Patent · US8579067B2 · B2 · US

Gas spring and engine hood unit with the gas spring

(11) Publication number

US8579067B2

(21) Application number

13/116,417

(22) Filing date

2011-05-26

(30) Priority date

2010-05-27

(43) Publication date

2013-11-12

(45) Date of grant

2013-11-12

(51) IPC

B60R 21/38

(52) CPC

F16F Springs; shock-absorbers; means for damping vibration: 9/54
B60R Vehicles, vehicle fittings, or vehicle parts, not otherwise provided for: 21/38
F16B Devices for fastening or securing constructional elements or machine parts together, e.g. nails, bolts, circlips, clamps, clips or wedges; joints or jointing: 21/078
F16C Shafts; flexible shafts; elements or crankshaft mechanisms; rotary bodies other than gearing elements; bearings: 11/0623, 11/069, 2361/53

(73) Assignee

Stabilus GmbH

(72) Inventors

Nadja Kaiser; Axel Knopp; Gerhard Stein; Jörg Wolf

(54) Title

Gas spring and engine hood unit with the gas spring

(57) Abstract

A gas spring with a center longitudinal axis including a cylinder includes a piston in the cylinder that divides the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber and a second cylinder chamber. A piston rod is arranged at the piston guided out of the cylinder at a second end opposite the first end. A connection element with a socket housing is arranged at each of the first end and the free end of the piston rod for receiving a ball head. At least one of the two socket housings comprises a ball socket with a longitudinal extension and a transverse dimension, the longitudinal extension is greater than the transverse dimension. A catch element having a spring tongue is arranged at the first end for insertion together with the catch element into a cover tube that locks into a recess associated with it in the cover tube.

Full text

View on Google Patents

Claims (12)

A gas spring with a center longitudinal axis, comprising: a cylinder filled with a fluid having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a piston displaceably arranged in the cylinder, the piston dividing the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber remote of the first end and a second cylinder chamber proximate to the first end; a piston rod coupled to the piston, the piston rod projecting through the first cylinder chamber; a guiding and sealing device guiding the piston rod out of the second end of the cylinder concentric to the center longitudinal axis, the piston rod being sealed by the guiding and sealing device; a first connection element with a first socket housing at the first end of the cylinder; and a second connection element with a second socket housing at a free end of the piston rod for receiving a ball head, wherein at least one of the first and the second socket housings comprises a ball socket having a longitudinal extension and a transverse dimension, the longitudinal extension being greater than the transverse dimension.
The gas spring according to claim 1, further comprising a spring clamp having free ends projecting through through-slots into the ball socket until the free ends of the spring clamp contact the ball head to act upon the ball head in the ball socket, wherein a width of the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis is dimensioned so that a ball stud is displaceably arranged in the ball socket relative to the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis.
The gas spring according to claim 1, wherein the second socket housing comprises a first ball socket, the gas spring further comprising a spring clamp having free ends projecting through through-slots into the first ball socket until the free ends of the spring clamp contact the ball head to act upon the ball head in the first ball socket, wherein a width of the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis is dimensioned so that the spring clamp is displaceably arranged together with a ball stud relative to the second socket housing along the center longitudinal axis.
A gas spring with a center longitudinal axis, comprising: a cylinder filled with a fluid having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a piston displaceably arranged in the cylinder, the piston dividing the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber remote of the first end and a second cylinder chamber in proximity to the first end; a piston rod coupled to the piston, the piston rod projecting through the first cylinder chamber; a guiding and sealing device guiding the piston rod out of the second end of the cylinder concentric to the center longitudinal axis, the piston rod being sealed by the guiding and sealing device; and a catch element having at least one spring tongue at the first end, wherein the first end of the cylinder is configured to be inserted together with the catch element into a cover tube until the at least one spring tongue locks into a recess defined by the cover tube, and the cylinder is arranged to be displaceable along the center longitudinal axis relative to the cover tube.
An engine hood unit comprising: an engine hood pivotably articulated at a vehicle body by at least one hinge device; at least one actuator for raising the engine hood into a protective position when detecting a collision with a pedestrian; and a gas spring with a center longitudinal axis arranged parallel to the actuator, the gas spring comprising: a cylinder filled with a fluid having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a piston displaceably arranged in the cylinder, the piston dividing the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber remote of the first end and a second cylinder chamber proximate to the first end; and a piston rod coupled to the piston, the piston rod projecting through the first cylinder chamber; a guiding and sealing device guiding the piston rod out of the second end of the cylinder concentric to the center longitudinal axis, the piston rod being sealed by the guiding and sealing device; a first connection element with a first socket housing at the first end; a second connection element with a second socket housing at a free end of the piston rod for receiving a ball head, wherein at least one of the first and the second socket housings comprises a ball socket having a longitudinal extension and a transverse dimension, the longitudinal extension being greater than the transverse dimension.
An engine hood unit according to claim 5, wherein the gas spring is configured to reinforce opening movement of the engine hood in a first operating state.
An engine hood unit according to claim 5, wherein the gas spring is configured to damp opening movement of the engine hood into the protective position in a second operating state corresponding to a detected collision with a pedestrian.
The engine hood unit according to claim 5, further comprising a spring clamp having free ends projecting through through-slots into the ball socket until the free ends of the spring clamp contact the ball head to act upon the ball head in the ball socket, wherein a width of the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis is dimensioned so that a ball stud is displaceably arranged in the ball socket relative to the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis.
The engine hood unit according to claim 5, wherein the second socket housing comprises a first ball socket, the gas spring further comprising a spring clamp having free ends projecting through through-slots into the first ball socket until the free ends of the spring clamp contact the ball head to act upon the ball head in the first ball socket, wherein a width of the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis is dimensioned so that the spring clamp is displaceably arranged together with a ball stud relative to the second socket housing along the center longitudinal axis.
An engine hood unit comprising: an engine hood pivotably articulated at a vehicle body by at least one hinge device; at least one actuator for raising the engine hood into a protective position when detecting a collision with a pedestrian; and a gas spring with a center longitudinal axis arranged parallel to the actuator, the gas spring comprising: a cylinder filled with a fluid having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a piston displaceably arranged in the cylinder to divide the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber remote of the first end and a second cylinder chamber in proximity to the first end; a piston rod projecting through the first cylinder chamber; a guiding and sealing device guiding the piston rod out of the second end of the cylinder concentric to the center longitudinal axis, the piston rod being sealed at the second end by the guiding and sealing device; and a catch element having at least one spring tongue arranged at the first end, wherein the first end of the cylinder is configured to be inserted together with the catch element into a cover tube until the at least one spring tongue locks into a recess defined by the cover tube, and the cylinder is displaceable along the center longitudinal axis relative to the cover tube.
An engine hood unit according to claim 10, wherein the gas spring is configured to reinforce opening movement of the engine hood in a first operating state.
An engine hood unit according to claim 10, wherein the gas spring is configured to damp opening movement of the engine hood into the protective position in a second operating state corresponding to a detected collision with a pedestrian.

Description

The invention is directed to a gas spring with a center longitudinal axis, a first end, a cylinder filled with a fluid, a piston that is displaceably arranged in the cylinder and which divides the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber remote of the first end and a second cylinder chamber proximate to the first end, and a piston rod arranged at the piston that projects through the first cylinder chamber and is guided out of the cylinder concentric to the center longitudinal axis at a second end opposite the first end so as to be sealed by a guiding and sealing device.

The invention is further directed to an engine hood unit having an engine hood that is pivotably articulated at a vehicle body by at least one hinge device and which has at least one actuator that can be activated for raising the engine hood into a protective position when detecting a collision with a pedestrian.

An object of one embodiment of the invention is to provide a gas spring that provides a return stroke along a fixed distance when an additional force in excess of the extension force of the gas spring acts in the extension direction of the gas spring.

According to one embodiment of the invention a connection element with a socket housing is arranged at the first end and a connection element with a socket housing is arranged at the free end of the piston rod for receiving a ball head, at least one of the two socket housings comprising a ball socket that has a longitudinal extension and a transverse dimension, the longitudinal extension greater than the transverse dimension.

Citations (28)

US2595426A
US4015870A
US4078779A
US4298194A
US4779845A
GB2145190A
GB2145191A
US4596383A
US4788747A
US5215291A
US5615867A
US6092632A
US6213454B1
US6439330B1
US6415883B1
US6776270B2
US6802556B2
DE10345719A1
US7232178B2
US7520363B2
US20070251779A1
US20080012187A1
US7413049B2
US7374008B1
US8246019B2
US20090206531A1
US7997375B2
US20110290576A1

Record as JSON

{
  "publication_number": "US8579067B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Gas spring and engine hood unit with the gas spring",
  "abstract": "A gas spring with a center longitudinal axis including a cylinder includes a piston in the cylinder that divides the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber and a second cylinder chamber. A piston rod is arranged at the piston guided out of the cylinder at a second end opposite the first end. A connection element with a socket housing is arranged at each of the first end and the free end of the piston rod for receiving a ball head. At least one of the two socket housings comprises a ball socket with a longitudinal extension and a transverse dimension, the longitudinal extension is greater than the transverse dimension. A catch element having a spring tongue is arranged at the first end for insertion together with the catch element into a cover tube that locks into a recess associated with it in the cover tube.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A gas spring with a center longitudinal axis, comprising: a cylinder filled with a fluid having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a piston displaceably arranged in the cylinder, the piston dividing the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber remote of the first end and a second cylinder chamber proximate to the first end; a piston rod coupled to the piston, the piston rod projecting through the first cylinder chamber; a guiding and sealing device guiding the piston rod out of the second end of the cylinder concentric to the center longitudinal axis, the piston rod being sealed by the guiding and sealing device; a first connection element with a first socket housing at the first end of the cylinder; and a second connection element with a second socket housing at a free end of the piston rod for receiving a ball head, wherein at least one of the first and the second socket housings comprises a ball socket having a longitudinal extension and a transverse dimension, the longitudinal extension being greater than the transverse dimension.",
    "2. The gas spring according to claim 1, further comprising a spring clamp having free ends projecting through through-slots into the ball socket until the free ends of the spring clamp contact the ball head to act upon the ball head in the ball socket, wherein a width of the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis is dimensioned so that a ball stud is displaceably arranged in the ball socket relative to the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis.",
    "3. The gas spring according to claim 1, wherein the second socket housing comprises a first ball socket, the gas spring further comprising a spring clamp having free ends projecting through through-slots into the first ball socket until the free ends of the spring clamp contact the ball head to act upon the ball head in the first ball socket, wherein a width of the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis is dimensioned so that the spring clamp is displaceably arranged together with a ball stud relative to the second socket housing along the center longitudinal axis.",
    "4. A gas spring with a center longitudinal axis, comprising: a cylinder filled with a fluid having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a piston displaceably arranged in the cylinder, the piston dividing the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber remote of the first end and a second cylinder chamber in proximity to the first end; a piston rod coupled to the piston, the piston rod projecting through the first cylinder chamber; a guiding and sealing device guiding the piston rod out of the second end of the cylinder concentric to the center longitudinal axis, the piston rod being sealed by the guiding and sealing device; and a catch element having at least one spring tongue at the first end, wherein the first end of the cylinder is configured to be inserted together with the catch element into a cover tube until the at least one spring tongue locks into a recess defined by the cover tube, and the cylinder is arranged to be displaceable along the center longitudinal axis relative to the cover tube.",
    "5. An engine hood unit comprising: an engine hood pivotably articulated at a vehicle body by at least one hinge device; at least one actuator for raising the engine hood into a protective position when detecting a collision with a pedestrian; and a gas spring with a center longitudinal axis arranged parallel to the actuator, the gas spring comprising: a cylinder filled with a fluid having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a piston displaceably arranged in the cylinder, the piston dividing the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber remote of the first end and a second cylinder chamber proximate to the first end; and a piston rod coupled to the piston, the piston rod projecting through the first cylinder chamber; a guiding and sealing device guiding the piston rod out of the second end of the cylinder concentric to the center longitudinal axis, the piston rod being sealed by the guiding and sealing device; a first connection element with a first socket housing at the first end; a second connection element with a second socket housing at a free end of the piston rod for receiving a ball head, wherein at least one of the first and the second socket housings comprises a ball socket having a longitudinal extension and a transverse dimension, the longitudinal extension being greater than the transverse dimension.",
    "6. An engine hood unit according to claim 5, wherein the gas spring is configured to reinforce opening movement of the engine hood in a first operating state.",
    "7. An engine hood unit according to claim 5, wherein the gas spring is configured to damp opening movement of the engine hood into the protective position in a second operating state corresponding to a detected collision with a pedestrian.",
    "8. The engine hood unit according to claim 5, further comprising a spring clamp having free ends projecting through through-slots into the ball socket until the free ends of the spring clamp contact the ball head to act upon the ball head in the ball socket, wherein a width of the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis is dimensioned so that a ball stud is displaceably arranged in the ball socket relative to the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis.",
    "9. The engine hood unit according to claim 5, wherein the second socket housing comprises a first ball socket, the gas spring further comprising a spring clamp having free ends projecting through through-slots into the first ball socket until the free ends of the spring clamp contact the ball head to act upon the ball head in the first ball socket, wherein a width of the spring clamp along the center longitudinal axis is dimensioned so that the spring clamp is displaceably arranged together with a ball stud relative to the second socket housing along the center longitudinal axis.",
    "10. An engine hood unit comprising: an engine hood pivotably articulated at a vehicle body by at least one hinge device; at least one actuator for raising the engine hood into a protective position when detecting a collision with a pedestrian; and a gas spring with a center longitudinal axis arranged parallel to the actuator, the gas spring comprising: a cylinder filled with a fluid having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a piston displaceably arranged in the cylinder to divide the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber remote of the first end and a second cylinder chamber in proximity to the first end; a piston rod projecting through the first cylinder chamber; a guiding and sealing device guiding the piston rod out of the second end of the cylinder concentric to the center longitudinal axis, the piston rod being sealed at the second end by the guiding and sealing device; and a catch element having at least one spring tongue arranged at the first end, wherein the first end of the cylinder is configured to be inserted together with the catch element into a cover tube until the at least one spring tongue locks into a recess defined by the cover tube, and the cylinder is displaceable along the center longitudinal axis relative to the cover tube.",
    "11. An engine hood unit according to claim 10, wherein the gas spring is configured to reinforce opening movement of the engine hood in a first operating state.",
    "12. An engine hood unit according to claim 10, wherein the gas spring is configured to damp opening movement of the engine hood into the protective position in a second operating state corresponding to a detected collision with a pedestrian."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The invention is directed to a gas spring with a center longitudinal axis, a first end, a cylinder filled with a fluid, a piston that is displaceably arranged in the cylinder and which divides the cylinder into a first cylinder chamber remote of the first end and a second cylinder chamber proximate to the first end, and a piston rod arranged at the piston that projects through the first cylinder chamber and is guided out of the cylinder concentric to the center longitudinal axis at a second end opposite the first end so as to be sealed by a guiding and sealing device.\n\nThe invention is further directed to an engine hood unit having an engine hood that is pivotably articulated at a vehicle body by at least one hinge device and which has at least one actuator that can be activated for raising the engine hood into a protective position when detecting a collision with a pedestrian.\n\nAn object of one embodiment of the invention is to provide a gas spring that provides a return stroke along a fixed distance when an additional force in excess of the extension force of the gas spring acts in the extension direction of the gas spring.\n\nAccording to one embodiment of the invention a connection element with a socket housing is arranged at the first end and a connection element with a socket housing is arranged at the free end of the piston rod for receiving a ball head, at least one of the two socket housings comprising a ball socket that has a longitudinal extension and a transverse dimension, the longitudinal extension greater than the transverse dimension.",
  "cpc": [
    "F16F 9/54",
    "B60R 21/38",
    "F16B 21/078",
    "F16C 11/0623",
    "F16C 11/069",
    "F16C 2361/53"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B60R 21/38"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Stabilus GmbH"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Nadja Kaiser",
    "Axel Knopp",
    "Gerhard Stein",
    "Jörg Wolf"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2011-05-26",
  "publication_date": "2013-11-12",
  "grant_date": "2013-11-12",
  "priority_date": "2010-05-27",
  "application_number": "US-201113116417-A",
  "family_id": "44924443",
  "cited_by_count": 8,
  "citations": [
    "US2595426A",
    "US4015870A",
    "US4078779A",
    "US4298194A",
    "US4779845A",
    "GB2145190A",
    "GB2145191A",
    "US4596383A",
    "US4788747A",
    "US5215291A",
    "US5615867A",
    "US6092632A",
    "US6213454B1",
    "US6439330B1",
    "US6415883B1",
    "US6776270B2",
    "US6802556B2",
    "DE10345719A1",
    "US7232178B2",
    "US7520363B2",
    "US20070251779A1",
    "US20080012187A1",
    "US7413049B2",
    "US7374008B1",
    "US8246019B2",
    "US20090206531A1",
    "US7997375B2",
    "US20110290576A1"
  ]
}

Record 5,172 of 8,000 in Patents full text (MLC-0201). Request the full dataset.