GB2404962A

GB2404962A - Damper arrangement for damping the movement of a lid or the like

Info

Publication number: GB2404962A
Application number: GB0318944A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sean Colin Mckeown
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2003-08-13
Filing date: 2003-08-13
Publication date: 2005-02-16
Also published as: GB0318944D0

Abstract

A damper arrangement 10 for damping the movement of a glove box lid has two toothed pinions 11, 12, each of a different diameter and rotatable about a common axis 13 fixed relative to one of the side walls 2 of the glove box. A toothed rack 16 is fixed relative to the lid 6 and has a first set of teeth 14 for meshing with one of the pinions 11 and a second set of teeth 15 for meshing with the other pinion 12, the rack 16 being arranged so that each set of teeth meshes successively with its associated pinion during the movement of the lid 6 from the first to the second position to vary the gear ratio between the rack 16 and a rotary damper driven by the pinions 11,12.

Description

Damper arrangement for damping the movement of a lid or the like The

present invention relates to a damper arrangement for damping the movement of a component such as a lid or a receptacle or the like, particularly but not exclusively for motor vehicles. Such components may include a glove compartment lid or an ashtray.

Conventionally, the lids of glove boxes or compartments are biased by a spring towards the open position. Then when actuated in the closed position it is only necessary to release the locking mechanism so that the lids open automatically. It is known to damp the movement of the lid by suitable damping means in order to moderate the effect of the spring means.

In order to control the movement of such lids, viscous damping devices have frequently been employed. One popular damping device Is a housing filled with a viscous damping fluid, such as a silicone, in which a paddle wheel on a shaft is mounted with the shaft extending outwardly, terminating in an external gear. The housing is typically secured to the side of the compartment while a gear on the pivoted lid engages the gear on the shaft of the viscous damping device to slow the lowering of the lid once a push button latch releases the lid. For heavier lids, a pair of such viscous damping devices is used on opposite ends of the pivotally mounted lid.

It is a problem with such a damping device in that the rate of the damping Is fixed over the whole movement of the iici so that if the damping is too high, the iici moves too slowly and it is difficult to close and if the damping is too low, the lid can create a noise or bounce when it reaches the fully open position.

It Is an object of this invention to provide. an improved damper arrangement for damping the movement of a movable component. - 2

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a A damper arrangement for damping the movement of a movable component relative to a fixed component, such as a lid or the like of a compartment of a motor vehicle, in which the said movable component is movable under the action of a biasing force between a first position and a second position, wherein the damper arrangement comprises: - two toothed pinions, each of a different diameter and rotatable about a common axis fixed relative to one of said components, - a rotary damper connected to and drivable by the pinions and, - a toothed rack fixed relative to the other of said components and having a first set of teeth for meshing with one of the pinions and a second set of teeth for meshing with the other pinion, and arranged so that each set of teeth meshes successively with its associated pinion during the movement of the movable component from the first to the second position to vary the gear ratio between the rack and the damper.

Preferably, the toothed pinions and the toothed rack are arranged so as to provide a force of increasing resistance during the movement from said first position to said second position.

The two pinions may be rigidly locked in rotation and may be one moulding.

The movable component may be pivotable or slidable relative to the fixed component.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a glove box for a motor vehicle having a lid and at least a damper arrangement for damping the opening movement of the said lid, the damper arrangement being in accordance with the first or the second aspect of the invention. - 3

The invention Will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig.1 is a perspective view of a motor vehicle glove box showing one embodiment of a damper arrangement in accordance with the present invention for damping the movement of a lid of the glove box; and Fig.2 is a schematic cross-sectional view through the glove box shown in Fig.1 taken along the line 11-ll; and Fig.3 is a perspective view through another embodiment of a damper arrangement in accordance with the present invention.

With reference to the Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a glove box 1 for motor vehicle having, in a conventional way, two side walls 2, an upper wall 3, a lower wall 4 and a rear wall 5 forming a receptacle. This receptacle is closed by a flap or lid 6 arranged to pivot about an axis 7 between a closed or first position and an open or second position (Fig.1) allowing access to the receptacle.

In a known way, a latch 8a, 8b is provided for locking the lid in closed position, a biasing force, such as spring 9, ensuring the automatic opening of the lid 6 after releasing the latch 8a, 8b. The spring 9 is, for example, a hairpin spring arranged as shown on Fig.1.

The lid 6 is also provided with a damper arrangement 10 for damping the opening movement of the lid 6. Advantageously, as shown in Fig.1, the lid 6 of glove box 1 is equipped with two damper arrangement 10 one on each side of this one thus offering in the case of lid where the weight is significant to limit noise and bounce.

The damper arrangement 10 comprises two pinions 11, 12 of two distinct diameters, designated in the following description as the small and the large pinion, rotatable about a - 4 common axis 13 fixed relative to one of the side walls 2, and an arcuate rack 16 fixed relative to the lid 6.

Each rack 16 comprises two distinct sections, one section 14 having teeth to mesh with the teeth of the large pinion 12 and another section 15 having teeth to mesh with the teeth of the small pinion 12. Each rack 16 extends as an arm from the internal wall of the lid 6 through an aperture 17 in a side of the glove box and has at its free end a stop 18 intended for cooperation with one of the edges of the aperture 17 in the open position of the lid 6. The pinions 11, 12 are on a common transverse axis, being mounted on a shaft 13 of a rotary damper (not shown).

To In order to provide limiting noise and bounce at the end stop, the pinions 11, 12 and the toothed sections 14, 15 are arranged so as to provide a force of Increasing resistance during the movement of opening of the said movable component, i.e. the lid 6. With this intent, the large pinion 12 is arranged to mesh with the teeth of the rack sections 14 during the first phase of opening of the lid 6 and the small pinion 11 is arranged to mesh with the teeth of the rack section 15 during a second phase of opening. This causes an increase in the resistance force and thus a deceleration in the speed.

It will be noted that the pinions 11, 12 mesh successively so that when the teeth on one pinion disengage, the teeth on the other pinion engage.

Preferably, the large and small diameter pinions 11, 12 are one moulding, thus there are no meshing problems when moving from one rack section 14 to the other 15.

It will be noted that the damper arrangement 10 described here is reversible, he. the toothed segments 14, 15 and the toothed pinions 11, 12 may be respectively fixed to the moveable component, i.e. the lid 6 and the fixed component 2 or inversely. - 5

In an alternative (not shown) the shaft 13 is positioned on the inside of the curve of the rack 16 allowing a less obstructive arrangement compared to the first embodiment described above.

There is shown in Fig.3, another example in which the lid 6 is replaced by a receptacle such as a sliding ashtray (not shown).

In this alternative, the receptacle is provided on each one of its side walls with a straight rack 19 having sections 14', 15' each with teeth which mesh with two pinions 11', 12' carried on a shaft 13'of a rotary damper attached to the side wall 20 of a corresponding receptacle housing. In a similar way to the first example, the arrangement of the damper assembly 10 can be reversed.

It is thus understood in the reading of description above, that the damper arrangement according to the present invention allows in a simple manner the provision of at least two decreasing and successive speeds of opening. - 6

Claims

1. A damper arrangement for damping the movement of a movable component relative to a fixed component, such as a lid or the like of a compartment of a motor vehicle, in which the said movable component is movable under the action of a biasing force between a first position and a second position, wherein the damper arrangement comprises: - two toothed pinions, each of a different diameter and rotatable about a common axis fixed relative to one of said components, - a rotary damper connected to and drivable by the pinions and, - a toothed rack fixed relative to the other of said components and having a first set of teeth for meshing with one of the pinions and a second set of teeth for meshing with the other pinion, and arranged so that each set of teeth meshes successively with its associated pinion during the movement of the movable component from the first to the second position to vary the gear ratio between the rack and the damper.

2. A damper arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the toothed pinions and the toothed rack are arranged so as to provide a force of increasing resistance during the movement from said first position to said second position.

3. A damper arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the two pinions are rigidly locked in rotation.

4. A damper arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the two pinions are one moulding.

5. A damper arrangement according to any preceding claim in which the movable component is pivotable relative to the fixed component.

6. A damper arrangement as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 in which the movable component is slidable relative to the fixed component.

7. A motor vehicle having a damper arrangement for damping the movement of a movable component as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6.

8. A glove box for a motor vehicle having a lid and at least a damper arrangement for damping the opening movement of the said lid, the damper arrangement being substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.