Mechanical tensioner strut with uni-directional friction damping
US9033322B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 3, 2013 |
| Grant date | May 19, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 21, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16H2007/084
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A strut including a housing, a plunger within a space in the housing and including a tapered outer circumferential surface, a primary spring engaged with the housing, a wedge element within the space and including a tapered inner circumferential surface engageable with the outer circumferential surface, and a secondary spring engaged with the wedge element and the plunger to urge the plunger in an axial direction. The primary spring urges the plunger in the axial direction with a first force. In a fully extended mode, the plunger is maximally displaced in the axial direction. In a contracted mode, the plunger is displaced in an opposite axial direction in response to application of a second force, sufficiently greater than the first force, on the plunger in the opposite axial direction. When the second force is sufficiently decreased, the plunger displaces with respect to the housing in the axial direction.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.