CN106998903B

CN106998903B - Adjusting device for furniture and unit comprising at least two adjusting devices

Info

Publication number: CN106998903B
Application number: CN201580062963.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: H·可尼克
Original assignee: Paul Hettich GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Paul Hettich GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2014-11-21
Filing date: 2015-11-03
Publication date: 2020-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2035-11-03
Also published as: ES2782080T3; EP3220774A1; PL3220774T3; CN106998903A; DE102014117107A1; EP3220774B1; WO2016078904A1

Abstract

An adjusting device (1) for furniture, in particular for adjusting table legs or a backrest or a slat frame, comprising a first profile (2), which first profile (2) is guided such that it can be displaced in the longitudinal direction on or in a second profile (3), wherein the first profile (2) can be locked in different positions along the second profile (3) by means of locking means (5, 6) so as to be blocked in the load direction and can be moved in an adjusting direction opposite to the load direction, wherein the locking means (5, 6) are deactivated when an end position (11) in the adjusting direction has been reached, and for a restoring operation the first profile (2) can be moved in the load direction up to a starting position (10), in which starting position (10) the locking means (5, 6) are activated, wherein a spring (12) is provided, the spring blocks the first profile (2) from moving into the end position (11) and deactivates the locking device (5, 6) only when the spring force has been overcome.

Description

Adjusting device for furniture and unit comprising at least two adjusting devices

Technical Field

The invention relates to an adjusting device for furniture (in particular for adjusting table legs or backrests or slat frames), comprising a first profile which is guided such that it can be displaced in the longitudinal direction on or in a second profile, wherein the first profile can be locked in different positions along the second profile by means of a locking device in order to be blocked in a load direction and can be moved in an adjusting direction opposite to the load direction, wherein the locking device is deactivated when an end position in the adjusting direction has been reached and the first profile can be moved in the load direction up to a starting position in which the locking device is activated for a restoring operation. The invention also relates to a unit comprising at least two adjusting devices.

Background

DE 9310664 discloses a height-adjustable table on which locking fittings for vertical adjustment purposes are provided, which are coupled on one side to the table legs and on the other side to the table top. The locking fittings may be adjusted by raising the table top, wherein the table top may be supported in different locked positions. By pulling the table top out sufficiently, the locking fitting may be deactivated for a restoring operation to return the table top to the lowest position. In this locking fitting, there is a problem that the user cannot know exactly when the highest locking position has been reached and the locking fitting has been unlocked for the restoring operation. Therefore, a plurality of adjustment operations may be required. Furthermore, it is not possible to couple two locking fittings to each other, because when the locking fittings are connected in series, once the end position of one locking fitting is reached, the other locking fitting can no longer perform the retaining function.

Disclosure of Invention

The problem addressed by the present invention is therefore to avoid the disadvantages described above and to provide an adjustment device for furniture which is easy to handle and also enables the coupling of a plurality of adjustment devices.

This problem is solved by an adjusting device having the features of claim 1 and by a unit consisting of at least two adjusting devices according to claim 5.

The adjusting device according to the invention has a spring which counteracts the movement of the first profile into the end position, wherein the locking device is deactivated only when the spring force has been overcome. This ensures that the user does not inadvertently move the first profile to the end position and deactivate the locking means for restoring operation. Instead, the user notices by the resistance of the spring that the last locking position has been reached, and further movement makes it necessary to overcome the spring force. Thus, malfunction can be easily avoided. Furthermore, it is possible to connect the adjusting devices in series, since the locking device is deactivated only when all adjusting devices are in the last locking position before the end position. A corresponding spring on the adjusting device ensures that the subsequent locking device is adjusted, the spring force being greater than the force of gravity to adjust the profile.

According to a preferred embodiment, the spring is fixed to the second profile. As a result, the adjustment device can be manufactured using only a small number of components. The spring may be fixed to the second profile and cooperate with an actuating portion on the first profile, for example the spring arm may bear against the actuating portion.

The spring is preferably designed as a flat spring, so that a compact arrangement in the region of the spring is possible. Alternatively, the spring can be designed as a compression spring or as an extension spring or as a different spring element.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a unit of at least two adjusting devices is proposed. In this case, the two adjusting devices can be coupled to one another directly or indirectly. The profile of the first adjusting device can be coupled to the profile of the second adjusting device, wherein on the one hand the two profiles can be fastened directly to each other or the coupling can take place by inserting further components, such as profile sections of table legs or other fittings. The two adjustment devices may be identical in construction. The coupling may be configured to ensure that the first adjustment means can only be released from the starting position when the second adjustment means rests on the spring. In this case, sequence control is performed.

When at least two adjusting devices are used, the spring forces for blocking the respective end positions are preferably at least approximately equal. It is particularly advantageous if the spring force of the second adjusting device is slightly greater, since the weight of any second profile section must additionally be compensated. As a result, it can be ensured during the adjusting operation that all locking means are deactivated substantially simultaneously for the restoring operation.

When at least two adjusting devices are used, it is also possible to make the spring force blocking the respective end position different, for example to compensate for the gravitational forces acting on the mounting positions of the two adjusting devices.

A unit according to the invention consisting of at least two adjusting devices can be used, for example, on table legs with three profile sections. The first adjusting device may then be arranged between the first profile section and the second profile section, and the second adjusting device may be arranged between the second profile section and the third profile section, so that the intermediate profile section is connected to both adjusting devices. It is also possible to connect more than two adjusting devices in series.

Drawings

The invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of a number of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a side view of an adjusting device according to the invention before reaching an end position;

fig. 2A and 2B show two views of the adjusting device of fig. 1 in an end position;

FIG. 3 shows the adjustment device of FIG. 1 in a locked position and without a spring installed;

figure 4 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a table leg having the adjustment mechanism of figure 1;

figures 5A through 5C illustrate various views of the leg of figure 4 in the retracted position;

figures 6A through 6C illustrate various views of the leg of figure 4 in the extended position;

figure 7 illustrates a perspective view of the leg of figure 4 in an extended position;

figure 8 shows a perspective view of a table with a modified adjustment device;

figures 9A and 9B illustrate two views of the leg of the table of figure 8 in different positions;

10A-10C illustrate various views of the leg of FIG. 9 in the extended position;

figures 11A through 11C illustrate various views of the leg of figure 9 in the retracted position; and

figure 12 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the leg of figure 9.

Detailed Description

The adjusting device 1 comprises a first profile 2, which first profile 2 is movable relative to a second profile 3. The second profile 3 is designed as a hollow profile, and the first profile 2 is guided linearly in the second profile 3. It is of course also possible to configure the first profile 2 as a hollow profile and then to guide the second profile 3 linearly in the first profile 2, or to provide different guides between the two

profiles

2 and 3.

The first profile 2 can be fastened to another component on one end side by means of an inclined bracket 4. On the other side, the first profile 2 has a switching element 9 of the locking device, wherein the projecting pin 5 is fixed to the switching element 9. The switching element 9 can be moved along the guide 6 on the second profile 3. The locking means consist of a pin 5 and a guide rail 6. A linear guide 7 parallel to the longitudinal direction of the

profiles

2 and 3 is formed on one side of the guide rail 6, while on the other side a plurality of locking grooves 8 are provided, in which locking grooves 8 the pins 5 of the switching element 9 can be locked. The locking recess 8 is of a curved shape such that the pin 5 on the switching element 9 is movable in a first adjustment direction, while movement in the opposite load direction is blocked by locking of the pin 5 at the locking recess 8. During the adjustment operation, the switching element 9 is biased to the left in fig. 1, so that locking occurs when the profile 2 is retracted into the profile 3. When the switching element 9 is moved into the end position 11 of the guide rail 6, the locking means is deactivated, so that the pin 5 rests only on the linear guide 7 and operation is resumed possible until the pin 5 reaches the starting position 10 at the other end of the guide rail 6, and at this point the locking means is activated again, so that the pin 5 can move along the locking groove 8 again.

In order to avoid the situation that the locking means is inadvertently deactivated when reaching the last locking groove 8 before the end position 11, a spring 12 is provided, which spring 12 is fixed to the second profile 3 by a first portion 13 and cooperates with the pin 5 by a second portion 14. The pin 5 is blocked by a spring 12 and the pin 5 can reach the end position 11 only by overcoming the force of the spring 12, as shown in fig. 2A and 2B. The user must actively overcome the spring force because he experiences a resistance in order to be able to effectively unlock the locking device.

As shown in fig. 3, the spring 12, which is designed as a flat spring, is connected to the second profile 3 by means of a portion 13. This can be done by a clamping connection or a welded connection. The force of the spring 12 can be freely selected according to the specific application. It is also possible to fasten the spring 12 to the second profile 3 in some other way, removable or not.

Fig. 4 shows a first installation example of an adjusting device 1 according to the invention. The table leg comprises a lower profile portion 20 and an upper profile portion 23, both designed as hollow profiles, wherein guide means 22 are provided between the

profile portions

20 and 23, said guide means being fastened to the four corners of one of the

profile portions

20 and 23. The lower profile portion 20 is closed by a bottom plate 21, while the cover plate 17 is mounted on the upper profile portion 23 and fastened to the upper profile portion 23 by means of screws 18. The profile section 23 is connected to the second profile 3, wherein the screws 19 are fastened to the cover plate 17 in order to fix the inclined bracket 16 to the cover plate 17. An inclined bracket 16 is fixed to the adjusting device 1 at the opening 15 of the second profile 3.

As shown in figures 5A to 5C, the leg may have a retracted position in which the locking means pin 5 is then disposed in the home position 10. In this case, the profile section 20 and the profile section 23 are substantially inserted into each other.

Then, when the upper profile section 23 is pulled upwards, the second profile 3 moves upwards together with the inclined bracket 16, while the first profile 2 is fixedly connected to the base plate 21 by the inclined bracket 4 and thus remains stationary. As a result, the pin 5 of the locking device is moved along the guide rail 6, so that the upper profile section 23 can be locked in different locking positions of the guide rail 6 according to the desired height setting. Once the highest locking position is reached, the table top can be raised further so that the pin 5 then rests against the portion 14 of the spring 12 and can then be moved further when the force of the spring 12 is overcome in order to initiate the restoring operation.

As shown in fig. 7, the adjusting device 1 is located inside the

profile sections

20 and 23 and is not visible from the outside. As a result, the profiled

sections

20, 23 have a pleasant optical appearance and there is no risk of the user injuring himself or damaging clothing on the projecting pin 5.

Figure 8 shows a modified exemplary embodiment of the table 30 in which the upper table top 31 is supported on one of the legs. The table leg consists of three

profile parts

20, 23 and 25, of which the lowermost profile part 20 is supported on a base plate 26. The table may also have more than one leg.

As shown in figures 9A and 9B, a table leg having three

profile portions

20, 23 and 25 may be moved from a retracted position to an extended position.

Figures 10A and 10B illustrate the leg in the extended position. Within the

profile sections

20, 23 and 25 two adjusting devices 1 are arranged, wherein the first adjusting device is connected to the lower profile section 20 and the middle profile section 23, while the second adjusting device 1 is connected to the middle profile section 23 and the upper profile section 25. As a result, the travel of the table is significantly increased, with the extended position of the leg shown in figure 10 and the retracted position of the leg shown in figure 11.

In figure 12, the legs of figures 9 and 10 are shown in an exploded view. The first adjusting device is fixed to the base plate 26 by means of the inclined bracket 4, so that the first profile 2 is coupled to the lower profile portion 20. The second profile 3 of the adjusting device is fastened to the intermediate profile portion 23 by means of screws, wherein the screws 28 pass through openings 29 in the intermediate profile portion 23 and are fixed to a bracket, which is connected to the second profile 3.

The second adjusting means are connected to the cover plate 27 of the table leg by means of the oblique bracket 4, said cover plate 27 being fixed to the upper profile part 25. The second profile 3 of the second adjusting device is connected to the intermediate profile section 23 by means of screws 32. In this exemplary embodiment, the first and second adjusting devices are identical in structure.

For the adjustment operation starting from the retracted position, the table top is raised, wherein the second adjustment device is first moved under the influence of gravity by pulling the first profile 2 out of the second profile 3. When the first profile 2 reaches the last locking position before the end position, the pin 5 abuts against the spring 12 and cannot move further in the direction of the end position, because the force of the spring 12 prevents any further movement. As a result, the second profile 3 then moves upwards and linearly with respect to the first profile 2 of the first adjusting device until the first adjusting device also reaches the last locking position before the end position. If the table leg is then pushed in for the return operation, the table top is moved upwards against the force of the two springs 12, wherein the force of the two springs 12 is at least substantially equal, so that the locking means are unlocked simultaneously. The legs may then be moved back to the fully retracted position as shown in figure 11. It is particularly advantageous if the spring force of the second adjusting device is slightly greater, since the weight force of the second profile section 23 must additionally be compensated for during the manual upward movement.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the adjustment means is provided for the table leg. It is also possible to use the adjusting device for a backrest, a slat frame or other fitting elements. Furthermore, it is also possible to couple two or more adjusting devices 1 to each other.

List of reference numerals

1 adjusting device

2 section bar

3 section bar

4 support

5 Pin

6 guide rail

7 guide member

8 locking groove

9 switching element

10 starting position

11 end position

12 spring

Section 13

14 part (A)

15 opening

16 support

17 cover plate

18 screw

19 screw

20 section bar part

21 bottom plate

22 guide device

23 section bar part

25 section bar part

26 bottom plate

27 cover plate

28 screw

29 opening

30 Table

31 tabletop

32 screw

Claims

1. An adjustment device (1) for furniture for adjusting a table leg or a backrest or a slat frame, which adjustment device (1) comprises a first profile (2), which first profile (2) is guided such that it can be displaced in a longitudinal direction on or in a second profile (3), wherein the first profile (2) can be locked in different positions along the second profile (3) by means of locking means (5, 6) so as to be blocked in a load direction and can be moved in an adjustment direction opposite to the load direction, wherein the locking means (5, 6) are deactivated when an end position (11) in the adjustment direction has been reached, while for a restoring operation the first profile (2) can be moved in the load direction up to a starting position (10), in which starting position (10) the locking means (5, 10) are deactivated, 6) Wherein a spring (12) is provided which blocks the movement of the first profile (2) into the end position (11) and only deactivates the locking device (5, 6) when the spring force has been overcome, characterized in that the first profile (2) has a switching element (9) to which a projecting pin (5) is fixed, which switching element (9) is movable along a guide rail (6) on the second profile (3), a linear guide (7) being provided on one side of the guide rail (6) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first profile (2) and the second profile (3) and on the other side being provided with a plurality of curved locking grooves (8), in which locking grooves (8) the projecting pin (5) of the switching element (9) can be locked, whereby, during an adjustment operation, the switching element (9) is pretensioned towards the other side so that locking takes place when the first profile (2) is retracted into the second profile (3).

2. Adjusting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring (12) is fixed to the second profile (3).

3. Adjusting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spring (12) has a portion (14) which cooperates with a projecting pin (5) on the first profile (2).

4. Adjusting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring (12) is designed as a leaf spring.

5. A unit consisting of at least two adjusting devices (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.

6. The unit according to claim 5, characterized in that the profile of the adjusting device (1) is coupled to the profile of another adjusting device.

7. The unit according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the forces of the springs (12) of at least two adjusting devices (1) for blocking the respective end positions (11) are approximately equal.

8. The unit according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the structure of at least two adjusting devices (1) is identical.

9. The unit according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the force of the spring (12) for blocking the respective end position (11) differs for at least two adjusting devices (1).

10. A unit as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the unit comprising two adjusting devices (1) is fastened to a table leg with three profile parts, wherein the middle profile part of the table leg is connected to two adjusting devices.