Rotary hydraulic damper for pivoting stowage bin

摘要

A damping assembly for a pivoting stowage bin includes a rotary hydraulic damper that is mounted on the pivot axis of the stowage bin. The rotary hydraulic damper includes a damper body that receives a rotor having at least one vane moved through contained hydraulic fluid. Preferably, an exterior bearing surface on the damper precludes the active damping elements from radial loads, while a distributed attachment of the rotor to the pivoting bin enables reduced torque loads. The damper can include an integrated flow-control valve for controlling the opening rate of the pivoting bin as well as an integrated mechanical stop for the bin.

主权项

1. A rotary hydraulic damper assembly for use in a pivoting bin, said damper assembly comprising:
a damper body having an interior cavity and at least one integrally disposed vane; a rotor configured for movement with the pivoting bin and disposed within the interior cavity and supported for rotation therein, the rotor having a cored center portion and at least one integral vane extending radially from the cored center section, said interior cavity further retaining hydraulic fluid in which the integral vanes of the rotor and the damper body define a plurality of interior pressure chambers within the interior cavity of the damper body and in which a number of lateral orifices are further disposed within the cored center section for interconnecting the defined pressure chambers, said damper assembly being disposed along a pivot axis of said pivoting bin; and a flow control valve configured for variably controlling the size of the lateral orifices during movement of the pivoting bin, said flow control valve being positioned in a manifold disposed within the cored center portion of the rotor, said manifold including at least two laterally spaced orifices for conducting fluid between the interior pressure chambers as said rotor is caused to rotate within said interior cavity, said flow control valve comprising a biased valve element movable to vary the effective area of the defined orifices as said bin is opened and creating a constant flow rate therebetween.