Tolerance ring in external energy absorber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10065058-B2
Application number	US-201615392369-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2016
Priority date	Dec 28, 2016
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

An external energy absorber may include a hub having a line associated therewith, the line including a first end directly or indirectly attached to the hub and a second end opposite the first end attached to a user, an energy absorbing arrangement directly or indirectly attached to the hub, the energy absorbing arrangement comprising an outer ring directly or indirectly attached to the hub, an inner ring directly or indirectly attached to a housing, and at least one energy absorbing member positioned between the outer ring and the inner ring, wherein the at least one energy absorbing member is configured to generate friction between the outer ring and the inner ring upon rotation of the hub, and the housing configured to hold the hub and energy absorbing arrangement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An external energy absorber, comprising:
a hub having a line associated therewith, the line including a first end directly or indirectly attached to the hub and a second end opposite the first end;
an energy absorbing arrangement directly or indirectly attached to the hub, the energy absorbing arrangement comprising an outer ring directly or indirectly attached to the hub, an inner ring directly or indirectly attached to a housing, and at least one energy absorbing member positioned between the outer ring and the inner ring, wherein the at least one energy absorbing member is configured to generate friction between the outer ring and the inner ring upon rotation of the hub; and
the housing configured to contain the hub and the energy absorbing arrangement,
wherein at least one inner protrusion of the housing includes at least one tab,
wherein the energy absorbing arrangement defines at least one notch, and
wherein the at least one notch of the energy absorbing arrangement is configured to receive the at least one protrusion of the housing in a keyed relationship.

2. The external energy absorber of claim 1 , wherein the at least one energy absorbing member comprises at least one tolerance ring.

3. The external energy absorber of claim 2 , wherein the at least one tolerance ring includes at least one projection that contacts at least one of the following: the inner ring, the outer ring, or both the inner ring and the outer ring, to generate friction between the inner ring and the outer ring.

4. The external energy absorber of claim 2 , wherein the at least one tolerance ring is made of spring steel.

5. The external energy absorber of claim 1 , wherein the inner ring and the outer ring are press fit together to capture the at least one energy absorbing member therebetween.

6. The external energy absorber of claim 1 , wherein the outer ring is configured to rotate with the hub.

7. The external energy absorber of claim 1 , wherein the inner ring is configured to remain stationary with respect to the housing.

8. The external energy absorber of claim 1 , wherein the hub further comprises at least one protrusion configured to retain the first end of the line on the hub.

9. The external energy absorber of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes two separate housing members configured to connect to one another to contain the hub and the energy absorbing arrangement.

10. The external energy absorber of claim 1 , wherein the hub is rotatable within the housing to facilitate extension of the line from the housing.

11. An external energy absorber for use with fall protection equipment, comprising:
a hub having a line associated therewith, the line including a first end directly or indirectly attached to the hub and a second end opposite the first end attached to a user;
at least one tolerance ring configured to generate friction upon rotation of the hub, wherein the at least one tolerance ring is held in a tolerance ring assembly comprising an outer ring and an inner ring, wherein the at least one tolerance ring is positioned between the outer ring and the inner ring, and
a housing configured to capture the hub and the at least one tolerance ring,
wherein at least one inner protrusion of the housing includes at least one tab,
wherein the tolerance ring assembly defines at least one notch, and
wherein the at least one notch of the tolerance ring assembly is configured to receive the at least one protrusion of the housing in a keyed relationship.

12. The external energy absorber of claim 11 ,
wherein the at least one tolerance ring is directly or indirectly in contact with the hub and directly or indirectly in contact with the housing, and
wherein the at least one tolerance ring is configured to generate friction between the hub and the housing upon rotation of the hub.

13. The external energy absorber of claim 11 , wherein the housing includes the at least one inner protrusion upon which the hub and the at least one tolerance ring are positioned.

14. The external energy absorber of claim 11 ,
wherein the outer ring defines at least one notch,
wherein the hub includes at least one tab, and
wherein the at least one notch of the outer ring is configured to receive the at least one tab of the hub in a keyed relationship, such that the outer ring rotates with the hub.

15. The external energy absorber of claim 11 , wherein the outer ring rotates relative to the inner ring.

16. The external energy absorber of claim 11 , wherein the at least one tolerance ring includes projections extending from at least one of the following: an inner surface, an outer surface, or the inner surface and the outer surface, to generate friction between the tolerance ring and at least one of the following: the inner ring, the outer ring, or the inner ring and the outer ring.

Assignees

• Msa Technology Llc

Inventors

• Sepe Benjamin T
• Jones Karl

Classifications

• F16D59/00

  Self-acting brakes, e.g. coming into operation at a predetermined speed · CPC title

• F16D65/08

  for internally-engaging brakes · CPC title

• A62B35/04 Primary

  incorporating energy absorbing means · CPC title

• A62B1/10

  mechanically operated · CPC title