WO2015155568A1

WO2015155568A1 - Hinge with rotary damper

Info

Publication number: WO2015155568A1
Application number: PCT/IB2014/060550
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonino Cultraro
Original assignee: Cultraro Automazione Engineering S.R.L.
Priority date: 2014-04-09
Filing date: 2014-04-09
Publication date: 2015-10-15

Abstract

Hinge comprising a box element (12), a wing (13) constrained rotatably to the box element, and a pivoting system (14) which constrains the wing to the box element. The pivoting system comprises a support rocker (16) and a guide rocker (18) which connect in an articulated manner the wing to the box element and on opposite sides are pivoted on the box element and the wing, respectively, wherein a rotary damper (20) is mounted on the wing and comprises a gearwheel (24) actuated by the box element by means of a mechanism, at least during closure of the hinge. The mechanism comprises an actuating member (30) pivoted on the wing, the actuating member having a toothed profile portion (33) engaging the gearwheel. An actuating cam profile (38) is arranged on the box element; the actuating member has, on the opposite side to the toothed profile portion, a cam following portion (35) for engaging the actuating cam profile during closure of the hinge.

Description

Hinge with rotary damper

The present invention relates to a hinge comprising a box element, a wing rotatably constrained to the box element, and a pivoting system constraining the wing to the box ele- ment, said pivoting system comprising a support rocker and a guide rocker which connect the wing to the box element in an articulated manner and on opposite sides are pivoted on the box element and on the wing, respectively, wherein a rotary damper is mounted on the wing and comprises a gearwheel actuated by the box element, at least during closure of the hinge, by means of a mechanism, said mechanism comprising an actuating member pivot- ed on the wing, wherein said actuating member has a toothed profile portion engaging said gearwheel.

A hinge of this type is described for example in EP 1,420,138. In this known hinge the actuating mechanism which actuates the rotary damper comprises at least three moving com- ponents. It is known that the reliability of a device generally diminishes with an increase in the number of its components.

An object of the present invention is therefore that of simplifying the known structure, reducing the number of moving components.

According to the invention a hinge of the type defined initially is proposed, wherein an actuating cam profile is arranged on said box element, said actuating member having, on the opposite side to said toothed profile portion, a cam following portion for engaging the actuating cam profile during closure of the hinge.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims which are to be understood as forming an integral part of the present description.

Further characteristic features and advantages of the hinge according to the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, provided with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are purely illustrative and non-limiting and in which: - Figure 1 is a perspective and partially cut-away view of a hinge according to the invention;

- Figures 2 to 5 are longitudinally sectioned views of the hinge according to Figure 1, in different operating positions;

- Figure 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the hinge;

- Figure 7 is a partially sectioned view of a third embodiment of the hinge; and

- Figures 8 and 9 are a plan view and cross-sectional view, respectively, of the hinge according to Figure 1. With reference to Figures 1-5 and 8-9, Figure 1 shows a hinge 11 intended to connect ro- tatably two furniture elements, for example a hinged door rotatable with respect to a frame of a cupboard. This hinge 11 comprises conventionally a box element 12, a wing 13 constrained rotatably to the box element, and a pivoting system 14 which constrains the wing to the box element.

The box element 12 is suitable for being fixed to a furniture part, for example a door of a cupboard, while the wing 13 is suitable for being fixed to a second furniture part, for example the fixed frame of a cupboard. The hinge 11 houses internally a known spring system 15 which allows automatic closure of the door when the latter is released in the vicinity of the closing angle.

The pivoting system 14 comprises a support rocker 16 and a guide rocker 18 which connect in an articulated manner the wing 13 to the box element 12. The support rocker 16 and the guide rocker 18 are pivoted on the box element so as to be respectively rotatable about an axis 16a and an axis 18a which are stationary with respect to the box element. On the opposite side, the support rocker 16 and the guide rocker 18 are pivoted on the wing 13, so that a rotation axis 16b for the support rocker 16 and a rotation axis 18b for the guider rocker 18 are formed on the wing 13. In this way the wing 13, the box element 12 and the rockers 16 and 18 form an articulated quadrilateral mechanism.

A rotary damper 20 is mounted on the wing 13 and comprises a casing 21 and a rotor mounted rotatably in a damped manner inside the casing 21, the shaft 23 of said rotor, which protrudes from the casing 21, being visible in the figures. A gearwheel 24 is keyed onto the shaft 23. As can be seen in the figures, the rotation axis of the rotor is arranged parallel to the pivoting axes of the rockers. Preferably the damper is of the type with pis- ton-like vane, in particular of the type described in the publication WO 2007/102111 cited herein by way of a reference. In the damper described in WO 2007/102111, the piston-like vane is an element which projects axially from the rotor, inside the chamber of the damper, filled with a viscous fluid. The damper body is positioned so as to extend between the side walls of the wing 13 of the hinge. The shaft 23 of the rotor extends transversely between respective holes formed in the side walls of the wing 12 of the hinge. As will be explained below, the damper body may be selectively fixed to the wing or rotatable about the axis defined by the shaft 23 of the rotor; for this purpose, abutment teeth 21a, 21b suitable for engaging a corresponding stop element arranged on the wing are formed on the casing 21 of the damper.

The gearwheel 24 of the damper is actuated by the box element 12 by means of a mechanism, at least during the closing movement of the hinge. This mechanism is described here- inbelow. An actuating member 30 in the form of a lever having arms which extend in opposite directions from the rotation axis 16b is pivoted on the rotation axis 16b between the wing 13 and the support rocker 16. The actuating member 30 has a toothed profile portion 33 which engages the gearwheel 24. On the opposite side to the toothed profile portion, the actuating member 30 has a cam following portion 35 comprising a pin portion 36 protruding transversely with respect to the actuating member 30.

A support element 37, which is fixed to a side wall of the box element 12, has an actuating cam profile 38 directed in the longitudinal direction of the hinge. This profile 38 is suitable for being engaged by the pin portion 36 of the cam following portion 35 of the actuating member 30 during closure of the hinge. According to an alternative embodiment, not shown, the cam profile could be formed directly on the body of the box element.

In the example shown here, a reset cam profile 39 is also formed in the support element 37, said profile being directed in the opposite direction to the actuating cam profile 38. This reset cam profile 39 is suitable for being engaged by the cam following portion 35 during opening of the hinge so as to bring the rotor of the rotary damper into its start-of-damping position.

According to an alternative embodiment, shown in Figure 6, the reset function is per- formed by the support rocker 16 by means of a reset pin portion 16c formed integrally therewith. The other elements are identical to those of the embodiment shown in Figures 1- 5 and have therefore been indicated by the same reference numbers.

According to a further alternative embodiment, shown in Figure 7, the reset function is performed by the guide rocker 18 by means of a reset projecting portion 18c formed integrally therewith. The other elements are identical to those of the embodiment shown in Figures 1-5 and have therefore been indicated by the same reference numbers.

In Fig. 2 the hinge is shown in the open position. By closing the hinge the box element 12 is rotated with respect to the wing 13. As far as the start-of-damping position, shown in Figure 3, the actuating member 30 and the rotary damper 20 move integrally with the wing 13. Once the pin portion 36 of the actuating member 30 has been made to engage with the actuating cam profile 38, a further movement towards closure of the hinge causes, owing to the action of the cam profile, a rotation of the actuating member 30 about the rotation axis 16b and therefore a rotation of the gearwheel 23, until the end closing position is reached (Figures 4 and 5). The closing movement of the hinge is damped in its final part by the action of the damper. When the hinge is opened, the box element 13 is made to rotate in a direction opposite to the opening direction, and the rotor of the damper is brought back into its initial position, owing to the actuating member 30 which rotates as a result of the reset cam profile (or as a result of the reset portions of the support rocker or the guide rocker, in the alternative embodiments). The direction of rotation of the rotary damper may be different from that shown in the figures. This may be obtained simply by an actuating member having a form different from that shown and by adapting the arrangement of the cam profile. Preferably, the hinge also comprises an adjusting member for modifying the start-of- damping angle, shown in Figures 8 and 9. This adjusting member 41 is arranged displacea- bly on the wing 13 in a transverse direction. For this purpose, it has a gripping portion for manual operation thereof and is inserted inside a groove 43 formed in the top wall of the wing 13. Inside the wing, the adjusting member comprises a stop portion 45 for engaging the abutment teeth 21a, 21b formed on the rotor casing. Depending on the position of the adjusting member 41, and therefore its stop position, the casing 21 of the damper may be rendered movable with respect to the wing and the damping function may be therefore disabled. In particular, in a position PI (enable position), the stop portion 45 corresponds to an axial position of the damper where the angular distance between the abutment teeth 21a and 21b is substantially equal to the thickness of the stop portion 45; in this position, the stop portion prevents the casing of the rotary damper from rotating with respect to the wing, and therefore the damping action is effective for the entire travel angle of the actuating member 30. In a position P2 (disable position), the stop portion 45 corresponds to an axial position of the damper where the angular distance between the abutment teeth 21a and 21b is at least equal to the angle which the rotor would form with respect to the casing if the latter were constrained to the wing; in this position the stop portion allows the casing of the rotary damper to rotate freely with respect to the wing, about the rotation axis of the gearwheel. In a position P3 (intermediate position), the stop portion 45 corresponds to an axial position of the damper where the angular distance between the abutment teeth 21a and 21b is smaller than the angular distance between the abutment teeth in the position P2; in this position, the stop portion allows the casing of the rotary damper to rotate with respect to the wing, about the rotation axis of the gearwheel, within a predetermined angular range smaller than that of the position P2. The positioning of one of the two abutment teeth 21b in the example shown thus allows definition of the angle where the damper starts to intervene with its damping action.

Claims

1. Hinge comprising a box element (12), a wing (13) rotatably constrained to the box element, and a pivoting system (14) constraining the wing to the box element, said pivoting system comprising a support rocker (16) and a guide rocker (18) which connect the wing to the box element in an articulated manner and on opposite sides are pivoted on the box element and on the wing, respectively, wherein a rotary damper (20) is mounted on the wing and comprises a gearwheel (24) actuated by the box element, at least during closure of the hinge, by means of a mechanism, said mechanism comprising an actuating member (30) pivoted on the wing, wherein said actuating member has a toothed profile portion (33) engaging said gearwheel, characterized in that an actuating cam profile (38) is arranged on said box element, said actuating member having, on the opposite side to said toothed profile portion, a cam following portion (35) for engaging the actuating cam profile during closure of the hinge.

2. Hinge according to Claim 1, wherein said actuating member has a pivot axis coinciding with a rotation axis (16b) of the support rocker (16).

3. Hinge according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said cam following portion comprises a pin portion (36) protruding transversely with respect to the actuating member, said actuating cam profile being directed in the longitudinal direction of the hinge.

4. Hinge according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein a reset cam profile (39) is arranged on said box element, said reset cam profile being suitable for being engaged by the cam following portion during opening of the hinge.

5. Hinge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said actuating cam profile and optionally said reset cam profile are formed on a support element (37) fixed to a side wall of the box element.

6. Hinge according to Claim 1, 2, 3 or 5, wherein one of said support rocker and guide rocker comprises a reset projection (16c, 18c) for engaging the actuating member during opening of the hinge.

7. Hinge according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a member (41) for adjusting the start of damping, said adjusting member being displaceably mounted on the wing and comprising a stop portion (45) for selectively engaging a plurality of abutment teeth (21a, 21b) formed on a casing (21) of said rotary damper, in which said stop portion is capable of assuming, depending on the position of said adjusting member, an enablement position (PI), in which said stop portion prevents the casing of the rotary damper from rotating with respect to the wing, a disablement position (P2), in which said stop portion allows the casing of the rotary damper to rotate with respect to the wing, about the rotation axis of the gearwheel, within a predetermined first angular range, and an intermediate position (P3), in which said stop portion allows the casing of the rotary damper to rotate with respect to the wing, about the rotation axis of the gearwheel, within a predetermined second angular range smaller than the first angular range.