Retainer groove and variable resistance assembly
US6209499A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 20, 1999 |
| Grant date | Apr 3, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 20, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF01L1/245
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A C-clip retainer is provided in a groove of a piston, such as for an engine hydraulic valve lash adjuster, to allow installation and removably retain the piston in a cylinder of an associated assembly. The groove has a novel shape including an inner surface that is angled relative to a longitudinal axis of the piston to provide a larger groove diameter at a first axial end surface and a smaller diameter at an opposite second axial end surface of the groove. Upon installation, the clip is urged into the smaller diameter, allowing easier installation, but upon removal the clip is expanded by forcing it to the larger diameter, thereby increasing the retention force on the piston. The first axial end surface may also be formed with a back angle that reduces forces of the associated cylinder edge that tend to compress the retainer into the groove, thus further increasing the piston retention force.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.