DE9207462U1 - Drawer slide - Google Patents

Abstract

The drawer guide has guide rails (20) for guiding the drawer. In order that the drawer has a small installation depth, swivel arms (23) are provided at the rear end of the drawer, which swivel arms run with running rollers (25) in the guide rails (20), are swivelled inwards at the rear end of the insertion movement and fold against the rear wall (14) of the drawer. The guide rails (20) are provided with sloping guide webs to fix the swivel arms (23) in the extended state. In the extended state of the drawer, the sloping guide webs of the guide rails (20) force the running rollers (25) outwards, the swivel arms (23) being pressed against stops (30). <IMAGE>

Description

Drawer guide

The invention relates to a drawer guide and in particular to a drawer guide as a single extension.

Drawer guides as single extensions have guide rails on the furniture side and pull-out rails on the drawer side. A support roller is attached to the front end of each guide rail, on which the drawer-side pull-out rail is supported. There are lugs protruding from the rear end of the drawer, on which there are rollers that are guided in the guide rails. When the drawer is pulled out, it hits a stop if the rollers are still a little way in the guide rails. The weight of the drawer is then supported by the support rollers, while the rollers prevent the pulled-out drawer from tipping over. With full extensions, the drawer is dimensioned in such a way that/3 the drawer box extends out of the drawer in its entire usable depth.

Telephone: (02 21)131041 Telex: 888 2307 dopa d Fax: (02 21)1342 97 (02 21)134881 Telegram: Dompatent Köln

Accounts:

SaI Oppenheimjr.&Cie., Cologne (bank code 37030200) Account no. 10760 Deutsche Bank AG, Cologne (bank code 37070060) Account no. 1165018 Postgiro Cologne (bank code 370100 50) Account no. 654-500

Furniture can be pulled out so that the interior of the drawer box is completely accessible from above, while a support structure attached to the drawers is still inside the cabinet. Over-extension drawer runners are those in which the drawer can be pulled out of the cabinet so far that the rear wall of the drawer box is still in front of the cabinet front. The further a drawer can be pulled out of the cabinet, the longer the support structure protruding from the drawer to the rear must be. The cabinet depth must be measured so that it is equal to the depth of the drawer box plus the length of the support structure. This means that only part of the cabinet depth can be used.

The preamble of claim 1 is based on a drawer guide as is known from DE 90 12 423 U. In this drawer guide, the support structure supporting the drawer in the extended state consists of swivel arms that are attached to the rear end of the drawer and that are swiveled inwards when the drawer is pushed in in order to reduce the effective drawer length in the pushed-in state and thus also the required cabinet depth. The roller, which is normally attached to a rigid rear attachment of the drawer, is attached to a swivel arm. The swivel arms and the drawer have interlocking locking elements that keep the swivel arms locked in the extended state when the rollers are guided within the guide rails. When the drawer is almost completely pushed in, the swivel arms are unlocked by passing control cams. The swivel arms are then transferred from the guide rails to guide tracks.

which cause the swivel arms to swivel inwards in the end position of the drawer. When the swivel arms swivel inwards, the drawer is supported by additional auxiliary rollers located at its end. The control cams impair the smooth running of the drawer at the end of the insertion movement, whereby it can happen that the drawer stops shortly before its end position. In this case, the drawer must be pushed shut manually in order to reach the fully inserted position. Another disadvantage is that the swivel arms can be moved within limits along their swivel axes or tilted in a vertical plane in order to lock and unlock them. The swivel arms therefore have an additional degree of freedom in addition to their ability to swivel. This reduces the stability of the drawer guide and makes manufacturing with the required tolerances more difficult.

The invention is based on the object of creating a drawer guide of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1, i.e. a drawer guide which requires a small cabinet depth while the drawer can be pulled out further, and in which, despite the pivoting ability of the pivot arms carrying the rollers, a stable guide behavior is ensured when the drawer is pulled out.

This object is achieved according to the invention with the features of claim 1.

In the drawer guide according to the invention, the guide rails on their inside

have a slanted guide bar, the roller is pulled outwards at least in the end area of the extension length. This means that the swivel arms are pulled against stops by the rollers, so that the mobility of the swivel arms in the swivel plane is increasingly restricted. As the drawer's extension length increases, the distance between the center of gravity of the drawer and the support rollers becomes ever greater, so that the rollers are pressed against the upper legs of the C-shaped guide rail with increasing force from below. The inner edge of the running surface of the roller is pressed outwards against the stop by the slanted guide bar of the guide rail, which fixes the swivel arm in the extended state. When the drawer is pushed in, the rollers are not loaded and are guided loosely in the guide rails. When the drawer is pulled out far, the swivel arms, which generally point in the longitudinal direction of the drawer, are pressed against the stops by the inclined guide bars of the guide rails due to the load moment of the drawer, thereby making them rigid in relation to the drawer. When the drawer is pulled out completely, when the auxiliary rollers of the drawer are close to the support rollers, the rollers mounted on the swivel arms projecting to the rear exert a lateral stabilizing effect, so that a good stabilizing effect is guaranteed, especially in this load case, when the drawer has a long lever arm. If, on the other hand, the drawer is pushed in far, a stabilizing effect of the lateral movements and the horizontal pivoting of the drawer is not required to a great extent. Here, the stabilization is provided by the auxiliary rollers, which are guided on the guide rails and in this state are at a greater distance from the rollers. A special

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The advantage of this is that the guide rails can have a constant clear width throughout their entire length, so that their manufacture is simplified.

Each of the swivel arms can be swivelled like a knee joint, i.e. it can only be swivelled inwards, but not outwards beyond the extended position. The outward swivel is limited by the stop. If a horizontal transverse force acts on the drawer when it is pulled out far, the drawer is blocked by the swivel arm that is positioned back in the direction of the force, which is pressed firmly against its stop under this load, while the swivel arm that is positioned forward in the direction of the force can give way.

Preferably, the pull-out rails grip the support rollers from above and have slanted guide bars on both sides of the support rollers. The slanted guide bars also stabilize the drawer against lateral forces.

It is advisable for the swivel arms to be slightly flexible or torsionally elastic so that they are clamped between the stops and the inner leg of the guide rail when the drawer is pulled out. Alternatively, the swivel arms can also be rigid if the stops have a corresponding flexibility or elasticity.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pivot axes of the pivot arms on the drawer are arranged at an angle, such that when their rollers are subjected to vertical load, they are pressed outwards against the stop. Due to the angled arrangement of the

When the swivel axes are pulled out, the swivel arms are pushed outwards by their own weight so that they rest against the stops. This prevents the unloaded rollers in the guide rail from swinging. If the rollers and swivel arms are loaded when the drawer is pulled out, the horizontal force component caused by the tilt of the swivel axes increases the pressure of the swivel arms against the stops."

A particular advantage of the invention is that the swivel arms only require a single degree of freedom, namely the ability to swivel around their swivel axes, but the swivel arms do not have to be displaceable along the swivel axes or tiltable in a vertical plane. This means that the stability of the lateral guide can be increased with little manufacturing effort.

The drawer guide according to the invention is particularly suitable for pharmacy drawers. Pharmacy drawers are characterized by a relatively large length with a usable depth of around 1.00 m and a total length of around 1.25 m. Another special feature of pharmacy drawers is that the pull-out rails on the drawer box must be arranged at a low height above the floor so that the side walls offer space for the attachment of card pockets to hold label holders. Those drawers that are arranged above eye level usually have a transparent floor. Another feature of pharmacy drawers is a gradient in the drawer guide to achieve automatic closing into the closed position.

However, the application of the drawer guide according to the invention is not limited to pharmacy cabinets.

In the following, embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a drawer slide in the extended position,

Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the drawer, showing different pull-out states A, B and C,

Fig. 3 a partial plan view of the drawer guide,

Fig. 4 is a section along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a section along the line V-V of Fig. 3 and

Fig. 6 a rear view of a modified drawer.

The drawer guide shown in Fig. 1 has a drawer 12 with parallel side walls 13, a rear wall 14, a front wall to which a replaceable panel 15 is attached, and a bottom wall 16. The interior of the drawer box 12 can be divided into compartments by movable partitions, which serve to hold various medications. Along

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A horizontal pull-out rail 19, which projects outwards, runs along each of the side walls 13.

"Front" refers to the direction of the drawer facing the user and "back" refers to the direction leading into the cabinet.

Two guide rails 20 with a C-profile that is open at the side are provided for each drawer and can be mounted in a cabinet (not shown). A support roller 21 is mounted at the front end of each guide rail 20. The pull-out rail 19 rests on the support roller 21 that projects upwards above the guide rail.

The side walls 13 are extended to the rear beyond the rear wall 14 and there they carry holders 22, to each of which a swivel arm 23 is attached so as to be pivotable about a vertical swivel axis 24. The swivel arms 23 can be pivoted between a first position in which they run in the longitudinal direction of the drawer and extend it to the rear, and a second position in which they are pivoted inwards so that the holders 22 form the rear end of the drawer 12. On the outside of each swivel arm 23, a roller 25 is mounted on a protruding pin. This roller runs in a guide rail 20 and can therefore press from below against the upper running surface of this guide rail. At the rear ends, the two guide rails 20 are connected to one another by a cross member 28 with guide tracks 26. Guide pieces 27 protrude from the inner sides of the swivel arms 23, which are arranged just in front of the rollers 25 and which can engage with a guide track 26 in order to

load the swivel arms 2 3 against each other (inwards) so that the swivel arms assume a swiveled-in position when the drawer is pushed in. The swivel arms have a length that corresponds to about half the width of the drawer, but the length of the swivel arms can also be greater, with the swivel arms then overlapping when folded in. So that the rollers 25 can leave the C-shaped guide rails 20 shortly before the end of the drawer's insertion movement, the guide rails have corresponding openings at the end area from which the rollers 25 can emerge laterally.

When the drawer is pushed in according to position A of Fig. 2, i.e. when the swivel arms 23 are folded in and the rollers 25 cannot perform a supporting function, the drawer rests on auxiliary rollers 29, which are mounted in the rear area of the drawer box on the extensions of the side walls 13. The auxiliary rollers 29 do not engage in the guide rails 20, but rather they run on the upper guide leg 20a, which forms the upper of the two horizontal legs of the guide rail. The auxiliary rollers 29 therefore run freely on the upper guide leg 20a of the guide rail, without being secured against lifting off the guide leg.

When the drawer is pulled out according to position B of Fig. 2, the swivel arms 23 fold apart due to the guide pieces 27 guided along the guide tracks 26, whereby the rollers 25 are introduced into the guide rails 20. In this state, the load of the rear part of the drawer still lies on the auxiliary rollers 29. In this state, the rollers 25 float in the middle between the two horizontal

zontal legs of the guide rail without rubbing against either leg.

The rollers 25 only take on the load when the center of gravity of the drawer has exceeded the support rollers 21, which is the case in position C of Fig. 2. Then the rollers are pressed from below against the respective guide legs 20a of the guide rail 20 and the auxiliary rollers 29 lift off the guide leg. When the drawer is pulled out further, the support is provided by the support rollers 21, while the rear end of the drawer is held down by the rollers 25.

According to Fig. 3, each swivel arm 23, when it is aligned so as to protrude backwards, hits a stop 30 provided on the holder 22 or the drawer, which prevents further outward swiveling.

At the front end of the guide rail 20, a deflector 31 is provided directly behind the support roller 21, which protrudes laterally at an angle to the front and inwards from the outer wall of the guide rail 20. The deflector 31 thus protrudes into the interior of the guide rail, so that the roller 25 guided in the guide rail 20 hits the deflector 31 when the drawer is removed from the guide. In the area behind the deflector 31, the guide rail 20 is open to the inside, so that the roller 25 can leave the guide rail to the inside. When the roller 25 hits the angled deflector 31, the swivel arm 23 is swiveled inwards. In this way, the drawer can be easily removed from the guide.

The profile of the guide rail 20 is shown in Fig. 4. The C-shaped guide rail 20 has an upper leg 20a and a lower leg 20b as well as a vertical base 20c. The upper leg 20a has two obliquely running guide webs 33, 34, of which the guide web 34 forms the transition to the base 20c, while the guide web 33 surrounds the upper end of the roller 25. The lower leg 20b runs horizontally, but it can also have a web that surrounds the roller 25. The lateral track play of the roller 25 in the guide rail 20 is as narrow as is necessary for the roller 25 to run freely.

When the drawer is in the largely pushed-in state, the rollers 25 are relieved of load so that they are spaced apart from both guide legs 20a and 20b. When the drawer is pulled out, however, the rollers 25 are pressed against the guide legs 20a from below, with the inner edge of the roller pressing against the slanted inner guide bar 33 and the roller being pressed outwards by this guide bar 33. The roller 25 pulls the swivel arm 23 outwards and thereby presses it firmly against the stop 30. This fixes the swivel arm 23 of the drawer in the extended state.

The swivel arms 23 are expediently flexible in bending or torsion and/or the stops 30 give way elastically in order to avoid jamming of the rollers in the guide rails. The swivel arms 23 can only swivel around their swivel axes 24, so they have no degree of freedom in a vertical plane. Each of the swivel arms is

Type of knee joint that can only be pivoted inwards, i.e. it cannot be pivoted outwards beyond the extended state. The interaction of the guide bar 33 and the stop 30 makes the knee joint stiff in the extended state.

Fig. 5 shows a side wall 13 of the drawer box 12 with the pull-out rail 19 projecting outwards from it, which is supported by the support roller 21. The pull-out rail 19 is double-walled and bent out of the material of the side wall 13. It has a horizontal upper guide leg 35 and two guide webs 36 and 37 projecting downwards on both sides of it. The pull-out rail 19 surrounds the support roller 21 from above, i.e. it is wider than the support roller. The horizontal part of the underside of the guide leg 35 has a width that essentially corresponds to the width of the support roller 21. When lateral forces occur, the drawer presses with the inner guide web 36 or the outer guide web 37 against an edge of the support roller 21, which creates a lateral counterforce that counteracts the lateral movement.

Fig. 6 shows a rear view of a modified drawer 12. This embodiment differs from the previous one in that the pivot axes 24 are not arranged vertically, but are inclined in a transverse plane of the drawer. The pivot axes 24 are arranged in a V-shape, i.e. they converge downwards. When a roller is pressed against the guide leg 20a of the guide rail 20 from below when the drawer is pulled out according to Fig. 4, an outward-directed force component acts on the pivot arm 23 as a result of the inclined position of its pivot axis 24, which additionally presses the pivot arm against the

Stop 30 is pressed. Already in the play area of the roller 25 in the guide rail 20, when initially only the weight of the swivel arm is effective, but there is still no support from the swivel arm, the swivel arm is pressed in the direction of the stop 30 by the force component acting outwards. This prevents pendulum movements of the unloaded roller 25 in the guide rail 20.

Claims (6)

EXPECTATIONS 1. Drawer guide with two furniture-side guide rails (20) with a substantially C-shaped profile, two drawer-side pull-out rails (19J, support rollers (21) provided at the front ends of the guide rails (20) for supporting the extension rails (19), auxiliary rollers (29) provided at the rear end of the drawer (12) and running along the guide rails (20), swivel arms (23) provided at the rear end of the drawer with rollers (25) running in the guide rails and furniture-side guideways (26) for pivoting the pivot arms (23) to the drawer, characterized, da/3 the guide rails (20) have inclined guide webs (33) on their inner sides, on which the rollers (25) roll at least in the front area of the guide rails and thereby pull the associated pivoting arm (23) against a stop (30) preventing further pivoting. 2. Drawer guide according to claim 1, characterized in that the pull-out rails (19) support the rollers (21) from above and have inclined guide webs (36,37) on both sides of the support rollers (21). 3. Drawer guide according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pivot arms (23) are flexurally elastic or torsionally elastic. 4. Drawer guide according to one of claims 1-2, characterized in that the stops (30) - are elastic. 5. Drawer guide according to one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the pivot axes (24) of the pivot arms (23) on the drawer (12) are arranged obliquely in such a way that the pivot arms are pressed outwards against the stop (30) when their rollers (25) are vertically loaded. 6. Drawer guide according to claim 5, characterized in that the pivot axes (24) are arranged obliquely in the transverse direction of the drawer (12) and converge downwards.