BACKGROUND

[0001] Rotational springs may be used in a variety of applications. For some applications, it is desirable to combine a rotational spring with a dampener. Dampeners may reduce the release velocity of a loaded rotational spring after it is released. Some dampeners may be particularly useful in combination with specific types of rotational springs. For example, typical silicone dampeners offer only low amounts of resistance torque and may only be suitable for use with low torque rotational springs, and not for use with high torque springs. Further, certain dampeners may not be well-suited for use in all situations, for example, in applications with strict size and weight limitations.

SUMMARY

[0002] The present disclosure provides a planetary gear dampener including a first housing having a plurality of openings, a mounting structure, a first gear having a first plurality of teeth, and a plurality of rotational dampeners. Each rotational dampener has a second housing, a second gear that protrudes from the second housing with a second plurality of teeth, and a securing member. Each rotational dampener is positioned within one of the openings and the securing member of each rotational dampener engages the first housing. At least some of the second plurality of teeth of the second gear of each rotational dampener engage at least some of the first plurality of teeth of the first gear.

[0003] The present disclosure also provides an automobile seat including a seat portion, an upper portion, and a planetary gear dampener. The planetary gear dampener has a first housing that has a plurality of openings, a mounting structure, a first gear having a first plurality of teeth, and at least six rotational dampeners. Each rotational dampener has a second housing and a second gear that protrudes from the second housing. The second gear has a second plurality of teeth. Each rotational dampener further includes a securing member and a silicon fluid with a viscosity of from about 10,000 cSt to about 5,000,000 cSt. Each rotational dampener is positioned within one of the openings and the securing member of the rotational dampener engages the first housing. At least some of the teeth of the second gear of each rotational dampener engage at least some of the teeth of the first gear. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] FIG. 1 shows an exterior side view of the planetary gear dampener with one individual dampener installed;

[0005] FIG. 2 shows an exterior isometric side view of the planetary gear dampener with one individual dampener installed;

[0006] FIG. 3 shows an interior side view of the planetary gear dampener;

[0007] FIGS. 4 shows an interior isometric side view of the planetary gear dampener with the interior planetary gear removed and one individual dampener installed;

[0008] FIG. 5 shows a graph of the amount of torque generated by three different individual dampeners as the dampeners operate over a range of rotational velocities, with each individual dampener using silicon fluid with a different viscosity (B viscosity > G viscosity > R viscosity);

[0009] FIG. 6 shows an isometric side view of an individual dampener;

[0010] FIG. 7 shows an isometric view of an individual dampener;

[0011] FIG. 8 shows an exploded side view of an individual dampener, with the cap removed;

[0012] FIG. 9 shows an exterior isometric side view of a planetary gear dampener with six individual dampeners installed;

[0013] FIG. 10 shows an interior isometric side view of a planetary gear dampener with six individual dampeners installed;

[0014] FIG. 11A shows a side view of an automobile seat with a mounting point for a dampener on the upper portion of the seat; and

[0015] FIG. 11B shows side view of an automobile seat with a planetary gear dampener installed on the upper portion of the seat. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The present disclosure provides a dampener that may be combined with a rotational spring in order to improve the performance of the spring. The term rotational spring is interchangeable with the term “torsion spring,” as used herein. Torsion springs are often coupled with a dampener such that the spring may drive a mechanical motion in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction while being dampened to control the spring’s rotational velocity and/or resonant bounce. Such springs are often metallic coil springs or clock springs.

[0017] Rotational dampeners can improve the safety and function of an application that includes a rotational spring and may also give the application a more luxury feel. For some applications, torsi onal/rotational dampening requirements may be adequately supplied by standard dampeners. However, due to the size and weight of some applications, some applications require the use of a high-torque rotational spring. Standard rotational dampeners are often insufficient to meet the rotational dampening requirements for such applications because a standard rotational dampener would need to be of such a large size and mass that it would be incompatible with the application, and/or the dampener would materially increase the mass and size/mass of the overall product, which is often undesired. For example, in some applications the packaging for the torsion spring and dampener must be small to maximize storage space and aesthetic targets. Therefore, there is a need for a rotational dampener that can provide sufficient dampening to an application with a high-torque torsional spring, while simultaneously occupying only a small space and having a small mass. The planetary gear dampener of the present disclosure addresses some of these issues.

[0018] The present disclosure provides a planetary gear dampener including a first housing that has a plurality of openings, a mounting structure, a first gear that has a first plurality of teeth, and a plurality of rotational dampeners. Each rotational dampener includes a second housing, a second gear that protrudes from the second housing and has a second plurality of teeth, and a securing member. Each rotational dampener is positioned within one of the openings and the securing member of each rotational dampener engages the first housing. Some of the teeth of the second plurality of teeth engage at some of the teeth of the first plurality of teeth.

[0019] The present disclosure also provides a planetary gear dampener including a first housing that has a plurality of openings, a mounting structure, a first gear that has a first plurality of teeth, and a plurality of rotational dampeners. Each rotational dampener includes a second housing, a second gear that protrudes from the second housing and that has a second plurality of teeth, a spring, a spring clutch, and a seal. Each rotational dampener is positioned within one of the openings. Some of the teeth of the second plurality of teeth engage some of the teeth of the first plurality of teeth.

[0020] Although planetary gear dampeners may be useful in a wide variety of applications, planetary gear dampeners may be especially useful in applications that include a high-torque spring and that are also bound by certain size and weight limitations. Some automobile seats are examples of such an application. Certain automobile seats may be limited to specific maximum spatial dimensions due to the size and/or design of the automobile in which they will be installed and may also have maximum acceptable weight/mass limitations in light of desired automobile performance and efficiency criteria. The present disclosure also provides an automobile seat that addresses some of these issues.

[0021] The present disclosure further provides an automobile seat having a seat portion, an upper portion, and a planetary gear dampener including a first housing that has a plurality of openings, a mounting structure, a first gear that has a first plurality of teeth, and a plurality of rotational dampeners. Each rotational dampener includes a second housing, a second gear that protrudes from the second housing and has a second plurality of teeth, and a securing member. Each rotational dampener is positioned within one of the openings and the securing member of each rotational dampener engages the first housing. Some of the teeth of the second plurality of teeth engage some of the teeth of the first plurality of teeth.

[0022] Referring now to the figures, FIGS . 1-4 show a planetary gear dampener 100 having a planetary housing 110. The planetary housing 110 has a planetary housing rim 112 (shown in FIG. 2), a planetary housing interior portion 114, and a planetary housing core structure 116 (best shown in FIG. 3) that includes a central bore 118. The planetary gear dampener 100 also has at least one planetary mounting structure 130 with a planetary mounting opening 132 disposed therethrough. The planetary gear dampener 100 shown in FIG. 1 has three planetary mounting structures 130, each having a planetary mounting opening 132 disposed therethrough. The planetary mounting structures 130 can be used to mount the planetary gear dampener 100 onto an application, for example, onto an automobile seat. The planetary gear dampener 100 also has a planetary gear ring 140 that has a plurality of teeth 142. As shown in FIG. 3, the planetary gear ring 140 is a large internal ring gear that is concentrically mounted within the planetary housing 110. The planetary gear dampener 100 further includes a plurality of individual dampener securing openings 150. An individual dampener 160 (i.e., an individual rotational dampener) may be positioned in each individual dampener securing opening 150.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the planetary gear dampener 100 has six individual dampener securing openings 150. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a single individual dampener 160 positioned within one of the individual dampener securing openings 150, with the remaining individual dampener securing openings 150 being empty. However, it is contemplated that other embodiments of planetary gear dampeners may have any suitable number of dampener securing openings 150, for example, a planetary gear dampener may have two dampener securing openings 150, three dampener securing openings 150, four dampener securing openings 150, five dampener securing openings 150, six dampener securing openings 150, eight dampener securing openings 150, ten dampener securing openings 150, or more. It is thus also contemplated that planetary gear dampener 100 may also include any number of individual dampeners 160, for example a planetary gear dampener may have two individual dampeners 160, or three individual dampeners 160, or four individual dampeners 160, or five individual dampeners 160, or six individual dampeners 160, or eight individual dampeners 160, or ten individual dampeners 160, or more. In a particular embodiment, the planetary gear dampener 100 may comprise six dampener securing openings and six individual dampeners 160. In some embodiments, the number of individual dampeners 160 may be the same as individual dampener securing openings 150. However, in some embodiments, a planetary gear dampener may have more individual dampener securing openings 150 than individual dampeners 160. In this case, one or more individual dampener securing openings 150 may be empty.

[0024] As can be seen in FIG. 2, the planetary housing 110 of the planetary gear dampener 100 defines a cavity 120 within the planetary gear dampener 100. The planetary gear ring 140 is positioned within the cavity 120. The teeth 142 of the planetary gear ring 140 are positioned circumferentially along the interior surface of the planetary gear ring 140 and proximate to the interior surface of the rim 112 of the planetary housing 110. The teeth 142 each have a substantially triangular shape, with the widest portion of each tooth 142 being most proximate to the interior surface of the rim 112 and oriented such that the tooth 142 extends away from the rim 112 of the housing 110 and farther into the cavity 120 of the housing 110. [0025] The planetary gear dampener 100, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, has three planetary mounting structures 130, which each include a mounting opening 132 through which a mounting member 134 may be placed. The mounting openings 132 are shown as being substantially circular, however, it is contemplated that the mounting openings 132 may have any suitable shape. Non-limiting examples of suitable shapes for mounting opening 132 include triangular, rectangular, square, hexagonal, and octagonal. In order to more clearly show the mounting openings 132, FIGS. 1-4 show the planetary gear dampener 100 with only one mounting member 134 positioned in one mounting opening 132. However, planetary gear dampener 100 may have a mounting member 134 positioned in each mounting opening 132. Non-limiting examples of potential mounting members 134 include screws, nails, bolts, rivets, pegs, and other similar structures.

[0026] Referring now to FIG. 3, the planetary gear dampener 100 also has a core structure 116 that includes a central bore 118. The core structure 116 and the central bore 118 may be used to connect the planetary gear ring 140 to the planetary housing 110. In the embodiment shown in FIG 3, core structure 116 has an annular shape and the central bore 118 is a substantially circular opening in the center of core structure 116. However, it is contemplated that the core structure 116 and the central bore 118 may have any suitable shape. Non-limiting examples of suitable shapes for the core structure 116 and/or the central bore 118 include triangular, rectangular, square, hexagonal, and octagonal.

[0027] The planetary mounting structures 130 and the core structure 116 are connected to the planetary housing 110. In some embodiments, the planetary mounting structures 130 and/or the core structure 116 may be integral portions of the planetary housing 110, composed from the same material and forming a single unitary piece. The planetary housing 110, planetary mounting structures 130, and/or the core structure 116 may be made of any suitable material. Non-limiting examples of suitable materials for the planetary housing 110, planetary mounting structures 130, and/or the core structure 116 include, but are not limited to, hard polymeric compositions such as polyoxymethylene (POM), polyamide (PA) such as Nylon, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polycarbonate / acrylonitrilebutadiene- styrene terpolymer blends (PC-ABS), high-density polypropylene (HDPP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), and polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

[0028] Referring now to FIG. 4, an interior side view of the planetary gear dampener 100 is shown, with the planetary gear ring 140 removed from the planetary gear dampener 100. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the individual dampener 160 has an individual dampener gear 162 and a plurality of teeth 164, which may also be referred to as individual dampener gear teeth 164.

[0029] Individual dampener 160 has an individual dampener securing member 166. Specifically, the individual dampener 160 shown in FIG. 4 has two individual dampener securing members 166. However, it is contemplated that an individual dampener may have any suitable number of individual dampener securing members, for example, one individual dampener securing member, or two individual dampener securing members, or three individual dampener securing members, or four individual dampener securing members, or more.

[0030] As noted above and can be seen in FIG. 2, the planetary gear ring 140 has a plurality of teeth 142, which may also be referred to as planetary gear teeth 142 or first teeth 142. Similarly, as can be seen in FIG. 4, the individual dampener gear 162 has a plurality of teeth 164, which may also be referred to as individual dampener gear teeth 164 or second teeth 164. The planetary gear teeth 142 and the individual dampener gear teeth 164 are of sizes and shapes that are complementary to each other, such that the planetary gear teeth 142 mesh with the individual dampener gear teeth 164 when the planetary gear ring 140 and/or the individual dampener gear 162 is rotated. In an embodiment, the planetary gear teeth 142 may have substantially the same shape and/or substantially the same size as the individual dampener gear teeth 164. Therefore, rotation of the planetary gear ring 140 drives rotation of the individual dampener gear 162.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 3, the planetary gear ring 140 has an outermost diameter (D). The outermost diameter (D) of the planetary gear ring 140 may be from about 50 millimeters to about 200 millimeters. Preferably, the outermost diameter (D) of the planetary gear ring 140 may be from about 70 millimeters to about 110 millimeters. Still more preferably, the outermost diameter (D) of the planetary gear ring 140 may be from about 80 millimeters to about 100 millimeters. In particular embodiments, it may be especially useful for the planetary gear ring 140 to have an outermost diameter (D) that is about 90 millimeters. In particular embodiments, it may be especially useful for the planetary gear ring 140 to have an outermost diameter (D) from about 80 millimeters to about 100 millimeters, or of about 90 millimeters. The diameter (d) may be dependent upon the number of individual dampener gears 162 accommodated within the planetary gear dampener 100. [0032] The individual dampener gear 162 has a corresponding outermost diameter (d) (shown in FIG. 1). The outermost diameter (d) of the individual dampener gear 162 may be from about 5 millimeters to about 25 millimeters. In particular embodiments, it may be especially useful for the individual dampener gear 162 to have an outermost diameter (d) that is from about 10 millimeters to about 20 millimeters.

[0033] As such, the planetary gear ring 140 has an outermost diameter that is larger than the corresponding outermost diameter of individual dampener gear 162. The planetary gear dampener 140 may have an outermost diameter that is two times greater, or three times greater, or four times greater, or five times greater, or eight times greater, or twelve times greater, or twenty times greater than the outermost diameter of any individual dampener gear 162. The planetary gear ring 140 may also have more of the teeth 142 than each individual dampener gear 162 has of the teeth 164.

[0034] As a result of the relative circumferential sizes of the planetary gear ring 140 and the individual dampener gears 162, when the planetary gear ring 140 is rotated and thereby drives rotation of each individual dampener gear 162 via the teeth 142 and 164, each individual dampener gear 162 rotates at a faster rate than the planetary gear ring 140, as measured in rotations per minute (RPM). This gear reduction between the planetary gear ring 140 and each individual dampener gear 162 thereby also increases the rotational speed of each individual dampener. Notably, the rotational speed of each individual dampener gear 162 is increased relative to the rotational speed at which a folding automobile seat would drive the planetary gear ring 140. This increase in rotational speed may be referred to as the gear ratio between each individual dampener gear 162 and the planetary gear ring 140. The gear ratio is between each individual dampener gear 162 and the planetary gear ring 140 is greater than 1. When the planetary gear ring 140 is driven at any given rotational speed (measured in RPM’s) by an application, each individual dampener gear 162 may be driven at a rotational speed that is 2 times greater than the rotational speed of the planetary gear ring 140 (i.e. the gear ratio between each individual rotational dampener gear 162 and the planetary gear ring 140 is about 2:1). When the planetary gear ring 140 is driven at any given rotational speed (measured in RPM’s) by an application, each individual dampener gear 162 may be driven at a rotational speed that is 3 times greater, or 5 times greater, or 10 times greater, or 15 times greater, or 20 times, or 25 times greater, or 30 times greater, or 35 times greater, or 40 times greater, or 41 times greater than the rotational speed of the planetary gear ring 140. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, each individual dampener gear 162 may be driven at a rotational speed that is 41 times greater than the rotational speed of the planetary gear ring 140 (i.e. the gear ratio between each individual rotational dampener gear 162 and the planetary gear ring 140 is about 41 : 1).

[0035] Relatedly, when the planetary gear ring 140 is mounted on an application and the application is actuated, the planetary gear ring 140 may have any suitable rotational speed. For particular applications, such as an automobile seat, the planetary gear ring 140 may have a rotational speed that is between about 1 RPM and about 15 RPM. In certain automobile seat applications, the planetary gear ring 140 may have a rotational speed that is between about 5 RPM and about 10 RPM. In particularly advantageous automobile seat applications, the planetary gear ring 140 may have a rotational speed that is about 7 RPM. Each individual dampener gear 162 may also have any suitable rotational speed. For particular applications, such as an automobile seat, each individual dampener gear 162 may have a rotational speed that is between about 30 RPM and about 300 RPM. For particular applications, such as an automobile seat, each individual dampener gear 162 may have a rotational speed that is between about 50 RPM and about 250 RPM. In certain automobile seat applications, each individual dampener gear 162 may have a rotational speed that is between about 100 RPM and about 200 RPM. The rotational speed of each individual dampener gear 162 should not exceed 300 RPM, when the planetary gear ring 140 is mounted on an application and the application is actuated.

[0036] Importantly, the amount of torque generated by the silicon fluid dampener utilized in the present disclosure changes as the rotational speed of the dampener changes. Specifically, as the rotational speed of the dampener increases, the torque increases. This is illustrated in FIG. 5, which shows a graph of the amount of torque generated by three different individual silicon fluid dampeners (Dampener B, Dampener G, and Dampener R) as the dampeners operate over a range of rotational velocities. The individual silicon fluid dampeners B, G, and R are each substantially the same as one another, and each substantially the same as individual dampener 200, except that each has a different silicon fluid with a different viscosity. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the torque generated by each of Dampener B, Dampener G, and Dampener R is significantly higher when the dampener is operating at a high rotational speed, i.e., at least above 200 RPM. This is particularly important because, as previously discussed above, the gear reduction between the planetary gear ring and each individual dampener gear increases the rotational speed of each individual dampener, and therefore also increases the amount of torque generated by each individual dampener.

[0037] As noted above, each of the three dampeners of FIG. 5 (dampeners B, G, and R) uses silicon fluid with a different viscosity than the other two dampeners. Specifically, dampener B uses silicon fluid with a higher viscosity than the silicon fluid used in dampener G, and dampener G uses silicon fluid with a higher viscosity than the silicon fluid used in dampener R, i.e., B viscosity > G viscosity > R viscosity. As shown in FIG. 5, the silicon fluid of dampener B has a viscosity of 600,000 cSt, the silicon fluid of dampener G has a viscosity of 300,000 cSt, and the silicon fluid of dampener R has a viscosity of 100,000 cSt.

[0038] Thus, FIG. 5 also shows that the rate at which dampener torque increases due to increasing dampener rotational speed varies depending on the viscosity of the silicon fluid used in the dampener. Specifically, dampener torque increases more rapidly (with respect to increasing dampener rotational speed) in dampeners with higher viscosity silicon fluids. For example, the increase from a minimal rotation speed to about 300 RPM creates a corresponding increase in torque of about 8 N-cm in Dampener B. However, in Dampener G, the same increase in dampener rotational speed only created a corresponding increase in torque of about 6 N-cm. Further still, in Dampener R, the same increase in dampener rotational speed only created a corresponding increase in torque of about 3 N-cm. This is particularly important because, as previously discussed above, the planetary gear dampener may be particularly advantageous for use in applications having high-torque torsional springs. Silicon fluids having particularly high viscosities may be suitable for use in such applications. Therefore, the rotational speed-increase (in each individual silicon fluid dampener) created by the gear reduction between the planetary and each individual dampener gear will result in the maximum possible increase in torque generated by each individual dampener.

[0039] Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, an individual rotational dampener 200 that is suitable for use in the planetary gear dampeners of the present disclosure is shown. The individual rotational dampener 200 is substantially the same as the individual rotational dampener 160 previously shown and discussed in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. The individual rotational dampener 200 has an individual dampener housing 210 with a lower portion 212 and an upper portion 214. The upper portion 214 of the individual dampener housing 210 may include a cap 214a. The housing 210 (along with the cap 214a, if present) defines and encloses an interior cavity (best shown in FIG. 8). The individual rotational dampener 200 also has an individual dampener gear 222 having individual dampener gear teeth 224. The individual dampener gear 222 is positioned above the top portion 214 and the cap 214a of the housing 210. The individual dampener gear 222 is attached to the individual rotational dampener 200 by an individual gear mounting member 326. The individual rotational dampener 200 also has a silicon fluid that is positioned in the cavity of the housing 210 and a seal 228 that is configured to prevent the silicon fluid from escaping the cavity.

[0040] As best shown in FIG. 8, the individual rotational dampener 200 further includes a spring 232 and a spring clutch 234 that are both positioned within the cavity of the housing 210. Individual dampeners suitable for use in the planetary gear dampeners of the present disclosure include 1-way dampeners. A “1-way dampener,” as referred to herein, is a dampener that generate torque when it rotates in one direction but does not generate material amounts of torque when it rotates in the other direction. Non-limiting examples of 1-way dampeners suitable for use in the present disclosure include the 1-way dampeners disclosed in US Patent No. 6,085,384, US Patent No. 6,866,588, and US Patent Publication No. 2007/0108000A1, the contents of each are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In some embodiments, the spring 232 and the spring clutch 234 may be used to configure an individual rotational dampener 200 as a 1-way dampener. In such embodiments, when the individual rotational dampener 200 is rotated in the torque-bearing direction (for example, clockwise), viscous shear from the silicon fluid will transmit torque to the rotor. Due to the wind of the spring 232, the spring 232 will tighten around the spring clutch 234 and/or the mounting member 226 (which may itself be configured as a gear shaft). The tightening of the spring 232 thereby transmits torque to the spring clutch 234 and the mounting member 226, and thus to the individual rotational dampener 200 overall. However, if the individual rotational dampener 200 is rotated in the opposite, non-torque-bearing direction (i.e. counterclockwise), then the spring 232 will not tighten, but rather will merely slip. Thus, torque will not be transmitted to the individual rotational dampener 200. In some other embodiments, the individual rotational dampeners may be 2-way dampeners.

[0041] Referring especially to FIG. 7, the housing 210 with lower portion 212, upper portion 214, and cap 214a of the individual dampener 200 are clearly visible. FIG. 7 shows an upper portion 214 of the housing 210 that includes a cap 214a. In an embodiment, the cap 214a may form a single, unitary, integral component with the housing 210 (in particular with upper portion 214 of the housing 210), with the cap 214a being composed of the same material as the housing 210. In another embodiment, the cap 214a may be separate from the housing 210. In this instance the cap 214a is removably attached to the upper portion 214 of the housing 210 and may be made of the same material as the housing 210 and/or a different material. Nonlimiting examples of suitable materials for forming the housing 210, the cap 214a, and the securing member 216 include, but are not limited to, hard polymeric compositions such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), high-density polypropylene (HDPP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), and polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate.

[0042] The individual rotational dampener 200 is a viscous dampener that has a silicon fluid contained in the cavity of the housing 210. The silicon fluid used in the individual rotational dampener 200 can vary widely, depending on the application onto which the planetary gear dampener containing the individual rotational dampener 200 will be mounted. The silicon fluid of the individual rotational dampener 200 may have any suitable viscosity. A high viscosity silicon fluid may be particularly useful for high-torque applications (such as a folding automobile seat), given the above described synergy between silicon fluid viscosity, increasing rotational speed, and increasing torque. In an embodiment, the individual rotational dampener 200 has a silicon fluid with a viscosity of from about 10,000 centistoke (cSt) to about 10,000,000 cSt. Preferably, the individual rotational dampener 200 has a silicon fluid with a viscosity from about 100,000 cSt to about 5,000,000 cSt. Still more preferably, the individual rotational dampener 200 has a silicon fluid with a viscosity from about 300,000 cSt to about 2,500,00 cSt. Yet more preferably, the individual rotational dampener 200 has a silicon fluid with a viscosity from about 600,000 cSt to about 2,500,00 cSt. Even more preferably, the individual rotational dampener 200 has a silicon fluid with a viscosity from about 1,000,000 cSt to about 2,500,00 cSt. In particular embodiments, the individual rotational dampener 200 has a silicon fluid with a viscosity of about 2,500,000 cSt.

[0043] The individual rotational dampener 200 also has a seal 228 positioned within the cavity of the housing 210. The seal 228 is positioned and configured such that the seal 228 prevents the silicon fluid from escaping the housing. In an embodiment, the seal 228 may be shaped as an annular ring. The seal 228 may be made of any suitable material for retaining the silicon fluid in the cavity of the housing 210. Non-limiting examples of suitable materials include elastomers such as silicon rubber, EPDM rubber, and SEBS block copolymer, and other similar elastomeric materials. [0044] The individual rotational dampener 200 has an individual dampener gear 222 that is positioned above the upper portion 214 (and the cap 214a) of the housing 210 and the individual dampener gear 222 extends vertically upward away from the top portion 214 of the housing 210. The individual rotational dampener 200 has individual dampener gear teeth 224. The shape and size of the individual dampener gear teeth 224 are complementary to the shape and size of the teeth 142 of the planetary gear ring 140 of the embodiment planetary gear dampener 100 in which individual rotational dampener 200 will be mounted. As such, the individual dampener gear teeth 224 are configured to mesh with the teeth 142 of the planetary gear ring 140. In an embodiment, the individual dampener gear teeth 224 may have the same shape and size as the teeth 142. For example, the individual dampener gear teeth 224 may each have a substantially triangular shape, with the widest portion of each tooth 224 being most proximate to (and directly connected to) the individual dampener gear 222 and oriented such that each tooth 224 extends away from the individual dampener gear 222 and toward the teeth 142 of the planetary gear ring 140.

[0045] The individual rotational dampener 200 and the individual dampener gear 222 may be configured such that the individual rotational dampener 200 is a 1-way dampener. In some embodiments, the individual rotational dampener 200 may comprise a spring 232 and a spring clutch 234 that are configured such that the individual rotational dampener 200 is a 1-way dampener. In some embodiments, the individual rotational dampeners may be 2-way dampeners.

[0046] The individual rotational dampener 200 may also have an individual rotational dampener securing member 216. The securing member 216 may have an arm portion 216a that is connected to the housing 210 at one end and extends away from the housing 210 at the other end. The securing member 216 may also have a head portion 216b that is formed on the end of the arm portion 216a that is not connected to the housing 210. The securing member 216 may further include a securing surface 216c that is disposed on the top of the top of the head portion 216b. The arm portion 216a of the individual rotational dampener securing member 216 is shaped as an elongated rectangular tab and is bent such that the arm 216a initially, i.e. prior to the bend, extends away from the housing 210 and then subsequently, i.e. after the bend, extends downward in a direction that is substantially parallel to a lower portion 212 of the housing 210. The arm 216a is elastically deformable so that it may flex/bend toward the housing 210 or away from the housing 210, in response to a sufficient force applied to the securing member 216. The head 216b is formed in a substantially wedge-shape or a substantially triangular-shape. The head 216b extends beyond (or away from) the arm 216a in multiple directions. For example, the head 216b may be formed on one end of the arm 216a and extend downwardly away from the arm 216a, i.e., extend away from the arm in a first direction, and also simultaneously have a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the arm 216a and therefore extend away from the arm 216a in a second direction. The securing surface 216c is a substantially flat surface that is disposed on the head 216b and extends away from the arm 216a. When the individual rotational dampener 200 is being positioned within one of the individual dampener openings 150 of the planetary dampener 100, the securing member 216 may flex inward toward the housing 210, to allow the dampener 200 to fit into one of an individual dampener opening 150. The securing member 216 may flex back outward, away from the housing 210, such that the securing surface 216c engages a surface of the housing 110 of the planetary dampener 100 and the securing member 216 forms a snap-fit and/or an interference-fit with the housing 110. The individual rotational dampener 200 is thereby secured within one of the individual dampener openings 150.

[0047] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6-8, the individual rotational dampener 200 has two securing members 216 that are disposed on opposite sides of the housing 210. It is also contemplated that an individual rotational dampener may have any suitable number of securing members 216. For example, an individual rotational dampener may have only a single securing member 216. Alternatively, an individual rotational dampener may have two securing members 216, or may have three securing members 216, or may have four securing members 216, or may have six securing members 216, or more. Each securing member 216 is connected to the upper portion 214 of the housing 210. The securing members 216 may form a single, unitary, integral component with the housing 210, with the securing members 216 being composed of the same material as the housing 210.

[0048] Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, a planetary gear dampener 300 is shown having a planetary housing 310, in which six individual rotational dampeners 360 are mounted. The planetary gear dampener 300 is substantially the same as the planetary gear dampener 100 (as shown in FIGS. 1-4), except that all six individual dampener mounting openings have an individual rotational dampener 360 mounted therein. Each individual rotational dampener 360 has and individual housing 362, a securing member 356, and is secured to the housing 310 of the planetary gear dampener 300 via the engagement between the securing member 356 and the housing 310. Each individual rotational dampener 360 is substantially the same as the individual rotational dampener 200 (as shown in FIGS. 6-8).

[0049] As best shown in FIG. 9, the planetary gear dampener 300 includes the planetary housing 310 having a planetary housing rim 312, a planetary housing interior portion 314, and a planetary housing core structure 316 (shown in FIG. 10) that includes a central bore 318. As discussed above, the planetary gear dampener 300 has three planetary mounting structures 330 with planetary mounting openings 332 disposed therethrough. The planetary mounting structures 330 can be used to mount the planetary gear dampener 300 onto an application, for example, onto an automobile seat. As shown in FIG. 10, the planetary gear dampener 300 also has a planetary gear ring 340 with a plurality of teeth 342. The planetary gear ring 340 is a large internal ring gear that is concentrically mounted within the planetary housing 310.

[0050] Turning now to FIGS. 11A and 11B, a planetary gear dampener 400 (that is substantially the same as the planetary gear dampener 300, shown and discussed above) is shown mounted onto an automobile seat 460. The automobile seat 460 has a seat portion 462 with a front-end 462a and a rear-end 462b. The automobile seat 460 also has a back portion 464 that is connected to the seat portion 462 proximate the rear-end 462b of the automobile seat 460. The automobile seat 460 also has a hinge portion 468 that is located between and connected to the seat portion 462 and the back portion 464. Automobile seat 460 also includes a planetary mounting mechanism 470 that is positioned on the back portion 464 of the automobile seat 460, proximate to the hinge portion 468 of the automobile seat 460. The planetary gear dampener 400 is mounted onto the automobile seat 460 via planetary mounting mechanism 470. In other embodiments, the planetary mounting mechanism 470 of automobile seat 460 may be positioned within the seat portion 462 of automobile seat 460, and planetary gear dampener 400 may be mounted thereto.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 1 IB, the planetary gear dampener 400 has a housing 410. The planetary gear dampener 400 also has a centrally located planetary mounting structure 430 through which a planetary mounting member 434 may be positioned in order to mount the planetary gear dampener 400 onto the automobile seat 460. The planetary gear dampener 400 also has a planetary gear ring with a plurality of first teeth and a plurality of individual silicon fluid dampeners (each substantially the same as individual dampener 200) secured within the housing 410. The individual silicon fluid dampeners have a plurality of second teeth that mesh with the plurality of first teeth of the planetary gear ring. [0052] Regarding the function of the automobile seat 460 and the planetary gear dampener 400, when a user causes the back portion 464 of the automobile seat 460 to begin hingedly folding toward the seat portion 462 of the automobile seat 460 via hinge portion 468, the force of gravity causes the back portion 464 of the automobile seat 460 to accelerate toward the seat portion 462. Gearing within the automobile seat 460 translates this motion/force to the planetary mounting mechanism 470, which then translates the motion/force to the planetary gear dampener 400. Specifically, the motion of the automobile seat 460 drives rotational motion of the planetary gear ring of the planetary gear dampener 400, which thereby drives motion in each individual dampener gear via the engagement between the first and second pluralities of teeth. The motion of each individual gear, i.e., each individual silicon fluid dampener, is dampened by the resistance provided by the silicon fluid located within each dampener. This is particularly advantageous because, as discussed with reference to FIG. 5 above, the gear reduction between the planetary gear ring and each individual dampener causes each individual dampener to rotate at a higher speed (as measured in RPM) than if each individual dampener gear was driven by the motion of the back portion 464 of the automobile seat 460 directly, i.e., without the planetary gear ring of the planetary dampener. As shown in FIG. 5, this increase in rotational speed of the individual silicon fluid dampeners generates a greater dampening force, which improves the safety and durability of the automobile seat and also provides a more luxury feel.

[0053] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the planetary gear dampeners of the present disclosure are capable of being produced at such sizes and weights, while simultaneously being capable of generating sufficient dampening force, that the planetary gear dampeners may beneficially be mounted to an automobile seat along either the seat portion of the automobile seat or along the back portion of the automobile seat.

[0054] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the invention has been described above in connection with particular embodiments and examples, the invention is not necessarily so limited, and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications and departures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto. The entire disclosure of each patent and publication cited herein is incorporated by reference, as if each such patent or publication were individually incorporated by reference herein. Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.