Pneumatic spring including an electric switch

US4263488A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Stabilus GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Herbert Freitag · Koblenz, DE
• Klaus Schnitzius · Rheinbrohl, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 16, 1979
• Grant date: Apr 21, 1981
• Expiry date: May 16, 1999

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F16F9/029
• WIPO field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

The tail gate of a station wagon carries an electric lamp for automatically illuminating the adjacent portion of the body compartment when the tail gate is open. The lamp is energized from the battery of the vehicle through a pneumatic spring which biases the tail gate toward the open position. The two fastening eyes of the spring insulate the piston rod and cylinder of the spring from the tail gate and body of the vehicle respectively. A switch sealed in the spring conductively connects the piston rod and cylinder, otherwise insulated from each other, when the spring holds the tail gate open, terminals on the piston rod and cylinder outside the cylinder cavity being connected to the battery and the lamp respectively.