EP3521542B1 - Cover positioner for furniture - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a cover plate for a piece of furniture with an actuating arm which is pivotably attached to a base element about a first actuation axis between an open position and a closed position, and with an energy store which is connected with a first free end to the base element and which is connected to a base element second free end is coupled to the actuating arm via a coupling device such that the actuating arm is acted upon by force over at least part of the pivoting path of the actuating arm in the direction of the open or closed position.

Such a cover plate is from the DE 102 23 026 B3 known. Here, a slide valve is guided linearly displaceable in a housing. The slide valve has a roller which is rotatably mounted on the slide valve. The roller is subjected to force in contact with an actuating contour of the actuating arm. For this purpose, coil springs are used, which act on the slide valve and thus the roller against the positioning contour. A comparable cover plate also shows EP 1 296 011 A1 , WO 2012/116866 A1 shows a cover plate, in which the energy accumulator is designed as a leaf spring.

In certain applications, it may be disadvantageous that these cover plates use coil springs. In order to provide the force required to hold or move a lid, the coil springs have a relatively large diameter. This means that the entire cover plate turns out to be relatively thick in the direction of the first pivot axis. This means that the cover plate protrudes relatively far into the interior of the cabinet.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cover plate which is as narrow as possible.

The task is solved by a cover plate for a piece of furniture with an adjusting arm, around a first actuation axis between an open position and a closed position is pivotally attached to a base element, and with an energy store, which is connected to the base element with a first free end and which is coupled to the actuating arm with a second free end via a coupling device in such a way that the actuating arm over at least part of the pivoting path of the Actuating arm is acted upon in the direction of the open position or the closed position. The energy accumulator has a flat spring which is made from a plate-shaped flat material, the flat spring being resiliently loaded between the base element and the actuating arm in one plane of the flat material.

The flat spring is made of a plate-shaped material and is spring loaded in the plane of the flat material (plate level). The flat spring is therefore elastically deformed in the plane of the flat material and not, like a leaf spring, transversely to the plane of the flat material. This ensures a very thin construction of the cover plate.

Here, the flat spring is designed to be resilient in the plate plane, so that the flat spring does not take up any installation space beyond its plate thickness. The plate plane is the plane that is spanned by the plate-shaped material. Plate thickness means the thickness of the plate-shaped material.

The flat spring is preferably made of sheet metal from a metal material. Standard materials are therefore used, such as steel materials, in particular spring steel, which have proven themselves in the manufacture of spring elements due to their strength and durability.

In one exemplary embodiment, the flat spring can be U-shaped in the plane of the flat material and form a first spring arm and a second spring arm, the first spring arm being connected to the base element and the second spring arm being coupled to the actuating arm for the application of force.

In a specific embodiment, the U-shaped flat spring can be designed in such a way that the two spring arms are connected to one another via a deflection area.

Here, the first spring arm can have a first free end, with which the flat spring is connected to the base element, preferably rotatably. Furthermore, the second spring arm can have a second free end with which the flat spring with the Actuator arm is coupled. Thus, the greatest possible length of the flat spring from the first free end to the second free end is used.

The spring arms can be designed to taper towards the free ends. The plate thickness does not change here. In addition, the flat spring can be tapered from an apex of the deflection region to the free ends in the plate plane.

In an exemplary embodiment, the second spring arm is coupled to the actuating arm via a coupling device.

In one embodiment, the coupling device can have an actuating contour on the actuating arm that runs at a changing distance from the first actuating axis. Here, the coupling device can also have a pressure element which is acted upon by the flat spring with force against the actuating contour.

The pressure element can, for example, be arranged on a swivel arm which is pivotally connected to the base element, the second spring arm being urged against the swivel arm. Thus degrees of freedom of movement are defined for the flat spring and the coupling device.

The second spring arm can be connected to the swivel arm, preferably rotatably.

In a specific embodiment, the pressure element can be a roller that is rotatably attached to the swivel arm.

Alternatively, the flat spring can also be S-shaped or W-shaped in the plane of the flat material. Other shapes are also conceivable, such as, for example, a plurality of wave-shaped sections arranged next to one another which are connected to one another at their facing wave crests, or any lattice structure.

Figur 1

eine perspektivische Darstellung eines Möbels mit einem erfindungsgemäßen Deckelsteller in der Offenstellung mit einer ersten Ausführungsform einer Flachfeder;

Figur 2

eine Teilseitenansicht des Korpus und des Deckelstellers gemäß Figur 1 mit dem Deckelsteller in seiner Schließstellung;

Figur 3

eine perspektivische Darstellung des Deckelstellers gemäß Figur 1 in seiner Offenstellung;

Figur 4

eine Draufsicht einer zweiten Ausführungsform einer Flachfeder in U-Form;

Figur 5

eine Draufsicht einer dritten Ausführungsform einer Flachfeder in S-Form;

Figur 6

eine Draufsicht einer vierten Ausführungsform einer Flachfeder in W-Form;

Figur 7

eine Draufsicht einer fünften Ausführungsform einer Flachfeder in Wellenform; und

Figur 8

eine Draufsicht einer sechsten Ausführungsform einer Flachfeder in einer Gitterform.

A preferred exemplary embodiment is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Show here

Figure 1

a perspective view of a piece of furniture with a cover plate according to the invention in the open position with a first embodiment of a flat spring;

Figure 2

a partial side view of the body and the cover plate according to Figure 1 with the cover plate in its closed position;

Figure 3

a perspective view of the cover plate according to Figure 1 in its open position;

Figure 4

a plan view of a second embodiment of a flat spring in a U-shape;

Figure 5

a plan view of a third embodiment of a flat spring in an S-shape;

Figure 6

a plan view of a fourth embodiment of a flat spring in a W-shape;

Figure 7

a plan view of a fifth embodiment of a flat spring in wave form; and

Figure 8

a plan view of a sixth embodiment of a flat spring in a lattice shape.

The Figures 1 to 3 show a cover plate according to the invention, shown partially assembled in a body of a piece of furniture, the figures being described together below.

Figure 1 shows a cover plate 1 mounted in a piece of furniture 2. The piece of furniture 2 comprises a body 3 with two side walls 4, 5, a lower floor 6 and an upper floor 7. The side walls 4, 5, the lower floor 6 and the upper floor 7 form together an opening 8, which can be closed by a folding lid 9. In Figure 1 the folding lid is shown in an open position. The folding lid has an upper lid half 10 which is pivotably connected to the body 3 about a horizontally arranged axis in the area of the upper bottom 6. The upper cover half 10 is pivotally connected to a lower cover half 11.

The cover plate 1 is mounted on one of the side walls 4, an adjusting arm 12 of the cover plate 1 about a first pivot axis S1 with a base element 13 of the cover plate 1 between an open position ( Figures 1 and 3 ) and a closed position ( Figure 2 ) is pivotally connected. The first pivot axis S1 is arranged horizontally. In addition, the actuating arm 12 is pivotally connected to the lower cover half 11 of the folding cover 9 about a second pivot axis S2, which is arranged parallel to the first pivot axis S1.

In principle, the cover plate 1 can also be connected to a simple cover, that is to say a cover that cannot be folded. In addition, the cover plate 1 can also be provided as a fitting which also serves as a hinge for the cover, so that the cover does not have to be connected to the body via a further hinge.

The base element has a covering plate, which in Figure 1 is shown. In the Figures 2, 3 the covering plate is not shown, so that the inside of the cover plate 1 is visible.

A force accumulator 14 is provided on the base element 13 and is coupled to the actuating arm 12 in such a way that the actuating arm 12 or at least part of its pivoting path is acted upon by force in the direction of the open position and / or the closed position. For this purpose, the energy accumulator 14 has a flat spring 15, which is made from a plate-shaped elastic material, preferably from sheet metal, from a metal material. In this context, plate-shaped means that the flat spring is many times thinner in the direction of its thickness than in a direction transverse to the direction of thickness. The flat spring 15 has a first spring arm 16 and a second spring arm 17, which are connected to one another via a deflection section 18. The first spring arm 16 has a first free end 21 and the second spring arm 17 a second free end 22 on. The two free ends 21, 22 point at least approximately in the same direction.

The first free end 21 of the first spring arm is pivotally connected to the base element 13. For this purpose, the first free end 21 is connected to the base element 13 via a rivet 19, so that the first spring arm 16 can pivot about the rivet 19.

The second free end 22 of the second spring arm 17 is coupled to the actuating arm 12 via a coupling device 20. The flat spring 15 is preloaded in such a way that a force acts on the actuating arm 12 from the second spring arm 19. In the present case, the two spring arms 16, 17 are pretensioned away from one another so that they exert a spring force on one another.

This means that the flat spring 15 is prestressed in the plate plane of the plate-shaped material.

The coupling device 20 comprises an assembly unit 24 to which the second free end 22 of the second spring arm 17 is pivotally connected via a bolt 23. The assembly unit 24 is fixedly connected to a swivel arm 25 which is connected to the base element 13 so as to be pivotable about a third swivel axis S3. The third pivot axis S3 is arranged parallel to the first pivot axis S1 and the second pivot axis S2.

On the mounting unit 24, a roller 27 is rotatably supported by a bolt 26. The roller 27 is acted upon by force against an actuating contour 28 of a cam disk 29, the cam disk 29 being firmly connected to the actuating arm 12. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the cam disk 29 is connected to the actuating arm 12, for example via rivets. In principle, however, it is also possible for the cam disc to be an integral part of the actuating arm 12.

Alternatively, the second spring arm 17 can also be coupled directly to the swivel arm 25, that is to say not via an assembly unit. The roller 27 can also be arranged in a directly rotatable manner on the swivel arm 25. As an alternative to the roller 27, a pressure piece can also be held in sliding contact with the adjusting contour 28.

The roller 27 is pressed against the adjusting contour element 29 by the spring force of the flat spring 15 or of the second spring arm 17.

The actuating contour 28 has a distance to the first pivot axis S1 that changes over its course, so that a force acts on the actuating arm 12 from the roller 27, which causes a torque in the drawing-in direction and / or in the direction of the open position.

The actuating contour 28 can, for example, be designed such that the radial distance of the actuating contour 28 from the first pivot axis S1 in the contact region between the roller 27 and the actuating contour 28 via a pivoting path starting from an intermediate position of the actuating arm 12 between the open position and the closed position in the direction of the open position decreases over an angular path of the actuating arm 12. In this way it can be ensured, for example, that the actuating arm 12 is subjected to a force over a greatest angular path, which generates a moment in the direction of the open position. Via the angular path, starting from the intermediate position to the closed position, the adjusting contour 28 can have a shape, over the course of which the radial distance from the first adjusting axis S1 decreases. Torque is thus generated via this swivel path, which acts on the actuating arm 12 to the closed position. The actuating contour 28 can be designed in such a way that the torque generated in each pivoting position of the actuating arm 12 corresponds to the counter-torque which is generated by the weight of the lid 9 as a whole, so that the lid 9 is held in any position between the open position and the intermediate position ,

The Figures 4 to 8 show by way of example further embodiments of flat springs, components or elements which correspond to those of the first embodiment being provided with the same reference numerals and being described in the first embodiment.

Figure 4 shows a plan view of a flat spring in a U-shape, a slot 30 being provided along the course of the flat spring within the U-shaped section, which ensures increased elasticity of the flat spring in the plate plane. Figure 5 shows a flat spring in S-shape. Figure 6 shows a flat spring in a W-shape. Figure 7 shows one Flat spring in wave form, in which a plurality of wave-shaped elements 31 are arranged one behind the other, the wave-shaped elements 31 being connected to one another at their adjacent wave crests 32. The individual elements can be joined together or can also be connected in one piece. Figure 8 shows a flat spring with a lattice structure.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

cover plate

2

Furniture

3

corpus

4

Side wall

5

Side wall

6

lower floor

7

top floor

8th

opening

9

folding cover

10

upper half of the lid

11

lower half of the lid

12

actuating arm

13

base element

14

power storage

15

flat spring

16

first spring arm

17

second spring arm

18

deflecting

19

rivet

20

coupling device

21

first free end

22

second free end

23

bolt

24

assembly unit

25

swivel arm

26

bolt

27

role

28

setting contour

29

Setting contour element

30

slot

31

wavy element

32

Wellenberg

S1

first pivot axis

S2

second pivot axis

S3

third pivot axis

Claims (11)

1. Lid stay (1) for a furniture (2), comprising
   a setting arm (12), which is pivotably attached on a base element (13) of the lid stay (1) around a first setting axis (S1) between an open position and a closed position, and
   an energy accumulator (14) which is connected to the base element (13) at a first free end (21) and which is coupled to the setting arm (12) at a second free end (22) via a coupling device in such a way that the setting arm (12) is subjected to force over at least a part of the pivot path of the setting arm (12) in direction towards the open position and/or the closed position,
   characterised in
   that the energy accumulator (14) comprises a flat spring, made from a platelike flat material, and
   that the flat spring is elastically loaded between the base element (13) and the setting arm (12) in a plate plane of the flat material.
2. Lid stay (1) according to claim 1,
   characterised in
   that the flat spring (15) is manufactured from sheet metal.
3. Lid stay (1) according to any of claims 1 or 2,
   characterised in
   that the flat spring is formed U-like in the plate plane of the flat material and forms a first spring arm (16) and a second spring arm (17), wherein the first spring arm (16) is connected to the base element (13) and the second spring arm (17) is coupled to the setting arm (12) for the force application.
4. Lid stay (1) according to claim 3,
   characterised in
   that the two spring arms (16, 17) are connected to each other via a turn section (18).
5. Lid stay (1) according to anyone of claims 3 or 4,
   characterised in
   that the first spring arm (16) has a first free end (21), with which the flat spring (15) is connected, preferably rotatably, to the base element (13), and that the second spring arm (17) has a second free end (22), with which the flat spring (15) is coupled to the setting arm (12).
6. Lid stay (1) according to claim 5,
   characterised in
   that the second spring arm (17) is coupled via a coupling device (20) to the setting arm (12).
7. Lid stay (1) according to claim 6,
   characterised in
   that the coupling device (20) has a setting contour (28) on the setting arm (12), which extends at a changing distance to the first setting axis (S1), and that the coupling device (20) further has a pressure element (27), which is acted upon by a force of the flat spring (15) against the setting contour (28).
8. Lid stay (1) according to claim 7,
   characterised in
   that the pressure element (27) is arranged on a pivot arm (25), wherein the pivot arm (25) is pivotably connected to the base element (13), and
   that the second spring arm (17) is acted on against the pivot arm (25).
9. Lid stay (1) according to anyone of claims 7 or 8,
   characterised in
   that the pressure element is a roller (27), rotatably attached on the pivot arm (25).
10. Lid stay (1) according to anyone of claims 3 to 9,
    characterised in
    that the second spring arm (17) is connected, preferably rotatably, to the pivot arm (25).
11. Lid stay (1) according to anyone of claims 1 to 10,
    characterised in
    that the flat spring (15) is formed S-like, W-like, wave-like or grid-like in the plate plane of the flat material.

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