Patent Application
20210108443
The present disclosure relates generally to vibration attenuation. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus, a method, and an assembly for attenuating vibrations between a latch and a striker in an assembly.
An overhead bin assembly on an aircraft is typically equipped with a latch and a striker mounted to the bin assembly. The latch is often mounted to a door of the bin assembly and the striker is often mounted to an overhead bin portion of the bin assembly, so that when the door is brought into a closed position relative to the overhead bin portion, the latch engages the striker and retains the bin door in a closed position.
However, if any of the components of the bin assembly is not made to within the desired tolerance(s) then vibrations between the components of the bin assembly will likely occur. For example, if the latch and/or the striker are not made to within the desired tolerances then the latch will not securely engage the striker, so that the latch and the striker move against one another and create vibrations during operation of the aircraft. These vibrations are often noisy and a nuisance to aircraft passengers. Further, oftentimes vibrations are created even when components are made to within the desired tolerance(s) due to tolerance stack-up, deformation from gravity, external forces, and/or wear. For example, if the latch and/or striker deform due to gravity, the latch and the striker will move against one another and create vibrations.
In order to address this issue, a current solution includes adding a rubber component to the latch to facilitate a secure engagement of the latch with the striker if the latch and/or striker. Yet, such a rubber component tends to degrade over time and becomes ineffective in enabling the latch to securely engage the striker.
Therefore, a need exists for an apparatus, a method, and an assembly for attenuating vibrations between a latch and a striker, which enables the bin assembly to perform satisfactorily under various conditions including high vibration conditions.
In some example aspects, a vibration-reducing apparatus for an assembly comprising a first member including a latch and a second member including a striker, the latch and the striker being engageable with one another when the first and second members are in a closed position relative to each other, is disclosed. For example, the vibration-reducing apparatus comprises: a threaded post having arm members extending outwardly therefrom, the threaded post being rotatably advanceable in discrete increments in a threaded opening defined by and extending through the first member such that, in the closed position of the first and second members, a distal portion of the threaded post extending through the first member contacts the second member upon rotational advancement of the threaded post in the threaded opening; and a locking region surrounding the threaded opening and being arranged to interact with at least a portion of the arm members of the threaded post upon the rotational advancement of the threaded post in the threaded opening by one of the discrete increments so as to at least prevent rotational retraction of the threaded post, the rotational advancement of the threaded post in the threaded opening and subsequent contact with the second member reducing an engagement distance between the latch and the striker with the first and second members in the closed position, and attenuating vibrations between the latch and the striker.
In another example aspect, a method for vibration-reducing vibrations of an assembly comprising a first member including a latch and a second member including a striker is disclosed. For example, the method comprises arranging the first and second members in a closed position relative to each other such that the latch and the striker are engaged with one another; rotatably advancing a threaded post having arm members extending outwardly therefrom in discrete increments in a threaded opening extending through the first member until a distal portion of the threaded post extending through the first member contacts the second member; and interacting a locking region in the first member surrounding the threaded opening with at least a portion of the arm members of the threaded post upon rotatably advancing the threaded post in the threaded opening by one of the discrete increments so as to at least prevent rotational retraction of the threaded post, the rotational advancement of the threaded post in the threaded opening and subsequent contact with the second member reducing an engagement distance between the latch and the striker with the first and second members in the closed position, and attenuating vibrations between the latch and the striker.
In another example aspect, an assembly is disclosed. For example, the assembly comprises a first member including a latch and a second member including a striker, the latch and the striker being engageable with one another when the first and second members are in a closed position relative to each other, the assembly comprising a vibration-reducing apparatus arranged with respect to the assembly to reduce an engagement distance and to attenuate vibrations between the latch and the striker with the first and second members in the closed position.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four, or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure or recited in any one or more of the claims, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise recited in a specific embodiment description or claim herein. This disclosure is intended to be read holistically such that any separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its aspects and embodiments, should be viewed as intended to be combinable, unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.
Having thus described examples of the disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Some examples of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all examples of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, various examples of the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these examples are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. For example, unless otherwise indicated, reference to something as being a first, second or the like should not be construed to imply a particular order. Also, something described as being above something else (unless otherwise indicated) may instead be below, and vice versa; and similarly, something described as being to the left of something else may instead be to the right, and vice versa. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
Examples of the present disclosure are generally directed to an apparatus, a method, and an assembly for attenuating vibrations between a latch and striker. In some aspects, the latch is included on a first member and the striker is included on a second member, where the latch and the striker are engageable with one another when the first and second members are in a closed position relative to each other. Alternatively, the latch is included on the second member and the striker is included on the first member. In one example, the first member comprises a moveable or pivotable door and the second member comprises a stationary compartment. Accordingly, in this example, the first and second members form an assembly that is selected from an overhead bin in an aircraft, an automobile trunk, body panels of machinery (e.g., generators, engine shrouds/heat shields), or other applications where there is play between members or bodies in a potential vibration environment. Examples include a lid and a container, a door and a cabinet or booth or locker or the like; a cover and an apparatus; a hood and an automobile or tractor or the like; a cap and a container; a lid and a container; and the like.
As used herein, “attenuating vibrations” is defined as the reduction or dissipation of energy or motion between the first and second members of the assembly. Vibration between the first and second members between the assembly occur if, for example, any components of the assembly are not made to within desired tolerances or if any of the components have been subjected to tolerance stack-up, deformation from gravity, external forces, and/or wear. For example, if the latch is made too large or if the latch deforms due to gravity, then the latch will either not securely engage the striker or will slip out of engagement with the striker when the first and second members are in the closed position. In either instance, any distance between the latch and the striker that is greater than an allowable design gap (i.e., a distance between the latch and the striker that enables secure engagement of the latch with the striker) will result in movement between the latch and the striker, with vibrations resulting therefrom. These vibrations, which can manifest as rattling, are often noisy enough to be a nuisance.
Accordingly, the apparatus, the method, and the assembly disclosed herein attenuate vibrations by reducing an engagement distance between the latch and the striker with the first and second members in the closed position, so that vibrations between the latch and the striker are attenuated or reduced. More particularly, the apparatus, the method, and the assembly disclosed herein are directed to attenuating vibrations between the latch and the striker by reducing the engagement distance between the latch and the striker to an allowable design gap, the allowable design gap being determined by design intent, hardness or rigidity of the striker/latch, tolerance(s), etc.
For example, and as illustrated in
When the handle 110 is in an open position, as shown in
Referring back to
As illustrated in
In some example aspects, the arm members 204 of the threaded post 202 each include a first portion 206 extending radially outward from an end portion 208 of the post 202 and a second portion 210 extending from a distal end 212 of the first portion 206. The second portions 210 are resiliently deformable toward each other. The second portion 210 of the arm members 204 each includes a protrusion 214 extending outwardly therefrom. As illustrated in
The threaded post 202 is rotatably advanceable in discrete increments in a threaded opening 216 defined by and extending through the first member 102. The threaded opening 216 longitudinally extends from the exterior surface to the opposite, interior surface of the first member 102 and includes threads therethrough. The threaded post 202 is thereby rotatable within the threaded opening 216 such that rotation of the threaded post 202 results in the arm members 204 advancing towards the exterior surface of the first member 102. In addition, the distal end of the threaded post 202 moves toward the second portion 210 upon rotation of the threaded post 202 so as to urge the first portion 206 away from the second portion 210. In doing so, the engagement distance between the latch 104 and striker 108 is reduced to the extent necessary to prevent undesirable vibration therebetween.
In some example aspects, the threaded post 202 comprises a metal, a plastic, or an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of silicones, siloxanes, nitriles, fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, neoprenes, and combinations thereof. The elastomeric material of the threaded post 202 has a hardness of from about 10 to about 100 Shore 00, from about 0 to about 100 shore A, or from about 0 to about 80 shore D. The threaded post 202 is manufactured by injection molding, compressive molding, extruding, or the like.
A locking region 218 surrounds the threaded opening 216 on the first member 102. In some example aspects, the locking region 218 comprises a metal, a plastic, or an elastomeric material. The elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of silicones, siloxanes, nitriles, fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers, neoprenes, and combinations thereof; the plastic is selected from polyethylene, polypropylene or the like; and the metal is selected from steel, aluminum, titanium, and the like, and alloys thereof. The elastomeric material of the locking region 218 has a hardness of from about 10 to 100 Shore 00, about 0 to 100 shore A, or about 0 to 80 shore D. The locking region 218 is manufactured by injection molding, compressive molding, extruding, stamping of the first member 102, or the like. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In some example aspects, in the closed position of the first and second members 102, 106, a distal portion 222 of the threaded post 202 extending through the first member 102 contacts the second member 106 upon rotational advancement of the threaded post 202 in the threaded opening 216. More particularly, rotational advancement of the threaded post 202 in the threaded opening 216 and subsequent contact with the second member 106 causes tension between the first member 102 and the second member 106 (i.e., the threaded post 202 pushes the first member 102 away from the second member 106). This tension between the first member 102 and the second member 106 reduces the engagement distance between the latch 104 and the striker 108 with the first and second members 102, 106 in the closed position, and thereby attenuates vibrations between the latch 104 and the striker 108.
Another embodiment of a vibration-reducing apparatus is illustrated in
In some example aspects, the arm members 304 of the threaded post 302 each include a first portion 310 extending radially outward from an end portion 312 of the post 302 and a second portion 314 extending from a distal end 316 of the first portion 310. The second portions 314 of the arm members 304 are resiliently deformable toward each other (i.e., are able to be temporarily moved towards each other upon application of stress thereto). The second portions 314 of the arm members 304 each include a protrusion 318 extending outwardly therefrom. As illustrated in
The vibration-reducing apparatus 300 further comprises a locking region 320. The locking region 320 is a component extending outwardly from the exterior surface of the first member and surrounding the threaded opening 306. The locking region 320, as illustrated in
Still another embodiment of a vibration-reducing apparatus is illustrated in
In some example aspects, the arm members 404 of the threaded post 402 each include a first portion 410 extending radially outward from an end portion 412 of the post 402 and a second portion 414 extending from a distal end 416 of the first portion 410. The second portions 414 of the arm members 404 are resiliently deformable toward each other. The second portions 414 of the arm members 404 each include a protrusion 418 extending outwardly therefrom. As illustrated in
The vibration-reducing apparatus 400 further comprises a locking region 420. The locking region 420 is stamped using a die or otherwise formed directly on an exterior surface of the first member and surrounding the threaded opening 406. Alternatively, the locking region 420 is a component joined to the exterior surface of the first member. The locking region 420, as illustrated in
A still further embodiment of a vibration-reducing apparatus is illustrated in
In some example aspects, the arm members 504 of the threaded post 502 are angularly spaced-apart and extend radially outward from an end portion 510 of the threaded post 502. As illustrated in
The vibration-reducing apparatus 500 further comprises a locking region 512. The locking region 512 is stamped using a die or otherwise formed directly on an exterior surface of the first member and surrounding the threaded opening 506. Alternatively, the locking region 512 is an component joined to the exterior surface of the first member. The locking region 512, as illustrated in
However, rather than being stamped using a die or otherwise formed directly on an exterior surface of the first member, the washer 602 is stamped from a piece of material and then embedded in a first member (e.g., first member 102 in
A method for vibration-reducing vibrations of an assembly comprising a first member including a latch and a second member including a striker is illustrated in
In the method 700, in some example aspects, the arm members of the threaded post each include a first portion extending radially outward from an end portion of the post and a second portion extending from a distal end of the first portion and including a protrusion extending outwardly therefrom. In this manner, rotatably advancing the threaded post comprises resiliently deforming the second portion of each of the arm members toward each other and rotatably advancing the threaded post in discrete increments in the threaded opening until the protrusions of the arm members interact with spaced-apart depressions extending about the opening and defined by the locking region.
In some still further example aspects, the arm members of the threaded post are angularly spaced-apart and extend radially outward from an end portion of the threaded post. In this manner, rotatably advancing the threaded post comprises rotatably advancing the threaded post in discrete increments in the threaded opening until the arm members interact with a plurality of angularly spaced-apart raised elements defined by the locking region and extending longitudinally outward of the opening, and are received by corresponding angularly spaced-apart areas of the locking region between the successive spaced-apart elements.
Many modifications and other examples of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific examples disclosed and that modifications and other examples are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing description and the associated drawings describe examples in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative examples without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
