ES2876349T3 - Drive mechanism for furniture parts - Google Patents

Abstract

Drive mechanism (4) for moving a piece of furniture (3) arranged in a moveable way, comprising: at least one drive arm (6) installed in a moveable way between a closed position and a closed position opening for the movement of the movable piece of furniture (3), and a spring device (11) by means of which the actuation arm (6) can be retracted into the closing position within a closing area (31) immediately prior to the closing position, characterized in that the actuating mechanism (4) has a coupling device (10) that disengages the spring device (11) from the actuating arm (6) in the closing area (31) during the opening of the actuating arm (6) and which couples the spring device (11) with the actuating arm (6) in the closing area (31) during the closing of the actuating arm (6), where the device (10) coupling has at least one element (14) of e mobile latch that is arranged so that it can move between a latched position and an unlocked position, where the latching element (14) in the latched position couples the spring device (11) with the actuating arm (6) , and where the locking element (11) can move to the unlocking position by pressing the movable piece of furniture (3) from its closing position in a pressure position (24) that is arranged behind the closing position, whereupon the drive arm (6) is released from the force of the spring device (11).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Drive mechanism for furniture parts

The present invention refers to a drive mechanism for moving a piece of mobile furniture, comprising:

- at least one drive arm installed movably between a closed position and an open position for the movement of the movable piece of furniture, and

- a spring device by means of which the actuating arm can be retracted to the closed position within a closing area immediately preceding the closed position.

In addition to compensating for the weight of the movable piece of furniture, the spring device of such a drive mechanism also serves to retract the piece of furniture to the fully closed position towards the end of the closing movement. In this way it is ensured that the piece of furniture in the closed position rests against the body of the piece of furniture with a certain locking force, that it remains completely closed and that unwanted opening is prevented. However, when opening the furniture part, it is necessary to carry out a manual pulling movement on the furniture part against the force of the spring device. Particularly in the case of heavy furniture parts, a spring device with a higher spring force is provided, which increases said locking force. Ultimately, this can lead to the fact that the piece of furniture can only be opened with considerable manual effort, especially when the piece of furniture is arranged as a door in a tall cabinet and therefore difficult access for one person.

In EP 2290182 A1 a generic drive mechanism is described in which a compensation device with an energy accumulator is provided to reduce the locking force. This energy accumulator exerts a counter force on the locking force of the drive mechanism, such that the total force required to open the piece of furniture is reduced. The provision of such a compensating device, however, requires an additional spring, which increases the space requirement and the manufacturing costs of the drive mechanism.

In DE 2306 520 A1 a furniture hinge with a hinge arm and a hinge cup is shown, with a lever arranged through a prestressed spring and coupled to the hinge arm of the hinge cup. removable way to carry out the closing movement of the furniture hinge with the help of the spring. During the closing movement of the furniture hinge, a spherical projection on the hinge arm engages a corresponding housing of the lever, in such a way that the furniture hinge retracts under the effect of the spring force in position closing end. However, during the opening movement, a person must exert a manual force against the spring force until the spherical protrusion of the hinge arm leaves the lever housing and is thereby released for the rest of the opening movement. opening.

Documents EP 0952290 A2 and US 2012/084944 A1 describe other generic drive mechanisms.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a compact drive mechanism of the type indicated at the beginning with which the above-described disadvantages are avoided.

According to the invention this is solved with the features of claim 1 of the patent. Other advantageous embodiments of the invention appear from the dependent claims.

According to the invention, it is also envisaged that the actuating mechanism has a coupling device which disengages the spring device from the actuating arm in the closing area during the opening of the actuating arm and which couples the spring device with the actuator. actuating arm in the closing area during closing, where the coupling device has at least one movable locking element that is arranged so that it can move between a locking position and an unlocking position, where the locking element in the locking position couples the spring device with the actuating arm, and where the locking element can be moved to the unlocking position by pressing the movable piece of furniture from its closed position into a pressure position that is arranged behind the the closed position, whereby the actuating arm is released from the force of the device. spring position.

Thus, the drive mechanism has a coupling device that engages the spring device with the drive arm during closing of the furniture part, in such a way that the spring device exerts a closing force on the movable furniture part. and the movable furniture part, as is known, towards the end of the closing movement is retracted into the closing position. On the contrary, when opening the mobile furniture part from its closed position, the spring device is disengaged from the actuating arm, so that during the opening of the mobile furniture part there is no locking force exerted by the spring device to be faced and the mobile furniture part is easy to open for a person. By continuing with the opening movement (i.e. after the closing area has been successfully traversed), the spring device re-engages with the actuating arm with the aid of the coupling device, in such a way that the force of the spring device assists in said continued opening movement.

The disengagement of the actuating arm from the spring device therefore takes place during the opening procedure, whereby it is not necessary for the actuating arm to move in the direction of the open position, which, for example , it does occur when pressing the movable furniture part, as described above. Obviously it is also possible that said decoupling is carried out by exerting a force on the actuating arm in the direction of the open position, in such a way that the coupling between the actuating arm and the spring device is also carried out by performing a brief manual pulling movement on the movable piece of furniture that is in the closed position.

Other features and advantages of the present invention are described below with reference to the following figures. In this regard, it is shown in:

Figures 1a, 1b, a side view of a piece of furniture with a movable piece of furniture that is arranged so that it can move with respect to a body of the piece of furniture by means of at least one drive mechanism, as well as the drive mechanism,

Figures 2a, 2b, a perspective view of the drive mechanism, as well as an enlarged detailed representation,

Figures 3a, 3b, the actuating mechanism with an actuating arm placed in an open position by means of the ejection device, as well as an enlarged detail representation,

Figures 4a, 4b, the actuating mechanism in another opening position of the actuating arm, as well as an enlarged detail representation,

Figures 5a, 5b, the actuating mechanism in a continuously open position of the actuating arm, as well as an enlarged detail representation,

Figures 6a, 6b, the actuating mechanism with the actuating arm in another open position, as well as an enlarged detail representation,

Figure 7, an expanded representation of the drive mechanism,

Figure 8, a diagram of the progression of the torque applied to the opening angle of the actuating arm.

Figure 1a shows a cabinet 1 with a movable cabinet part 3, which is arranged so that it can move relative to a cabinet body 2 by at least one drive mechanism 4. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the movable furniture part 3 is designed as a door which, with the aid of the actuating mechanism 4, can be opened upwards around an axis of rotation that extends horizontally with respect to the body. 2 of the cabinet. The drive mechanism 4 has a housing 5 in which a drive arm 6 is arranged in such a way that it can rotate about a rotation axis 9 (Figure 1b). Furthermore, an ejection device 7 is also provided by means of which the movable furniture part 3 can be displaced from the closed position to the open position. For this, the ejection device 7 has a movable ejection element 8 which is actuated by means of an energy accumulator and / or by means of an electric motor. The ejection element 8 operates after executing an actuation action on the rear of the movable furniture part 3 and ejects it towards the open position. The ejection device 7 is arranged either in or on the housing 5 of the drive mechanism 4 or, alternatively, it can be conceived as a separate component from the housing 5.

Figure 1b shows a side view of the drive mechanism 4. The actuating arm 6 is arranged so that it can rotate around an axis 9 of fixed rotation with respect to the housing 5 and in the illustrated illustration is in a closed position, such that the actuating arm 6 rests loosely. in the ejection element 8 of the ejection device 7. For the application of force to the actuating arm 6, a spring device 11 is provided, which is supported by a fixed articulation axis 16. The spring device 11 can have at least one helical spring (preferably at least one compression spring) or else an air spring. With the aid of the spring device 11, the actuating arm 6 is retracted into a closed position within a closing area immediately prior to the closing position (approximately at the end of the closing area of about 30 °); the spring device 11 exerts an opening force on the actuating arm 6 during an opening movement of the actuating arm 6 in the direction of the open position.

In order that the spring device 11 does not obstruct an opening movement of the actuating arm 6 from the closed position, a coupling device 10 is provided, which during the opening of the actuating arm 6 disengages the spring device 11 of the actuating arm 6 in the closing area 31 (Figure 8). On the contrary, when the actuating arm 6 is closed, the spring device 11 is coupled to the actuating arm 6 with the aid of the coupling device 10, in such a way that the actuating arm 6 (and with it the part 3 of movable furniture) is retracted in the closing area 31 by the effect of the force of the spring device 11, as is already known. The coupling device 10 comprises a coupling lever 12, which in the embodiment shown is designed as a double-armed lever with 2 lever ends 12a, 12b and is arranged so that it can rotate around an axis. Hinge 13 fixed relative to housing 5. Alternatively, a push or angle lever can also be used. The first end 12a of the lever of the coupling lever 12 can be reversibly locked with the aid of a locking element 14 (preferably a roller) loaded by the spring device. Preferably, it is envisaged that the locking element 14 is designed in the manner of a roller which is arranged so that it can rotate about an axis of articulation 25. In the locking position shown, the first end 12a of the lever interacts with the locking element 14. In the closed position, the actuating arm 6 rests on a rubber stop 21 arranged at the second end 12b of the lever. By pressing the movable furniture part 3 from its closed position into a pressure position 24 which lies behind the closed position, the locking element 14 moves to an unlocking position, whereby the actuating arm 6 is disengages from the force of the spring device 10. The locking element 14 is held in the locking position with a predetermined force thanks to an energy accumulator 15 (preferably a tension spring). The actuating mechanism 4 further comprises a rocker 17, which is connected to the coupling lever 12 in such a way that it can rotate by means of the fixed articulation axis 13. For the application of force to the rocker arm 17, a traction lever 27 is provided, which is connected to the rocker arm 17 by means of a movable joint shaft 26 and through which the force of the spring device 11 is transferred from the joint shaft 25 up to the articulation axis 26. Due to the effect of the force of the spring device 11, the traction lever 27 draws a traction movement on the sliding articulation axis 26, in such a way that the rocker arm 17 is prestressed around the articulation axis 13 with a force that is applies clockwise. The rocker 17 is connected by means of an articulation axis 19 to a lever 18, which, in turn, is articulated with the actuating arm 6 by means of another articulation axis 20. When the movable furniture part 3 is in the closed position, the position of the lever shown in Figure 1b causes a slight contraction force to be exerted on the actuating arm 6.

Figure 2a shows a perspective view of the actuating mechanism 4 installed in the body 2 of the furniture. The actuating arm 6 is arranged so that it can rotate around the axis 9 of fixed rotation and, in the closed position shown, rests both against the rubber stop 21 of the second end 12b of the lever, and against the element ejection device (Figures 1a, 1b) of the ejection device 7. The figure in question shows the locking position of the movable locking element 14, in which the locking element 14 is reversibly locked with the first end 12a of the lever of the double-arm coupling lever 12. The energy accumulator 15 designed as a traction spring maintains the locking element 14 in the locking position, the energy accumulator 15 operating between the rocker 17 and the first end 12a of the lever of the coupling lever 12. The rocker 17 is connected to the coupling lever 12 in such a way that it can rotate by means of the fixed articulation axis 13.

Figure 2b shows an enlarged detailed area of the drive mechanism 4 according to Figure 2a. The first end 12a of the lever of the coupling lever 12 has a locking cavity 22 for reversible locking of the locking element 14. The rocker 17 that rotates around the articulation axis 13 has a guide 23 by means of which the locking element 14 is housed so that it can move within the limits between the locking position and the unlocking position. If the movable furniture part 3 is pressed from its closed position into a pressure position 24 that lies behind the closed position (Figure 1b), the locking element 14 can be moved from the locking position to the locked position. unlocking, so that the actuating arm 6 can be released from the force of the spring device 11 in the closing area 31.

Figure 3a presents a perspective view of the actuating mechanism 4 after the movable furniture part 3 has been moved by means of a manual push to the pressure position 24. This thrust biases the second end 12b of the lever of the coupling lever 12 into pressure by the actuating arm 6, such that the coupling lever 12 rotates clockwise about the hinge axis 13. In this way, the interlock between the locking element 14 and the first end 12a of the lever is released, such that the spring device 11 is released and the locking element 14 is displaced from the first end 12a of the lever in the direction of the articulation axis 13 of the coupling lever 12 to the unlocking position. In the figure shown, the articulation axis 16 of the spring device 11, the articulation axis 25 of the locking element 14 and the articulation axis 13 of the coupling lever 12 are arranged in the same imaginary line, in such a way that the spring device 11 does not apply any torque on the actuating arm 6 during the opening of the movable furniture part 3 in the closing area 31. Therefore, when opening part 3 of the mobile furniture, it is not necessary to counteract any blocking force exerted by the spring device 11, with which the ejection element 8 of the ejection device 7 can eject the mobile furniture part 3 without problems from the final closing position. Therefore, the ejection device 8 can be dimensioned for low efficiency, that is, in this case it is not necessary to use energy accumulators or high-power electric motors. Then, the movable furniture part 3 is pushed to the open position by means of the ejection device 8 and can then be moved further to the open position manually.

Figure 4a shows the drive mechanism 4 with a drive arm 6 still further offset in the opening direction. If the articulation axis 19, the articulation axis 20 and the axis 9 of rotation of the actuating arm 6 lie on the same imaginary line, the force of the spring device changes in the service of opening, that is, starting From this rotary position, a torque operating in the opening direction is applied to the actuating arm 6, whereby the force of the spring device 11 assists in the continuous opening of the part 3 of the movable furniture. Figure 4b shows an enlarged detailed view of the drive mechanism 4 according to Figure 4a.

Figure 5a shows another opening position of the actuating arm 6. Once said position of the rotation of the actuating arm 6 is reached according to Figure 4a and Figure 4b, in which the articulation axis 19, the articulation axis 20 and the axis 9 of rotation of the actuating arm 6 they are on the same imaginary line, the rocker 17 rotates clockwise around the articulation axis 13 as it continues to trace an opening movement of the actuating arm 6. In this position of continuous opening of the actuating arm 6, the locking element 14 is pressed by the force of the slack spring device 11 starting from the articulation axis 13 of the coupling lever 12 again in the direction towards the end. 12a of the free lever and, there, it interlocks with the interlocking cavity 22 of the coupling lever 12. The spring type 11 is then coupled again with the actuating arm 6, that is to say, as the opening movement continues, the spring device 11 applies an effective torque on the actuating arm 6 in the direction of opening, such that the continued opening movement is assisted by the spring in order to compensate for the weight. Figure 5b shows an enlarged detailed view of the drive mechanism 4 according to Figure 5a.

Figure 6a shows the drive mechanism 4 with the drive arm 6 in another open rotational position. The spring device 11 operates through the articulation axis 25 on the traction lever 27, which traces a traction movement on the articulation axis 26. In this way, the rocker 17 rotates around the fixed articulation axis 13 in a clockwise direction. If then the articulating arm 6 is closed again from the position shown in Figure 6a, the spring device 11 will remain coupled to the actuating arm 6 by means of the coupling device 10 (interlocked position of the interlocking element 14 with the first end 12a of the lever of the coupling lever 12) until the fully closed position is reached, that is, from an opening angle of the furniture part 3 of about 30 ° until reaching a fully closed position, the a contraction force on the drive arm 6.

Figure 6b shows an enlarged detailed view of the drive mechanism 4 according to Figure 6a. On the coupling lever 12 a contour 28 can be seen along which the locking element 14 loaded by the spring device 11 can slide or roll between the locking position and the unlocking position. The length of the contour 28 extends essentially from the first end 12a of the lever of the coupling lever 12, to the hinge axis 13 of the coupling lever 12. The rocker 17 is provided with a guide 23, along which the pull lever 27, the locking element 14 and the spring device can rotate between two end positions.

Figure 7 shows an expanded representation of the drive mechanism 4. The ejection device 7 can be provided with a Touch-Latch function with a lockable energy accumulator, which is unlocked by pressing the sliding ejection element 8. Since during the opening movement of the actuating arm 6 the spring force is decoupled in an area of the opening angle immediately before the closing position, it is possible to install an ejection device 7 with a reduced ejection force. In order to avoid a deformation of the spring device 11, a spring housing 29 is provided which can be inserted into the cylindrical recess of the spring device 11 designed as a compression spring.

Figure 8 shows a diagram of the progression of the torque (torque M in Newton meter Nm) as a function of the opening angle (in degrees a) of the actuating arm 6. The discontinuous curve 30 shows the progression of the torque according to the state of the art, the actuating arm 6 being subjected to a locking force (2.4 Nm) in the closed position, in such a way that the part 3 of mobile furniture also remains in the final closing position with a certain clamping force. In the state of the art, a person must carry out a manual pulling movement on the actuating arm 6 along the closing area 31 until reaching a neutral position T, from which the continued opening movement is assisted. by the spring device 11. In contrast to this, according to the invention the movable furniture part 3 is moved from its closed position by a pressure position that is located behind the closed position to an unlocking position, whereby the actuating arm 6 is disengaged from the force of the spring device 11. The progression of the torque when pressing the movable furniture part 3 therefore moves along the positions A and B until, once the neutral position T has been crossed, the spring device 11 applies a torque in the opening direction on the actuating arm 6 and thus assists during the rest of the opening movement (positions C, D). If, on the other hand, a brief traction movement is applied to the piece 3 of the furniture that is in the closed position and thus the disengagement of the spring device 11 from the actuating arm 6 is achieved, the torque will be develops along the positions A 'and B so that later, once the neutral position T has been crossed, the spring device 11 applies a torque in the opening direction on the actuating arm 6. By carrying out a pulling movement on the part 3 of the mobile furniture, the actuating arm 6 disengages during opening within the closing area 31. Rather, the drive arm 6 engages at the beginning of the closing area 31, when viewed in the closing direction. It should be noted that said angle a2, a3 of rotation, at which disengagement occurs during opening, is smaller than angle a1, at which engagement occurs during closing. In this regard, provision can be made for the neutral position T of the actuating arm 6 to be between 10 and 40 ° from the closing position of the actuating arm 6. The angle a2 of rotation of the actuating arm 6, in which the disengagement is carried out when carrying out a pulling movement on the movable furniture part 3, can be between 1 and 5 °. The angle a3 of rotation of the actuating arm 6, in which the disengagement is carried out by pressing the movable furniture part 3 from its closed position into a pressure position that lies behind the closed position, can be understood between -1 and -5 °.

Reference symbols list:

1 Furniture

2 Cabinet body

3 Mobile furniture part

4 Drive mechanism

5 Drive mechanism housing

6 Drive arm

7 Ejection device

8 Ejection element

9 Drive arm pivot axis

10 Coupling device

11 Spring device

12 Coupling lever

13 Coupling lever articulation axis

14 Interlocking element

15 Energy storage

16 Articulation axis of the spring device

17 Rocker

18 Lever

19 Articulation axis

20 Articulation axis

21 Rubber buffer

22 Interlocking cavity

23 Guide

24 Pressure position

25 Articulation axis

26 Articulation axis

27 Pull lever

28 Outline of coupling lever

29 Spring housing

30 Torque progression according to the state of the art

31 Closing area

Claims (14)

1. Actuation mechanism (4) for moving a piece of furniture (3) arranged in a movable manner, comprising: - at least one actuating arm (6) installed so that it can be moved between a closed position and an open position for the movement of the movable furniture part (3), and - a spring device (11) by means of which the actuating arm (6) can be retracted to the closed position within a closing area (31) immediately preceding the closed position, characterized in that the actuating mechanism (4) has a coupling device (10) that disengages the spring device (11) from the actuating arm (6) in the closing area (31) during the opening of the arm (6) actuator and that couples the spring device (11) with the actuating arm (6) in the closing area (31) during the closing of the actuating arm (6), where the coupling device (10) has at least a movable locking element (14) movably arranged between a locking position and an unlocking position, wherein the locking element (14) in the locking position engages the spring device (11) with the actuating arm (6), and where the locking element (11) can move to the unlocking position by pressing the movable furniture part (3) from its closing position into a pressure position (24) that is arranged behind from the position of c closing, whereby the actuating arm (6) is released from the force of the spring device (11). Actuation mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the angle (a2, a3) of rotation of the actuating arm (6), at which disengagement occurs during opening, is smaller than the angle ( a1) of the actuating arm (6), in which the coupling occurs during closing. Actuation mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the decoupling of the actuating arm (6) is carried out during the opening within the closing area (31), and in that the coupling of the arm ( 6) actuation is carried out at the beginning of the closing area (31), when looking in the closing direction. Drive mechanism according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that an energy accumulator (15) is provided by means of which the locking element (14) remains in the locking position with a predetermined force. Drive mechanism according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the coupling device (10) has a coupling lever (12) with a first lever end (12a) and with a second end ( 12b) of the lever, the first end (12a) of the lever interacting in the locking position with the locking element (14) and moving the locking element (14) to the unlocking position by means of a movement carried out on the second end (12b) of the lever by pressing the movable furniture part (3) into the pressing position (24). Actuation mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that the coupling lever (12) is arranged so that it can rotate around an articulation axis (13). Actuation mechanism according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the first end (12a) of the lever of the coupling lever (12) has a locking cavity (22) that interacts in the locking position with the interlocking element (14). Drive mechanism according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the coupling lever (12) is connected by means of the articulation shaft (13) to a rocker arm (17), the rocker arm (17) being prestressed by means of a pull lever (27) attached to the spring device (11) around the hinge axis (13). Drive mechanism according to one of Claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the locking element (14) is designed as a rotating roller, which is arranged so that it can move along a contour (28 ) of actuation arranged or designed on the coupling lever (12) within the limits between the locking position and the unlocking position. Drive mechanism according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the spring device (11) has at least one helical spring, preferably at least one compression spring. Actuation mechanism according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that during the closing of the actuating arm (6) the spring device (11) exerts a closing force on the actuating arm (6) and during the opening of the actuating arm (6), once the closing area (31) has been successfully crossed, it exerts an opening force on the actuating arm (6). Drive mechanism according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that an ejection device (7) is provided by means of which the movable furniture part (3) can be pushed from the closed position to a open position. Drive mechanism according to claim 12, characterized in that the ejection device (7) has an ejection element (8) arranged in a movable manner, which operates when pressed. 14. Cabinet (1) with a cabinet body (2) and a cabinet part (3) arranged so that it can move relative to the cabinet body (2) and provided with a drive mechanism (4) in accordance with a of claims 1 to 13 to move the movable furniture part (3).