Friction hinge

Abstract

Friction hinge (21) for the pivotable connection of two components, comprising at least one first hinge sleeve (24) which is arranged in alignment with at least one further hinge sleeve (22), a shaft (11) which runs through the hinge sleeves (22, 24), and at least one friction spring for exerting a friction torque on the movable shaft (11), wherein at least two mutually aligned friction springs (10, 10′) are connected to the first hinge sleeve (24) via radial shoulders (16, 16′) and exert a friction torque on the shaft (11) mounted in the further hinge sleeve (22).

Claims

1. A friction hinge for the pivotable connection of two components, comprising: at least one first hinge sleeve, at least one second hinge sleeve which is arranged in alignment with the at least one first hinge sleeve, a shaft rotatably mounted about a longitudinal axis of the shaft through the at least one first and second hinge sleeves, at least two mutually aligned friction springs for exerting a friction torque on the rotatably mounted shaft, each of the at least two mutually aligned friction springs comprising a first radial spring end, a second radial spring end, and a radial shoulder extending from the first end and being connected to the at least one first hinge sleeve, each of the at least two mutually aligned friction springs exerting a friction torque on the shaft mounted in the at least one second hinge sleeve, a sleeve-shaped end piece covering the shaft on a front side, the sleeve-shaped end piece being inserted into an interior space of the at least one second hinge sleeve, the sleeve-shaped end piece having a shoulder extending in a radial direction and engaging with a form fit in a groove in the interior space of the at least one second hinge sleeve, wherein the shaft has first and second ends, each of which has a transverse groove, and wherein a rib is arranged in the interior space of the end piece and is introduced into the transverse groove when the friction hinge is assembled.

2. The friction hinge according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first and second friction springs consist of a bent spring wire with at least one and at most two turns.

3. The friction hinge according to claim 2, wherein the bent spring wire defines a circular opening through which the shaft is passed and, within the circular opening, the at least one first and second friction spring comprising friction surfaces in frictional contact with an outer circumference of the shaft.

4. The friction hinge according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least one first and second friction springs have the radial shoulder made of one piece of material and extending in a radial direction.

5. The friction hinge according to claim 4, wherein the radial shoulder is mounted in a longitudinal groove inside the at least one first hinge sleeve which extends in a longitudinal direction of the at least one first hinge sleeve and is introduced into an inner circumferential surface of the interior space.

6. The friction hinge according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the first and second ends of the shaft has a sawtooth profile which is laterally interrupted by the transverse groove.

7. The friction hinge according to claim 1, wherein at least one first friction spring of the at least two mutually aligned friction springs is installed in a mirror-inverted manner with respect to at least one second friction spring of the at least two mutually aligned friction springs.

8. The friction hinge according to claim 7, wherein the at least one first friction spring is supported only by the first radial spring end engaged in a longitudinal groove of the at least one first hinge sleeve designed as a stop surface and the second spring end abuts against the shaft with a friction fit and is carried along by the shaft.

9. The friction hinge according to claim 1, wherein the at least two mutually aligned friction springs have no mutual coupling.

10. The friction hinge according to claim 1, wherein the at least two mutually aligned friction springs are installed into the hinge either in a concealed or open manner.

11. The friction hinge according to claim 1, wherein rotation of the shaft about the longitudinal axis results in a maximum configured friction of the at least two mutually aligned friction springs that remains constant until an end position of the rotational movement.

12. A friction hinge for the pivotable connection of two components, comprising: at least one first hinge sleeve, at least one second hinge sleeve which is arranged in alignment with at least one first hinge sleeve, a shaft rotatably mounted through the hinge sleeves, at least two mutually aligned friction springs for exerting a friction torque on the rotatably mounted shaft, each of the at least two mutually aligned friction springs comprising a first end, a second end, and a radial shoulder extending from the first end and being connected to the at least one first hinge sleeve, each of the at least two mutually aligned friction springs exerting a friction torque on the shaft mounted in the at least one second hinge sleeve, wherein the shaft has first and second ends and each of the first and second ends have a transverse groove.

13. The fiction hinge according to claim 12, further comprising a sleeve-shaped end piece covering the shaft on a front side inserted into an interior space of the at least one second hinge sleeve, the sleeve-shaped end piece having a shoulder extending in a radial direction and engaging with a form fit in a groove in the interior space of the at least one second hinge sleeve.

14. The friction hinge according to claim 13, wherein a rib is arranged in an interior space of the sleeve-shaped end piece and is introduced into the transverse groove when the friction hinge is assembled.

Description

(1) In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1: is a front view of the hinge according to the invention

(3) FIG. 2: is a plan view of the hinge according to the invention

(4) FIG. 3: is an exploded view of a first embodiment of a hinge according to the present invention

(5) FIG. 4: is a sectional illustration of a first embodiment of a hinge according to the present invention

(6) FIG. 5: is a perspective detailed view of the shaft with friction springs of a first embodiment of a hinge according to the present invention

(7) FIG. 6: is a perspective detailed view of the shaft with friction springs of a second embodiment of a hinge according to the present invention

(8) FIG. 7: is a detailed view of the friction spring

(9) FIG. 8: is a detailed view of the end piece

(10) FIG. 9: is a detailed view of the shaft end with friction spring and transverse groove

(11) FIG. 10: is a perspective detailed view of the shaft with friction springs of a third embodiment of a hinge according to the present invention

(12) FIG. 11: is a perspective detailed view of the shaft with friction springs of a fourth embodiment of a hinge according to the present invention

(13) FIG. 12: is a detailed view of the friction spring

(14) FIG. 13: is a detailed view of the hinge sleeve

(15) FIG. 1 is a front view of the friction hinge 21 according to the invention, which has two hinge leaves 1, 2 which are mounted so as to be pivotable with respect to one another. The axis of rotation 30, via which the left hinge leaf 1 can be pivoted with the right hinge leaf 2, is located in the center of the cylindrical hinge sleeves 22, 24 and runs through the shaft 11.

(16) In FIG. 1, the front side of the shaft 11 is covered by the sleeve-shaped end piece 3, which is inserted into the interior space 23 of the hinge sleeve 22. The end piece 3 has a shoulder 13 which extends in the radial direction and which has a semicircular shape in cross section. This shoulder 13, which is designed in one piece with the end piece 13, engages with a form fit in a groove 19, also semicircular in cross section, which radially enlarges the interior space 23, which is otherwise circular in cross section, at one point.

(17) The groove 19 is made in the hinge sleeve 22, the groove 19 being arranged at the four o'clock position in the example shown in FIG. 1.

(18) The hinge leaf 1 has the support surface 8 and the hinge leaf 2 has the support surface 9, with which the friction hinge 21 can be mounted on different surfaces which are to be moved relative to one another.

(19) FIG. 2 is the top view of the friction hinge 21 according to the invention, with the two hinge leaves 1, 2, which have the fastening bores 4-7, which make it possible to mount or screw the friction hinge with the bearing surfaces 8, 9 on surfaces.

(20) The hinge leaf 2 has two hinge sleeves 22 which delimit an interior space 23 in which the shaft 11 shown in FIG. 3 is mounted. The hinge leaf 1 also has a hinge sleeve 24 with an interior space 25 in which the shaft 11 is mounted. The hinge sleeve 24 is arranged between the two hinge sleeves 22, the interior spaces 23, 25 being aligned with one another.

(21) The axis of rotation 30, around which the hinge leaves 1, 2 of the friction hinge 21 can rotate, runs through the shaft mounted in the hinge sleeves 23, 25.

(22) In the exploded view according to FIG. 3, the shaft 11 is shown, which has a transverse groove 14 each at its front and rear ends. This transverse groove 14 is a recess which starts from the front side of the shaft 11 and runs in the longitudinal direction and which has been milled or sawn into the front and rear ends of the shaft 11. The outer surfaces of the rear and front ends of the shaft 11 also have a sawtooth profile 12 which is laterally interrupted by the transverse groove 14.

(23) The outer circumference 17, which is a smooth outer surface of the shaft 11, is located between the front and rear ends of the shaft, i.e. between the region where the transverse groove 14 and the sawtooth profile 12 are incorporated into the material of the shaft.

(24) The individual friction springs 10 each define an opening with an inner diameter 26, the friction springs 10 arranged in series forming a common interior space due to the aligned openings. The shaft 11 can be inserted into this interior space.

(25) In this case, the outer circumference 17 of the shaft 11 comes into contact with the friction surfaces 15 within the openings of the individual friction springs 10, a friction surface 15 representing the point of contact between the shaft 11 and a friction spring 10.

(26) Each friction spring 10 has a shoulder 16 which extends from the otherwise circular friction spring in the radial direction.

(27) This shoulder 16, or the shoulders 16 arranged in a row, are mounted in a longitudinal groove 18 within the hinge sleeve 24 when the friction hinge 21 is assembled. This longitudinal groove 18 extends in the longitudinal direction in the interior space 25 and is introduced into the inner circumferential surface of the interior space 25.

(28) The front and rear ends of the shaft 11 are each covered by an end piece 3 which is inserted or pressed into the interior space 23 of the hinge sleeve 22. The end piece 3 has the shoulder 13 which, in the assembled state, fits with a form fit into the groove 19. This groove 19 extends in the longitudinal direction in the interior space 23 and is introduced into the inner circumferential surface of the interior space 23 of the hinge sleeve 22.

(29) FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the friction hinge 21 according to the invention in the assembled state. The interior space of the sleeve 3 has a rib 20 which is introduced into the transverse groove 14. Due to the rib 20 in the interior space of the sleeve 3 and the shoulder 13 on the outer circumference of the sleeve 3, the shaft 11 is secured in position in the hinge sleeve 22. In this case, the form-fitting engagement of the rib 20 in the transverse groove 14 and the form-fitting engagement of the shoulder 13 in the groove 19 prevent the shaft 11 from rotating within the hinge sleeve 22.

(30) FIG. 5 shows the shaft 11 passed through the openings of the friction springs 10 arranged in series. In the unloaded state, the friction surfaces 15 of the individual springs 10 abut against the outer circumference 17 of the shaft 11. Each friction spring 10 has a shoulder 16 and a circular path which starts from this shoulder and ends in a spring end 18 after less than two turns.

(31) Due to the offset between the shoulder 16 and the spring end 28, which is arranged less than two turns in the longitudinal direction next to and below the shoulder 16, it is possible to arrange the shoulder 16 of the subsequent friction spring 10 above the spring end 28, whereby the turns of this subsequent friction spring are flush with the coils of the previous friction spring.

(32) If the hinge leaf 1, in the hinge sleeve 24 of which the shoulders 16 of the friction springs 10 are inserted with a form fit in the longitudinal groove 18, is now rotated in the direction of the arrow 27, the individual friction springs 10 are compressed and the inner diameter 26 of the friction springs 10 is reduced. The maximum configured friction is already set in the first angular minutes during the rotation and remains constant until the end position of the pivoting movement. There is no increase in friction as a function of the absolute angle.

(33) According to FIG. 5, the friction springs are thus tied around the shaft in a rotary movement. Counter to the direction of rotation, the whole system runs freely and, with this free run, there is significantly less friction. The friction hinge thus has an increased frictional torque in one direction of movement in the direction of arrow 27 and a reduced frictional torque in the other direction of movement, in the opposite direction of arrow 27.

(34) FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment in which only half of the spring assembly formed from individual friction springs 10 has the same orientation, in which each friction spring 10 starts with a shoulder 16′ and ends with a spring end 28. From the center of the shaft 11, the following friction springs 10′ are arranged upside down, so that each friction spring 10′ starts with the spring end 28′ and ends with the shoulder 16.

(35) If the shaft is now actuated in the direction of rotation 27, the inner diameter 10 of the friction springs 10 arranged to the left of the center is reduced and the inner diameter of the friction springs 10′ arranged to the right of the center increases. In this way, a friction can be exerted on the shaft 11 during an opening and closing movement of the hinge.

(36) In the case of the mirror-inverted installation of half of the springs, the overall friction is reduced, but the same friction in both directions of rotation is obtained.

(37) In FIG. 7, a single friction spring 10 is shown, which is bent from a round wire. Due to the round cross section of the turns, the friction surface 15 between the friction spring and the outer circumference 17 of the shaft 11 is relatively small and abuts tangentially against the outer circumference.

(38) The individual friction springs 10 each define an opening with an inner diameter 26, the friction springs 10 arranged in series forming an interior space due to the aligned openings. The shaft 11 can be inserted into this interior space.

(39) In the unloaded state, the friction spring has a diameter of 26 which, depending on the force acting, can be continuously reduced to a diameter of 26′ or increased to a diameter of 26″. The introduction of the reference signs 26′, 26″ is only used for the purpose of illustration, since no precise diameter can be defined due to the design and material, and it is only a matter of the effective friction between the friction spring 10 and the shaft 11.

(40) FIG. 8 shows the end piece 3 with a rib 20 which is arranged diagonally in the cross section of the end piece 3 and projects into the interior space 29. This rib 20 is inserted into the transverse groove 14 of the shaft 11, as can be seen in FIG. 9. The sawtooth profile 12 of the shaft 11 comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the interior space 29 of the end piece 3 and prevents unintentional detachment of the end piece 3 from the shaft 11.

(41) The end piece 3, which is connected to the groove 18 of the hinge sleeve 24 via the shoulder 13, prevents the shaft 11 from rotating due to the frictional force acting on the shaft by the friction spring 10 via the engagement of the rib 20 in the transverse groove 14.

(42) FIGS. 10 and 11 each show an embodiment in which a spacer sleeve 31, 32 is arranged between a left pair of friction springs and a right pair of friction springs, through which the shaft 11 is also guided. According to FIG. 10, analogous to FIG. 6, the right-hand friction spring pair, formed by the lined up friction springs 10 is arranged in a mirror-inverted manner with respect to the left-hand friction spring pair, formed by the lined up friction springs 10′ and start with the spring end 28′.

(43) According to FIG. 11, analogous to FIG. 5, the left and right friction spring pairs are aligned in the same way, but the spacer sleeve 32 is designed to be narrower than the spacer sleeve 31 of FIG. 10.

(44) FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of a friction spring 10′ which is bent from a wire with an angular cross section. Due to the square cross section of the turns, the friction surface 15′ between the friction spring and the outer circumference 17 of the shaft 11 is made relatively large and lies flat on the outer circumference.

(45) FIG. 13 shows the interior space 25 of the hinge leaf 1, in the inner circumferential surface of which a longitudinal groove 18 extends in the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal groove 18 is delimited by a chamfer 33, 34 at its transition to the cylindrical inner circumferential surface, which chamfer also extends in the longitudinal direction. These two-sided chamfers 33, 34 allow the friction spring to be installed regardless of the orientation of the shoulder 16. Thus, the chamfer 33 is used for installing the friction spring starting with the shoulder and ending with the spring end (clockwise), and the chamfer 34 is used for installing the friction spring starting with the spring end and ending with the shoulder (counterclockwise). The chamfers 33, 34 serve as an insertion aid.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(46) 1. Hinge leaf 2. Hinge leaf 3. End piece 4. Fastening bore 5. Fastening bore 6. Fastening bore 7. Fastening bore 8. Support surface 9. Support surface 10. Friction spring 10′ 11. Shaft 12. Sawtooth profile 13. Shoulder 14. Transverse groove 15. Friction surface 15′ 16. Shoulder 16′ 17. Outer circumference 18. Longitudinal groove 19. Groove 20. Rib 21. Friction hinge 22. Hinge sleeve 23. Interior space (of 21) 24. Hinge sleeve 25. Interior space (of 24) 26. Inner diameter (of 10) 26′, 26″ 27. Direction of rotation 28. Spring end 28′ 29. Interior space (of 3) 30. Axis of rotation 31. Spacer sleeve 32. Spacer sleeve 33. Chamfer 34. Chamfer