EP2627846B1

EP2627846B1 - Mechanism for moving coplanar doors of a piece of furniture

Info

Publication number: EP2627846B1
Application number: EP11807742.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alessandro Cinetto
Original assignee: Cinetto F LLI Srl
Current assignee: Cinetto F LLI Srl
Priority date: 2010-10-15
Filing date: 2011-10-17
Publication date: 2020-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 2031-10-17
Also published as: ITPD20100308A1; WO2012049667A1; BR112013008980A2; IT1402092B1; EP2627846A1

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of mechanisms for moving the doors of pieces of furniture, which may be cabinets, shelves or the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a mechanism for moving two coplanar doors of a piece of furniture. The invention further relates to a piece of furniture comprising a mechanism for the movement thereof according to the present invention.

STATE OF THE ART

Over the years, the market has experienced an increase in the demand for furniture with coplanar doors the opening of which occurs by sliding instead of by means of the typical rotation about vertical axis hinges. In most cases, the doors are moved by means of mechanisms allowing them to move reciprocally from a closing position to an opening position at which the two doors assume a parallel position in which they face each other. The known solutions usually include the use of an "upper" moving mechanism and a "lower" moving mechanism, operatively connected to the upper part and to the lower part of the doors to be moved, respectively. In other solutions, the upper structure coincides with that of the lower structure, while in all cases the two mechanisms are structurally different.
A first example of such mechanisms is described in patent application WO 2007/074397 . In such a solution, a supporting bracket which supports the door itself is provided for each door to be moved. Such a bracket moves, by means of a pair of roller members, along the moving guides fixed at the bottom and/or top of the piece of furniture. Such guides (one more external and the other more internal to the piece of furniture) each comprise a rectilinear central portion and two end portions, symmetric with respect to the central portion, which are inclined towards the inside of the piece of furniture. In particular, the guides are shaped so that the sliding of the roller members along the inclined portions determine a corresponding inclination of the supporting bracket, i.e. of the door connected thereto. The opening movement of the door thus includes a first step, in which the door itself inclines by effect of the sliding of the sliding members along the end portions of the respective guides, and a second step, in which the door slides parallel to the other door by effect of the sliding along the central portion of the guides themselves.
Patent application EP1613831 describes another moving mechanism, which comprises a pair of first carriages and a pair of second carriages. The latter are supported and guided by a longitudinal rail parallel to the opening of the piece of furniture intended to be closed by the two doors. The mechanism comprises, also in this case, a supporting bracket adapted to connect a door to the first carriages. Each of the carriages can translate in direction of the depth of the piece of furniture transversally along a corresponding mechanism thereof related to the other first carriage. The mechanism comprises, also in this case, guides defined by two grooves obtained in a longitudinal guiding member fixed to the top of the piece of furniture. A roller associated to one of said first carriages is inserted in such grooves. The grooves have a configuration substantially similar to that described in patent WO 2007/074397 described above (i.e. formed by a central portion and two curved end portions) so that the rotation-translation of the locking bracket with respect to the carriage is determined by the position of the rollers in the respective grooves.
A further example of moving mechanism is described in patent application PCT/IB2010/05219 . In this case, a main moving carriage is used, which moves along guides parallel to the opening of the piece of furniture closed by the doors. The supporting bracket of the mechanism is coupled to the main carriage by means of a pair of sliders, each of which is associated to an axle of the carriage itself. As the previous solution, also in this case, the mechanism comprises a guiding member connected to the top of the piece of furniture, comprising a pair of grooves, in each of which a moving roller associated to one of the two sliders is inserted. The door is thus guided in opening/closing by the movement of the supporting bracket with respect to the main carriage, while the same moves in the longitudinal sense. The movement of the bracket is, in turn, determined by the position that the rollers assume in the respective grooves.
All the solutions described above, as many other conceptually similar, include the use of guiding means of the supporting bracket in form of guiding rails and/or grooves obtained in a longitudinal prismatic member. It is seen that the use of such guiding means may be considered relatively convenient only for the mechanisms intended to move doors of rather small size, while it represents a truly critical factor, in terms of costs and installation operations, when such sizes become considerable. In the case in which guiding grooves are used, for example (as in the solutions described in EP1613831 and PCT/IB2010/05219 ), the prismatic member in which they are obtained must necessarily have a longitudinal extension corresponding to that of the opening of the piece of furniture closed by the doors. It is apparent that as the width of such an opening increases, i.e. as the longitudinal size of the doors increase, the volume, weight and cost of the prismatic member increase as a consequence, which prismatic member is in most cases made of metallic material (e.g. steel or aluminum). This means that the times and costs for mechanical machining of the prismatic member needed to obtain the grooves must also increase. Additionally, the structure, size and number of members needed to fix the prismatic members to the piece of furniture also increase. Consequently, the invasive interventions on the piece of furniture, and in general, the installation operations, are also rather laborious, requiring considerable time and, consequently, costs.
A further example of a mechanism for moving coplanar doors is disclosed in EP 0823527 . In this case, the mechanism comprises a carriage including a first slide movable along a longitudinal rail parallel to the opening of the piece of furniture. The first slide comprises two sections defining corresponding guides for a bracket assembly supporting the door. In particular, said guides defines a transverse direction orthogonal to said longitudinal direction. The opening movement of the door includes a first step during which the bracket assembly moves along the transverse direction from a first position, characteristic of a coplanar doors condition, to a second position, characteristic of a parallel but not coplanar doors condition. During this first step, the first slide is stably blocked to the rail. When the second position is reached, the first slide is released and a second step of the movement begins with a rectilinear translation along the longitudinal direction. A further example of a mechanism for moving coplanar doors is disclosed in JP 2007032177 .
On the basis of these considerations, the need arises for new moving mechanisms which allow to overcome the drawbacks described above. In particular, the need for a new moving mechanism arises, the use of which may be advantageous independently from the size of the doors that it must move.

SUMMARY

It is thus a main task of the present invention to provide a mechanism for moving coplanar doors of a piece of furniture which allows to solve the drawbacks indicated above. In the scope of this task, a first object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for moving coplanar doors, the use of which is convenient independently from the size of the doors to be moved. Another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for moving coplanar doors, the structure of which is easy to assemble and install. A not last object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for moving coplanar doors which is reliable and easy to make at competitive costs.
The present invention thus relates to a mechanism for moving a plurality of coplanar doors of a piece of furniture or other furniture item. The mechanism comprises at least one moving unit for moving a door of the piece of furniture. In particular, such a moving unit comprises a supporting member, mobile along a longitudinal direction defined by longitudinal guiding means connectable to a surface of the piece of furniture, and a connection bracket supported by the supporting member and stability connectable to said door. The mechanism comprises a guiding member for guiding the movement of the connection bracket between a first and a second operating position characteristic of a coplanar door condition and of a parallel, non-coplanar door condition, respectively. Said guiding member and said connection bracket respectively comprise first guiding means and second guiding means, which interact to guide said connection bracket between said first and said second operating position.
According to the invention, the guiding member is stably connected with the piece of furniture during the movement of the connection bracket between said first and second operating position, and wherein said guiding member is stably connected with the connection bracket when the same reaches said second operating position. According to claim 1, the supporting member is movable relative to said guiding member along said longitudinal direction during the movement of said connection bracket between said first and said second operating position, wherein the movement of said connection bracket relative to the guiding member and to the supporting member is a roto-translation defined by said interaction of said first and second guide means, the first guiding means comprising curve-shaped guiding grooves.
According to the invention, said mechanism comprises coupling/releasing means of said guiding member to/from said piece of furniture configured for coupling said guiding member to said piece of furniture during the movement of said connection bracket between said first and said second operating position, and configured for releasing said guiding member from said piece of furniture when said connection bracket occupies said second operating position.
The mechanism according to the invention thus includes the use of a guiding member which assumes two operating conditions: one stably connected (integral) to the piece of furniture and the other stably connected (integral) to the connection bracket. Considering, for example, the opening movement, according to the invention the guiding member remains indeed fixed to the piece of furniture in order to guide the bracket from the first to the second operating position, i.e. until the first door passes from a position in which it occupies the same plane as the other doors of the piece of furniture (coplanarity condition) to a condition in which it occupies a different, but still parallel plane to that of the other doors. When the latter condition is reached, the guiding member becomes stably connected to the coupling bracket to be moved with the bracket itself in order to compete the opening movement, i.e. in order to feed the second door to a position parallel to and facing the other door. According to this, it is apparent that the mechanism according to the invention does not require the bracket guiding members fixed to the piece of furniture, thus solving the problems of the prior art indicated above relative to the use of guiding members rigidly fixed to the piece of furniture.

LIST OF FIGURES

Further features and advantages will be apparent in the description of the following non-limitative examples of the moving mechanism according to the present invention illustrated by way of non-limiting example only in the accompanying drawings, in which:

figures 1 and 2 are a first and a second perspective view of a piece of furniture with coplanar doors comprising a moving mechanism according to the present invention, respectively;
figures 3 and 4 are a plan view and projection view from the bottom of the piece of furniture in figures 1 and 2, respectively;
figures 5 and 6 perspective views from different points of view of a first moving unit of the mechanism of the piece of furniture in figures 1 and 2;
figure 7 is a plan view of the first moving unit in figures 5 and 6;
figures 8 and 9 perspective views from different points of view of a second moving unit of the mechanism of the piece of furniture in figures 1 and 2;
figures 10 and 10a are an exploded view of the moving unit in figure 9 and a projection view from the bottom of the moving unit in figure 8, respectively;
figures 11 and 12 are perspective views from different points of view of the piece of furniture in figures 1 and 2 during a step of opening of one of the doors of the piece of furniture by means of the moving mechanism according to the present invention;
figures 13 and 14 are a plan view of the piece of furniture in figure 11 and projection view from the bottom of the piece of furniture in figure 12, respectively;
figures 15 and 16 are perspective views from different points of view of a first moving unit of the mechanism of the piece of furniture in figures 11 and 13;
figure 17 is a plan view of the moving unit in figures 15 and 16;
figures 18 and 19 perspective views from different points of view of a second moving unit of the mechanism of the piece of furniture in figures 12 and 14;
figures 20 and 20a are an exploded view from the bottom of the moving unit in figure 19 and a projection view from the bottom of the moving unit in figure 18, respectively;
figures 21 and 22 are perspective views from different points of view of the piece of furniture in figures 1 and 2 at the end of the opening of one of the doors of the piece of furniture by means of the moving mechanism according to the invention;
figures 23 and 24 are a plan view and projection view from the bottom of the piece of furniture in figures 21 and 22, respectively;
figures 25 and 26 perspective views from different points of view of a first moving unit of the mechanism of the piece of furniture in figures 23 and 24;
figure 27 is a plan view of the moving unit in figures 25 and 26;
figures 28 and 29 perspective views from different points of view of a second moving unit of the mechanism of the piece of furniture in figures 22 and 24;
figures 30 and 30a are an exploded view of the moving unit in figure 29 and a projection view from the bottom of the moving unit in figure 28, respectively;
figures from 31 to 33 relate to a second possible embodiment of a first moving unit of a mechanism according to the present invention;
figures from 34 to 36 show the moving unit of figures 31 to 33 in a configuration assumed during a possible step of opening of a corresponding door of a piece of furniture;
figures from 37 to 39 show the configuration of the moving unit of figures from 31 to 33 in a configuration assumed during a possible step of opening of a corresponding door of a piece of furniture;
figures from 40 to 42 relate to a second possible embodiment of a second moving unit of a mechanism according to the present invention;
figure 43 is an exploded view related to components of the second moving unit in figures from 40 to 42;
figures from 44 to 45 relate to a further possible embodiment of a second moving unit of a mechanism according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views from different points of view of a piece of furniture comprising a pair of doors 101, 102 moved by means of a moving mechanism according to the present invention. In particular, in such figures, the doors 101, 102 are shown in closing position, i.e. in a position such as to close a compartment V (shown in figures 21, 22) of the piece of furniture 2. More precisely, the doors 101, 102 are shown in coplanar position, i.e. essentially occupy a same plane. The mechanism 1 according to the invention comprises at least one moving unit 10, 20, 10', 20' of a corresponding door 101, 102.
Such a moving unit 10, 20, 10', 20' comprises a connection bracket 40,140 (hereinafter, also simply indicated by the expression " bracket 40, 140") connectable to said corresponding door 101, 102 to be moved and connected to a supporting member 11, 111 which supports the bracket itself. Such a supporting member 11, 111 is mobile along a longitudinal direction 200 defined by longitudinal guide means connectable to the piece of furniture 2 at a connection surface 300. The mechanism according to the present invention further comprises a guiding member operatively coupled to the bracket 40 to guide the movement thereof between a first and a second operating position. In particular, the first operating position is characteristic of a coplanar door condition (shown in figure 1), i.e. a condition in which the compartment V is closed by the doors themselves. The second operating position assumed by the bracket 40, 140 is instead characteristic of a parallel, but not coplanar door condition, as shown, for example, in figures from 21 to 24. In other words, when the bracket 40, 140 occupies the second operating position, the doors 101, 102 occupy planes, which are different but parallel in all cases.
According to the invention, the guiding member is stably connected with the piece of furniture 2 during the movement of the bracket 40, 140 from the first to the second operating position, or vice versa, from the second to the first operating position. Again according to the invention, the guiding member becomes instead integral with the bracket 40, 140 after the same has reached the second operating position, i.e. when the two doors 101, 102 are parallel but not coplanar. In other words, according to the invention, during the passage from the coplanar door condition (first operating position of the bracket 40, 140) to the parallel, non-coplanar door condition (second operating position of the bracket 40, 140), or vice versa, the guiding member is fixed to the piece of furniture to guide the bracket itself. When the bracket 40, 140 reaches the second operating position, the guiding member becomes integral with the bracket 40,140. In this manner, the guiding member and the bracket 40, 140 are dragged together in longitudinal direction 200. This technical solution is particularly advantageous because it solves the problems indicated above related to the use of traditional guiding cams rigidly fixed to the piece of furniture, and in particular to the problems related to installation and production costs of the same.
The mechanism 1 according to the invention includes at least one first moving assembly (hereinafter indicated as "upper" moving assembly) comprising for each of said doors 101, 102 at least one first moving unit 10, 10' operatively connected to a first portion, preferably an upper portion of the respective door 101, 102. More specifically, the upper moving assembly comprises a first moving unit 10 of the first door 101 and a first moving unit 10' of the second door 102. Said first moving units 10, 10' are operatively connected to an upper portion of the respective door 101, 102 and comprise common longitudinal guiding means fixed to a first connection surface 300 of the piece of furniture 2, which preferably coincides with the ceiling or top of the piece of furniture 2 which superiorly delimits the compartment V which can be closed by the doors 101, 102.
According to a preferred embodiment, the mechanism also includes a second moving assembly (hereinafter indicated as lower moving assembly) comprising, for each of said doors 101, 102, at least one second moving unit 20, 20' operatively connected to a second portion, preferably a lower portion of the respective door 101, 102. More specifically, such a lower moving assembly comprises a second moving unit 20 of the first door 101 and a second moving unit 20' of the second door 102. Said second moving units 20, 20' are operatively connected to a lower portion of the respective door 101, 102 and comprise common longitudinal guiding means fixed to a second connection surface 300' of the piece of furniture 2 which preferably coincides with a portion of the piece of furniture 3 which inferiorly delimits the compartment V which can be closed by the doors 101, 102.
Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views of the first moving unit 10 of the first door 101 (hereinafter indicated also as "first unit 10"). The supporting member 11 appears in form of a main carriage, and for this reason will hereafter also be indicated with the expression "main carriage 11". In particular, the main carriage 11 comprises a first axle 13 (hereinafter indicated also as "front axle 13") and a second axle 14 (hereinafter indicated also as "rear axle 14"), parallel to each other. The main carriage 11 also comprises a pair of longitudinal sides 12', 12", which rigidly connect the two axles 13, 14, and a bottom surface 18, which develops between the axles 13, 14 and the longitudinal sides 12', 12". The main carriage 11 also comprises a plurality of moving wheels 31', 31", 32', 32" for the movement along said longitudinal direction 200. In the illustrated solution, the main carriage 11 comprises at least a first pair of front wheels 31', 31", fitted near opposite ends of the front axle 13, and a second pair of rear wheels 32', 32", fitted near the opposite end of the rear axle 14.
With reference in particular to figures 1 and 3, the longitudinal guiding means 200 comprise a first rectilinear guide 5' along which the moving wheels 31', 32' adjacent to a first side 12' of the carriage 11 slide. Such a first side 12' preferably corresponds to the side intended to assume a first more internal position to the piece of furniture 2 with respect to the position of the first door 101. The guiding means in longitudinal direction 200 further comprise a second rectilinear guide 5" (parallel to the first rectilinear guide 5') along which the moving wheels 31", 32" slide adjacent to a second side 12" of the carriage 11 opposite to the first side 12'. Such a second rectilinear guide 5" is preferably in form of rail, while the moving wheels 31", 32" adjacent to the second side 12" are grooved so as to roll on such a "rail". According to the preferred embodiment of the main carriage 11, visible in figure 7, it comprises further grooved moving wheels 33 fitted on the second side 12" in position close to the moving wheels 31", 32" indicated above. Said further moving wheels 33 turn along the second rectilinear guide 5" and advantageously allow to improve the load distribution of the first door 101, which tends to be relieved mainly on the second side 12", i.e. on the side closest to the bracket 40.
The first unit 10 comprises a guiding member 50 of the bracket 40. Such a guiding member 50 comprises first guiding means of the bracket 40 which interact with second guiding means associated to the bracket itself. More specifically, said first guiding means comprise a first guiding groove 71 and a second guiding groove 72, while the second guiding means associated to the bracket 40 comprise a first moving roller 81 and a second moving roller 82 slidingly inserted in said first guiding groove 71 and in said second guiding groove 72, respectively. More in detail, a first guiding roller 81 is connected to a first extension 46' of the bracket 40, while the second guide roller 82 is connected to a second extension 46" (indicated in the figure 6) in the bracket itself. The position assumed by the guiding rollers 81, 82 within the corresponding guiding grooves 71, 72 determines the position of the bracket 40 with respect to the guiding member 50, i.e. with respect to the main carriage 11 which supports the bracket itself. The interaction between the guiding rollers 81, 82 and the corresponding guiding grooves 71, 72 (having a curve-shaped profile) determines a roto-translation of the bracket 40 with respect to the main carriage 11 from the first to the second operating position. Such a roto-translation is accompanied by a movement in direction longitudinal of the main carriage 11 which supports the bracket itself.
Figure 11 and 13 show the piece of furniture 2 during a first step of opening of the first door 101, and more precisely during the passage of the first door 101 from a position coplanar to the second door 102 to a parallel but not coplanar position of the second door itself. Figures 15, 16 and 17 show the first unit 10 during the roto-translation of the bracket 40 corresponding to said first step of moving of the first door 101. The first unit 10 comprises first coupling means susceptible of coupling the guiding member 50 to the piece of furniture 2 during the passage of the bracket 40 from the first to the second operating position, or vice versa. By comparing figure 3 and figure 13, for example, it is apparent that the distance L of the guiding member 50 from the side edge 2' of the piece of furniture 2 is maintained constant during the roto-translation of the bracket 40, while the distance L1 varies from the edge 2' itself of the main carriage 11 which supports the bracket 40 itself.
Figures 21 and 22 show the piece of furniture 2 at the end of the opening of the first door 101, thus indicating a condition in which the first door 101 is in a "final" parallel, non-coplanar position, substantially facing the second door 102. It is worth noting that at the end of the roto-translation of the bracket 40 (passage from the first to the second operating position), the first door 101 assumes an intermediate position (dashed line in figure 23) between the position in figure 1 and that in figure 23. The opening movement thus comprises a second step of moving in which the first unit 10 (including the guiding member 50 and the bracket 40) translates longitudinally from the intermediate position to the "final" position. During such a second step of moving, the bracket 40 stably maintains the second operating position.
The coupling/releasing means indicated above are thus susceptible of releasing the guiding member 50 of the piece of furniture 2 after the bracket 40 has reached the second operating position. In particular, according to the solution illustrated in the figures, the bracket 40 is coupled to the guiding member 50 so that it is dragged longitudinally by the bracket itself, i.e. so that the guiding member 50 remains integral (that is stably connected) with the bracket 40 and the main carriage 11 which supports it.
With reference to figures 7 and 27, it is worth noting that the first operating position of the bracket 40 is established by a position of the guiding rollers 81 substantially adjacent to a first end of the respective guiding grooves 71, 72 (see figure 7). The second operating position of the bracket 40 is reached when the guiding rollers 81, 82 themselves occupy a position substantially adjacent to a second end of the respective guiding grooves 71, 72 (in figure 27) opposite to said first end.
With reference again to figures 5 and 6, the bracket 40 has a substantially L-shaped structure comprising a first side 41 adapted to be stability fixed to the corresponding door to be moved. The bracket 40 further comprises a second side 42, substantially orthogonal to the first side 41 and intended to emerge over the main carriage 11. With reference to figure 5, the first guiding roller 81 of the bracket 40 is connected to a first extension 46' which emerges laterally from the bracket itself. The second guiding roller 82 is instead connected to a second extension 46" of the bracket 40 which is developed from the second side 42 of the bracket 40 (see figure 6). With this regard, it is worth noting that the bottom surface 18 of the main carriage 11 has a first transversal groove 91 (indicated also in Figure 7) through which a portion of the second extension 46" extends. Such a first transversal groove 91, in addition to allowing the passage of the second extension 46", advantageously establishes the movement of the bracket 40 with respect to the main carriage 11.
With reference in particular to figures 7, 17 and 27, the first moving unit 10 preferably comprises a secondary carriage 60 fitted on the main carriage 11 and transversally mobile along a transversal direction 201 parallel to the direction in which the two axles 13, 14 of the main carriage 11 itself develop. In other words, the secondary carriage 60 is free to slide with respect to the main carriage 11 in a transversal direction 201 orthogonal to the longitudinal direction 200. With reference to figure 7, the secondary carriage 60 comprises two reciprocally opposite secondary sides 61, 62 which develop from a central surface 63 according to a substantially C-shaped configuration. Two pairs of secondary wheels 65, 66 are fitted on each of the two secondary sides 61, 62 which allow the movement of the secondary carriage 60 along the transversal direction 201. In particular, a first pair of secondary wheels 65 is fitted on a first side 61, which wheels turn along a first transversal guide 67' defined on one inner side by the first axle 13 of the main carriage 11. A second pair of secondary wheels 66 is instead fitted on a second side 62 of the secondary carriage 60 to turn along a second transversal guide 67" defined by the inner side of the second axle 14 of the main carriage 11.
The bracket 40 is connected to the secondary carriage 60 by means of connection means comprising a kinematic couple which defines a rotation axis 500 of the bracket 40 itself substantially orthogonal to the moving plane defined by the transversal guides 67', 67" of the secondary carriage 60. Such a kinematic couple preferably comprises a central pin 69 which rotably connects the second side 42 of the bracket 40 to the central surface 63 of the second carriage 60 near the median line 63' (dashed line in figure 3) of the central surface 63 itself. In the illustrated solution, the kinematic couple also comprises a pair of axial bearings 69" to support the weight of the rotating bracket 40.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bracket 40 further comprises a first side portion 44 and a second side portion 44' parallel to the first side portion 44. Such side portions 44, 44' emerge substantially parallel and orthogonal to the second side 42 of the bracket 40. A pair of auxiliary wheels 47, 47', which may slide along further auxiliary transversal guides 49, 49', each defined on an outer side of one of the two axles 13, 14, is fitted on the inner side of each side portion 44, 44' (i.e. on the side facing the main carriage 11). More specifically, a first pair of auxiliary wheels 47 is fitted on the inner side of the first side portion 44 to rest and slide transversally along a first outer transversal guide 49 defined on the outer side of the first axle 13, while a second pair of auxiliary wheels 47' is fitted on the inner side of the second side portion 44' to rest and slide transversally along a second auxiliary guide 49' defined on the outer side of the second axle 14. It has been seen that the presence of the wheels 47, 47' and of the auxiliary guides 44, 44' advantageously increases the stability of the bracket 40 during the passage from the first to the second operating position, and vice versa.
With reference again to figures 7, 17 and 27, the bottom surface 18 of the main carriage 11 preferably comprises a central transversal groove 92 which develops at the median line 63'. In such a central groove 92 are inserted a further pair of rollers 83 in symmetric position with respect to the rotation axis 500 of the bracket 40 with respect to the secondary carriage 60. These further guiding rollers 83, along with the central groove 92, have the purpose of maintaining the centre of gravity of the bracket 40 at the median line 63' of the bottom surface 18 of the carriage 11 during the passage of the bracket 40 from the first to the second operating position (i.e. during the roto-translation of the bracket itself). As a matter of fact this solution advantageously stabilizes the movement of the bracket 40 because it allows a stabile transversal movement of the secondary carriage 60 with respect to the main carriage 11 during the roto-translation of the bracket 40. This is a possible, and thus not exclusive, embodiment of the main carriage 11 and coupling means of the bracket 40 to the carriage itself. Thus, alternatively, functionally equivalent embodiments of the main carriage 11 and such coupling means must, in all cases, be considered encompassed within the scope of protection of the present invention.
The guiding member 50 of the first moving unit 10 has a substantially "rectangular plate" shape and is slidingly coupled to the bottom surface 18 of the main carriage 11. In particular, the main carriage 11 comprises two supporting and guiding members 28', 28" arranged on the side of the bottom surface 18 intended to face the connection surface 300 of the piece of furniture 2. Such supporting and guiding members 28', 28" have the function of supporting the guiding member 50 allowing however the relative movement of the main carriage 11 with respect to the guiding member 50 itself during the movement of the bracket 40 from the first to the second operating position. In the solution illustrated in the figures, said supporting and guiding members 28', 28" are defined by a pair of profiles arranged according to a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction of development of the axles 13, 14 of the main carriage 11. As shown, for example, in figure 6, such supporting and guiding profiles 28', 28" have a substantially C-shaped section to contain a corresponding longitudinal edge of the guiding member 50.
The coupling/releasing means of the guiding member 50 of the first unit 10 comprise a stop member 51 integral with the piece of furniture 2 and an operating member 52 mounted on the lower side of the guiding member 50, i.e. on the side facing the connection surface 300 of the piece of furniture 2 onto which the rectilinear guides 5, 5' are connected. The operating member 52 is hinged to the lower side of the guiding member 50 so as to assume at least a first and second angular position. More in detail, at the first angular position, the operating member 52 is coupled, with a seat-shaped portion 52' thereof, to the stop member 51 integral with the piece of furniture 2, while at the second angular position, the operating member 52 is released from the stop member 51. The coupling/releasing means may further comprise an elastic member (not shown) or a clutch member adapted to prevent the involuntary return of the operating member 52 from the second to the first angular position.
The operating principle of the coupling/releasing means of the guiding member 50 is apparent by comparing figures 7, 17 and 27. In particular, figure 3 illustrates the operating member 52 coupled to the stop member 51. As a consequence, the guiding member 50 is integral with the piece of furniture 2. During the roto-translation of the bracket 40 (i.e. during its passage from the first to the second operating position), the operating member 52 remains coupled to the stop member 51, maintaining the angular position thereof unchanged. In particular, such a position is maintained by effect of the seat-shaped portion 52' which prevents the releasing of the pin 51. The profile of the operating member 52 is such that an activation end 52" thereof remains in contact with the longitudinal surface of a supporting and guiding member 28' thus preventing the rotation of the member itself. When the bracket 40 reaches the second operating position indicated above, the activation end 52" looses contact with the longitudinal surface 29 of the supporting and guiding member 28'. This determines a releasing rotation of the operating member 52 in the direction shown in figure 17 with reference 7. Such a rotation indeed translates into the releasing of the operating member 52 itself from the stop member 51, as shown in figure 13.
The activation end 52" is shaped so that, following the completion of the releasing rotation, one contact side 54' of the operating member 52 is facing the front surface 29" of the supporting and guiding member 28'. During the subsequent movement of the main carriage 11 along the longitudinal direction 200 (i.e. during the completion of the opening of the first door 101), the guiding member 50 remains integral with the bracket 40 by effect of the coupling between the guiding rollers 81, 82 associated to the bracket itself and the guiding grooves 71,72 defined by the guiding member 50 itself.
During the subsequent movement in opposite direction (i.e. at the beginning of the closing movement of the first door 101), the guiding member 50 is dragged by the main carriage 11 and the bracket 40 by effect of the contrast between the contact side 54" and the front surface 29" of the guiding and supporting member 28'. The movement of the member 50 is concluded when the operating member 52 interacts again with the stop member 51 turning the sense indicated with reference numeral 7' in figure 27. The new stop condition imposed to the guiding member 50 allows the bracket 40 to pass again from the second to the first operating position, i.e. to the closing condition of the doors 101, 102 shown in figures 1 and 3.
The technical features and operating methods described above for the first movement unit 10 of the first door 101 must be considered valid also for the first moving unit 10' used to move the second door 102. Therefore, the same longitudinal rectilinear guides 5', 5" may be used for longitudinally moving the two movement units 10, 10' which constitute the upper moving assembly as defined above.
Figures from 31 to 39 relate to an alternative embodiment of the upper moving assembly which differs from that described above (first embodiment) for a different configuration of the first guiding means comprises the guiding member 50 and of the second guiding means of the bracket 40 associated to the bracket itself. Hereinafter, only the aspects of the second embodiment which differ from the first embodiment will be described. The description provided for the first embodiment must be thus considered valid for corresponding parts or parts in common to the two solutions. With this regards, structurally and/or functionally common parts are indicated in the drawings and/or in the description using the same reference numerals.
In this second embodiment, the first guiding means comprise a first groove 71 and a second groove 72, while the second guiding means associated to the bracket 40 comprise a pair of rollers 81', 81" slidingly inserted in said first groove 71 and a further roller 82' slidingly inserted in the second groove 72.
In particular, said pair of rollers 81', 81" are connected to a side extension 46' of the bracket 40 so as to be distanced along an alignment direction Y (indicated in figures 33, 36, 39). The extension 46' consists of a body, integral to the bracket 40, on the end of which the two rollers 81', 81" are rotationally mounted. The further roller 82', inserted in the second groove 72, is connected to a second extension 46" (indicated in figure 32), also integral to the bracket 40, so as to vertically emerge towards the bottom surface 18 of the main carriage 11. Such a bottom surface 18 comprises a transversal groove 91 through a portion of the second extension 46". Such a second transversal groove 91, in addition to allowing the passage of the second extension 46", establishes the movement of the bracket 40 with respect to the main carriage 11.
The position assumed by the rollers 81', 81", 82" indicated above within the respective guide grooves 71, 72 establishes a corresponding portion of the bracket 40 with respect to the guiding member 50, i.e. with respect to the main carriage 11. The roto-translation of the bracket 40 is thus determined by the contact, in continuously variable points, of the rollers 81', 81", 82" with the surfaces which define the two grooves 71, 72.
In the solution shown in figures from 31 to 39, the first groove 71 is defined by a first segment 71' and by a second segment 71" of greater curvature (i.e. smaller radius) with respect to said first segment 71'. In particular, such segments 71', 71" have different curvature centers C1, C2 (indicated in figures 33 and 39), but arranged on the same side with respect to the direction of alignment Y of the two rollers 81', 81" considered in the configuration shown in figure 33 (i.e. before the roto-translation of the bracket 40). The first groove 71 further comprises a third segment 71'", which has a curvature radius R much greater than that of the first segment 71' and of the second segment 71". In particular, the curvature centre of the third segment is arranged, with respect to the centers C1 and C2, on the opposite side with respect to the same direction of alignment Y (again considered in the configuration in figure 33). A joining segment 71a (indicated in figure 39) joins the third segment 71'" to the second segment 71" displaying a joining radius Ra substantially corresponding to the radius of one of the two rollers 81', 81" sustained by the extension 46' of the bracket 40. The first groove 71 finally comprises a fifth segment 71""' which joins the first segment 71' to the second segment 71" in position substantially opposite to said third segment 71'".
The second groove 72 has instead a simpler configuration than the first groove 71 comprising two curved segments 72', 72" having different curvature radii, but equal concavity (i.e. with curvature centers arranged on the same side with respect to the segments themselves). Such segments 72', 72" are joined at the ends by a first joining segment 72a and by a second joining segment 72b having a curvature radius substantially corresponding to the radius of the roller 82' indicated above.
Figures from 31 to 33 allow to observe the different position assumed by the rollers 81', 81" and 82' in the respective grooves 71, 72 before the roto-translation of the bracket 40 with respect to the main carriage 11. In particular, it is worth noting that in this position the rollers 81', 82" inserted in the first groove 71 are substantially in contact with the third segment 71"' and with the sector segment 71a. Similarly, the roller 82" inserted in the second groove 72 is substantially in contact with an end of the same, i.e. with the joining segment 72a.
With reference to figures from 34 to 36, during the roto-translation of the bracket 40 the rollers 81', 81" and 82' move within the respective grooves 71, 72 with respect to the main carriage 11. In particular, one of the rollers 81' inserted in the first groove 71 rests in contact with the second segment 71", while the roller 81" remains in contact with the first segment 71'. The further roller 82' inserted in the second groove 72 assumes an intermediate position within the second groove 72 itself remaining in contact with the main segments 72', 72" which define the same. It is worth noting that during the roto-translation of the bracket 40 the interaction between the rollers 81', 81" and 82' with the respective grooves 71, 72 constantly defines three contact points through which a stable movement of the bracket 40 is obtained. It has been seen that this solution is the most advantageous, in terms of movement stability, with respect to the previously described solution shown, for example, in figures 7, 17, 27 in which the presence of only two rollers 81, 82 (each of which inserted in a groove) defines in fact only two constant points of contact.
Figures from 37 to 39 show instead the position assumed by the rollers 81', 81" and 82' in the respective grooves 71, 72 at the end of the roto-translation of the bracket 40 with respect to the main carriage 11. As apparent, the rollers 81', 81" are in contact with the fifth segment 71""' of the first groove 71, while the further roller 82' is in contact with the second joining segment 72b.
With reference in particular to figures 33, 36 and 39, in this second embodiment, the bracket 40 is connected to the bottom surface 18 of the main carriage 11 through a kinematic couple which defines a rotation axis 500 substantially orthogonal to the bottom surface 18 itself. In particular, the bracket 40 is directly hinged onto the bottom surface 18 of the main carriage 11. With respect to the previously described embodiment, this solution allows to advantageously have a more compact, lighter unit 10.
More precisely, the rotation axis 500 is defined by a pin 69' mounted on a roller 69", both indicated in figure 36. The latter slides within a U-shape guide 92' (indicated in figure 33) connected to the bottom surface 18 of the main carriage 11 at the median line 64 of the bottom surface itself. Such a U-shaped guide has the objective of maintaining the centre of gravity of the bracket 40 at such median line 64 during the roto-translation of the bracket 40.
In the second embodiment, the bracket 40 comprises a first U-shaped portion 48' and a second U-shaped portion 48" which emerge from the second side of the bracket 42 towards the bottom surface 18 of the main carriage 11. In particular, the first portion 48' and the second portion 48" accommodate inside the auxiliary wheels 47, 47' sliding along transversal guides 49, 49', each of which defined on an outer side of one of the two axles 13, 14. More specifically, the first portion 48' accommodates two pairs of auxiliary wheels 47 sliding along the transversal guides 49 defined on opposite sides of the first axle 13, while the second portion 48" accommodates two pairs of auxiliary wheels 47' sliding along transversal guides 49' defined on opposite sides of the second axle 14.
It has been seen that the use of two U-shaped portions 48', 48" allows to increase the rigidity of the bracket 40 which translates into a more stable roto-translation of the same with respect to the main carriage 11. In this sense, it is worth noting that the use of the two U-shaped portions 48', 48" also allows a stabile interaction of the bracket 40 with the transversal guides 49, 49' defined by the axles 13,14.
Figures 8 and 9 relate to a second moving unit 20 (hereinafter also indicated as "second unit 20") of the first door 101 which comprises a mobile supporting member 111 along a longitudinal direction 200 and a connection bracket 140 similarly to that described above for the first unit 10. The second unit 20 comprises a guiding member associated to said supporting member 111. This expression means that the guiding member is substantially integral (that is stably connected) with the supporting member 111 so that during the passage of the bracket 140 from the first to the second operating position also the supporting member 111 remains integral with the piece of furniture 2. In other words, for the second moving unit 20 the supporting member 111 also performs the function of guiding member 50 of the bracket 140 and vice versa. For this reason, the supporting member 111 will be indicated with the expression "supporting and guiding member 111".
The second unit 20 comprises coupling/releasing means of the supporting and guiding member 111 to and from the piece of furniture 2. Such coupling/releasing means are thus susceptible of coupling the supporting and guiding member 111 to the piece of furniture 2 during the movement of the bracket 140 between the second operating position, and vice versa. Such coupling/releasing means are equally susceptible of coupling the supporting and guiding members 111 of the piece of furniture 2 when the bracket 140 reaches the second operating position. For the second unit 20 it is further provided that the supporting and guiding member 111 and the bracket 140 reciprocally intercept so that the supporting and guiding member 111 remains integral to the bracket 140 when this reaches the second operating position. In this manner, the supporting and guiding member 111 by releasing itself from the piece of furniture 2 advantageously works as translation means for the bracket 40 in longitudinal direction 200. This translates into the possibility of longitudinally translating the first door 101 until it is superimposed on the second door 102. Also in this case, during such a translation, the two doors 101, 102 remain reciprocally parallel because the bracket 140 stably maintains the second operating position.
With reference to figures 2 and 4, the longitudinal direction guiding means 200 are fixed to a second connecting surface 300' of the piece of furniture 2 coinciding in essence with the surface interiorly defined the compartment V which can be closed by the doors themselves. Similarly as the first unit 10, the longitudinal guiding meaning comprise also in this case a pair of reciprocally adjacent rectilinear guides 105', 105", preferably defined by a single profile made of extruded metallic material connectable to the second surface 300' of the piece of furniture 2 by means of traditional connecting members (e.g. screws).
Figures 8 and 9 are perspective views which illustrate the second unit 20 from two different points of view. The supporting and guiding member 111 comprises a plurality of moving wheels adapted to allow the movement along the longitudinal direction 200. More specifically, the supporting and guiding member 111 comprises a first pair of front wheels 131', 131" and a second pair of rear wheels 132', 132". As shown, the supporting and guiding member 111 preferably has a substantially prismatic rectangular shape as illustrated, for example, in figure 5. In particular, the front moving wheels 131', 131" and the rear moving wheels 132', 132" are respectively symmetric with respect to a longitudinal symmetric axis X. In this manner, a first front wheel 131' and a second front wheel 132' turn guided by the first rectilinear guide 105', while al second front wheel 131" and a second rear wheel 132" turn guided by the second rectilinear guide 105". Preferably, the front movement wheels 131', 131" and the rear movement wheels 132', 132" are mounted on a first surface 111' of the supporting and guiding member 111 and more specifically on the surface on the surface which faces the connection surface 300 of the guides 105', 105". Furthermore, the movement wheels have a substantially "vertical" rotation axis X1, i.e. orthogonal to the movement plane defined by the rectilinear guides 105', 105".
It has been seen that this use of the adjacent rectilinear guides 105',105" with vertical axis movement wheels 131', 131", 132', 132" allows to advantageously contain the size of the supporting and guiding member 111 as well as the height of same with respect to the connection surface 300 of the piece of furniture 2. Figure 10 is an exploded view of the second unit 20 and allows to observe in detail a preferred embodiment of the bracket 140. The latter is defined by a shaped body comprising a substantially rectangular edge 141 intended to be connected to lower edge 101' of the first door 101, as clearly shown also in figure 1. The shaped body of the bracket 140 also comprises an operating surface 142 which is developed on a plane substantially parallel to that on which the edge 141 develops. The shaped body of the bracket 140 further comprises a joining surface 143 which connects the edge 141 and the surface 142.
Similarly as the first unit 10 described above, also the connection bracket 140 and the supporting and guiding member 111 of the second unit 20 comprise first and second guiding means respectively, which interact with each other to guide the bracket 140 itself between the first and the second operating position. More in detail, in the second unit 20 the first guiding means of the bracket 140 preferably comprise a first guiding groove 171 and a second guiding groove 172, which in the illustrated case in point are defined through the operating surface 142 of the bracket 140 itself. The second guiding means associated to the supporting and guiding member 111 comprise instead a first guiding pin 181 and a second guiding pin 182 preferably arranged along the longitudinal symmetry axis X of the supporting and guiding member 111 each in vicinal position to one of the ends of the supporting and guiding member 111. The first guiding pin 181 is slidingly inserted in the first guiding groove 171, while the second guiding pin 182 is slidingly inserted in the second guiding groove 172. The interaction between the guiding pins 181, 182 and the respective grooves 171, 172 determines the roto-translation of the bracket 140 with respect to the supporting and guiding member 111. In other words, a precise position of the bracket 140 with respect to the supporting and guiding member 111 is determined for each relative position of the guiding pins 181, 182 with respect to the grooves 171, 172.
It is worth noting that according to the invention, during the movement of the bracket 140 the guiding pins 181, 182 maintain a fixed position being the supporting and guiding member 111 fixed to the piece of furniture 2. The grooves 171, 172 thus slide with respect to the guiding pins 181, 182, which are preferably in form of rollers for facilitating such a sliding. It is further worth noting that the structure of the first and second guiding means indicated above is particularly advantageous because it allows to make the structure of the mechanism particularly compact. In substance, the operating surface 142 of the bracket is advantageously exploited to define the grooves 171, 172, while the guiding pins 181, 182 are arranged on the supporting and guiding members 111, which advantageously have a contained dimension.
Figures 12 and 14 illustrate the piece of furniture 2 in figures 1 and 2 during a first step of moving of the opening of the first door 101. More specifically, such figures show a first step of such movement corresponding to the passage of the first door 101 from a position coplanar to the second door 102 to a position parallel to, but not coplanar with the second door 102 itself. During this step, the supporting and guiding member 111 is fixed to the piece of furniture 2 by effect of the coupling/releasing means which lock the movement thereof along the longitudinal direction 200. Following a force (indicated by reference F in figure 14) applied to the first door 101, the bracket 140 moves with respect to the supporting and guiding member 111 guided by the interaction between the first guiding means and the second guiding means, i.e. the interaction between the grooves 171, 172 and the respective guiding pins 181, 182 as shown in the projection in figure 10a.
Figures 18 and 19 are perspective views, from different points of view, of the second unit 20 shown in figure 12, while figure 17 is a corresponding projection view from the bottom of the unit itself. In particular, by comparing figure 8 and 18 it is possible to observe the different relative position assumed by the pins 181, 182 in the respective grooves 171, 172. Indeed, in the condition in figure 8 the bracket 140 occupies the first operating position and each guiding pin 181, 182 is in contact with a first end 171', 172' of the respective grooves 171, 172. In the condition in figure 18 following the movement of the bracket 140, the grooves 171, 172 slide with respect to the pins 181, 182 which remain in fixed position by effect of the coupling means.
Figures 22 and 24 show the piece of furniture 2 in figures 2, 4, 12 and 14 at the end of the opening movement of the first door 101, i.e. when the first door 101 is in a parallel position, substantially facing the second door 102. The opening movement of the first door 101 from the condition in figure 2 and 4 to that in the figures 22 and 24 thus comprise a first step in which the bracket 140 passes from the first to the second operating position so as to take the first door 101 to an intermediate position (dashed line in figure 14) in which it is parallel to, but no longer coplanar with the second door 102. In a second step of opening, the bracket 140 is dragged, with the supporting and guiding member, along a longitudinal direction 200 indeed to the condition illustrated in figures 22 and 24.
With reference to figure 24, it is observed that the bracket 140 maintains the second operating position during the translation of the first door 101 from the intermediate position (dashed line in figure 14) to the final opening position (solid line in figure 14). With reference to figure 29, it is worth noting that the second operating position is established by the contact of the guiding pins 181, 182 with a second end 171", 172" of the respective grooves 171, 172 opposite to the first end 171', 172' indicated above.
The two grooves 171, 172 of the bracket 140 thus have a profile shaped so that in passage from the first operating position (in figure 9) to the second operating position (in figure 29) the bracket 140 turns and translates with respect to the supporting and guiding member 111. With this regard, the first unit 10 comprises synchronization means for synchronizing the interaction between the first and second guiding means of the unit itself. Such synchronization means have the function of allowing the bracket 140 to move with respect to the supporting and guiding member 111 without seizing, i.e. without undesired jamming, between the first guiding means (grooves 171, 172) and the second guiding means (guiding rollers 181, 182) indicated above. In other words, such synchronization means are adapted to synchronize the movement of the first guiding groove 171, with respect to the first guiding pin 181, with the movement of the second groove 182, respect to the second guiding pin 182.
In the embodiment shown in the figures, the synchronization means comprise a rectilinear opening 156 defined through the operating surface 142 of the bracket 140 and a pin 155 associated to the supporting and guiding member 111 and slidingly inserted in the rectilinear opening 156. In particular, the latter is preferably developed according to a direction substantially orthogonal to the rectilinear edge 141 of the bracket 140. By comparing figures 9, 19 and 29, for example, it is apparent that the relative position of the pin 155 with respect to the rectilinear opening 156 continuously varies during the passage of the bracket 140 from the first to the second operating position. The interaction of the pin 155 with opening 156 allows a continuous sliding of the grooves 171, 172 with respect to the respective guiding pins 181, 182 thus avoiding and seizing or jamming of these guiding means.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the coupling/releasing means of the supporting and guiding members 111 of the second unit 20 comprising a stop member 151 integral with the piece of furniture 2 and an operating member 152 hinged to the supporting and guiding member 111 so as to turn between at least first angular position, in which its coupling portion 143 remains coupled to the stop member 151, and a second angular position in which when reached such a coupling portion 143 is coupled to the stop member 151 so as to make the supporting and guiding member 111 mobile along the longitudinal direction 200.
The stop member 151 preferably comprises a base 151' adapted to be fixed to the piece of furniture 2 and a pin portion 151" which emerges from the basic portion 151'. The operating member 152 comprises an end part which defines the coupling portion 143 defined above. The latter has a seat 143' (indicated, for example, in figure 16) substantially U-shaped, i.e. mating with the pin portion 151" of the stop member 151.
The coupling/releasing means equally comprise activation means of the second operating member 152 adapted to turn the same from the first and the second angular position when the bracket 140 reaches the second operating position. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, such activation means comprise an activation body 162 slidingly coupled to the supporting member 111 and dragged by the bracket 140 between a first and a second drag position characteristic of the first and the second operating position of the bracket 140, respectively. The activation body 162 is further coupled to the operating member 152 by means of a shape coupling for which the operating member 152 maintains the first angular position during the drag of the body 162 between the first and the second drag position and such that the operating member 152 itself turns from the first to the second angular position when the activation body 162 reaches the second drag position, i.e. when the bracket 140 reaches the second operating position.
The exploded views in figures 10, 20 and 30 allow to observe in detail a preferred embodiment of the coupling/releasing means of the supporting and guiding member 111 of the second unit 20. The activation body 162 (hereinafter indicated also as body 162) has a rectangular prismatic shape and is slidingly coupled to a second surface 111" of the supporting and guiding member 111 opposite to the first surface 111' to which the movement wheels 131', 131", 132', 132" are also hinged. In particular, the body 162 is connected to the second surface 111' by means of a pair of supporting and guiding profiles 128', 128" which are developed parallel to the longitudinal symmetry axis X of the supporting and guiding member 111. Each of the two supporting and guiding profiles 128', 128" accommodates an edge of the body 162 so as to allow the sliding of the latter with respect to the second surface 111'. The body 162 is coupled to the operating member 152 by means of a shape coupling defined by a substantially L-shaped groove to a first side 163' from which the supporting and guiding profiles 128', 128" develop and a second side 163" from which it develops on direction orthogonal to the profiles themselves. Such sides 163' and 163" are joined, as apparent, for example, from the exploded view in figure 10. The concerned shape coupling further comprises a pin end 151 integral with the operating member 152 inserted in this L-shaped groove.
The pin end 155 inserted in the rectilinear opening 156 defined through the operating surface 142 of the bracket 140 is associated to the body 162. In particular, according to the embodiment shown in the figures, the synchronization means (i.e. the pin end 155 and rectilinear opening 156) indicated above also perform the function of activation means of the coupling/releasing means. Indeed, the pin end 155 and the rectilinear opening 156 advantageously have a double function with considerable advantages in terms of ease of use. The possibility of making synchronization means structurally independent from the coupling/releasing means independently from the coupling/releasing means is in all cases within the scope of the present invention.
The operating principle of the coupling/releasing means of the supporting and guiding member 111 of the second unit 20 is described below. In the coplanar condition of the doors 101, 102 (figures 2 and 4), the operating member 152 assumes the first angular position, shown in detail in figure 10a. The coupling portion 143 interacts through the seat 143', with the pin portion 151" making it integral with the operating member 152, and thus making the supporting and guiding member 111 integral with the piece of furniture 2. As shown, the U-shape of the seat 143' prevents the movement of the supporting and guiding member 111 along the longitudinal direction 200. It is observed that in this condition, the body 162 occupies the first drag position for which the pin end 151 occupies a position inside the first side 163' of the L-shaped groove and near the end of the first side itself. The pin end 155 integral to the plate 165 occupies a position inside the rectilinear opening 156 and is also near the respective end of the opening itself.
With reference to the projection view in figure 20a, during the roto-translation of the bracket 140 with respect to the supporting and guiding member 111 (passage of the bracket 140 from the first to the second operating position), the coupling portion 143 of the operating member 152 is maintained stably coupled to the pin portion 151" of the stop member 151 maintaining the supporting and guiding member 111 in fixed position. The movement of the bracket 140 causes a drag of the body 162 with respect to the supporting and guiding profiles 128', 128" which support it. The movement of the body 162 occurs in the sense indicated by reference X1 in figure 20a, i.e. in the direction of translation of the bracket 140. Following the drag of the body 162, the position occupied by the pin end 151 in the L-shaped groove is always closer to the second side 163" as apparent, for example, by comparing figures 10a and 20a.
The body 162 reaches the second drag position when the bracket 140 reaches the second operating position (figure 30a). The pin end 151 of the operating member 152 passes rapidly from the first side 163' to the second side 163" of the L-shaped groove. Such a passage determines a rotation of the operating member 152 about the rotation axis 501 which is translates into the releasing of the coupling portion 143 of the stop member 151. This condition makes the supporting member 111 free to translate guided by the rectilinear guides 105', 105" fixed to the piece of furniture 2. In other words, the passage of the pin end 151 from the first side 163' to the second side 163" of the L-shaped groove translates into the rotation of the operating member 152 from the first to the second angular position.
Similarly as required for the opening movement, the closing movement of the first door 101 includes a first step in which it is translated from the position shown in figure 22 to the intermediate position (dashed line in figure 24). The coupling portion 143 of the operating member 152 is shaped so that when the first door 101 reaches the intermediate position (dashed line in figure 24), the U-shaped seat 143' interacts again with the pin portion 151" for coupling the supporting member 111 to the piece of furniture 2. In particular, the interaction between the U-shaped seat 143" and the pin portion 151" determines the rotation of the operating member 152 about the respective axis 501, thus determining the passage of the member itself from the second to the first angular position. Such a rotation determines, in turn, the passage from the pin end 151 of the second side 163" to the first side 163' of the L-shaped groove. In this manner, the body 162 becomes free to translate again (by effect of the subsequently movement of the bracket 140) with respect to the supporting member 111 from the second to the first drag position, i.e. to return the first movement unit 10 to the configuration shown in figures 2 and 4.
It is worth noting that the guide grooves 71, 72 defined in the guiding member 50 by the first unit 10 and the grooves 171, 172 defined in the bracket 140 and the second unit 20 are appropriately shaped, i.e. so as to synchronize the roto-translation of the bracket 140 of the second unit 20 with that of the bracket 40 of the first unit 10 of the upper moving assembly of the mechanism 1.
As previously indicated with regards to the upper moving assembly, the technical features and operating methods described above for the second moving assembly 20 of the first door 101 also apply to the second moving unit 20' for moving the second door 102. Obviously, the same longitudinal rectilinear guides 105', 105" may be used for longitudinally moving the two movement units 20, 20' which constitute the lower moving assembly as defined above.
Figures from 40 to 48 relate to a second possible embodiment of a lower moving assembly of the mechanism according to the present invention. Hereinafter, such a second embodiment is described which differs from the first embodiment shown in figures 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 10a, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 20a, 22, 24, 28, 29, 30, 30a and described above in detail. The description above related to the first embodiment applies for the parts either corresponding or in common to the embodiments. With this regard, parts structurally and/or functionally common to the two embodiments are indicated in the drawings with the same numeric references.
With reference to figures from 40 to 42, in this second embodiment, the lower moving assembly comprises a first guide 118' and a second guide 118" integral (that is stably connected) with the piece of furniture and arranged on the ends of the rectilinear guides 105', 105". Such guides 118', 118" have a substantially circle arch-shape and are developed towards the inside of the second connection surface 300' of the piece of furniture 2, i.e. of the bottom surface of the compartment V of the piece of furniture itself. The first arch-shaped guide 118' is susceptible of interacting with a first guiding roller 120' rotably connected to the bracket 140 of the second moving unit 20 of the first door 101. In particular, such first guiding roller 120' slides within the first guide 118' during the roto-translation of the bracket 140 from the first operating position to the second operating position. In entirely similar manner, the second arch-shaped guide 118" is susceptible to interact with a second guiding roller 120' rotably connected to the bracket 140 of the second moving unit 20 of the second door 102. Such a second roller 120" slides inside the second guide 118' during the rotation of such a bracket 140.
Hereinafter, reference is made to the first arch-shaped guide 118' and to the first guiding roller 120' related to the second moving unit 20 of the first door 102, but the considerations which follow apply also to the second unit 20' of the second door 102. Figure 43 shows the first guide 118' integral (that is stably connected) to a fixing member 170 which has a conformation such as to allow the positioning between two rectilinear guides 105', 105" as illustrated, for example, in figure 42. Such a fixing member 170 is preferably made in one piece with the first guide 118' and is connected to the piece of furniture by means of fixing means 121 such as, for example, a connection screw.
The first guide 118' emerges from the side with respect to the fixing member 170 remaining connected thereto by means of a bridge portion 177. Such a bridge portion 177 allows the first guide 118' to be arranged by the side of the rectilinear guide 105", as again apparent from Figure 42. With reference again to Figure 43, it is worth noting that the first roller 120' is arranged substantially in proximity to a vertex 40a of the shaped body which defines the bracket 140.
Figures from 40 to 42 allow to observe the interaction of the first arch-shaped guide 118' with the first roller 120'. In particular, Figure 40 and Figure 41 show the first unit 20' before and during the roto-translation of the bracket 140 with respect to the supporting member 11, i.e. before and during the passage of the bracket 140 of the first and second operating position, respectively. Figure 42 shows a first unit 20' at the end of the roto-translation of the bracket 140. In such a condition, the supporting and guiding member 111 is coupled to the piece of furniture 2 to slide horizontally, guided by the rectilinear guides 105', 105". As a consequence of the first driving roller 120' being integral (that is stably connected) to the bracket 140, exits from the first guide 118'.
Such a roto-translation is determined by the relative sliding of the grooves 171, 172 with respect to the guiding pins 181, 182 and, at the same time, by the sliding of the first roller 120' in the first guide 118'. During the roto-translation of the bracket 140, the guiding pins 181, 182 and the guiding roller 118' establish in fact two contact points between the bracket 140 and the carriage supporting member 11, while a further contact point is established between the bracket and the first guide 118' integral (that is stably connected) with the piece of furniture 2. It has been seen that the presence of these three contact points, continuously variable in terms of position, allows a particularly stable, effective roto-translation of the bracket 140.
Figures 44 and 45 show a further possible embodiment of one of the moving units 20, 20' of the lower moving assembly. In particular, reference is made again to the second moving unit 20 of the first door 101 of the piece of furniture, but the same conditions apply to the second moving unit 20' of the second door 102. In the solution shown in figures 44 and 45, the first guiding means, associated to the bracket 140, comprise a first guiding profile 231 and a second guiding profile 232 which emerge from the lower side of the operating surface 142 of the bracket 140, i.e. from the side facing the supporting and guiding member 111. The second guiding means (associated to the member 111) comprise instead a first pair of rollers 141', 141", which interact with said first profile 231, and a second pair of rollers 142', 142", which interacts with said second profile 232.
A first roller 141' of said first pair of rollers slides along a first side 231 of the first profile 231, while a second roller 141" of said first pair of rollers, slides along a second side 231" of the first profile 231 opposite to said first side 231. Similarly, a first roller 142' of said second pair of rollers slides along a first side 232 of said second profile 232, while a second roller 142" of said second pair of rollers slides along a second side 232 of said second profile 232.
It has been seen that by means of this solution, the roto-translation movement of the bracket 140 with respect to the supporting member 111 is further improved in terms of stability. In particular, the use of two pairs of rollers 141', 141", 142', 142" allows to advantageously minimize the friction, i.e. obtain a precise, continuous movement. In this sense, movement stability is further guaranteed by the presence of the first sliding guiding roller 120' in the first arch-guide 118' according to the principles already described above.
The described technical solutions allow to fully fulfill the predetermined tasks and objects. In particular, the moving mechanism according to the invention allows an effective movement of two coplanar doors of a piece of furniture by means of an extremely low number of components. The operating principle of the mechanism allows a high reliability and duration higher than that of the traditionally used moving mechanisms.
The moving mechanism device thus devised is susceptible to a number of changes and variants all within the scope of the inventive concept as defined in the appended claims; furthermore, all details may be replaced by other technically equivalent one.
In practice, any material or size or contingent shape may be used according to needs and current art.

Claims

A mechanism for moving coplanar doors of a piece of furniture (2), said mechanism comprising at least one moving unit (10, 10') for moving a respective door (101, 102) of said piece of furniture (2), said at least one moving unit (10, 10') comprising:
- a connection bracket (40) adapted to be connected to said respective door (101, 102);

- a supporting member (11) in form of a main carriage which supports said bracket, said supporting member (11) being mobile along a longitudinal direction (200) defined by longitudinal guiding means (5',5") connectable to said piece of furniture (2),

- a guiding member (50) of said connection bracket (40) for guiding the movement of said connection bracket (40) between a first and a second operating position characteristic of a coplanar door condition and of parallel, non-coplanar door condition, respectively, said guiding member (50) and said connection bracket (40) respectively comprise first guiding means and second guiding means, which interact to guide said connection bracket (40) between said first and said second operating position,
wherein said guiding member (50) is stably connected with said piece of furniture (2) during the movement of said connection bracket (40) between said first and second operating position, and wherein said guiding member (50) is stably connected with said connection bracket (40) when the same reaches said second operating position,
said supporting member (11) being movable relative to said guiding member (50) along said longitudinal direction (200) during the movement of said connection bracket (40) between said first and said second operating position, wherein the movement of said connection bracket (40) relative to the guiding member (50) and to the supporting member (11) is a roto-translation defined by said interaction of said first and second guiding means, the first guiding means comprising curve-shaped guiding grooves (71, 72), and wherein said mechanism comprises coupling/releasing means of said guiding member (50) to/from said piece of furniture (2) configured for coupling said guiding member (50) to said piece of furniture (2) during the movement of said connection bracket (40, 140) between said first and said second operating position, and configured for releasing said guiding member from said piece of furniture (2) when said connection bracket (40, 140) occupies said second operating position.
A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said first guiding means comprising a first guiding groove (71) and a second guiding groove (72), said second guiding means comprising a first guiding roller (81), slidingly inserted in said first guiding groove (71), and a second guiding roller (82), slidingly inserted in said second guiding groove (72).
A mechanism according to Claim 1, wherein said first guiding means comprising a first guiding groove (71) and a second guiding grove (72), said second guiding means comprising a pair of rollers (81', 81") slidingly inserted in said first guiding groove (71) and a further roller (82') slidingly inserted in said second guiding groove (72).
A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said longitudinal guiding means comprise a first rectilinear guide (5') and a second rectilinear guide (5") parallel to each another, said rectilinear guides (5', 5") being fixed to a connection surface (300) of said piece of furniture (2).
A mechanism according to claim 4, wherein said rectilinear guides (5', 5") are adjacent and defined by a single profile made of metal material connectable to said connection surface (300) of said piece of furniture (2).
A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said mechanism comprises a first moving assembly comprising a first moving unit (10) of a first door (101) and a first moving unit (10') of a second door (102) and wherein said first units (10, 10') of said first moving assembly are connected to a first portion of the corresponding door (101, 102).
A mechanism for moving coplanar doors of a piece of furniture (2), said mechanism comprising at least one moving unit (20,20') for moving a respective door (101, 102) of said piece of furniture (2), said at least one moving unit (20) comprising:
- a connection bracket (140) adapted to be connected to said respective door (101,102); and connected to

- a supporting member (111) of the bracket itself, which is mobile along a longitudinal direction (200) defined by longitudinal guiding means connectable to said piece of furniture (2),

- a guiding member (111) for guiding the movement of said connection bracket (140) between a first and a second operating position characteristic of a coplanar door condition and of parallel, non-coplanar door condition, respectively, said connection bracket (140) and said guiding member respectively comprise first guiding means and second guiding means which interact to guide said connection bracket (40) between said first operating position and said second operating position wherein said guiding member is integral with said supporting member (111) and it is stably connected with said piece of furniture (2) during the movement of said connection bracket (140) between said first and second operating position, and wherein said guiding member is stably connected with said connection bracket (140) when the same reaches said second operating position,
wherein the movement of said connection bracket (140) relative to said guiding and supporting member (111) is a roto-translation defined by said interaction of said first and second guiding means, the first guiding means comprising curve-shaped guiding grooves (171, 172) said mechanism comprising coupling/releasing means of said guiding member to/from said piece of furniture (2) configured for coupling said guiding and supporting member (111) to said piece of furniture (2) during the movement of said connection bracket (140) between said first and said second operating position, and configured for releasing said guiding and supporting member (111) from said piece of furniture (2) when said connection bracket (140) occupies said second operating position.
A mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said first guiding means comprising a first guiding groove (171) and a second guiding groove (172) defined by said connection bracket (140), said second guiding means comprising a first guiding pin (181) and a second guiding pin (182), associated to said guiding member and respectively inserted in said first guiding groove (171) and in said second guiding groove (172).
A mechanism according to claim 7, said first guiding means comprising a first guiding profile (231) and a second guiding profile (232) which emerge from a side of said bracket (140) facing said supporting member (111), said second guiding means comprising a first pair of rollers (141',141") which interact with said first guiding profile (231) and a second pair of rollers (142', 142") which interact with said second guiding profile (232).
A mechanism according to any of the claims 7-9, wherein said guiding member and said connection bracket (140) interact so that said supporting member (111) remains integral with said connection bracket (140) when the same occupies said second operating position.
A mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said longitudinal guiding means comprise a first rectilinear guide (105') and a second rectilinear guide (105") parallel to each another, said rectilinear guides (105") being fixed to a connection surface (300') of said piece of furniture (2).
A mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said rectilinear guides (105', 105") are adjacent and defined by a single profile made of metal material connectable to said connection surface (300') of said piece of furniture (2).