Shock absorbing apparatus

Claim 2

A shock absorbing apparatus comprising: a casing; an end wall for closing an end of the casing; a piston movably disposed within said casing; a first resilient seal attached to said piston and to an interior wall of said casing and cooperable with said end wall and a first portion of said casing to define a first closed chamber; a second resilient seal attached to said piston and to the interior wall of said casing and cooperable with a second portion of said casing and said first resilient means to define a second closed chamber; a baffle attached to the interior wall of said casing in said second closed chamber and comprising an interior edge defining an aperture through which said piston passes without coming into contact with said baffle, said baffle being operable to generally divide said second chamber into a first zone and a second zone; a first port for introducing a compressible fluid into said first closed chamber; a second port for introducing a relatively incompressible fluid into said second closed chamber; said first resilient seal being operable to affect a compression of said compressible fluid when impact displaces said piston axially towards said first closed chamber; said first and said second resilient seals being cooperable to affect a displacement of said relatively incompressible fluid from said first zone to said second zone when an impact displaces said piston axially towards said first closed chamber.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said baffle is perforate.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein a one-way valve is operatively positioned with respect to a perforation in said baffle.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said compressible fluid is air and said relatively incompressible fluid is hydraulic oil.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising a bumper element attached to an end of said piston.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said bumper element comprises a relatively rigid member, and a cushioning cover carried by at least one surface of said relatively rigid member.

Claim 8

A shock absorbing system comprising: a cylinder mounted on a relatively fixed object; a piston movably disposed within an interior of said cylinder; an impact-receiving bumper element carried by an end of said piston extending beyond said cylinder and arranged to absorb impact from a relatively movable object moving towards the relatively fixed object; a first flexible seal attached along an outer surface to the interior of the cylinder at a first location and attached along an inner surface to said piston; a second flexible seal attached along an outer surface to the interior of the cylinder at a second location and attached along an inner surface to said piston; said first and said second flexible seals being operable to divide the interior of said cylinder into two chambers sealingly separated from each other and from the exterior of said cylinder, a first of said two chambers being of variable geometry and variable volume and a second of said two chambers being of variable geometry and relatively constant volume; a baffle positioned in said second chamber and operable to separate said second chamber into a first zone and a second zone; said piston, cylinder, first and second flexible seals and said baffle being cooperable when an impact is transferred to said bumper element tending to displace said piston axially towards said cylinder, to reduce the volume of said first chamber, reduce the volume of said first zone of said second chamber, and increase the volume of said second zone of said second chamber while controlling a rate at which the respective volumes of said first and said second zones change.

Claim 9

A shock absorbing system comprising: a cylinder mounted on a relatively fixed object; a piston movably disposed within an interior of said cylinder; an impact-receiving bumper element carried by an end of said piston extending beyond said cylinder and arranged to absorb impact from a relatively movable object moving towards the relatively fixed object; a first flexible seal attached along an outer surface to the interior of the cylinder at a first location and attached along an inner surface to said piston; a second flexible seal attached along an outer surface to the interior of the cylinder at a second location and attached along an inner surface to said piston; said first and said second flexible seals being operable to divide the interior of said cylinder into two chambers sealingly separated from each other and from the exterior of said cylinder, a first of said two chambers being of variable geometry and variable volume and a second of said two chambers being of variable geometry and relatively constant volume; a baffle positioned in said second chamber and operable to separate said second chamber into a first zone and a second zone; said piston, cylinder, first and second flexible seals and said baffle being cooperable when an impact is transferred to said bumper element tending to displace said piston axially towards said cylinder, to reduce the volume of said first chamber, reduce the volume of said first zone of said second chamber, and increase the volume of said second zone of said second chamber while controlling a rate at which the respective volumes of said first and said second zones change.

Claim 10

The system of claim 7 wherein said baffle is perforate.

Claim 11

The system of claim 8 wherein a one-way valve is operatively positioned with respect to a perforation in said baffle.

Claim 12

The system of claim 7 and further comprising: a first port in said cylinder for introducing a first fluid into said first chamber; and a second port in said cylinder for introducing a second fluid into said chamber.

Claim 13

The system of claim 10 wherein said first fluid is compressible and said second fluid is incompressible.

Claim 14

The system of claim 11 wherein said first fluid is air and said second fluid is hydraulic oil.

Claim 15

The system of claim 7 wherein said bumper element comprises a relatively rigid member, and a cushioning cover carried by at least one surface of said relatively rigid member.

Claim 16

A shock absorbing apparatus comprising a housing mountable on a relatively fixed object; a piston movably disposed within an interior of said housing; a first flexible seal attached along an outer surface to the interior of the housing at a first location and attached along an inner surface to said piston; a second flexible seal attached along an outer surface to the interior of the housing at a second location and attached along an inner surface to said piston; said first and said second flexible seals being operable to divide the interior of said housing into two chambers sealingly separated from each other and from the exterior of said housing, a first of said two chambers being of variable geometry and variable volume and a second of said two chambers being of variable geometry and relatively constant volume; a baffle positioned in said second chamber and operable to separate said second chamber into a first zone and a second zone; said piston, said housing, said first and second flexible seals, and said baffle being cooperable when said piston is displaced generally axially toward said housing, to reduce the volume of said first chamber, reduce the volume of said first zone of said second chamber, and increase the volume of said second zone of said second chamber while controlling a rate at which the respective volumes of said first and second zones change.

Claim 17

A shock absorbing apparatus comprising a housing mountable on a relatively fixed object; a piston movably disposed within an interior of said housing; a first flexible seal attached along an outer surface to the interior of the housing at a first location and attached along an inner surface to said piston; a second flexible seal attached along an outer surface to the interior of the housing at a second location and attached along an inner surface to said piston; said first and said second flexible seals being operable to divide the interior of said housing into two chambers sealingly separated from each other and from the exterior of said housing, a first of said two chambers being of variable geometry and variable volume and a second of said two chambers being of variable geometry and relatively constant volume; a baffle positioned in said second chamber and operable to separate said second chamber into a first zone and a second zone; said piston, said housing, said first and second flexible seals, and said baffle being cooperable when said piston is displaced generally axially toward said housing, to reduce the volume of said first chamber, reduce the volume of said first zone of said second chamber, and increase the volume of said second zone of said second chamber while controlling a rate at which the respective volumes of said first and second zones change.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said baffle is attached to the interior wall of said housing and comprises an interior edge defining an aperture through which said piston passes without coming into contact with said baffle.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said baffle is attached to said piston and comprises an exterior edge which does not come into contact with the interior of said housing when said piston is displaced towards said housing.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said exterior edge of said baffle and the interior of said housing define an annulus through which said first zone and said second zone are placed in fluid communication.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein a length of said piston has a varied diameter.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said aperture through which said piston passes has an area which varies with the position of said piston.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 14 where said baffle is perforate.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 20 wherein a one-way valve is operatively positioned with respect to a perforation in said baffle.

Claim 25

The apparatus of claim 14 and further comprising a first port in said housing for introducing a first fluid into said first chamber; and a second port in said housing for introducing a second fluid into said second chamber.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said first fluid is compressible and said second fluid is incompressible.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said first fluid is air and said second fluid is hydraulic oil.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 14 and further comprising a bumper element attached to an end of said piston.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 25 wherein said bumper element comprises a relatively rigid member, and a cushioning cover carried by at least one surface of said relatively rigid member.