Patent Application
20100270898
The invention relates to a displacement device for pivotally held separation elements and an article of furniture provided with this displacement device according to the preamble of claims 1 and 16.
In order to separate or form areas or to close off articles of furniture, glass or wooden panels, doors or blinds are often used.
As a pivotally held separation element causes aesthetic interference in most cases after the article of furniture has been opened, solutions have been developed which allow the separation element, after the article of furniture has been opened, to be inserted into an intermediate space provided in the article of furniture, said intermediate space being delimited possibly by an intermediate wall.
[1], U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,180 A, discloses an article of furniture with a displacement device, by means of which a door held pivotally on a bracket can be sunk from a position of use into a door compartment, which comprises at least one side wall. The bracket is held in a vertical position during travel into the door compartment and travel outwards by a scissor assembly, which comprises two crossed beams connected to each other in an articulated way. One of the two crossed beams is held with its upper end on the upper side of the bracket on a scissor assembly bearing so as to be pivotable and with the lower end within the door compartment in a guide device so as to be pivotable and vertically displaceable. The second beam is held with the upper end within the door compartment in anchoring means so as to be pivotable and with the lower end on the lower side of the bracket so as to be pivotable and vertically displaceable. Upon lowering and outward travel of the doors the upper ends of the crossed beams thus remain constantly at the same height while the lower ends are vertically displaced. In an ideal case the pivot points at the ends of the crossed beams constantly form a rectangle. By releasing the scissor assembly bearing from the bracket said bracket can be vertically displaced in order to position the door within the door compartment at the same distance from the upper side and the lower side of the cupboard.
Furthermore an upper and a lower rail are provided in [1], along which the bracket is guided by means of guide plates in order to prevent a rotation and jamming of the scissor assembly.
By reason of various influencing factors, however, a situation can arise in which the bracket is not vertically orientated. This problem is countered in [1] in that the anchoring means provided in the door compartment can be adjusted, through which the upper end of the second rail element is held pivotally within the door compartment. The anchoring means provided on the inner side of the side wall are connected by means of a first and a second screw to an adjusting part provided on the outer side of the side wall, whereby a clamping connection is formed. After the release of the clamping connection the anchoring means and the adjusting part can be rotated about the stationarily held first screw while the second screw is displaceable in a hollow space of the side wall.
After the two screws have been loosened the lower side of the anchoring means, on which the pivot point of the second crossed element is provided, can thus be displaced forwards and back in such a way that the scissor assembly can be inclined with the bracket forwards and back and fixed again at an appropriate point. If after the mounting of the doors said doors hang somewhat outwardly the two screws are loosened and the anchoring means and the adjusting part are rotated until the bracket is vertically orientated with the door. Following complete adjustment the screw connection is tightened again so that a clamping connection is formed between the anchoring means and the adjusting part and also the side wall lying between them. In addition the adjusting part is secured by means of a third screw against further rotation.
In this device the adjustment thus requires access to the adjusting part provided on the side wall, which adjusting part must be released and rotated. At the same time it is to be ensured that the bracket and the door are actually inclined to the necessary extent. It may thereby be necessary to adjust them several times. It is further to be ensured that the door with the bracket, after the loosening of the screws, does not tilt forwards and pull with it the anchoring means and the adjusting part. After the loosening of the screws the door must therefore be held and the setting changed in steps and verified. This results in considerable resources for precise adjustment of the device. It is further to be noted that the respective securing of the clamping connection by means of the third screw also requires resources and is scarcely still reliable after several adjustments, in which the third screw has been positioned at adjacent points.
Further, additional drawbacks result. In many cases the side wall defining the door compartment is not freely accessible. This is the case for example if the cupboard lies laterally against a wall of a building. In this case the cupboard must be pushed forwards in order to be able to carry out the adjustment. It is further possible for the cupboard to stand freely and for the side wall to be freely visible. In this case the adjusting part with the screws causes aesthetic interference.
It is further to be noted that not only the adjustment but also the installation of this device are associated with relatively high resources as the side wall is to be provided with the corresponding bores.
It is thus an object of the present invention to create an improved displacement device for pivotally held separation elements and an article of furniture provided with this displacement device.
In particular a simply assembled displacement device is to be created, which can be installed with minimum resources and precisely adjusted.
This object is achieved with a displacement device and with an article of furniture provided with this displacement device, whereby said displacement device and said article of furniture have the features defined in claims 1 and 16 respectively. Advantageous embodiments of the invention, in particular an advantageously designed carriage and an advantageously designed hinge, are defined in further claims.
The displacement device serves to hold a separation element, which is pivotally connected to a bracket, which is slideably held by a first beam of a scissor assembly and firmly held by a second beam of the scissor assembly by means of a scissor assembly bearing.
According to the invention the scissor assembly bearing comprises a profile body that is adapted to the bracket and can be connected thereto. Said profile body comprises a profile part which is connected in an articulated way to the first end element of an adjusting lever, of which the second end element is connected on the one hand pivotally with the second beam and on the other hand is held by an adjusting bolt, of which the threaded shank is mounted rotatably in a threaded channel of the profile body.
By rotating the adjusting bolt the distance between the scissor assembly bearing, which is held on the bracket, and the second beam, and hence the inclination of the bracket, can selectively be adjusted. The scissor assembly bearing connected to the second beam is preferably fixed to the upper side of the bracket, while the first beam is guided slideably on the lower side of the bracket. If the user establishes that the separation element is downwardly inclined he can reduce the distance between the scissor assembly bearing and thus the upper side of the bracket and the associated end element of the second beam. Insofar as the displacement device is mounted in an article of furniture and the separation element can be lowered in a door compartment, the separation element can be completely pulled out and the adjusting bolt can be accessed in order to carry out the necessary adjustment.
The adjustment can thus take place directly at the bracket and does not have to be carried out at an end of the scissor assembly lying at a distance, as is necessary with the subject matter of [1]. No clamping device thereby needs to be loosened and tightened again after the adjusting element. The separation element does not have to be held during the adjusting process but can be adjusted under load. The adjustment therefore takes place under load with minimum resources with millimetre precision. A subsequent adjustment is not necessary as no load change takes place after completion of the adjusting process.
In a preferred embodiment the threaded channel serving to receive the adjusting bolt runs through the profile body, preferably running through the profile part connected to the adjusting lever, from the rear side facing the scissor assembly as far as the front side. The adjusting bolt can thus be detected from the front side of the profile body and manipulated.
In this connection the adjusting bolt preferably comprises on the front side a tool opening, for example a hexagon socket, into which a tool can be introduced. The adjusting screw can be detected and rotated in this preferred embodiment for example with a hex key.
It is preferably provided that the adjusting bolt comprises at the end facing the adjusting lever a bolt head, which is rotatably held in a receiving opening provided in the adjusting lever. In this embodiment the adjusting bolt does not press unilaterally against the adjusting lever but instead holds it securely and guides it to the position desired by the user, forwards or back.
In a further preferred embodiment the adjusting lever comprises on the second end element a mounting lug, through which a bearing screw connected to the second beam is guided.
The mounting lug preferably comprises an elongated opening, along which the shank of the bearing screw can be displaced during the adjusting process. In this way the shank of the bearing screw can change its position within the mounting lug, whereby blocking is prevented.
At the end of the adjusting lever furthest away from the rotation point a guide nose is preferably provided, which is guided in a guide channel, which is provided in an end element of the profile part. In this way it is ensured that the adjusting lever can only be rotated in one plane.
The profile body of the scissor assembly bearing preferably comprises an L-shaped profile or a U-shaped profile, which is optionally provided with holding elements such as holding claws and holding strips, as well as comprising threaded bores, in which fixing screws can be turned against the bracket in order to mutually block the bracket and the profile body. By loosening the fixing screws the scissor assembly bearing can be released from the bracket, after which the bracket, which is normally connected to the separation element by means of a plurality of hinges, can be vertically displaced.
It is thus possible with the measures described above to precisely adjust the separation element in height and inclination with most simple measures.
Particularly if heavy separation elements are used, then the scissor assembly is preferably unloaded. For this purpose according to the invention a carriage with running wheels is mounted at the upper end of the bracket, which running wheels are guided on a running rail. The weight of the separation element is thus carried by the carriage, while the remaining torque is absorbed by the substantially unloaded scissor assembly.
In this case too, the correct setting of the height of the bracket held by the carriage is essential. The optimal functioning of the displacement device is indeed only guaranteed if all elements are tailored to each other without defects. It is therefore in turn of central importance that the height of the bracket can be precisely set in relation to the running rail extending perpendicular thereto with simple measures. Thereby it shall be avoided that the carriage must be released from the bracket and displaced, which would make simple and precise adjustment practically impossible.
In a preferred embodiment the body of the carriage thus comprises a housing, in which an adjusting element is mounted so that it can be displaced in height. On the upper side of the adjusting element a support lever is preferably rotatably held, on which support lever the two running wheels are fixed by means of wheel axles. By using the rotatable support lever this results in optimal load distribution on both running wheels. Irrespectively of the inclination of the receiving profile relative to the running rail, the carriage thus constantly performs its task optimally. A one-sided loading only of one running wheel, which could lead to early wear, is avoided.
The adjusting element preferably comprises a holding bar, on the upper side of which the support lever is rotatably held by means of a central axle, and on the lower side of which holding bar a holding wedge is provided. The upper wedge face of the holding wedge, which is inclined in relation to the running direction of the carriage, cooperates with the lower wedge face of an adjusting wedge, which can be displaced in relation to the holding wedge by means of an adjusting screw held by the carriage body. With the displacement of the adjusting wedge the holding wedge is thus displaced upwards or downwards. The adjusting screw is typically mounted in the carriage housing parallel to the running direction of the carriage.
Preferably, an adjusting screw provided with a threaded shank is used, which adjusting screw has a screw head at each end, said screw heads being held so as to be rotatable in a bearing opening of the carriage housing but not displaceable. The bearing openings are provided in two sides of the carriage housing lying opposite each other and the adjusting screw thus runs completely through the carriage housing. The threaded shank of the adjusting screw is held in a threaded channel of the adjusting wedge and the latter is thus displaced with each rotation of the adjusting screw along said adjusting screw. Access to the adjusting screw is thus possible from both sides of the carriage housing. An adjustment is in turn possible from the front side. The adjusting bolt of the scissor assembly bearing and the adjusting screw of the carriage can be manipulated with the same tool.
The inventive carriage can be used particularly advantageously in the displacement device set out here. In the case of further separation elements such as sliding doors or sliding shutters, which are directly hung on a carriage, similar problems arise and these can be resolved with the inventive carriage. The use of this carriage is not therefore limited to the present invention, but can instead be used with any separation elements.
In the inventive displacement device the separation element is connected to the bracket by means of at least one hinge. Hinges for furniture doors are known from numerous publications.
[2], EP 0 909 864 A2, discloses a hinge provided for furniture doors, wherein said hinge has a hinge arm, which is connected to a hinge cup by means of an outer and inner articulated lever, which together with four articulated axles form a four-bar linkage. One of the articulated levers is formed as a two-armed lever with an arm pointing freely into the hinged arm, which arm pointing freely into the hinged arm is impacted by a spring mounted in the hinged arm and which comprises two side webs orientated perpendicular to the articulated axles. The spring thereby presses on a preferably cylindrical metal pin, which is held between the side webs of the arm of the articulated lever projecting freely into the hinged arm.
Through the use of a metal pin, which consists of substantially higher-quality and more abrasion-resistant material than the articulated lever, the lifespan of the hinge can be considerably increased in relation to the lifespan of a hinge wherein the spring rubs directly on the articulated lever.
[3], EP 1 048 809 A1, discloses a hinge, wherein a leaf spring acts on a block, for example made of plastic, which is placed upon an articulated lever. Through the use of a plastic block it is intended in turn to reduce the friction between the articulated lever and the leaf spring.
[4], DE 3914103 A1, describes a solution, in which the spring acts via a single-armed lever upon the articulated lever. In this solution the spring remains protected while the friction takes place between the single-armed lever and the articulated lever.
The mutual friction between device parts thus leads to a more or less earlier wear of the hinge. The use of additional parts, for ekample the aforementioned metal pin, the plastic block or the single-armed lever, only leads to a reduction in the wear, but also to greater resources and space requirement.
A further drawback is that the aforementioned friction between the device parts absorbs forces, which are no longer available for the operation of the hinge.
In addition the force effect of the spring upon the separation element connected to the hinge is relatively low, so that the functions for opening or closing the separation element are barely supported, only partially supported or not supported at all by the spring force. Typically there is only a holding of the separation element in one position of the separation element. In the subject matter of [4] a relatively low closing moment occurs merely in the closed position of the separation element.
In addition, interference-causing noise results on account of the friction within the hinge.
Furthermore the spring takes up a relatively large amount of space in the hinges of [2], [3] and [4], whereby space is by nature only in short supply.
A further drawback of the devices of [2], [3] and [4] is that the hinge position cannot be adjusted when the separation element is open. In the open position the separation element is therefore not orientated perpendicular to the furniture and to the door compartment possibly provided therein. This results on the one hand in a disadvantageous aesthetic impression and on the other hand the separation element can stop against the side walls of the door compartment, whereby interference-causing noise and appearance of wear can arise.
It is thus an additional object of the invention to improve the known hinges and to overcome the drawbacks described. In particular a hinge is to be created, in which the occurrence of wear on the hinge itself and on parts connected thereto can be avoided. In particular friction between device parts of the hinge and the wear of these device parts are to be avoided. Furthermore the noise caused by the hinge is to be avoided or significantly reduced.
Furthermore it shall be possible to use a more powerful spring element, of which the force can be optimally transferred to the associated articulated lever. Said spring element shall at the same time require little space.
The lever mechanism is preferably to be designed in such a way that through the lever mechanism and the spring element in both end positions a strong function moment is exerted upon the separation element so that the separation element is guided independently into the respective end position.
The hinge is thereby to be constructed in a space-saving way and to be mountable on any separation element such as glass panels or wooden panels.
This object is achieved with a hinge as defined in claims 12-15.
The hinge comprises a mounting element, which can be connected to the separation element, said mounting element being in particular a hinge cup, which is connected by means of a lever mechanism to a mounting part, which can be fixed to the bracket. Said mounting part is connected in an articulated way to the first end element of a drive lever driven by the drive spring and to the first end element of an adjusting lever.
According to the invention the second end element of the adjusting lever is connected in an articulated way to the first end element of a mounting lever, which is connected or can be connected to the mounting element. The second end element of said mounting lever is connected to the second end element of the drive lever, which presses the mounting lever against the adjusting lever so that the third lever shaft connecting the adjusting lever and the mounting lever is pressed towards the drive lever when the separation element is open and away from the drive lever when the separation element is closed.
The end position of the hinge is reached with open separation element when the third lever shaft or parts of the adjusting lever or mounting lever connected thereto, stop against the drive lever. The end position of the hinge is reached with closed separation element at the latest when the mounting element, possibly the hinge cup, lies against the drive lever. The adjusting lever and the mounting lever thus form a knee joint at the connection point, which knee joint, depending upon the position, is pressed by the drive lever in one or the other direction. In the position in which the rotation axes of the adjusting lever and of the mounting lever lie precisely in a plane, they are pressed towards each other. As soon as the separation element is rotated only minimally in one direction or the other the knee joint is likewise guided in a corresponding direction and folded, whereby the separation element travels automatically until the stop into the end position, in which the separation element is either open or closed.
Due to the optimal effect of the drive spring upon the drive lever a considerable force is exerted upon the separation element so that the related process for opening or closing the separation element is carried out practically automatically. The drive spring thereby acts with virtually constant force upon the same point of the drive lever and a virtually constant acceleration thus results over the whole pivot range and any friction between the parts is avoided. Correspondingly the occurrence of wear and noise is also avoided. Furthermore no auxiliary elements are required. A drive spring is preferably used, which comprises at least one spring package present in the form of a helical spring, which spring package is held together with the relevant end element of the drive lever by a first lever shaft. The end elements and/or an intermediate element of the drive spring rotate/s with the drive lever therefore about the same axis. The relevant end element of the drive lever and one or two spring packages of the drive spring can thus be arranged beside each other and thereby only take up a small cylindrical space volume.
For this purpose the mounting part preferably comprises a first bearing body, in which the first lever shaft serving to hold the drive shaft and the drive spring is mounted. On one or both sides of the first bearing body a respective spring package of the drive spring formed as a helical spring is arranged, which drive spring presses on the one hand against the mounting part and on the other hand with an end element or a middle element against the drive lever.
The adjusting lever is possibly likewise held by the first lever shaft. The mounting part, however, preferably comprises at least one second bearing body, in which a second lever shaft serving to hold the adjusting lever is mounted.
Furthermore the second end elements of the drive lever and of the mounting lever are connected to each other by a fourth lever shaft.
Thus, a lever mechanism results, which is driven by the drive spring with great force in an essentially friction-free manner.
The drive spring can for example comprise for each spring package 10 windings and a wire diameter of for example 0.5 mm to 2 mm. The number of windings and the wire diameter are thereby adapted to the load of the door element. It is interesting that with the inventive construction of the hinge the spring force can be increased practically as desired without the space requirement increasing significantly. It is further particularly advantageous that the spring path/the rotation angle of the corresponding end element or middle element of the drive spring is very large and the drive spring thereby supplies a practically constantly high force effect over the whole movement range of the hinge.
As mentioned, when the separation element is open the third lever shaft is guided towards the drive lever until the third lever shaft or parts of the adjusting lever or of the mounting lever stop against the drive lever. In a preferred embodiment therefore a stop element is provided, which defines the minimum distance of the third lever shaft to the drive lever. A rotatably mounted stop screw is preferably provided in the drive lever, by means of which stop screw the minimum distance between the third lever shaft and the drive lever, and hence the orientation of the separation element in the open end position, can be set. A stop element, which cooperates with the stop screw, is preferably provided on the adjusting lever.
In a further preferred embodiment the mounting element, possibly the hinge cup, can be displaced in relation to the mounting lever and can be fixed by means of a connecting screw. The mounting lever can thus be fixedly connected to the mounting element or alternatively be connected in a selected position to the mounting element, whereby a higher flexibility is achieved. The separation element can thus be orientated with simple measures parallel to the mounting strip. This is achieved particularly simply in that a connecting element with a toothing is provided on the mounting lever and a tool recess is provided in the hinge cup, into which tool recess a toothed tool can be introduced, in that the toothing of the tool cooperates with the toothing of the connecting element. After loosening of the connecting screw, provided for example on the connecting element, the toothed tool can be rotated and the hinge cup can selectively be displaced in relation to the connecting element, after which the connecting screw is securely tightened again.
In preferred embodiments the external forms of the drive lever, the adjusting lever and the mounting lever are adapted to each other so that they can be displaced into one another at least partially. For example the mounting lever comprises at least in part a U-shaped profile, which is fitted into the hinge cup and/or which serves to receive the drive lever in the position in which the third bearing shaft is guided towards the drive lever.
It is further preferably provided that the second end element of the adjusting lever and the first end element of the mounting lever each comprise two adjacent bearing elements, serving to receive the third bearing shaft. Said bearing elements are spaced apart from each other in such a way that the drive lever can be guided between them towards the third bearing shaft and can thus be lowered at least partially between parts of the adjusting lever and the mounting lever.
The invention is explained in greater detail below by reference to drawings, in which:
a a scissor assembly bearing 6, which can be fixedly connected to the bracket 21, by means of which scissor assembly bearing 6 the upper end of the second rail element 22 is held so that it can be adjusted;
b the scissor assembly bearing 6 of
c the assembled scissor assembly bearing 6 of
a, b a cut-out segment of the bracket 21 in three-dimensional representation;
a the bracket 21 held by an inventive carriage 4 and guided along a running rail 27, against which bracket 21a hinge 3 is mounted;
b the carriage 4 of
c the carriage 4 and the bracket 21 of
d the carriage 4 of
a in part, the bracket 21 connected by means of hinges 3 to the separation element 11 as well as to the scissor assembly bearing 6 and the carriage 4, as seen from above;
b the device of
a in a principle diagram, the inventive hinge 3 with the mounting part 30 mounted on the bracket 21, and with the drive lever 31 driven by the drive spring 35, the adjusting lever 32 and the mounting lever 33;
b the inventive hinge 3 of
a-c in a principle diagram, the hinge 3 of
a-c the concretely shown hinge 3 of
a the mounting part 30 of
b the mounting part 30 with the drive lever 31 and the adjusting lever 32, on the free-lying end elements of which the third and fourth bearing shaft 363, 364 are inserted in order to mount the mounting lever 33;
c the completely assembled hinge 3 with the mounting element 38 connected to the mounting lever 33, which mounting element 38 is formed as a hinge cup;
a the mounting lever 33 with a mounting element 38, which is formed as a fitting for a glass door 11; and
b an article of furniture 1 with a glass door 11, which is held by an inventive displacement device 2.
The scissor assembly 22 comprises two first and second beams 221, 222 connected to each other in the middle by a joint bolt 223. The upper end element of the first beam 221 is connected pivotally with anchoring means 23, which are fixed to the side wall 12 or the intermediate wall 13. The lower end element of the first beam 221 is mounted so as to be vertically displaceable by means of a guide profile 26 for example in the bracket 21. The upper end element of the second beam 222 is pivotally held by means of a scissor assembly bearing 6, which can be displaced along the bracket 21 and fixed at any point by means of mounting bolts. The lower end element of the second beam 22 is displaceably mounted in a guide device 24, which is fixed to the side wall 12 or to the intermediate wall 13. In principle it would also be possible to pivotally hold the lower end elements of the crossed beams 221, 222 and to mount their upper end elements so as to be displaceable.
It can further be seen from
In the inventive displacement device 2 an adjustment of the anchoring means 23 installed within the door compartment 14 is no longer necessary. All necessary settings can be carried out on the scissor assembly bearing 6, which is shown in
a shows the scissor assembly bearing 6 fixedly blocked with the bracket 21 by means of mounting bolts 64. By means of the scissor assembly bearing 6 the upper end of the second rail element 222 is held in an adjustable way.
As shown in
The third profile part 6123 comprises on the upper side a mounting opening 6131 serving to receive a mounting shaft 64, opposite which mounting opening 6131 the third profile part 613 comprises a foot element 6133, in which a guide channel 61331 is provided. Furthermore approximately in the middle region of the third profile part 613 a threaded channel 6132 extending perpendicular to the second profile part 612 is provided, which threaded channel 6132 serves to receive the threaded shaft 632 of an adjusting bolt 63. By means of the adjusting bolt 63 an adjusting lever 62 held pivotally by the mounting shaft 64 can be moved forward and back. For this purpose the threaded bolt 63 comprises at the end facing the adjusting lever 62 a head 631, which is held in a receiving opening 622 provided on the adjusting lever 62, as shown in
The adjusting lever 62 comprises on its upper side a mounting opening 622, into which the mounting shaft 64 is introduced. On the lower side the adjusting lever 62 comprises a mounting lug 621, through which a bearing screw 68 is guided, which is carried by the upper end element of the second beam 222, as shown in
Through the setting of the adjusting lever 62 the upper side of the bracket 21 is pulled towards the upper end element of the second beam 22 or pushed so far away from it until the desired inclination of the bracket 21 is set. In order to ensure that height changes of the mounting lug 621 of the adjusting lever 62, which arise upon changes in the inclination of the bracket 21, do not lead to a locking of the bearing screw 68, the mounting lug 621 comprises an elongated opening, within which the shank of the bearing screw 68 can move.
In order that the adjusting lever 62 constantly remains held in a plane, a guide nose 624 is provided on the lower side of said adjusting lever 62, which guide nose 624 engages in the guide channel 61331 in the foot element 6133 of the third profile part 613.
It is further shown in
c shows the assembled scissor assembly bearing 6 of
a and 4b show in a three-dimensional representation a cut-out segment of the bracket 21, which serves on the one hand to hold the hinges 3 and the scissor assembly bearing 6 and on the other hand to hold a carriage 4 guided by the upper running rail 28 and the guide profile 26, which is connected to the lower end element of the first beam 221.
For this purpose the bracket 21 comprises a first mounting profile 211 with a mounting channel 2111, which serves to receive the guide profile 26 and a mounting part 412, which is formed on the lower side of the carriage body 41 of the carriage 4 (see for example
The first mounting profile 211 of the one-piece bracket 21 is connected to a second mounting profile 212, which serves to hold the hinges 3 and the scissor assembly bearing 6, which can be displaced along this second mounting profile 212 and can be fixed at any desired point. For this purpose the second mounting profile 212 comprises a mounting strip 2121 and a mounting groove 2122, which cooperate with mounting elements 304, 305; 6111, 6122 of the hinge 3 and the scissor assembly bearing 6 and can be tensioned in relation thereto by means of mounting bolts 302, 67 (see
a shows the bracket 21 held by an inventive carriage 4 and guided along the upper running rail 27, on which bracket 21a hinge 3 is mounted.
b shows the opened carriage 4 of
c shows the carriage 4 and the bracket 21 of
d shows the carriage 4 of
The carriage 4 comprises a carriage body 41 with a carriage housing 411, in which an adjusting element 45 is mounted so as to be displaceable in height. Said adjusting element 45 consists of a vertically orientated holding bar 451 and a holding wedge 452 fixed to the lower side of the holding bar 451. On the upper side of the holding bar 451a bearing opening 451 is provided, into which a central axle 431 can be introduced, which pivotally holds a support lever 43 in the middle. The support lever 43 comprises on each of its two sides a receiving opening 432, in which the axles 441 of running wheels 44 are held. The support lever 43 thus serves as a rocker element, which follows the inclination of the running rail 27 and distributes the load evenly on both running wheels 44.
The holding bar 451 is held in the housing 411 of the carriage body 41 between two guide beams 4114 so as to be vertically displaceable and projects outwards through a housing opening 4111. Between the two guide beams 4114 the holding bar 453 is held by means of a bearing block 421, which is arranged on the lid 42 of the carriage housing 411. On the housing lid 42 receiving openings 422 for end screws 423 are provided, whereby said end screws 423 can be rotated in threaded bores 4113 in the carriage body 41. After the fixing the holding bar 451 is thus held so as to be vertically displaceable.
Furthermore an adjusting screw 46 is provided in the carriage housing 411, which adjusting screw 46 comprises at both ends a screw head 461 and between them a screw shank 462 with a thread. The two screw heads 461 are rotatably held in bearing openings 4112, which are provided in sides of the carriage housing 411 lying opposite each other. The bearing openings 4112 lie at the same height and the adjusting screw 46 is thus orientated horizontally and at the same time perpendicularly to the displacement direction of the holding bar 451.
The screw shank 462 of the adjusting screw 46 is turned into a threaded channel 471, which runs completely through an adjusting wedge 47. The adjusting wedge 47 thereby lies above the holding wedge 452, whereby two wedge faces inclined against the horizontal lie against each other as soon as the holding bar 451 is drawn upwards. Through the rotation of the adjusting screw 46 the adjusting wedge 47 moves in horizontal direction from one side to the other of the carriage housing 411, whereby the holding wedge 452 is displaced downwards or, under load, upwards.
In this way the height of the carriage body 41 and of the bracket 21 connected thereto with the aid of the mounting part 412 can be precisely set. The adjusting screw 46 can be manipulated from two sides of the housing 411 and thus also from the front side of the article of furniture 1. The height is thereby set in such a way that the weight of the separation element 11 is preferably completely assumed by the carriage 4 and the separation element 11 is simultaneously held at the provided height.
The inventive carriage 4 with the height adjustment described can also be advantageously used with other devices. It is not thereby compulsory for the holding bar 451 to be connected via a pivotable support lever 43 to the running wheels. The support lever can also be fixedly connected to the holding bar 451.
Furthermore the running wheels or running rollers, which can be provided in any number, can also be directly connected to the carriage body, while the holding bar 451 is connected to a separation element, for example a sliding door, and can hold this at an optionally adjustable height.
The holding bar can thereby be designed as desired. For example the holding bar can be formed as a thin hook, by means of which the fitting of a separation element, e.g. a wooden panel or a glass panel, is detected. Screw connections between the carriage and the fitting of the separation element, as described for example in [5], U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,867, can thus be drastically simplified. The fitting connected to the separation element can be reduced in its dimensions to the minimum and no longer requires the mounting of movable parts such as screws.
Nonetheless, it is of course also possible to form the holding bar as a screw, which is preferably rotatably connected to the holding wedge. In this case, with the aid of the rotation of the holding bar or the holding screw, a rough setting can be carried out and, with the aid of the adjusting screw, a fine setting can be carried out. In this case a detent element is preferably provided in the carriage body, for example a locking screw, by means of which the screw-form holding bar can be fixed. For example a vertically extending groove is provided in the holding bar, into which groove the locking screw can be rotated in order to hold it in a rotationally secure way, in which it can be displaced merely vertically.
a shows in part the bracket 21, seen from above, which is connected by means of hinges 3 to the separation element 11 and also to the scissor assembly bearing 6 and the carriage 4.
b shows the device of
By means of the second bearing shaft 362, which is introduced into the second bearing bodies 304, the adjusting lever 32 is mounted. The second bearing bodies 304 can be anchored with a nose element 3041 in the mounting groove 2122 of the bracket 21, while the holding claws 305 provided on the mounting part 30 can surround the mounting strip 2121 on the mounting part 30. It is illustrated in
a shows in a principle illustration furthermore the drive lever 31 driven by the drive spring 35, the adjusting lever 32 and the mounting lever 33, which together form a lever mechanism. It is shown that the adjusting lever 32 is connected by means of a third lever shaft 363 to the mounting lever 33. The mounting lever 33, which is connected to a mounting element 38 or a hinge cup, is connected by means of a fourth lever shaft 364 to the second end element of the drive lever 31. The drive lever 31 is pressed by the drive spring 35 constantly in the same direction towards the mounting lever 33 and the adjusting lever 32 and endeavours to reduce, through force effect, the distance a between the second lever shaft 362 and the fourth lever shaft 364. This reduction of the distance is managed in that the third lever shaft 363 is either guided towards the drive lever 31 or away from it. In this way the two end positions of the hinge 3 are reached under the force effect of the drive lever 31. The separation element 11 held is thus guided under force effect into the end position, in which the separation element 11 lies either perpendicular or parallel to the front of the article of furniture 1 or a building opening.
From the position, in which the second, third and fourth lever shaft 362, 363, 364 lie in a plane, the hinge 3 can thus tilt in one direction or the other, whereby the movement is supported in both directions over the whole tilt range by the drive lever 31 with virtually constant force. It is to be noted thereby that the drive spring 35, which can be formed to be extraordinarily powerful, transfers the force without friction losses to the drive lever 31, whereby an optimal effect is unleashed. At the same time wear is avoided, as the device parts of the hinge 3 work in a friction-free way.
a further shows that the minimum distance between the third lever shaft 363 and the drive lever 31 and thus an end position can be set by means of a stop screw 35. For example the stop screw 315 acts upon a stop element 321 provided on the adjusting lever 312, said stop element 321 being shown in
b shows in a sectional representation the hinge 3 of
In advantageous embodiments at least one of the levers 31, 32, 33 of the lever mechanism is not formed straight, as shown in
a, 11b and 11c show the principle diagram of the hinge 3 of
a, 12b and 12c show the hinge 3 in the concrete embodiment of
For connection to the hinge cup 38 the mounting lever 33 comprises a connecting element 331 formed in the manner of a toothed rod, which connecting element 331 comprises an opening 3312 for passing through a connecting screw 381 and a lateral toothing 3311. The connecting screw 381 is guided through an opening in the bottom of the hinge cup 38 and rotated into a nut 382. The hinge cup 38 can be displaced along the connecting element 331 and can be fixed at a suitable point by tightening the connecting screw 381. It is shown in
a, 14b and 14c show the assembly of the elements of the hinge 3. With reference to
a shows the mounting part 30 of
b shows the mounting part 30 with the drive lever 31 and the adjusting lever 32, on the free lying end elements of which the third and fourth bearing shaft 363, 364 are inserted in order to mount the mounting lever 33.
c shows the completely assembled hinge 3 with the hinge cup 38 placed on the mounting lever 33.
a shows the mounting lever 33 with a mounting element 38, which is formed as a fitting for a glass door 11.
b shows an article of furniture 1 with a glass door 11, on which a door strip 110 is fixed, which encloses on both sides the mounting element 38 held in a receiving groove.
The displacement device 2 and the hinge 3 are in the position shown in
The inventive displacement device 2 can thus be connected in various ways to any desired separation elements 11. The separation elements can be produced from any desired materials such as glass, metal, wood or plastic.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09158984.6 | Apr 2009 | EP | regional |
