UNIT FOR MOVING A SLIDING DOOR OF A FURNISHING ELEMENT

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a unit (1',1") for moving a door (51,52) of a furnishing element (2). The unit comprises a supporting bracket (12) connectable to said door (51,52) and a wheel (5) slidingly connected to the bracket. The unit further comprises a mechanism for adjusting the position of the bracket (12) with respect to the rotation axis (101) of the wheel (5). Such a mechanism comprises a first activation element (10) and a guiding element (20) for the movement of said bracket (12) with respect to said wheel (5). Said guiding element (20) is rotationally connected to the bracket (12) to rotate about a rotation axis (103) parallel to the rotation axis (101) of the wheel (5). The guiding element (8) and the activation element (10) are operatively connected so that a rotation of said activation element (10) determines a corresponding rotation of said guiding element (8).

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a unit for moving a sliding door of a furnishing element, such as a wardrobe, for example. The present invention also relates to an assembly for moving sliding doors of a furnishing element comprising said moving unit.

Prior art

[0002] The use of moving devices or units which achieve the sliding of a corresponding door between an opening position and a closing position is very common in the industry of manufacturing furnishing elements with doors. A unit normally comprises at least one supporting bracket connected to the door to be moved and at least one wheel sliding along a guide, which is usually fixed to the upper portion of a furnishing element. A wheel holder element is normally interposed between the wheel and the supporting bracket. The function of such an element is to define the rotation axis of the wheel while supporting the supporting bracket.

[0003] It is equally known that a moving unit comprises an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the bracket with respect to the corresponding sliding guide, i.e. the position of the door, associated with the bracket, with respect to the wardrobe. Such an adjustment is needed to recover the perpendicularity of the doors with respect to the wardrobe base. As known, the absence of perpendicularity (e.g. due to an incorrect assembly for the wardrobe, a not perfectly flat floor and/or dimensional or shape faults) results into a bad sliding of the doors themselves and a lack of parallelism between the doors, so that one door is inclined with respect to the other.

[0004] The adjustment mechanisms of the known type allow to vary the position of the bracket and of the door associated therewith, with respect to the wheel axis, while the latter remains stably resting on the sliding guide. Such mechanisms comprise at least one activation mechanism accessible by an operator by means of an appropriate adjustment tool, e.g. a key or a screwdriver. The movement of such elements by the operator determines the activation of the mechanism, i.e. the displacement of the bracket/door assembly with respect to the wheel.

[0005] In most cases, the adjustment mechanisms allow a "lateral" adjustment of the position of the bracket. In essence, the activation element of the mechanism is accessible from one side of the supporting bracket, i.e. according to an access direction substantially parallel to the movement direction. Examples of moving units with lateral adjustment are found in patent applications FR 2840038 and GB 2309477. In a second type of known solutions, there is provided an adjustment "from the top" i.e. performed by means of an adjustment tool which is approached to the activation element by means of downward vertical movement from a position above the bracket. Patent application WO2014/060931, instead, describes a moving unit with "frontal adjustment", i.e. in which the activation element of the adjustment mechanism is made accessible along a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the wheel of the unit itself. Such a solution allows to solve the drawbacks which accompany the principle of lateral and from-the-top adjustment.

[0006] However, in all cases and regardless of the adjustment principles used, it has been seen that the adjustment mechanisms have a complex structure because of the high number of components included on one hand, and on the other because of the principle by means of which these components interact each other. Furthermore, the known devices are rather lacking even in terms of adjustment reliability and accuracy.

[0007] For instance, in the example of the solution described in WO2014/060931, the moving unit comprises a door supporting bracket which defines a housing in which a central body (door holder), shaped as an upside-down "U", is slidingly inserted.

[0008] The opposite sides of such a body define a pair of mutually parallel inclined grooves. Such grooves are crossed by the opposite ends of a rotation pin of the movement wheel. Said ends are also slidingly inserted into vertical guides defined by opposite portions of the housing of the central body. A rack is defined on the transversal connection part between the two sides of the central body on which a pinion (activation element) meshes. Said pinion is accessible for an operator by means of an adjustment tool. The rotation of the pinion determines a translation of the central body due to the meshing with the rack. Such a translation is guided through the inclined guides, defined on the opposite sides of the central body, and through the vertical guides defined on the opposite portions of the bracket.

[0009] The mechanism described in WO2014/060931, as others which are conceptually equivalent, has various drawbacks. A first critical aspect is represented by the pinion-rack coupling. Indeed, although the lowering of the bracket with respect to the axis of the wheel is actuated with relative ease, on other hand lifting is particularly difficult. In essence, the mechanism works acceptably only in one direction. A second critical aspect is found in the conformation of the central body, which is difficult to make, and of the guiding means (inclined guides) of the movement defined thereby. Indeed, it has been seen that after a relatively short time of use, the sliding of the pin of the wheel in the inclined grooves and in the rectilinear grooves becomes rather difficult. It is worth noting that the operating principle based on the use of the central body requires a particular conformation of the bracket in order to define the housing seat of the body itself. This ultimately translates into increase of manufacturing costs.

[0010] As shown above, it is the main task of the present invention to provide a new unit for moving a sliding door of a furnishing element which makes it possible to overcome the drawbacks described above. Within the scope of the present invention, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a moving unit which allows an accurate, reliable frontal adjustment. It is another object of the present invention to provide a moving unit which is made with a relatively low number of easily assembled components. It is a not last object of the present invention to provide a moving unit which is reliable and easy to manufacture at competitive costs.

SUMMARY

[0011] The present invention thus relates to a unit for moving a door of a furnishing element. Such a unit comprises at least one supporting bracket comprising a first portion connectable to said door and a wheel sliding along a movement direction orthogonal to a rotation axis of the wheel. Such a wheel is slidingly connected to the bracket by means of a pin slidingly inserted into a rectilinear groove defined by the bracket itself; such a groove defines a movement direction for the bracket with respect to the rotation axis of the wheel.

[0012] The unit according to the invention further comprises a mechanism for adjusting the position of the bracket with respect to the rotation axis of the wheel. Such a mechanism comprises at least a first activation element which rotates about a rotation axis and at least one guiding element for the movement of the bracket with respect to the wheel. According to the invention, the guiding element is rotationally connected to the bracket to rotate about a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the wheel. Such a guiding element is operatively connected, either directly or indirectly, to the activation element so that a rotation of the activation element determines a corresponding rotation of said guiding element. According to the invention, the guiding element comprises a curvilinear groove in which the pin of the wheel is slidingly inserted. Said curvilinear groove develops according to an arc of circumference having a center of curvature defined by an eccentric position with respect to the rotation axis of the guiding element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, given by way of non-exclusive indicative, non-limitative example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figures 1, 2 and 3 are side views of an assembly comprising a first moving unit and a second moving unit according to the invention;
• Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views of the first moving unit and of the second moving unit of the movement assembly shown in Figures from 1 to 3, respectively;
• Figure 6 and 7 are an exploded view of the moving unit in Figure 2 and a further perspective view of the moving unit in Figure 4, respectively;
• Figures 8 and 9 are a plan view and a side view of the moving unit in figure 4, respectively;
• Figures 10 and 11 are a section view taken along the X-X plane in Figure 8 and a section view taken along the XI-XI plan in Figure 9, respectively;
• Figures 12 and 13 are a perspective view and an exploded view of the second moving unit of the assembly in Figure 1, respectively;
• Figures 14 and 15 are a front view and a detailed view of the moving unit in Figure 4 in a first operative configuration, respectively;
• Figures 16 and 17 are a front view and a detailed view of the moving unit in Figure 4 in a second operative configuration, respectively;
• Figures 18 and 19 are a front view and a detailed view of the moving unit in Figure 4 in a third operative configuration, respectively.

[0014] In the mentioned Figures, the same reference numerals and letters are used to identify the same elements or components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] With reference to the accompanying figures, the present invention thus relates to a unit for moving a door of a furnishing element which may be, for example, a wardrobe with non-coplanar doors (i.e. overlapping doors), to which reference will be made hereinafter. However, the considerations are independent from the type of furniture element.

[0016] Figure 1 shows a wardrobe 2 with two non-coplanar doors 51,52 moved by means of a moving assembly 500. Such an assembly 500 comprises a first moving unit 1' and a second moving unit 1" according to the present invention. The first unit 1' or outer unit 1' moves a first outermost door 51 with respect to wardrobe 2, while the second unit 1" or inner unit 1" moves the second innermost door 52. Assembly 500 comprises a profile 60, preferably made of metallic material, which defines a first innermost guide 6', along which the first unit 1' slides, and a second outermost guide 6", along which the second unit 1" slides. Profile 60 is fixed to the outer side of the upper horizontal portion 65, or cap 65, of wardrobe 2. Therefore, the two guides 6', 6" define a substantially horizontal movement direction 100 for the two guiding units 1',1'. According to an embodiment alternative to that described (not shown), the two guides 6', 6" could be defined separately, i.e. each by a mutually independent profile.

[0017] Figure 2 is a view of the assembly 500 in which the first unit 1' is highlighted, while the second unit 1" is dashed. Instead, in figure 3 the second unit 1" is highlighted, while the first unit 1' is shown with a dashed line. An outer unit 1' is described in detail for ease of presentation only, but the following considerations also apply to the inner unit 1".

[0018] The outer unit 1' comprises a supporting bracket 12 which includes at least a first portion 12' connectable to a surface of the first door 51, e.g. by means of screw elements 37. Bracket 12 preferably comprises a second portion 12" which develops in a facing position, i.e. substantially frontal and parallel to the first portion 12'. In particular, the second portion 12" comprises an inner surface 13', which faces the first portion 12' of bracket 12, and an outer surface 13" opposite to the inner surface 13'.

[0019] Bracket 12 further comprises a third portion 12'" which connects the first portion 12' to the second portion 12". With reference to the view in Figure 2, during use, the three portions 12',12",12" of bracket 12 configure a profile shaped as an upside-down "U" as a whole. It is worth noting that the extension of the third portion 12'" is defined so that the inner unit 1" remains free to slide in the space defined between the first portion 12' and the second portion 12".

[0020] The first unit 1' comprises a wheel 5 intended to slide/roll along a first guide 6' connected to wardrobe 2. The movement direction 100, defined by the first guide 6', is thus orthogonal to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5. Wheel 5 is slidingly connected to bracket 12 to allow to control/vary the position of the bracket with respect to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5.

[0021] In particular, according to the invention, wheel 5 is slidingly connected to bracket 12 so that the latter can slide, with respect to wheel 5, along a displacement direction 105 which is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5 and to the movement direction 100 (see Figure 6). For this purpose, a connection pin 8 of wheel 5 is slidingly inserted into a rectilinear groove 31 defined by means of bracket 12, preferably through the second portion 12" (see figures 6 and 7). Preferably, such a pin 8 also defines the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5. As described in greater detail below, during the adjustment, pin 8 and in general the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5 keep a vertical position which is substantially fixed with respect to guide 6' on which the wheel itself rests, while bracket 12 is free to move according to the displacement direction 105 defined by the groove 31.

[0022] The first unit 1' further comprises a mechanism for adjusting the position of bracket 12 with respect to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5. Such an adjustment results in lifting or lowering bracket 12 with respect to the first guide 6' on which wheel 5 rests, and ultimately with respect to the cap 65 of the furnishing element 2.

[0023] According to the invention, such a mechanism comprises an activation element 10 to activate the movement of bracket 12 with respect to wheel 5. Said activation element 10 is rotationally connected, either directly or indirectly, to bracket 12 for rotating about a rotation axis 102. For the purposes of the present invention, the term "activation element 10" indicates an element of the mechanism accessible by an operator, by means of an adjustment tool 300, to activate and control the adjustment. Therefore, the activation element 10 may be "directly" connected/installed to/on a portion of bracket 12, as shown in the figures.

[0024] Alternatively, this element could be connected/installed to/on a different component supported/installed by/on bracket 12 in turn. In this case, the activation element 10 would be "indirectly" connected to bracket 12.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the rotation axis 102 of the activation element 10 is parallel to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5. Preferably, at least for the outer unit 1', the activation element 10 is directly connected/ installed in a rotational manner to/on the second portion 12" of bracket 12, and even more preferably in adjacent position to the outer surface 13" of the second portion itself 12".

[0026] According again to a preferred embodiment, the first portion 12' and/or the third portion 12'" define an opening 46 (clearly visible in Figure 10) in a position "aligned" with the rotation axis 102 of the activation element 10. The term "aligned" indicates a condition according to which the rotation axis 102 crosses opening 46 (see Figure 10 again). In essence, opening 46 substantially develops at the same "height" as the rotation axis 102 of the activation element 10 defining a passage for an adjustment tool 300. Due to the position of opening 46, the adjustment tool 300 can reach the activation element 10 according to a direction substantially orthogonal to the plane of door 51 according to a frontal adjustment principle. The possibility of installing the activation element 10 so that its rotation axis 102 is parallel to the movement direction 100, according to a lateral adjustment principle, or oriented according to an adjustment principle from the top is in all cases within the scope of the present invention.

[0027] The adjustment mechanism of the first unit 1' comprises at least one guiding element 20 rotationally connected to bracket 12 about a rotation axis 103 which is substantially parallel to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5, and thus orthogonal to the movement direction 100. According to the invention, the guiding element 20 and the activation element 10 are operatively connected to each other, either directly or indirectly, so that a rotation of the activation element 10 determines, either directly or indirectly, a corresponding rotation of the guiding element 20. The guiding element 20 in turn is shaped to determine a movement of bracket 12 with respect to wheel 5 following a rotation about the rotation axis 102.

[0028] In this regard, according to the invention, the guiding element 20 comprises a curvilinear groove 32 in which at least one portion of the pin 8 of wheel 5 is slidingly inserted. In particular, the curvilinear groove 32 develops according to an arc of circumference having a center of curvature 82 defined in an eccentric position with respect to the axis of rotation of the guiding element 8 (see Figure 7).

[0029] Therefore, according to the invention, the guiding element 20 is operatively connected to the pin 8 of wheel 5 and guides the movement of bracket 12 with respect to wheel 5. More specifically, due to such a connection and due to the curvilinear groove 13, following a rotation thereof about the rotation axis 103, the guiding element 20 translates together with bracket 12, with respect to the connection pin 8 itself (i.e. with respect to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5) which keeps a fixed position.

[0030] Pin 8 is preferably defined by a cylindrical body comprising a first portion 8' and a second portion 8", preferably of larger diameter. The first portion 8' defines the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5, while the second portion 8" is slidingly inserted into the rectilinear groove 31 defined above and in the curvilinear groove 32 defined through the guiding element 20. The structure of pin 8 is completed by a head 8"' intended to rest abutting on a surface of bracket 12.

[0031] Pin 8 is preferably installed so that head 8'" rests against the inner surface 13' of the second portion 12" of the bracket. Pin 8 thus emerges from the outer surface 13" and wheel 5 is arranged in adjacent position to the outer surface 13" itself emerging from the outer surface 13" itself. This means that wheel 5 is outside the volume between the first portion 12' and the second portion 12" of bracket 12. Preferably, but not exclusively, the activation element 10 is directly installed on the second portion 12" of bracket 12, and rotates about a rotation axis 102 which is orthogonal to the movement direction 100 and thus parallel to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5 and to the rotation axis 103 of the guiding element 20. The activation element 10 is preferably defined by a cylindrical developed body comprising a first pinion portion 10'. With reference to Figure 7, such a body is preferably installed so that the pinion portion 10' emerges with respect to the outer surface 13" of the second portion 12' of bracket 12. In other words, the pinion portion 10' is also preferably installed in a adjacent position to the outer surface 13" and outside the volume between the first portion 12' and the second portion 12" of bracket 12.

[0032] With reference to Figure 11, for example, the body of the activation element 10 also comprises a second portion 10" abutting on the inner surface 13' of the second portion 12' and which defines a shaped end 15 which can be contacted by means of an adjustment tool 300, e.g. a cross-tip screwdriver.

[0033] Preferably, the guiding element 20 is installed directly on bracket 12, preferably on the second portion 12", by means of a further connection pin 25 which defines the rotation axis 103 (see Figure 6). Preferably, the latter is aligned with the rotation axis 102 of the activation element 10 along a direction coinciding with the displacement direction 105 of the bracket 12 itself. Preferably, the rotation axis 102 of the activation element 10, the rotation axis 103 of the guiding element 20 and the rotation axis of wheel 101 are aligned along said displacement direction 105, as clearly shown in figures 6 and 11. It has been seen that this alignment condition of the three rotation axes 101, 102 and 103 makes the mechanism particularly reliable in terms of adjustment. In practice, the mechanism advantageously behaves in all directions in which the adjustment is made, i.e. during the lifting and the lowering of bracket 12.

[0034] The guiding element 20 is preferably defined by a flat development body, this term indicating a body which develops preferably between two parallel planes. Preferably, the guiding element 20 is connected directly to the activation element 10. This indicates a condition according to which a portion of the activation element 10 directly interacts with a portion of the guiding element 20 to cause the rotation thereof. In this regard, the guiding element 20 preferably has a toothed portion 24 which meshes the first pinion portion 10' of the activation element 10.

[0035] Thus, also the body of the guiding element 20 is installed in adjacent position to the outer surface 13" of the second portion 12' of bracket 12 (see for example Figures 7 and 8) and thus outside the volume between the first portion 12' and the second portion 12" of the same bracket 12. In essence, according to this embodiment, the activation element 10 is connected directly to the guiding element 20 by means of a toothed coupling. According to an alternative embodiment (not shown in the figures), the activation element 10 could be connected indirectly to the guiding element 20 by means of one or more transmission motion elements.

[0036] As shown in the figures, the toothed portion 24 preferably develops along a coaxial arc of circumference with the rotation axis 103 of the guiding element 20. The term "coaxial" means a condition according to which the center of curvature of the toothed portion 24 lays on the rotation axis 103. In this regard, reference 81 in Figure 17 indicates a radius of curvature characteristic of the arc of circumference along which the toothed portion 24 develops.

[0037] As a shown above, the guiding element 20 defines a curvilinear groove 32 through which the same element is connected to the pin 8 of wheel 5. In particular, groove 32 is crossed by a portion 8" of pin 8. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the guiding element 20 is operatively arranged between bracket 12 and wheel 5, preferably between the outer surface 13" of the second portion 12" of bracket 12 and wheel 5. It is worth noting that as a whole the adjustment mechanism has a particularly compact configuration and actually only two components: the activation element 10 and the guiding element 20. Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the invention, the activation element 10, the guiding element 20 and wheel 5 are thus installed on the side of the outer surface 13" of the second portion 12" of bracket 12. This solution has been proven to be extremely advantageous in terms of speed of assembly and ultimately of manufacturing costs.

[0038] As shown in the figures, the curvilinear groove 32 is preferably developed according to second arc of circumference and is defined so that the center of curvature (indicated by reference numeral 82 in Figure 17) of such a second arc is indeed in an "eccentric" position, i.e. not coinciding, with the rotation axis 103 of the second element 20. Following the rotation of the activation element 10, the second element 20 rotates about its rotation axis 103. During such a rotation, the connection pin 8 of wheel 5 keeps a substantially fixed position. Due to the "eccentric position" of the center of curvature 82, the rotation of the second element 20 determines a relative translation of the element itself which respect to the connection pin 8, i.e. with respect to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5. Such a translation translates, in actual fact, into a corresponding translation of bracket 12 constrained to the second element 20. The translation of bracket 12 with respect to pin 8 is guided by the rectilinear groove 31 in which a portion 8" of the same pin 8 is slidingly inserted.

[0039] According to a possible alternative embodiment (not shown in the figures), the activation element 10 could be installed so that the pinion part 10' emerges from the inner surface 13' of the second portion 12" of bracket 12, i.e. from the surface facing the first portion 12'. In this case, the same portion 10' would define an end accessible with an adjustment tool. In this event, the guiding element 20 could also be installed in a adjacent position to the inner surface 13'. In essence, the first pinion portion 10' and the guiding element 20 would be in the space between the first portion 12' and the second portion 12".

[0040] In this even, wheel 5 could also take a position in the space defined between two portions 12',12" of bracket 12. The guiding element 20 would be preferably between the first surface 13' and wheel 5. In a possible variant, wheel 5 could in all cases be installed outside the space between the two portions 12',12", preferably in a adjacent position to the second surface 13" of the second portion 12". In this variant, the second portion 12" of bracket 12 would be interposed between the guiding element 20 and the wheel 5.

[0041] With reference to figure 6, the outer moving unit 1' advantageously also comprises a safety device which avoids the release of the unit itself from guide 6'. Preferably, such a device comprises a safety element 9 which rotates about a rotation axis parallel to that of wheel 5 and preferably coinciding therewith. The safety element 9 is preferably mounted on the connection pin 8 of wheel 5 in a position interposed between the guiding element 20 and the wheel 5. The safety element 9 comprises a coupling end 91 which, during use interacts with a longitudinal edge 66 of a profile 60 which defines guide 6' along which wheel 5 runs. The safety element 9 thus rotates between at least one coupling position and at least one releasing position. In the coupling position, the end 91 interacts with the longitudinal edge 66 thus preventing unit 1' from being released from the first guide 6'. In the releasing position, the end 91 is released from, or in all cases does not interact with, the longitudinal edge 66, allowing the releasing/removal of unit 1'.

[0042] As shown in figures, the safety element 9, preferably comprises two activation ends 97 reciprocally opposite to the rotation axis of the element itself. Such activation ends 97 are accessible for an operator for the purpose of switching the safety element between the coupling position and the releasing position. In particular, a pressure exerted in direction of the cap 65 of the furnishing element (arrow P in figure 14) causes the rotation of the safety element 9, and consequently the release of the end 91 from the end 66 of the profile. Unit 1' can thus be removed. It has been seen that this solution is very practical unlike the traditional solutions based on complicated releasing systems of the unit which normally require a dedicated tool for the operation.

[0043] According to the invention, the safety element 9 is configured so as to slide against wheel 5 when it occupies the releasing the position. Such a sliding inhibits, or in all cases slows down, the rotation of wheel 5 causing a "noise" which is thus characteristic of a releasing condition at the same time. This "noise" constitutes in fact a warning signal for an operator if heard during the translation of the door along the movement direction 100.

[0044] With reference to Figures from 14 to 19, the operating principle of the first moving unit 1' according to the invention will be described below. Figures 14 and 15 are a side view and a section view (taken along the XI-XI plane in Figure 9), respectively, of the first unit 1' in a first operating condition in which bracket 12 is at the maximum height H1 with respect to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5. The height H is considered, for example, as the distance between the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5 and the third portion 12'" of bracket 12. As shown in Figure 15, in this condition of "maximum height" the first pinion portion 10' of the activation element 10 meshes the toothed portion 24 of the guiding element 20 close to a first end 24' (shown in Figure 17) of the same toothed portion 24. At the same time, the pin 8 of wheel 5 is at a first end 32' of the curvilinear groove 32.

[0045] To adjust/vary the height H of bracket 12, an operator acts, by means of an adjustment tool, on the activation element 10 rotating it clockwise (arrow W1 in

[0046] Figure 14) about its rotation axis 102. Such a rotation determines a corresponding counterclockwise rotation of the guiding element 20. With reference to figures 16 and 17, the rotation of the second element 20 translates into a variation of the relative position of pin 8 in the groove 32 of the element itself. Such a position variation translates, in turn, into a decrease of the height H of bracket 12. This effect is obtained by virtue of the kinematic coupling between the groove 32 of the guiding element 20 and pin 8, and by virtue of the conformation of the curvilinear groove 32 (the center of curvature in eccentric position to the rotation axis 103).

[0047] Figures 18 and 19 are a side view and a section view (taken along the XI-XI plane in Figure 9), respectively, of the first unit 1' in an operating condition in which bracket 12 is at the minimum height H2 with respect to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5. In particular, as shown in Figure 19, in said "minimum height" condition the activation element 10 meshes the toothed portion 24 of the guiding element 20 close to a second end 24" of the toothed portion 24. At the same time, the activation element 20 occupies an angular position, with respect to the rotation axis 103, so that the pin 8 of wheel 5 is at a second end 32", opposite to said first end 32', of the curvilinear groove 32.

[0048] The adjustment mechanism of the first unit 1' described above thus allows an adjustment of bracket 12 with respect to the rotation axis 101 of wheel 5 in any position (Figures 16-17) between a maximum height position (Figures 14-15) and a minimum height position (Figures 18-19). The maximum and minimum height values may vary as a function of the needs. In this regard, the conformation of the curvilinear groove 32 may be different from that shown.

[0049] Figures 3, 5, 13 and 13 refer to a possible embodiment of the second unit 1" or inner unit 1" of assembly 500 according to the invention shown in Figure 1. The conformation of such a second unit 1' substantially corresponds to that of the first unit 1'. For this reason, in the figures related to the second unit 1", the reference numerals used for the components of the first unit 1' were employed.

[0050] With reference to Figure 3, it is worth noting that the diameter of wheel 5 of the second unit 1" preferably corresponds to that of the wheel 5 of the first unit 1'. Instead, with respect to first unit 1', the second unit 1" comprises a bracket 12 having a more compact conformation adapted to run in the space between the two mutually facing portions 12',12" of bracket 12 of the first unit 1'.

[0051] By comparing Figure 6 and Figure 12, it is worth noting that the two units 1',1" of assembly 500 have substantially the same adjustment mechanism and the same safety device and thus a similar operating principle. Therefore, reference is made to the description above, provided for the first unit 1', for simplicity of presentation.

[0052] Also in the case of the second unit 1", the activation element 10 is connected to bracket 12 so that its rotation axis 101 is orthogonal to the movement direction 100 again with reference to a frontal adjustment principle. However, with respect to the first unit 1', in case of the second unit 1", the activation element 10 is preferably installed in a position so that its rotation axis 101 is above the third portion 12'" of bracket 12 which connects the mutually facing first portion 12' and second portion 12". Such a condition is clearly shown in Figure 3, which also shows the position in which the adjustment tool 300 is arranged during the adjustment.

[0053] For this purpose, bracket 12 comprises a fixing portion 14 which emerges over the third portion 12'" which has an opening 14' for installing the activation element 10. The conformation of the latter preferably corresponds to that of the outer unit 1' (see Figure 12).

[0054] Again with reference to Figures 3 and 12, according to a preferred embodiment, the fixing position 14 of bracket 12 and the corresponding opening 14' are defined so that the rotation axis 101 of the activation element 10 of the second unit 1" is at a height of the rotation axis 101 of the activation element 10 of the first unit 10'.

[0055] Such a height may be evaluated, for example, with respect to a plane on which the wheels 5 of the two units 1',1". This condition in the scope of the adjustment of the second unit 1", allows an operator to take advantage of the opening 46 defined by means of the bracket 12 of the first unit 1' to insert the adjustment tool 14. In essence, this translates into the possibility of adjusting the second unit 1" keeping the two doors overlapped.

[0056] The unit for moving a door and the door moving assembly thus devised are susceptible to many changes and variations, all within the scope of the inventive concept; in this regard, for example, all details may further be replaced by others which are technically equivalent. In practice, any material or size or contingent shape may be used according to needs and background art.

Claims

1. A unit (1',1") for moving a door (51,52) of a furnishing element (2), said unit (1',1") comprising:

- at least one supporting bracket (12) comprising a first portion (12') connectable to said door (50);

- a wheel (5) sliding along a movement direction (100) orthogonal to a rotation axis (101) of said wheel (5), said wheel (5) being slidingly connected to said bracket (12) by means of a pin (8) slidingly inserted into a rectilinear groove (31) defined by said bracket (12), said groove (31) defining a movement direction (105) for said bracket (12) with respect to said rotation axis (101) of said wheel (5);

- an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of said bracket (12) with respect to said rotation axis (101) of said wheel (5), said mechanism comprising a first activation element (10) capable of rotating about a rotation axis (102),

characterized in that said mechanism comprises at least one element (20) for guiding the movement of said bracket (12) with respect to said wheel (5), said guiding element (20) being rotationally connected to said bracket (12) and rotating about a rotation axis (103) parallel to said rotation axis (101) of said wheel (5), said guiding element (20) and said activation element (10) being operatively connected, so that a rotation of said activation element (10) determines a corresponding rotation of said guiding element (20), said guiding element (20) comprising a curvilinear groove (32) in which said pin (8) of said wheel is slidingly inserted and wherein said curvilinear groove (32) develops according to an arc of a circumference having a center of curvature (82) defined in an eccentric position with respect to the rotation axis (103) of said guiding element (20).

2. A unit (1',1") according to claim 1, wherein said bracket (12) comprises a second portion (12") facing said first portion (12") and a third portion (12"') which connects said first portion (12') to said second portion (12") and wherein said guiding element (20) is rotationally connected to said second portion (12").

3. A unit (1,1") according to claim 2, wherein said second portion (12") of said bracket (12) comprises an inner surface (13') facing said first portion (12') and an outer surface (13") opposite to said inner surface (13'), said activation element (10), said guiding element (20) and said wheel (5) being installed in adjacent position to said outer surface (12) outside the volume delimited by said first portion (12') and said second portion (12") of said first bracket (12).

4. A unit (1',1") according to any one of the claims from 1 to 3, wherein said rotation axis (102) of said activation element (10) is substantially parallel to said rotation axis (5) of said wheel (5).

5. A unit (1',1") according to claim 2, wherein said activation element (10) is connected to said second portion (12") of said bracket (12).

6. A unit (1',1") according to claim 5, wherein said first portion (12') and/or said third portion (12'") of said bracket (12) define an access opening (46) in a position aligned with said rotation axis (102) of said activation element (10), said opening (46) defining a passageway for an adjustment tool (300) adapted to come into contact with said activation element (10).

7. A unit (1',1") according to any one of the claims from 2 to 6, wherein said activation element (10) is connected to a fastening portion (14) of said bracket (12), which at least partially emerges over said third portion (12"'), said rotation axis (102) of said activation element (10) being substantially parallel to said rotation axis (5) of said wheel (5) in a position over said third portion (12"').

8. A unit (1,1') according to any one of the claims from 1 to 7, wherein said activation element (10) is defined by a body comprising a first pinion portion (10') and wherein said guiding element (20) is defined by a body comprising a toothed portion (24) which meshes with said first portion (10').

9. A unit (1,1') according to any one of the claims from 1 to 8, wherein said first unit (1) comprises a safety element (9) capable of rotating about a rotation axis substantially parallel to said rotation axis (101) of said wheel, said safety element (9) comprising a coupling end (91) adapted to interact with a longitudinal edge (66) of a contour (60) to prevent said first unit from releasing from a guide (6') which defines said movement direction (100), said safety element (9) being capable of rotating between at least one coupling position and at least one releasing position.

10. A unit (1',1") according to claim 9, wherein said safety element comprises two activation ends (97), opposite to said rotation axis of said safety element (9), for switching said safety element (9) between said coupling position and said releasing position.

11. An assembly for moving the doors of a piece of furniture (2), characterized in that it comprises at least one moving unit (1',1") according to any one of the claims from 1 to 10.

Drawing