ES2729807T3 - Articulated cushioned pressure hinge - Google Patents

Abstract

Damped pressure hinge (1) for furniture, comprising a first and second articulated quadrilateral, associated with first and second plates (2, 3) to be fixed to a wall and a door of a piece of furniture, each of which comprises quadrilaterals a pair of swinging arms (5, 7; 8, 10) of which one (7; 8) extends beyond the vertex (13) of the relative quadrilateral to form a connecting rod (6, 9) of the other quadrilateral , the hinge further comprising a pair of articulated levers (23, 24) that extend between the tilting arms (5, 7) of the quadrilateral of the first plate (2), in which the hinge (1) also comprises elastic means ( 40) to oppose the rotation of the furniture door, which extend between a body of one of the articulated levers (23) and a hitch stop (42) coupled with the first plate (2), characterized in that the rod of connection (9) of the quadrilateral of the second plate (3) comprises an exte a connection that extends beyond a hinge point (91) with a first arm of the respective swing arms (10) and because the hinge (1) also comprises a damper (4) coupled between the extension of said connecting rod ( 9) and the first swing arm (10).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Articulated cushioned pressure hinge

Technical field

The present invention relates to hinges with a pressure opening and closing movement, in which a pair of articulated quadrilaterals, respectively fixed to the door and a wall of a piece of furniture, have elements in common; These hinges are assembled, preferably, when a door (which can rotate around a horizontal axis) must be fixedly held in an open, elevated condition.

A common application of these hinges is for caravans or mobile homes, in which a certain force must be applied to keep the door elevated and prevent it from lowering.

These hinges comprise a shock absorber (usually with lubricant) intended to slow down the movement and prevent the door from reaching the final position violently.

Prior art

A known solution is described in European Patent Application No. EP2947246 which teaches how to produce a hinge of the previous type in which the spring acts between the connecting rod and the swing arm of one of the quadrilaterals and a shock absorber acting between one of the plates and the connecting rod of the other tilting arm, each of the two connecting rods being an extension of the other.

Another known solution, developed by the same applicant, is described in document EP2166185 which teaches how to produce a damped pressure hinge in which the spring acts on a point of articulation of two articulated levers in turn in appendages of the tilting arms of a quadrilateral according to the preamble of claim 1.

Although they are functional, these solutions seem to have a limit of not being particularly suitable for weights or high dimensions of doors, due to the position of the spring and / or shock absorber.

An additional limit that seems to arise from these solutions is linked to a generally reduced braking angle. In addition, in known hinges, the shock absorber is almost always visible, which entails the risk that it is possible for lubricant leaks to fall inside the furniture.

Due to their configuration, in addition, the cushioned hinges differ, essentially in size and shape, from non-cushioned hinges, so that the assembly of a pair of hinges, one cushioned and the other not, in the same door, is not viable .

Objectives and summary of the invention

The objective of the present invention is to overcome the limitations of the known technique.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a damped pressure hinge that is relatively simple to produce and with limited dimensions.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide such a hinge to be used with doors that have significant dimensions and weights.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide such a hinge that can guarantee a wide braking angle.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide such a hinge in which the damper is assembled in a hidden position, to avoid the risk of fouling the interior of the furniture in the event of lubricant leaks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a damped pressure hinge that can be coupled with a non-damped hinge, which shares dimensions and / or shapes therewith.

A first object of the present invention therefore relates to a hinge according to the first claim included, which optionally has the characteristics of the dependent claims.

The general idea as a basis of the invention is to provide a damped pressure hinge for furniture, comprising a first and a second articulated quadrilateral, associated with first and second plates to be fixed to a wall and a door of a piece of furniture, each comprising one of the quadrilaterals a pair of arms of which one extends beyond the vertex of the relative quadrilateral to form a connecting rod of the other quadrilateral and a pair of articulated levers that extend between the tilting arms of the quadrilateral of the first plate, in which the connecting rod of the quadrilateral of the second plate comprises an extension that extends beyond a hinge point with a first arm of the respective tilting arms, the hinge also comprising elastic means to oppose the rotation of the furniture part door, which it extends between a body of one of the articulated levers and the first plate and a shock absorber coupled between the extension of the connecting rod and the first tilting arm.

Optional advantageous features of the invention are contained in the included claims, which should be considered as an integral part of the present description.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention is described below with reference to non-limiting examples, provided for illustrative and non-limiting purposes in the accompanying drawings. These drawings illustrate different aspects and embodiments of the present invention and, as appropriate, reference numbers indicating similar structures, components, materials and / or elements in different figures are indicated by similar reference numbers.

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a hinge according to the invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a partial exploded perspective view of the hinge of Figure 1;

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate sections of the hinge of the previous figures in two stable end-of-travel conditions;

Figure 5 illustrates a section of the hinge of the previous figures in an unstable passage condition between the end-of-travel conditions.

Detailed description of the invention

Although the invention may be subject to various modifications and alternative constructions, some relative illustrative embodiments are shown in the drawings and are described in detail below.

However, it should be understood that there is no intention of limiting the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated, but, on the contrary, the invention is intended to include all modifications, alternative and equivalent constructions, which are within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

The use of "for example", "etc", "or" indicates non-exclusive alternatives without limitation unless otherwise specified. The use of "understand" means "understand, but is not limited to" unless otherwise specified. With reference to the figures included 1-5, these show a non-limiting embodiment of a damped pressure hinge 1 for furniture, according to the invention.

The hinge 1 comprises a first and a second articulated quadrilateral, associated, respectively, with first and second plates 2, 3 to be fixed to a wall and a door of a piece of furniture (not shown).

For this purpose, the plates 2, 3 are provided with hooking means with the door and the furniture, shown in this case as screw holes, but they can be replaced or solidary in an equivalent manner with pins or the like.

In the example shown, the plate 3 is intended to be coupled with the door and comprises, for this purpose, a substantially flat engagement surface 30; The plate 2 also similarly comprises a substantially flat engagement surface 20, as can be clearly seen in Figures 1 and 2.

The two hooking surfaces 20 and 30, in end-of-travel positions of hinge 1, have different designs: with reference to figure 3 (closed door) and figure 4 (open door) it can be seen that in a closed position, surfaces 20 and 30 are arranged substantially in parallel planes, while in an open position, surfaces 20 and 30 are arranged substantially in perpendicular planes; in this regard, it should be noted that, in a completely equivalent manner, in some embodiments, the arrangement of surfaces 20 and 30 especially in the final travel position corresponding to when the door is open, may vary, since it is not perpendicular, but it can be arranged at an angle in a variable way depending on the installation requirements; the final travel position corresponding to when the door is closed, on the other hand, usually always has a parallel orientation of the surfaces 20, 30.

In this regard, it should be noted that surfaces 20, 30 can be continuous in an equivalent manner or present notches or interruptions, as in the case illustrated.

With respect to hinge 1, each quadrilateral, of the first or second plates 2 or 3, comprises a pair of tilting arms 5 and 7 (for the quadrilateral of the first plate 2) or 8 and 10 (for the quadrilateral of the second plate 3). At least one swing arm of each quadrilateral extends beyond vertex 13 of the relative quadrilateral and forms the connecting rod 6, 9 of the other quadrilateral.

In Figures 3-5, it can be seen that the swing arms 5, 7 of the first quadrilateral are each connected to a lever 23, 24 correspondingly with an eccentric extension with respect to the point of support of the swing arm on the plate 2.

More specifically, the eccentric extensions of the swing arms to which the levers 23, 24 are articulated, protrude from respective swing arms 5 and 7, on their side oriented towards the inside of the articulated quadrilaterals.

According to the preferred embodiment illustrated in these figures, correspondingly with the open and closed hinge positions, the two extensions of the swingarms are on opposite sides with respect to the line joining the vertices (hinge points of the swingarms 5, 7 with plate 2) of the first articulated quadrilateral.

As a result, the relative arrangement of the extensions deviates, therefore, 180 °, so that when moving steadily with a simultaneous angular rotation (i.e. like that of the respective rocker arms 5, 7), they have deviated peripheral speeds 180 ° and, therefore, opposite.

The levers 23, 24 extend between the tilting arms 5, 7 and are articulated with each other by means of a central pin, so that an activation of the tilting arms 5, 7 corresponds to a movement of the levers 23, 24.

The pressure mechanism of the hinge 1 comprises elastic means 40 to oppose the rotation of the furniture door, which extends between a body of one of the articulated levers 23 and a hitch stop 42 coupled with the first plate 2.

The elastic means 40, in this embodiment, comprise one (or more) compression-traction or helical traction spring (s).

According to the end-of-travel operating conditions of Figures 3 and 4, the spring 40 is substantially at rest (unless it has been preloaded, as best described below) so that in the passage from one to another during the opening and closing of the door, it is subjected to traction causing pressure movement of the hinge 1.

In this regard, it can be seen that, in an intermediate passage position, such as that of Figure 5, the spring 40 is subjected to maximum elongation.

In addition, the connecting rod 9 of the quadrilateral of the second plate 3 typically comprises an extension that extends beyond a hinge point 91 with the swing arm 10.

The extension of the connecting rod 9 is articulated with a damper 4 by means of the pin 92; at the other opposite end, the shock absorber 4 is rotatably coupled with the first swing arm 10.

The extension of the connecting rod 9 is substantially aligned with the body thereof, so that the hinge point 91, the vertex 13 and the pin 92 are preferably substantially aligned with each other. In this way, the movement of the door can be cushioned, avoiding the impact or excessively violent movements, resulting in an optimal hinge, taking into account in a global way, the kinematics, the length of the levers, the braking angle, which It also represents a valid alternative to commercial hinges.

The first rocker arm 10 of the second plate 3 advantageously comprises two substantially open box-shaped bodies 101, 102, coupled together to define walls of a housing chamber for the damper 4: in this way, the damper 4 remains protected against dust and dirt. In addition, if the shock absorber 4 is a hydraulic cylinder (for example, lubricant or grease), in the case of a leak between its stem and the cylinder, it is at least partially retained in the chamber formed between the bodies 101, 102, preventing the interior of the furniture from getting dirty.

In this regard it should be noted that, when the door is in a closed condition (figure 3), the chamber that is The shape leans towards the door and not towards the furniture, so that any possible loss of liquid does not fall into the furniture, but instead goes towards the door.

The elastic means 40 are preferably provided with a pre-loading device, suitable for varying the elastic response, or, instead, the response of the means themselves.

More specifically, in the example provided, the hitch stop 41, 42, coupled with the first plate 2 with which the means 40 are coupled, can be moved relative to the first plate 2, to modify the length of the elastic means 40 to create a preload of them.

In the illustrated case, the mobile hitch stop 41, 42, comprises a slide 42 that can move with respect to the first plate 2 thanks to guides in the latter (not shown) and a screw regulating element 41 acting between the slide 42 and the first plate 2.

The screw regulating element has a head with a mark for a drive tool that rests against a flange of the plate, so that by rotating the element 41, this causes a linear movement of the slide 42 and, ultimately , the lengthening or shortening of the spring 40 that modifies its preload.

It should be noted that the cylindrical helical spring 4, at least under end-of-travel conditions of hinge 1, in particular at the final travel position corresponding to a closed door (Figure 3), is inclined with respect to a surface of hook 30 of said second plate 3.

The position of the spring (s) is important with respect to the action exerted on the connecting rods 23 and 24 that act as a switch and that, when in an open door position, since they are almost aligned, multiply the contrast force with respect to the weight of the door.

Therefore, the objectives indicated above have been achieved.

Claims (5)

1. Damped pressure hinge (1) for furniture, comprising a first and second articulated quadrilateral, associated with first and second plates (2, 3) to be fixed to a wall and a door of a piece of furniture, each comprising of the quadrilaterals a pair of tilting arms (5, 7; 8, 10) of which one (7; 8) extends beyond the vertex (13) of the relative quadrilateral to form a connecting rod (6, 9) of the another quadrilateral, the hinge further comprising a pair of articulated levers (23, 24) extending between the tilting arms (5, 7) of the quadrilateral of the first plate (2), in which the hinge (1) also comprises means elastic (40) to oppose the rotation of the furniture door, which extend between a body of one of the articulated levers (23) and a hitch stop (42) coupled with the first plate (2), characterized because the connecting rod (9) of the quadrilateral of the second plate (3) comprises an extension that extends beyond a hinge point (91) with a first arm of the respective rocker arms (10) and because the hinge (1) also comprises a shock absorber (4) coupled between the extension of said connecting rod (9) and the first swing arm (10). 2. Hinge (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the first tilting arm (10) of the second plate (3) comprises two substantially open box-shaped bodies (101, 102), coupled together to define walls of a housing chamber for the shock absorber (4). 3. Hinge (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the engagement stop (41, 42) coupled with the first plate (2) can move relative to the first plate (2), to modify a length of the elastic means (40) to create a preload thereof. 4. Hinge (1) according to claim 3, wherein the movable hitch stop (41, 42) comprises a slide (42) that can move relative to the first plate (2) and a screw regulating element ( 41) acting between the slide (42) and said first plate (2). 5. Hinge (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic means (40) comprise a cylindrical helical spring, which, at least under end-of-travel conditions of the hinge (1), is inclined with respect to a engagement surface (30) of said second plate (3).