Damper device

Abstract: An air cylinder type damper device for a storage cabinet includes a cylinder body 1 having a front terminal opening, a piston 2 slidably disposed inside the cylinder body, a spring member 4 disposed inside the cylinder body 1 for biasing the piston 2 in a shutting direction of the storage cabinet B, a string member S having one terminal part thereof connected to the piston 2 within said cylinder body 1 and a cap 6 provided on the front terminal opening of the cylinder body 1 and possessed of a curved peripheral guide face 6a capable of guiding the string member S in the direction of disposition thereof. The opening motion of the storage cabinet is controlled by moving the piston in one direction through the string member against the biasing force of the spring member. The shutting motion of the storage cabinet is controlled by moving the piston in the opposite direction through the string member owing to the biasing force of the spring member.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention: This invention relates to a damper device which is used in a storage cabinet such as a glove compartment furnished for a dashboard of an automobile. 2. Description of the Prior Art: The storage cabinet such as a glove compartment is at times required to be furnished with a damper device for controlling the opening and shutting motions of the storage cabinet for the purpose of preventing the storage cabinet from suddenly opening itself or emitting unpleasant noise of impact. As damper devices fit for this purpose, air cylinder type damper devices disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Public Disclosures No. 63-196752 and No. 2-147350 have been proposed to the art, for example and according to the preamble of claim 1. Thees conventional damper devices, through not specifically illustrated herein, are constructed of a piston provided on the circumferential edge thereof with an O-ring and slidably disposed inside a cylinder body, a compression coil spring serving to urge the piston in one fixed direction, a long piston rod integrally extending from the piston and protruding outwardly from the cylinder body, and a string member having one terminal part thereof connected to the leading terminal part of the piston rod, with the other terminal end of the string member fastened either to the peripheral member of the storage cabinet when the cylinder body is fixed to the storage cabinet or to the storage cabinet when the cylinder body is fixed to the peripheral member of the storage cabinet. The conventional damper devices, therefore, necessitate in any event not only such guide means as a roller for guiding the string member in the direction of disposition of the string member but also such fixing parts as bolts and nuts for fixing the guide means at pertinent fixed positions, with a natural consequence that the number of component parts is proportionately increased and that the damper devices suffer from an addition of size and an increase of cost. Further, during the assembly of an automobile or the assembly of the damper device, therefore, the number of steps of work involved therein is augmented and the operational efficiency of the assembly is jeopardized possibly to the extent of posing a problem. To make matters worse, in the conventional damper devices, an appreciable space must be secured between the long piston rod and the guide means because the leading terminal part of the piston rod and the guide means avoid interfering with each other. The extra space thus required entails the problem of proportionately enlarging the device and consequently imposing a limit on the overall dimensions of the storage cabinet and diminishing the cabinet's capacity for storage. One object of this invention is to provide an air cylinder type damper device which allows a perfect solution of the problems suffered by the conventional damper devices as described above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To accomplish the object described above, according to this invention there is provided an air cylinder type damper device for a storage cabinet, comprising a cylinder body having a front terminal opening, a piston slidably disposed inside the cylinder body, a spring member disposed inside the cylinder body for biasing the piston in a shutting direction of the storage cabinet, a string member having one terminal part thereof connected to the piston within the cylinder body, and a cap provied on the front terminal opening of the cylinder body and possessed of a curved peripheral guide face capable of guiding the string member in the direction of disposition thereof, whereby an opening motion of the storage cabinet is controlled by moving the piston in one direction through the string member against the biasing force of the spring member and a shutting motion of the storage cabinet is controlled by moving the piston in the opposite direction through the string member owing to the biasing force of the spring member. The above objects, features and advantages of this invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross section illustrating a first embodiment of the damper device according to this invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view illustrating a first example of the state of attachment of the damper device. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view illustrating a second example of the state of attachment of the damper device. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view illustrating a third example of the state of attachment of the damper device. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view illustrating a fourth example of the state of attachment of the damper device. FIG. 6 is a cross section illustrating the essential part of the damper device to aid in the explanation of the flow of air into the damper device. FIG. 7 is a cross section illustrating the essential part of the damper device to aid in the explanation of the flow of air out of the damper device. FIG. 8 is an explanatory cross section illustrating the essential part of the damper device in the state of equalized pressure. FIG. 9 is a cross section illustrating a second embodiment of the damper device according to this invention. FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating a piston of the damper device of FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a coupling device for the damper device of FIG. 9. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the essential part of the damper device of FIG. 9 and illustrating a first example of the part provided with a cylinder body of the damper device. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view illustrating a second example of the part provided with the cylinder body. FIG. 14 is an explanatory view illustrating a third example of the part provided with the cylinder body. FIG. 15 is an explanatory view illustrating a fourth example of the part provided with the cylinder body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS This invention will now be described in detail below with reference to the illustrated embodiment. The first embodiment of the air cylinder type damper device according to this invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Basically, this damper device has a precondition that a piston 2 having an O-ring 3 set on the circumferential edge thereof be slidably disposed inside a cylinder body 1 and that a compression coil spring 4 be adapted to urge the piston 2 in one direction. The damper device is characterized by adopting a construction permitting one terminal part Sa of a string member S to be directly connected to the piston 2 inside the cylinder body 1 unlike the conventional damper device which has a long piston rod extending from the piston and adapted to connect one terminal part of a string member to the piston. In the first embodiment of this invention, therefore, the piston 2 is integrally provided with a hook part 5 for hooking the one terminal part Sa of the string member S and the cylinder body 1 has its front terminal opening part sheathed with a cap 6 made of resin and possessed of a curved peripheral guide face 6a capable of guiding the string member S connected to the hook part 5 in the direction of disposition of the string member S as illustrated in FIG. 1. The string member S can therefore be freely protruded in a desired direction from within the cylinder body 1 by the guiding action of the peripheral guide face 6a of the cap 6 without requiring use of such guide means as a roller which is found in the conventional device. Thus, it completely obviates the necessity for the guide means which is indispensable to the conventional device and the fixing parts which are necessary for the guide means. It has absolutely no possibility of sustaining a fracture because it contacts only the curved peripheral guide face 6a. Moreover, the omission of the piston rod allows the entirety of the device inclusive of the cylinder body 1 to be miniaturized. Further in the first embodiment, a rear wall 7 provided with a cylindrical part 7a and an air vent 7b is integrally formed on the rear terminal part side of the cylinder body 1, a seating valve 8 containing an orifice 8a, a backup spring 9 and an air filter 10 are sequentially disposed in the order mentioned inside the cylindrical part 7a, and a retainer 11 provided with an opening 11a is set in place so as to fix the air filter 10. Inside the cylindrical part 7a, therefore, the seating valve 8 is attached fast to the surface of the rear wall 7 and the air filter 10 is pressed against the surface of the retainer 11 by virtue of the spring pressure of the backup spring 9. This air filter 10 is desired to be formed of such a porous resin as porous ethylene tetrafluoride resin so that the air filter 10 is enabled to produce a prescribed amount of resistance and simultaneously allow flow of air and permit fine adjustment of the flow volume of air and, at the same time, manifest the function of absorbing noise owing to the action of the numerous minute pores. The damper device constructed as described above, therefore, is installed in its working position simply by utilizing a fitting part 1a formed on the cylinder body 1 for fixing the cylinder body 1 at a stated position by means of screws, for example. In this case, this fixation of the cylinder body 1 is attained at the optimum site which is freely selected of the direction of disposition of the string member S and the miniaturization allowed for the cylinder body 1. Conceivably this fixation is attained, as shown in FIG. 2 for example, by fixing the cylinder body 1 on the side of the dashboard P opposed to the rear face of the glove compartment B and attaching the other terminal part Sb of the string member S fast to the glove compartment lid R side either directly or through a connecting member 12, or as illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, by fixing the cylinder body 1 on the lateral side or rear side of the glove compartment B and attaching the other terminal part Sb of the string member S on the corresponding side of the dashboard P , or where the damper device is of the type adapted to be opened solely on the glove compartment lid R side as shown in FIG. 5, by fixing the cylinder body 1 on the main body side of the glove compartment B and attaching the other terminal part Sb of the string member S fast to the open-shut type glove compartment lid R through the connecting member 12. In any case, the space used for the fixation is appreciably decreased. When, in preparation of the damper device for actual use, the glove compartment B is rotated under its own weight in the opening direction by releasing lock means (not shown), the string member S is drawn outwardly as guided by the peripheral guide face 6a of the cap 6 and, in response thereto, the piston 2 is moved toward the cap 6 in spite of the spring pressure of the compression coil spring 4 and the glove compartment B is allowed to rotate. During this rotation of the glove compartment B , however, the motion of the piston 2 causes the air, while being passed through the minute pores in the air filter 10 and aspirated into the cylinder body 1 via the orifice 8a of the seating valve 8 as illustrated in FIG. 6, to brake the motion of the piston 2 and, as a consequence, control the opening motion of the glove compartment B and infallibly make the glove compartment B rotate gradually in the opening direction. The glove compartment B is shut simply by causing itself to be rotated in the reverse direction. During this rotation, the urging spring pressure of the compression coil spring 4 compels the piston 2 to move in the direction opposite to the opening direction mentioned above and, at the same time, causes the string member S to be retracted into the cylinder body 1 as guided by the peripheral guide face 6a of the cap 6. At this time, however, owing to the motion of the piston 2, the air on the rear terminal part side of the interior of the cylinder body tends to be compressed and simultaneously made to pass through the air vent 7b in the rear wall 7 and the orifice 8a in the seating valve 8. Since this orifice 8a has a small diameter, the air is not freely passed therethrough but is made to move the seating valve 8 away from the rear wall 7 in spite of the spring pressure of the backup spring 9, with the result that the air is allowed to flow into the cylindrical part 7a and then find its way out through the minute pores in the air filter 10 into the ambient air as illustrated in FIG. 7. As a result, the shutting motion of the glove compartment B is controlled so as to ensure generation of smooth rotation of the glove compartment in the shutting direction. When the pressure inside the cylindrical part 7a and that on the rear terminal part side of the cylinder body 1 are roughly equalized subsequently, the spring pressure of the backup spring 9 causes the seating valve 8 to collide against the rear wall 7 and assume the original state as illustrated in FIG. 8. When the air flows into the cylindrical part 7a, the air filter 10 which exists therein prevents this air from being discharged instantaneously into the ambient air and ensures fine adjustment of the flow volume of air and gradual release thereof into the ambient air. As a result, the seating valve 8 is slowly returned and precluded from emitting noise of collision against the rear wall 7. Even if the collision happens to emit noise, this noise is prevented from being propagated in the ambient air owing to the sound-abating action of the air filter 10. Now, the air cylinder type damper device as the second embodiment of this invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 9 to FIG. 12. In contrast to the first embodiment which has the precondition of independently forming the cylinder body 1 and fixing the cylinder body 1 from behind to the glove compartment B or dashboard P through the fitting part 1a, the second embodiment contemplates integrally forming a glove compartment B and a cylinder body 1 as shown in FIG. 9 and incorporating in the integrally formed cylinder body 1 a piston 2 having one terminal part Sa of a string member S connected thereto through a coupling piece 14. The second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, renders completely unnecessary the work of fixing the cylinder body 1 on the glove compartment B and therefore ensures generous simplification of the work of assembly and, as a result, promises a cut of cost and saves the space for installation. To be more specific, the second embodiment is identical with the first embodiment in respect that the cap 6 provided with the peripheral guide face 6a is fitted on the front opening part side of the cylinder body 1. It is different from the first embodiment in respect that, first of all, the one terminal part Sa of the string member S is connected to the piston 2 through the coupling piece 14 adapted to retain a calked piece 13 which is provided on the one terminal part Sa of the string member S . In the second embodiment, therefore, the piston 2 is formed as a hollow article. As shown in FIG. 10, an insertion mouth part 15 for allowing insertion therein of the coupling piece 14 and a pair of opposed slits 16 are formed on the front terminal part side of the piston 2, and an orifice 17 is bored on the rear terminal part side thereof. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the coupling piece 14 is formed as a cylindrical article whose outside diameter fits insertion through the inserting mouth part 15 of the piston 2 and a flange part 18 and a pair of fastening shoulder 19 are formed integrally on the outer circumferential part of the coupling piece 14. When the string member S is inserted, with the other terminal part Sb (FIG. 12) side thereof at the lead, into the coupling piece 14, the calked piece 13 formed on the one terminal part Sa of the string member S is retained inside the coupling piece 14, and the coupling piece 14 is inserted into the insertion mouth part 15 of the piston 2, then the fastening shoulder parts 19 of the coupling piece 14 are engaged with the inner edge parts of the corresponding slits 16 and the coupling piece 14 is attached fast to the piston 2 as illustrated in FIG. 9. As a result, the one terminal part Sa of the string member S is infallibly joined to the piston 2. In the second place, the interior of a cylindrical part 7a which is provided for the rear wall 7 of the cylinder body 1 has a simple construction of exclusively disposing therein a seating valve 8 containing no orifice through a retainer 11 possessed of flexibility. Owing to this construction, the incorporation of the cylindrical part 7a in the integrally formed cylinder body 1 is facilitated. In the second embodiment, therefore, it goes without saying that the damper device can be put to normal use, for example, by integrally forming the cylinder body 1 in a lateral state or longitudinal state on the lateral surface of the glove compartment B , incorporating in this cylinder body 1 the piston 2 having one terminal part Sa of the string member S connected thereto through the coupling piece 14 and the compression coil spring 4, and causing the other terminal part Sb of the string member S to be extended over the guide face 6a the cap 6 and attached fast to the dashboard P as illustrated in FIG. 12. The site and the directionality for the formation of the cylinder body 1 are not limited to those of the particular construction described above. Owing to the freedom in this respect and the freedom in selecting the direction of the disposition of the string member S by the cap 6, the optimum site can be freely selected ideally on the rear side of the glove compartment B , on the bottom part side of the glove compartment B , or on the inner side of the lateral surface of the glove compartment B as respectively illustrated in FIG. 13 to FIG. 15, depending on the shape of the glove compartment B or the positional relation of the cylinder body 1 with the dashboard P . If, in this case, the string member S is desired to be guided in a specific direction of disposition, the necessity for incorporating the independent guide means and attendant fixing parts as found in the conventional damp device can be obviated by having such guide means additionally formed integrally with the glove compartment B . Further, in the second embodiment as in the first embodiment, the cylinder body 1 is allowed to enjoy a reduction in size because the string member S is connected to the piston 2. The damp device as a whole can be expected to enjoy a reduction in size because the cylinder body 1 is integrally formed with the glove compartment B . Also in the second embodiment, when the glove compartment B is allowed to rotate in the opening direction by the weight of its own, the string member S is drawn outwardly as guided on the peripheral guide face 6a of the cap 6, and the piston 2 is consequently moved toward the cap 6 side in spite of the urging spring pressure of the compression coil spring 4. In this while, air which then exists inside the cylinder body 1 is forced to flow through the interior of the coupling piece 14 and aspirated through the orifice 17 of the piston 2 into the rear terminal part side of the cylinder proper 1. As a result, the piston 2 is placed under a braking force and the opening motion of the glove compartment B is controlled. Conversely, when the glove compartment B is shut, the urging spring pressure of the compression coil spring 4 moves the piston 2 in the reverse direction and consequently compresses the air existing on the rear terminal part side of the interior of the cylinder body 1 and forces the air to flow through the air vent in the rear wall 7 and reach the seating valve 8. As a result, the retainer 11 possessed of flexibility is deformed and the seating valve 8 is moved away from the rear wall 7 and the air under discussion is discharged into the ambient air through an air vent 20 formed in the lateral part of the cylindrical part 7a. Thus, the shutting motion of the glove compartment B is controlled as expected. Owing to the adoption of the construction described above, this invention obviates the necessity for using independent guide means for fixing the direction of disposition of the string member and attendant parts and, therefore, permits a generous reduction in the number of component parts of the device and the number of steps of the work of assembly and enables the device to be effectively reduced in size and cost. Moreover, the fact that the necessity for using a piston rod is obviated makes a contribution to the reduction in size of the cylinder body. Owing to this fact and the fact that the necessity for the guide means is obviated, the entirety of the device can be installed in a small space at a desired site. Thus, the possibility of the storage cabinet succumbing to any limitation of the capacity for storage can be precluded. When the piston is integrally formed with the storage cabinet, the entirety of the device enjoys a further reduction in size and the operation and effect of this invention described above is promoted and the work of assembly of the device is decisively simplified. Even from this point of view, the cost of the device can be expected to be appreciably decreased.

Claims: An air cylinder type damper device for a storage cabinet comprising: a cylinder body (1) having a front terminal opening; a piston (2) slidably disposed inside said cylinder body (1); a spring member (4) disposed inside said cylinder body (1) for biasing said piston (2) in a shutting direction of the storage cabinet (B); a string member (S) having one terminal part thereof connected to said piston (2) whithin said cylinder body (1); and characterized by a cap (6) provided on said front terminal opening of said cylinder body (1) and provided with a curved peripheral guide face (6a) capable of guiding said string member (S) in the direction of disposition thereof; whereby an opening motion of the storage cabinet is controlled by moving said piston in one direction by said string member against the biasing force of said spring member and a shutting motion of the storage cabinet is controlled by moving said piston in the opposite direction by said string member owing to the biasing force of said spring member. A damper device according to Claim 1, wherein the storage cabinet (B) and said cylinder body (1) are integrally formed. A damper device according to Claim 1, wherein said piston (2) is provided with a hook part (5) and said one terminal part (Sa) of said string member (S) is connected to said hook part (5). A damper device according to Claim 2, wherein said piston (2) is provided with a hook part (5) and said one terminal part of said (Sa) string member (S) is connected to said hook part. A damper device according to Claim 1, wherein said one terminal part (Sa) of said string member (S) is retained by a coupling piece (14), and said coupling piece (14) is attached fast to said piston (2). A damper device according to Claim 2, wherein said one terminal part (Sa) of said string member (S) is retained by a coupling piece (14) and said coupling piece (14) is attached fast to said piston (2).

Inventors: SATO SEIICHI, SATO, SEIICHI
Applicants: KATO HATSUJO KAISHA LTD, KATO HATSUJO KAISHA LTD.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B60R7
IPC codes: B60R7, F16F9, E05F3, F16F13