HK1058552B - Spring hinge - Google Patents

Description

Spring hinge

Technical Field

The invention relates to a spring hinge that can be welded, comprising a housing having a cavity for receiving a hinge element.

Background

Spring hinges of the type described herein are well known. It serves as a hinge for the temple and is fixed to the temple by means of electric welding. The spring hinge is tightly pressed on the glasses legs during electric welding. The pressing force is, for example, in the range of 70 to 700N. Once the compressive force is applied, a welding current of 2000A to 8000A is introduced through the shell and temple. In the contact region between the spring hinge and the temple, welding points are provided, which melt when heated under high current intensities. In this way, a fixed connection between the spring hinge and the temple is established. It has proven to be possible for the housing of the spring hinge to be deformed when the contact pressure is high, in particular a cavity provided in the housing for accommodating the hinge element. The hinge element moves within the cavity when the hinge is in use. Material deflection can also occur during electric welding, which impairs the optimum function of the spring hinge: the material may be displaced inside the housing, i.e. in the chamber, so that a boss is formed there. If the housing, and thus the cavity, is deformed or material is displaced within the cavity during welding, movement of the hinge element relative to the housing is prevented, thereby affecting the function of the spring hinge. This type of housing deformation occurs in particular in small spring hinges of the type which are increasingly used.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is therefore to develop a spring hinge of the type mentioned at the outset which, despite its small dimensions, can be fixed optimally to the temple by means of electric welding.

In order to achieve this object, the invention proposes a solder-enabling spring hinge with a housing having a cavity for accommodating a hinge element, wherein the cavity is provided for accommodating a support body which is arranged in the region of at least one solder joint.

This has the advantage that the support prevents undesired material displacement due to electric welding and stabilizes the housing during welding and ensures an optimum force line.

An embodiment of such a spring hinge is preferably used, characterized in that: the support body is made as a separate part and can be removed from the cavity. This makes it possible to use the support several times during the production process.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the support is part of a hinge element that can be enclosed in the housing. This makes it possible to keep the cavity size as small as possible, thus making the spring hinge as small as possible and saving two steps in the production process, namely the insertion and removal of the support body.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the support body is part of the resilient member of the hinge element. This makes the spring hinge compact and also has a simple structure with only a few parts, so that the spring hinge can be manufactured economically.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the support body is formed as a guide for the hinge element. In this case, a component of the spring hinge which is required anyway is designed in such a way that it additionally fulfills the function of a support body. This ultimately reduces the number of individual parts of the spring hinge, so that it can be produced cost-effectively.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the spring hinge may be attached to the temple of the glasses by means of an electric welding process. This allows the spring hinge to be securely connected to the temple in an automated, temperature-controlled manner.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the housing of the spring hinge has at least two weld points. This provides the advantage that the welding current, and thus the flow characteristics and the material softening, can be determined accurately by the choice of the size and position of the weld spot.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the support is mounted in the region of the solder joint. The contact pressure introduced by the welding points and required for the welding can thereby be absorbed by the support body and an undesired deformation of the spring hinge housing can thereby be prevented.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the hinge elements may be enclosed in the housing as a pre-assembled unit. The advantage is an optimized and economical manufacturing process.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the spring hinge has an indentation and/or a latching element for fixing the hinge element in the housing. During the production process, the hinge element is inserted into the housing and latched there and/or the hinge element is inserted into the housing and secured there by means of an indentation formed thereon. This provides the advantage of a simple manufacture and a secure fixing of the hinge element in the housing of the spring hinge.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the indentation is surrounded by a weld. This offers the advantage that the soldering points and the indentations can be provided on the housing in the immediate vicinity of the support body.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the support body has a slot and is preferably retained within the cavity of the housing. Advantageously, the indentation for fixing the support body can be embedded in the groove.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: a certain offset material secures the hinge element in the housing during electric welding. The advantage of this is that no latching elements or indentations have to be provided during the production of the individual parts of the spring hinge, since this function can be performed by deformations occurring in the welding process.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the material which is displaced during the welding is embedded in the grooves of the support. This offers the advantage that the support body is fixed in the housing during the welding process and can serve as a stop for the spring element.

Another preferred embodiment is characterized in that: the housing can be produced by means of a MIM process (metal injection molding). The complex shape of the spring hinge housing can be realized in the MIM process in a manner similar to the die casting method.

Drawings

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of the figures. The attached drawings show that:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section of the housing along with the support body;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the housing;

FIG. 3 is a shell end view in a welded condition with an eyeglass frame;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of another embodiment of the housing;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of the shell in a welded condition with the temple;

FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal cross-section of the spring hinge;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the spring hinge shown in FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8-10 illustrate alternative embodiments of the spring hinge shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 11A bottom view of the spring hinge shown in FIG. 10, an

Fig. 12-14 are similar to other embodiments of the spring hinge shown in fig. 6.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a spring hinge 1 for spectacles with a housing 2 and a support 3. It can be seen that the housing means has a cavity which is formed here as a cylindrical bore 5 into which the support body 3 can be inserted. The housing 2 comprises a first welding point 9 and a second welding point 11, which serve to electrically weld the housing 2 to a spectacle arm, not shown here. During welding, forces are present at the welding points 9 and 11, which are indicated by the two arrows 13, 13'. Depending on the design of the housing 2, these forces may lead to undesired deformation of the housing 2. It can be seen that the support body 3 is accommodated in the housing 2 in the region of the first welding points 9. The force indicated by the arrow 13 during welding is therefore transmitted directly to the supporting body 3 via the housing wall 15. So that undesired deformation of the housing in the region of the housing wall 15 is virtually excluded. At the end of the bore 5, a support region 17 is connected, which is made of solid material and is intended to support the forces transmitted during welding, which are indicated by the arrows 13'. The support body 3 and the support regions 17 thus impart the necessary stability to the housing 2 for the welding process. After welding, the support body 3, which is fixed to a rod 19, can be removed from the hole 5 by means of the rod 19. The hinge element can thus be fitted into the hole 5 after welding.

Fig. 2 shows an end view of the housing 2. Like parts are given like reference numerals and reference is therefore made to the description of figure 1.

The supporting body 3 can be seen together with the rod 19, which is located in the cylindrical bore 5 in the region of the first welding point 9 and the further first welding point 9'. It can also be seen that the housing 2 is a closed housing which has only one opening formed by the aperture 5.

Fig. 3 shows a housing 2 similar to that of fig. 2, with the difference that it is welded to a temple 21. The material displaced during the welding can be seen, which is located in the form of a projection 23 on the side of the junction 25 between the housing 2 and the temple 21. The supporting body 3 rests on the inside of the housing wall 15 and supports the latter. In addition to its supporting function, it also offers the advantage that the softened material does not reach the hole 5 during welding, so that a malfunction of the spring hinge is reliably avoided. That is to say, the deformation of the inner surface of the hole 5 is practically excluded due to the supporting action of the supporting body 3.

Fig. 4 shows the same view as fig. 2 and 3 of a further embodiment of the housing 2. Identical parts are provided with the same reference numerals, so that reference is made in this respect to the description of the preceding figures.

The main difference with respect to fig. 2 is that instead of the first welding points 9, 9' a central welding point 27 is provided. Since the support body 3 is arranged in the region of the central welding point 27, the housing 2 can remain undeformed despite the forces occurring during the welding. It is furthermore ensured that material which softens during the welding process does not reach the cylindrical bore 5 and cause undesirable bulging there.

Fig. 5 shows the housing 2 of the spring hinge 1 shown in fig. 4 together with the temple 21. Identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals and reference is therefore made in this respect to the description of the preceding figures.

The main differences from fig. 3 are: the welding process does not cause undesired protrusions 23. The reason for this is that the weld 27 is centrally located, so that the area of the weld 27 softened by the welding process does not extend to the outer surface of the housing 2. During the welding process, the center of the housing wall 15 softens in the region of the central welding point 27 and the support body 3. The supporting body 3 here also ensures that the inner surface of the cylindrical bore 5 is not deformed undesirably.

Fig. 6 shows a partial longitudinal section through a spring hinge 1 with a housing 2 and a hinge element 31, which is inserted into a cylindrical bore 5 of the housing 2 of the spring hinge 1 and is fixed there by means of an upper indentation 33 and a lower indentation 35. The hinge element 31 essentially has a bearing body 39 with a bore 41, a spring bolt 43 with an elastic element, here embodied as a helical spring 45, and a spring stop 47. The spring stop 47 is fixedly connected to the spring catch 43 of the hinge element 31 or is formed by it, for example, by deformation of the end of the spring catch. The helical spring 45 is guided by the spring pin 43 and is located between the spring stop 47 and the upper and lower impressions 33, 35 of the housing 2. The two indentations narrow the inner cavity of the bore 5 such that it acts as a stop for the helical spring 45. If a tensile force is exerted on the hinge element 31 when the spring hinge 1 is in use, the helical spring 45 is deformed in such a way that a restoring force is generated which retracts the hinge element or its spring pin 43 into the bore 5. In the illustration according to fig. 6, a rightwards acting restoring force is exerted on the joint element 31 by the helical spring 45, so that the bearing body 39 forming a hinge eye is pulled against the contact surface 49 formed by the left-hand end face of the housing 2 of the spring hinge 1. The basic function of a spring hinge is basically well known and will therefore only be briefly explained here: a hinge center piece is mounted on the hinge element 31, for example by means of a screw through the hole 41, which is fixed to the center piece of the temple. When the temple on which the spring hinge 1 is mounted is opened, a tensile force is exerted on the hinge element 31, which is opposite to the force of the helical spring 45. The hinge centre piece has an abutment surface which abuts against abutment surface 49 and ensures a defined basic position of the temple relative to the centre piece. In this way the temple can be held both in the folded position and in the open position by means of the spring hinge 1.

The helical spring 45 has a reinforcing region 51 which, in the embodiment shown here, consists of two coils of spring lying one against the other. The reinforced area 51 is located immediately adjacent to the weld 37. The reinforcing region 51 of the helical spring 45 thus acts as a support body 3 during the welding process, preventing undesired deformation of the housing 2.

In this embodiment the weld 37 and the second central weld 11 'of the housing 2 have annular recesses 53 which are distributed next to the welds 37, 11' and which serve to accommodate material displaced during welding. That is, the material softened and displaced during the welding process forms a channel by means of the dimples 53. So that the build-up and bulging of material softened during the welding process is avoided, as explained with the aid of fig. 2.

Fig. 7 shows a bottom view of the spring hinge 1 shown in fig. 6. Identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals and reference is therefore made in this respect to the description of the preceding figures.

In the bottom view, housing wall 15 can be seen together with the surrounding weld point 37 and the second weld point 11' and hinge element 31 with a bore 41, here indicated by a dashed line. In this view, it is clearly apparent that weld point 37 and first weld point 11' around indentation 55 are arranged in the center of housing wall 15, viewed in the longitudinal direction. The lower indentation 35, which secures the helical spring 45 and thus also the hinge element 31 in the cylindrical bore 5 of the housing 1, is centered in the weld 37. A groove 55 in the housing wall 15 can be seen, in which the hinge element 31 engages. The slot 55 constitutes a sliding support for the hinge element 31 and thus a guide thereof, which prevents the hinge element 31 from rotating about the centre line of the spring pin 43.

Fig. 8 shows another embodiment of the spring hinge shown in fig. 6. Identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals and reference is therefore made in this respect to the description of the preceding figures.

The main difference to fig. 6 is that the spring hinge 1 has a support body 3' with a groove 57 that is open on one side. The support body 3' serves here as a guide for the spring bolt 43 and as a spring stop for the helical spring 45. The support body 3 is pressed against the lower indentation 35 by the spring force of the helical spring 45, which extends into the inner cavity of the bore 5, so that the hinge element 31 is fixed in the bore 5 of the housing 2 by the support body 3' and the helical spring 45. The principle of action of the spring hinge already explained in fig. 6 is obtained in that one end acts on the spring stop 47 and the other end acts on the coil spring 45 of the housing 2 via the bearing body 3' and the lower indentation 35.

The support body 3' is placed against the lower indentation 35 in such a way that it is located in the vicinity of the weld spot 37. The support body 3' thus prevents, as described above, undesired material displacement and possible deformation of the housing 1 during the electric welding.

Fig. 9 shows another advantageous embodiment of the spring hinge 1. Like parts are labeled the same and reference is made to the description of the preceding figures.

A support body 3 ″ can be seen, which, unlike the support body 3', has an annular groove 59 with two lateral edges. The lower indentation 35 of the housing 2 is embedded in the groove 59, thereby fixing the support body 3 "in the cylindrical hole 5 of the housing 2. The support body 3 "is arranged in the cylindrical bore 5 of the housing 2 in such a way that it lies in the immediate vicinity of the weld point 37. The support body 3 ″ thus functions, as already described, firstly as a support body, secondly as a guide for the spring bolt 43 and thirdly as a means of fixing the hinge element 31 in the housing 2 by means of the annular groove 59 and the undercut 35.

Fig. 10 shows a further embodiment of the spring hinge 1. Like parts are labeled the same. Reference is therefore made in this respect to the description of the preceding figures.

It is possible to see-seen in the longitudinal direction of the housing 2-the central weld point 27 and the likewise centrally located weld point 11'. The upper indentation 33 of the housing 2 engages in the annular groove 59 of the support body 3 ″. In this configuration, it is particularly advantageous if the material of the housing wall 15 is displaced into the bore 5 of the housing 2 during the electric welding. The supporting body 3 ″ and the weld points 37 are arranged here in such a way that the material that displaces the housing wall 15 engages in an annular groove 59 of the supporting body 3 ″.

The material offset into the bore 5 of the housing 2 in this embodiment serves as an additional fixing means for the support body 3 ". This has the advantage that the machining process of the undercut 35 mentioned in the previous figures can be eliminated. In some cases, it is also possible to dispense with the upper indentation 33, i.e. to dispense with a further step, namely the machining of the indentation 33.

Fig. 11 shows a bottom view of the spring hinge 1 shown in fig. 10. Identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals and reference is therefore made in this respect to the description of the preceding figures.

The center spot weld 27 and the second center spot weld 11' can be seen. The central welding point 27 has a narrow and long shape which runs perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing 2 and ensures that the material is displaced in the groove 59 of the support body 3 ″ as required during welding.

From the above, it is clear that indentations may be provided for fixing the hinge element inside the housing. Wherein a separate indentation may be provided for each of the upper and lower portions, but two indentations may be provided for each of the upper and lower portions. In addition to or instead of the indentations, deformed wall regions of the housing caused by the welding process can also be provided, which project into the bore of the housing and fix the hinge element. Here "fixed" merely means that the hinge element cannot be pulled out completely from the housing. The possibility of free movement of the hinge element must be kept constant to ensure the basic function of the spring hinge. That is to say that only a support for the spring element embodied as a helical spring is ensured when the hinge element is fixed. So that a restoring force which is formed when the hinge element is pulled out can be built up.

Fig. 12 shows a further preferred embodiment of a spring hinge with a latching element 61. Identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals and reference is therefore made in this respect to the description of the preceding figures.

Unlike the previous embodiment, the housing 2 has a slot 63 open at the lower side, which cuts the cylindrical bore 5 of the housing 2 at the upper and lower sides. Steps 65 and 65' are thus formed, between which latching element 61 engages. The catch element 61 has a hole through which the spring bolt 43 passes.

In fig. 12, the locking element 61 is in the locked state, i.e. engages with the steps 65, 65' and forms a stop for the helical spring 45. The catch element 61 can here at the same time serve as a guide for the spring pin 43 of the hinge element 31. The hinge element 31 is held in the cylindrical bore 5 of the housing 2 by the latching element 61 by means of the spring force of the already mentioned coil spring 45.

The spring hinge 1 has a support body 3' "which is located in the immediate vicinity of the welding point 9. The embodiment shown here has four welding spots arranged in pairs, of which only welding spots 9 and 11 are visible here. The supporting body 3' "serves here as a guide for the spring pin 43 and the hinge element 31 along the center line of the guide rod 43 and serves to stabilize the housing 2 during the welding process. Second, it can be seen that housing wall 15 is interrupted by slots 63 and 55, thereby opening downwardly.

Fig. 13 shows a further embodiment of a spring hinge 29 with a support body 3 ″ and a lower indentation 35, which is arranged between the first weld 9 and the first weld 9' not visible here. Identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals and reference is therefore made in this respect to the description of the preceding figures.

In this advantageous embodiment of the invention, four welding points are provided on the spring hinge 1 for the connection to the temple, wherein the first welding point 9 and the second welding point 11 are visible here. The lower indentation 35 is formed in the housing wall 15 of the housing 2 in such a way that it is located between the first weld point 9 and a first weld point 9' not shown here, which is located upstream of the parting plane. The indentation 35 engages in an annular groove 59 of the support body 3 "on the inside of the cylindrical bore 5 of the housing 2, thereby fixing the support body 3" in the cylindrical bore 5 of the housing 2. As described above, the support body 3 ″ therefore acts as a stop for the helical spring 45, so that the hinge element 31 is simultaneously fixed in the housing 2 of the spring hinge 1.

In addition to being fixed by the lower indentation 35, it is also possible to displace the material of the housing wall 15 of the housing 2, which is softened and displaced during welding, into the interior of the cylindrical bore 5. In the embodiment described here, which is similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 10, the first welding spots 9, 9' are arranged such that they lie in the immediate vicinity of the annular groove 59 of the support body 3 ". This means that the material displaced into the interior of the housing 2 engages in the groove 59, so that the support body 3 ″ is fixed by the displaced material in addition to the lower indentation 55. Obviously, the indentation can also be dispensed with without problems due to the material shifting during the electric welding.

Fig. 14 shows a further advantageous embodiment of the spring hinge 1 with a latching element 61'. Identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals and reference is therefore made in this respect to the description of the preceding figures.

It can be seen that the lower opening groove 63 reaches only approximately to the center line of the cylindrical bore 5 of the housing 2, so that a step 65 'is formed, into which the detent elements 61' engage. In the latched state, latching element 61 'engages step 65'. Here, it acts as a stop for the helical spring 45 and is pressed against the bearing region 67 of the housing 2 as a result of the spring force of the helical spring 45. The catch element 61 'has a suitable opening, not shown here, through which the spring bolt 43 passes, the catch element 61' additionally resting on the spring bolt, so that it is more stable.

It is clear from the examples described here that the form and kind of mounting of the support can vary. It is for example conceivable to place the support on the hinge element 31, in the form of a cube or any other shape. But the outer shape of the support body is preferably matched to the inner contour of the bore 5. It is also conceivable to provide a rectangular hole or a cavity of any design in the housing of the spring hinge 1 instead of a cylindrical hole. For a plurality of welding points, a plurality of supports of any desired design can also be provided, which can be inserted and/or formed as a single part and removed. It is important here that the support body is arranged in the region of the welding spot and that material deviations which can occur during welding are guided or controlled in a desired manner and that the stability of the spring hinge housing is increased during the welding process and/or during later use of the spring hinge. Furthermore, any fastening element, such as latching elements or elastic elements, indentations, etc., can be provided for fastening the hinge element in the housing, and the restoring force for the hinge element can be provided by any elastic element, such as a helical spring, a torsion spring, etc.

The housing 2 of the spring hinge 1 is preferably designed such that the current occurring during the welding operation is conducted via the housing 2 at a distance from the spring element, in this case the helical spring 45. This avoids overheating and weakening of the spring element and, in addition, the attachment of the coil spring 45 to the housing 2, the control of the current being possible by different wall thicknesses of the housing 2, but also by providing an electrically conductive support, which, as explained here, is preferably arranged in the region of the solder points, in order to achieve a particularly low electrical resistance here. This causes an electric current to be introduced through the housing and the carrier into the weld spot, so that it melts and provides the material required for the welding process. It is obvious that the welding points can be provided not only on the bottom side of the housing facing the temple, but also on the upper surface of the temple. The welding points present on the temple of the spectacles can then interact with the spring hinge 1 or its housing to be welded on. In this embodiment, however, it should be noted that the spring hinge is placed on the welding spot in such a way that the support body reliably withstands the forces occurring during the welding. In practice, it has thus been shown that the exemplary embodiments described here with reference to the figures should be preferred, since the welding spots can then be arranged exactly in the desired region.

All embodiments shown here have in common that the hinge element is made as a pre-assembled unit and can be fitted into the housing 2.

Claims (15)

1. Weldable spring hinge with a housing (2) having a cavity for accommodating a hinge element (31), characterized in that: the cavity is used for accommodating a support body (3; 3 ') which is arranged in the region of at least one welding spot (9, 9'; 27; 37).

2. The spring hinge of claim 1 wherein: the cavity is a cylindrical bore (5).

3. The spring hinge of claim 1 wherein: the support body is made as a separate part and can be removed from the cavity (5).

4. The spring hinge of claim 1 wherein: the support body (3 '; 3') is part of a hinge element (31) which can be inserted into the housing (2).

5. The spring hinge of claim 1 wherein: the support body is part of a spring element of a hinge element (31).

6. The spring hinge of claim 5 wherein: the spring element is a helical spring, and the support body is formed by a reinforcement of the helical spring.

7. The spring hinge of claim 1 wherein: the supporting body (3 '; 3') is designed as a guide element for the pivot element (31).

8. A spring hinge according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: the housing (2) has at least two welding points.

9. A spring hinge according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: the hinge element (31) may be fitted into the housing (2) as a pre-assembled unit.

10. A spring hinge according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: the spring hinge (1) has at least one indentation (33; 35) or detent element (61; 61') for fixing the hinge element (31) in the housing (2).

11. The spring hinge of claim 10 wherein: the indentation (35) is surrounded by a weld (37).

12. A spring hinge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: the support body (3 '; 3') has a groove (57; 59).

13. A spring hinge according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: the material displaced during the welding fixes the hinge element (31) in the housing (2).

14. The spring hinge of claim 12 wherein: the material displaced during the welding is embedded in the groove (59) of the support body (3').

15. A spring hinge according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: the housing (2) may be manufactured by metal injection moulding.