Piston assembly for human-powered vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11618528-B2
Application number	US-202117223465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2021
Priority date	May 19, 2020
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

A piston assembly is provided for a human-powered vehicle. The piston assembly includes a main body and a primary seal. The main body is configured to be movable from a rest position to an actuated position along an actuation direction in a cylinder bore. The primary seal includes a primary seal body arranged on the main body. The primary seal body is made of a resin material. The primary seal body has a primary lip portion configured to be in contact with the cylinder bore in an arranged state where the piston assembly is arranged in the cylinder bore. The primary seal further includes a biasing part configured to be in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the main body to outwardly bias the primary lip portion of the primary seal body in the arranged state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A piston assembly for a human-powered vehicle, the piston assembly comprising:
a main body configured to be movable from a rest position to an actuated position along an actuation direction in a cylinder bore; and
a primary seal including a primary seal body arranged on the main body, the primary seal body being made of a resin material and having a primary lip portion configured to be in contact with the cylinder bore in an arranged state where the piston assembly is arranged in the cylinder bore, the primary seal further including a biasing part configured to be in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the main body to outwardly bias the primary lip portion of the primary seal body in the arranged state, the biasing part being provided as a separate member from the primary seal body.

2. The piston assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the biasing part is made of a rubber material.

3. The piston assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the primary lip portion includes a cylindrical outer contact surface that is configured to be in contact with the cylinder bore in the arranged state.

4. The piston assembly according to claim 3 , wherein
the primary lip portion includes a first annular chamfer surface and a second annular chamfer surface, the cylindrical outer contact surface is disposed between the first annular chamfer surface and the second annular chamfer surface.

5. The piston assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the primary seal body has an annular inner surface that is configured to be in contact with the biasing part in the arranged state.

6. The piston assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the resin material includes one of a polytetrafluoroethylene and a polyethylene.

7. The piston assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the resin material includes a polyimide-filled pol-tetrafluoroethylene.

8. The piston assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the main body includes a first part and a second part coupled to the first part, the first part has a first axial abutment surface facing the primary seal, the second part has a second axial abutment surface facing the primary seal, and the primary seal is located axially between the first axial abutment surface and the second axial abutment surface.

9. The piston assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising
a secondary seal arranged on the main body upstream of the primary seal with respect to the actuation direction.

10. The piston assembly according to claim 9 , wherein
the secondary seal is made of a different material from the primary seal.

11. A piston assembly for a human-powered vehicle, the piston assembly comprising:
a main body configured to be movable from a rest position to an actuated position along an actuation direction in a cylinder bore; and
a primary seal including a primary seal body arranged on the main body, the primary seal body being made of a resin material and having a primary lip portion configured to be in contact with the cylinder bore in an arranged state where the piston assembly is arranged in the cylinder bore, the primary seal further including a biasing part configured to outwardly bias the primary lip portion of the primary seal body in the arranged state, the biasing part being made of a rubber material, the biasing part being provided as a separate member from the primary seal body.

12. A piston assembly for a human-powered vehicle, the piston assembly comprising
a main body configured to be movable from a rest position to an actuated position along an actuation direction in a cylinder bore; and
a primary seal including a primary seal body arranged on the main body, the primary seal body being made of a resin material and having a primary lip portion configured to be in contact with the cylinder bore in an arranged state where the piston assembly is arranged in the cylinder bore, the primary seal further including a biasing part configured to be in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the main body to outwardly bias the primary lip portion of the primary seal body in the arranged state,
the primary seal body being an O-ring having a first end surface facing in a first axial direction with respect to a center axis of the O-ring and a second end surface facing in a second axial direction with respect to the center axis, the first axial direction being opposite from the second axial direction.

13. A piston assembly for a human-powered vehicle, the piston assembly comprising
a main body configured to be movable from a rest position to an actuated position along an actuation direction in a cylinder bore; and
a primary seal including a primary seal body arranged on the main body, the primary seal body being made of a resin material and having a primary lip portion configured to be in contact with the cylinder bore in an arranged state where the piston assembly is arranged in the cylinder bore, the primary seal further including a biasing part configured to be in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the main body to outwardly bias the primary lip portion of the primary seal body in the arranged state,
the main body including a first part and a second part coupled to the first part, the first part having a first axial abutment surface facing the primary seal, the second part having a second axial abutment surface facing the primary seal, and the primary seal being located axially between the first axial abutment surface and the second axial abutment surface,
the first part being made of a first material, and
the second part being made of a second material that is different from the first material.

14. The piston assembly according to claim 13 , wherein
the first material is a resin material, and
the second material is a metallic material.

Assignees

• Shimano Kk

Inventors

• Obuchi Kohei
• Komada Yasuyuki
• Fujii Nobuyoshi

Classifications

• B62K23/06

  Levers · CPC title

• B60T11/236

  Piston sealing arrangements · CPC title

• B62L3/023 Primary

  acting on fluid pressure systems · CPC title

• B62L3/026

  actuation by a turning handle or handlebar · CPC title