frictional displacement with the inner wall of the closed cavity 1 and moves to the left, so that the large-diameter end of the outer lip 21 tightly abuts on the left piston cap 51. At this time, the inner lip 22 disengages from the socket part 41 of the piston body 4 to form an annular gas passing gap, and most of the gas flows in from several second right through holes 520 and several first through holes 420, passes through the gas gap, and then directly flows out through several second left through holes 510. At this time, the frictional resistance only comes from the complete sealing belt formed by the extrusion of the outer lip of the Y-type seal and the inner wall of the closed cavity, so that the compression motion is completed easily, conveniently, and quickly, and the work efficiency is high.
As shown in Figure 2, when the piston assembly moves to the left during the extension motion in the closed cavity of the gas spring, the Y-type lip seal 2 is frictionally displaced and moves to the right, so that the small-diameter end of the Y-type lip seal 2 abuts on the right piston cap 52. At this time, the inner lip of the Y-type lip seal 2 is on the piston body, and the outer lip is under the action of air pressure in the cavity and the extrusion of the inner wall of the closed cavity 2, forming a complete seal of the inner lip surface, and the outer lip is in a sealed belt state of frictional motion. At this time, most of the gas flows in from several second left through holes 510 and flows out through the damping hole 410 and the threaded damping groove. This flow path forms a certain damping force. Therefore, through the extrusion of the inner lip and the outer lip of the Y-type lip seal 2 by the piston body 4 and the inner wall of the closed cavity 2 at the same time, the frictional force generated by the double-sided complete frictional sealing belt, together with the gap damping force, is much greater than the frictional force generated by the piston groove with an O-ring in the prior art, achieving the effect of enhancing friction and excellent sealing performance.

It should be noted that the assembly of the piston assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2 in this example is one application form of enhancing friction. According to actual conditions, the piston body and the Y-type lip seal can also be turned 180 degrees together for assembly to form another application form of enhancing friction.

Here is a detailed explanation of this example:

  • Device Components and Structure:
    • Piston Assembly and Closed Cavity: The piston assembly moves back and forth in the closed cavity 1.
    • Y-Type Lip Seal: Consists of outer lip 21 and inner lip 22. The outer lip abuts the cavity wall, and its axial height H1 is greater than the inner lip’s height H2, aiding gas/oil flow.
    • Piston Body and Cap: The piston body 4 has a socket part 41 (with a cone and a column structure) and a stop part 42. The piston cap has left and right caps (51 and 52) with through holes (510 and 520). The cap also strengthens the piston body.
    • Damping Structure: The socket part 41 has a damping hole 410 and a damping gap (preferably a threaded damping groove) between it and the piston rod 3.
    • Flow Holes: Include first through holes 420 on the stop part and second through holes on the piston cap. Their sizes and numbers (6 in this case) can be adjusted based on requirements.
    • Angles: The outer and inner lips have angles α and β (0° < α ≤ 45°, 0° < β ≤ 45°) with the axis, enhancing elasticity and sealing.
  • Working Principle and Functionality:
    • Compression Motion: During compression, the Y-type lip seal moves left, outer lip contacts left cap, inner lip detaches forming a gap. Gas flows through holes 520, 420, and 510, with friction mainly from the outer lip’s seal, making compression easy.
    • Extension Motion: During extension, the Y-type lip seal moves right, with inner lip sealing and outer lip in frictional motion. Gas flows through holes 510, damping hole 410, and damping groove, generating damping force.
    • Friction Enhancement: The combination of lip friction and damping force exceeds that of traditional piston-groove with O-ring, improving sealing and friction.
    • Flexibility: The assembly can be rotated 180 degrees for another application form, showing versatility.

This example describes the construction and operation of a friction piston device in detail, explaining how different components work together during compression and extension motions, and highlighting its advantages in terms of friction and sealing over existing designs.

Example 2
This example is different from Example 1. As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the number of Y-type lip seals 2 in this example is two, that is, a double enhanced friction piston device. According to actual conditions, it can be set to 3, 4, or more Y-type lip seals, and the number of socket parts of the piston body is consistent with the number of Y-type lip seals.

As a specific implementation, the first Y-type lip seal 201 and the second Y-type lip seal 202 in this example are respectively sleeved on the first socket part 401 and the second socket part 402. Further, the first socket part 401 and the second socket part 402 are respectively arranged on both sides of the stop part 42.

Combined with the air flow diagrams of the compression motion and extension motion of the double enhanced friction piston device shown in Figures 7 and 8, the working principle of applying the double enhanced friction piston device with two Y-type lip seals in this example in a gas spring is described as follows:

As shown in Figure 7, when the piston assembly moves to the right during the compression motion in the gas spring’s closed cavity, both the first Y-type lip seal 201 and the second Y-type lip seal 202 form frictional displacements with the inner wall of the closed cavity 1 and move to the left, so that the large-diameter end of the outer lip of the first Y-type lip seal 201 tightly abuts on the left piston cap 51, and the large-diameter end of the outer lip of the second Y-type lip seal 202 tightly abuts on the stop part 42. At this time, the inner lip of the first Y-type lip seal 201 disengages from the first socket part 401 to form an annular first gas passing gap, and the inner lip of the second Y-type lip seal 202 disengages from the second socket part 402 to form an annular second gas passing gap. Most of the gas flows in from several second right through holes 520, passes through the second gas passing gap, flows into several first through holes 420, and then directly flows out through several second left through holes 510 through the first gas passing gap. At this time, the frictional resistance comes from the first complete sealing belt and the second complete sealing belt formed by the extrusion of the outer lip of the first Y-type seal and the outer lip of the second Y-type seal with the inner wall of the closed cavity respectively. In the case of a closed cavity of the same model, the friction force formed by this double enhanced friction piston device is more than twice that of Example 1. Under the condition of meeting the friction force requirement, the compression motion is completed easily, conveniently, and quickly, and the work efficiency is high.

As shown in Figure 8, when the piston assembly moves to the left during the extension motion in the gas spring’s closed cavity, both the first Y-type lip seal 201 and the second Y-type lip seal 202 form frictional displacements with the inner wall of the closed cavity 1 and move to the right, so that the inner lip and the outer lip of the first Y-type lip seal 201 are simultaneously extruded by the first socket part 401 and the inner wall of the closed cavity 2 to form a first double-sided completely frictional sealing belt, tightly closing the first through holes 420. At the same time, the inner lip and the outer lip of the second Y-type lip seal 202 are simultaneously extruded by the second socket part 402 and the inner wall of the closed cavity 2 to form a second double-sided completely frictional sealing belt, tightly closing the second right through holes. At this time, most of the gas flows in from several second left through holes 510 and flows out through the damping hole 410 and the damping gap. This flow path forms a certain damping force. Therefore, the frictional force generated by the first double-sided completely frictional sealing belt and the second double-sided completely frictional sealing belt, together with the gap damping force, is much greater than the frictional force generated by the piston groove with an O-ring in the prior art, achieving the effect of enhancing friction and excellent sealing performance.

Here is a detailed explanation of Example 2:

  • Component Variation from Example 1:
    • The number of Y-type lip seals is increased to two (first Y-type lip seal 201 and second Y-type lip seal 202), and they are respectively sleeved on first socket part 401 and second socket part 402, which are on both sides of the stop part 42. This can be adjusted to more than two based on actual needs.
  • Working Principle in Compression Motion:
    • During compression, both Y-type lip seals move left. The outer lips of the two seals abut on different parts (left piston cap 51 and stop part 42), creating first and second gas passing gaps. Gas flows through multiple through holes (520, 420, and 510) via these gaps.
    • The friction comes from the complete sealing belts formed by the outer lips of both Y-type seals against the cavity wall, and the resulting friction force is more than double that of Example 1, making compression easier and more efficient under the same friction requirements.
  • Working Principle in Extension Motion:
    • During extension, both Y-type lip seals move right. The inner and outer lips of both seals are compressed by their respective socket parts and the cavity wall, forming double-sided completely frictional sealing belts, closing off through holes (420 and second right through holes).
    • Gas flows in from second left through holes 510, through the damping hole 410 and damping gap, generating damping force.
    • The combined friction from the double-sided sealing belts and damping force exceeds that of traditional piston-groove with O-ring, enhancing friction and sealing performance.

This example shows how increasing the number of Y-type lip seals affects the performance of the friction piston device during compression and extension motions, providing greater friction and sealing compared to Example 1.

Note
It should be noted that the assembly of the piston assembly shown in Figures 7 and 8 in this example is one application form of double enhanced friction. According to actual conditions, the piston body and the Y-type lip seal can also be turned 180 degrees together for assembly to form another application form of double enhanced friction.

Summary
In conclusion, when the piston assembly in this application is performing a compression motion, the Y-type lip seal forms a frictional displacement with the inner wall of the closed cavity and moves towards one end of the socket part. The outer lip abuts on the left piston cap, and at this time, the inner lip disengages from the piston body to form an annular gas passing gap, and most of the gas or oil directly flows through several through holes on the piston assembly, enabling the compression motion to be completed easily, conveniently, and quickly, with high work efficiency. When the piston assembly is performing an extension motion, the Y-type lip seal is frictionally displaced to the other end of the socket part. At this time, the inner lip of the Y-type lip seal tightly abuts on the piston body, and the outer lip is under the action of air pressure in the cavity and the squeezing of the inner wall of the closed cavity, forming a complete seal of the inner lip, and the outer lip is in a sealed belt state of frictional motion. Moreover, gas or oil can only flow through the damping hole and the thread to form a certain damping force. Therefore, the friction generated by the friction piston device of this utility model is far greater than the friction generated by the piston groove with an O-ring in the prior art, achieving the effect of enhancing friction and excellent sealing performance, and at the same time improving work efficiency and service life, thereby solving the problem of poor sealing friction damping effect in the prior art and meeting the working purpose of slow spring speed or slow compression speed.

The above description shows and describes the preferred implementation mode of this application. However, as mentioned before, it should be understood that this application is not limited to the form disclosed herein, and should not be regarded as excluding other implementation modes. It can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments, and can be modified through the above teachings or technologies or knowledge in related fields within the scope of the concept of this application. Any changes and variations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this application shall fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of this application.

Here is a comprehensive explanation of the overall content:

  • Flexibility of Assembly:
    • Just like in Example 1, the assembly in this example (shown in Figures 7 and 8) has flexibility. It can be rotated 180 degrees with the piston body and Y-type lip seal together to form another application form of double enhanced friction, showing the versatility of the design.
  • Overall Working Mechanism Summary:
    • Compression Motion:
      • Y-type lip seal moves and forms a frictional displacement with the cavity wall during compression.
      • Outer lip contacts the left piston cap, inner lip detaches, creating an annular gas passing gap.
      • Gas/oil flows through through holes easily, making compression efficient.
    • Extension Motion:
      • Y-type lip seal moves to the other end of the socket part.
      • Inner lip seals against the piston body, outer lip has frictional motion in a sealed belt state due to air pressure and cavity wall squeezing.
      • Damping force is generated by gas/oil flowing through damping holes and threads.
    • Advantages:
      • Friction generated by this device is significantly greater than that of traditional piston groove with O-ring.
      • Enhances friction and sealing performance.
      • Improves work efficiency and service life.
      • Solves the problem of poor sealing friction damping effect in existing technology.
      • Meets the requirement of slow motion speeds (spring or compression).
    • General Consideration:
      • The application is not limited to the described forms. It allows for various combinations and modifications as long as they stay within the spirit and scope of the patent, emphasizing the adaptability and potential for further development of the design based on the knowledge and technology in related fields.

This summary highlights the key points of the friction piston device’s operation, its advantages, and the flexibility of its design, showing how it improves upon existing technology and its potential for further innovation within the scope of the patent.

Claims (10) – A Friction Piston Gas Sping, invented by LeiYan Gas Spring, a pioneer Chinese Gas Spring Manufacturer.
Hide Dependent

  1. A friction piston device, including a piston assembly and a closed cavity, where the piston assembly moves back and forth in the closed cavity; characterized in that
    a Y-type lip seal is arranged in the closed cavity, the Y-type lip seal includes an outer lip and an inner lip, and the outer lip abuts against the inner wall of the closed cavity;
    the piston assembly includes a piston rod, a piston body sleeved on the piston rod, and a piston cap, several flow holes are provided on the piston assembly, the piston body includes a socket part and a stop part, one end of the socket part is a cone structure, the other end is a column structure, a damping structure is provided on the socket part and the piston rod, and the Y-type lip seal is frictionally displaced between the stop part and the piston cap.

This claim defines the basic structure of the friction piston device. It consists of a piston assembly and a closed cavity. The piston assembly moves within the cavity. The Y-type lip seal within the cavity has an outer lip that contacts the cavity’s inner wall and an inner lip. The piston assembly includes a piston rod, piston body, and piston cap, with flow holes. The piston body’s socket part has a cone structure at one end and a column structure at the other, and there’s a damping structure on the socket part and piston rod. The Y-type lip seal moves by friction between the stop part and the piston cap.

  1. A friction piston device according to claim 1, characterized in that several of the flow holes include several first through holes provided on the stop part and several second through holes provided on the piston cap.

This claim elaborates on the flow holes mentioned in claim 1, specifying that they include first through holes on the stop part and second through holes on the piston cap.

  1. A friction piston device according to claim 2, characterized in that the first through hole and the second through hole are adapted.

This claim further clarifies that the first and second through holes are adapted to each other, perhaps meaning they have similar sizes or configurations to work together effectively.

  1. A damping device friction piston device according to claim 1, characterized in that the axial height of the outer lip is greater than the axial height of the inner lip.

This claim indicates a size difference between the outer and inner lips of the Y-type lip seal, which might affect the device’s performance, perhaps related to fluid flow or sealing.

  1. A friction piston device according to claim 1, characterized in that a first included angle and a second included angle are respectively set between the outer lip and the inner lip and the axis, where the degrees of the first included angle and the second included angle are greater than zero degrees and not greater than forty-five degrees.

This claim sets the range of angles between the lips and the axis, which could influence the way the Y-type lip seal interacts with other parts, affecting factors like sealing and frictional behavior.

  1. A friction piston device according to claim 1, characterized in that the damping structure includes a damping hole and a damping gap, the damping hole is provided at one end near the socket part, and the damping gap is provided between the socket part and the piston rod.

This claim details the damping structure, showing its location on the device, with the damping hole near the socket part and the damping gap between the socket part and piston rod, contributing to the device’s damping function.

  1. A friction piston device according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of the damping holes is one.

This claim specifies the number of damping holes, which may affect the damping effect and overall performance of the device.

  1. A friction piston device according to claim 1, characterized in that the Y-type lip seal includes a first Y-type lip seal and a second Y-type lip seal.

This claim introduces the possibility of having multiple Y-type lip seals, which could enhance the sealing or other functions of the device.

  1. A friction piston device according to claim 8, characterized in that the socket part includes a first socket part and a second socket part, and the first socket part and the second socket part are respectively arranged on both sides of the stop part.

This claim describes the structure of the socket part in the case of having multiple Y-type lip seals, with the first and second socket parts located on either side of the stop part.

  1. A friction piston device according to claim 9, characterized in that the first Y-type lip seal and the second Y-type lip seal are respectively sleeved on the first socket part and the second socket part.

This claim shows how the multiple Y-type lip seals are arranged on the corresponding socket parts, completing the detailed configuration of the device when using multiple seals.

These claims collectively define the various aspects of the friction piston device, from its basic structure to specific features and configurations. They protect different elements of the device’s design and function, outlining its components and how they interact to achieve the desired performance characteristics, such as enhanced friction, good sealing, and damping effects.

A Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Stop Gas Spring

Patent No.:CN214742960U Date:2021-04-25

Google Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/CN214742960U/en?oq=CN214742960U

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

A Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Stop Gas Spring
Abstract
This utility model provides a chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring. The gas spring includes a closed cavity, a piston assembly arranged within the closed cavity, and a stop member. The piston assembly comprises a piston body and a piston rod, and the stop member is sleeved on the piston rod. The stop member includes an integrally connected shaft shoulder and a stop part, and the stop part is provided with a stop protrusion at one end away from the shaft shoulder. Through the stiction friction surfaces and frictional force between the stop member of the gas spring and the closed cavity or the piston rod, deceleration and stopping are achieved without the need for any power source. It has the advantages of simple structure, ingenious design concept, low processing difficulty of components, and meets many applications in various fields.

Description
A Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Stop gas spring
Technical Field
This utility model relates to the field of gas springs, and specifically to a chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring.
Background
A gas spring is a component that can realize functions such as support, buffering, braking, height and angle adjustment. In construction machinery, it is mainly used in parts such as covers and doors. A gas spring mainly consists of a piston rod, a piston, a sealing guide sleeve, a filler, a pressure cylinder, and joints. Among them, the pressure cylinder is a closed cavity filled with an inert gas or an oil-gas mixture, and the pressure inside the cavity is several times or dozens of times the atmospheric pressure.
When some gas springs are used in specific applications, they are required to have a stop performance when fully extended or fully compressed. The so-called stop means that they stop at the end position of the extension and compression stroke and cannot move, and they can only be displaced by applying a specified large external force, and this stop is not locking, and there is no need to set a locking gas spring. Currently, the stop members used on the market have the disadvantages of complex composition and structure, high processing difficulty, and limited application fields.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a stop gas spring with a simple structure, low component processing difficulty, and capable of meeting applications in multiple fields.
Utility Model Content
In view of this, this utility model provides a chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring that realizes without any power source, only by using the stiction friction surfaces and frictional force between components, and has the advantages of simple structure, low component processing difficulty, and being able to meet applications in multiple fields.
To achieve the above purpose, this utility model provides the following technical solution: A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring includes a closed cavity, a piston assembly arranged in the closed cavity, and a stop member. The piston assembly includes a piston body and a piston rod, the stop member is sleeved on the piston rod, the stop member includes an integrally connected shaft shoulder and a stop part, a stop protrusion is provided on one end of the stop part away from the shaft shoulder, and an inner protrusion is provided on the inner wall of the closed cavity 1.

This passage describes a patent for a gas spring called a “chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring .” It first explains the technical field, which is related to gas springs. Then it details the background of gas springs, including their components and typical applications in construction machinery. It further points out the need for stop performance in some gas spring applications, which means the spring should stop at the end of its extension or compression stroke and require a certain external force to move from that position without being locked. It mentions the drawbacks of existing stop members on the market, such as complex structures and high processing difficulty. The gas spring proposed by the utility model aims to address these issues by using simple components and relying on friction and stiction between parts to achieve the stopping function. The gas spring consists of a closed cavity, a piston assembly (with a piston body and piston rod), and a stop member. The stop member has an integrated shaft shoulder and stop part, with a stop protrusion at one end of the stop part. Additionally, there is an inner protrusion on the inner wall of the closed cavity. These features are designed to work together to achieve the desired stopping functionality without the need for external power sources and with the benefits of simplicity and wide applicability.

In one preferred embodiment, the stop member is provided with a first through opening and a second through opening along its axial direction, and the first through opening and the second through opening are arranged symmetrically.
In one preferred embodiment, the stop protrusion is a curved protrusion along the outer periphery of the stop part.
In one preferred embodiment, the inner wall of the closed cavity is provided with a first inner protrusion, a second inner protrusion, and a third inner protrusion, and a curved groove adapted to the curved protrusion is formed between the second inner protrusion and the third inner protrusion.
In one preferred embodiment, a circular hole adapted to the shaft diameter of the connecting end of the piston rod is opened in the middle of the shaft shoulder.
In one preferred embodiment, an annular groove is provided on the side surface of the shaft shoulder.
In one preferred embodiment, an annular protrusion adapted to the annular groove is provided on the inner wall of the closed cavity.
In one preferred embodiment, the stop protrusion is a double conical inner protrusion along the inner periphery of the stop part.
In one preferred embodiment, a first annular groove and a second annular groove are opened at one end of the piston rod near the piston body, and a first elastic retaining ring and a second elastic retaining ring are placed in the first annular groove and the second annular groove respectively.
In one preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional shapes of the first elastic retaining ring and the second elastic retaining ring are both elliptical.

Features and Advantages of the Utility Model:
On one hand, the utility model makes the stop member move with the movement of the piston assembly by abutting the shaft shoulder of the stop member on the piston body and fixedly connecting it with the piston rod. When the piston assembly moves, the stop protrusion undergoes two brief decelerations when passing through the first inner protrusion and the second inner protrusion on the inner wall of the closed cavity, and finally moves to the end of the stroke, so that the stop protrusion stops in the annular groove of the closed cavity and remains stationary. On the other hand, the annular protrusion in the closed cavity is fixedly clamped in the annular groove on the shaft shoulder of the stop member, making the stop member stationary. When the piston assembly moves, the first elastic retaining ring and the second elastic retaining ring on the piston rod generate two brief decelerations when they come into contact with the stop protrusion, and finally move to the end of the stroke, so that the stop protrusion stops and remains stationary between the piston body and the first elastic retaining ring. Therefore, the utility model realizes deceleration and stopping through the stiction friction surfaces and frictional force between the stop member of the gas spring and the closed cavity or the piston rod, without any power source, has a simple structure, low processing difficulty of components, and can meet applications in multiple fields, solving the problems of complex composition and structure, high processing difficulty, and limited application fields of the stop gas spring in the prior art.

This section of the patent further elaborates on several preferred embodiments of the “chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring .” It details various features and configurations of the gas spring :

  • Axial Openings in the Stop Member: The stop member has symmetric first and second through openings along its axial direction. These openings might serve different purposes such as facilitating fluid flow, reducing weight, or interacting with other parts of the gas spring in a specific way, but the patent doesn’t specify their exact function here.
  • Stop Protrusion Shapes: There are different descriptions of the stop protrusion. It can be a curved protrusion along the outer periphery of the stop part, which could interact with corresponding curved grooves in the closed cavity to achieve stopping. Another option is a double conical inner protrusion along the inner periphery of the stop part, which might interact with other parts in a different manner for the stopping function.
  • Inner and Annular Features: The inner wall of the closed cavity has multiple inner protrusions and grooves, and there are corresponding annular grooves and protrusions on the shaft shoulder of the stop member. These are designed to work together for better stopping and positioning. For example, the annular groove on the shaft shoulder and the annular protrusion on the cavity wall can interlock to hold the stop member in place.
  • Elastic Retaining Rings: The piston rod near the piston body has first and second annular grooves where elliptical cross-sectioned elastic retaining rings are placed. These rings, when interacting with the stop protrusion, contribute to the stopping mechanism by causing brief decelerations and finally stopping the movement of the gas spring.

Overall, the utility model utilizes these various features and interactions between the stop member, piston assembly, and the closed cavity to achieve deceleration and stopping. The design aims to overcome the issues of complexity and limited applicability found in existing stop gas springs by using simple structures and relying on friction and stiction forces, without needing an external power source. The described mechanisms and interactions provide multiple ways for the gas spring to achieve the desired stopping function at different stages of motion, enhancing its functionality and versatility in different fields of application.

Appendix Description
The following figures are used to provide a further understanding of this application, form a part of this application, and are only intended for schematic explanation and illustration of the utility model, not to limit the scope of the utility model. In the figures:
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of a chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring in Example 1 of this application;
Figure 2 is a right side view of the P stop member in Example 1 of this application;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along A – A in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of a chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring in Example 2 of this application;
Figure 5 is a left side view of the P’ stop member in Example 2 of this application;
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along B – B in Figure 5.

Reference numerals:

  1. Closed cavity; 2. Piston assembly; 3. P stop member; 3′. P’ stop member; 11. First inner protrusion; 12. Second inner protrusion; 13. Third inner protrusion; 21. Piston body; 22. Piston rod; 31. P shaft shoulder; 32. P connection part; 31′. P’ shaft shoulder; 32′. P’ connection part; 310. Annular groove; 311. Circular hole; 312. First through opening; 313. Second through opening; 320. Double conical inner protrusion; 321. Curved protrusion.

Specific Implementation Mode
The following will disclose several implementation modes of this application through diagrams, and clearly and completely describe the technical solution of the utility model. The accompanying drawings of the specification that form a part of this application are used to provide a further understanding of the utility model. The schematic examples and descriptions of the utility model are used to explain the utility model and do not constitute an improper limitation of the utility model. Based on the examples in the utility model, all other examples obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work fall within the protection scope of the utility model.

It should be noted that unless otherwise defined, the directions of up, down, left, right, inner, and outer mentioned in this article are based on the up, down, left, right, inner, and outer directions shown in Figure 1 of this application example. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly. The meanings of “multiple” and “several” are two or more. Here, it is explained together that the use of “first”, “second”, “third” and similar words does not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but is only used to distinguish different components. In addition, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar components.

This section of the patent provides a detailed description of the figures and reference numerals used to illustrate the “chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring.” Here’s a breakdown of the information:

  • Figure Overview:
    • Figure 1 shows the assembly structure of the gas spring in Example 1. It gives an overall view of how the different parts of the gas spring fit together.
    • Figure 2 is the right side view of the P stop member in Example 1, helping to visualize its shape from a particular perspective.
    • Figure 3 is a sectional view along A – A in Figure 2, providing insights into the internal structure of the P stop member.
    • Similar to the above, Figure 4 shows the assembly of the gas spring in Example 2, Figure 5 shows the left side view of the P’ stop member, and Figure 6 is the sectional view of the P’ stop member.
  • Reference Numerals:
    • Each part of the gas spring is labeled with a unique reference numeral for easy identification. For example, the closed cavity is labeled as 1, and different parts of the piston assembly and stop member have their own numerals. This makes it easier to discuss and understand specific parts of the gas spring in both the text and the figures.
  • Implementation Mode:
    • The specific implementation section aims to clearly and completely describe the technical solution of the utility model using the figures. It emphasizes that the figures are for understanding the utility model and not for limiting it.
    • It also clarifies the meaning of directional terms and the use of words like “first”, “second”, etc., which are used for component distinction rather than indicating importance or order. This ensures that readers can correctly interpret the information provided in the patent and understand how the gas spring works based on the figures and the accompanying text.
    • It further states that the patent’s protection scope includes all other examples that can be obtained by ordinary technicians without creative work, based on the provided examples.

In the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, terms such as “connection” and “fixing” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, “fixing” can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection, unless otherwise clearly limited. For ordinary technicians in the field, the specific meaning of the above terms in the utility model can be understood according to specific circumstances.

In addition, the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the utility model can be combined with each other, but it must be based on what ordinary technicians in the field can achieve. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be realized, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the utility model.

Example 1
Please refer to Figures 1 to 3. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring in this example includes a closed cavity 1, a piston assembly 2 arranged in the closed cavity, and a P stop member 3. The piston assembly 2 includes a piston body 21 and a piston rod 22, and the P stop member 3 is sleeved on the piston rod 22. The P stop member 3 includes an integrally connected P shaft shoulder 31 and a P stop part 32, and a stop protrusion is provided on the P stop part 32 at one end away from the P shaft shoulder 31. Further, as shown in Figure 3, the stop protrusion in this example is a curved protrusion 321 along the outer periphery of the P stop part 32. Furthermore, the inner wall of the closed cavity 1 is provided with inner protrusions. More specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the inner wall of the closed cavity 1 in this example is provided with a first inner protrusion 11, a second inner protrusion 12, and a third inner protrusion 13, and a curved groove adapted to the curved protrusion 321 is formed between the second inner protrusion 12 and the third inner protrusion 13.

It should be noted that by abutting the P shaft shoulder 31 of the P stop member 3 on the piston body 21 and fixedly connecting it with the piston rod 22, the P stop member 3 moves with the movement of the piston assembly. When the piston assembly 2 performs an extension movement, the curved protrusion 321 passes through the first inner protrusion 11 and the second inner protrusion 12 on the inner wall of the closed cavity 1 in sequence, resulting in two brief decelerations, and finally moves to the end of the stroke, so that the curved protrusion 321 stops in the annular groove of the closed cavity 1 and remains stationary, thereby realizing the stop function of the extension movement. When performing a compression movement, a certain external force needs to be applied to shift it.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, as a specific implementation, the P stop member 3 in this example is provided with a first through opening 312 and a second through opening 313 along its axial direction, and the first through opening 312 and the second through opening 313 are symmetrically arranged. More specifically, a circular hole 311 adapted to the shaft diameter of the connecting end of the piston rod 22 is opened in the middle of the P shaft shoulder 31 in this example.

It should be noted that the P stop part 32 of the P stop member 3 in this example is composed of two symmetrical three-dimensional elastic semicircular sectors, and a curved protrusion 321 is provided on the outer diameter edge of each three-dimensional elastic semicircular sector at one end away from the P shaft shoulder 31. Among them, the width and thickness of the three-dimensional elastic semicircular sector are determined according to the actual designed stopping force. Similarly, the protrusion height and width of the curved protrusion and the inner protrusion of the closed cavity are also selected and determined according to the actual designed stopping force.

This section describes the first implementation example of the chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring in detail:

  • gas spring Components and Structure:
    • The gas spring consists of a closed cavity 1, a piston assembly 2, and a P stop member 3. The piston assembly has a piston body 21 and a piston rod 22, and the P stop member is sleeved on the piston rod. The P stop member has a P shaft shoulder 31 and a P stop part 32.
    • The P stop part 32 has a curved protrusion 321 at one end away from the P shaft shoulder.
    • The closed cavity 1 has inner protrusions, specifically, first, second, and third inner protrusions 11, 12, and 13. A curved groove is formed between the second and third inner protrusions to fit the curved protrusion of the P stop part.
  • Movement and Functionality:
    • The P stop member 3 moves with the piston assembly through the connection between the P shaft shoulder 31 and the piston body 21 and piston rod 22.
    • During the extension movement of the piston assembly 2, the curved protrusion 321 passes through the first and second inner protrusions, causing two decelerations, and finally stops in the annular groove of the closed cavity 1, achieving the stop function for extension. However, for compression movement, an external force is required to move it.
  • Additional Features:
    • The P stop member 3 has symmetric first and second through openings 312 and 313 along its axial direction.
    • The P shaft shoulder 31 has a circular hole 311 in the middle that fits the shaft diameter of the piston rod 22.
    • The P stop part 32 is made of two symmetrical three-dimensional elastic semicircular sectors, and the size and shape of these sectors, as well as the curved protrusion, are determined based on the designed stopping force, indicating that the design takes into account the required force for stopping in practical applications. This allows for customization of the device’s performance according to different requirements.

Example 2
As shown in Figures 4 to 6, a chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring in this example includes a closed cavity 1, a piston assembly 2 arranged in the closed cavity 1, and a P’ stop member 3′. The piston assembly 2 includes a piston body 21 and a piston rod 22, and the P’ stop member 3′ is sleeved on the piston rod 22. The P’ stop member 3′ includes an integrally connected P’ shaft shoulder 31′ and a P’ stop part 32′, and a stop protrusion is provided on the P’ stop part 32′ at one end away from the P’ shaft shoulder 31′. As shown in Figure 6, further, the stop protrusion in this example is a double conical inner protrusion 320 along the inner periphery of the P’ stop part 32′.

It should be noted that, as shown in Figure 6, the so-called double conical inner protrusion 320 includes an inner conical surface on the left side and a P’ curved protrusion on the right side, and the taper of the inner conical surface is preferably between 20 degrees and 60 degrees, more preferably 42 degrees, and the selection of the angle and height is designed according to the actually required stopping force. Both the P’ stop member 3′ and the P stop member 3 are molded hard plastic parts.

As shown in Figure 6, as a specific implementation, an annular groove 310 is provided on the side surface of the P’ shaft shoulder 31′ in this example. In combination with Figure 4, further, an annular protrusion 15 adapted to the annular groove 310 is provided on the inner wall of the closed cavity 1 in this example.

As shown in Figure 4, as a specific implementation, a first annular groove and a second annular groove are opened at one end of the piston rod 22 near the piston body 21 in this example, and a first elastic retaining ring 41 and a second elastic retaining ring 42 are placed in the first annular groove and the second annular groove respectively. More specifically, the cross-sectional shapes of the first elastic retaining ring 41 and the second elastic retaining ring 42 in this example are both elliptical.

In conclusion, on the one hand, the present application makes the stop member move with the movement of the piston assembly by abutting the shaft shoulder of the stop member on the piston body and fixedly connecting it with the piston rod. When the piston assembly moves, the stop protrusion undergoes two brief decelerations when passing through the first inner protrusion and the second inner protrusion on the inner wall of the closed cavity, and finally moves to the end of the stroke, so that the stop protrusion stops in the annular groove of the closed cavity and remains stationary. On the other hand, the annular protrusion in the closed cavity is fixedly clamped in the annular groove on the shaft shoulder of the stop member, making the stop member stationary. When the piston assembly moves, the first elastic retaining ring and the second elastic retaining ring on the piston rod generate two brief decelerations when they come into contact with the stop protrusion, and finally move to the end of the stroke, so that the stop protrusion stops and remains stationary between the piston body and the first elastic retaining ring. Therefore, the utility model realizes deceleration and stopping through the stiction friction surfaces and frictional force between the stop member of the gas spring and the closed cavity or the piston rod, without any power source, has a simple structure, low processing difficulty of components, ingenious design concept, and can meet applications in multiple fields, solving the problems of complex composition and structure, high processing difficulty, and limited application fields of the stop gas spring in the prior art.

The above description shows and describes the preferred implementation mode of the present application. However, as mentioned earlier, it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the form disclosed herein, and should not be regarded as excluding other implementation modes, but can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments, and can be modified through the above teachings or technologies or knowledge in related fields within the scope of the concept of the present application. And any changes and variations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application shall fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of the present application.

This part of the patent describes the second implementation example of the chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring :

  • gas spring Components and Structure:
    • Similar to Example 1, this gas spring also consists of a closed cavity 1, a piston assembly 2, and a P’ stop member 3′. The P’ stop member has a P’ shaft shoulder 31′ and a P’ stop part 32′, and the P’ stop part has a stop protrusion.
    • The stop protrusion in this example is a double conical inner protrusion 320 with an inner conical surface and a P’ curved protrusion, and the taper of the inner conical surface can be adjusted according to the required stopping force, with a preferred range from 20 to 60 degrees and more preferably 42 degrees.
    • The P’ shaft shoulder 31′ has an annular groove 310 on its side surface, and the closed cavity 1 has a corresponding annular protrusion 15 to fit with it.
    • The piston rod 22 has first and second annular grooves near the piston body 21, and these grooves contain first and second elastic retaining rings 41 and 42 with elliptical cross-sections.
  • Functionality and Working Principle:
    • Similar to the principle in Example 1, the stop member moves with the piston assembly through connections.
    • When moving, the stop protrusion passes through certain parts of the cavity’s inner wall (first and second inner protrusions), causing decelerations, and eventually stops in the annular groove of the closed cavity.
    • Additionally, the annular protrusion and groove interaction and the interaction between the elastic retaining rings and the stop protrusion also contribute to the stopping mechanism.
    • The gas spring uses stiction and friction forces between components to achieve deceleration and stopping without an external power source.
  • Advantages and Flexibility:
    • The gas spring has a simple structure, low processing difficulty, and a clever design concept.
    • It can be used in multiple fields, solving the problems of complex structures, high processing difficulty, and limited application fields of existing stop gas springs.
    • It also emphasizes that the design is not limited to the disclosed forms and can be modified and combined in various ways while staying within the scope of the patent’s claims, showing the patent’s flexibility and potential for further development.

Claims (10) – A Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Stop Gas Spring, invented by LeiYan Gas Spring, a pioneer Chinese Gas Spring Manufacturer.

  1. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring, characterized in that it includes a closed cavity, a piston assembly arranged in the closed cavity, and a stop member. The piston assembly includes a piston body and a piston rod, the stop member is sleeved on the piston rod, the stop member includes an integrally connected shaft shoulder and a stop part, and a stop protrusion is provided at one end of the stop part away from the shaft shoulder.

This claim defines the basic structure of the chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring, which consists of three main parts: the closed cavity, the piston assembly, and the stop member. The piston assembly contains a piston body and a piston rod, and the stop member is placed over the piston rod. The stop member itself has an integrated shaft shoulder and stop part, with a stop protrusion at one end of the stop part that is away from the shaft shoulder.

  1. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop member is provided with a first through opening and a second through opening along its axial direction, and the first through opening and the second through opening are symmetrically arranged.

This claim further elaborates on the stop member by adding the feature of having first and second through openings that are symmetrically placed along its axial direction. These openings could potentially serve various purposes, such as facilitating fluid flow, reducing weight, or interacting with other components, although the specific function is not detailed here.

  1. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop protrusion is a curved protrusion along the outer periphery of the stop part.

Here, the shape of the stop protrusion is specified as a curved protrusion located along the outer periphery of the stop part. This specific shape may play a crucial role in the interaction with other parts of the gas spring for achieving the desired stopping functionality.

  1. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring according to claim 3, characterized in that the inner wall of the closed cavity is provided with a first inner protrusion, a second inner protrusion, and a third inner protrusion, and a curved groove adapted to the curved protrusion is formed between the second inner protrusion and the third inner protrusion.

This claim builds on claim 3 by describing the inner wall of the closed cavity. It includes multiple inner protrusions, and between the second and third inner protrusions, there is a curved groove that is designed to fit with the curved protrusion of the stop member. This interaction between the curved groove and the curved protrusion is likely part of the stopping mechanism.

  1. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring according to claim 1, characterized in that a circular hole adapted to the shaft diameter of the connecting end of the piston rod is opened in the middle of the shaft shoulder.

This claim focuses on the shaft shoulder of the stop member, stating that there is a circular hole in its middle that is sized to fit the shaft diameter of the piston rod’s connecting end. This might be relevant for proper alignment, attachment, or some other mechanical function related to the interaction between the stop member and the piston rod.

  1. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring according to claim 1, characterized in that an annular groove is provided on the side surface of the shaft shoulder.

This claim adds an annular groove to the shaft shoulder of the stop member, which could potentially interact with other parts of the gas spring, perhaps for locking, guiding, or providing some form of mechanical interaction.

  1. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring according to claim 6, characterized in that an annular protrusion adapted to the annular groove is provided on the inner wall of the closed cavity.

This claim complements claim 6 by providing a corresponding annular protrusion on the inner wall of the closed cavity. The annular protrusion and the annular groove are designed to interact, possibly for a locking or stabilizing function.

  1. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop protrusion is a double conical inner protrusion along the inner periphery of the stop part.

This claim offers an alternative shape for the stop protrusion, which is a double conical inner protrusion along the inner periphery of the stop part. Different from the curved protrusion in claim 3, this shape might have different mechanical properties and interactions with other parts of the gas spring.

  1. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring according to claim 8, characterized in that a first annular groove and a second annular groove are opened at one end of the piston rod near the piston body, and a first elastic retaining ring and a second elastic retaining ring are placed in the first annular groove and the second annular groove respectively.

Building on claim 8, this claim introduces the concept of annular grooves on the piston rod near the piston body and the placement of elastic retaining rings within them. These elastic retaining rings might contribute to the stopping mechanism, perhaps by providing additional resistance or control during the motion of the gas spring.

  1. A chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring according to claim 9, characterized in that the cross-sectional shapes of the first elastic retaining ring and the second elastic retaining ring are both elliptical.

This final claim specifies the cross-sectional shape of the elastic retaining rings as elliptical, which could affect their mechanical behavior, such as how they interact with other parts of the gas spring, possibly influencing the force distribution and stopping function of the gas spring.

These claims collectively define the various elements and features of the chronic obstructive pulmonary stop gas spring , outlining different aspects of its structure, and potentially how these features interact to achieve the desired stopping functionality. Each claim builds upon or modifies the basic gas spring described in claim 1, providing a comprehensive description of the possible configurations and characteristics of the gas spring while also protecting different aspects of the invention through patent rights.

A Lockable Valve Body Piston Device with Altered Performance

Patent No.:CN113007258A Date:2021-04-27

Google Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/CN113007258A/en?oq=CN113007258A

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

A Lockable Valve Body Piston Device with Altered Performance

Abstract

The present invention provides a lockable valve body piston device with altered performance. The device comprises a closed cavity, a piston assembly and a valve core assembly. The piston assembly includes a piston rod, a piston body and a seal. The piston body consists of a connecting part and a shaft shoulder part that are integrally connected. The shaft shoulder part is provided with a plurality of flow-through holes, extension damping holes and a plurality of compression flow-through holes. By means of the seal that is displaced by friction, the compression flow-through holes can be closed or opened to achieve the function of switching the flow rate of gas or medium oil. At the same time, the requirements of extension and compression movements are met, resulting in beneficial effects such as stable spring speed, stable working state, high safety and long service life. This solves the problem in the prior art that when adjusting the damping hole diameter, the design requirements of both extension and compression movements cannot be satisfied simultaneously, causing inconvenience in use, unstable working state, poor safety performance, and greatly reducing the consistency, smoothness and service life of the product.

Description

A Lockable Valve Body Piston Device with Altered Performance

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of gas springs, and specifically to a lockable valve body piston device with altered performance.

Background Art

A gas spring is a component capable of achieving functions such as support, buffering, braking, height and angle adjustment. In construction machinery, it is mainly applied to parts such as covers and doors. A gas spring mainly consists of a piston rod, a piston, a sealing guide sleeve, filling materials, a pressure cylinder, connectors, etc. The pressure cylinder is a closed cavity, filled with inert gas or an oil-gas mixture inside, and the pressure in the cavity is several times or dozens of times that of the atmospheric pressure.
When the valve body piston of a traditional gas spring undergoes extension or compression movement, the power gas or medium oil in the gas spring cylinder flows through the same damping hole. Its motion characteristics have at least the following problems:

  1. When the damping hole diameter is small, the damping force is relatively large, which meets the spring speed requirement of the piston’s extension movement speed. However, the compression movement will be relatively difficult, making the implementation of the compression movement difficult and inconvenient to use.
  2. When the damping hole diameter is large, the damping force is relatively small, which makes the compression movement easier. But the spring speed of the extension movement cannot be well damped and controlled, resulting in an unstable working state, poor safety performance, and greatly reducing the consistency, smoothness, and service life of the product.

Summary of the Invention

In view of this, the present invention provides a lockable valve body piston device with altered performance, which can solve at least one of the above problems. By means of a seal that is displaced by friction, the compression flow – through holes can be closed or opened to switch the flow rate of gas or medium oil. The piston assembly has good damping force during both extension and compression movements, achieving a good buffering effect, smooth movement, and at the same time improving safety and service life. The structure is simple, easy to manufacture, and has broad application prospects.
To achieve the above – mentioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: A lockable valve body piston device with altered performance includes a closed cavity, a piston assembly and a valve core assembly arranged in the closed cavity. The piston assembly includes a piston rod, a piston body arranged on the piston rod, and a seal arranged on the piston body. The piston body includes a connecting part connected to the piston rod and a shaft shoulder part. The shaft shoulder part is provided with a plurality of flow – through holes, extension damping holes, and compression flow – through holes. The seal is displaced by friction to close or open the compression flow – through holes.

In some preferred embodiments, the flow – through holes are straight through – holes.

In some preferred embodiments, the flow – through holes are inclined through – holes.

In some preferred embodiments, a plurality of the flow – through holes are evenly distributed on the end face of the shaft shoulder part. A groove for placing the seal is provided on the side surface of the shaft shoulder part, and the groove is in communication with the flow – through holes, the extension damping holes, and the compression flow – through holes.

In some preferred embodiments, the groove includes a first groove and a second groove. The seal includes a first seal and a second seal. The first seal is placed in the first groove, and the second seal is placed in the second groove.

In some preferred embodiments, the depth of the groove opening on the side of the first groove close to the compression flow – through holes is consistent, and the depth of the groove opening at the end close to the extension damping holes gradually increases.

In some preferred embodiments, a valve core hole for installing the valve core assembly is provided on the shaft shoulder part.

In some preferred embodiments, a snap – fit structure adapted to the structure of the connecting end of the piston rod is provided on the connecting part.

In some preferred embodiments, the number of the extension damping holes is one.

In some preferred embodiments, the number of the flow – through holes is greater than or equal to the number of the compression flow – through holes.

Characteristics and Advantages of the Present Invention

  1. When the present invention undergoes compression movement, all the compression flow – through holes are opened by the friction – displaceable seal. The power – source gas or medium oil flows out through a plurality of compression flow – through holes, damping holes, and multiple flow – through holes. The transmission flow rate is greatly increased, making the compression movement easier, convenient to use, and highly efficient.
  2. When the present invention undergoes extension movement, the friction – displaceable seal blocks all the compression flow – through holes. At this time, the release of the power – source gas or medium oil can only flow through a plurality of flow – through holes and then through a single extension damping hole. By changing the size of the extension damping hole, it is only necessary to fully meet the spring speed requirement of the extension movement without considering the implementation of the compression movement. Thus, beneficial effects such as stable spring speed, stable working state, high safety, and long service life are achieved, solving the problem that has plagued lockable gas springs at home and abroad for many years.
  3. By changing the number of compression flow – through holes and through – holes to meet the maximum flow rate of gas or medium oil when the valve core is in the open state, the structure is simple, easy to manufacture, and has broad application prospects.
  4. The co – existence design of the inclined groove bottom of the groove at one end close to the extension damping hole and the flat groove bottom of the groove at one end close to the compression flow – through holes is beneficial to the closing or opening of the compression air flow holes, which is convenient to use and ingeniously designed.
  5. By designing a plurality of flow – through holes as straight through – holes or inclined through – holes, the actual volume and size requirements of the present invention are met, which is convenient to use and has broad application prospects.

Description of the Drawings

The following drawings are provided to further understand the present application, and they form a part of the present application. They are only intended to schematically explain and illustrate the present invention, rather than to limit the scope of the present invention. In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a gas flow diagram of the lockable valve body piston device in extension movement in Embodiment 1 of the present application;
Figure 2 is a gas flow diagram of the lockable valve body piston device in compression movement in Embodiment 1 of the present application;
Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the piston assembly with straight through – holes in Embodiment 1 of the present application;
Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the piston assembly with inclined through – holes in Embodiment 2 of the present application.

Reference signs in the drawings:

  1. Closed cavity; 2. Valve core assembly; 3. Piston rod; 41. Connecting part; 42. Shaft shoulder part; 43. Extension damping hole; 44. Compression flow – through hole; 51. First seal; 52. Second seal; 421. Straight through – hole; 422. Inclined through – hole; 451. First groove; 452. Second groove; 4511. Inclined groove bottom.

Detailed Implementation

The following will disclose multiple embodiments of the present application through drawings, and clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the present invention. The attached drawings that form a part of the present application are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The schematic embodiments and descriptions of the present invention are used to explain the present invention and do not improperly limit the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that, unless the direction is defined separately, the up, down, left, right, inner, outer and other directions involved in this text are based on the up, down, left, right, inner, outer and other directions shown in Figure 1 of the embodiment of the present application. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly. The meaning of “multiple” and “a plurality of” is two or more, which is explained here together. The use of “first”, “second”, “third” and similar words does not represent any order, quantity or importance, but is only used to distinguish different components. In addition, in each embodiment of the present disclosure, the same or similar reference signs represent the same or similar components.

In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, terms such as “connection” and “fixation” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, “fixation” can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection, unless otherwise clearly defined. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above – mentioned terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other. However, this must be based on what can be achieved by those of ordinary skill in the art. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Embodiment 1

Please refer to Figures 1 to 3. A lockable valve body piston device with altered performance in this embodiment includes a closed cavity 1, a piston assembly and a valve core assembly 2 arranged in the closed cavity 1. The piston assembly includes a piston rod 3, a piston body arranged on the piston rod 3, and a seal arranged on the piston body. In this embodiment, the seal is preferably a floating O – ring, but it is not limited to an O – ring, and other special – shaped seals can be selected according to the actual situation. Furthermore, the piston body includes a connecting part 41 connected to the piston rod 3 and a shaft shoulder part 42. A number of straight through – holes 421, an extension damping hole 43, and compression flow – through holes 44 are provided on the shaft shoulder part 42.

It should be noted that the number of the straight through – holes 421 can be 4, 6, or more appropriate numbers according to the actual situation.

Using the technical solution of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the lockable valve body piston device of this embodiment is in the open state with the valve core opened. When the gas spring moves to the right during compression movement, the O – ring located in the groove of the piston body moves to the left by friction displacement and abuts against the left – hand side wall of the shaft shoulder part. And a number of straight through – holes 421 are arranged in the direction of the inner ring of the seal ring to keep the straight through – holes unblocked. At this time, the O – ring is separated from the groove bottom of the piston body, opening all the compression flow – through holes 44. The power – source gas or medium oil flows out through a number of compression flow – through holes 44, the damping hole 43, and a number of straight through – holes 421, forming an unobstructed and non – damped transmission channel. The transmission flow rate is greatly increased, making the compression movement easier, convenient to use, and highly efficient.

As shown in Figure 2, the lockable valve body piston device of this embodiment is in the open state with the valve core opened. When the gas spring moves to the left during extension movement, the O – ring that can be displaced by friction moves to the right and abuts against the right – hand side wall of the shaft shoulder part. At this time, the O – ring blocks all the compression flow – through holes 44, and the release of the power – source gas or medium oil can only flow through a number of straight through – holes 421 and then through a single extension damping hole 43. It should be noted that the size of the extension damping hole 43 can be set according to the spring speed requirement of the extension movement without considering the implementation of the compression movement. Therefore, this lockable valve body piston device meets the requirements of both extension and compression movements, achieving beneficial effects such as stable spring speed, stable working state, high safety, and long service life. It solves the problem in the prior art that when adjusting the damping hole diameter, the design requirements of both extension and compression movements cannot be met simultaneously, resulting in difficulties in implementing the compression movement, inconvenience in use, unstable working state, poor safety performance, and greatly reducing the consistency, smoothness, and service life of the product.

As a specific implementation method, in this embodiment, a number of straight through – holes 421 are evenly distributed on the end face of the shaft shoulder part 42 close to the connecting part 41. A first groove 451 and a second groove 452 are provided on the side surface of the shaft shoulder part 42. The seal includes a first seal 51 and a second seal 52. At the same time, the first seal 51 is placed in the first groove 451, and the second seal 52 is placed in the second groove 452. This design scheme adopts a thickened double – groove piston design, which is an innovative upgrade of the original piston in response to actual problems. The same valve core assembly can be used without changing the original valve body length, saving the development of new molds and thus reducing production costs.

As shown in Figure 3, as a specific implementation, in this embodiment, the depth of the groove opening of the first groove 451 at the end close to the compression flow – through hole 44 is consistent, and the depth of the groove opening at the end close to the extension damping hole 43 gradually increases.

Specifically, one end of the bottom of the first groove 451 is an inclined groove bottom 4511, and the other end is a flat groove bottom. The design of the co – existence of the inclined groove bottom and the flat groove bottom is beneficial to the closing or opening of the compression air flow holes. The design of the inclined groove bottom 4511 is beneficial for the separation of the groove bottom and the seal during the compression movement, ensuring the implementation of the flow – through state. It is convenient to use and ingeniously designed.

As a specific implementation, in this embodiment, a valve core hole for installing the valve core assembly 2 is provided on the shaft shoulder part 42.

As a specific implementation, in this embodiment, a snap – fit structure adapted to the structure of the connecting end of the piston rod 3 is provided on the connecting part 41. The snap – fit structure is a snap – head protrusion 411 provided at one end of the connecting part 41 away from the shaft shoulder part 42. The snap – head protrusion 411 is snapped into the annular groove of the piston rod. The structure is simple and the connection is firm.

As a specific implementation, in this embodiment, the number of the extension damping holes 43 is one, which can better ensure the stable spring speed of the extension movement, a stable working state, facilitate the design of the size of the damping hole, and improve safety and service life.

As a specific implementation, in this embodiment, the number of the straight through – holes 421 is greater than or equal to the number of the compression flow – through holes 44, which can better ensure the implementation of the compression movement.

Combined with the gas flow diagrams of the compression movement and the extension movement in Figure 1 and Figure 2, the working principle of the lockable valve body piston device of this embodiment applied to the gas spring is described as follows:

  1. Compression movement: Open the valve core. When the gas spring moves to the right during compression movement, the O – ring located in the groove of the piston body moves to the left by friction displacement and abuts against the left – hand side wall of the shaft shoulder part. And a number of straight through – holes 421 are arranged in the direction of the inner ring of the seal ring to keep the straight through – holes unblocked. At this time, the O – ring is separated from the groove bottom of the piston body, opening all the compression flow – through holes 44. The power – source gas or medium oil flows out through a number of compression flow – through holes 44, the damping hole 43, and a number of straight through – holes 421, forming an unobstructed and non – damped transmission channel. The transmission flow rate is greatly increased, making the compression movement easier, convenient to use, and highly efficient.
  2. Extension movement: Open the valve core. When the gas spring moves to the left during extension movement, the O – ring that can be displaced by friction moves to the right and abuts against the right – hand side wall of the shaft shoulder part. At this time, the O – ring blocks all the compression flow – through holes 44, and the release of the power – source gas or medium oil can only flow through a number of straight through – holes 421 and then through a single extension damping hole 43. It should be noted that the size of the extension damping hole 43 can be set according to the spring speed requirement of the extension movement without considering the implementation of the compression movement. Therefore, this lockable valve body piston device meets the requirements of both extension and compression movements, achieving beneficial effects such as stable spring speed, stable working state, high safety, and long service life. It solves the problem in the prior art that when adjusting the damping hole diameter, the design requirements of both extension and compression movements cannot be met simultaneously, resulting in difficulties in implementing the compression movement, inconvenience in use, unstable working state, poor safety performance, and greatly reducing the consistency, smoothness, and service life of the product.

Embodiment 2

The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that, as shown in Figure 4, the flow – through holes in this embodiment are inclined through – holes 422, which are mainly applied to products of devices such as dampers and gas springs with small cylinder diameters and double cylinders.

Specifically, this lockable valve body piston device is to be applied in cylinder barrels with different pipe diameters. Therefore, it is necessary to reasonably select the maximum outer diameter of the piston assembly and the position of the flow – through holes. When the relative height of the shaft shoulder part with respect to the connecting part is limited, the design of making the flow – through holes into inclined through – holes is ingenious and reasonable.

In conclusion, through the seal displaced by friction, the compression flow – through holes are closed or opened to achieve the function of switching the flow rate of gas or medium oil. At the same time, the requirements of both extension and compression movements are met, thus achieving beneficial effects such as stable spring speed, stable working state, high safety, and long service life. This solves the problem in the prior art that when adjusting the damping hole diameter, the design requirements of both extension and compression movements cannot be met simultaneously, resulting in difficulties in implementing the compression movement, inconvenience in use, unstable working state, poor safety performance, and greatly reducing the consistency, smoothness, and service life of the product.

The above description shows and describes the preferred embodiments of the present application. However, as mentioned before, it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the forms disclosed herein. It should not be regarded as excluding other embodiments, but can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments, and can be modified within the scope of the concept of the present application through the above – mentioned teachings or the technologies or knowledge in related fields. Any changes and modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application shall fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of the present application.

Claims – A Lockable Valve Body Piston Device with Altered Performance, invented by LeiYan Gas Spring, a pioneer Chinese Gas Spring Manufacturer.

  1. A lockable valve – body piston device with altered performance, comprising a closed cavity, a piston assembly and a valve – core assembly arranged in the closed cavity, characterized in that:
    The piston assembly comprises a piston rod, a piston body arranged on the piston rod, and a seal arranged on the piston body;
    The piston body comprises an integrated connecting part and a shaft – shoulder part. A plurality of flow – through holes, an extension damping hole and a plurality of compression flow – through holes are arranged on the shaft – shoulder part; the seal is displaced by friction to close or open the compression flow – through holes.
  2. The lockable valve – body piston device with altered performance according to claim 1, characterized in that the flow – through holes are straight through – holes.
  3. The lockable valve – body piston device with altered performance according to claim 1, characterized in that the flow – through holes are inclined through – holes.
  4. The lockable valve – body piston device with altered performance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a plurality of the flow – through holes are evenly distributed on the end face of the shaft – shoulder part, and a groove for placing the seal is arranged on the side surface of the shaft – shoulder part, and the groove is in communication with the flow – through holes, the extension damping hole and the compression flow – through holes.
  5. The lockable valve – body piston device with altered performance according to claim 4, characterized in that the groove comprises a first groove and a second groove, the seal comprises a first seal and a second seal, the first seal is placed in the first groove, and the second seal is placed in the second groove.
  6. The lockable valve – body piston device with altered performance according to claim 5, characterized in that the depth of the groove opening of the first groove at the end close to the compression flow – through holes is consistent, and the depth of the groove opening at the end close to the extension damping hole gradually increases.
  7. The lockable valve – body piston device with altered performance according to claim 1, characterized in that a valve – core hole for installing the valve – core assembly is arranged on the shaft – shoulder part.
  8. The lockable valve – body piston device with altered performance according to claim 1, characterized in that a snap – fit structure adapted to the structure of the connecting end of the piston rod is arranged on the connecting part.
  9. The lockable valve – body piston device with altered performance according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of the extension damping holes is one.
  10. The lockable valve – body piston device with altered performance according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of the flow – through holes is greater than or equal to the number of the compression flow – through holes.

Threaded Groove Damping Gas Spring

Patent No.:CN113007255A Date:2021-04-27

Google Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/CN113007255A/en?oq=CN113007255A

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

A Threaded Groove Damping Device

Abstract

The present invention provides a threaded groove damping gas spring. The gas spirng comprises a piston assembly and a closed cavity. There is a gap between the piston assembly and the closed cavity, and a sealing member is arranged in the closed cavity to seal the gap between the piston assembly and the closed cavity. The piston assembly includes a piston body and a piston sleeve. A damping structure and a first flow-through hole are provided on the piston body. The damping structure is a threaded damping groove, which is arranged circumferentially around the piston body. A second flow-through hole is provided on the piston sleeve, and the second flow-through hole is in communication with both the damping structure and the first flow-through hole. Since this super-long damping structure is arranged circumferentially around the piston body, the damping stroke is effectively extended, enabling the movement of the piston assembly to be smooth, ensuring the smooth spring-back speed of the damping device. The design concept is ingenious. At the same time, the safety and service life are greatly improved, thus solving the problems of traditional gas springs, such as fast movement speed, and inability to effectively ensure their safety and service life.

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of gas springs, and specifically to a threaded groove damping device.

Background Art

Gas springs are components that can achieve functions such as support, buffering, braking, height and angle adjustment. In construction machinery, they are mainly applied to parts such as covers and doors. A gas spring mainly consists of a piston rod, a piston, a sealing guide sleeve, a filler, a pressure cylinder, a joint, etc. The pressure cylinder is a closed cavity, filled with inert gas or an oil – gas mixture inside, and the pressure in the cavity is several or dozens of times that of the atmospheric pressure.
Traditional gas springs are filled with gas at a certain pressure in the cylinder. Due to the difference in cross – sectional areas at both ends, a pressure difference is generated, causing the side with higher pressure to move towards the side with lower pressure. However, the movement speed is relatively fast. The extension time within 100 mm is as short as 2 – 3 seconds. Even if the diameter of the piston damping hole is adjusted, the movement speed does not decrease significantly. This poses a greater safety hazard to operators and greatly reduces the consistency, stability, and service life of the product.

Summary of the Invention

In view of this, the present invention provides a threaded groove damping device, which can at least solve one of the above – mentioned problems. Through the threaded damping groove arranged circumferentially around the piston body, the movement of the piston assembly is made smooth, ensuring the smooth spring – back speed of the damping device. The design concept is ingenious, and at the same time, the safety and service life are improved.
To achieve the above – mentioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: A threaded groove damping device includes a piston assembly and a closed cavity. There is a gap between the piston assembly and the closed cavity, and the piston assembly reciprocates in the closed cavity. A sealing member is arranged in the closed cavity, and the sealing member is used to seal the gap between the piston assembly and the closed cavity. The piston assembly includes a piston body and a piston sleeve closely sleeved on the piston body. A damping structure and a first flow – through hole are provided on the piston body. The damping structure is a threaded damping groove, which is arranged circumferentially around the piston body. A second flow – through hole is provided on the piston sleeve, and the second flow – through hole is in communication with both the threaded damping groove on the piston body and the first flow – through hole.

In some preferred embodiments, the threaded damping groove is a threaded slot, and the threaded damping groove is provided at both ends of the piston body or at one end of the piston body.

In some preferred embodiments, the second flow – through hole includes a side – surface flow – through hole and an end – surface communication hole, and the end – surface communication hole is adapted to the first flow – through hole.

In some preferred embodiments, one end of the threaded damping groove is connected to the side – surface flow – through hole, and the other end is connected to the end – surface communication hole, and the end – surface communication hole is connected to the first communication hole.

In some preferred embodiments, the threaded damping groove is provided on the side surface of the piston body.

In some preferred embodiments, the top of the groove of the threaded damping groove is in close contact with the inner surface of the piston sleeve.

In some preferred embodiments, a first protrusion and a second protrusion are provided on the piston body, and a groove is formed between the first protrusion and the second protrusion.

In some preferred embodiments, the sealing member moves within the groove. The axial width of the groove is greater than the maximum diameter of the cross – section of the sealing member. The sealing member is located above the first flow – through hole to ensure that the groove is in communication with the first flow – through hole.

In some preferred embodiments, the first flow – through hole includes a first left flow – through hole and a first right flow – through hole.

In some preferred embodiments, the first left flow – through hole is provided on the first protrusion, and the first right flow – through hole is provided on the second protrusion.

Features and advantages of the present invention: When the piston assembly moves under the extrusion of gas or oil pressure in the closed cavity, the sealing member provided in the closed cavity forms a frictional displacement with the inner wall of the closed cavity. The gas or oil pressure makes the sealing member tightly seal the gap between the piston assembly and the closed cavity, causing the gas to pass through the first flow – through hole, the circumferential damping structure and the second flow – through hole. Since the damping structure is arranged circumferentially around the piston body, the damping stroke for the gas or oil pressure is effectively extended, making the movement of the piston assembly smooth, ensuring the smooth spring – back speed of the damping device. The design concept is ingenious. At the same time, the safety and service life are greatly improved, thus solving the problems that the traditional gas spring has a fast movement speed and cannot effectively ensure its safety and service life.

Description of the Drawings

The following drawings are provided to further understand this application and form a part of this application. They are only intended to provide a schematic explanation and description of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In the drawings:

  • Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of a threaded groove damping device in Embodiment 1 of this application.
  • Fig. 2 is a gas – flow diagram of the double – damping – structure piston assembly in the stretching movement in Embodiment 1 of this application.
  • Fig. 3 is a gas – flow diagram of the double – damping – structure piston assembly in the compressing movement in Embodiment 1 of this application.
  • Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the double – damping – structure piston body in Embodiment 1 of this application.
  • Fig. 5 is a right – view of Fig. 4.
  • Fig. 6 is a schematic sectional – view of the structure of the piston sleeve in Embodiment 1 of this application.
  • Fig. 7 is a right – view of Fig. 6.
  • Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the single – damping – structure piston body in Embodiment 2 of this application.
  • Fig. 9 is a gas – flow diagram of the single – damping – structure piston assembly in the stretching movement in Embodiment 2 of this application.
  • Fig. 10 is a gas – flow diagram of the single – damping – structure piston assembly in the compressing movement in Embodiment 2 of this application.

Reference numerals in the drawings:

  • 2: Closed cavity
  • 3: Sealing member
  • 4: Rear connecting part
  • 5: Front connecting part
  • 11: Piston body
  • 12: Piston sleeve
  • 13: Piston rod
  • 111: Threaded damping groove
  • 112: First communication hole
  • 114: Groove
  • 115: First protrusion
  • 116: Second protrusion
  • 131: First baffle
  • 132: Second baffle
  • 121: Second communication hole
  • 1121: First left communication hole
  • 1122: First right communication hole
  • 1211: End – surface flow – through hole
  • 1212: Side – surface flow – through hole

Detailed Implementation Modes

The following will disclose multiple embodiments of this application through drawings. The technical solutions of the present invention will be described clearly and completely. The attached drawings, which form part of this application, are provided to further understand the present invention. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of the present invention are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute improper limitations to the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that, unless the direction is defined separately, the directions such as up, down, left, right, inner, and outer involved in this text are based on the up, down, left, right, inner, and outer directions shown in Fig. 1 of the embodiment of this application. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will change accordingly. The meanings of “multiple” and “several” are two or more, which are explained here together. The use of words such as “first”, “second”, “third” and the like does not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. In addition, in each embodiment of the present disclosure, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar components.

In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, terms such as “connection” and “fixation” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, “fixation” can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one, unless otherwise clearly limited. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above – mentioned terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

In addition, the technical solutions among the various embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other, but it must be based on what can be achieved by those of ordinary skill in the art. When the combination of technical solutions leads to contradictions or cannot be realized, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the protection scope claimed by the present invention.

Embodiment 1

Please refer to Figs. 1 to 7. In this embodiment, for a threaded groove damping device, as shown in Fig. 1, the fixed end of the damping device is connected to the front connecting part 5, and the other movable end is connected to the rear connecting part 4. The damping device in this embodiment includes a piston assembly and a closed cavity 2. There is a gap between the piston assembly and the closed cavity 2, that is, they are in clearance fit, enabling the piston assembly to reciprocate in the closed cavity 2, dividing the closed cavity 2 into a left – hand closed cavity and a right – hand closed cavity 2. A sealing member 3 is arranged in the closed cavity 2. The sealing member 3 is used to seal the gap between the piston assembly and the closed cavity 2, so that the extruded gas cannot pass through the closed gap but flows to the threaded damping groove. The piston assembly includes a piston body 11, a piston sleeve 12 closely sleeved on the piston body 11, and a piston rod 13 for transmission. The piston body 11 and the piston sleeve 12 are fixed at one end of the piston rod by a first baffle 131, a second baffle 132, and a set nut. Specifically, a damping structure and a first flow – through hole 112 are provided on the piston body 11, and a second flow – through hole 121 is provided on the piston sleeve 12. The second flow – through hole 121 is in communication with both the damping structure on the piston body 11 and the first flow – through hole. It should be noted that the damping structure is arranged circumferentially around the piston body 11, which lengthens the damping stroke of the piston body 11 and makes the movement of the piston assembly more stable.
Using the technical solution of this embodiment, when the piston assembly moves under the extrusion of gas or oil pressure in the closed cavity 2, the sealing member 3 arranged in the closed cavity 2 forms a frictional displacement with the inner wall of the closed cavity 2. The gas or oil pressure makes the sealing member 3 tightly seal the gap between the piston assembly and the closed cavity 2, causing the gas to pass through the first flow – through hole, the circumferential threaded damping groove, and the second flow – through hole. Since the threaded damping groove is arranged circumferentially around the piston body, the damping stroke for the gas or oil pressure is effectively extended, making the movement of the piston assembly stable, ensuring the smooth spring – back speed of the damping device. The design concept is ingenious. At the same time, the safety and service life are greatly improved, thus solving the problems that the traditional gas spring has a fast movement speed and cannot effectively ensure its safety and service life.
As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, as a specific implementation mode, the threaded damping groove 111 in this embodiment is a threaded slot. The threaded damping groove 111 is arranged at both ends of the piston body 11, that is, the piston body 11 has a double – damping structure. This enables the piston assembly to be damped during both stretching and compressing movements, making the movement stable and improving safety and service life. Of course, according to actual situations, it can also be set as a one – way damping.
It should be noted that the thread profile of this threaded slot is preferably triangular. Of course, according to actual situations, it can also be trapezoidal, rectangular, or other irregular shapes. Furthermore, its groove depth (i.e., the setting parameters of the thread crest and root) and groove width (i.e., the setting parameter of the pitch) and the length of the threaded groove are set according to the actual requirements of damping.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, further, in this embodiment, the threaded damping groove 11 is arranged circumferentially on the side surface of the piston body 11. The groove top 1111 of the threaded damping groove 111 is in close contact with the inner surface 123 of the piston sleeve 12. The machining depth of the threaded damping groove 111 (i.e., the position of the groove bottom 1112) and its length are designed according to the actual damping strength and the required spring – back speed. It should be noted that the material of the piston body is preferably hard plastic, the piston sleeve is preferably made of copper or aluminum, and the groove top 1111 of the threaded damping groove 111 is preferably processed into a pointed shape. This is more conducive to ensuring a tighter contact between the threaded damping groove 111 and the inner wall 123 of the piston sleeve 12, thus better guaranteeing the sealing performance and enabling the flowing gas or liquid oil to flow along the path of the threaded damping groove 111.

As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, as a specific implementation mode, the second flow – through hole 121 on the piston sleeve 12 in this embodiment includes a side – surface flow – through hole 1211 and an end – surface communication hole 1212. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the end – surface communication hole 1212 is adapted to the first flow – through hole 112.

It should be noted that the end – surface communication hole 1212 in this embodiment is a circular blind hole, and the first flow – through hole 112 is a circular through – hole. However, their adaptation is not limited to circular holes, and they can be set as square holes, polygonal holes, or other special – shaped holes.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, as a specific implementation mode, a first protrusion 115 and a second protrusion 116 are provided on the piston body 11 in this embodiment. Both the first protrusion 115 and the second protrusion 116 are circumferential annular protrusions around the piston body, and a groove 114 is formed between them. Further, the first flow – through hole 112 in this embodiment includes a first left flow – through hole 1121 and a first right flow – through hole 1122. Furthermore, the first left flow – through hole 1121 and the first right flow – through hole 1122 are respectively provided on the first protrusion 115 and the second protrusion 116.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, as a specific implementation mode, one end of the threaded damping groove 111 in this embodiment is connected to the side – surface flow – through hole 1211, and the other end is connected to the end – surface communication hole 1212, which is connected to the first communication hole. Preferably, the sealing member 3 in this embodiment is arranged in the groove 114.

It should be noted that in this embodiment, the sealing member 3 is preferably a floating O – ring. The outer circle of the O – ring abuts against the inner wall of the closed cavity 2, and there is a certain distance between its inner circle and the bottom of the groove 114, allowing the gas flow to smoothly enter the first flow – through hole from the groove. This design can better utilize the principle of pressure to make the floating O – ring tightly abut against the inner wall of the closed cavity 2 and the side of the groove, thus achieving a better sealing effect. Moreover, it should be noted that the width of the groove 114 is greater than the maximum diameter of the cross – section of the sealing member 3, enabling the sealing member 3 to move within the groove and achieve the effect of sealing the gap on one side.

As shown in the gas – flow diagrams of the stretching and compressing movements in Figs. 2 and 3, the working principle of the two – way damping of this embodiment’s damping device with a double – damping structure when applied to a gas spring is described as follows:

  1. Stretching Damping Movement: When performing a stretching movement to the right, first, the sealing member 3 in the closed cavity 2 is frictionally displaced to the left side of the groove 114. The gas pressure further prompts the sealing member 3 to tightly abut against the inner wall of the closed cavity 2 and the left side of the groove 114, sealing the left – hand gap between the closed cavity 2 and the piston assembly. Furthermore, the piston assembly squeezes the gas in the right – hand closed cavity, causing the gas to flow and be released into the left – hand closed cavity. At this time, only a small part of the gas flows into the right – hand threaded damping groove through the side – surface flow – through hole on the right – hand piston sleeve 12 and then enters the groove through the first right – hand flow – through hole 1122. Instead, the vast majority of the gas directly flows into the groove through the right – hand gap between the closed cavity 2 and the piston assembly. Then, it flows into the super – long left – hand threaded damping groove through the first left – hand flow – through hole 1121 and the end – surface flow – through hole on the left – hand piston sleeve 12. Finally, it flows into the left – hand closed cavity through the side – surface flow – through hole on the left – hand piston sleeve 12, thus completing a stable stretching damping movement.
  2. Compressing Damping Movement: When performing a compressing movement to the left, first, the sealing member 3 in the closed cavity 2 is frictionally displaced to the right side of the groove 114. The gas pressure further prompts the sealing member 3 to tightly abut against the inner wall of the closed cavity 2 and the right side of the groove 114, sealing the right – hand gap between the closed cavity 2 and the piston assembly. Furthermore, the piston assembly squeezes the gas in the left – hand closed cavity, causing the gas to flow and be released into the right – hand closed cavity. At this time, only a small part of the gas flows into the left – hand threaded damping groove through the side – surface flow – through hole on the left – hand piston sleeve 12 and then enters the groove through the first left – hand flow – through hole. Instead, the vast majority of the gas directly flows into the groove through the left – hand gap between the closed cavity 2 and the piston assembly. Then, it flows into the super – long right – hand threaded damping groove through the first right – hand flow – through hole and the end – surface flow – through hole on the right – hand piston sleeve 12. Finally, it flows into the right – hand closed cavity through the side – surface flow – through hole on the right – hand piston sleeve 12, thus completing a stable compressing damping movement.

Embodiment 2

The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that, as shown in Fig. 8, the threaded damping groove 111 in this embodiment is arranged at one end of the piston body 11, that is, the piston body has a single – damping structure.

As shown in the gas – flow diagrams of the stretching and compressing movements in Figs. 9 and 10, the working principle of this embodiment’s damping device with a single – damping structure when applied to a gas spring is described as follows:

  1. Stretching Damping Movement: When performing a stretching movement to the right, first, the sealing member 3 in the closed cavity 2 is frictionally displaced to the left side of the groove 114. The gas pressure further prompts the sealing member 3 to tightly abut against the inner wall of the closed cavity 2 and the left side of the groove 114, sealing the left – hand gap between the closed cavity 2 and the piston assembly. Furthermore, the piston assembly squeezes the gas in the right – hand closed cavity, causing the gas to flow and be released into the left – hand closed cavity. At this time, the gas enters the groove through the first right – hand flow – through hole 1122 and/or the right – hand gap. Then, it flows into the super – long threaded damping groove through the first left – hand flow – through hole 1121 and the end – surface flow – through hole on the left – hand piston sleeve 12. Finally, it flows into the left – hand closed cavity through the side – surface flow – through hole on the piston sleeve 12, thus completing a stable stretching damping movement.
  2. Compressing Damping Movement: When performing a compressing movement to the left, first, the sealing member 3 in the closed cavity 2 is frictionally displaced to the right side of the groove 114. The gas pressure further prompts the sealing member 3 to tightly abut against the inner wall of the closed cavity 2 and the right side of the groove 114, sealing the right – hand gap between the closed cavity 2 and the piston assembly. Furthermore, the piston assembly squeezes the gas in the left – hand closed cavity, and the entire gas is in a compressed state, causing the gas to flow and be released into the right – hand closed cavity. At this time, only a small part of the gas flows into the left – hand threaded damping groove through the side – surface flow – through hole on the left – hand piston sleeve 12 and then enters the groove through the first left – hand flow – through hole. Instead, the vast majority of the gas directly flows into the groove through the left – hand gap between the closed cavity 2 and the piston assembly. Then, it directly flows into the right – hand closed cavity only through the first right – hand flow – through hole, thus completing the compressing damping movement. This kind of compressing damping is the characteristic of an ordinary compressed gas spring that only uses the damping hole for damping.

In conclusion, when the piston assembly in this application moves under the extrusion of gas or oil pressure in the closed cavity, the sealing member arranged in the closed cavity forms a frictional displacement with the inner wall of the closed cavity. The gas or oil pressure makes the sealing member tightly seal the gap between the piston assembly and the closed cavity, causing the gas to pass through the first flow – through hole, the circumferential damping structure, and the second flow – through hole. Since this super – long damping structure is arranged circumferentially around the piston body, the damping stroke for the gas or oil pressure is effectively extended, making the movement of the piston assembly stable, ensuring the smooth spring – back speed of the damping device. The design concept is ingenious. At the same time, the safety and service life are greatly improved, thus solving the problems that the traditional gas spring has a fast movement speed and cannot effectively ensure its safety and service life.

The above description shows and describes the preferred embodiments of this application. However, as mentioned before, it should be understood that this application is not limited to the forms disclosed herein. It should not be regarded as excluding other embodiments, but can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments, and can be changed within the scope of the concept of this application through the above teachings or the technologies or knowledge in related fields. Any changes and variations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this application shall fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of this application.

Claims (10)  – A Threaded Groove Damping Gas Spring, invented by LeiYan Gas Spring, a pioneer Chinese Gas Spring Manufacturer.

  1. A threaded groove damping device, comprising a piston assembly and a closed cavity (2), characterized in that: a gap is provided between the piston assembly and the inner wall of the closed cavity (2), and the piston assembly reciprocates in the closed cavity;
    a sealing member (3) is provided in the closed cavity (2), and the sealing member (3) is used to seal the gap;
    the piston assembly comprises a piston body (11) and a piston sleeve (12) closely sleeved on the piston body (11). A damping structure and a first flow – through hole (112) are provided on the piston body (11). The damping structure is a threaded damping groove, which is arranged circumferentially around the piston body (11). A second flow – through hole (121) is provided on the piston sleeve (12), and the second flow – through hole (121) is in communication with both the threaded damping groove on the piston body (11) and the first flow – through hole (112).
  2. The threaded groove damping device according to claim 1, characterized in that the threaded damping groove (111) is provided at both ends of the piston body (11) or at one end of the piston body (11).
  3. The threaded groove damping device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second flow – through hole (121) comprises a side – surface flow – through hole (1212) and an end – surface communication hole (1211), and the end – surface communication hole (1211) is adapted to the first flow – through hole (112).
  4. The threaded groove damping device according to claim 3, characterized in that one end of the threaded damping groove (111) is connected to the side – surface flow – through hole (1212), and the other end is connected to the end – surface communication hole (1211), and the end – surface communication hole (1211) is connected to the first communication hole (112).
  5. The threaded groove damping device according to claim 2, characterized in that the threaded damping groove (111) is provided on the side surface of the piston body (11).
  6. The threaded groove damping device according to claim 2, characterized in that the groove top (1111) of the threaded damping groove (111) is in close contact with the inner surface of the piston sleeve (12).
  7. The threaded groove damping device according to claim 1, characterized in that a first protrusion (115) and a second protrusion (116) are provided on the piston body (11), and a groove (114) is formed between the first protrusion (115) and the second protrusion (116).
  8. The threaded groove damping device according to claim 7, characterized in that the sealing member (3) moves in the groove (114).
  9. The threaded groove damping device according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that the first flow – through hole (112) comprises a first left flow – through hole (1121) and a first right flow – through hole (1122).
  10. The threaded groove damping device according to claim 9, characterized in that the first left flow – through hole (1121) is provided on the first protrusion (115), and the first right flow – through hole is provided on the second protrusion (116).

a balanced gas spring with a bidirectional power airflow control component

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.