Vibration damper, in particular for vehicle steering wheels

Details Vibration damper, in particular for vehicle steering wheels Vibration damper, in particular for vehicle steering wheels

1999-09-02

2001-10-02

Kim, Harry C. (Department: 3629)

Joints and connections

Flexibly connected rigid members

C074S552000, C403S225000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06296416

ABSTRACT:

The invention relates to a device for eliminating vibrations in motor vehicles, more particularly vibrations occurring in the steering wheel rim.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vehicular vibrations may be caused by the drive train, by wheels being inadequately balanced, by road surface irregularities or by changes in streamlining conditions. They may greatly differ in frequency and amplitude and are basically inevitable. In modem passenger cars, however, systems for damping vibrations have since become so sophisticated that any appreciable nuisance in this respect hardly occurs. In a device using a vibratory body which is adapted as regards mass of the vibratory body and spring rate of the elastic suspension for specific vibrations affecting the steering wheel rim, it was found out that although the nuisance vibrations may be effectively suppressed by pins coated with a dampening material and abutting a fastening plate for limiting the vibration amplitude, the pins resulted in a noise nuisance of the fastening plate under critical conditions even though the vibration-damping material employed also has noise-damping properties. Keener investigations disclosed, however, that under critical conditions the vibratory body attained its maximum possible amplitude so that the pins coated with the vibration-damping material knock against the fastening plate at the frequency of the vibration introduced, resulting in a noise nuisance.
The invention is based on the object of avoiding such nuisances in conjunction with vibration damping.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This object is achieved by means of a device for eliminating vibrations in motor vehicles, more particularly vibrations occurring in the steering wheel rim, which includes a fastening plate and a vibratory body which is elastically connected to the fastening plate. An element is provided for limiting the amplitudes of vibration of the vibratory body, this element being coated with a vibration-damping material and being able to abut at a counter element. The counter element is provided with a rough surface in a region of contact with the element. The invention is based on having discovered that the vibration-damping material at the frequencies involved in this case tends to come into contact with the companion surface area so snugly, due to the elastic deformation, that the air in the region of contact tends to be completely driven out, resulting in a plopping noise from a certain vacuum sticking effect in counter movement when the vibration-damping material is relifted from the contact area in the counter movement. Accordingly, this noise can be avoided by preventing the vacuum sticking effect from occurring. This is why the counter element is provided with a rough surface. The term “rough” in this context designates a surface which in addition to the unavoidable surface roughness is provided with larger irregularities which are visible with the naked eye and are provided by purpose. A surface formed in this way prevents a sucking contact of the vibration-damping material with the counter element so that on lift-off a vacuum sticking effect producing the nuisance noise now no longer occurs.
Advantageous aspects of the invention read from the sub-claims.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2079798 (1937-05-01), Geyer
patent: 4580666 (1986-04-01), Ferguson
patent: 4712446 (1987-12-01), Kamata et al.
patent: 5158269 (1992-10-01), Hein et al.
patent: 5785450 (1998-07-01), Ichikawa et al.
patent: 4344615 (1994-06-01), None

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