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(11) | EP 1 640 538 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | An adjustable door hinge |
| (57) An adjustable door hinge comprises at least: a first body and a second body (2, 3)
having respective securing flaps (4, 5) for attachment to a fixed frame and mobile
frame, respectively; a hinge pin (6) which has a central axis and which can be partly
inserted into respective holes (9, 10) made in the hinge bodies (2, 3); a first and
second bush (7, 8) positioned between respective portions of the pin (6) and the corresponding
holes (9, 10) in the first and second hinge bodies (2, 3); means (11) for adjusting
the hinge in a longitudinal axis (Z) of the pin (6), located on either the first or
the second hinge body (2, 3) and designed to vary the relative axial distance (H)
between the first hinge body (2) and the second hinge body (3); the means (11) for
adjusting the relative axial distance (H) are associated with the respective first
or second bush (7, 8) located inside the first or second hinge body (2, 3) and act
directly on the inside end of the pin (6) portion.
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[0001] The present invention relates to an adjustable door hinge, in particular for heavy metal door units, that is to say, reinforced door units that are heavier than standard interior door units.
[0002] The hinges used for door units of this type (that is, exterior door units, gates, etc) must satisfy special security requirements and, in this aspect too, differ from those usually used on traditional door units (such as, for example, interior door units).
[0003] These hinges must have a larger and stronger structure, not only because they have to support the heavy weight of the door but also because the screws used to fix the hinges have to be covered by special tamper-proof plates.
[0004] Further, precisely because of the special applications they are used for, these hinges must permit precise adjustment so as to better adapt the position of the mobile frame of the door unit relative to the fixed frame once the unit has been assembled.
[0005] Structurally, the hinges normally consist of two hinge bodies, usually of aluminium or aluminium alloy, one attachable to the mobile frame of the door unit and one attachable to the fixed frame, and a steel hinge pin that can be inserted into respective through holes in the two hinge bodies with interposed centring bushes (usually made of self-lubricating plastic). At the centre of the hinge pin there is a collar, made as a single piece with the hinge pin itself, and larger in diameter than the through holes in the hinge bodies so as to prevent the pin from coming out of the holes in the hinge bodies (see also patent IT-1.221.237 to the same Applicant).
[0006] The hinge bodies have flaps by which the hinge is secured to the door unit and which are crossed, perpendicularly to the hinge pin, by robust screws whose heads are accommodated in respective recesses made in the hinge flaps themselves. The tamper-proof plates are applied to each of the hinge flaps in such a way as to fully cover the screw heads, forming a surface that smoothly connects both with the cylindrical portion of the hinge in which the hole that accommodates the respective bush is made, and with the free end of the hinge flap extending from the cylindrical portion.
[0007] The bushes usually consist of a cylindrical element closed at one end and a collar located at the open end which rests against the outer cylindrical surface of the hinge body.
[0008] Starting from a hinge structure of this type, several solutions have been devised to permit different adjustments of the mobile frame relative to the fixed frame so as to facilitate door assembly and achieve trouble-free door operation.
[0009] These adjustments, acting on the mobile frame, can be performed on three axes: a vertical axis (axis of rotation Z), an axis perpendicular to the vertical plane of the fixed frame (axis Y, and also known as "compression" in the jargon of the trade) and an axis parallel to the vertical plane of the door frame (axis X) .
[0010] The adjustment in the axis X is performed (as described for example in patent EP 992.647 to this Applicant) using the bush located in the "female" portion of the hinge (that is, on the upper hinge body associated with the mobile frame).
[0011] This bush has an outer radial protrusion that engages in a matching notch made in the inside surface of the hole in the hinge body so as to form a pivot point that allows a pendular movement of the bush in both directions as one with the pin it accommodates, this pendular movement being produced by an adjustment device actuated from the outside of the hinge body.
[0012] The adjustments in the axes Z and Y, on the other hand, are usually performed on the lower (or "male") portion of the hinge body, that is to say, the portion nearest the ground or floor.
[0013] In one prior art solution, adjustment means are provided between the male portion of the hinge body and the respective bush located inside the hole of the male portion so as to permit the (axial and compression) adjustments to be carried out from outside the hinge body after the hinge has been fitted.
[0014] More specifically, the adjustment means are provided on the bush itself, which has a pin housing socket that is offset with respect to the hinge body and has at least one externally threaded portion that can be screwed into the hinge body, the latter having a matching internally threaded portion that enables the bush to be raised or lowered by simply screwing or unscrewing it using an appropriate tool. At the same time, this shifts the pin with respect to the axis Y in such a way as to vary the compression of the mobile frame relative to the fixed frame.
[0015] In other terms, by screwing or unscrewing a single bush, the hinge can be adjusted on both the axes Z and Y.
[0016] Over time, it has been found that this solution has several drawbacks, both economic and technical:
- the threading on the hinge body and bush greatly increase the production cost, the threading on aluminium being not only very expensive to make but also relatively fragile;
- a special tool is required to adjust the bush from the outside;
- the combination of the two adjustments in Z and Y inevitably leads to compromises
in the adjustment of the frame position; that is to say, an adjustment in Z necessarily
involves a compression adjustment in Y. For example, rotating the bush through 180°
causes a variation in Y of approximately 0.5 mm. Conversely, when an adjustment in
Y is made, the height of the frame is changed accordingly.
Therefore, the solution described above tends not to achieve the optimum adjustment intended.
[0017] The present invention has for an aim to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages by providing a hinge for door units that has a simple structure and that is practical and easy to install and facilitates optimum adjustment to the maximum degree in all of the three axes mentioned above.
[0018] According to the invention, the above mentioned aim is achieved by an adjustable door frame comprising: a first body and a second body having respective securing flaps for attachment to a fixed frame and mobile frame, respectively; a hinge pin which has a central axis and which can be partly inserted into respective holes made in the hinge bodies; a first and second bush positioned between respective portions of the pin and the corresponding holes in the first and second hinge bodies; means for adjusting the hinge in a longitudinal axis of the pin, located on one of the two hinge bodies and designed to vary the relative axial distance between the first hinge body and the second hinge body; the means for adjusting the relative axial distance being associated with the respective first or second bush, which is located inside the first or second hinge body, and acting directly on the inside end of the pin portion.
[0019] The technical characteristics of the present invention may be easily inferred from the appended claims and the advantages will become more apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention without restricting the scope of the inventive concept and in which:
- Figure 1 is a perspective view, with some parts cut away in order to better illustrate others, of an adjustable door hinge according to the invention;
- Figure 2 is a perspective view, with some parts cut away in order to better illustrate others, of a part of the hinge of Figure 1;
- Figure 3 is a front view, with some parts in cross section in order to better illustrate others, of a part of the hinge of Figure 1;
- Figure 4 is a bottom plan view, with some parts cut away in order to better illustrate others, of the hinge shown in the illustrations listed above.
[0020] With reference to the accompanying drawings, in particular Figures 1 to 3, the hinge according to the invention, labelled 1 in its entirety, is used in particular for "heavy" doors, such as exterior doors, main front doors, gates, etc.
[0021] With reference to Figure 1, the hinge 1 comprises a first body 2 and a second body 3 attachable, respectively, to a mobile frame of a door unit and to a fixed frame of a door unit (not illustrated since they are of well known type and do not fall within the scope of this invention) by means of respective flaps 4 and 5 that accommodate respective screw fastening means (also not illustrated): in particular, but without restricting the scope of the invention, the first hinge body 2 (the upper or "female" part in Figure 1) is usually associated with the mobile frame, whilst the second hinge body 3 (the lower or "male" part in Figure 1) is associated with the fixed frame.
[0022] As illustrated in Figure 3, the hinge 1 also comprises a hinge pin 6 enabling the two bodies 2 and 3 to turn relative to each other, having a central axis and designed to be inserted, at least partly, into respective holes 9 and 10 made in the cylindrical portion of the two bodies 2 and 3.
[0023] Between the pin 6 and the two corresponding holes 9 and 10 there are a first and a second bush 7 and 8 for aligning and positioning the pin 6.
[0024] In Figures 2, 3 and 4, the numeral 11 denotes means for adjusting the pin 6 in a longitudinal axis Z (that is to say, the axis of rotation of the mobile frame), said means 11 being positioned on one of the two hinge bodies 2 or 3 and permitting the relative axial distance (labelled H in Figure 3) between the first hinge body 2 and the second hinge body 3 to be varied.
[0025] As explained in more detail below, the adjustment means 11 are, purely by way of example, located on the second, lower hinge body 3 and therefore, this specification describes the hinge body 3.
[0026] Again with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4, the means 11 for adjusting the relative axial distance H are associated with the second bush 8, which is positioned inside the respective second hinge body 3, and act directly on the inside end of the pin 6 portion housed therein.
[0027] More specifically, the means 11 for adjusting the relative axial distance H are screwed in a matching, open hole 12 made at the innermost end of the second bush 8.
[0028] As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the means 11 for adjusting the relative axial distance H comprise a grub screw 13, which is screwed into an open threaded hole 12 made at the innermost end of the second bush 8, and which, during use, can be adjusted from the outside of the respective second hinge body 3 using, for example, a well-known and commercially available tool (not illustrated).
[0029] In other terms, the relative axial distance H can be adjusted (see arrow F, Figure 3) by acting directly on the pin 6, keeping the second bush 8 fixed relative to the second hinge body 3.
[0030] In addition to the above, the second bush 8 may include means 14 for adjusting the mobile frame in an axis Y perpendicular to the mobile frame itself, said means being, obviously, independent of the above mentioned adjustment in Z.
[0031] The means 14 may be constituted by the second bush 8 itself, which houses the means 11 for adjusting the axial distance H.
[0032] Indeed, the second bush 8 has a hole 14 made in it to accommodate the portion of the pin 6 that is offset relative to the respective second hinge body 3 that houses it: it is thus possible, by rotating the pin inside the second hinge body 3 (see arrow F1, Figure 3) to change the position of the pin 6 in either direction along the perpendicular axis Y with respect to the fixed frame (see arrow F2, Figure 4).
[0033] The numeral 15 denotes means for stabilising the position of the second bush 8, said means 15 being designed to act between the second bush 8 and the second hinge body 3.
[0034] Looking in more detail (see Figures 2 and 4) the stabilising means 15 comprise a covering element or cap 16 applicable to the free end of the second hinge body 3 and having two locking pins 17 that can be engaged in at least two external grooves 18 made at the free end of the second bush 8 and in two internal cavities 19 made in the second hinge body 3.
[0035] The pins 17 of the cap 16 can be engaged in the grooves 18 and cavities 19 when the grooves 18 and the cavities 19 are aligned with each other, at a predetermined position of the second bush 8 and, therefore, at a predetermined position of the pin 6 on the axis Y.
[0036] Preferably, the second bush 8 has at least four grooves 18 spaced at equal angular intervals around the circumference of the end of the second bush 8 itself and able to be positioned in pairs opposite the aforementioned pair of cavities 19.
[0037] The two cavities 19 are positioned diametrically opposite each other inside the hole 10 in the second hinge body 3 and extend for the full length of the hole 10 itself.
[0038] As clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, a third, antifriction bush 20 attached to the second bush 8 may be provided between the pin 6 and the second bush 8 that has on it the means 11 for adjusting the axial distance H.
[0039] The third bush 20 has a narrow portion forming an open seat 21 at its innermost end designed to enable the aforementioned axial adjustment grub screw 13 to go past or come into contact with the pin 6.
[0040] The second bush 8 has an annular narrow portion forming the lower wall 12a of the hole 12 that houses the grub screw 13 and a wall that comes into contact with the upper end of the third bush 20.
[0041] The third bush 20 also has, on its outer surface, a pair of diametrically opposite tabs 22 protruding from a respective pair of slots 23 made in the second bush 8: in practice, the tabs 22 constitute means for locking the third bush 20 to the second bush 8 and for preventing it from rotating with respect to the pin 6.
[0042] Further, the two tabs 22 are elastically mobile between a retracted, free rotation position where the tabs 22 are close to the third bush 20 (in practice, pressed against the third bush 20) in such a way as to allow the second bush 8 to be adjusted by rotating it in the second hinge body 3 (the aforementioned adjustment in Y), and an advanced reference position where the tabs 22 protrude from and engage the respective cavities 19 inside the second hinge body 3: thus, the operator can easily feel when the second bush 8 snaps into one of the adjustment positions on the axis Y.
[0043] The preferred embodiment illustrated by way of example in Figures 2 and 3 also includes a circular plate 24 positioned between the hinge pin 6 and the adjustment grub screw 13.
[0044] The plate 24 is housed at the innermost end of the third bush 20 (at the narrow portion 21) and, during adjustment in the longitudinal axis Z, synchronises the movements of the pin 6 and third bush 20: this feature enables the third bush 20 to better cover the pin 6 when the two hinge bodies 2 and 3 are moved apart and to uniformly discharge the weight bearing down on the pin 6 at the grub screw 13 during normal use of the door.
[0045] Obviously, the position of the third bush 20 on the axis Z may be varied by means of the slots 23 in the second bush 8 which allow the tabs 22 to slide freely.
[0046] A hinge made as described above achieves the aforementioned aims thanks, in particular, to the possibility of adjusting the bush on the second hinge body separately in Y and Z.
[0047] This has the following advantages:
- overall improvement, greater precision and maximum optimisation of the adjustments in the three hinge axes, each independent of the others;
- absence of threading on the bush and on the hinge body, thus significantly reducing production cost;
- use of traditional tools to adjust the grub screw and bush, which means further savings on costs for installation personnel;
- lasting functionality and precision of the mobile parts of the hinge.
1. An adjustable door hinge of the type comprising at least:
- a first body and a second body (2, 3) having respective securing flaps (4, 5) for attachment to a fixed frame and mobile frame, respectively;
- a hinge pin (6) which has a central axis and which can be at least partly inserted into respective holes (9, 10) made in the hinge bodies (2, 3) ;
- a first and second bush (7, 8) positioned between respective portions of the pin (6) and the corresponding holes (9, 10) in the first and second hinge bodies (2, 3);
- means (11) for adjusting the hinge in a longitudinal axis (Z) of the pin (6), located on either the first or the second hinge body (2, 3) and designed to vary the relative axial distance (H) between the first hinge body (2) and the second hinge body (3); the hinge (1) being characterised in that the means (11) for adjusting the relative axial distance (H) are associated with the respective first or second bush (7, 8) located inside the first or second hinge body (2, 3) and act directly on the inside end of the pin (6) portion.
2. The hinge according to claim 1, characterised in that the means (11) for adjusting the axial distance (H) are screwed in a matching, open
hole (12) made at the innermost end of the first or second bush (7, 8).
3. The hinge according to claim 1, characterised in that the means (11) for adjusting the axial distance (H) comprise a grub screw (13), which
is screwed into an open threaded hole (12) made at the innermost end of the first
or second bush (7, 8), and which, during use, can be adjusted from the outside of
the respective first or second hinge body (2, 3).
4. The hinge according to claims 1 to 3, where the first or the second bush (7, 8) comprises
means (14) for adjusting the mobile frame in an axis (Y) perpendicular to the mobile
frame itself, characterised in that said adjustment means (14) are constituted by the first or the second bush (7, 8),
housing the means (11) for adjusting the axial distance (H), said bush (7, 8) having
a hole (14) for accommodating the portion of the pin (6) that is offset relative to
the respective first or second hinge body (2, 3), thus making it possible, by rotating
the pin inside the first or second hinge body (2, 3) to change the position of the
pin (6) in either direction along the perpendicular axis (Y) with respect to the fixed
frame; means (15) being provided for stabilising the position of the first or second
bush (7, 8), said means being designed to act between the first or the second bush
(7, 8) itself and the respective first or second hinge body (2, 3).
5. The hinge according to claim 4, characterised in that the stabilising means (15) comprise a covering element or cap (16) applicable to
the free end of the first or second hinge body (2, 3) and having two locking pins
(17) that can be engaged in at least two external grooves (18) made at the upper end
of the first or second bush (7, 8) and in two internal cavities (19) made in the respective
hinge body (2, 3); the pins (17) on the cap (16) being engageable in the grooves (18)
and cavities (19) when the grooves (18) and the cavities (19) are aligned with each
other at a predetermined position of the first or second bush (7, 8).
6. The hinge according to claim 5, characterised in that the first or the second bush (7, 8) has at least four grooves (18) spaced at equal
angular intervals around the circumference of the end of the bush (7, 8) itself and
able to be positioned in pairs opposite the aforementioned pair of cavities (19);
the latter being positioned diametrically opposite each other inside the hole (9,
10) in the first or second hinge body (2, 3) and extending for the full length of
the hole (9, 10) itself.
7. The hinge according to claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a third, anti-friction bush (20) attached to the first or second bush (7, 8) is provided
between the pin (6) and the first or second bush (7, 8) that has on it the means (11)
for adjusting the axial distance (H).
8. The hinge according to claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a third, anti-friction bush (20) attached to the first or second bush (7, 8) is provided
between the pin (6) and the first or second bush (7, 8) that has on it the means (11)
for adjusting the axial distance (H); the third bush (20) having a narrow portion
forming an open seat (21) at its innermost end designed to enable the passage of the
axial adjustment grub screw (13).
9. The hinge according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the first or second bush (7, 8) has an annular narrow portion forming the lower wall
(12a) of a hole (12) that houses the grub screw (13) and a wall that comes into contact
with the upper end of the third bush (20).
10. The hinge according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the third bush (20) has, on its outer surface, a pair of diametrically opposite tabs
(22) protruding from a respective pair of slots (23) made in the first or second bush
(7, 8); the tabs (22) constituting means for locking to the first or second bush (7,
8) and for preventing rotation; the two tabs (22) being elastically mobile between
a retracted, free rotation position where the tabs (22) are close to the third bush
(20) in such a way as to allow the first or second bush (7, 8) to be adjusted by rotating
it in the first or second hinge body (2, 3), and an advanced reference position where
the tabs (22) protrude from and engage the respective cavities (19) inside the first
or second hinge body (2, 3).
11. The hinge according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that it also comprises, between the hinge pin (6) and the means (11) for adjusting the
axial distance (H), a circular plate (24) housed at the innermost end of the third
bush (20) and designed to synchronise the movements of the pin (6) and third bush
(20) during adjustment in a longitudinal axis (Z).