CN110908139A

CN110908139A - Improved elastic hinge for spectacle frames with parallel arm carrier

Info

Publication number: CN110908139A
Application number: CN201910876277.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 里纳尔多·蒙塔尔班
Original assignee: Visottica Industrie SpA
Current assignee: Visottica Industrie SpA
Priority date: 2018-09-17
Filing date: 2019-09-17
Publication date: 2020-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-17
Also published as: CN110908139B

Abstract

An elastic hinge for spectacle frames is disclosed, comprising a female part (2) and a male part (1) which pivot with respect to each other. The male part (1) has a box-shaped body (4) provided with an inlet mouth and an inner housing in which the cradle is slidably guided in contrast to elastic means, the cradle being provided with at least two parallel guide arms (5a, 5b) ending in eyelets (5a ', 5 b'), one end of the elastic means being constrained to the box-shaped body (4) by a retaining clip (7). The female part (2) has at least one fork portion provided with a fork head (2b), the fork head (2b) having a cam profile edge which abuts against a corresponding abutment surface (4a-4c) of said inlet mouth of the box-shaped body (4), wherein at least one of said fork heads (2b) inserted between said eyelet heads (5a ', 5 b') is further provided with a protrusion (8), the protrusion (8) being arranged to be at least partially located within said housing of the box-shaped body between said guide arms (5a, 5b) at least in the open position of said hinge.

Description

Improved elastic hinge for spectacle frames with parallel arm carrier

Technical Field

The present invention relates to spectacle hinges, in particular so-called elastic hinges with double arms or U-shaped brackets.

Background

As is known, eyeglass hinges consist of a series of elements and mechanisms which allow the two lateral temples to be hingedly mounted in the front of the eyeglass frame.

The shape of the hinge of the spectacles is very diverse, based on the functionality of the spectacles and the aesthetic style that must be imparted to the spectacles. The most common hinge used today is the so-called elastic hinge.

The term "elastic or flexible hinge" applies to those hinges provided with elastic elements which determine the respective stable open and closed positions (due to the presence of the cam element) and allow an additional opening elastic movement (i.e. an excessive opening beyond the open position compared to the elastic force).

To achieve this result, the elastic hinge usually consists of a box-shaped body mounted on each spectacle arm, which has a housing in which a slider or a bracket is slidable, the slider or the bracket being provided with a projecting eyelet portion designed to couple, by means of a hinge pin, with a female fork element provided at the opposite end part or at the front part of the spectacle frame. The carriage is slidable within the box-shaped housing, in contrast to resilient means, which typically take the form of one or two helical springs. The mouth edge of the box-shaped body abuts and cooperates with the opposite female fork element by means of cam surfaces to determine the alternating movement of the hinge axis away from the box-shaped body and close to the box-shaped body, causing respectively the stressing and the release of the elastic means of the carriage.

The female prong and the housing of the box-shaped body can also be mounted on the eyeglass portion in the opposite manner.

The two main types of brackets for elastic hinges provide a structure with a single central body (as described in FR2662516 or EP 1175638), or with a double-arm central body (as described in EP2553519, WO2011/121522, WO2011/121554 or DE 102014223150).

The invention relates to a second type of hinge, in which the sliding bracket is provided with two parallel arms (for example because it is U-shaped), which end in two distinct eyelets, between which elastic means are arranged. In these devices, the elastic means are generally longitudinally constrained on one side against the distal end of the bracket and on the other side against an elastic clip, suitably snap-coupled to the inner wall of the box-shaped casing.

Such a general arrangement is well known in the art and will be appreciated as it allows to obtain an excellent guiding effect between the two arms of the bracket and the inner walls of the respective box-shaped housing.

However, it has been found that the two aperture eyes of the respective arms are less constrained laterally than a bracket having a single central body. Thus, problems with torsional stiffness and overall lateral robustness of the hinge may arise.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above problems by providing a resilient hinge which has the typical advantages of a two-arm carrier hinge, but which at the same time is more robust and robust.

This object is achieved by a hinge means having the features of main claim 1; other interesting features are also mentioned in the dependent claims.

Drawings

Further features and advantages of the device according to the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, given by way of example and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a hinge in partial cross-section according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of a detail in circle B of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2A is a side view of the fork of the female element according to the first embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 2B and 2C are perspective and side views, respectively, of a fork of a female element according to a second embodiment of the invention;

figures 3A and 3B are perspective views of a box-shaped housing according to two different exemplary variants;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary bracket having opposing retention clips;

FIG. 5A is a partial perspective view of the coupling region of the cam surface of the hinge of FIG. 1 with the bracket removed;

FIG. 5B is a partial top view of the coupling region of the cam surface of the hinge of FIG. 1 with the box-shaped housing removed;

FIG. 6A is a partially transparent interrupted side view of a hinge according to the first embodiment in an open condition;

fig. 6B and 6C are views similar to fig. 6A, of the hinge according to the second embodiment in an over-opened condition and a substantially closed step, respectively.

Detailed Description

As shown in the figures, the elastic hinge-also called flexible hinge-is formed in a manner known per se by a male element 1 and a female element 2, the male element 1 and the female element 2 being hinged to each other by means of a hinge pin (not shown) inserted in a hinge hole 3, the hinge hole 3 being formed in a fork of the female element 2, the hinge hole 3 being aligned with an eyelet hole of the male element 1.

The male element 1, which constitutes the "elastic" part of the hinge, generally comprises a box-shaped housing 4, the box-shaped housing 4 being provided with an elongated housing cavity suitable for housing and guiding a slider body or carriage 5 with longitudinal sliding. The housing of the box-shaped body 4 is normally closed at its distal end and open at its proximal end, i.e. from the side facing the female element 2, to allow introduction and removal of the carrier 5.

As shown in fig. 4, the carriage 5 has two

parallel arms

5a and 5b, the

parallel arms

5a and 5b being connected to each other at a distal end 5c and ending proximally in pairs of eye heads 5a 'and 5 b', the eye heads 5a 'and 5 b' being provided with respective coaxial holes 5d intended for the aligned arrangement of the hinge holes 3.

In the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 4, the bracket 5 is formed from a U-folded sheet metal, with the saddle of the U forming the distal section 5 c.

Between the two

arms

5a and 5b of the carriage 5 elastic means (schematically represented in the form of a helical spring in fig. 6A) are housed, the longitudinal axis of which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the carriage 5. One end, the distal end, of the elastic means rests against the distal end 5c of the bracket 5; the other proximal end of the resilient means rests against a retaining clip 7, the retaining clip 7 being constrained to the housing wall of the box-shaped body 4 in one of several modes within reach of the person skilled in the art.

The male part 1 of the hinge, which in fact consists of a box-shaped body 4, a bracket 5, a clip 7 and elastic means, is intended to be firmly fixed to one of the mutually articulated parts of the eyeglasses, typically the temple, while the opposite female part 2 is integral with the other part, typically the front part of the eyeglass frame.

This arrangement is classical, but should not be considered limiting, since it is entirely possible to fix the two parts of the hinge in opposite ways, i.e. the female part 2 with the temple, and the male part 1 with the front of the frame.

Instead, the female part 2 is constituted by a separate fork element, which is adapted to be coupled in rotation with the pairs of heads 5a 'and 5 b' of the carriage 5. In particular, the female part 2 has an anchoring base 2a, fixed as a front part to the spectacle frame, and a series of prongs 2b in the form of flat plates, the edges of which have a cam-shaped profile.

The prongs 2b (three in number in this example) are traversed by holes 3 for housing the hinge pins. The circumferential cam edge of each prong 2b is intended to abut against a corresponding abutment surface profile 4a-4c in the mouth portion of the box-shaped body 4. In order to determine the stable open/closed position of the hinge, in cooperation with the return action of the elastic means pulling the female part 2 towards the box-shaped body 4, the cam profile edge of the prong 2b conventionally has a sharp point between two adjacent rectilinear segments that constitute the stable position of the hinge.

According to the invention, a central prong 2B of the female part is provided, the peripheral edge of which has a modified profile, in which a projection 8 is provided, the width of the projection 8 being such as to be tightly housed between the two arms 5a and 5B of the bracket 5 (fig. 1B).

The projections 8 extend below the height of the mouth of the box-shaped body 4 so as not to interfere with the inner mouth wall when the male 1 and female 2 parts are rotated relatively.

According to a first variant (fig. 3A), the box-shaped body 4 has a housing mouth, the peripheral edges of which are in the same plane.

According to another variant (fig. 3B), the lower edge 4d of said housing mouth of the box-shaped body 4, i.e. the outermost edge with respect to the rotation allowed by the hinge, is recessed with respect to the other abutment surface edges 4a-4c, for example, and can be further milled after obtaining the box-shaped housing. This variant allows to extend the extension of the prolonged protrusion 8 (as can be seen from the comparison between fig. 2A and 2C) without risking interference when the hinge is turned.

As can be seen in fig. 2A-2C and 5B, the protrusion 8 protrudes significantly from the cam profile edge of the prong 2B. In any case, the projection 8 extends by such a dimension as to be inserted into the box-shaped casing 4 up to the clip 7 without making appreciable contact therewith (as shown in fig. 1).

The position of the projection 8 along the cam edge of the central prong 2b falls inside the box-shaped housing 4 at least when the male 1 and female 2 parts are in the open position with respect to each other (figures 1 and 6A), that is to say at least when the temple wires are in the working position with respect to the front of the eyeglasses, in which the torsional stresses on the hinge are most relevant. In other over-opened (fig. 6B) and substantially closed conditions (fig. 6C), the protrusions 8 can still come out of the box-shaped housing 4.

Advantageously, the protrusion 8 is therefore substantially rectangular, with the corners of the connection radius to the peripheral edge of the central prong 2b being at least 0.05mm, and its length preferably being less than 90% of the height of the mouth of the housing 4.

In a second preferred embodiment (shown in fig. 2B, 2C and 6B, 6C), the cusp cam profiles 2B' on the peripheral edge of the fork 2B project on the edge, in particular they have a substantially circular profile, which extends over an arc of at least 150 °. Thus, at least on one side, the cam nose point 2 b' is connected to the adjacent edge with the convex portion 2b ". This preferred feature of the cusp cam profile 2 b' produces the desired sudden back-off effect between the female component 2 and the box-shaped body 4 (i.e. with a high slope ratio of the displacement curve), which is particularly advantageous for reducing the interference problems between the protrusion 8 and the mouth of the housing 4.

The function of the two cusp cam profiles 2 b' and the projections 8 is as follows:

firstly, the projection 8 is designed to project towards the inside of the shell 4, being accurately inserted in the gap between the two

arms

5a and 5b of the bracket 5, thus achieving a stiffening effect, making the male part more robust with respect to lateral forces, and further with respect to torsional constraints, which are the torsions (also called "rocking" movements) between the two hinge elements with respect to each other about the longitudinal axis;

the preferred shape and dimensions of the projections 8 allow such a stiffening effect to be ensured even when the temple wires are moved in the closing direction, since the profile, although sufficiently extended, does not interfere with the mouth of the main body casing 4;

finally, the profile of the cusp cams 2 b' is designed to exert a spacing action on the respective abutment profiles 4a-4c of the box-shaped body 4, which is already particularly fast at the first rotation angle of the closing phase of the bars: the box-shaped body 4 is therefore sufficiently spaced from the projections 8 to ensure that it is removed without interference.

From the above description it is clear that the hinge construction according to the invention fully achieves the objects set forth in the introduction. In particular, with an arrangement of very low aesthetic and economic impact, it is possible to greatly reduce any problems of torsional rigidity and lateral robustness of the hinge with parallel arm brackets.

It is understood, however, that the invention is not to be considered as being limited to the particular arrangements described above, which represent only exemplary embodiments thereof, but that different variants are possible, all within the reach of a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention itself, as defined by the following claims.

For example, although it has been illustrated that the projection 8 is integral with the prongs of the female prong, it is not excluded to produce the projection separately and then apply it to the central prong by welding or other stable adhesive system.

Furthermore, the principle of the invention is described with reference to a carriage provided with two parallel arms, but it is not excluded that the principle of the invention can be applied to carriages equipped with more parallel arms.

Claims

1. Elastic hinge, which is a pivoting means between a lateral temple and the front of the spectacle frame, comprising a female part (2) and a male part (1) that pivot with respect to each other,

the male part (1) has a box-shaped body (4), the box-shaped body (4) being provided with an inlet mouth and an inner housing in which a carriage is slidably guided in contrast to elastic means, said carriage being provided with at least two parallel guide arms (5a, 5b) ending in an eyelet-forming head (5a ', 5 b'), one end of said elastic means being constrained to the box-shaped body (4) by a retaining clip (7), and

the female part (2) has at least one fork portion provided with a fork head (2b), the fork head (2b) having a cam profile edge which abuts against a corresponding abutment surface (4a-4c) of said inlet mouth of the box-shaped body (4),

at least one of the prongs (2b) inserted between the eyelet heads (5a ', 5 b') is further provided with a protrusion (8), the protrusion (8) being arranged to be at least partially located within the inner housing between the guide arms (5a, 5b) at least in the open position of the hinge.

2. Elastic hinge according to claim 1, wherein said protrusion (8) has a substantially rectangular profile and the width of said protrusion (8) is such that it is tightly housed between said arms (5a, 5b) of said bracket (5).

3. Elastic hinge according to claim 1 or 2, in which the extension of the length of said projection (8) is lower than the height of said inlet mouth of the box-shaped body (4).

4. Elastic hinge according to claim 3, wherein the corners of said projections (8) have a connection radius of at least 0.05mm with respect to the cam profile edges of the respective prongs (2b) and the extension in said length is less than 90% of the height of the inlet mouth of the box-shaped body (4).

5. Elastic hinge according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said projections (8) protrude from the respective prongs (2b) by a size such as to be inserted into the housing of the box-shaped body (4) as far as the retaining clip (7).

6. Elastic hinge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cam profile edge of at least one of said prongs (2b) has a substantially circular cusp profile (2 b') extending over an arc of at least 150 °.

7. Elastic hinge according to claim 6, wherein said female part (2) has three prongs (2b), each prong (2b) having said substantially rounded cusp profile (2 b').