EP2176484B1

EP2176484B1 - Hinge structure for the articulation of a tiltable shutter to a load-bearing side wall of the body of a furniture piece

Info

Publication number: EP2176484B1
Application number: EP08749246A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luciano Salice
Original assignee: Arturo Salice SpA
Current assignee: Arturo Salice SpA
Priority date: 2007-08-03
Filing date: 2008-04-30
Publication date: 2011-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 2028-04-30
Also published as: KR20100051842A; DE602008004837D1; ES2360686T3; CN101772611A; ITMI20071614A1; ATE497568T1; TW200907158A; BRPI0813209A2; SI2176484T1; EP2176484A1; WO2009018866A1; JP2010535301A

Abstract

Hinge structure (1) for articulating, to a load-bearing side wall of the body of a furniture piece, a shutter (2) which can be tilted between a closed position and an open position of said furniture piece, said hinge structure comprising an articulated quadrilateral formed by a frame (9) adapted to be fixed to said side wall, a connecting rod (10) adapted to be fixed to said shutter, a first equaliser (11) having a first hinging axis (12) with said frame (9) and a second hinging axis (13) with said connecting rod (10), and a second equaliser (14) having a third hinging axis (15) with said frame and a fourth hinging axis with said connecting rod, characterised in that the distance between said first and third hinging axis is not greater than half the distance between said second and fourth hinging axis (16), and in that at said closed position the plane common to said first and third hinging axis is substantially parallel to the plane common to said second and fourth hinging axis.

Description

The present invention refers to a hinge structure for the articulation of a tiltable shutter to a load-bearing side wall of a body of a furniture piece.
Such hinge structure has particular but not exclusive application in the interior furnishing sector, for example for the articulation of the tiltable shutter of a kitchen wall unit.
The tiltable shutter as known is attached to the body of the furniture piece through a pair of hinges fixed to the internal side surface of the two furniture piece flanks.
Each hinge generally comprises an articulated quadrilateral formed by a frame fixed to the flank of the furniture piece, a connecting rod fixed to the shutter, and a pair of equalisers which connect the frame to the connecting rod. The hinge must be able to offer to the shutter, in the initial opening step, the possibility of separating it from the furniture piece body support surface by moving transversely to the support surface itself, so to not interfere therewith during the rotation.
The articulated quadrilateral in the known solutions is generally designed in such a manner that the opposite sides are of similar size, so as to function in the initial opening phase of the shutter substantially as an articulated parallelogram.
The problem which arises with one such hinge structure regards the poor stability of the shutter during its rotation.
The configuration adopted for the articulated quadrilateral in fact being very close to that of an articulated parallelepiped, the instantaneous rotation axis of the connecting rod describes a trajectory quite far from the connecting rod itself.
Due to this, during the rotation of the shutter, the two quadrilaterals can be subjected to an unequal deformation, with consequent twisting of the shutter.
In order to stabilise the shutter, therefore, it is necessary to connect the articulated quadrilaterals of the two hinges with a bar, which by synchronising its deformation, prevents an undesired twisting of the shutter.
Nevertheless, this solution involves an additional stabilising element and limits the usable space inside the furniture piece. DE 202004020900 discloses an hinge structure according to preamble of claim 1.
The technical task which the present invention proposes is therefore that of making a hinge structure for the articulation of a tiltable shutter to a load-bearing side wall of the body of a furniture piece which permits eliminating the lamented technical drawbacks of the prior art
In the scope of this technical task, one object of the invention is that of making a hinge structure for the articulation of a tiltable shutter to a load-bearing side wall of the body of a furniture piece, which offers the necessary stability to the shutter without having to use an additional stabilising element.
Another object of the invention is that of making a hinge structure for the articulation of a tiltable shutter to a load-bearing side wall of the body of a furniture piece which allows the shutter to describe, in the initial opening phase, an optimal trajectory moving away from its support surface, so to not interfere therewith during the rotation.
Another object of the invention is to make a hinge structure for the articulation of a tiltable shutter to a load-bearing side wall of the body of a furniture piece which is efficient and reliable, as well as simplified and compact.
The technical task, as well as these and other objects, are achieved according to the present invention by making a hinge structure for the articulation of a tiltable shutter to a load-bearing side wall of the body of a furniture piece in accordance with claim 1.
It must be noted that the substantial similarity between the connecting rod and the frame at the closed position of the shutter allows the shutter to be removed from its support surface in the initial opening phase without interfering therewith, while the considerable difference between the length of the connecting rod and the frame allows maintaining the trajectory of the instantaneous rotation axis of the connecting rod close to the connecting rod itself, with the result that the hinge can offer the necessary stability to the shutter without having to use an additional stabilising element.
Other characteristics of the present invention are moreover defined in the subsequent claims.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be clearer from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the hinge structure for the articulation of a tiltable shutter to a load-bearing side wall of the body of a furniture piece according to the finding, illustrated as indicative and non-limiting in the attached drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation view of a furniture piece in accordance with the invention, vertically sectioned parallel to its flanks, with the shutter open;
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the furniture piece of figure 1 with the shutter open;
Figure 3 shows the same view of the furniture piece illustrated in figure 1, but with the shutter closed;
Figure 4 shows the same view of the furniture piece illustrated in figure 2, but with the shutter closed;
Figure 5 shows a front view of the furniture piece of figure 1.

With reference to the mentioned figures, a hinge structure 1 is shown for the articulation of a tiltable shutter 2 to a load-bearing side wall or flank 3 of the body of a furniture piece 4.
In particular, the furniture piece 4 has, in addition to a right and left flank 3 (only the left flank is shown), a bottom 5, a back 6 and a cap 7.
The right and left flank 3, the cap 7 and the bottom 5 define, on the front part, a front support surface 8 for the shutter 2 in its closed position.
Only one hinge structure 1 is illustrated (the left one) of the two necessary for the articulation of the shutter 2 to the flanks 3.
It is understood that the right hinge will have an analogous structure to the left hinge, which will be described in detail below.
The hinge structure 1 comprises an articulated quadrilateral formed by a frame 9 adapted to be fixed to the side wall 3, a connecting rod 10 adapted to be fixed to the shutter 2, a first equaliser 11 having a first hinging axis 12 with the frame 9 and a second hinging axis 13 with the connecting rod 10, and a second equaliser 14 having a third hinging axis 15 with the frame 9 and a fourth hinging axis 16 with the connecting rod 10.
The hinging axes 12, 13, 15 and 16 are all naturally horizontal and parallel to each other, so to allow the rotation of the shutter 2 between its closed position and its open position around a (horizontal) instantaneous rotation axis which in the open position of the shutter 2 is indicated with 17 in figure 1 (in figure 1, the construction lines are also indicated for the identification of the instantaneous rotation axis 17 in the open position of the shutter 2).
The first equaliser 11 is placed below the second equaliser 14 in a common vertical plane and has a profile matching that of the second equalizer 14, with which it mates in the closed position of the shutter 2.
One of the salient characteristics of the present invention lies in the fact that the distance between the first hinging axis 12 and the third hinging axis 15 is not greater than half the distance between the second hinging axis 13 and the fourth hinging axis 16, and in the fact that at the closed position of the shutter 2, the plane 18 common to the first and third hinging axis 12 and 15 is substantially parallel to the plane 19 common to the second and fourth hinging axis 13 and 16.
In particular, in figure 1 the configuration assumed by the articulated quadrilateral at the closed position of the shutter 2 is shown in bold: in addition to the planes indicated with 18 and 19, the plane 20 is also represented, which is common to the first and second hinging axis 12 and 13, as is the plane 21 common to the third and fourth hinging axis 15 and 16.
Still in figure 1, a dash-point line indicates the trajectory 22 and respectively 23 described by the second 13 and respectively fourth 16 hinging axis of the connecting rod 10 between the closed position and open position of the shutter 2.
Preferably, the distance between the first hinging axis 12 and the third hinging axis 15 is not less than one third of the distance between the second hinging axis 13 and the fourth hinging axis 16.
In the closed position of the shutter 2, the plane 18 common to the first hinging axis 12 and to the third hinging axis 15, as well as the plane 19 common to the second hinging axis 13 and to the fourth hinging axis 16 have a slope in the range of 0°-12° with respect to a vertical plane parallel to the front support surface 8.
The frame 9 comprises a fixing plate 25 to the side wall 3, on which an elastic linear actuator 26 is mounted which is adapted to actuate the first equaliser 11.
The elastic linear actuator 26 has a fifth hinging axis 27 to the fixing plate 25 and a sixth hinging axis 28 to an extension 29 of the first equaliser 11, extending beyond the first hinging axis 12.
In an advantageous manner, the elastic linear actuator 26 is arranged with a downward slope from the rear part to the front part of the flank 3 and has a limited angular range, preferably not greater than 30°, around the fifth hinging axis 27 from the open position to the closed position of the shutter 2.
This permits further limiting the size of the frame 9 on the flank 3 of the furniture piece 4.
The elastic linear actuator 26 is more precisely composed of a gas spring having a cylindrical body 30 with the fifth hinging axis 27 to the fixing plate 25 and a stem 31 having the sixth hinging axis 28 to the extension 29 of the first equaliser 11.
The extraction end stop of the stem 31 from the cylindrical body 30 of the elastic linear actuator 26 determines the open position of the shutter 2 and is designed so as to not create an interference, in the open position of the shutter 2, between the latter and the cap 7 of the furniture piece 4.
The first equaliser 11 moreover has a radial projection 32 adapted to interfere, near the closed position of the shutter 2, with a decelerating device 33 of known type, mounted on the fixing plate 25, in order to decelerate the closing of the shutter 2.
The oscillation of the elastic linear actuator 26 brings the plane common to the fifth hinging axis 27 and to the sixth hinging axis 28 to move from one side of the plane common to the first hinging axis 12 and to the fifth hinging axis 27 to the other, near the closed position of the shutter 2. At this movement, there is a reversal of the direction of the rotation moment exerted by the elastic linear actuator 26 on the first equaliser 11.
In substance, during the initial opening phase of the shutter 2, the elastic linear actuator 26 generates a rotation moment discordant from the rotation moment exerted by the user, while during the final closing phase of the shutter 2, the elastic linear actuator 26 generates a rotation moment concordant with the rotation moment exerted by the user in order to stabilise the shutter 2 in the closed position.
In the final closing phase of the shutter 2, moreover, the intervention of the deceleration device 33 prevents the violent collision of the shutter 2 against the front support surface 8.
It must be noted that the hinge structure 1 of the present invention is capable of creating a substantial equilibrium, in every configuration assumed by the articulated quadrilateral after the initial opening phase of the shutter 2 (i.e. after the plane common to the fifth hinging axis 27 and to the sixth hinging axis 28 moves from above the plane common to the first hinging axis 12 and to the fifth hinging axis 27 to below such plane), between the rotation moment generated on the first equaliser 11 by the weight of the shutter 2 and the rotation moment in the opposite direction generated on the first equaliser 11 by the elastic linear actuator 26.
A substantial direct proportionality is in fact envisaged between the variation of the arm of the rotation force with respect to the first hinging axis 12, generated on the first equaliser 11 by the elastic linear actuator 26, and the variation of the arm of the counter-rotation force with respect to the first hinging axis 12, generated on the first equaliser 11 by the weight of the shutter 2.
In substance, for the movement of the shutter 2, the user must exert a manual rotation force sufficient only to unbalance the substantial equilibrium to which the first equaliser 11 is subjected.
It has been verified in practice how the hinge structure according to the invention is particularly advantageous, due to the fact that it confers the desired stability to the shutter by maintaining the instantaneous rotation axis of the connecting rod of the articulated quadrilateral close to the connecting rod itself, so to prevent the undesired twisting of the shutter, without having to employ an additional stabilising element. The hinge structure as conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variants, all within the scope of the inventive concept; moreover, all details can be substituted with technically equivalent details.
In practice, the materials used, as well as the sizes, can be of any type according to requirements and the state of the art.

Claims

Hinge structure (1) for articulating, to a load-bearing side wall of the body of a furniture piece, a shutter (2) which can be tilted between a closed position and an open position of said furniture piece, said hinge structure (1) comprising an articulated quadrilateral formed by a frame (9) adapted to be fixed to said side wall (3) a connecting rod (10) adapted to be fixed to said shutter (2) a first equaliser (11) having a first hinging axis (12) with said frame (9) and a second hinging axis (13) with said connecting rod (10) a second equaliser (14) having a third hinging axis (15) with said frame (9) and a fourth hinging axis (16) with said connecting rod (10) the distance between said first (12) and third (15) hinging axis being less than half the distance between said second (13) and fourth (16) hinging axis, at said closed position the plane common to said first (12) and third (15) hinging axis being substantially parallel to the plane common to said second (13) and fourth (16) hinging axis, characterised in that said fame (9) comprises a fixing plate (25) to said side wall (3) on which an elastic linear actuator (26) of said first equaliser (11) is mounted, and in that said elastic linear actuator (26) has fifth hinging axis (27) to said fixing plate (25) and a sixth (25) hinging axis to an extension (28) of said first equaliser (11) extending beyond said first hinging axis (12) and in that the arm of the rotation force with respect to said first hinging axis (12) generated on said first equaliser (11) by said elastic linear actuator (26) varies in a substantially directly proportional manner to the variation of the arm of the counter-rotation force with respect to said first hinging axis (12) generated on said first equaliser (11) by the weight of said shutter (2).
Hinge structure (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the distance between said first (12) and third (15) hinging axis is not less than one third of the distance between said second (13) and fourth (16) hinging axis.
Hinge structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at said closed position, said plane (18) common to said first (12) and third (15) hinging axis and said plane (19) common to said second (13) and fourth (16) hinging axis have a slope in the range of 0°-12° with respect to a vertical plane orthogonal to said side wall (3).
Hinge structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said elastic linear actuator (26) is a gas spring having a cylindrical body (30) with said fifth hinging axis (27) to said fixing plate (25) and a stem (31) having said sixth hinging axis (28) to said extension (29) of said first equaliser (11).
Hinge structure (1) according to any one of the proceding claims, characterised in that said first equaliser (11) has a radial projection (32) adapted to interfere near said closed position with a decelerating device (33) mounted on said fixing plate (25) in order to decelerate the closing of said shutter (2).
Hinge structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said first equaliser (11) is positioned below said second equaliser (14).
Hinge structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said elastic linear actuator (26) is oscillatable with an angular range of not greater than 30° between said open position and said closed position.
Hinge structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that during the movement of said shutter (2) the plane common to said fifth (27) and sixth (28) hinging axis is adapted to move from one side of the plane common to said first (12) and fifth (27) hinging axis to the other aide of such plane near said closed position, in order to reverse the direction of the rotation moment generated by said elastic linear actuator (26) on said first equaliser (11).
Furniture piece characterised in that it has at least one hinge structure (1) in accordance with one or more preceding claims.