WO2021007795A1

WO2021007795A1 - Vibration damper

Info

Publication number: WO2021007795A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/096281
Authority: WO
Inventors: Heinz-Dieter Eichholz; Dusko VUKOMAN
Original assignee: Zhejiang Sanhua Intelligent Controls Co., Ltd.; Bleckmann Gmbh & Co. Kg
Priority date: 2019-07-17
Filing date: 2019-07-17
Publication date: 2021-01-21

Abstract

A vibration damper is disclosed. The vibration damper (100, 100') includes a mounting portion (1, 1') for connecting to an external component, and a tubular portion (2, 2') provided separately from the mounting portion (1, 1') and assembled with the mounting portion (1, 1'). The tubular portion (2, 2') is provided with an internal space (20, 20') which is in fluid communication with an external space through a fine hole (5, 5'). With this arrangement, when the vibration damper absorbs vibration and changes the internal space, air in the internal space flows through the fine hole into the external space so as to serve as a damping function.

Description

VIBRATION DAMPER

Technical field

The present application relates to a vibration damper, of which one end is used for connecting a fixed wall and the other end is used for connecting a vibration source (such as a pump or a motor) , which is suitable for the technical field of home appliances (for example, a dishwasher) .

Background

Vibration dampers are used to absorb vibration and reduce the vibrational effects of the vibration source on the entire system. Existing vibration dampers are often integrally formed and their materials are mainly made of elastic materials. In use, the vibration is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the elastic material itself. However, the current existing design is complicated in structure, difficult to manufacture and poor in durability.

Summary of invention

An object of the present application is to provide a vibration damper which is simple to manufacture and has excellent durability.

In order to achieve the above object, the present application adopts the following technical solution: a vibration damper includes a mounting portion for connecting to an external component, and a tubular portion provided separately from the mounting portion and assembled with the mounting portion. The tubular portion is provided with an internal space which is in fluid communication with an external space through a fine hole.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present application, the mounting portion includes a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion. Two sides of the tubular portion are locked with the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion, respectively.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present application, the first mounting portion includes a first sleeve portion, and the second mounting portion includes a second sleeve portion. One side of the tubular portion is at least partially inserted into the first sleeve portion, and the other side of the tubular portion is at least partially inserted in the second sleeve portion. The tubular portion includes a first locking portion to engage with the first sleeve portion and a second locking portion to engage with the second sleeve portion.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present application, the first mounting portion includes a first wall portion connected to the first sleeve portion. The second mounting portion includes a second wall portion connected to the second sleeve portion. The fine hole includes a first fine hole which extends through the first wall portion and in fluid communication with the internal space, and a second fine hole which extends through the second wall portion and in fluid communication with the internal space.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present application, the first mounting portion includes a first protrusion extending from the first wall portion along an axial direction and a first end cover located at an end of the first protrusion. The first protrusion is provided with a first mounting rib for mounting an external component. The fine hole includes a third fine hole extending through the first end cover and in fluid communication with the internal space. The second mounting portion includes a second protrusion extending from the second wall portion in the axial direction and a second end cover located at an end of the second protrusion. The second protrusion is provided with a second mounting rib for mounting an external component. The fine hole includes a fourth fine hole which extends through the second end cover and in fluid communication with the internal space.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present application, the first mounting portion includes a first cavity which is in fluid communication with the internal space through the first fine hole. The first cavity is in fluid communication with the external space through the third fine hole. The second mounting portion includes a second cavity which is in fluid communication with the internal space through the second fine hole. The second cavity is in fluid communication with the external space through the fourth fine hole.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present application, the first mounting portion includes a first wall portion and a first protrusion extending from the first wall portion. The first protrusion is provided with a first mounting rib for mounting an external component. The second mounting portion includes a second wall portion and a second protrusion extending from the second wall portion. The second protrusion is provided with a second mounting rib for mounting an external component.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present application, the first wall portion is provided with a first through hole, and the second wall portion is provided with a second through hole. One side of the tubular portion is provided with a first locking portion which extends through the first through hole to lock with the first wall portion, and the other side of the tubular portion is provided a second locking portion which extends through the second through hole to lock with the second wall portion.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present application, the first protrusion is provided with a first cavity which is in fluid communication with the external space, and the second protrusion is provided with a second cavity which is in fluid communication with the external space. The fine hole includes a first fine hole extending through the first wall portion and a second fine hole extending through the second wall portion. The first fine hole is in fluid communication with the internal space and the first cavity, and the second fine hole is in fluid communication with the internal space and the second cavity.

As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present application, the vibration damper is made of an elastically deformable material. The first mounting portion and the second mounting portion are symmetrically mounted at two ends of the tubular portion. The first mounting portion is identical in structure to the second mounting portion.

Compared with the prior art, the present application simplifies the structure of each component by separately making the tubular portion and the mounting portion, which is convenient for manufacturing. In addition, with the internal space being in fluid communication with the external space through the fine hole, when deformation of the vibration damper occurs due to vibration, air can be used as a damping medium so that the influence on the deformation of the vibration damper itself can be reduced and durability can be improved accordingly.

Brief description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vibration damper according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is another partially exploded perspective view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a further exploded perspective view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a further exploded perspective view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a top view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view taken along line A-Aof FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-Aof FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of the vibration damper of FIG. 8 when coupled to external components.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a vibration damper according to another embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a top view of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view taken along line B-B of FIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 10.

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of the vibration damper of FIG. 14 when coupled to external components.

Description of embodiments

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 9, the present application discloses a vibration damper 100 including a mounting portion 1 for connecting to an external component, and a tubular portion 2 provided separately from the mounting portion 1 and assembled with the mounting portion 1. The mounting portion 1 includes a first mounting portion 3 and a second mounting portion 4, wherein two sides of the tubular portion 2 are engaged with the first mounting portion 3 and the second mounting portion 4, respectively. The tubular portion 2 is provided with an internal space 20 which is in fluid communication with the external space through a fine hole 5.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 9, in an embodiment of the present application, the first mounting portion 3 includes a first sleeve portion 31, a first wall portion 32 connected to the first sleeve portion 31, a first protrusion 33 extending from the first wall portion 32 along an axial direction M-M, and a first end cover 34 located at an end of the first protrusion 33. The second mounting portion 4 includes a second sleeve portion 41, a second wall portion 42 connected to the second sleeve portion 41, a second protrusion 43 extending from the second wall portion 42 along the axial direction M-M, and a second end cover 44 located at an end of the second protrusion 43.

One side (for example, an upper side) of the tubular portion 2 is at least partially inserted into the first sleeve portion 31, and the other side (for example, an lower side) of the tubular portion 2 is at least partially inserted into the second sleeve portion 41. The tubular portion 2 and the first sleeve portion 31, and the tubular portion 2 and the second sleeve portion 41 are provided with locking structures which are coupled to each other. In the illustrated embodiment of the present application, the tubular portion 2 includes a first locking portion 21 which engages with the first sleeve portion 31 and a second locking portion 22 which engages with the second sleeve portion 41. Of course, in other embodiments, the first locking portion 21 and the second locking portion 22 can also be disposed inside the first sleeve portion 31 and the second sleeve portion 41, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment of the present application, mating surfaces of the first sleeve portion 31 and the second sleeve portion 41 engage with each other, and a joint surface of the first sleeve portion 31 and the second sleeve portion 41 is located substantially at the middle of the tubular portion 2.

In a first embodiment of the present application, the fine hole 5 includes a first fine hole 51 which extends through the first wall portion 32 and in fluid communication with the internal space 20, a second fine hole 52 which extends through the second wall portion 42 and in fluid communication with the internal space 20, a third fine hole 53 which extends through the first end cover 34 and in fluid communication with the internal space 20, and a fourth fine hole 54 which extends through the second end cover 44 and in fluid communication with the internal space 20.

The first mounting portion 3 includes a first cavity 30 which is in fluid communication with the internal space 20 through the first fine hole 51. The first cavity 30 is in fluid communication with the external space through the third fine hole 53. The second mounting portion 4 includes a second cavity 40 which is in fluid communication with the internal space 20 through the second fine hole 52. The second cavity 40 is in fluid communication with the external space through the fourth fine hole 54.

Of course, in other embodiments, the position of the fine hole 5 can also be provided on the wall surface of the first sleeve portion 31 and/or the second sleeve portion 41, or can be disposed on any reasonable location of the vibration damper 100 where the internal space 20 can be in fluid communication with the external space.

It should be noted that the term “fine hole” as used in the present application means that when the vibration damper 100 absorbs vibration, the internal space 20 is changed in volume (for example, the volume becomes small) , and the air in the internal space 20 is compressed so that the compressed air flow can be adjusted through the “fine pore” . During this process, the air in the internal space 20 functions as a damping medium by being compressed. Therefore, it can be understood that the size of the “fine hole” should not be designed too large, otherwise it is impossible to provide a reasonable time for air compression, thus the air cannot be used as a damping medium in reality.

Referring to FIG. 9, the first protrusion 33 is provided with a first mounting rib 331 for mounting an external component, such as a support wall 61 of a pump or a motor. The second protrusion 43 is provided with a second mounting rib 431 for mounting an external component, such as a fixed wall 62 of a dishwasher. As such, the vibration damper 100 connects the vibration source to the fixed wall. Preferably, the first mounting rib 331 and the first wall portion 32 together hold the external component (such as the support wall 61 of a pump or a motor) , and the second mounting rib 431 and the second wall portion 42 together hold the external component (such as the fixed wall 62 of a dishwasher) .

The vibration damper 100 is made of an elastically deformable material (for example, rubber) . The first mounting portion 3 and the second mounting portion 4 are symmetrically mounted at two ends of the tubular portion 2. The first mounting portion 3 has the same structure as the second mounting portion 4. Compared with the prior art, the present application simplifies the structure of each component by reducing the manufacturing difficulty via designing the mounting portion 1 and the tubular portion 2 as two separate components which are separately made but assembled together. Furthermore, by designing the first mounting portion 3 and the second mounting portion 4 in the same manner, it is possible to share a single mold, which will reduce the manufacturing cost.

In use, the vibration damper 100 of the present application is elastically deformed under the influence of a vibration source such as a pump or a motor. At this time, the vibration damper 100 is elastically deformed, and the internal space 20 of the tubular portion 2 is squeezed. While the volume is reduced, the medium (air, for example) in the internal space 20 is at least partially extruded outward. During this process, the medium (air, for example) acts as a damping to prevent excessive deformation of the vibration damper 100. When the vibration is alleviated, the elastic deformation of the vibration damper 100 gradually recovers, the internal space 20 of the tubular portion 2 is gradually restored to the original volume, and an external medium (air, for example) is newly replenished into the internal space 20. In this process, the medium (air, for example) can also play a certain damping effect.

Referring to FIG. 10 to FIG. 15, another embodiment of the present application discloses a vibration damper 100’ including a mounting portion 1’ for connecting with an external component and a tubular portion 2’ provided separately from the mounting portion 1’ and assembled with the mounting portion 1’ . The mounting portion 1’ includes a first mounting portion 3’ and a second mounting portion 4’ . Two sides of the tubular portion 2’ are locking with the first mounting portion 3’ and the second mounting portion 4’ , respectively. The tubular portion 2’ is provided with an internal space 20’ which is in fluid communication with the external space through a fine hole 5’ .

Specifically, the first mounting portion 3’ includes a first wall portion 32’ and a first protrusion 33’ extending from the first wall portion 32’ . The first protrusion 33’ is provided with a first mounting rib 331’ for mounting an external component (such as a support wall 61’ of a pump or motor) . The second mounting portion 4’ includes a second wall portion 42’ and a second portion extending from the second wall portion 42’ . The second protrusion 43’ is provided with a second mounting rib 431’ for mounting an external component (such as a fixed wall 62’ of a dishwasher) .

The first wall portion 32’ is provided with a first through hole 321’ , and the second wall portion 42’ is provided with a second through hole 421’ . One side (for example, an upper side) of the tubular portion 2’ is provided with a first locking portion 23’ which extends through the first through hole 321’ to engage with the first wall portion 32’ . The other side (for example, a lower side) of the tubular portion 2’ is provided with a second locking portion 24’ which extends through the second through hole 421’ to engage with the second wall portion 42’ .

The first protrusion 33’ defines a first cavity 30’ which is in fluid communication with the external space. The second protrusion 43’ defines a second cavity 40’ which is in fluid communication with the external space. The fine hole 5’ include a first fine hole 51’ extending through the first wall portion 32’ to fluidly communicate the internal space 20’ with the first cavity 30’ , and a second fine hole 52’ extending through the second wall portion 42’ to fluidly communicate the internal space 20’ with the second cavity 40’ .

The vibration damper 100’ operates in the same manner as the vibration damper 100, thus it will not be described again herein.

The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments are obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the present application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but the scope of the invention is to be accorded.

Claims

A vibration damper (100, 100’) comprising a mounting portion (1, 1’) for connecting to an external component, characterized in that the vibration damper (100, 100’) further comprises a tubular portion (2, 2’) provided separately from the mounting portion (1, 1’) and assembled with the mounting portion (1, 1’) , the tubular portion (2, 2’) being provided with an internal space (20, 20’) which is in fluid communication with an external space through a fine hole (5, 5’) .
The vibration damper (100, 100’) according to claim 1, characterized in that the mounting portion (1, 1’) comprises a first mounting portion (3, 3’) and a second mounting portion (4, 4’) , two sides of the tubular portion (2, 2’) being locked with the first mounting portion (3, 3’) and the second mounting portion (4, 4’) , respectively.
The vibration damper (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the first mounting portion (3) comprises a first sleeve portion (31) , and the second mounting portion (4) comprises a second sleeve portion (41) ; one side of the tubular portion (2) being at least partially inserted into the first sleeve portion (31) , and the other side of the tubular portion (2) being at least partially inserted in the second sleeve portion (41) , the tubular portion (2) comprising a first locking portion (21) to engage with the first sleeve portion (31) and a second locking portion (22) to engage with the second sleeve portion (41) .
The vibration damper (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that the first mounting portion (3) comprises a first wall portion (32) connected to the first sleeve portion (31) , the second mounting portion (4) comprises a second wall portion (42) connected to the second sleeve portion (41) , the fine hole (5) comprises a first fine hole (51) which extends through the first wall portion (32) and in fluid communication with the internal space (20) , and a second fine hole (52) which extends through the second wall portion (42) and in fluid communication with the internal space (20) .
The vibration damper (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that the first mounting portion (3) comprises a first protrusion (33) extending from the first wall portion (32) along an axial direction (M-M) and a first end cover (34) located at an end of the first protrusion (33) , the first protrusion (33) being provided with a first mounting rib (331) for mounting an external component, the fine hole (5) comprising a third fine hole (53) extending through the first end cover (34) and in fluid communication with the internal space (20) ; the second mounting portion (4) comprising a second protrusion (43) extending from the second wall portion (42) in the axial direction (M-M) and a second end cover (44) located at an end of the second protrusion (43) , the second protrusion (43) being provided with a second mounting rib (431) for mounting an external component, the fine hole (5) comprising a fourth fine hole (54) extending through the second end cover (44) and in fluid communication with the internal space (20) .
The vibration damper (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the first mounting portion (3) comprises a first cavity (30) which is in fluid communication with the internal space (20) through the first fine hole (51) , the first cavity (30) being in fluid communication with the external space through the third fine hole (53) ; the second mounting portion (4) comprising a second cavity (40) which is in fluid communication with the internal space (20) through the second fine hole (52) , the second cavity (40) being in fluid communication with the external space through the fourth fine hole (54) .
The vibration damper (100’) according to claim 2, characterized in that the first mounting portion (3’) comprises a first wall portion (32’) and a first protrusion (33’) extending from the first wall portion (32’) , the first protrusion (33’) being provided with a first mounting rib (331’) for mounting an external component; and the second mounting portion (4’) comprising a second wall portion (42’) and a second protrusion (43’) extending from the second wall portion (42’) , the second protrusion (43’) being provided with a second mounting rib (431’) for mounting an external component.
The vibration damper (100’) according to claim 7, characterized in that the first wall portion (32’) is provided with a first through hole (321’) , and the second wall portion (42’) is provided with a second through hole (421’) ; one side of the tubular portion (2’) being provided with a first locking portion (21’) which extends through the first through hole (321’) to lock with the first wall portion (32’) , the other side of the tubular portion (2’) being provided a second locking portion (22’) which extends through the second through hole (421’) to lock with the second wall portion (42’) .
The vibration damper (100’) according to claim 7, characterized in that the first protrusion (33’) is provided with a first cavity (30’) which is in fluid communication with the external space, and the second protrusion (43’) is provided with a second cavity (40’) which is in fluid communication with the external space; the fine hole (5’) comprises a first fine hole (51’) extending through the first wall portion (32’) and a second fine hole (52’) extending through the second wall portion (42’) , the first fine hole (51’) being in fluid communication with the internal space (20’) and the first cavity (30’) , and the second fine hole (52’) being in fluid communication with the internal space (20’) and the second cavity (40’) .
The vibration damper (100, 100’) according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the vibration damper (100, 100’) is made of an elastically deformable material, the first mounting portion (3, 3’) and the second mounting portion (4, 4’) being symmetrically mounted at two ends of the tubular portion (2, 2’) , the first mounting portion (3, 3’) being identical in structure to the second mounting portion (4, 4’).