U.S. patent application number 09/297095 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-08 for automotive, self-locking and damping articulated joint and articulation equipped with same.
Invention is credited to DONZIER, ALAIN, DUPERRAY, BERNARD, SICRE, JACQUES.
Application Number | 20010037538 09/297095 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9497999 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010037538 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
DUPERRAY, BERNARD ; et
al. |
November 8, 2001 |
AUTOMOTIVE, SELF-LOCKING AND DAMPING ARTICULATED JOINT AND
ARTICULATION EQUIPPED WITH SAME
Abstract
The invention relates to a self-driving and self-locking hinge
strap for mounting between two adjacent elements (A.sub.1,
A.sub.2), the strap being of the type constituted by at least one
resilient strip (3) preformed to have a section that is curved and
designed to be secured via its two ends to the two elements, and to
occupy a folded position and a deployed position. According to the
invention, each resilient strip (3) is provided with a layer of
viscoelastic material (4) interposed between one of the faces of
the resilient strip (3) and a stress plate (5) in such a manner as
to provide a hinge that also performs a damping function.
Inventors: |
DUPERRAY, BERNARD; (ALLEE
SAINTE PHILOMENE, FR) ; DONZIER, ALAIN; (ROUTE DE
MASSIEUX, FR) ; SICRE, JACQUES; (LAFFARGUE,
FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DENNISON, SCHEINER SCHULTZ & WAKEMAN
612 CRYSTAL SQUARE FOUR
1745 JEFFERSON DAVIS HIGHWAY
ARLINGTON
VA
22202-3417
US
|
Family ID: |
9497999 |
Appl. No.: |
09/297095 |
Filed: |
July 16, 1999 |
PCT Filed: |
November 18, 1997 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR97/02069 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
16/225 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05D 11/08 20130101;
E05D 1/02 20130101; E05F 1/1284 20130101; B25J 17/0241 20130101;
Y10T 16/5253 20150115; Y10T 16/525 20150115; F16C 11/12
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
16/225 |
International
Class: |
E05D 001/00 |
Claims
1. A self-driving and self-locking hinge strap for mounting between
two adjacent elements (A.sub.1, A.sub.2), the strap being of the
type constituted by at least one resilient strip (3) preformed to
have a section that is curved and designed to be secured via its
two ends to the two elements, and to occupy a folded position and a
deployed position, the strap being characterized in that each
resilient strip (3) is provided with a layer of viscoelastic
material (4) interposed between one of the faces of the resilient
strip (3) and a stress plate (5) in such a manner as to provide a
hinge that also performs a damping function.
2. A hinge strap according to claim 1, characterized in that the
layer of viscoelastic material (4) is placed on the face (3.sub.1)
of the strip which is situated on the inside when the hinge strap
is occupying its folded position.
3. A hinge strap according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that
the layer of viscoelastic material (4) and the stress plate (5) are
mounted on a limited central portion of the strip to leave terminal
portions (3.sub.1, 3.sub.2) of the strip remaining at each end that
are of stiffness greater than that of the central portion so as to
cause the strap to fold in said central portion.
4. A hinge strap according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
characterized in that the layer of viscoelastic material (4) and
the stress plate (5) have terminal portions that taper.
5. A hinge strap according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
characterized in that the layer of viscoelastic material (4) is
mounted on the resilient strip (3) in such a manner that the
material is not stressed when the hinge strap is in its folded
position.
6. A hinge strap according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
characterized in that the stress plate (5) and the resilient strip
(3) are fixed together at one of their ends, so as to increase the
shear in the viscoelastic material (4).
7. A hinge strap according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
characterized in that the resilient strip is mounted via its two
ends by being embedded in the two elements.
8. A hinge self-driving, self-locking, and damping hinge mounted
between two adjacent elements (A.sub.1, A.sub.2), characterized in
that it includes at least one hinge strap according to any one of
claims 1 to 7.
9. A hinge according to claim 8, characterized in that it includes
first and second assemblies (I, II) each constituted by three hinge
straps (2) occupying two planes (P.sub.1, P.sub.2).
10. A hinge according to claim 9, characterized in that each strap
(2) situated in a one plane (P.sub.1) has its concave side facing
in the opposite direction to the concave sides of the straps (2)
situated in the other plane.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of link
elements between parts or elements in general, enabling the
assembled-together parts to move angularly, and it relates more
particularly to hinges adapted to enable the two united elements to
be deployed automatically, and also enabling them to be
self-locking in the deployed position.
PRIOR ART
[0002] In the preferred field of application of the invention,
namely space applications, it is known that the solar panels of
satellites can be hinged by means of hinges that suffer from lack
of reliability and from the friction that exists between parts that
are in contact. In addition, such hinges are fitted with drive
means for the purpose of displacing the solar panels. Hinges of
that type, having high levels of friction, require the drive to be
overdimensioned in order to obtain a sufficient margin for
deploying the panels. When friction is low, then as a consequence,
shock at the end of deployment is large. To limit such shock,
provision is made for a hinge to be associated with a system for
regulating speed, and that leads to implementing a hinge that is
relatively complex.
[0003] In an attempt to remedy those drawbacks, U.S. Pat. No.
3,386,128 and French patent FR 2 635 077 have proposed connecting
together the two hinged elements by means of a plurality of
resilient blades of circularly arcuate section, each blade being
fixed at respective ends to the two hinged elements. Each hinge
strap made in that way, also known as a Carpentier strap, is
designed to be folded so as to apply a driving torque between the
united elements that tends to deploy them automatically. When the
resilient blades are in the deployed position, they exert a locking
force between the hinged-together elements. That provides a hinge
which is both self-driving and self-locking.
[0004] Nevertheless, it turns out that hinges of that type suffer
from a first drawback relating to lack of control over the locking
of the elements in the deployed position. When the hinge strap
reaches its deployed position, and since the opening speed is not
zero, it can happen that either the equilibrium position is
overshot causing unlocking to take place, or else that a rebound
movement occurs causing the hinge to reclose.
[0005] Such a hinge suffers from another drawback which is that
shocks appear when the hinge locks. During such locking, residual
kinetic energy causes the hinge to oscillate about its equilibrium
position. The linked-together pieces are therefore subjected to
forces of magnitude that increases with increasing amounts of
residual kinetic energy. Such stresses lead to the link elements
being overdimensioned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The object of the invention is thus to remedy the drawbacks
specified above by proposing a hinge strap that is designed to
unite two elements in the general sense, and to provide self-drive
and self-locking functions, with the hinge strap being designed so
as to control the locking of the elements in the deployed position
so that during locking of the hinge, shocks are reduced or even
eliminated.
[0007] To achieve this object, the invention seeks to provide a
self-driving, self-locking hinge strap that presents damping
ability.
[0008] In accordance with the invention, the hinge strap of the
invention is designed to be mounted between two adjacent elements,
and is of the type constituted by at least one resilient strip
preformed to be of circularly arcuate section and designed to be
secured via its two ends to the two elements, and to occupy a
folded position and a deployed position.
[0009] In accordance with the invention, each resilient strip is
provided with a layer of viscoelastic material interposed between
one of the faces of the resilient strip and a stress plate so as to
obtain a hinge that also provides a damping function.
[0010] The invention also seeks to provide a hinge comprising an
assembly of hinge straps of the invention. In a preferred
embodiment, the hinge comprises first and second assemblies each
made up of three hinge straps distributed in two planes.
[0011] Various other characteristics appear from the following
description given with reference to the accompanying drawings which
show, by way of non-limiting examples, embodiments and
implementations of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view showing an
embodiment of a hinge of the invention in the folded position.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the hinge shown in FIG. 1, when
placed in its deployed position.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a detail elevation view of a hinge strap of the
invention.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section taken substantially on
lines IV-IV of FIG. 3.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken substantially on lines V-V
of FIG. 3.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a section in elevation taken substantially on
lines VI-VI of FIG. 2.
BEST METHOD OF PERFORMING THE INVENTION
[0018] FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a hinge 1 of the
invention designed to be mounted between two adjacent elements or
parts A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 of any kind and of appropriate shape. The
hinge 1 is designed to go from a "folded" position shown in FIG. 1
to a "deployed" position shown in FIG. 2, thus enabling the parts
A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 to be moved relative to each other through 1800
about a pivot axis A. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the
hinge 1 is made up of a series of hinge straps 2 of the invention
that provide a self-driving function, a self-locking function, and
a damping function.
[0019] As can be seen more clearly from FIGS. 3 to 5, each hinge
strap 2 comprises a resilient strip 3 that is preformed to have a
right cross-section that is curved. For example, the resilient
strip can be made from a metal tape having a right cross-section
that is in the form of a circular arc. At rest or in the locking
position, each resilient strip 3 occupies a rectilinear position
with a section that is curved, while in a position that is folded
in a transverse direction, the resilient strip possesses driving
torque tending to return it to its rectilinear or locking position,
which it conserves.
[0020] In accordance with the invention, each resilient strip 3 is
provided with a layer 4 of viscoelastic material interposed between
one of the faces 31 of the resilient strip and a stress plate 5.
The viscoelastic material 4 is thus sandwiched or clamped over its
entire area between the strip 3 and the stress plate 5. By way of
example, the viscoelastic material 4 adheres to the strip 3 and to
the plate 5. The strip 3 and the plate 5 are both of high stiffness
so that a relatively large amount of mechanical energy can be
stored in the visco-elastic material in order to allow it to
provide effective damping. In order to increase the shear in the
viscoelastic material, provision can be made for the strip 3 and
the plate 5 to be secured to each other at one end, e.g. by means
of a rivet.
[0021] When the hinge strap is opening, i.e. when it is passing
from its folded position to its deployed position, the energy
dissipated by shear of the visco-elastic material 4 serves to damp
the hinge strap. The variation in the elasticity modulus of the
viscoelastic material as a function of the rapidity with which it
is stressed serves to modulate the intensity of the driving torque
of the hinge strap as a function of the speed with which it opens.
Thus, in the event of the hinge being difficult to open, little
energy is degraded, whereas in the event of it being easy to open,
displacement of the hinge is highly damped. The viscoelastic
material is selected so that a sufficient fraction of the energy is
dissipated during opening of the hinge to ensure that locking is
stable. Furthermore, the viscoelastic material is selected so as to
be effective over the entire range of utilization temperatures and
for all of the frequencies implemented relating to static or
quasi-static conditions. By way of example, the viscoelastic
material could be an acrylic polymer from the family of substances
sold by the 3M company under the reference ISD.
[0022] According to a characteristic of the invention, the layer of
viscoelastic material 4 and the stress plate 5 are fitted to the
strip over a length that is shorter than the length of the strip.
The layer of viscoelastic material 4 and the stress length 5 are
thus mounted on a central portion of the strip 3, such that the
strip 3 projects via two terminal portions 3a and 3b. In order to
avoid any folding of the strap in these terminal portions that are
not covered by the material 4 and the plate 5, the stiffness of the
terminal portions 3a, 3b is increased. For example, the terminal
portions 3a, 3b of the strip are of a width greater than the width
of the central portion of the strip. The hinge strap 2 is thus
constrained to be folded in its central portion which is fitted
with the viscoelastic material 4 and the stress plate 5. By
avoiding folding of the strap in its end zones that have no
viscoelastic material, the hinge strap is always in a position to
provide its damping function.
[0023] According to another characteristic of the invention, the
layer of viscoelastic material 4 and the stress plate 5 are
situated on the inside face of the strip 3, where "inside" is
relative to the position occupied by the hinge strap 2 when folded.
Thus, as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the layer of viscoelastic
material 4 is placed on the inside face 3.sub.1 of the strip 3
relative to the opening direction of the hinge as represented by
arrows f. The positioning of the visco-elastic material 4 and of
the stress plate 5 on the inside of the hinge makes it possible to
avoid traction being applied to the viscoelastic material at the
ends of the hinge strap, and thus makes it possible to avoid it
coming unstuck.
[0024] According to another characteristic of the invention, the
layer of viscoelastic material 4 and the stress plate 5 have
terminal portions that are chamfered or truncated so as to minimize
any risk of peeling (FIG. 3).
[0025] According to another characteristic of the invention, the
layer of viscoelastic material 4 is mounted on the resilient strip
so that the material is not stressed in the folded position of the
hinge strap. To this end, the viscoelastic material is mounted on
the resilient strip while it is itself in a folded position.
[0026] The hinge strap of the invention is mounted by any
appropriate means via its ends 3a and 3b to the elements that are
to be united A.sub.1 and A.sub.2. In a preferred embodiment, the
ends 3a and 3b are mounted by being embedded within the elements
A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 that are to be united, as shown in FIG. 4.
[0027] FIGS. 1, 2, and 6 show a preferred embodiment of the hinge
strap 2 of the invention for making a hinge 1 for two pieces
A.sub.1 and A.sub.2. The hinge 1 comprises a series of hinge straps
2 of the kind described above, and preferably a first assembly I
and a second assembly II each made up of three such hinge straps 2.
For each assembly, one of the straps 2 is mounted in one plane
P.sub.1 while the other two straps 2 are mounted in another plane
P.sub.2 offset from the plane P.sub.1. Each strap 2 placed in the
plane P.sub.1 is situated at a level that is intermediate between
the other two straps placed in the plane P.sub.2. As can be seen
more precisely from FIG. 6, the straps 2 are mounted so that the
concave sides of the straps placed in the planes P.sub.1 and
P.sub.2 face in opposite directions. In addition, the sole strap
placed in the plane P.sub.1 is mounted in such a manner that when
it is in its folded position its concave side faces outwards. Under
such conditions, the sole strap placed in the plane P.sub.1
provides driving torque that is greater than that developed by the
other two straps placed in the plane P.sub.2.
[0028] In the above example, the elements A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 are
hinged together solely by means of the straps 2. Naturally, it
could be envisaged for the elements A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 to be
interconnected by means of a guide system, for example a hinge axis
or a ball-and-socket arrangement.
Industrial Applicability
[0029] The invention lies in a particularly advantageous
application in the field of self-driving and self-locking hinges
for elements used in space, for example the solar panels of
satellites, the covers of telescopes, reflectors, radiators, etc.
Numerous other applications of the invention can be found in which
parts are to be assembled together by a hinge that is self-driving
and self-locking. By way of example, mention can be made of
robotics.
* * * * *