Attenuator apparatus
AssigneeGoodbar LLC
InventorJames D. Mason
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An attenuator apparatus has an outer housing with a first chamber filled with a first fluid, and a bellows member of elastomeric material mounted in the first chamber and having a second chamber filled with a second fluid, the bellows member having a first end facing away from the first chamber. A piston is slidably mounted in the housing at the first end of the bellows member for acting on the bellows member in response to a force applied to the piston so as to expand the bellows member in the first chamber and cushion the force. The bellows member returns to its original configuration and biases the piston back in a second direction opposite to the first direction on removal of the force.
Claims15
A shock absorbing apparatus for reducing shock as a result of an applied force, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a first end and a second end;
- a bellows device mounted in the housing and dividing the housing into a first chamber between the first end and bellows device, and a second chamber between the bellows device and the second end;
- the second chamber being filled with a first fluid;
- the bellows device having at least a portion extending into said second chamber which is made entirely of a non-metallic, elastomeric material, and forming a third chamber which is filled with a second fluid, the third chamber having a first end facing away from the second chamber;
- a piston slidably mounted in the first chamber and acting on the first end of the third chamber in a first direction in response to a force applied to the piston so as to expand the portion of the bellows device extending into said second chamber and cushion the force, whereby the bellows device returns to its original configuration and biases the piston back in a second direction opposite to the first direction on removal of the force.
A shock absorbing apparatus for reducing shock as a result of an applied force, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a first end and a second end;
- a bellows device mounted in the housing and dividing the housing into a first chamber between the first end and bellows device, and a second chamber between the bellows device and the second end;
- the second chamber being filled with a first fluid;
- the bellows device having at least a portion extending into said second chamber which is of elastomeric material, and forming a third chamber which is filled with a second fluid, the third chamber having a first end facing away from the second chamber;
- a piston slidably mounted in the first chamber and acting on the first end of the third chamber in a first direction in response to a force applied to the piston so as to expand the portion of the bellows device extending into said second chamber and cushion the force, whereby the bellows device returns to its original configuration and biases the piston back in a second direction opposite to the first direction on removal of the force;
- and
- the first end of the third chamber comprising a deformable, closed end wall of said bellows device, and said piston acts directly on said closed end wall.
A shock absorbing assembly, comprising:
- a device having a first part and a second part movable relative to the first part on application of a force;
- an attenuator apparatus mounted at a joint between the first and second parts;
- and
- the attenuator apparatus comprising a housing having a first end and a second end, a bellows member mounted in the housing and dividing the housing into a first chamber between the first end and bellows member, and a second chamber between the bellows member and the second end, the second chamber being filled with a first fluid, the bellows member having at least a portion extending into said second chamber which is made entirely of a non-metallic, elastomeric material, and forming a third chamber having a first end facing away from the second chamber, and a piston secured to the first part and slidably mounted in said first chamber for acting on the first end of the third chamber in a first direction in response to application of a force to said device so as to expand the portion of the bellows member extending into the second chamber and cushion the force, whereby the bellows member returns to its original configuration and biases the piston back in a second direction opposite to the first direction on removal of the force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.