Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Insulated handle – Bar-type handle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-31
2002-10-22
Pezzuto, Robert E. (Department: 3671)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Insulated handle
Bar-type handle
C016S418000, C016S445000, C296S214000, C188S083000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06467130
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to a damping structure for a rotating member, and especially, it relates to a damping structure for a rotating member used in an assist grip of an automobile.
As a movable or swingable type assist grip installed in an automobile, there has been known an assist grip provided with urging means, such as a spring, for returning the assist grip from a use position to a stored position, and a damper for damping or applying a brake on the assist grip which swings in a returning direction by an urging force of the urging means. As an example, there can be exemplified an assist grip disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. H9-263166.
FIG. 9
shows a support section at a side to which a damper of an assist grip disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. H9-263166 is attached, which will be explained hereunder.
As shown in the figure, in one of support sections of an assist grip
100
, a grip member
104
is attached to a base member
102
fixed on a wall, such as a ceiling section of an interior of an automobile, through a damper
106
.
The damper
106
is formed of an outer cylinder
108
made of resin and an inner shaft
110
made of metal. In the outer cylinder
108
, a small diameter portion
112
at a distal end side of an inserting direction is inserted into a small diameter coaxial hole
114
of the base member
102
, and a knurl portion
118
formed on an outer peripheral surface of a large diameter portion
116
at a base end side of the inserting direction is fixed, not to rotate, to a hole wall of a large diameter coaxial hole
120
of the base member
102
.
In the inner shaft
110
rotatably inserted inside the outer cylinder
108
, a small diameter portion
122
at the distal end side of the inserting direction is inserted and fitted into a small diameter coaxial hole
124
of the grip member
104
, and a knurl portion
126
at the base end side of the inserting direction is fixed, not to rotate, to a hole of a large diameter coaxial hole
128
of the grip member
104
.
Then, a space formed between a large diameter portion
130
of the inner shaft
110
and a housing hole
132
of the outer cylinder
108
is filled with damper oil, and seal rings
136
are respectively fitted into a pair of seal ring grooves
134
formed at both end portions in the axial direction of the large diameter portion
130
such that the space is sealed.
On the other hand, in the other supporting section of the assist grip
100
, which is not shown in the figure, urging means is installed, and the urging means constantly urges the assist grip to a wall surface side (stored position).
Accordingly, in the assist grip
100
which is returned from the use position to the stored position by the urging force of the urging means, a returning speed thereof is suppressed due to viscous resistance by oil in the damper
106
, so as to prevent the assist grip from colliding with the wall surface at high speed.
However, in the conventional assist grip as described above, the assembly of the damper is carried out together with the assembly of a rotating shaft. Namely, while the grip member
104
is positioned at the base member
102
, the inner shaft
110
is inserted into the outer cylinder
108
from the axial direction to form the damper
106
, and at the same time, the small diameter portion
122
at the distal end of the inner shaft
110
is positioned at the small diameter coaxial hole
124
of the grip member
104
to be inserted thereinto. Therefore, a working ability in assembly is poor.
Also, since the grip member
104
is axially supported at the base member
102
through the damper
106
having a damping function, a force or load applied to the grip member
104
naturally acts on the damper
106
as well. Thus, there are problems of giving harmful effects on damping and durability, such that the frictional resistance at the slide contact portions
138
A,
138
B and
138
C, where the inner shaft
110
contacts the outer cylinder
108
, is increased to change the damping force, or the entire damper
106
may be bent to cause oil leakage.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing, and an object of the invention is to provide a damping structure of a rotating member and an assist grip provided with the damping structure of the rotating member, in which a workability in assembly is improved and the rotating member is excellent in durability while damping of the rotating member is normally carried out.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the above object, a damping structure of a rotating member according to a first aspect of the invention is formed of a base, which includes a plurality of projecting portions arranged at predetermined intervals and each having shafts projecting in the same direction and coaxially disposed or holes opening in the same direction and coaxially disposed; a rotating member, which has a plurality of wall portions corresponding to the projecting portions and each having inserting holes fitted around the shafts or inserting shafts inserted into the holes so that the rotating member is axially supported by the base to be freely rotatable, in which the rotating member in an axially supported condition and one of the projecting portions adjacent to one of the wall portions form a space therebetween; and a damper, which includes an inner shaft and an outer cylinder. The damper has side surfaces stored in the space, and the side surfaces of the damper respectively abut against the projecting portion and the wall portion. The inner shaft includes an engaging portion engaging an engaging portion provided in the projecting portion, and is disposed coaxially to the shafts or the holes. The outer cylinder is attached rotatably around the inner shaft and generates a damping force against a rotation relative to the inner shaft. The outer cylinder has an engaging portion engaging an engaging portion provided in the rotating member.
In the damping structure of the rotating member according to the first aspect of the invention, a rotation of the rotating member free rotatably supported by the base is damped due to a damping force of the damper disposed between the base and the rotating member. The base is provided with a plurality of the projecting portions disposed at predetermined intervals, and the projecting portions are respectively provided with the shafts having the same projecting direction and arranged coaxially, or the holes having the same opening direction and disposed coaxially. The rotating member is provided with the plurality of wall portions corresponding to the plurality of the projecting portions, and the wall portions are respectively provided with the inserting holes or the inserting shafts, so that when the inserting holes are fitted around the shafts or the inserting shafts are inserted into the holes of the base from the predetermined direction, the axially supported condition described above is obtained.
Here, when the inserting holes are fitted around the shafts or the inserting shafts are inserted into the holes, a space is formed between the rotating member and the projecting portion adjacent to one of the plurality of wall portions. When the damper is stored in the space, the opposing side surfaces of the damper abut against the projecting portion and the wall portion, so that the rotating member is prevented from falling off from the base.
The damper is formed of the inner shaft and the outer cylinder rotatably attached around the inner shaft, and in the condition that the damper is stored in the space, a shaft center of the inner shaft is aligned with a shaft center of the shaft or the hole (inserting hole or inserting shaft). Also, the engaging portion of the inner shaft is engaged with the engaging portion provided in the projecting portion of the base, so that the inner shaft is fixed not to rotate to the base side, and the f
Hirose Akihiko
Kurachi Katsuhito
Beach Thomas A.
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Nifco Inc.
Pezzuto Robert E.
LandOfFree
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