EP1308118B1 - Spring-biased joint for a wall-mounted sanitary fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

The pivoting section (362) is adjustable in length. The position of the handle (390) on the pivoting section is adjustable. Adjustment is between uniformly-spaced positions along the extension (364) of the pivoting section (362).

Description

The invention relates to a joint arrangement, in particular for a wall-mounted sanitary equipment, with at least one wall-mounted base part, a pivoting part which is rotatably supported by a bearing axis on the base part and in particular between a vertical and horizontal position is pivotable, and at least one between the base part and Swivel part connected and acting as a fall brake spring, against the restoring force of the pivot member is movable to its horizontal position.

In principle, such joint arrangements are known, for example from DE 32 38 889 C2. Such joint arrangements are used for example in wall-mounted folding seats or support flap handles. For such folding seats or support folding handles are easier and safer to use, a spring element is provided in the joint assembly, which is typically oriented such that the restoring force of the spring element counteracts the force of gravity. In this way, the spring element acts upon pivoting of the folding seat or the support folding handle from a vertical position to a horizontal position as a case brake and prevents the pivoting part in its downward movement excessively accelerated-and accordingly causes a risk of injury. Conversely, by the restoring force of the spring element supports the folding-up movement of the pivoting part from its horizontal to its vertical position, so that only low additional forces must be expended to fold up the pivoting part. With a suitable choice of the spring element, it may even be sufficient to raise the pivot part only a little to initiate the pivoting movement in the vertical position, which is then completed solely due to the restoring force of the spring element. However, known joint arrangements of the type mentioned have the disadvantage that the spring elements can show signs of fatigue after frequent use, resulting in both a reduced effect as a fall brake and a reduced support when folding the pivoting part. In this case, for example, an unrestrained down folding support folding handle injure a person who intends to use this handle.

A hinge assembly according to the preamble of independent claims 1 and 13 is described in US-A-2,828,803. Other hinge arrangements are known from EP-A-1 062 899 and US-A-5 590 440.

The invention has for its object to provide a hinge assembly with higher security and to improve a hinge assembly of the type mentioned in that a reliable function of the spring is permanently guaranteed.

To solve the problem, a hinge assembly with the features of claim 1 or 13 is provided.

The joint arrangement according to claim 1 is distinguished from a joint arrangement of the type mentioned above in that the restoring force of the spring is adjustable. In this way, the restoring force of the spring can be adapted to the external circumstances at any time. In particular, the spring can be retightened, i. increase the restoring force, if, for example, by frequent movement of the pivoting part, a fatigue of the spring, i. a decrease in the restoring force has occurred. By the targeted adjustment of the restoring force of the spring and in particular by a retightening of the spring can be provided at any time for the desired restoring force of the spring. Thereby, a predetermined restoring force of the spring can be permanently ensured and fatigue of the spring can be compensated.

In this way, such accidents or injuries could be prevented, which would be caused by an unrestrained or at least poorly braked hinged down swiveling part. Due to the adjustability of the restoring force of the spring is also ensured that the swivel part can always fold up with constant and in particular small force. Due to the adjustability of the restoring force of the spring, therefore, easy and safe operation of a folding seat or support flap handle equipped with the hinge arrangement according to the invention is permanently ensured.

In addition, a joint arrangement according to the invention is more versatile. In contrast to conventional joint arrangements no longer different, exactly matched springs must be used for differently sized pivoting parts. Rather, can be equipped with the same feathers equipped joint assemblies according to the invention in Use connection with different sized and especially different heavy swing parts. In these, if necessary, the restoring force of the spring can be exactly adapted to the weight of the pivoting part only after the assembly of the folding seat or the support folding handle. In this case, for example, a smaller restoring force can be set for a light pivoting part and a greater restoring force can be set for a comparatively heavy pivoting part. Different folding seats or support folding handles can therefore be equipped with joint arrangements according to the invention of the same type and in particular with the same spring type. As a result, the number of required for equipping different folding seats or folding handles joint arrangements can be reduced and the production of such folding seats or folding handles can be simplified and made cheaper.

According to the invention, the spring has at least one spiral spring surrounding the bearing axis, which is fixed with its first spring end to the bearing axis. A coil spring is structurally particularly well suited to be switched as a fall brake between the base part and the pivoting part.

Further, the coil spring is housed in a hollow cylindrical and rotatably mounted on the bearing axis spring housing and fixed with its second end to the spring housing. Such a spring housing not only limits the space in which the coil spring can wind up or unwind, but also protects the coil spring against external influences. By the spring housing is rotatably mounted on the bearing axis, the second end of the coil spring which is fixed to the spring housing is movable relative to the first spring end about the bearing axis, whereby the restoring force of the spring is adjustable.

Advantageously, the spring housing can be locked relative to the base part by means of a locking device designed in particular as a latching device for avoiding rotational movement taking place about the bearing axis. The locking device causes the spring housing does not rotate with a rotation of the bearing axis, but that in this case the first spring end moves relative to the second spring end. A caused by the pivoting part rotational movement of the bearing axis thus leads to a tension or relaxation of the spring.

Preferably, the locking device for adjusting the restoring force can be unlocked and the attachment point of the second spring end by a rotation of the spring housing about the bearing axis with respect to the attachment point of the first spring end adjustable. By unlocking the locking device and the rotation of the spring housing can be set in a particularly simple manner, the restoring force of the spring.

According to a first advantageous structural variant of the hinge assembly according to the invention the wall-side end of the pivot member is arranged by means of a fixedly connected to the bearing axis pivot pin between two bearing blocks of the base part and the spring of two individual coil springs, which are each arranged outside the bearing blocks. Through the use of two individual coil springs an increased total restoring force of the spring is achieved, whereby even heavy pivoting parts can be effectively slowed down when folded down into the horizontal position and the folding up of a heavy pivoting part is effectively supported by the spring. Furthermore, the joint arrangement This embodiment of a symmetrical structure, which simplifies their production.

Preferably, the bearing axis protrudes beyond the bearing blocks and has in its two end regions in each case a fixing means for the spring and in particular slots, in which engage the respective first spring ends. This allows a simple fixation of the respective first spring ends of the two coil springs at the respective end regions of the bearing axis.

Advantageously, the bearing blocks on their facing away from each other outer surfaces each have a substantially circular recess, in each of which a spring and a spring housing are at least partially used, wherein the spring housing relative to the bearing axis and the bearing blocks are rotatably mounted. By the bearing blocks and the spring housings each a receiving space for the coil springs is formed, in which the coil springs can each perform predetermined movements, i. can stretch or relax, and in which the coil springs are protected from external influences.

Preferably, each spring housing has a fixing means for the spring and in particular a slot by the second spring end engages. As a result, the spring can be fixed in a simple manner relative to the spring housing, in particular with its second spring end.

Advantageously, the spring housing in different angular positions with respect to a rotation about the bearing axis relative to the bearing blocks can be fixed. By the rotation and locking of the spring housing opposite the pedestals, the spring is relaxed or relaxed. In this way, a desired restoring force of the spring is adjustable.

According to a further embodiment of the first variant of the joint arrangement according to the invention, the spring housings can be fixed relative to a respective cover enclosing a spring housing such that a rotation of the spring housing about the bearing axis relative to the respective cover is excluded. The cover also protects the spring housing against external influences.

The spring housings are preferably prevented from being rotated relative to the cover and the bearing axis by projections formed longitudinally in the direction of the bearing axis, which engage in correspondingly formed recesses in the respective cover. The use of such projections and depressions represents a particularly simple way of locking the spring housing relative to the respective cover.

Advantageously, the covers are each fixed by a locking device against rotation about the bearing axis in different angular positions relative to the bearing block. In this way, the spring housings are not fixed directly but indirectly via the respective covers and locking devices relative to the bearing blocks.

Preferably, the latching device is provided by a plurality of provided on the bearing block facing end side of the cover, extending parallel to the bearing axis pin which engage in correspondingly provided holes in the bearing block. The holes and the intervening Pins represent a particularly simple means to prevent the one hand, an unwanted rotation of the covers with respect to the bearing blocks and on the other hand to allow a desired rotation.

Advantageously, pins and holes are uniformly distributed over the circumference of the cover or bearing block. Due to the uniform distribution of the pins and holes, the covers in predetermined steps, i. Angular steps, rotate relative to the bearing blocks and thus increase or decrease the restoring force of the spring in predetermined, uniform steps.

It is particularly advantageous if, with the aid of a tool, the cover can be displaced in the axial direction and thereby the pins can be pulled out of the bores, the spring housing can be rotated by rotation of the cover for adjusting the restoring force of the spring relative to the bearing block and the cover with its pins again in engagement with the bores are movable to prevent further rotation between the spring housing and bearing block. By a tool is provided for adjusting the restoring force of the spring, it is prevented that the restoring force of the spring is adjusted by an unauthorized or accidental actuation of the covers or the spring housing.

According to a second advantageous structural variant of the hinge assembly according to the invention, the spring comprises only one spiral spring, which is arranged between two bearing blocks of the base part. By using a single spiral spring, the cost of materials can be reduced. Advantageously, in this variant of the joint arrangement by a helical toothing on the outer periphery of a spring housing and a detent body, which is fixed by means of a detent spring on the bearing block and engages in the helical toothing, a detent device is formed. By this arrangement of helical gear, locking body and detent spring, the rotation of the spring housing is allowed in one direction and prevented in the other direction.

Preferably, the spring, the spring housing and the bearing blocks are surrounded by a cover, which in turn is encompassed by two legs integrally formed on the pivoting part. Due to the cover, in particular the spring and the spring housing are protected against external influences. In addition, a symmetrical structure of the joint arrangement is achieved by the two legs surrounding the cover of the pivoting part.

Advantageously, quarter-circle-annular links are provided in both bearing blocks and in the cover, engage in the provided on the inner surfaces of the legs knobs to restrict the pivotal movement of the pivot member to a limited by a vertical and horizontal position pivoting range. Through the scenes and the nubs engaging therein, the range of motion of the pivoting part is precisely specified. Unwanted or unexpected movements of the pivoting part in impermissible angular positions are excluded in this way. According to a further structural embodiment of this second variant means are provided on the legs to connect the pivot member rotatably directly or indirectly with the bearing axis.

Preferably, a recess is provided in the cover, through which the latching device can be acted upon or unlocked to reduce the restoring force. By unlocking the latching device, a rotation of the spring housing in just the direction is made possible, which is excluded with locked latching device, which accordingly leads to a reduction of the restoring force.

It is particularly advantageous if the restoring force of the spring can be increased by a movement of the pivoting part. In this way, the pivoting part can be used as a lever to tension the spring with little effort, i. to increase the restoring force of the spring.

Recesses are preferably provided in at least one leg, the cover and the spring housing, which are mutually adjustable so that legs and spring housing can be locked against each other by means of a guided tool through the recesses, so that by a movement of the pivot member, the spring housing is adjustable relative to the locking device and by a rotation of the spring housing relative to the bearing blocks, the restoring force of the spring can be increased. By a tool is required to increase the restoring force of the spring, it can be prevented that the restoring force of the spring is increased by an unauthorized or unintentional actuation of the hinge assembly. Furthermore, by the tool, the pivoting part, rotatably connected to the spring housing, whereby a rotation of the spring housing against the locking device is only possible.

The joint assembly according to the invention according to claim 13 is a third structural variant of a joint arrangement. According to this, the spring has at least one coil spring surrounding the bearing axis, which is fixed with its first spring end on a connecting part surrounding the bearing axis and with its second spring end on the pivoting part.

Preferably, the connecting part can be locked relative to the base part by means of a locking device, in particular designed as a locking device, in order to avoid rotational movement taking place about the bearing axis.

Advantageously, the connecting part for setting the restoring force can be unlocked and the attachment point of the first spring end by a rotation of the connecting part about the bearing axis with respect to the attachment point of the second spring end adjustable. In contrast to the first two embodiments, the adjustment of the restoring force of the spring in this variant is not done by an adjustment of the second spring end relative to the first spring end, but vice versa by a rotation of the first part fixed to the first spring end with respect to the pivot part fixed to the second spring end.

According to a structural development of the third variant, the wall-side end of the pivoting part between two bearing blocks of the base part is arranged. The spring comprises a coil spring, which is between the bearing blocks is arranged. As a result, a compact construction of the joint arrangement according to the invention is achieved.

In the joint arrangements according to the invention, the pivoting part and in particular the position of a handle element provided on the pivoting part can be adjustable in its length. By the handle element, the grip of the pivoting part is improved. At the same time can be improved by the adjustability of the length of the pivoting part, the handling and in particular the leverage of the pivoting part.

It is also advantageous if a stop device is provided with which the pivoting part cooperates in the horizontal and / or vertical position. By the stop means, the pivotal movement of the pivoting member can be limited to a predetermined pivoting range.

The stop device preferably has at least one stop element mounted on the base part and provided with a buffer material, in particular a pin-shaped or pin-shaped stop element. The buffer material damps the abutment of the pivoting part on the stop device.

It also proves to be particularly advantageous if the horizontal position of the pivoting part, in particular the angle which forms the pivoting part with the wall, by an adjustment of the stop element, in particular by a rotational movement of the stop element is adjustable. In this way, a precise adjustment of the horizontal position of the Pivoting part at any time and in particular after assembly of the hinge assembly according to the invention allows.

As already mentioned, due to the length adjustability of the pivoting part, the manageability and in particular the leverage of the pivoting part can be improved. In addition, the pivoting part and thus also the sanitary equipment to different spatial conditions are customizable.

In order to adjust the length of the pivoting part, the position of a handle element provided on the pivoting part can be adjustable. The grip element is designed as a separate component of the pivoting part and can therefore be easily adapted to different customer specifications. For example, the grip elements of different pivoting parts can have different colors for optical reasons. They can also be made of different materials to achieve different grip. In addition, a worn grip element can easily be replaced and replaced with a new grip element. An exchange of the complete swiveling part is not necessary.

The handle element provided on the swiveling part can be displaceable relative to a boom section of the swiveling part by predetermined and in particular mutually equal distances in the longitudinal direction. This allows a precise and above all reproducible length adjustment of the pivoting part. In particular, when two pivoting parts are arranged side by side and spaced from each other, this graduated or rastered length adjustment of the pivoting parts allows a simple adjustment of the length of both pivoting parts to the same length.

Advantageously, the grip element can be fixed by means of a screw connection on the boom section. This allows adjustment of the handle member with ordinary, readily available tools.

Holes are preferably provided in the boom section in order to guide screws for fixing the grip element through the boom section from a side of the boom section opposite the grip element. The screwing of the handle element thus does not take place from an upper side of the grip element to be attacked, but rather from an underside of the grip element through the boom section. The handle element thus has a uniform, i. not interrupted by, for example, drill holes top, so that both the visual impression and the grip of the handle member and thus also the pivot member is improved.

To fix the gripping element on the boom section threaded bores are provided for receiving guided by the boom section screws in the handle element. Through these threaded holes is achieved that the screwing of the handle member takes place on the boom section on the underside of the handle member. In this way, the screw remains hidden when viewed from the top of the handle member and does not affect the visual appearance and the grip of the handle member.

Preferably, the grip element in cross-section has a rounded and in particular an oval basic shape, wherein on one side of the grip element a concave recess for receiving a corresponding Convex shaped boom section of the pivot member is provided. Due to the rounded or oval basic shape of the grip element, the pivoting part can be particularly well attacked, whereby the handling of the pivoting part is further increased. Due to the indentation of the grip element for receiving the boom section, a compact unit of grip element and boom section is achieved in the assembled state.

In addition, the grip element may be provided at least partially with a grippy sheath. The casing can be adapted in each case to the intended for the sanitary equipment application, so that always an attractive appearance and optimal handling of the pivoting part is ensured.

Preferably, a core of the handle member except for the concave recess in the region of threaded holes is completely covered with a gripping sheath, the sheath in the non-bolted state of the handle member protrudes beyond the surface with which the surface of the core adjacent to the surface of the recess. In this way, it is ensured that the casing sealingly abuts the boom section in the screwed state of the handle element and protects a possibly existing cavity between the boom section and the handle element against external influences, in particular against the ingress of moisture.

Advantageously, the sheath is formed by a plastic and in particular by polyurethane (PUR). A plastic coating proves to be particularly resistant and durable. simultaneously can be achieved by a suitable choice of the plastic and its surface structure and color a desired grip and a desired visual impression.

The boom section can have a U-shaped basic shape seen in cross section, which is open to a side facing away from the handle element. Due to the U-shaped basic shape of the boom section an increased rigidity and a reduced weight of the pivoting part is achieved at the same time. This increases the stability of the pivoting part and improves its handling.

Preferably, the open side of the boom section can be covered by a cap, which in particular can be screwed to the boom section. The cap improves the visual impression of the side of the swiveling part facing away from the gripping element, typically the underside of the swiveling part, so that the swiveling part has an appealing appearance even in the folded-up state. Furthermore, the screw connection between the grip element and the boom section is protected against external influences and in particular against unauthorized access.

The grip element and / or the boom section are / is preferably formed from aluminum. Aluminum is a particularly light and stiff material, which further increases the stiffness of the pivoting part and further reduces its weight.

Fig. 1

eine Explosionsdarstellung einer ersten Variante einer erfindungsgemäßen Gelenkanordnung;

Fig. 2

eine Lagerachse der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

einen Lagerbock der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 1;

Fig. 4

ein Federgehäuse, eine Spiralfeder und eine Abdeckung der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 1;

Fig. 5

eine Abdeckung der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 1;

Fig. 6

ein Werkzeug zur Einstellung der Rückstellkraft der Feder der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 1;

Fig. 7

eine alternative Ausführungsform der Abdeckung von Fig. 5;

Fig. 8

eine Explosionsdarstellung einer zweiten Variante der erfindungsgemäßen Gelenkanordnung;

Fig. 9

einen Schwenkteilansatz der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 8 in einem Vormontagezustand;

Fig. 10

den Schwenkteilansatz von Fig. 9 im zusammengebauten Zustand;

Fig. 11

einen Lagerbock der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 8;

Fig. 12

ein Federgehäuse der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 8;

Fig. 13

den Lagerbock aus Fig. 11 mit eingesetztem Federgehäuse aus Fig. 12;

Fig. 14

den Lagerbock mit eingesetztem Federgehäuse aus Fig. 13 mit zusätzlich eingesetzter Spiralfeder;

Fig. 15

eine Explosionsdarstellung einer dritten Variante der erfindungsgemäßen Gelenkanordnung;

Fig. 16

ein Stellteil der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 15;

Fig. 17

ein Schwenkteil der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 15;

Fig. 18

ein Anschlagelement der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 15;

Fig. 19

eine Grundplatte mit Lagerböcken und Sockel der Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 15;

Fig. 20

die Gelenkanordnung von Fig. 15 im zusammengebauten Zustand mit zusätzlichem Griffteil;

Fig. 21

eine Seitenansicht, teilweise als Längsschnitt, einer Variante des Schwenkteils von Fig. 20;

Fig. 22

eine Stirnansicht des Schwenkteils von Fig. 21 von dessen freiem Ende aus gesehen;

Fig. 23

einen Längsschnitt des Schwenkteils von Fig. 21;

Fig. 24

einen Querschnitt des Schwenkteils in der Schnittebene K-K aus Fig. 23;

Fig. 25

einen Querschnitt des Schwenkteils in der Schnittebene G-G aus Fig. 23;

Fig. 26

einen Querschnitt des Schwenkteils in der Schnittebene H-H aus Fig. 23;

Fig. 27

einen Querschnitt des Schwenkteils in der Schnittebene J-J aus Fig. 23;

Fig. 28

eine vergrößerte Detailansicht des Kreisausschnitts L aus Fig. 26; und

Fig. 29 (a) - (c)

eine Seitenansicht des erfindungsgemäßen Schwenkteils von Fig. 21 mit (a) einer minimalen Länge, (b) einer mittleren Länge und (c) einer maximalen Länge.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described purely by way of example with reference to advantageous embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

an exploded view of a first variant of a hinge assembly according to the invention;

Fig. 2

a bearing axis of the joint assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

a bearing block of the hinge assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4

a spring housing, a coil spring and a cover of the hinge assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5

a cover of the hinge assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6

a tool for adjusting the restoring force of the spring of the joint assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7

an alternative embodiment of the cover of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8

an exploded view of a second variant of the hinge assembly according to the invention;

Fig. 9

a pivoting part approach of the hinge assembly of Figure 8 in a pre-assembly state;

Fig. 10

the pivoting part approach of Figure 9 in the assembled state.

Fig. 11

a bearing block of the hinge assembly of Fig. 8;

Fig. 12

a spring housing of the hinge assembly of Fig. 8;

Fig. 13

the bearing block of Figure 11 with inserted spring housing of Fig. 12 .;

Fig. 14

the bearing block with inserted spring housing of Figure 13 with additionally inserted coil spring.

Fig. 15

an exploded view of a third variant of the hinge assembly according to the invention;

Fig. 16

an actuating part of the hinge assembly of Fig. 15;

Fig. 17

a pivoting part of the hinge assembly of Fig. 15;

Fig. 18

a stop member of the hinge assembly of Fig. 15;

Fig. 19

a base plate with pedestals and socket of the hinge assembly of Fig. 15;

Fig. 20

the joint assembly of Figure 15 in the assembled state with additional handle part.

Fig. 21

a side view, partially in longitudinal section, of a variant of the pivoting part of Fig. 20;

Fig. 22

an end view of the pivoting part of Figure 21 seen from its free end.

Fig. 23

a longitudinal section of the pivoting part of Fig. 21;

Fig. 24

a cross section of the pivoting part in the sectional plane KK of Fig. 23;

Fig. 25

a cross section of the pivoting member in the sectional plane GG of Fig. 23;

Fig. 26

a cross section of the pivoting member in the sectional plane HH of Fig. 23;

Fig. 27

a cross section of the pivoting member in the sectional plane JJ of Fig. 23;

Fig. 28

an enlarged detail view of the circular section L of FIG. 26; and

Fig. 29 (a) - (c)

a side view of the pivoting part according to the invention of Fig. 21 with (a) a minimum length, (b) a mean length and (c) a maximum length.

In Fig. 1, a first variant of the hinge assembly according to the invention is shown in exploded view schematically. The hinge assembly has a base portion which includes a base plate 10 and two bearing blocks 12. The base plate 10 is used to attach the joint assembly to, for example, a wall and has four holes 14 for this purpose. The bearing blocks 12 are spaced from each other firmly attached to the base plate 10. They serve to support a bearing shaft 16, which protrudes with its two ends in each case from the bearing blocks 12. At its two ends, the bearing axis 16 is provided with an elongated slot 18 extending axially. For mounting a pivoting part (not shown), for example a support handle or a seat, a pivot pin 20 lying between the bearing blocks 12 rotatably connected to the bearing axis 16 is connected.

In order to decelerate the folding down of the pivoting part from a vertical position to a horizontal position and to facilitate the folding up of the pivoting part from the horizontal position to the vertical position, the hinge arrangement has a spring. The spring is formed from two coil springs 22, which are connected at both ends of the bearing axis 16 between each bearing block 12 and bearing axis 16. At both ends of the bearing shaft 16, a respective opposite the bearing shaft 16 rotatably mounted spring housing 24 is arranged, in each of which a coil spring 22 is housed, wherein the inner, first spring ends 26 of the coil springs 22 respectively engage in the slots 18. That way are the coil springs 22 are fixed relative to the bearing axis 16 with respect to rotation. Second spring ends 28 each engage in slots 30 of the spring housing 24 provided for this purpose. As a result, the coil springs 22 are prevented from twisting with respect to the spring housing 24.

The spring housings 24 are each surrounded by a cover 32, which is plugged from the outside to the bearing axis 16 and is brought into contact with the bearing blocks 12. To secure the covers 32 on the bearing axis 16, a securing ring 34 is provided in each case, which engages in an annular groove 36 provided at the ends of the bearing axis 16 for this purpose. Provided on the spring housings 24 are longitudinally extending, elongated projections 38, 39 which engage correspondingly formed recesses 40 (Figure 4) of the covers 32 to prevent rotation of the covers 32 about the bearing axis 16 with respect to the spring housings 24 , For fixing the covers 32 relative to the bearing blocks 12 each have a plurality of pins 42 are provided on each of the bearing blocks 12 facing end surfaces of the covers 32 which extend parallel to the bearing axis 16, are uniformly distributed over the circumference of the covers 32 and respectively provided in corresponding holes 44 engage in the bearing blocks 12.

In Fig. 2, the bearing axis 16 is shown in more detail. For receiving the pivot pin 20, the bearing axis 16 is formed reinforced in a central portion 46 and provided with a cylindrical bore 48. The bore 48 is perpendicular to the Lagerachsrichtung and is adapted to the cross-section of the male pivot pin 20. To lock the pivot pin 20 in the bearing axis 16 are perpendicular to Lagerachsrichtung and the bore 48 extending holes 50 provided by the example, screws (not shown) can be performed, which engage with correspondingly provided threaded holes in the pivot pin 20 in engagement. At both ends of the bearing axis 16 are respectively the elongated and extending in Lagerachsrichtung slots 18 and provided for receiving the retaining rings 34 annular grooves 36 can be seen.

The bearing axis 16 is rotatably supported in two bearing blocks 12 of the type shown in Fig. 3. To ensure good storage properties, i. a wear-free and low-friction storage, either the bearing blocks 12 or the bearing axis 16 are made of a metal and the other part of a plastic.

The bearing blocks 12 are plate-like and are fixed vertically standing on the base plate 10. The lower, to be attached to the base plate 10 of a bearing block 12 is rectangular and the corresponding upper part is semicircular. In the upper part of the bearing block 12, a circular recess 52 for receiving the spring housing 24 is provided. In the center of the recess 52, the bearing block 12 has a bearing opening 54, whose diameter is adapted to the diameter of a cylindrical extension 62 of the spring housing 24 and which serves indirectly for the storage of the bearing axis 16.

Around the recess 52 are evenly distributed around the holes 44 for receiving the pin 42 of the cover 32 is arranged. A total of twenty-four holes 44 are provided, the angular distance is 15 ° each. But it is also possible a different number uniformly distributed holes 44 or even an irregular distribution of the holes 44th

In the upper part of the bearing block 12 also two respectively radially in the direction of the bearing axis facing holes 56 are provided, into each of which a locking pin 58 can be inserted to engage with an annular recess 60 in the cylindrical extension 62 of the spring housing 24 into engagement.

As can be seen in Fig. 4, the spring housing 24 is formed as a hollow cylinder. On the bearing block 12 facing end face of the spring housing 24 of the cylindrical extension 62 is formed. The diameter of the cylindrical extension 62 is adapted to the diameter of the bearing opening 54. In addition, a central bore 64 is provided in it, the diameter of which is adapted to the diameter of the bearing shaft 16, so that the spring housing 24 can be mounted rotatably mounted on the bearing shaft 16 and the cylindrical extension 62 rotatably mounted in the bearing opening 64 can engage. In the lateral surface of the cylindrical extension 62, the annular recess 60 is provided, in which the introduced through the holes 56 locking pins 58 can engage to prevent movement of the spring housing 24 in Lagerachsrichtung.

On the lateral surface 66 of the spring housing 24, the projections 38, 39 are each arranged at an angular distance of 90 °. In this case, three projections 38 extend over almost the entire length of the lateral surface 66, while a projection 39 is formed significantly shorter. Furthermore, in the lateral surface 66 of the slot 30 can be seen, extending from the open front side of the spring housing 24 forth in Lagerachsrichtung and serves to receive the second spring end 28 of the coil spring 22, which is housed in the interior of the spring housing 24.

In the direction of the bearing blocks 12, a cover 32 is slipped over the spring housing 24 in each case. The cover 32 is formed as a hollow cylinder and adapted in depth to the spring housing 24. On the inner surface of a casing wall 68 elongated, extending in Lagerachsrichtung depressions 40 are formed and corresponding to the projections 38, 39 are arranged. In addition, a recess 70 is provided on the inner surface of the jacket wall 68, which is arranged at a position corresponding to the slot 30 located in the spring housing 24 for receiving the second spring end 28. If the cover 32 is pushed over the spring housing 24, the protrusions 38 engaging in the recesses 40 prevent the spring housing 24 from rotating relative to the cover 32 about the bearing axis 16.

On the bearing block 12 facing end face 72 of the casing wall 68 are the bores 44 in the bearing block 12 correspondingly extending in Lagerachsrichtung pins 42 are arranged. In the illustrated example, there are a total of nineteen pins 42, each having an angular distance of 15 ° from each other. Only at the locations where the recesses 40 and the recess 70 are provided, a pin is omitted in each case. At these points, the angular distance between adjacent pins 42 is 30 ° in each case.

Is in the assembled state of the hinge assembly, the cover 32 completely pushed over the spring housing 24, the end face is adjacent 72 of the jacket wall 68 to the bearing block 12 and the pins 42 engage in the holes 44 a. In this state, the cover 32 is thus secured against rotation about the bearing axis 16 with respect to the bearing block 12. Likewise, due to the protrusions 38 engaging the recesses 40, the spring housing 24 is also prevented from rotating relative to the bearing block 12 about the bearing axis 16. According to the slot 30 and the second spring end 28 of the coil spring 22 is fixed. Only the engaging in the slot 18 of the bearing shaft 16 first spring end 26 can rotate upon rotation of the bearing axis 16 by a movement of the pivot member relative to the fixed second spring end 28, whereby a voltage or relaxation of the coil spring 22 is effected depending on the direction of rotation.

In the area of the end face 72, a bore 74 is provided in the casing wall 68, into which a pin 76 can be inserted. The bore 74 is positioned such that an inserted pin 76 engages in a between the bearing block 12 and the short projection 39 located recess 78 and in particular with the bearing block 12 facing end of the short projection 39 is in contact. The inserted pin 76 acts to secure the cover 32 by preventing inadvertent complete removal of the cover 32 from the spring housing 24, which would relax the spring. Thus, while the pin 76 must first be pulled out of the recess 78 for complete removal of the cover 32, for example by means of a tool, not shown, it has sufficient freedom of movement in the recess 78 to allow a partial removal of the cover 32 for unlocking.

Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5, in the bearing block 12 facing away from the end face 80 of the cover 32 in addition to a passage 82 for the bearing axis 16 two opposing each vierkreisringförmig trained function openings 84 are provided, which at their central portion in each case a circular extension 86th exhibit. The function openings 84 serve to actuate the cover 32 by a tool 88.

The tool 88 shown in Fig. 6 comprises a substantially cylindrical body 90 through which extends a perpendicular to the cylinder axis lever rod 92 extends. In the center of the one end face of the body 90, a bore or blind bore 94 is provided, the diameter of which is adapted to the bearing axis 16. On each opposite side of the bore 94 two pins 96 are arranged, the free ends each pass into a circular plate 98, which is spaced from the end face of the body 90 and is oriented parallel thereto. The diameters of the plates 98 are each adapted to the diameter of the circular extensions 86 of the function openings 84 in the cover 32.

To rotate the cover 32, the end face of the body 90 of the tool 88 is brought into contact with the end face 80 of the cover 32 such that the pins 96 engage in the function openings 84. For this purpose, first the plates 98 are inserted into the circular extensions 86 of the function openings 84. Thereafter, the tool 88 is rotated by means of the lever rod 92 with respect to the cover 32 until the pins 96 abut at the respective ends of the function openings 84. In this position, the plates 98 engage behind the function openings 84. By applying a force in Lagerachsrichtung the cover 32 can pull away by the tool 88 as far from the bearing block 12, that the pins 42 are removed from the holes 44. It should be noted that the projections 38, 39 of the spring housing 24 with the recesses 40 of the cover 32 remain engaged, so that a biased coil spring 22, the spring housing 24 is not accidentally rotated.

In the unlocked position of the cover 32, the cover 32 can now rotate with the aid of the tool 88 for tension or relaxation of the coil spring 22 in the corresponding direction about the bearing axis 16 around. In this way, the restoring force of the spring is adjustable. Once the desired restoring force of the spring has been reached, the cover 32 is again brought into contact with the bearing block 12, wherein now the pins 42 offset by a certain number of pins in the holes 44 engage. Subsequently, the tool 88 is released from the cover 32 again.

In the embodiment of the cover 32 described here, the locking ring 34 must be removed from the bearing axis 16 before unlocking the cover 32 and in particular before attaching the tool 88 to the cover 32. However, the use of such a safety ring 34 can be dispensed with if an alternative embodiment of the cover 32 is used. In this cover 32, described in FIG. 7, there are two leaf springs 100 which are opposite to one another with respect to the passage 82 of the bearing axis 16 and which are arranged offset in relation to the function openings 84 by 90 ° around the passage 82. Press the leaf springs 100 in each case a locking element 102 in the passage 82, wherein the locking elements 102 engage with attached cover 32 in each case located at the ends of the bearing axis 16 annular groove 36 and prevent movement of the cover 32 in Lagerachsrichtung. To protect the leaf springs 100, a circular cover plate 104 is screwed between the coil spring 22 and the leaf spring 100 and can be screwed to the end face 80 of the cover 32.

Is to unlock the cover 32, the tool 88, as just described, brought into engagement with the cover 32 and as far as the cover 32 twisted that the pins 96 abut the ends of the function openings 84, the leaf springs 100 are each as far through the Plate 98 of the pin 96 pushed back that the locking elements 102 moved out of the passage 82 and are brought out of engagement with the annular groove 36. The release and unlocking can thus be made in such a cover 32 in one step.

In Fig. 8, a second variant of the hinge assembly according to the invention is shown. Also in this embodiment, a base plate 210 is provided for mounting the hinge assembly on, for example, a wall to which a first bearing block 212 and a second bearing block 214 are mounted for supporting a bearing axis 216. The bearing blocks 212, 214 delimit a receiving space 218 for receiving a hollow cylindrical spring housing 220 surrounding the bearing axis, in which a spiral spring 222 surrounding the bearing axis 216 is accommodated, wherein a first spring end 224 engages in a slot 226 located in the bearing axis 216 the bearing axis 216 is fixed and a second spring end 228 is fixed to the spring housing 220 by engagement with a slot 230 provided on the inner surface of the spring housing 220.

The end face of the spring housing 220 facing the second bearing block 214 is closed by a base disk 230, while a circular cover disk 231 is provided to cover the opposite, open end side.

The outer peripheral surface of the spring housing 220 is formed as a helical gear 232, in which engages a latching body 236 attached to a detent spring 234. Detent spring 234 and latching body 236 are arranged in a specially designed recess 238 in the second bearing block 214. In this way, a locking device is provided, by which the spring housing 220 and thus also the coil spring 222 against rotation with respect to the bearing blocks 212, 214 can be locked around the bearing axis 216 around. In this case, the helical gear 232 on the outer peripheral surface of the spring housing 220 is just oriented so that rotation of the spring housing 220 in the direction that would lead to a relaxation of the coil spring 222 is prevented by the locking device and is possible only when the locking device unlocked while By slipping the oblique teeth through the locking device, overcoming a resistance, a rotation in the direction is realized, in which the coil spring 222 is stretched more.

For the storage of the bearing axis 216 in the bearing blocks 212, 214 each bearing discs 240 are provided at the ends of the bearing axis 216, which in correspondingly dimensioned bearing openings 242 in the bearing blocks 212, 214 intervene. In order to ensure good storage properties, such as low friction and / or low wear, permanently, either the bearing discs 240 or the bearing blocks 212, 214 made of a metal and the respective other bearing part made of a plastic material. In the bearing discs 240 each have three threaded holes 243 and a fourth bore 244 is provided, the purpose of which will be explained below.

In the bearing blocks 212, 214 are arranged around the bearing openings 242 around each two opposite quarter circle annular scenes 252, whose purpose will also be explained below.

In the assembled state of the joint assembly, a protective cover 246 is slipped over the bearing blocks 212, 214. In the protective cover 246, an opening 248 is provided for actuating the locking device to bring by a tool, the locking body 236 out of engagement with the helical gear 232. In the end faces of the protective cover 246 are each adapted to the bearing openings 242 of the bearing blocks 212, 214 adapted circular openings 250. According to the provided in the bearing blocks 212, 214 scenes 252, 254 also has the protective cover 246 in their end faces in each case two correspondingly positioned scenes 254 on.

The protective cover 246 is encompassed by two disc-shaped, mutually spaced and parallel oriented legs 256 of a pivoting piece approach 258, on which a pivoting part, such as a support handle or a seat, is mountable (not shown). On the inner surfaces of the legs 256 two studs 260 are arranged in each case, which engage through the gate openings 254 of the protective cover 246 in the scenes 252 of the bearing blocks 212, 214. By the knobs 260 and the scenes 252, the folding movement of the pivoting member is limited to a predetermined angular range, in this case 90 °, so that the pivoting part can pivot, for example, from a horizontal position to a vertical position and vice versa.

Furthermore, the legs 256 each have three holes 262, so that the pivoting part insert 258 guided by, for example, through the holes 262 and the openings 250 of the cover 246 and engaging in the threaded holes 243 of the bearing plates 240 screws (not shown) rotationally fixed to the bearing axis 216 lets connect. In addition, the leg 256 facing the second bearing block 214 has a fourth bore 264, the purpose of which will be explained below. To cover the holes 262, 264 256 circular recesses are provided on the outer surfaces of the legs, in the correspondingly formed protective disks 266 can be inserted.

As can be seen in FIG. 9, the pivoting part projection 258 consists of two attachment halves 268, which are connected to one another, for example, by means of a screw connection 270, after the legs 256 are in each case in contact with the protective cover 246 and the nubs 260 engage with the connecting links 252, 254 were brought. FIG. 10 shows the pivoting part attachment 258 with attachment halves 268 screwed together.

FIG. 11 shows the second bearing block 214 in more detail. In its lower part, which is to be fastened to the base plate 210, the bearing block 214 is rectangular and has to be screwed to the base plate 210 on its underside two threaded holes 272 on. The upper portion of the bearing block 214 has a semicircular curved surface. The bearing block 214 is formed stronger than the bearing block 212 and has a the receiving space 218 for the spring housing 220 defining circular recess. In the center of the recess 218, the bearing opening 242 is arranged. At the recess 218 for the spring housing 220 adjacent the recess 238 for the locking body 236 and the detent spring 234. In this case, the portion of the recess 238, in which the locking body 236 is disposed in the recess 218 passes, while the region of the recess 238, in which the detent spring 234 is provided, is separated from the recess 218 by a tongue 274 against which the detent spring 234 can abut.

In the recess 218, the spring housing 220 shown in Fig. 12 is used. The spring housing 220 is formed as a hollow cylinder, wherein the facing in the direction of the second bearing block 214 end face is closed by the base plate 230, in the center of a passage 278 is provided for the bearing axis 216. The spring housing 220 has a double-ring-shaped jacket wall, wherein the outer circumferential surface of the outer annular wall 280 is formed as helical gear 232. The inner annular wall 282 is spaced from the outer annular wall 280. In her, the slot 229 is provided for fixing the second spring end 228 of the coil spring 222. In the base plate 276 are further arranged on a concentric for performing 278 circle eight equally spaced and holes 284, whose purpose will be explained below.

In Fig. 13, the bearing block 214 with inserted spring housing 220 and mounted detent spring 234 and locking body 236 can be seen. Also indicated is the bearing axis 216 and the slot 226 provided in it for fixing the first spring end 224 of the spiral spring 222. The locking body 236 engages in the helical gearing 232 such that a rotation of the spring housing 220 about the bearing axis 216 with respect to the bearing block 214 only in one direction and overcoming a force while slipping through the helical gear 232 is possible.

In Fig. 14, the coil spring 222 inserted into the spring housing 220 is additionally shown. In this case, the first spring end 224 engages in the slot 226 provided for this purpose for the bearing axis 216, while the second spring end 228 engages with the slot 230 of the inner annular wall 282 of the spring housing 220. Since the spring housing 220 is locked by the helical gear 232, the detent spring 234 and the detent body 236 relative to the bearing block 214, the coil spring 222 is technically connected between the bearing axis 216 and bearing block 214. When caused by a pivoting movement of the pivot member rotational movement of the bearing axis 216, the coil spring 222 is thus tensioned or relaxed depending on the direction of rotation. In this way, it can act as a fall brake in a swung-down swivel part and support the folding-up movement of the swivel part.

By a rotation of the spring housing 220 with respect to the bearing block 214, that is, the detent body 236, the restoring force of the coil spring 222 is adjustable. The coil spring 222 is inserted into the spring housing 220 such that a rotation of the spring housing 220 in the slipping direction of the latching device increases the restoring force of the spiral spring 222 leads, while a reverse rotation results in a lowering of the restoring force. For rotation of the spring housing 220, that is, for adjusting the restoring force of the spring, the pivoting part is used, which has the advantage that due to the lever formed by the pivoting part only small forces must be expended to increase, for example, the restoring force of the spring.

For this purpose, the fourth bores 264, 244 of the second bearing block 214 facing leg 256 of the pivoting part insert 258 and the bearing block 240 mounted in the second bearing block 240 are brought into coincidence with one of the bores 284 in the base plate 276 of the spring housing 220 by pivoting the pivoting part , A rod-like, through all three holes inserted tool causes a pivoting movement of the pivoting part is carried out as a rotation of the spring housing 220. Using the pivoting member as a lever, the resistance exerted by the detent spring 234 on the helical gear 232 can be easily overcome and the spring housing 220 can rotate in the slipping direction, whereby the restoring force of the coil spring 222 can be increased.

If, however, the restoring force of the spring is to be reduced, the latching body 236 must be moved out of the effective range of the helical gearing 232 in order to unlock the latching device. This can be done for example by a screw-like tool which is brought into engagement with a correspondingly provided in the locking body 236 threaded hole and then moved away to the outside. Thus, the relaxation of the coil spring 222 is controlled after unlocking the locking device, the spring housing 220 by means of the pivoting part be turned so far in the reverse direction until the desired restoring force of the spring 222 is set.

When the adjustment is completed, the locking body 236 is optionally again brought into engagement with the helical gear 232 and the tool from the holes 284, 244, 264 in the base disc 276, bearing disc 240 and leg 256 again pulled out. Thus, the pivot member is decoupled again with respect to a rotational movement of the spring housing and the coil spring 222 again effectively connected between the pivot member and bearing block 214.

In Fig. 15, a third variant of the hinge assembly according to the invention is shown. Also in this embodiment, a base plate 310 is provided for mounting the hinge assembly on, for example, a wall. On the base plate 310, a first bearing block 312 and a second bearing block 314 for supporting a bearing shaft 316 are mounted. In each bearing block 312, 314, a circular opening 318 is provided, in each of which three, over the inner circumference of the bearing blocks 312, 314 equally distributed, extending in the axial direction projections 320 of the bearing blocks 312, 314 have.

The opening 318 of the first bearing block 312 serves to receive a first bearing ring 322, on whose outer circumference equally distributed three axially extending recesses 324 are arranged to cooperate with the projections 320 of the first bearing block 312 and the first bearing ring 322 at a rotation to prevent the bearing axis 316 relative to the first bearing block 312. The facing away from the bearing blocks 312, 314 end face of the first bearing ring 322 is covered by a plate 326, on which the bearing shaft 316 is formed. In the plate 326 two function openings 328 are each provided with a circular extension, as they have already been explained in connection with FIG. 5. In order to protect the plate 326 and to improve the visual impression of the hinge assembly according to the invention, a disk-shaped cover 330 can be placed on the plate 326 from the outside, on which two plate bolts 332 are provided, which cooperate with the function openings 328 (see explanation of FIGS Fig. 6).

The bearing shaft 316 is surrounded by a substantially cylindrical connecting part 334, which has a first portion 336 facing the first bearing block 312 and a second portion 338 facing the second bearing block 314. The first section 336 is surrounded in the region between the bearing blocks 312, 314 by a spiral spring 340 (shown here schematically as a volume) and has a slot 342 for fixing a first, inner spring end (not shown). The second portion 338 of the connecting part 334 has a larger diameter than the first portion 336. About the circumference of the second portion 338 four axially extending projections 344 are arranged distributed equally.

Via its second section 338, the connecting part 334 is mounted in a hollow cylindrical actuating part 346, wherein the projections 344 of the connecting part 334 engage in depressions 347 (see Fig. 16) of the actuating part 346 formed complementary thereto and a rotation of the connecting part 334 with respect to the adjusting part 346 to prevent the bearing axis 316.

The actuating part 346 is in turn mounted in a second bearing ring 348, which in turn is held in the opening 318 of the second bearing block 314 and on its outer circumferential surface recesses 350, in which the projections 320 of the second bearing block 314 engage to a rotation of the second bearing ring 348 with respect to the second bearing block 314 to prevent the bearing axis 316.

On the inner peripheral surface of the second bearing ring 348 18 recesses 352 are provided which are open to the bearing blocks 312, 314 pioneering end side of the second bearing ring 348 and extend in the axial direction over slightly more than half the width of the second bearing ring 348. It is also possible for more or fewer than 18 recesses 352 to be provided in the second bearing ring 348, possibly even distributed irregularly over the inner peripheral surface. The angular distance between each two adjacent recesses 352 determines the fineness with which the restoring force of the spring can be adjusted.

The number and arrangement of the recesses 352 of the second bearing ring 348 adapted to the outer peripheral surface of the actuating part 346 18 projections 354 are arranged, which, starting from the bearing blocks 312, 314 facing away from the end of the actuating part 346 in the axial direction over about half the width of Extending actuator 346. If the projections 354 engage in the depressions 352, the actuating part 346 is in position a rotation relative to the second bearing ring 348 prevented around the bearing axis 316.

The facing away from the bearing blocks 312, 314 front side of the actuating part 346 is closed by a bottom 356, in which in addition to a central bore 358 for receiving the bearing shaft 316, two functional openings 328, as already described above, are provided. As has likewise been explained above, the actuating part 346 together with the second bearing ring 348 can also be covered by a disc-shaped cover 330, on which the plate bolts 332 are arranged, in order to engage in the functional openings 328 of the actuating part 346.

In order to prevent an unintentional release of the setting member 346 from the second bearing ring 348, a locking ring 360 is provided which can be plugged onto a projecting through the bore 358 of the adjusting member 346 end of the bearing shaft 316.

To set the restoring force of the spring 340, first the cover 330 has to be removed from the setting part 346. After removing the securing ring 360 from the bearing axis 316, for example, the tool 88 shown in FIG. 6 can be connected to the setting part 346 such that the bolts 96 engage in the function openings 328 and the plates 98 engage behind the bottom 356 of the setting part 346 ,

By an axial movement of the tool 88 in direction away from the second bearing block 314, the actuating part 346 can be pulled out of the second bearing ring 348 so far that the projections 354 of the actuating part 346 out of engagement with the recesses 352 of the second bearing ring 348 advised and the adjusting member 346 with respect to the second bearing ring 348 about the bearing axis 316 is rotatable.

Together with the adjusting part 346, the connecting part 334 is rotated by means of the tool 88, whereby a relative movement of the first end fixed to the connecting part 334 is achieved with respect to a fixed to a pivot member 362 second spring end and thus a tension or relaxation of the spring 340.

If the desired restoring force of the spring 340 is set, the actuating part 346 is pushed back into the second bearing ring 348 with the aid of the tool 88, wherein the projections 354 again engage in the depressions 352, so that a further rotation of the actuating part 346 relative to the second bearing ring 348 is excluded. After removal of the tool 88 finally the locking ring 360 are again placed on the bearing shaft 316 and the cover 330 on the actuator 346.

The pivoting part 362 has a rod-shaped boom section 364 and a hollow cylindrical articulated section 366, which is rotatably mounted about the bearing axis 316 by means of a bearing skirt 368 adapted to the inner diameter of the hinge section 366 between the bearing blocks 312, 314 on the bearing rings 322, 348.

The coil spring 340 is surrounded by the bearing shell 368 and the hinge portion 366 of the pivot member 362, wherein both in the bearing shell 368, an axially oriented slot 370 as well as in the inner peripheral surface of the hinge portion 366 has a correspondingly arranged slot 372nd for fixing the second, outer spring end (not shown) is provided. As a result of the pivoting movement of the pivoting part 362, the second spring end is moved relative to the first spring end fixed to the connecting part 334 and thus via the setting part 346 on the second bearing ring 348, whereby the spring 340 is tensioned or relaxed and the pivoting movement of the pivoting part 362 is correspondingly braked or supported becomes.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, in a portion of the hinge portion 366 of the swing member 362 opposite the boom portion 364, there is provided a recess 374 which is elongated and defined over an angular range of approximately 90 degrees as defined by the pivotal movement of the pivot member 362 Plane extends. The recess 374 forms, together with a stop element 376 mounted on the base plate 310 and engaging at least partially in the recess 374, a positive guide, by means of which the pivoting movement of the pivoting part 362 is restricted to a region between a vertical position and a horizontal position.

At one end of the recess 374, a stopper projection 378 is provided, which cooperates with an end face 380 of the stop element 376 pointing away from the base plate 310 when the pivoting part 362 reaches its horizontal position. In the vertical position of the pivoting part 362, the stop element 376 engages in the recess 374 so far that its lateral surface 382 bears against an edge region 383 of the hinge section 366 delimiting the recess 374. As shown in FIG. 18, the stopper member 376 is formed as a screw member having a threaded portion 384 and a cylindrical head portion 386. For damping the abutment of the pivoting part 362 against the stop element 376, the head section 386 is at least partially coated with a buffer material (not shown) made of an elastically deformable material.

The stop element 376 can be screwed to a pedestal 388, which is fastened to the base plate 310 and has a threaded bore, as shown in FIG. Due to the screw connection with the base 388, the stop element 376 is adjustable in height and thereby the pivoting range of the pivoting part 362 adjustable. The further the stop member 376 is unscrewed from the socket 388, i. the further it protrudes from the base plate 310, the smaller the pivoting range of the pivoting part 362, i. the more inclined is the pivoting part 362 in its "horizontal" position.

As shown in FIG. 20, the pivoting part 362 is provided with a grip element 390, in particular attached to the boom section 364. The gripping element 390 has, for example, a foam material and serves to improve the grip of the pivoting part 362. At its end facing away from the base plate 310, the gripping element 390 is provided with a rounded, in particular spherical end section 392, which is intended to prevent injuries when using the pivoting part 362 , Furthermore, the gripping element 390 is displaceably mounted in a direction perpendicular to the bearing axis 316 with respect to the boom section 364, so that the length of the pivoting part 362 is adjusted to improve, for example, the handleability or the lifting action of the swing member 362.

Figures 21 and 22 show a support flap handle which is similar to the support flap handle shown in Figure 20. Corresponding parts are therefore provided with the same reference numerals.

The support folding handle shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 has a base part 310 which can be mounted, for example, on a wall, on which two bearing blocks 312, 314 are provided. The bearing blocks 312, 314 are part of a hinge assembly 400, through which a pivot member 362 formed substantially of aluminum is pivotally connected to the base portion 310. In particular, the pivoting part 362 is pivotable between a vertical and a horizontal position. The hinge assembly 400 is of the type described above in connection with FIGS. 15-20. It has a coil spring 340 which is connected between base part 310 and pivot part 362 and acts as a fall brake (FIG. 23), against the restoring force of which the pivot part 362 can be moved into its horizontal position. The restoring force of the spring 340 is adjustable.

As can be seen in FIG. 23, the pivoting part 362 has a hinge section 366 surrounding the spring 340 and a boom section 364. The boom section 364 has a U-shaped basic shape seen in cross-section, which is formed by a base 402 on an upper side of the boom section 364 and two adjoining legs 404 pointing downwards in the drawing. The boom section 364 is thus open on its underside.

The open underside of the boom section 364 can be covered by a cap 406. With the aid of five screws 408, the cap 406 can be fixed to the boom section 364. For this purpose, five correspondingly positioned and downwardly pointing pins 410 are provided in the boom section 364, each having at its free end a threaded bore 412 designed as a blind bore for receiving the screws 408 serving for fixing the cap 406. By means of webs 411, the pins 410 are supported on the legs 404.

In the base 410 of the boom section 364 also two holes 414 are provided, the purpose of which will be explained below. The top of the base 402 of the boom section is convexly curved.

The pivoting part 362 also has a gripping element 390 which can be fixed on the upper side of the boom section 394. A core 416 of the handle member 390 is formed of aluminum. As can be seen in FIGS. 24 to 27, the grip element 390 has an oval basic shape when viewed in cross-section. In this case, a concave indentation 418 extending in the longitudinal direction of the gripping element 390 for receiving the boom section 364 is provided on an underside of the gripping element 390. The curvature of the concave indentation 418 is matched to the convexly curved upper side of the boom section 364.

As shown in FIG. 23, the handle member 390 is fastened to the boom portion 364 by a screw connection. For this purpose, five trained as blind holes threaded holes 420 are provided in the handle member 390 extending from the underside of the handle member 390 extend into the interior of the core 416 of the handle member 390. The threaded bores 420 are arranged along the longitudinal central axis of the gripping element 390 and have equal distances from one another. In the illustrated embodiment, the distances between two threaded holes 420 are each 50 mm, but they can also be larger or smaller.

The threaded bores 420 serve to receive two screws 422, which are passed from below through the holes 414 in the base 402 of the boom section 364. In order for the screws 422 to be correspondingly engageable with two threaded holes 420 of the handle member 390, the distance between the holes 414 in the boom portion 364 must be matched to the spacing between the threaded holes 420 in the handle member 390, i. it must be an integer multiple of the distance between the threaded holes 420. In the illustrated embodiment, the distance between the holes 414 is just twice the distance between the threaded holes 420, so 100 mm.

By loosening the screw 422 formed by the screw 422 and the threaded holes 420, the handle member 390 can be lifted off the boom portion 364 and move relative thereto. If the gripping element 390 is displaced longitudinally relative to the boom section 394 by a length corresponding to the distance between the threaded bores 420, then the screws 422 guided through the bores 414 in the boom section 364 can be engaged again with two threaded bores 420 and the gripping element 390 on the boom section 364 fix. In this way, the position of the Handle member 390 relative to the boom portion 364 adjustable by predetermined lengths, respectively, which are predetermined by the distance between the threaded holes 420. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the length of the pivoting part 362 can therefore be varied stepwise by 50 mm in each case.

As in the illustrated embodiment, five threaded holes 420 are provided in the handle member 390 and two holes 414 in the boom section 364, as shown in Fig. 29, the length of the pivot member 362 can be varied between three different settings. In the shortest setting, the screws 422 engage the first and third threaded holes 420 seen in the drawing from the right (FIG. 29 (a)), in the middle setting into the second and fourth threaded holes 420 (FIG. 29 (b)). and in the longest setting in the third and fifth threaded holes 420 (Fig. 29 (c)).

Since the distance between the threaded holes 420 in the illustrated embodiment is 50 mm in each case, results in a difference in length of 150 mm between the shortest and the longest setting of the pivot member 362. By adding additional threaded holes 420, the range of length adjustment of the pivot member 362 can be increased. A reduction of the distance between the threaded holes 420 with a corresponding adjustment of the distance between the holes 414 also allows a finer gradation in the length adjustability of the pivot member 362 according to the invention.

As shown in FIGS. 23-27, the core 416 of the handle member 390 is for improved grip and improved grip optical impression provided with a sheath 424, which is preferably made of a plastic and in particular of polyurethane (PUR). The color and surface structure of the sheath 424 may vary depending on the field of use of the pivot member 362.

The sheath 424 surrounds the core 416 of the handle member 390 almost completely. Only on the underside of the gripping element 390, a recess in the sheath 424 is provided in the region of the threaded bores 420, in order to enable engagement of the screws 422 with the threaded bores 420 for fastening the gripping element 390 to the boom section 364.

As shown in FIG. 28, in the unfastened state of the handle member 390, the shroud 424 projects beyond the surface 426 with which the surface 428 of the handle member core 416 abuts the surface 430 of the recess 418. In the illustrated embodiment, the overhang of the sheath 424 is about 0.3 mm, but it may also be larger or smaller.

If the gripping element 390 is fixed to the boom section 364, initially the overhanging part of the sheathing 424 contacts the boom section 394. As the grip element 390 is further screwed to the boom section 364, the boom section 364 is moved further into the recess 418, maximally so far that the top side of the boom section 364 abuts the surface 430 of the recess 418. The protruding part of the sheath 424 is compressed. In this way, it is ensured that also the edge of the casing 424 delimiting the recess is always close to the boom section 364 abdicht and closes a possibly between the handle element core 416 and the boom section 364 gap sealingly.

As can be seen in FIGS. 21 to 27 and 29, the handle element 390 has a rounded, in particular spherical end section 392 on its end facing away from the hinge arrangement 400, which is intended to prevent injuries when using the pivoting part 362. In the region of the end portion 392, in particular on its front and top, the sheath 424 has an increased thickness in order to further reduce the risk of injury.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

baseplate

12

bearing block

14

drilling

16

bearing axle

18

slot

20

pivot pin

22

spiral spring

24

spring housing

26

first spring end

28

second spring end

30

slot

32

cover

34

circlip

36

ring groove

38

head Start

39

short lead

40

deepening

42

spigot

44

drilling

46

middle section

48

drilling

50

drilling

52

recess

54

bearing opening

56

drilling

58

locking pin

60

deepening

62

cylindrical extension

64

drilling

66

lateral surface

68

shell wall

70

recess

72

face

74

drilling

76

pen

78

deepening

80

face

82

execution

84

functional opening

86

circular extension

88

Tool

90

corpus

92

lever bar

94

drilling

96

spigot

98

Plate

100

leaf spring

102

locking element

104

cover

210

baseplate

212

first bearing block

214

second bearing block

216

bearing axle

218

recess

220

spring housing

222

spiral spring

224

first spring end

226

slot

228

second spring end

229

slot

230

base disc

231

cover plate

232

helical teeth

234

detent spring

236

latching body

238

recess

240

bearing washers

242

bearing openings

243

threaded hole

244

fourth hole

246

protective cover

248

opening

250

opening

252

scenes

254

scenes

256

leg

258

Pivoting part approach

260

burl

262

drilling

264

fourth hole

266

windscreen

268

approach half

270

connecting means

272

threaded hole

274

tongue

278

execution

280

outer ring wall

282

inner ring wall

284

drilling

310

baseplate

312

first bearing block

314

second bearing block

316

bearing axle

318

opening

320

projections

322

first bearing ring

324

wells

326

plate

328

functional opening

330

cover

332

plate bolt

334

connecting part

336

first section

338

second part

340

spiral spring

342

slot

344

projections

346

adjusting part

347

deepening

348

second bearing ring

350

deepening

352

deepening

354

head Start

356

ground

358

drilling

360

circlip

362

pivoting part

364

boom section

366

hinge section

368

Lagermante

370

slot

372

slot

374

recess

376

stop element

378

stopping projection

380

face

382

lateral surface

383

border area

384

threaded portion

386

header

388

base

390

handle element

392

end

400

joint arrangement

402

Base

404

leg

406

cap

408

screw

410

spigot

411

Stege

412

threaded hole

414

drilling

416

Grip element core

418

indentation

420

threaded hole

422

screw

424

jacket

426

area

428

surface

430

surface

Claims (17)

1. A joint arrangement, in particular for a wall-mounted sanitary fixture, comprising
   at least one base part (10, 12: 210, 212, 214) which can be mounted to a wall;
   a pivotal part which is rotatably supported at the base part (10, 12,: 210, 212, 214) and is in particular pivotable between a vertical position and a horizontal position; and
   at least one spiral spring (22; 222) which is connected between the base part (10, 12; 210, 212, 214) and the pivotal part, acts as a free-fall brake and against whose restoring force the pivotal part can be moved into its horizontal position, with the restoring force of the spiral spring (22; 222) being adjustable,
   characterised in that
   the pivotal part is supported at the base part (10, 12; 210, 212, 214) by means of a support axle (16; 216); and
   in that the spiral spring (22; 222) surrounds the support axle (16; 216), is accommodated in a hollow cylindrical spring housing (24; 220) which is rotatably supported on the support axle (16; 216), with the first spring end (26; 224) of the spiral spring being fixed to the support axle (16; 216) and the second spring end (28; 228) of the spiral spring being fixed to the spring housing (24; 220).
2. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the spring housing (24; 220) can be latched by means of a fixing apparatus (42, 44; 232, 234, 236), which is in particular made as a latch apparatus, for the avoidance of a rotary movement taking place around the support axle (16; 216) relative to the base part (10, 12; 210, 212, 214), with the fixing apparatus (42, 44; 232, 234, 236) in particular being able to be unlocked for the adjustment of the restoring force and the fastening point of the second spring end (28, 228) preferably being adjustable by a rotation of the spring housing (24; 220) around the support axle (16; 216) with respect to the fastening point of the first spring end (26; 224).
3. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the wall-side end of the pivotal part is arranged between two bearing blocks (12) of the base part (10, 12) by means of a joint spigot (20) fixedly connected to the support axle (16); and in that the spiral spring is formed from two individual spiral springs (22) which are each arranged outside the bearing blocks (12), with the support axle (16) in particular projecting beyond the bearing blocks (12) and preferably having a respective fixing means for the spiral spring (22) in its two end regions and in particular having slits (18) into which the respective first spring ends (26) engage.
4. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 3, characterised in that the bearing blocks (12) each have a substantially circular cut-out on their outer surfaces facing away from one another into which in each case a spiral spring (22) and a spring housing (24) can be inserted at least regionally, with the spring housing (24) being rotatably supported with respect to the support axle (16) and the bearing blocks (12).
5. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 4, characterised in that each spring housing (24) has a fixing means for the spiral spring (22) and in particular has a slit (30) into which the second spring end (28) engages; and/or in that the spring housings (24) can be fixed in different angular positions with respect to a rotation around the support axle (16) with respect to the bearing blocks (12).
6. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 4 or claim 5, characterised in that the spring housings (24) can be fixed with respect to a cover (32) respectively surrounding a spring housing (24) such that a rotation of the spring housings (24) around the support axle (16) relative to the respective cover (32) is precluded, with the spring housings (24) in particular being prevented from a rotation with respect to the cover (32) around the support axle (16) by projections (38, 39) which are formed in an elongate manner in the direction of the support axle and engage in correspondingly formed recesses (40) in the respective cover (32).
7. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 6, characterised in that the covers (32) can in each case be fixed against a rotary movement around the support axle (16) in different angular positions relative to the bearing block (12) by a latch apparatus (42, 44), with the latch apparatus in particular being formed by a plurality of spigots (42) which are provided at the end face of the cover (32) facing the bearing block (12), extend parallel to the support axle (16) and engage into correspondingly provided bores (44) in the bearing block (12), with the spigots (42) and bores (44) preferably being arranged uniformly distributed around the periphery of the cover (32) or bearing block (12).
8. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 7, characterised in that, with the help of a tool (88), the cover (32) can be displaced in the direction of the axle and the spigots (42) can thereby be pulled out of the bores (44), the spring housing (24) can be rotated with respect to the bearing block (12) by a rotation of the cover (32) for the setting of the restoring force of the spiral spring (22) and the spigots (42) of the cover (32) can again be moved into engagement with the bores (44) to prevent a further rotary movement between the spring housing (24) and the bearing block (32).
9. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the spiral spring only includes one spiral spring (222) which is arranged between two bearing blocks (212, 214) of the base part (210, 212, 214).
10. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 9, characterised in that a latch apparatus is formed by a slanting toothed arrangement (232) on the outer periphery of a spring housing (220) and by a latch body (236) which is fastened to a bearing block (214) by means of a latch spring (234) and engages into the slanting toothed arrangement (232), with a cut-out (248) preferably being provided in the cover (246) by which the latch apparatus (232, 234, 236) can be unlocked to reduce the restoring force.
11. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 10, characterised in that the spiral spring (222), the spring housing (220) and the bearing blocks (212, 214) are surrounded by a cover (246) which is in turn engaged around by two limbs (256) which are formed on the pivotal part and at which means are preferably provided to connect the pivotal part in a rotationally fixed manner directly or indirectly to the support axle (216); and/or in that tracks (252, 254) of quarter-circle shape are provided in both bearing blocks (212, 214) and in the cover (246) into which knobs (260) provided at the inner surfaces of the limbs (256) engage in order to restrict the pivot movement of the pivotal part to a pivot range bounded by a vertical position and a horizontal position.
12. A joint arrangement in accordance with any one of the claims 9 to 11, characterised in that the restoring force of the spiral spring (222) can be increased by a movement of the pivotal part, with cut-outs (264, 244, 284) preferably being provided in at least one limb (256), in the cover (246) and in the spring housing (220) which are adjustable with respect to one another such that the limb (256) and the spring housing (220) can be locked with respect to one another by means of a tool guided through the cut-outs (264, 244, 284) so that the spring housing (220) is adjustable relative to the latch apparatus (232, 234, 236) by a movement of the pivotal part and the restoring force of the spiral spring (222) can be increased by a rotation of the spring housing (220) with respect to the bearing blocks (212, 214).
13. A joint arrangement, in particular for a wall-mounted sanitary fixture, comprising
    at least one base part (310, 312, 314) which can be mounted to a wall,
    a pivotal part which is rotatably supported at the base part (310, 312, 314) and is in particular pivotable between a vertical position and a horizontal position; and
    at least one spiral spring (340) which is connected between the base part (310, 312, 314) and the pivotal part, acts as a free-fall brake and against whose restoring force the pivotal part can be moved into its horizontal position, with the restoring force of the spiral spring (340) being adjustable,
    characterised in that
    the pivotal part is supported at the base part (310, 312, 314) by means of a support axle (316); and
    in that the spiral spring (340) surrounds the support axle (316,) with its first spring end being fixed to a connection part (334) surrounding the support axle (316) and its second spring end being fixed to the pivotal part (362).
14. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 13, characterised in that the connection part (334) can be locked by means of a fixing apparatus, in particular made as a latch apparatus, for the avoidance of a rotary movement taking place around the support axle (316) relative to the base part (310, 312, 314); and/or in that the connection part (334) can be unlocked for the adjustment of the restoring force and the fastening point of the first spring end can be adjusted by a rotation of the connection part (334) around the support axle (316) with respect to the fastening point of the second spring end.
15. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 13 or claim 14, characterised in that the wall-side end of the pivotal part (362) and the spiral spring (340) are arranged between two bearing blocks (312, 314) of the base part (310, 312, 314).
16. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 15, characterised in that the connection part (334) is rotationally fixedly connected with respect to a rotation around the support axle (316) to a setting part (346) and is supported by means of the setting part (346) in a bearing ring (348) which is fixedly held in a bearing block (314); and/or in that the setting part (346) can be fixed together with the connection part (334) by a latch apparatus in different angular positions with respect to a rotation around the support axle (316) with respect to the bearing blocks (312, 314), with the latch apparatus preferably being formed by projections (354) which are formed in elongate fashion in the direction of the bearing axis, are distributed uniformly over the periphery of the setting part (346) and engage into correspondingly formed recesses (352) of the bearing ring (348).
17. A joint arrangement in accordance with claim 16, characterised in that, with the help of a tool (88), the setting part (346) can be displaced in the direction of the axle and the projections (354) can thereby be pulled out of the recesses (352),
    the setting part (346) can be rotated together with the connection part (334) for the setting of the restoring force of the spiral spring (340) with respect to the bearing ring (348), and
    the projections (354) of the setting part (346) can again be moved into engagement with the recesses (352) to prevent a further rotary movement between the connection part (334) and the bearing ring (348).

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