Device for moving a furniture flap and piece of furniture

Abstract

A device is proposed for moving a furniture flap received on a furniture body of a piece of furniture having a spring-force unit, which assists the opening and/or the closing of the furniture flap by a predetermined force action of the spring-force unit via an adjusting arm engaging with the furniture flap in the mounted state. According to the invention, an electrically switchable adjusting unit is provided, which is coupled to the spring-force unit in such a way that a movement of the spring-force unit into a predetermined adjustment position of the spring-force unit on the piece of furniture occurs by a switching of the adjusting unit in the mounted state of the device so that a degree of force action of the spring-force unit on the furniture flap can be adjusted in dependence on the adjustment position of the spring-force unit.

Claims

1. A device for moving a furniture flap received on a furniture body of a piece of furniture having a spring-force unit, which assists the opening and/or the closing of the furniture flap by a predetermined force action of the spring-force unit via an adjusting arm engaging with the furniture flap in the mounted state, wherein an electrically switchable adjusting unit is provided, which is coupled to the spring-force unit in such a way that a movement of the spring-force unit into a predetermined adjustment position of the spring-force unit on the piece of furniture occurs by a switching of the adjusting unit in the mounted state of the device so that a degree of force action of the spring-force unit on the furniture flap can be adjusted in dependence on the adjustment position of the spring-force unit.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrically switchable adjusting unit comprises an electric drive.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first force application site of the spring-force unit is adapted for an attachment on the furniture body and a second force application site of the spring-force unit is adapted for an attachment on the furniture flap side, wherein the adjusting unit is provided for changing the distance between the first force application site of the spring-force unit and the second force application site of the spring-force unit.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit is provided for changing the position of the first force application site of the spring-force unit.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring-force unit can be moved with the adjusting unit into at least two different adjustment positions.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit is designed to reversibly move the spring-force unit with the adjusting unit into at least two different adjustment positions.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit is adapted to move the first force application site of the spring-force unit in a direction away from the second force application site of the spring-force unit.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit is adapted to operate a locking mechanism for the locking of the furniture flap in the closed position on the furniture body.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring-force unit comprises a spring-force pack with a spring-force accumulator.

10. A piece of furniture having a device as claimed in claim 1.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring pack includes a plurality of springs arranged in parallel with respect to one another.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features and benefits of the present invention are explained more closely with the aid of exemplary embodiments represented schematically in the figures.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective diagonal view from above of a piece of furniture according to the present invention with a device according to the present invention for moving a furniture flap of the piece of furniture, shown opened;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective represented device according to the present invention with a cover plate raised from a base unit; and

(4) FIGS. 3-7 show a piece of furniture as per FIG. 1, highly schematized and with indicated spring-force unit of the device in different operating states, each time from the side.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows in perspective view a piece of furniture or an upper cabinet 1 according to the present invention with a boxlike furniture body 2 and a furniture flap received thereon, fashioned as a platelike top flap 3, which is shown in an open position or opened on the furniture body 2 and relative to the furniture body 2.

(6) The furniture body 2 comprises two mutually facing upright side walls 4 and 5, which are joined at the bottom to a bottom panel 6 and at the top to a top panel 7. At the back, the furniture body 2 is closed by a rear wall 8.

(7) In order to move the top flap 3 about a horizontal swivel axis relative to the furniture body 2 from the open position shown in FIG. 1 to a closed position moved toward the front of the furniture body 2 (see FIGS. 3 and 7) and back, a movement device according to the present invention is present, designed as a top flap fitting 9. The top flap fitting 9 comprises a first fitting unit 10 on the side wall 4 and a second fitting unit 11 on the side wall 5, which are built identically on the sides but situated for their functional arrangement on the respective side wall 4 or 5.

(8) Each fitting unit 10 and 11 comprises a base unit 12 with a cover plate 14, a swivel arm assembly 13 having an adjusting arm 13a (see FIG. 5), and a mounting unit 15. The base unit 12 is connected to the mounting unit 15 by multiple hinged swivel arms of the swivel arm assembly 13 and fastened firmly to an inside of the top flap 3, e.g., countersunk in a material recess of the top flap 3.

(9) Moreover, the base unit 12 comprises a spring-force unit 16 for assisting the opening movement of the top flap 3 into the open position and back to the closed position.

(10) An end position bumper (not shown) can be provided, making possible a dampened closing movement of the top flap 3 into the closed position or into an upper end position of the top flap 3 as per FIG. 5.

(11) An electrically switchable adjusting unit of the fitting unit 10, drawing electric power from an electrical power supply, is not visible in FIG. 2.

(12) According to FIG. 3, the top flap 3 is swiveled toward the end or front side of the furniture body 2 and is at rest in this closed position, locked by a releasable locking mechanism 18, not shown.

(13) Between a flat level inside of the closed and locked top flap 3 and an end or front side of the furniture body 2 there is formed a spacing according to a closed gap or air gap a. The closed or air gap may be relatively narrow, for example, a few millimeters.

(14) For the opening of the top flap 3, a mechanical releasing occurs, for example, by hand or by hand pressure from the outside on the top flap 3 according to the force F1 in the direction of the front or end side of the furniture body 2.

(15) The top flap 3 moves toward the furniture body 2, which is possible because of the closed gap a. The locking mechanism 18 is preferably mechanically released, so that a locking of the closed top flap 3 is canceled.

(16) Alternatively, an electrical releasing and locking of the locking mechanism 18 is possible. However, the subsequent opening of the top flap 3 is possible without energy, or it occurs without an electric drive. The opening or upward swivel movement of the top flap 3 per P1 occurs advantageously without energy or by the mechanical force action of the spring-force unit 16 entirely by itself or the spring-force unit 16 serves at least as an assist for the manual movement of the top flap 3, with the operating person grasping the top flap 3 by hand, for example, at a bottom edge or a handle on the top flap 3, not represented.

(17) FIG. 4 indicates the mechanical or manual opening movement P1 having occurred and shows the completely opened top flap 3 in the upper end position, indicating by broken line a held, not fully opened intermediate position of the top flap 3. This is reached, e.g., if the operating person does not move the top flap 3 further upward or releases it before reaching the end position with the top flap 3 fully opened relative to the furniture body 2 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The spring-force unit 16 forms the force opposing the weight of the top flap 3.

(18) The end position can be changed, for example, by an angle or swivel stop (not shown).

(19) In the fully opened and resting end position of the top flap 3 (see FIG. 5), a releasing element 19 present, for example, or preferably on the furniture body is manually activated or activated by hand with the force F2. The releasing element 19 is provided for the switching of an electrically switchable adjusting unit 17 and is connected to the adjusting unit 17 or communicates with it. For this purpose, the releasing element 19 comprises a wireless, wired, and/or mechanical connection to the adjusting unit 17. The activating of the releasing element 19, such as, for example, a pushbutton, a switch, or a sensor, initiates the closing process or is the precondition for the manual closing of the top flap 3.

(20) The activating of the releasing element 19 or the switching of the adjusting unit 17 coupled to the spring-force unit 16 results in a moving of the spring-force unit 16 from one present adjustment position V1 to another predeterminable adjustment position V2, as indicated by FIG. 6.

(21) For the closing of the top flap 3, a first force application site of the spring-force unit 16 such as the force application site on the furniture body side is moved from a first adjustment position V1 to a second adjustment position V2.

(22) In this way, a degree of force action of the spring-force unit 16 on the top flap 3 is altered or reduced, so that the top flap 3 either swivels downward spontaneously and slowly under its natural weight in balanced manner into the closed position per FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, or the top flap 3 stays in the upper end position until an operating person manually grasps the top flap 3 and swivels it downward, under relatively slight effort, into the closed position of FIG. 7.

(23) After reaching the closed position of the top flap 3, the adjusting unit 17 continues onward and activates the locking mechanism 18 or blocks the top flap 3. Thus, in the closed position, the top flap 3 is held at rest and locked by the locking mechanism 18.

(24) The energy requirement is advantageously relatively slight, since the weight of the top flap is used for assistance in the closing. In comparison somewhat more energy is needed, however, for the tensioning of the locking mechanism 18.

(25) Now the force application site on the furniture body side is moved from the second adjustment position V2 back to the first adjustment position V1, for example, assisted by the adjusting unit 17, until the spring-force unit 16 is again more strongly pretensioned according to the condition of FIG. 3 (see FIG. 7).

(26) Even if the spring-force unit 16 or its abutment on the furniture body 2 remains in the adjustment position V2 with the top flap 3 closed, the top flap 3 can be swiveled upward or opened by hand or manually, which is of advantage in event of a power outage.

(27) Advantageously, the time window for tensioning the spring-force unit 16 or the moving of the force application site on the furniture body side from the second adjustment position V2 to the first adjustment position V1 is larger than the opening movement of the top flap 3.

(28) The larger this time window, the less energy required for the movement from V2 to V1.

(29) The time window for tensioning the spring-force unit 16 or the moving from the adjustment position V2 to the adjustment position V1 is advantageously independent of the opening and closing process.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(30) 1 Upper cabinet 2 Furniture body 3 Top flap 4 Side wall 5 Side wall 6 Bottom panel 7 Top panel 8 Rear wall 9 Top flap fitting 10 Fitting unit 11 Fitting unit 12 Base unit 13 Swivel arm assembly 13a Adjusting arm 14 Cover plate 15 Mounting unit 16 Spring-force unit 17 Adjusting unit 18 Locking mechanism 19 Releasing element