Hydraulically damped actuator
AssigneeLocinox
InventorJoseph Talpe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hydraulically damped actuator suitable for closing a hingedly connected closure system includes a tubular cylinder barrel, an energy storing mechanism for storing energy when the closure system is being opened and for restoring the energy to close the closure system, and a hydraulic damping mechanism for damping a closing movement of the closure system. The damping mechanism has a closed cylinder cavity that is partly formed by a collar that is integrally formed with the tubular cylinder barrel, a guiding element that is bolted to said collar and a piston that is irrotatably and slideably with respect to the tubular cylinder barrel coupled to said guiding element. The guiding element is fixedly positioned with respect to the tubular cylinder barrel, without needing a screw connection.
Claims17
A hydraulically damped actuator for closing a closure system having a first member and a second member that are hingedly connected to each other, the actuator comprising:
- a first connection element configured for connecting the actuator to the first member, the first connection element comprising a tubular cylinder barrel having a longitudinal axis;
- a second connection element configured for connecting the actuator to the second member;
- an energy storing mechanism operatively connected with said first connection element and said second connection element and configured for storing energy when said closure system is being opened and for restoring said energy to effect closure of said closure system;
- and
- a hydraulic damping mechanism inside the tubular cylinder barrel and operatively connected with said first connection element and said second connection element and configured for damping a closing movement of said closure system, the damping mechanism comprising:
- a closed cylinder cavity in said tubular cylinder barrel, the closed cylinder cavity having a longitudinal axis and being filled with a volume of hydraulic fluid;
- a shaft that extends into the closed cylinder cavity and is rotatable with respect to said tubular cylinder barrel about a rotation axis that coincides with said longitudinal axis of the closed cylinder cavity;
- a piston disposed within said closed cylinder cavity and dividing the closed cylinder cavity into a high pressure compartment and a low pressure compartment, the piston being operatively coupled to the shaft to be slidable with respect to the tubular cylinder barrel between two extreme positions in the direction of said longitudinal axis;
- and
- a guiding element rigidly fixed to the tubular cylinder barrel in the closed cylinder cavity, the piston being irrotatably and slideably in the direction of said longitudinal axis of the closed cylinder cavity coupled to the guiding element,
- wherein,
- the tubular cylinder barrel comprises an integrally formed collar that forms part of the wall of the closed cylinder cavity, and
- the guiding element is bolted to said collar by one or more bolts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.