This is a National Phase Patent Application that relies for priority on International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2007/053985, filed on Apr. 24, 2007, on German Patent Application No. DE 20 2006 008 436.3, filed on May 24, 2006, and on German Patent Application No. DE 20 2007 001 897.5, filed on Feb. 9, 2007, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a closing and retaining device for an extension guide. More specifically, the present invention relates to a closing and retaining extension guide with a housing on which a driver, which can be coupled to a rail of a the extension guide, is retained in a displaceable manner. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to a closing and retaining device for an extension guide having a damper housing is fixed on the housing, a driver, and a displaceable piston, which can be coupled to the driver via a latching connection arranged on the damper housing.
AT 007 909 U1 discloses an automatic retraction mechanism for drawer extension guides, in which a damper is provided.
With respect to the mechanism described in AT 007 909 U1, the damper is secured in a housing in a positionally fixed manner such that a front end of the piston rod is arranged in a predetermined position. If the piston rod is to be connected to the driver of the automatic retraction mechanism via latching means, tolerances may make it possible that a latching connection does not come about or is damaged. In addition, retrospective installation of the damper is made more difficult, since exact installation is required. Also, it is difficult to produce a latching connection between the piston rod and the driver without removing the automatic retraction mechanism housing from the rail.
It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to provide a closing and retaining device which is easily installed and in which the damper can also be fitted retrospectively in a simple manner.
This object is achieved, among others, by a closing and retaining device of the present invention.
According to the invention, the damper housing can be displaced in the direction of movement of the piston. After the latching connection is coupled in order to fix the piston to the driver, it is possible for the damper housing to be pushed back into an operating position by the driver. As a result, the damper can also be fitted retrospectively in a simple manner, since the displaceability means that a certain compensation of tolerances takes. The compensation of the tolerances takes place, in particular, if the damper together with the piston is located closer to the driver in its latching position than in its subsequent operating position. This ensures that the latching connection is securely coupled in order to activate the damper. Furthermore, an automatic adjustment takes place during assembly, since, after the coupling, the damper housing can also be displaced into the desired operating position. This facilitates the maneuverability, since, during the assembly, no special knowledge about the correct position is required, but rather assembly can take place in a simple manner.
The force for displacing the damper housing relative to the housing of the closing and retaining device is preferably greater than the force for coupling the latching connection in order to fix the piston rod on the driver. As a result, assembly can take place, even with the rail extended, by the damper being completely pushed onto the closing and retaining device. The damper is only pushed back when the latching connection is coupled.
However, it is also possible to configure the force for displacing the damper housing relative to the housing to be smaller than the force for coupling the latching connection. In this embodiment, assembly takes place with the rail pushed in and secured, with the damper being pushed until the latching connection has come about.
According to one contemplated configuration of the invention, the damper housing is secured on the housing of the automatic retraction mechanism by clamping. This ensures, among other things, that the force for displacing the damper housing is greater than the force for coupling the latching connections. However, the clamping force is smaller than the forces which occur when the damper is brought back in order to close the furniture part, and therefore the damper housing is automatically aligned. Instead of a clamping securing of the damper housing, corresponding latching means, ensuring fixing of the damper housing, can also be provided. In such a case, the damper housing may be retained in a movable manner with a certain amount of play between two stops.
For coordinated movement of the damper housing, means for guiding the movement of the damper housing may be provided. If so, the means for guiding the movement of the damper housing may avoid transverse forces. In such a case, even when the piston is extended out of the damper housing by means of the driver, the damper housing remains in its operating position, i.e. the retaining forces between the housing and the damper housing are greater than the forces for the extension of the piston by means of the driver. If latching means are provided, the retaining forces by means of the latching means can also be greater than the forces for extending the piston.
For a simple mechanical configuration of the latching connection, two elastic latching webs can be integrally formed on the housing, said latching webs engaging by means of a projection in a respective cutout on the damper housing. However, other latching mechanisms can also be used.
According to a further configuration of the invention, the damper housing is of cylindrical design and has at least one web which is guided into a slot on the housing of the automatic retraction mechanism. As a result, only a linear movement of the damper housing relative to the housing of the automatic retraction mechanism is permitted. Moreover, with this construction, positionally correct assembly is ensured.
For a simple mechanical coupling, a spherical section, which can be latched into place in a receptacle on the driver, is provided at the end of the piston rod. As a result, the driver can also be pivoted relative to the piston rod, which is precisely what is needed when a prestressed parking (or stopping) position of the driver is reached.
For a compact construction, the damper housing can be fixed in a receptacle of the housing of the automatic retraction mechanism.
Other aspects of the invention also should be gleaned by those skilled in the art from the description that follows and the drawings appended hereto.
The invention is explained in more detail below using one or more embodiments, and with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
The invention will now be described in connection with one or more embodiments. As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the embodiment(s) discussed herein are intended to be exemplary of the broad scope of the invention. The embodiment(s) is(are) not intended to be limiting of the invention. As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, there are numerous variations and equivalents that are also intended to fall within the scope of this invention.
With reference to
An automatic retraction mechanism 3 is provided between the stationary rail 1 and the movable rail 2. The automatic retraction mechanism assists with a closing movement and ensures that the movable furniture part is retained in a closed position. The automatic retraction mechanism 3 comprises an elongate housing 4 on which a driver 5, which is prestressed via a spring, is guided in a movable manner. The driver 5 is coupled to the rail 2 via a connecting element 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the driver 5 can be moved along a curved guide 16. The curved guide 16, which is angled at one end, permits pivoting of the driver 5 such that the connecting element 6 can be detached from the driver 5 when the furniture part is opened to a predetermined extent.
For the retraction movement of the driver 5, it is frequently desirable to provide damping in order to prevent the movable furniture parts from colliding. In the case of the automatic retraction mechanism 3 according to the invention, such a damper can be retrofitted in a simple manner.
A damper comprises a cylindrical damper housing 9 in which a displaceable piston is mounted with a piston rod 10. The piston rod 10 is movable in a smooth-running manner out of the damper housing 9 in the extension direction and is movable stiffly in a suitable manner in the opposite retraction direction in order to damp the closing movement. At one end, the piston rod 10 has a spherical section 11 which can be latched into a receptacle on the driver 5 in order to couple the movement of the piston and the piston rod 10 to the driver 5.
Webs 12, and 13 which ensure correct alignment of the damper housing 9 during assembly, are provided on opposite sides of the damper housing 9. A receptacle for the damper housing 9 is formed on the housing 4 of the automatic retraction mechanism, with a slot 15 being formed between plates 14 (see
Furthermore, an elongate cutout 22 is formed on opposite sides of the damper housing 9. One of the elongate cutouts 22 is visible in
For the assembly, it is necessary for the piston with the piston rod 10 to be coupled to the driver 5. For this purpose, the damper is first of all brought into the position illustrated in
As an alternative, it is also possible for the driver 5 to be retained in an extended position on the curved guide 16 such that, when the damper housing 9 is pushed in, a connection between the spherical section 11 and the corresponding receptacle on the driver 5 still cannot be produced. (See, e.g.,
In order to adjust the operating position, the latching projections 8 can be moved in the cutout 22, which is designed as an elongated hole. As a result, it is ensured in each case that, after the damper housing 9 is pushed into the housing 4 of the automatic retraction mechanism, the driver 5 and piston rod 10 are coupled in order to activate the damper. In addition, tolerances can be compensated for by the displaceable mounting of the damper housing 9 between two stops. A possible displacement distance L (see
The automatic retraction mechanism 3 according to the invention can therefore be retrofitted in a simple manner with a damper, with erroneous assembly being reliably avoided. In order to couple the damper housing 9 to the housing 4 of the automatic retraction mechanism, other latching means instead of the latching webs 7 and the cutouts 22 can also be provided. The means for guiding the T-shaped webs 12 and 13 can also differ in configuration.
In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the closing and retaining device is designed as an automatic retraction mechanism for furniture. Of course, it is also possible to use the closing and retaining device in horizontal or vertical sliding doors, high-level extensions and other movable components in which a linear movement is firstly to be assisted and secondly damped.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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20 2006 008 436 U | May 2006 | DE | national |
20 2007 001 897 U | Feb 2007 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2007/053985 | 4/24/2007 | WO | 00 | 5/15/2009 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2007/134932 | 11/29/2007 | WO | A |
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