Hinge for furniture with device for regulating the closing force

Abstract

Hinge for furniture including a fixed part housed in a seat of a horizontal plane of the furniture structure, and a moving part housed in a seat of a door of the furniture, to operate the door in opening and closing by a movement mechanism including at least one lever connecting a pin placed on the fixed part of the hinge and a pin placed on the moving part, wherein the closing force of the door is determined by a spring acting on a pusher that exerts a thrust force on a rocker arm, against which the lever of the door movement mechanism acts, wherein a unit are provided apt to vary the distance of the spring from a pivot pin of the rocker arm, in order to vary the lever arm and consequently the reaction force of the movement lever and therefore the closing force of the door.

Claims

1. A hinge for furniture comprising: a fixed part (11) apt to be housed in a seat of a horizontal plane of the furniture structure, such as a base (1) or a top (2), and a moving part (12) apt to be housed in a seat of a door (4) of the furniture, in order to operate the door in opening and closing by means of a movement mechanism comprising at least one lever (18) connecting a pin (14) placed on said fixed part (11) of the hinge and a pin (15) placed on said moving part (12), wherein a closing force of the door is determined by spring means (20) acting on a pusher (21) that exerts a thrust force on a rocker arm (22), against the rocker arm (22) said at least one lever (18) of the door movement mechanism acts, the hinge comprising means apt to vary the distance of said spring means (20) from a pivot pin (23) of the rocker arm (22), in order to vary the lever arm and consequently the reaction force of the at least one lever (18) and therefore the closing force of the door, wherein said spring means (20) and said pivot pin (23) are both placed on said fixed part (11) or on said movable part (12), and wherein means of regulating the closing force of the door comprise a drawer (24) housing said spring means (20) and the pusher (21), which can translate to move towards and away from said pivot pin (23) of the rocker arm (20).

2. The hinge according to claim 1, wherein screw means (26) are provided to move in translation said drawer (24).

3. The hinge according to claim 2, wherein said drawer (24) has an internally threaded projection (25), wherein said screw means (26), accessible from the outside of the fixed part (11) of the hinge, engage.

4. The hinge according to claim 3, further comprising a shock absorber (30) acting against said at least one lever (18) in order to soften the closing movement thereof.

5. The hinge (10) according to claim 3, wherein said pivot pin (23) of the rocker arm (22) is arranged relative to the pusher (21) on the opposite side with respect to said screw means (26), said at least one lever (18) for actuation of the door (4) acting close to a free end of the rocker arm (22).

6. The hinge according to claim 3, wherein said pin (23) of the rocker arm (22) is situated between said screw means (26) and said pusher (21), the at least one lever (18) acting on the rocker arm (22) in a point between said pivot pin (23) and said pusher (21).

7. The hinge according to claim 3, wherein the at least one lever comprises a first lever (18) and a second lever (19), and said door movement mechanism further comprises four pins (14, 15 and 16, 17) connecting the first and second levers (18, 19) between said fixed (11) and moving (12) parts of the hinge.

8. The hinge according to claim 2, further comprising a shock absorber (30) acting against said at least one lever (18) in order to soften the closing movement thereof.

9. The hinge (10) according to claim 2, wherein said pivot pin (23) of the rocker arm (22) is arranged relative to the pusher (21) on the opposite side with respect to said screw means (26), said at least one lever (18) for actuation of the door (4) acting close to a free end of the rocker arm (22).

10. The hinge (10′) according to claim 2, wherein said pin (23) of the rocker arm (22) is situated between said screw means (26) and said pusher (21), the at least one lever (18) acting on the rocker arm (22) in a point between said pivot pin (23) and said pusher (21).

11. The hinge according to claim 2, wherein the at least one lever comprises a first lever (18) and a second lever (19), and said door movement mechanism further comprises four pins (14, 15 and 16, 17) connecting the first and second levers (18, 19) between said fixed (11) and moving (12) parts of the hinge.

12. The hinge according to claim 1, further comprising a shock absorber (30) acting against said at least one lever (18) in order to soften the closing movement thereof.

13. The hinge (10) according to claim 12, wherein said pivot pin (23) of the rocker arm (22) is arranged relative to the pusher (21) on the opposite side with respect to screw means (26), said at least one lever (18) for actuation of the door (4) acting close to a free end of the rocker arm (22).

14. The hinge (10) according to claim 13, wherein said shock absorber (30) acts in an intermediate zone of the at least one lever (18) between said pins (14, 15).

15. The hinge according to claim 14, wherein the at least one lever comprises a first lever (18) and a second lever (19), and said door movement mechanism further comprises four pins (14, 15 and 16, 17) connecting the first and second levers (18, 19) between said fixed (11) and moving (12) parts of the hinge.

16. The hinge according to claim 13, wherein the at least one lever comprises a first lever (18) and a second lever (19), and said door movement mechanism further comprises four pins (14, 15 and 16, 17) connecting the first and second levers (18, 19) between said fixed (11) and moving (12) parts of the hinge.

17. The hinge according to claim 12, wherein said pin (23) of the rocker arm (22) is situated between screw means (26) and said pusher (21), the at least one lever (18) acting on the rocker arm (22) in a point between said pivot pin (23) and said pusher (21).

18. The hinge according to claim 17, wherein said shock absorber (30) acts on an extension (18′) of said at least one lever (18) past said pivot pin (14) situated on the fixed part (11) of the hinge constrained to a plane (1, 2) of the furniture.

19. The hinge according to claim 12, wherein the at least one lever comprises a first lever (18) and a second lever (19), and said door movement mechanism further comprises four pins (14, 15 and 16, 17) connecting the first and second levers (18, 19) between said fixed (11) and moving (12) parts of the hinge.

20. The hinge according to claim 1, wherein the at least one lever comprises a first lever (18) and a second lever (19), and said door movement mechanism further comprises four pins (14, 15 and 16, 17) connecting the first and second levers (18, 19) between said fixed (11) and moving (12) parts of the hinge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features of the invention will be made clearer by the following detailed description, referred to one of its embodiments purely by way of a non-limiting example, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIGS. 1 and 2 are axonometric views of a hinge according to a first embodiment of the invention, shown in position of closure and of opening of a door, respectively,

(3) FIG. 3 shows a portion of a furniture item with door, wherein hinges according to the invention are used;

(4) FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken at one of the hinges, for example the lower one, of FIG. 3;

(5) FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic plan views like that of FIG. 4, showing the components of the hinge respectively in the configuration of closure and of (partial) opening of the door;

(6) FIG. 7 is a section view of the hinge of FIG. 6 showing in greater detail the device for regulation of the closing force;

(7) FIGS. 8 and 9 are views similar to FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively, showing a second embodiment of the hinge according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) FIG. 3 shows schematically a portion of furniture sufficient for illustrating the positioning and the functioning of the hinge according to the invention. More particularly, a base surface 1 is shown, an upper surface or top 2 connected to a side wall 3, and a door 4.

(9) The door 4 can be opened in a side-hinged manner with respect to the structure of the furniture item, by means of a pair of hinges 10 acting between the door itself and said base 1 and cover 2 surfaces.

(10) Naturally a hinge 10 can also be provided between the door 4 and an intermediate plane (not shown) securely fixed to the structure of the furniture item.

(11) The hinge 10, whose structure is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises a part 11 which is to be inserted in a seat of a horizontal plane 1, 2 of the furniture item, and a part 12 which is inserted instead in a seat of the vertical door 4.

(12) The part 12 of the hinge is made in two different configurations, with a section 13 which is oriented upwards or downwards, according to whether the hinge is placed at the base 1 or top 2 of the furniture item, as shown in FIG. 3.

(13) The hinge 10 according to the first embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the plan views of FIGS. 5 and 6 of the section view of FIG. 7, which better shows the structure of the device for regulation of the closing force.

(14) The hinge 10 is of the so-called type with four pins 14 and 15, 16 and 17, whereto a pair of levers or arms 18, 19 are restrained respectively, which accompany the door 4, by means of the hinge part or block 12, during the movement of opening and closure.

(15) The closing force of the door 4 is determined by a spring 20 which, by means of a pusher 21, exerts a thrust on a rocker arm 22 pivoted in 23 in the low part of the hinge part 11, against which rocker arm 22, in proximity of its free end, the lever arm 18 of the door actuation mechanism acts.

(16) The greater the distance of the spring 20 from the pivot 23, the greater the reaction force of the lever arm 18, and therefore the closing force of the door.

(17) In order to soften the movement of closure a shock absorber or dampener is also provided 30, placed approximately parallel to the rocker arm 22 and acting in an intermediate section of the lever arm 18, between the pin 14 provided on the fixed part 11 of the hinge and the pin 15 provided on the movable part 12.

(18) According to the invention the spring 20 and the pusher 21 are housed in a drawer 24, having a side projection 25, threaded internally, with which a screw 26 engages, the rotation whereof in one direction or in the other produces a translation of the drawer 24 determining a movement towards or away of the pusher 21 of the pivot pin 23 of the rocker arm 22, with consequent variation of the lever arm.

(19) The situation is shown more clearly in FIGS. 5 and 6, where the pusher 21 is shown in two different positions, with unbroken and dotted lines respectively.

(20) In the position with unbroken lines, the force F of the spring 20 acts with an arm L1 on the rocker arm 22, creating a reaction F1 on the arm 18 of the mechanism for actuation of the door 4, forcing the arm 18 to bring the door into closure with this force F1.

(21) Acting on the screw 26 in the direction of screwing, in order to translate the drawer 24 upwards and bring the pusher 21 into the position shown with dotted lines, the lever arm increases from L1 to L2, so that the same force F of the spring 20 produces a greater reaction F2 on the arm 18, with a consequent greater closing force of the door.

(22) FIGS. 8 and 9 show a second embodiment of a hinge with device for regulation of the closing force of a door according to the invention.

(23) This hinge of the second embodiment differs from the embodiment described previously only in the arrangement and configuration of some component parts, which will be denoted by the same reference numerals used previously.

(24) Substantially, in this case the shock absorber or dampener 30 is placed virtually parallel to the spring 20, and therefore substantially perpendicular to the rocker arm 22, and acts on an extension 18′, on the opposite side with respect to the pivot pin 14, of the movement lever 18.

(25) Consequently, the position of the rocker arm 22 is inverted with respect to the preceding embodiment, with the pivot pin 23 placed in the upper part, rather than in the lower part of the hinge part 11.

(26) In this case, in order to increase the closing force, it is necessary to act on the screw 26 in order to translate downwards the drawer 24 in order to distance it from the pivot pin 23 and increase the lever arm from L1 to L2 and therefore the reaction force of the lever 18 from F1 to F2.

(27) The hinge 10, 10′ with the regulation device according to the invention can compensate the differences of force necessary, as a function of the dimensions and of the weight of the doors attached to the furniture item.

(28) Likewise, any drops in performance due to the wear during use of the hinge can be compensated, by means of a simple regulation screw 26, which acts on the drawer 24 carrying the spring 20.

(29) Although in the preceding description there was mention of a spring 20, it is clear that a group of springs acting on the rocker arm 22 can be provided.

(30) Naturally the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described previously and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but numerous detail changes may be made thereto, within the reach of the person skilled in the art, without thereby departing from the scope of the same invention, as defined in the appended claims.