Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
8;~5
COMBINATION VIBRATION DAMPER AND FASTENER FOR TWO PANELS
This invention relates to a combination vibration
damper and fastener for two panels, which comprises few
component parts and can be attached to the panels with a
simple operation.
There are times when two panels must be fastened at a
fixed distance apart from each other so that mechanical
vibrations generated in oné of the panels are not trans-
mitted to the other panel. Such a situation occurs when a
compressor is fastened to the bottom panel of the refriger-
ator, for example, The conventional methods and dampers
designed to meet the re~uirement, however, have necessitated
use of many component parts and entailed very troublesome
fastening work. In the case of a damper to be used in
fastening a compressor to a refrigerator, for example, the
work involves the steps of planting support pins in advance,
by welding, to the bottom panel (as one of the two panels
subjected to union), fitting rubber sleeves as the damper
around the support pins, then, lowering the compressor toward
the bottom panel thereby allowing the support pins to pass
into corresponding perforations bored in advance in fitting
ears (as the other panel) provided stationarily on the com-
pressor, and fitting E-rings around the support pins thereby
fastening the two panels or the compressor and the bottom
panel in ~he present case. It is only natural that in most
cases, union of two panels involves a plurality of fastening
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points such as at the four corners in the boundary of the
compressor, for example. Since the troublesome work
mentioned above must be carried out at each of a plurality
of fastening points, union of two panels by the conventional
method has entailed much labor and inevitabl,y increased the
prices of products.
Among the steps involved, there are included those
which demand the attendance o~ skilled workers as in the
step of welding. Even the attachment of E-rings turns out
to be a more troublesome job than would ordinarily be
expected. Thus, with the conventional method of fastening,
the selection of skilled workers has been a critical factor.
In spite of such a troublesome work as described above,
the conventional damper has had no alternative but to rely
for its function solely upon the rubber sleeves, and it has ' '
suffered poor design freedom in the optimization of the
degree of damping.
One object of this invention, therefore, is to provide
a combination vibration damper and fastener which is formed
of few component parts, permits anyone to bind two panels
simply and quickly, and confers damping function upon the
panels so fastened.
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Thus, the object of the invention is attained by a
combination vibration damper and fastener for fast union
of two panels each having a fitting hole which comprises
a pair of snap fasteners and an axial connection member
for connecting the snap fasteners back to back to each
other with the snap fasteners each having a head portion,
a trunk extended from the head portion and elastic engaging
pieces provided on the trunk and adapted to snap into fast
engagement with the fitting hole bored in the panel. The
axial connection member has a pair of damper pieces extended
radially between the opposed head portions of the paired
fasteners and adapted to come into intimate, resilient contact
with each other with one of damper pieces being connected to
the head portion of one of the snap fasteners and independently
separated from the other damper piece and from the other snap
fastener so as to render the one of damper pieces slidably
movable on the axial connection-member in its axial direction.
The other objects and characteristics of the present
invention will become apparent from the further disclosure of
the invention to be made hereinafter with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a conven-
tional damper.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of one embodiment of this
invention illustrated in a disassembled form.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 taken
in a direction rotated by 90 from the direction of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 3
taken along the line I~-IV of the diagram of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a half-sectioned side view of the same embodi-
ment in a state of actual use.
FIG. 6 is a plan view.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the important part of the
embodiment taken along the line VII-VII in the diagrams of
FIG. 2 and FIG. 6.
A typical damper heretofore known to the art is
constructed as illustrated in FIG. 1. In the attachment of
a compressor to a refrigerator, for example, this damper
necessitates work which involves the steps of planting support
pins in advance, as by welding, to the bottom panel Pl of
the refrigerator, itting rubber sleeves around the support
pins, setting the fitting panel P2 f the compressor around
the rubber sleeves now enclosing the support pins, and finally
fitting E-rings R around the protruding ends of the support
pins thereby fastening the two panels Pl, P2~ Although just
one fitting point is illustrated in the diagram of F~G. 1,
there are actually a plurality of fitting points. Thus, the
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union of the two panels involves much labor as mentioned
above. Moreover, each damper unit is formed of many compo-
nent parts and is inevitably priced high.
The attachment of the compressor to the refrigerator
described above is not the sole use found for the damper of
the kind under discussion. It ~an be used in all applications
in which sources of vibrations are attached to first panels
Pl through the medium of second panels P2 such as in the form
of fitting pieces. Such applications can be collectively
represented in terms of the relation between the two panels,
Pl and P2, described above. In the following illustration
of the embodiments of this invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings, therefore, the objects to be bound by
the combination vibration damper and fastener will be in-
variably represented as first and second panels, Pl and P2.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the first embodiment ofthis invention in a state ready for use or in a state freshly
produced by injection molding of a plastic material, and
FIG. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 taken in a
direction rotated by 90 from the direction of FIG. 2. As
illustrated in these diagrams, the device 1 of this invention ;
fundamentally comprises two parts 2, 3. For the convenience
of illustration, the device will be described first with
reference to FIG. 5 which is a half-sectioned side view of
the device in a state already assembled and put to use, as
observed in the same direction as in FIG. 2. The device 1 is
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provided with a pair of snap fasteners 4, 5 axially opposed
back to back to each other. By means of these fasteners
4~ 5, the device is snapped into engagement with the fitting
holes Hl, H2 f the first and second panels Pl, P~. The
device is also provided with a connection shaft 6 which
fastens the pair of fasteners back to back as separated
mutually by a fixed distance in the axial direction. Around
this connection shaft 6 are disposed components which co-
operate to produce a damping function.
Referring to FIG. 5, easier comprehension of the device
of the present invention may be obtained by regarding this
device as consisting of the portion under the imaginary line
L which is the snap fastener 4 for engagement with the fitting
hole Hl in the first panel Pl, the portion above the imaginary
line L' which is the snap fastener 5 for engagement with the
fitting hole H2 in the second panel P2, and the portion M
intervening between the two imaginary lines which is the
axial connection member 6 and the damper function member to
be described more fully below.
The structure of the snap fasteners 4, 5 can be one of
the well-known structures in the art of plastic fasteners
and rivets. Otherwise, it may be of the so-called canoe
type, hook type, or any other type. In the present embodi-
ment, the snap fasteners are represented as having an anchor
type structure. Although the sizes of the two faste,ners 4,
5 can be freely selected to suit the sizes of the respective
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fitting holes and the thickness of the panels, they can
have identical structures to fulfill their functions
effectively. So the fundamental components of the snap
fastenei-s will be collectively described. First, they have
fastener head portions 7, 8 designed for collision with the
opposed surfaces of the panels Pl, P2. From the head
portions 7, 8 axially extend respective shanks or trunks 9,
10. The trunks are provided with elastic engaging pieces
which are flexible inwardly and outwardly in the radial
direction. The elastic engaging pieces 11, 12 are provided
at their free ends with engaging surfaces 13, 14 which come
into engagement with the edges of the fitting holes Hl, H2
of the respective panels Pl, P2 on the sides opposite the
head portions 7, 8. In the present èmbodiment, each fastener
is provided with a pair o~ diametrically opposite elastic
engaging pieces. Provision of just one elastic engaging
piece may prove satisfactory when the force exerted thereby
to fasten the panels Pl~ P2 is sufficient. Conversely, four
such elastic engaging pieces may be circumferentially spaced
at fixed angular intervals of 90. Thus, the number of
elastic engaging pieces can be freely selected. The fastener
5 for engagement with the second panel P2 appears in the
diagram to possess four elastic engaging pieces, because
there are a pair of elastic arms 15 which are disposed per-
pendicularly to the genuine elastic engaying pieces ,12. Asone additional desirable measure contemplated in the present
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embodiment, these elastic arms 15 function to check the
upward movement of the panel as described more fully below.
They have no direct bearing upon the fastening of the panel
P2 . .
The fastener head portions 7, 8 are formed in the shape
of suction discs. Optionally, they may be formed with flat
tops. Of course, the fasteniny of two panels Pl, P2 by
means of the fasteners o~ the known structure mentioned
above is effected by the work generally performed with other
fasteners of this kind. This work will be described briefly.
First, the trunk 9 of the first fastener 4 is inserted
in the direction of the .leading end thereof into the fitting
hole Hl of the first panel Pl. In consequence of this in-
sertion, the elastic engaging pieces 11 which in the normal
state protrude past the edge of the fitting hole collide
with the edge of the hole and then slide past the edge while
being gradually bent inwardly. When the engaging su~faces 13
at the free ends of the elastic engaging pieces ride over the
edge of the hole, the elastic engaging pieces which have been
contracted resume their original shapes and bring the engaging
sur~aces into fast engagement with the edge of the hole.
Consequently, the panel Pl is nipped between the engaging
surfaces 13 and the head portions 7. In other words, the
device 1 is planted in the panel Pl.
Then, the second panel P2 is inserted through the medium
of the fitting hole H2 thereof into the second fastener 5
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which is disposed upwardly. Consequently, the elastic
engaging pieces 12 of the second fastener 5 are bent in-
wardly by the edge of the fitting hole in this panel. When
the panel P2 is pushed down until it collides with the head
portion ~, the relationship of the contact in the radial
direction between the engaging pi.eces 12 and the edge of the
hole is dissolved and the engaging pieces 12 resume their
original shapes by virtue o~ the force of elastic recovery
built up in themselves, with the result that the engaging
surfaces are brought into fast engagement with the edge of
the hole on the side opposite the head portion 8. This
completes the fastening of the second panel P2. As a result,
the panel P2 is held fast to the panel P1 separated by a
distance commensurate with the axial length of the connection
member 6 serving to connect the two fasteners in the axial
direction.
The vibration damper function of the device, which is
utilized to prevent the vibration of the second panel P2 from
being transmitted to the first panel Pl, is as a rule ful-
filled by a pair of damper pieces 16, 17 disposed around the
axial connection member 6 and radially extended until their
boundaries come into mutually resilient contact. In the
present embodiment, the two damper pieces 16, 17 are formed
in the shape of suction discs opposed to each other.
One of the two damper pieces 16, 17, which in the
illustrated embodiment is the damper piece 16 on the fastener
s
4 for engagement with the first panel Pl, is molded integ-
rally with the axial connection member 6. The other damper
piece 17 is integrally molded with the head portion 8 of the
fastener 5. This damper piece 17 and the head portion 8
form one independent part 3 which is separated from the axial
connection member 6. The cent~al perforation 18 of the part
3 is idly set around the axial connection member 6.
The fundamental construction of this invention has been
described. When vibrations occur in the panel P2 which is
fastened to a source of vibration such as a compressor, these
vibrations are transmitted via the fastener head portion 8
separated from the other parts an~ pressed against the lower
surface of the panel P2 to the damper piece 17 integral with
the fastener head portion 8. On reaching this damper piece
17, the vibrations are absorbed by virtue of the resilient
contact the damper piece 17 maintains with the other damper
piece 16.
By the device 1 of this invention, the fastening of the
two panels Pl, P2 can be accomplished b~ the sole operation
of insertion of the fasteners 4, 5 toward each other as
described above. At the same time that this simple work of
fastening is completed, the damper pieces 16, 17 cooperate
to absorb vibration. Moreover, the capacity for damping can
be adjusted substantially infinitely by suitably fixing the
radial extension of the pair of damper pieces, selecting the
material for the damper pieces, and when the damper pieces
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are formed in the shape of suction discs, determining the
conditions of their recesses. Thus, optimal damping
capacity can be o~tained to suit the purpose of use. In
fact, the device of this invention designed and fabricated
specifically for use in the attachment of a compressor to a
refrigerator has been demonstrated to transmit substantially
no vibration to the bottom panel of the refrigerator (P1).
Since this device is fundamentally composed of two
parts, it is necessary that the second part 2, namely, the
part 3 which comprises one fastener head portion 8 and one
damper piece 17, should be attached fast to the first part 2
before the second panel P2 is brought into fast engagement
As is clear from FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, this can be done with
simplicity. To be specific, it is effected by forcing the
part 3 downwardly in the axial direction thereby allowing
the leading end 21 of the trunk 10 of the fastener S having
a separate head portion 8 to be axially inserted into the
central perforation 18 of the part 3, then causing the part
3 to slide over the elastic engaging pieces 12 while inwardly
bending the elastic engaging pieces 12, and bringing the
part 3 into contact with the other damper piece 16 and, at
the same time, to snap into fast engagement.
Now, measures whose incorporation into ~he aforementioned
fundamental construction proves desirable for the purpose of
this invention will be described.
Once the second part 3 has been snapped into position,
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it is desired not to produce any play in the horizontal
direction around the axial connection member 6. This is
important for the purpose of safely maintaining the two
damper pieces 16, 17 in tight mutual contact. Due attention
to the relation between the radius of the axial connection
member 6 and that of the central perforation 18 of the part
3 ought to suffice for preclusion of such undesirable play
of the part 3. For example, one efecti~e measure may be
providing the elastic engaging arm 12 of the fastener 5 with
guide pieces 19 adapted to plerce axially into the central
perforation 18 and, in case where there are provided elastic
arms 15 for stopper function to be described more fully
below as in the present embodiment, similarly providing such
elastic arms 15 with similar guide pieces 20, so that the
outer surfaces of these guide pieces 19, 20 will press the
inner wall surface of the perforation. By this static
measure, the individual guide pieces 19, 20 even while in a
kinetic state discharge the role of axial guides capable of
restricting vibration of the part 3 due to vibration of the
panel P2 to only the axial direction.
The pair of elastic engaging arms 15 possess a stopper
- function serving to restrict by virtue of their inherent
elasticity the distance of movement of the panel P2 in the
upward direction in consequence of exposure to vibrations.
The reason is as follows. The panel P2 is nipped between the
head portion 8 of the fasttner 5 for engagement with the other
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panel and the engaging surfaces of the elastic engaging
pieces 12. When it tends to move in the upward direction
on exposure to vibration, it applies the pressure due to the
movement exclusively to the elastic engaging pieces 12 via
the engaging surfaces 14. If the distance of this upward
movement is not restricted, there is a possibility that the
panel P2, when caused to rise high, will possibly inflict
serious damage to the engaging pieces 12. Even if no damage
is inflicted to the engaging pieces 12 r there is still a
possibility that the panel P2 which has risen high and
fallen again will exert a serious, pulsive impact of a low
basic frequency upon the damper pieces 16, 17 and, as the
result, the damper pieces will be unable to absorb this
impact but will allow the impact to be transmitted to the
first panel Pl.
To cope with this situation, therefore, the pair of
stopper elastic arms 15 are provided at the lower ends
thereof with stopper surfaces 22 separated by a distance
indicated by "t" in the diagrams of FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 ~rom
the upper surface of the~panel P2 or from the engagi~g sur-
faces 14 of the pair of engaging pieces 120 If the panel P2
is vibrated upwardly by any chance, it is allowed to jump up
until it collides with the stopper surfaces 22 and no more.
The reason for entrustment of the stopper function to the
arms 15 possessing elasticity is that, when the part, 3 is
brought into position, the insertion of this part 3 is not
s
hindered because the arms 15 can be bent inwardly as already
described above.
Further in the present embodiment, the elastic engaging
pieces 12 which primarily ulfill engaging function alone are
adapted to perform concurrently stopper function and vibration
absorbing function. To be specific, the base portions 23
which serve as the fulcrums to permit the elastic engaging
pieces' bending are not directly formed on the wall surface
of t~he trunk as are generally found in fasteners of this kind
but are formed to continue into the reinforcing crosspieces
25 formed axially within the empty space through the medium
of the arms 24 which are bent inwardly substantially at a
right angle in the radial direction. As a result, the whole
amount of the bending in the vertical direction can be in-
creased enough to permit ample absorption of the uppercomponent of vibration. In addition, the trunk 10 is provided
at the leading end thereof with brims 26 a prescribed distance
above the arms 24. When the panel P2 is thrown up high by a
vibration and the engaging pieces 12 are wholly bent upwardly
by the aforementioned prescxibed distance, part of the arms
23 collide with the lower surface of the brims 26. Beyond
that point, the engaging pieces 12 are not allowed to be bent
any further.
Moreover, the device is wholly molded of a plastic
material. When the panel P2 happens to be made of a metal
and it is vertically vibrated with a clattex within a horizon-
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32~3~
tal plane, there is a possibility that the edge of the fit-
ting hole H2 will scrape the outer surfaces of the various
parts of the device positioned inside the fitting hole. In
the present embodiment, therefore, along the inner wall
surface of the central perforation 18 of the part 3 consisting
o the Eastener head portion 8 and the damper piece 17, the
guide pieces 27 peripherally located in the four empty spaces
formed by the elastic engaging pieces 12 and the stopper
arms 15 of the second fastener S are adapted to rise axially
beyond the head portion 8, so that the outer surfaces of the
guide pieces 27 check the motion of the panel P2 due to the
play of the inner wall surface of the fitting hole Hl.
The head portions 7, 8 of the fasteners 4, 5 are formed
in the shape of suction discs as previously described. This
particular shape proves desirable in respect that it gives
more allowance for the variations in the thicknesses of the
panels Pl, P2 and, at the same time, confers a vibration
absorbing function, if to a limited extent, upon the head
portions 7, 8.
Further in this embodiment, the axial connection member
6 is provided concentrically above the underlying suction-
disc-like damper piece with an auxiliary elastic piece 28
similarly formed in the shape of a suction disc. The peri-
phery of this auxiliary elastic piece 28 is opposed across a
distance to the lower surface of the radially inner!portion
of the upper damper piece. This auxiliary elastic piece 28
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produces absolutely no effect so far as the weight of the
source of vibration such as a compressor on the panel P2 is
within the limits of the standard design level. When
considerably lar~er weight bears on the device 1, however,
the pair of damper pieces 16, 17 are heavily deformed
possibly to a point where the suction discs of the damper
pieces tend to be crushed flat. In such a case, the leading
end (periphery) of this auxiliary elastic piece 28 colloides
with the lower surface of the upper damper piece and keeps it
from falling further. It serves to enhance the static -
strength of the pair of dampers 16, 17 and help them to with-
stand large gravity. When a passing dynamic impact is in-
flicted upon the device, this auxiliary elastic piece 2~
discharges its part of restricting the distance of downward
movement of the part 3 as a whole and enabling the lower
damper piece 16 to retain its elasticity suitably. Thus, the
device amply withstands and absorbs the dynamic impact.
The damper pieces 16, 17 are not necessarily limited to
the shape of suction discs but may be formed in any other
shape on condition that they will fulfill the function
described above. For example, they may be circumferentially
divided into several parts. ~therwise, one of the pair of
damper pieces may be in the shape of a flat disc and the
other damper piece in the shape of the curved surface of a
cone with the periphery extending toward the flat disc.
Where the auxiliary piece 28 is incorporated, the same rule
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applies thereto. Optionally, one pair of such auxiliary
pieces may be symmetrically disposed in the axial direction.
As described above, this device 1 is a combination of
the two parts 2, 3. As occasion demands, the two parts 2, 3
may be molded as completely independent pieces from each
other as indicated by the solid lines in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.
What is indispensable to the effective operation of this
device is that after the two parts 2, 3 have been assembled,
at least one of the two damper pieces should, in conjunction
with the fastener head portion of the part including that
... .
damper piece, be allowed to produce a sliding motion freely
relative to the other part 2. (In other words, the parts 2,
3 should be retained as independent pieces from each other
even after their assemblage.) At the time that these two
lS parts 2, 3 are produced by injection molding a plastic ma-
terial, therefore, it is more desirable to have them integrally
molded than otherwise, because the integral molding permits
a saving in the number of expensive metal dies required for
the molding.
In the case of this invention, therefore, the two parts
2, 3 are integrally molded in a manner such that the lower
edges of the inner wall surfaces of the guide pieces 27 in
the part 3 are radially connected through the medium of brittle
portions 29 to the outer peripheral surfaces at the leading
ends 21 of the trunks 10 of the upper fastener in the part 2
as illustrated in FIG. 7. At the time that the two parts are
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assembled into an operative position by lowering the part 3
into position, a powerful blow is delivered to the part 3
so as to tear the brittle portions 29. FIG. 7 represents a
sectional view of the important part of the device taken along
the line VII-VII of the diagram of FIG. 2 and the line
VII-VII of the diagram of FIG. 6 (a top view). Further in
FIG. 2, the part 3 which is in a state connected through the
medium of the brittle portions to the other part is indicated
by the imaginary line. Besides the aforementioned saving in
the number of expensive metal dies, such integral molding of
the two parts 2, 3 offers an advantage that less time and
labor is required in transporting the parts 2, 3 when formed
integrally and that the possibility of the parts being
lost in transit will be reduced.
This invention enables a combination vibration absorbing
damper and fastener for two panels to be produced by simple
assemblage of only two parts as described in detail above.
Moreover, attachment of this device to the panels is accom-
plished by a very simple work of pushing. It can be worked
by anyone, skilled or unskilled. When the fastening of two
panels involves many fastening points, the total time re~uired
for the work is negligibly small. This invention promises
appreciable reduction in the product cost.
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