Spring devices – Resilient shock or vibration absorber – Including energy absorbing means or feature
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-30
2003-10-28
Schwartz, Christopher P. (Department: 3683)
Spring devices
Resilient shock or vibration absorber
Including energy absorbing means or feature
Reexamination Certificate
active
06637734
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to hydraulic vibration-damping supports serving, for example, for mounting motor vehicle engines on the bodies of such vehicles.
More precisely, in a first aspect, the invention relates to a hydraulic vibration-damping support serving to interconnect first and second rigid elements so as to damp and filter vibration between said elements, the support comprising:
first and second rigid strength members serving to be fixed to respective ones of the first and second rigid elements to be interconnected;
an elastomer body interconnecting the first and second strength members;
a first chamber filled with liquid, and defined at least in part by the elastomer body; and
a decoupling device comprising firstly first and second parallel gratings that are generally plane in shape, and secondly a decoupling valve member which is in the form of an elastomer pad and which has first and second faces provided with projecting studs made of elastomer, the decoupling valve member being mounted with clearance between the first and second gratings with the first and second faces of said decoupling valve member disposed facing respective ones of the first and second gratings, and said decoupling valve member being suitable for closing off said gratings, said first grating communicating with the first chamber and the second grating communicating with a second chamber suitable for enabling the decoupling valve member to vibrate freely between the two gratings when the first and second strength members are subjected to relative vibratory movements (in practice, the second chamber is usually constituted by a compensation chamber filled with liquid and connected to the first chamber via a constricted passage, but it may optionally be some other deformable hydraulic chamber or indeed a pneumatic chamber).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Document FR-A-2 674 590 describes an example of such a vibration-damping support which operates quite satisfactorily, in particular to avoid or to limit banging of the valve member against the gratings, which generates vibration and/or noise that is unpleasant for the users of the vehicle.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, it has become apparent that it would be useful to improve vibration-damping supports of this type, in particular to achieve further improvement in their performance.
To this end, in the first aspect of the invention, in a vibration-damping support of the type in question the studs of the decoupling valve member are disposed so that, in the absence of relative vibration between the first and second strength members, the decoupling valve member is held in a rest position in which said valve member has a midplane disposed on a slant relative to the first and second gratings.
In preferred embodiments of the vibration-damping support in the first aspect of the invention, it is optionally possible, in addition, to use any of the following provisions:
the studs of the decoupling valve member comprise outer studs which are disposed in the vicinity of an outer periphery of said decoupling valve member and which are distributed in first and second groups of outer studs disposed on either side of a geometrical construction line extending across the decoupling valve member parallel to the midplane of said decoupling valve member, the first group of outer studs being situated on the first face, and the second group of outer studs being situated on the second face of said decoupling valve member;
the decoupling valve member is in the shape of a circular disk having a center through which a diametrical line constituting said construction line passes;
the outer studs of the first group are symmetrical to the outer studs of the second group about said construction line;
the decoupling valve member is provided with first and second elastomer centering lugs disposed at the center of the decoupling valve member on respective ones of the two faces of said decoupling valve member, said first and second centering lugs co-operating with respective ones of the two gratings to center the decoupling valve member relative to said gratings, the studs of the decoupling valve member further comprising inner studs disposed in the vicinity of the center of said decoupling valve member on both faces of said decoupling valve member;
the decoupling valve member is provided with two inner studs disposed in the vicinity of the first centering lug, symmetrically about said construction line;
the second centering lug is clipped into one of the gratings, and the decoupling valve member is provided with two inner studs disposed close to the second centering lug, on the side of said construction line opposite to its side on which the outer studs of the second group are situated;
the decoupling valve member is further provided with rounded elastomer projections which are distributed over the entire first and second faces of said decoupling valve member, and which project towards respective ones of the first and second gratings, the studs extending beyond said round projections from the first and second faces of the decoupling valve member;
the decoupling valve member is further provided with an outer peripheral rim projecting towards the first and second gratings from the first and second faces of the decoupling valve member, said peripheral rim being flush with the rounded projections of said first and second faces;
the second chamber is filled with liquid and is defined at least in part by a flexible elastomer wall, a constricted passage putting the first and second chambers into communication with each other;
the elastomer body is bell-shaped so that it diverges about a central axis between a top secured to the first strength member and an annular base secured to the second strength member, and the vibration-damping support further comprises a deflector in the form of an annular ring that extends inside the first chamber by surrounding the first grating and by converging towards the top of the elastomer body, said constricted passage opening out in the first chamber outside the deflector;
the first and second gratings are part of a rigid partition which separates the first and second chambers, the deflector including an abutment margin which extends parallel to said rigid partition and which is clamped between the base of the elastomer body and said rigid partition;
the deflector converges towards a flat top extending substantially parallel to the first and second gratings, the flat top having an annular rim which extends over a certain width and which surrounds an opening itself having a certain diameter, the width of the rim lying in the range 2% of the diameter of the opening to 5% of the diameter of the opening.
In addition, in a second aspect, the invention relates to a hydraulic vibration-damping support serving to interconnect first and second rigid elements so as to damp and filter vibration between said elements, the support comprising:
first and second rigid strength members serving to be fixed to respective ones of the first and second rigid elements to be interconnected;
an elastomer body that is substantially bell-shaped, extending about a central axis between a top secured to the first strength member and an annular base secured to the second strength member;
a working chamber filled with liquid and defined at least in part by the elastomer body;
a compensation chamber filled with liquid and defined at least in part by a flexible elastomer wall;
a rigid partition that separates the working chamber from the compensation chamber, which rigid partition comprises a sheet metal first piece that is in leaktight contact with the annular base of the elastomer body, and a rigid second piece that is in leaktight contact with said sheet metal first piece and that co-operates with the flexible wall to define the compensation chamber, the sheet metal first piece being provided with a first central grating that communicates with the working chamber, and the rigid second piece being provided with a second central grating that communica
Balazot Gilles
Reh Denis
Thomazeau Mikaël
Hutchinson
Marshall & Gerstein & Borun LLP
Nguyen Xuan Lan
Schwartz Christopher P.
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