Lockable gas spring arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9206873-B2
Application number	US-201213354922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2012
Priority date	Jan 20, 2012
Publication date	Dec 8, 2015
Grant date	Dec 8, 2015

Abstract

A lockable gas spring arrangement includes a gas spring with a closed cylinder, a displaceably guided piston and piston rod. A fastening tube fastened with its one end in the region of the free end of the piston rod and on which a locking element is arranged. The locking element is able to be moved substantially radially to the piston rod between an unlocked position permitting a free insertion movement and a locked position bearing against the front face of the cylinder on the piston rod side when the piston rod is extended. The locking element is able to be urged by a spring into its locked position. The locking element is able to be moved manually from its locked position into its unlocked position and is able to be retained automatically in its unlocked position by a retaining device.

First claim

We claim:

1. A lockable gas spring arrangement comprising:
a gas spring including a closed cylinder defining a cylinder interior filled with compressed gas, said cylinder having a front face and an external diameter;
a displaceably guided piston within said cylinder interior subdividing said interior into a first and second chamber, said piston comprising a piston rod having a free end guided outward of said cylinder on said front face of said cylinder;
a fastening tube defining an interior space and mounted to said free end of said piston rod, said fastening tube having an internal diameter larger than said external diameter of said cylinder and a length smaller than or the same as a maximum extension length of said piston rod;
a locking element arranged on said fastening tube and configured to be manually moved substantially radially to said piston between a locked position wherein said locking element is bearing against said front end face of said cylinder and an unlocked position permitting a free insertion movement of said piston into said cylinder; and
a retaining device constructed for urging said locking element into said locked position and to have a retaining function for automatically retaining said locking element in said unlocked position, and wherein said locking element is constructed so as to shear off when said locking element is in the locked position and a specific bearing force on said front face of said cylinder on the piston rod side is exceeded; and
wherein said locking element and piston rod are configured so that when said piston is pushed in and said locking element is located in and in contact with a radial region of said cylinder, said retaining function of said retaining element is released automatically.

2. The gas spring assembly of claim 1 , additionally comprising a locking axis and wherein said locking element further comprises a locking arm pivotably mounted about said locking axis between said unlocked position extending approximately parallel to said piston rod and a locked position extending at an angle to said piston rod.

3. The gas spring arrangement of claim 1 , wherein said locking element is of a dual-arm configuration comprising a locking arm and an actuating arm.

4. The gas spring arrangement of claim 3 , wherein said actuating arm extends approximately opposite said locking arm.

5. The gas spring assembly of claim 1 , wherein said locking element, when moved between a locked position and an unlocked position, defines a pivoting path with a dead center point;
said retaining device comprising an unlocking spring for urging said locking element into an unlocked position when said locking element is on the pivoting path between the dead center point and the unlocked position; and
a locking spring for urging said locking element into a locked position when said locking element is on the pivoting path between the dead center point and the locked position.

6. The gas spring assembly of claim 5 , wherein said unlocking spring and said locking spring are formed by an over-center spring.

7. The gas spring assembly of claim 1 , wherein said retaining device comprises a spring for urging said locking device into an unlocked position.

8. The gas spring assembly of claim 7 , wherein said retaining device comprises a leg spring having a first leg and a second leg and a winding connecting said first leg and said second leg, one of said legs urging said locking element into an unlocked position.

9. The gas spring assembly of claim 2 , wherein said locking element additionally comprises an unlocking arm protruding in the unlocked position of said locking element approximately radially into said interior of said fastening tube towards said piston rod protruding out of said cylinder; said unlocking arm constructed to be pivoted away from said front face of said cylinder on the piston rod side out of said interior space of said fastening tube so as to be able to release said retaining function of said retaining device.

10. The gas spring assembly of claim 2 , wherein said piston rod has a longitudinal extent and said locking axis extends radially outside said fastening tube transversely to said longitudinal extent of said piston rod.

11. The gas spring assembly of claim 2 , wherein said fastening tube comprises an external diameter and an end facing said cylinder; and additionally comprising a locking tube coaxially attached to said fastening tube on said end facing said cylinder; said locking element mounted on said locking tube for pivoting movement about said locking axis.

12. The gas spring assembly of claim 9 , wherein at least one of said locking tube and said locking element is a plastics injection-molded part.

13. The gas spring assembly of claim 3 , additionally comprising a bearing block formed integrally with said locking tube; said locking axis extending through said bearing block.

14. The gas spring assembly of claim 9 , wherein said locking tube comprises an end region remote from said cylinder and an internal diameter corresponding to said external diameter of said fastening tube, said locking tube being fixedly arranged on said end facing said cylinder.

15. The gas spring assembly of claim 12 , wherein said locking tube is fixedly connected to the fastening tube by adhesive bonding.

16. The gas spring assembly of claim 12 , wherein said locking tube is formed integrally with said fastening tube.

17. The gas spring assembly of claim 9 , wherein one of said fastening tube and said locking tube has at least one radial through passage sized so as to permit one of said locking arm and said unlocking arm to extend into the interior of one of said fastening tube and said locking tube.

18. The gas spring assembly of claim 1 , wherein said fastening tube has a length that can be altered.

Assignees

• Kull James
• Hartman Patrick
• Stabilus Gmbh

Inventors

• Kull James
• Hartman Patrick

Classifications

• F16F9/0254 Primary

  mechanically lockable, e.g. by use of friction collar (mechanical locking of extensible devices for holding wings E05C17/30) · CPC title