|
(11) | EP 3 168 397 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (54) | MULTIPURPOSE ARTICULATED SUPPORT FOR FURNITURE DOORS |
| (57) Multipurpose articulated support for furniture doors, in particular a support for
furniture elements that can be raised and/or lowered, in which there are at least
two friction brakes (6a) (6b) coaxial with the axis of rotation (7), an interdisc
washer (18) being located between the adjacent faces of the friction brakes (6a) (6b),
which interdisc washer (18) stays immobile relative to the first arm (1) during the
relative movement of the first (1) and second (2) arms; and in that there is a swivelling
ratchet (14) with a width substantially the same as the sum of the thicknesses of
the existing friction brakes (6a) (6b).
|
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a multipurpose articulated support for furniture doors, of the type used on doors opening vertically (about a horizontal axis) and designed to hold the door in any intermediate open position, with no risk of suddenly closing or opening (as the case may be) and injuring the user, damaging the furniture or objects contained therein, or other objects outside, close to it; at the same time these supports allow the door to be handled smoothly and effortlessly, in either direction, on the basis of compensating for the excessive or deficient weight of the door depending on whether opening takes place upwards or downwards.
PRIOR ART
[0002] Currently, and with reference to the prior art, the use of multipurpose articulated supports for furniture doors designed to hold the door in any intermediate open position, with no risk of it suddenly closing or opening (as the case may be) is common and well-known.
[0003] This class of doors hinged on a horizontal axis have two different names; upward-opening doors, when they are vertical doors with the axis of rotation on their upper edge (for example, the top box of a wardrobe), or when they are horizontal doors with the axis of rotation on the rear edge (for example, a chest refrigerator); and downward-opening doors, when they are vertical doors with the axis of rotation on their lower edge (for example a drinks cabinet).
[0004] On upward-opening doors an articulated support has to allow them to be opened with no more force than is necessary to overcome the weight of the door and the latter must be held in any open position at the end of the raising action by the user; said holding in position being done automatically by an antagonistic action exerted by a clutch device that overcompensates for the weight of the door so that slight force by the user can cause it to close smoothly; the clutch device has the possibility of its antagonistic action being regulated according to the weight of the upward-opening door.
[0005] In the case of downward-opening doors, however, the operation has to be the inverse; in other words, on opening the weight of the door has to be undercompensated for, so that said door does not fall suddenly and, nonetheless, can continue being opened with slight force applied by the user; and on closing the user only has to overcome the weight of the door, without any other antagonistic action.
[0006] Because of this, an articulated support for upward-opening doors is not suitable for downward-opening doors, and vice versa.
[0007] According to a typical implementation, an articulated support for upward-opening doors consists of two arms, first and second, the free ends of each being provided with means for fastening to the door and to the item of furniture, and the other ends forming a joint composed respectively of first and second joint heads, of a cap which, when the second joint head is interposed, is coupled permanently in rotation with the first joint head, of a friction brake, of an axis of rotation and of tensioning means capable of selectively varying the friction force exerted by said brake.
[0008] Responding to said typical implementation, there is a known articulated support for upward-opening doors in which the clutch device is based on the second joint head having an internal configuration with two axes of rotation; one, coaxial with the axis of rotation and with that of an externally toothed wheel housed in said second joint head and secured in rotation to the friction brake; and the other, a reference point for a toothing made on only a limited inner portion of the second joint head, which toothing mates with that of said toothed wheel and has a smaller radius than this second axis of rotation, which is the same as that of the toothed wheel in relation to the axis of rotation. All this being such that (given that the second arm is fastened to the door and that, on closing, it descends so as to close the angle with the first arm) the very weight of the door moves the mechanism from the position of free rotation to the coupled position, in which the toothed zone of the second joint head is coupled or engaged with the toothed wheel; this means that, to lower the door to its closed position, the user will have to press slightly with a force that, when added to the weight of the door, will overcome the antagonistic force for which the friction brake has been regulated. Conversely, on opening, the attempt to initiate the manoeuvre is sufficient for the second arm to be displaced radially, separating the second axis of rotation from the first axis of rotation and producing the consequent disengagement of the toothings, which allows the door to open upwards by simply overcoming the weight thereof.
[0009] Obviously, if an attempt were made to apply this support to a downward-opening door, it would open only if not held by the user and, conversely, the antagonist force of friction would have to be overcome to manage to close it.
EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES
[0010] In view of this situation the present invention relates to a multipurpose articulated support for furniture doors, in which there are at least two friction brakes coaxial with the axis of rotation, an interdisc washer being located between the adjacent faces of the friction brakes, which interdisc washer stays immobile relative to one of the first or second arms during the relative movement of the first and second arms; said friction brakes being configured with a smooth, stepped, annular periphery that is defined by a first annular sector, which fits in free rotation, with respect to the virtual cylinder corresponding to the smallest radius of a toothed rim, into the inner circular wall of the second joint head, and by a second annular sector with a smaller radius which, together with said toothed rim, delimits a void in the annular sector; and in that there is a swivelling ratchet with a width substantially the same as the sum of the thicknesses of the existing friction brakes, which swivelling ratchet is shaped as an arc of a circle housed within said void in the annular sector and incorporates an outer section of peripheral toothing that mates with that of the toothed rim of the second arm and incorporates means for selective coupling/decoupling between said partial peripheral toothing and toothed rim, which mate with other means incorporated in the friction brakes depending solely on the direction of rotation of said friction brakes.
[0011] Thanks to this configuration, the support can be applied to elements of a greater mass and/or height, since it increases the resistance torque owing to the use of at least two friction brakes in the joint formed by the first and second joint heads; said resistance torque of the support being responsible for holding the furniture door to which it is attached in an intermediate position without allowing said door to close or open suddenly. Furthermore, the use of the interdisc washers between each pair of friction brakes, which remain fixed during movement relative to the first arm, allows the friction brakes to function independently of each other, and also to improve the reliability and durability of these supports, since direct friction between adjacent faces of the friction brakes is avoided, a more suitable friction surface being provided for said faces of the brakes, achieving a longer service life for the support.
[0012] Another feature of the invention is that there is a transverse bolt, the length of which is substantially the same as the sum of the thicknesses of the friction brakes, between the concave side of the swivelling ratchet and the friction brakes, said transverse bolt being located in the housing recesses that exist in the second annular sectors of the friction brakes and being positioned between the front stops and the rear stops incorporated in the friction brakes in the second annular sectors.
[0013] This configuration facilitates and improves fitting of the support. This bolt is responsible for performing the manoeuvre of coupling/decoupling the toothed peripheral frame of the ratchet with the toothed rim incorporated in the head of the second joint. Since this is a mechanism that requires great precision and is based on friction between the various elements, it is advisable for the elements to be handled during fitting of said mechanism with the greatest possible hygiene, avoiding contamination of said elements by fatty substances that could substantially impair the braking quality and cause the necessary resistance torque not to be achieved. The introduction of a bolt between the concave face of the ratchet and the recesses in the surround of the friction brakes, to perform the function of coupling and decoupling the partial toothing of the ratchet to/from the toothed rim is a solution that requires less handling of the elements, compared with other solutions such as using springs or the like.
[0014] Another feature of the invention is that provision is made for the existence of first and second outermost washers, said first outermost washer being located between the inner face of the first joint head and the outer face of the first friction brake, and said second outermost washer being located between the inner face of the cap and the outer face of the second friction brake.
[0015] Thanks to this configuration, the outer faces of the set of friction brakes come into contact, during operation, with the surfaces of these outer washers, in such a way that friction is created between these instead of against the finishes of the inner face of the cap and the inner face of the first joint head. In general, the surface finishes of the cap and of the first and second arm are not sufficiently smooth and can have imperfections that can be detrimental for friction brakes, causing them both to be irreparably damaged and to function poorly. Therefore, by using outer washers, provision is made to increase the reliability and durability of the support.
[0016] Another feature of the invention is that provision is made for the number and size of the friction brakes to be repeated, together with their respective interdisc washers in order to customise the articulated support by purpose, configuration or size with the force to be counteracted from elements that can be raised and/or lowered.
[0017] Owing to this feature, the articulated support can be used in items of furniture that require a greater resistance torque, since the friction surface is increased, the support being customised by the number of friction brakes required by each element.
DRAWINGS AND REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0018] To get a better understanding of the nature of the invention, the attached drawings illustrate an industrial embodiment solely by way of explanatory, non-restrictive example.
Fig. 1 shows an exploded isometric view of the elements making up the articulated support of the furniture door, for an embodiment comprising two friction brakes (6a) (6b), with the cap (5) displaced and in an inverted position to display the inner face (5a) of said cap (5). It also shows an enlarged detail of the arrangement of the friction brakes (6a) (6b) together with the interdisc washer (18) inside the joint.
Fig. 2a shows an articulated support, according to the invention, viewed along the section A-A marked in Fig. 2 and with an enlarged detail to show the position of the principal (6a) and secondary (6b) friction brakes in an embodiment using just one secondary friction brake (6b).
Fig. 2b shows a front view in cross section of the support, with the section marked A-A.
Fig. 3 shows a front view of the ratchet (14) with an enlarged detail of the second radial face 824) and the selective coupling/decoupling means (26) (27) depending solely on the direction of rotation.
Fig. 4 shows a front view of the secondary friction brake (6b), with an enlarged detail of the peripheral nipple (20)
Fig. 5a shows a view of the articulated support in the position of coupling between the partial peripheral toothing (15) of the ratchet (14) and the toothed rim (10) of the second joint head (4). Fig. 5b shows an enlarged detail of the void (13) in the annular sector, in which the above-mentioned coupling can be seen on a larger scale.
Fig. 6a shows a view of the articulated support in the position of decoupling between the partial peripheral toothing (15) of the ratchet (14) and the toothed rim (10) of the second joint head (4). Fig. 6b shows an enlarged detail of the void (13) in the annular sector, in which the above-mentioned decoupling can be seen on a larger scale.
- 1.-
- First arm.
- 2.-
- Second arm
- 3.-
- First joint head, on first arm (1).
- 3a.-
- Inner face of first joint head (3)
- 4.-
- Second joint head, on second arm (2).
- 5.-
- Cap
5a.- Inner face of the cap (5)
6a.- First friction brake.
6b.- Second friction brake.
7.- Axis of rotation.
8.- Tensioning screw.
9.- Set of washer discs.
10. Toothed rim of second joint head (4).
11.- First annular sector of friction brake (6a) (6b)
12.- Second annular sector of friction brake (6a) (6b)
13.- Void in annular sector, between the second sector (12) and the toothed rim (10)
14.- Swivelling ratchet
15.- Partial peripheral toothing of the convex side of the swivelling ratchet (14)
16.- Paratangential flank of teeth of toothed rim (10)
17.- Pararadial flank of teeth of toothed rim (10)
18.- Interdisc washer
19.- First radial face, on first annular sector (11)
20.- Peripheral nipple of second annular sector (12)
21.- Tangential flank of nipple (20)
22.- Front flank of nipple (20)
23.- Rear flank of nipple (20)
24.- Second radial face, on swivelling ratchet (14)
26.- Front oblique plane of swivelling ratchet (14)
27.- Rear oblique plane of swivelling ratchet (14)
29.- Transverse bolt.
30.- Recess for housing the bolt (29)
31.- Front stop for second annular sector (12)
32.- Rear stop for second annular sector (12)
33a.- First outermost washer.
33b.- Second outermost washer.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0019] In relation to the drawings and reference numerals listed above, the attached diagrams illustrate a preferred embodiment of the subject-matter of the invention, referring to a multipurpose articulated support for furniture doors, irrespective of whether they are downward-opening or upward-opening, the supports consisting of two arms, first (1) and second (2), the free ends of each being provided with means for fastening to the door and to the item of furniture, and the other ends forming a rotating joint composed respectively of first (3) and second (4) joint heads and of a cap (5), which joint incorporates friction brakes (6a) (6b) with an axis of rotation (7), and of tensioning means (8-9) capable of selectively varying the friction force exerted by said friction brakes (6a) (6b).
[0020] A subject-matter of the invention is a particular implementation of a device capable of coupling and decoupling the action of the friction brakes (6a) 6b) in relation to the relative direction of rotation of the first (1) and second (2) arms. For this, as can be seen in Fig. 1, there is a support in which there are at least two friction brakes (6a) (6b) coaxial with the axis of rotation (7), an interdisc washer (18) being located between the adjacent faces of the friction brakes (6a) (6b), which interdisc washer (18) stays immobile relative to the first arm (1) during the relative movement of the first (1) and second (2) arms; said friction brakes (6a) (6b) being configured with a smooth, stepped, annular periphery that is defined by a first annular sector (11), which fits in free rotation, with respect to the virtual cylinder corresponding to the smallest radius of a toothed rim (10), into the inner circular wall of the second joint head (4), and by a second annular sector (12) with a smaller radius which, together with said toothed rim (10), delimits a void in the annular sector (13); and in that there is a swivelling ratchet (14) with a width substantially the same as the sum of the thicknesses of the existing friction brakes (6a) (6b), which swivelling ratchet (14) is shaped as an arc of a circle housed within said void in the annular sector (13) and incorporates an outer section of peripheral toothing (15) that mates with that of the toothed rim (10) of the second arm (2) and incorporates means for selective coupling/decoupling between said partial peripheral toothing (15) and toothed rim (10), which mate with other means incorporated in the friction brakes (6a) (6b) depending solely on the direction of rotation of said friction brakes (6a) (6b).
[0021] The friction brakes (6a) (6b) have a first annular sector (11) that fits in free rotation with the virtual cylinder corresponding to the smallest radius of the toothed rim (10). The use of at least two friction brakes (6a) (6b), between which an interdisc washer (18) is inserted, permits the use of articulated supports in items of furniture that require a greater resistance torque in order to stay in intermediate positions during opening or closing. The interdisc washer (18) stays fixed relative to the first arm (1) during the relative movement of the first (1) and second (2) arms, allowing the friction brakes (6a) (6b) to be independent.
[0022] The toothed rim (10) is formed of rotationally asymmetric teeth that have a larger paratangential flank (16) and a smaller pararadial flank (17), as can be seen in the coupling/decoupling details in Fig. 5b and 6b. On observing Fig. 3 and 4 it can be seen that the first annular sector (11) of the friction brakes (6a) (6b) forms, at one of its ends, from outside in, a first radial face (19) that is positioned facing the second radial face (24) of the swivelling ratchet (14) and said first radial face (19) extends as far as the periphery of the second annular sector (12); said second annular sector (12) has, protruding peripherally, a nipple (20) defined between a tangential flank (21) and two substantially radial flanks (22, 23), said tangential flank having an intermediate radius between those of the first (11) and second (12) annular sectors, and said substantially radial flanks being denoted as front (22) and rear (23) according to whether they are close to or distant from the first radial face (19) of the first annular sector (11); said swivelling ratchet (14) forms, at one of its ends, from outside in, a second radial face (24) that mates with said first radial face (19) of the first annular sector (11). Other details constituting the swivelling ratchet (14) are that (Fig. 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 6a and 6b): it has at its end an active functional configuration formed by the front oblique plane (26) that faces and is parallel to the front radial flank (22) of the nipple (20) when the swivelling ratchet (14) is in its position closest to the axis of rotation (7); and when the swivelling ratchet (14) is in its position furthest from the axis of rotation (7), the end of said front oblique plane (26) is a somewhat smaller distance away than that of said front radial flank (22) of the nipple (20); said swivelling ratchet (14) forms a rear oblique plane (27) that faces said rear radial flank (23) of the nipple (20) and is parallel thereto when the swivelling ratchet (14) is in its position furthest from the axis of rotation (7); in the position of the swivelling ratchet (14) furthest from the axis of rotation (7), the end of said rear oblique plane (27) is at an appreciably smaller radial distance than that of said rear radial flank (23); at its end opposite the radial face (24), on the concave side of said swivelling ratchet (14) there is the transverse bolt (29) located in the housing recess (30) in the second annular sector (12) of the friction brakes (6a) (6b) at the opposite end of the first radial face (19), said transverse bolt (29) being comprised between the front (31) and rear (32) stops that emerge from said housing recess (30) for the second annular sector (12) and denoted front (31) and rear (32) stop according to their distance from said first radial face (19) of the second annular sector (12).
[0023] The functioning of this device is illustrated by Fig. 5a, 5b, 6a and 6b: when the tensioning means (8-9) rotate the first arm (1) anticlockwise as in Fig. 5a, the friction brakes (6a) (6b) are dragged in such a way that, through wedging between the rear flank (23) of the nipple (20) and the rear oblique plane (27) of the swivelling ratchet (14), said ratchet (14) couples its partial peripheral toothing (15) with the corresponding section of the toothed rim (10) at the same time as the first (19) and second (24) radial faces of said first annular sector (11) and swivelling ratchet (14) are butted against each other, from which time the first arm (1) can only continue to rotate by overcoming the antagonistic action of the friction brakes (6a) (6b), which are captured through the sufficient force (regulated by the tensioning means 8-9) between said first arm (1) and the cap (5); such that this butting together of the first (19) and second (24) radial faces establishes a limitation on the wedging action initiated shortly beforehand between the rear radial flank (23) of the nipple (20) and the rear oblique plane (27) of the swivelling ratchet (14); these two coupling and butting effects favour the reliability of the coupling and confer sturdiness when acting against the friction brakes (6a) (6b). Starting from this coupling position, when the rotation in the opposite direction is initiated (Fig. 6b), the rear radial flank (22) of the nipple (20) reaches the tip of the front oblique plane (26) of the swivelling ratchet (14), forcing the latter to be decoupled from the toothed rim (10). The transverse bolt (29) is instrumental in the relative angular displacement of the swivelling ratchet (14) with respect to the friction brakes (6a) (6b), said transverse bolt (29) being located between the concave side of the end opposite the second radial face (24) of the swivelling ratchet (14) and the housing recesses (30) provided at the end opposite the first radial face (19) of the second annular sector (12).
[0024] The toothed rim (10) of the second arm (2) is in continuous control of the angular displacement of the swivelling ratchet (14) relative to the friction brakes (6a) (6b) and there is permanent contact between the swivelling ratchet (14) and the toothed rim (10), both in the direction of rotation corresponding to the position of the ratchet when coupled (with antagonistic action from the friction brake), and when the ratchet is in the decoupled position (without antagonistic action from the friction brake); in the direction of rotation corresponding to the position of the swivelling ratchet (14) when decoupled, the outermost position of the transverse bolt (29), at a distance from the partial peripheral toothing (15) on the convex side of the swivelling ratchet (14), causes the toothed rim (10) to be in contact with the smooth region existing on the convex side of the swivelling ratchet (14) because it is located close to the transverse bolt (29) and (as can be seen in Fig. 6b) the partial peripheral toothing (15) does not rub against the rim (10), thus avoiding both noise and wear on the teeth.
[0025] The functioning of this coupling device is the same at any point on the 360° of the joint; this means that if, for example, the anticlockwise rotation of the first arm (1) corresponds to the coupled state, in the first 180° this coupling takes place with the first arm (1) moving away in rotation from the second arm (2), while in the second 180° the coupling takes place with the first arm (1) moving closer in rotation to the second one (2); the same can be said in relation to the decoupled state, with clockwise rotation. In other words, this means that the same articulated support can be used interchangeably for upward-opening and downward-opening doors, by simply working in the first or second 180° of the joint.
1. Multipurpose articulated support for furniture doors, in particular a support for
furniture elements that can be raised and/or lowered, the supports consisting of two
arms, first (1) and second (2), the free ends of each being provided with means for
fastening to the door and to the item of furniture, the other ends forming a rotating
joint composed respectively of a first (3) and second (4) joint head and by a cap
(5), which joint incorporates a friction brake (6) with an axis of rotation (7) and
of tensioning means (8-9) capable of selectively varying the friction force exerted
by this friction brake (6), characterised in that there are at least two friction brakes (6a) (6b) coaxial with the axis of rotation
(7), an interdisc washer (18) being located between the adjacent faces of the friction
brakes (6a) (6b), which interdisc washer (18) stays immobile relative to the first
arm (1) during the relative movement of the first (1) and second (2) arms; said friction
brakes (6a) (6b) being configured with a smooth, stepped, annular periphery that is
defined by a first annular sector (11), which fits in free rotation, with respect
to the virtual cylinder corresponding to the smallest radius of a toothed rim (10),
into the inner circular wall of the second joint head (4), and by a second annular
sector (12) with a smaller radius which, together with said toothed rim (10), delimits
a void in the annular sector (13); and in that there is a swivelling ratchet (14) with a width substantially the same as the sum
of the thicknesses of the existing friction brakes (6a) (6b), which swivelling ratchet
(14) is shaped as an arc of a circle housed within said void in the annular sector
(13) and incorporates an outer section of peripheral toothing (15) that mates with
that of the toothed rim (10) of the second arm (2) and incorporates means for selective
coupling/decoupling between said partial peripheral toothing (15) and toothed rim
(10), which mate with other means incorporated in the friction brakes (6a) (6b) depending
solely on the direction of rotation of said friction brakes (6a) (6b).
2. Multipurpose articulated support for furniture doors, according to the previous claim,
characterised in that there is a transverse bolt (29), the length of which is substantially the same as
the sum of the thicknesses of the friction brakes (6a) (6b), between the concave side
of the swivelling ratchet (14) and the friction brakes (6a) (6b), said transverse
bolt (29) being located in the housing recesses (30) existing in the second annular
sectors (12) of the friction brakes (6a) (6b) and being positioned between the front
stops (31) and the rear stops (32) incorporated in the friction brakes (6a) (6b) in
the second annular sectors (12).
3. Multipurpose articulated support for furniture doors, according to the previous claims,
characterised in that provision is made for the existence of first (33a) and second (33b) outermost washers,
said first outermost washer (33a) being located between the inner face (3a) of the
first joint head (3) and the outer face of the first friction brake (6a), and said
second outermost washer (33b) being located between the inner face (5a) of the cap
(5) and the outer face of the second friction brake (6b).
4. Multipurpose articulated support for furniture doors, according to the previous claims,
characterised in that provision is made for the number and size of the friction brakes (6b) to be repeated,
together with their respective interdisc washers (18) in order to customise the articulated
support by purpose, configuration or size with the force to be counteracted of elements
that can be raised and/or lowered.