EP2001332B1 - Furniture comprising at least one second furniture part which can be motor-driven in relation to a first furniture part - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to furniture (11, 11', H' ') comprising at least one second furniture part which can be motor-driven in relation to a first furniture part, in particular comprising at least one drawer (2; 13, 14, 15; 19, 20, 24) which can be displaced in relation to at least one body (1; 16; 21, 22, 23). According to the invention, the electric power supply device is arranged on the first furniture part. Also, a control device is provided, said control device stopping a displaceable furniture part from displacing from its initial position into its final position, when a displaceable furniture part is located in the displacement path thereof, or stops a displaceable furniture part from displacing from its initial position into its final position before it is displaced as far as an immediately adjacent displaceable furniture part which is already in an open position.

Description

The invention relates to a piece of furniture with at least one second furniture part, which is movable by motor means relative to a first furniture part, in particular with at least one drawer which can be moved relative to a body, and with at least one energy supply device, in particular an electrical power supply device.

State of the art

Such furniture is already known in many ways. For example, this describes DE 699 06 299 T2 a piece of furniture with a plurality of drawers, which are mounted so that they can be moved by motor in the furniture carcass. The local furniture is equipped with a bus system via which the power supply is controlled to move the individual drawers. For this purpose, an integrated circuit is instructed by a computer to perform certain operations. The power supply takes place centrally via a power supply device assigned to the computer.

The EP 1 374 732 A1 discloses an arrangement with at least one movable furniture part, in particular a drawer, with at least one drive unit and with at least one control device for controlling the at least one drive unit.

Also the WO 2007/006061 A1 discloses such an arrangement.

The US 6,371,584 B1 discloses a drawer for a balance which is mountable under a cabinet. According to one illustrated embodiment, the drawer can be electrically driven by means of a motor, for which purpose it has a power supply device.

In this known furniture with the various vertically and horizontally adjacent drawers there is also the danger that it can lead to injuries during opening or closing, in particular to squeezing of the operator's fingers. For example, such injuries can occur when opening a drawer when a vertically, horizontally or diagonally adjacent drawer is already open. If the additional drawer to be opened moves beyond the opening state of the drawer already open, or at least as far as this drawer, in the case of careless operation between the two front parts of the drawer, the operator's fingers can become trapped.

task

On this basis, the invention has the object to optimize the operation of the furniture according to the invention.

Invention and advantageous effects

This object is achieved by a piece of furniture having the features of independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in claims 2 to 7.

Characterized in that the power supply device, in particular the electrical power supply device is arranged in a furniture with the features of the preamble of claim 1 to the first furniture part, in particular on the body of the furniture, it is ensured that the power supply in the vicinity of the moving furniture part, in particular in the vicinity of the sliding drawer, is arranged. In that regard, the cabling is minimized. Now malfunction occurs between the electrical power supply device and the movable furniture part, the analysis of the malfunction is also minimized by the low cabling. The movable or driven furniture part may also be a door or a flap.

The use of an electrical power supply device as a power supply device is particularly suitable because nowadays almost all private households, as well as commercial buildings have appropriate energy supply.

In order to protect the energy or power supply device from external influences, it is provided to arrange the power or power supply device in a separate housing on the first furniture part, in the case of a furniture carcass in a trough arranged thereon.

It has proven to be advantageous to arrange the power or power supply device in the tub in the bottom of the first furniture part. During maintenance or repair of the power or power supply device this is there easily accessible. Namely, in order to access the power supply device, all the furniture does not have to be moved, it is sufficient to remove the front cover at the bottom of the first furniture part.

Alternatively, it is of course possible to arrange the power or power supply device on the rear wall of the first furniture part. By this measure, it is also not visible in the position of use of the furniture.

It may be appropriate to arrange the power supply device between the rear wall of the first furniture part and the displaceable, second furniture part. In this case, for example, to maintenance or repair work would also be accessible in a simple manner by the movable or movable second furniture part from the first furniture part, in particular a drawer from a furniture body, is taken out.

According to a further aspect of the invention, it has proved to be advantageous to form the tub moisture-proof relative to the first furniture part. By this measure, the power supply device, especially in wet rooms, protected against water spray or other sources of moisture.

It has proved to be advantageous to arrange a seal between the tub and the first furniture part in a simple manner.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, the energy or power supply device has an energy store, in particular an accumulator. This measure ensures that, in the event of a failure of the power supply, in particular a failure of the power grid, furthermore, the movable second furniture parts can be moved by motor within the first furniture part.

A starting position is typically understood to mean either a closed position or an open position. Similarly, under the end position also a closed or open position of the furniture part can be understood. In any case, those positions of the furniture part are called before and after a movement process with the starting and ending position.

The control device is designed to control and motorized adjustment of both movable furniture parts. If the furniture parts to be moved are provided, for example, as pull-out drawers, then the control device causes the respective pull-out positions of adjacent drawers to always be at different locations which are not spatially overlapping one another.

In particular, it is provided during a movement that the pull-out position of a furniture part is always greater than that of an adjacent furniture part and also larger than this remains. Conversely, it can also be provided that two drawers located at unequal extension positions are only movable in such a way by means of the control device, that distance from one another in the direction of the movement movement always lies above a lower limit value. This may be, for example, on the order of dimensions of human limbs, such as a finger thickness.

The control device is designed such that this preset minimum distance between two adjacent furniture parts can not be undershot. Thus, an effective anti-trap protection is provided before jamming can even occur.

The control device may stop moving a movable furniture part from its closed position to an open position before it has been moved as far as a directly adjacent movable furniture part, which is already in an open position.

As a result, injury is prevented effectively, since paths of movement do not overlap at any time or because adjacent movable furniture parts are never moved so far that there is a risk of injury, for example due to bruising of the fingers. Furthermore, this avoids collisions and thus damage of individual movable furniture parts occur. The movable or driven furniture parts may be drawers, doors and / or flaps. The movable furniture parts may be associated with a common first furniture part, in particular a carcass, or separately from a plurality of first furniture parts or carcasses.

In particular, it has proved to be advantageous that the control device is designed to prevent a successive process directly horizontal, vertical or diagonally adjacent drawers to the same path. By this measure, it can never come to a crushing of body parts, in particular fingers, the operator when moving the drawers, since the procedure of the drawer is stopped before danger of crushing can occur.

According to another idea of the invention, it has proved to be advantageous to design the control device to prevent a method of a drawer when there is already an opened drawer in its track. This embodiment of the invention is particularly advantageous in furniture that are placed "over corner" and have drawers whose travel at the same height at an angle ≠ 0 degrees to each other. This ensures that opening a drawer is avoided if another drawer at the same height is already in an open position. Furthermore, this also avoids collisions and thus damage to individual drawers occur.

Advantageously, a control unit for the entire furniture can be provided with its movable furniture parts. In this case, a central control takes place, which controls or coordinates all movements of the movable furniture parts.

Alternatively, it can of course also be provided that a separate control unit is provided for each movable furniture part of the furniture. In this case, an evaluation unit is provided, with which the control units of the individual movable furniture parts communicate, so that the movements of the individual movable furniture parts are coordinated by the evaluation unit.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the control device of the furniture or the control devices of the individual drawers are adapted to allow a simultaneous and uniform opening or closing vertically, horizontally or diagonally directly adjacent drawers. In this case, the drawers are moved evenly, that is, at the same speed, so that the front covers of these adjacent drawers are always at the same height and thus the risk of injury is excluded by crushing.

If the drawer is a so-called outer drawer whose front extends at least to the front of at least one adjacent drawer, it is provided according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention that the control device of the furniture or the control device of the individual drawers trained is or are that the outer drawer leads the at least one adjacent drawer when opening and preferably lags when closing. This ensures that there is no collision of the outer drawer with the at least one adjacent drawer, which is also referred to as inner drawer takes place.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, it may be provided in an outer drawer whose front extends at least to the front of at least one adjacent drawer that the control device of the furniture or the control devices of the individual drawers is designed or are that the outer drawer is brought into its open position, before an opening or closing of the at least one adjacent drawer takes place. Also by this measure, a colliding of the outer drawer with the at least one adjacent drawer can be avoided.

It is advisable that the control device of the furniture or the control devices of the individual drawers are also designed so that the outer drawer is only brought into its closed position when the at least one adjacent drawer is already in its closed position. By moving the at least one adjacent drawer only when the outer drawer is in its open position or closed position is avoided in a particularly simple technical way that it comes to collisions between the drawers.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one light control unit is provided for the movable furniture parts. As a result, depending on the opening or closing state, the drawer can be illuminated for better visual inspection. This measure can also be realized as an independent idea of the invention.

It makes sense to provide a separate light control for each movable furniture part. As a result, the respective furniture part can be controlled in a particularly flexible manner with regard to its lighting.

It has proved to be advantageous to arrange the lighting controls for the movable furniture parts on the movable furniture parts themselves.

Furthermore, it has proved to be advantageous that the light control of the individual movable furniture parts have interfaces for connecting a light source. By this measure, the cabling effort on the movable furniture part for illuminating the movable furniture part is minimized.

Advantageously, the light control during opening of the movable furniture part for switching on and closing the movable furniture part to turn off the light is formed when the movable furniture part has been moved a predetermined distance. By this measure, the movable furniture part is illuminated only when it has been moved so far that a removal or storage or objects from or in the furniture part is possible. When closing, however, the lighting is turned off early. This also minimizes energy consumption.

Also to minimize the energy consumption, it is provided to provide the light control with an insulation sensor. In fact, an external light source is sufficient to ensure safe and adequate visual inspection ensure it is not necessary to turn on the light source.

Furthermore, it has proved to be advantageous to provide the light control with a dimming device, so that no sudden switching on the light source can occur, which could lead to a dazzling of the user.

embodiments

Figur

1 ein Ausführungsbeispiel eines erfindungsgemäßen Möbels mit an dessen Boden angeordneten Stromversorgungseinrichtungen in einer Frontansicht ohne den dazugehörigen Möbelsockel,

Figur 2

das Möbel gemäß Figur 1 in einer Rückansicht,

Figur 3

eine Schublade des erfindungsgemäßen Möbels gemäß den Figuren 1 und 2,

Figur 4

ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel des erfindungsgemäßen Möbels mit einer Außenschublade und einer Innenschublade in schematischer Darstellung und

Figur 5

eine schematische Darstellung eines anderen Ausführungsbeispiels des erfindungsgemäßen Möbels mit in rechtem Winkel zueinander angeordneten Möbelteilen als Draufsicht.

Other objects, advantages, features and applications of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the drawings.

figure

1 shows an embodiment of a piece of furniture according to the invention with power supply devices arranged on the floor thereof in a front view without the corresponding furniture base,

FIG. 2

according to the furniture FIG. 1 in a rear view,

FIG. 3

a drawer of the furniture according to the invention according to the Figures 1 and 2 .

FIG. 4

a further embodiment of the furniture according to the invention with an outer drawer and an inner drawer in a schematic representation and

FIG. 5

a schematic representation of another embodiment of the furniture according to the invention with each other at right angles arranged furniture parts as a plan view.

In FIG. 1 an embodiment of a piece of furniture 11 according to the invention is shown. The furniture 11 consists essentially of the body 1 and the slidably mounted therein drawers 2. To move the drawers electrical drives 3 are provided, which supplies by means of switching power supplies 4, which are housed in a moisture-proof housing, with electrical energy for moving the drawers become. The switching power supplies 4 are fed via a power line 5 with electrical energy. In order to continue to be able to move the drawers in a power failure, the batteries are housed within the housing of the switching power supply 4 optionally also accumulators.

By means of an in FIG. 2 shown harness 6, the electric drives 3 are connected to the switching power supplies 4 and the accumulators. The cable harness can also be designed as a bus system.

Furthermore, a control device, not shown, is provided which coordinates the movement of the drawers. By the control device is designed such that a consecutive procedure directly horizontally, diagonally or vertically adjacent drawers is suppressed to the same path. This ensures that two horizontally, vertically or diagonally adjacent drawers are never moved one after the other to the same opening position. As a result, the risk of injury to the operator is effectively avoided by bruising between front covers 8 adjacent drawers.

Instead of a central control unit, a separate control unit can also be provided for each drawer, which communicate with a central evaluation unit. Also in this case, the proper functioning of the furniture 11 according to the invention is ensured.

Evaluation unit and control unit can be connected to an existing not shown bus system just like the power supply facilities. The bus system can have a data bus and a power bus.

Like the characters, in particular FIG. 3 , it can be seen, a separate drive 3 is provided for each drawer 2. This drive 3 acts on a arranged in a guide rail 9 of the drawer 2 push rod 10th

To ensure a smooth operation of the drawer 2 within the body 1 without tilting, the drive 3 drives the drawer both on the right and left guide rail of the drawer. By means of a drive shaft 12, the movement of the drive is distributed evenly on both guide rails 9 and push rods 10.

Within the drawers 2 light controls can be arranged, which can also be controlled via the bus system, not shown. The lighting controls can be equipped with different illuminants via corresponding interfaces. These can be, for example, energy-saving LEDs, high-intensity halogen lamps or similar bulbs.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of a piece of furniture 11 'according to the invention with at least 3 relative to a body 16 sliding drawers 13, 14, 15, wherein at least the drawers 13 and 14 are movable by motor. The drawer 13 is a so-called outer drawer whose front 17 extends to at least the front of the drawer 14, also referred to as the inner drawer. In order to avoid a colliding of the inner drawer 14 with the outer drawer 13 during opening or closing, the (not shown here) control device of the furniture 11 'or the (not shown here) control means of the two drawers 13 and 14 are designed to that the outer drawer 13 of the inner drawer 14 leads the way when opening and lags when closing.

Alternatively, the control device (not shown) of the furniture 11 'or the control devices (not shown) of the two drawers 13, 14 may be designed such that the outer drawer 13 is brought into its open position before an opening or closing of the inner drawer 14 takes place. In addition, the outer drawer 13 is brought into its closed position, if the inner drawer 14 is already in its closed position.

The drawer 15 can be moved independently of the outer drawer 13, since the front 17 of the outer drawer 13 does not protrude into the travel path of the drawer 15 and thus there can be no collision between the two drawers. However, in order to avoid the risk of injuries, such as pinching of the fingers when opening or closing the drawers 13 and 15, the (not shown) control device for the drawers 13, 15 is designed such that an opening or moving in accordance with Drawers 2 of the embodiment according to FIG. 1 is performed.

FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of a furniture according to the invention 11 ". This embodiment differs from the furniture 11 according to FIG. 1 among other things, characterized in that at least two drawers 19, 20 are arranged at a right angle to each other, wherein the drawers 19, 20 each in a body 21, 22 slidably present. In addition, the furniture 11 "adjacent to the body 22 has a further body 23 with at least one drawer 24, the body 23 being directly adjacent to the body 22. The arrangement of the drawers 19, 20 and 24 selected here would allow it to open to a collision of the drawers 19 and 20 or come 19 and 24. To prevent this, the (not shown) control device of the furniture 11 "or the (not shown) control means of the individual drawers 19, 20, 24 are formed to prevent a process of the drawer 19, if in the travel already the drawer 20 or the drawer 24 is in an open position. Also, a method of the drawers 20 and 24 is suppressed when the drawer 19 is already in their track.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

corpus

2

drawer

3

drive

4

Switching Power Supply

5

mains supply

6

harness

8th

drawer front

9

guide rail

10

pushrod

11, 11 ', 11 "

Furniture

12

drive shaft

13

Drawer, outside drawer

14

Drawer, inner drawer

15

drawer

16

corpus

17

drawer front

18

drawer front

19

drawer

20

drawer

21

corpus

22

corpus

23

corpus

24

drawer

Claims (7)

1. Furniture with at least one second furniture part which is movable by motor relative to a first furniture part, particularly with at least one drawer (2; 13, 14, 15; 19, 20, 24) displaceable relative to a body (1; 16; 21, 22, 23), and with at least one electrical power supply device, characterised in that the electrical power supply device is arranged in a trough arranged at the first furniture part (2; 13, 14, 15; 19, 20, 24).
2. Furniture according to claim 1, characterised in that the electrical power supply device is arranged in the trough in the base of the first furniture part.
3. Furniture according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the trough is formed to be moisture-tight relative to the first furniture part.
4. Furniture according to claim 1 to 3, characterised in that a seal is arranged between the trough and the first furniture part.
5. Furniture according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the electrical power supply device is arranged at the rear wall of the first furniture part.
6. Furniture according to claim 5, characterised in that the electrical power supply device is arranged between the back wall of the first furniture part and the displaceable, second furniture part.
7. Furniture according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the electrical energy supply device comprises an energy store, particularly an accumulator.

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