Drive mechanism for moving a movable furniture part

Abstract

An arrangement includes a first drive mechanism for moving a movable furniture part. The first drive mechanism has a lockable first push-out mechanism for pushing the movable furniture part out of a closed position into an open position, and a first locking mechanism for locking the first push-out mechanism in a locked position. The first push-out mechanism can be unlocked from the locked position by an overpressure movement of the movable furniture part into an overpressure position beyond the closed position. A synchronizing device synchronizes the first drive mechanism with a second drive mechanism, and can be moved by the first drive mechanism. The overpressure movement begins free of a movement transfer between the first drive mechanism and the synchronizing device. When the movable furniture part moves in the opening direction, the synchronizing device can be moved by the first drive mechanism.

Claims

1. An arrangement comprising: a first drive device configured to move a moveable furniture part, said first drive device including: a lockable first ejection force storage device for ejecting the moveable furniture part from a closed position into an open position; an attachment element to be mounted to the moveable furniture part such that said attachment element moves between an overpressing position, the closed position, and the open position with the moveable furniture part; and a first locking device for locking said first ejection force storage device in a locking position, said first ejection force storage device configured to be unlocked from the locking position by an overpressing movement of said attachment element into the overpressing position beyond the closed position; and a synchronizing device configured to synchronize said first drive device with a second drive device, said synchronizing device being moveable by said first drive device; wherein said first drive device and said synchronizing device are configured and interconnected such that an entire unlocking process of said first ejection force storage device and at least an initial portion of the overpressing movement is free from any movement transmission between said first drive device and said synchronizing device and such that said synchronizing device is moveable upon a movement of said attachment element in an opening direction by said first ejection force storage device; and wherein said first drive device and said synchronizing device are configured and interconnected such that a transmission of movement from said first drive device to said synchronizing device occurs only after unlocking of said first ejection force storage device, the unlocking of said first ejection force storage device occurring during movement of said attachment element from the closed position to the overpressing position.

2. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said synchronizing device is moveable by said first drive device only upon a movement of the moveable furniture part in the opening direction.

3. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said synchronizing device is separate from the moveable furniture part.

4. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said attachment element is a housing, said first ejection device includes: an ejection slider displaceable on said housing, an ejection force storage device acting on said ejection slider, and a control lever mounted moveably to said ejection slider, wherein said first locking device has a latching element arranged on said control lever and a locking element against which said latching element bears in the locking position.

5. The arrangement as set forth in claim 4, wherein said control lever is mounted rotatably to said ejection slider.

6. The arrangement as set forth in claim 4, wherein said housing of said first drive device has a cardioid sliding track having an overpressing portion and an ejection portion, said latching element being moveable during the overpressing movement from the locking position into said overpressing portion of said cardioid sliding track and being moveable during the opening movement by the ejection force storage device through said ejection portion of said cardioid sliding track, wherein said locking element is configured to be moved by said latching element moving in said ejection portion in the opening direction.

7. The arrangement as set forth in claim 6, wherein said cardioid sliding track of said housing further has a stressing portion for guiding said latching element to stress said ejection force storage device and a locking portion, said locking element also forming said locking portion.

8. The arrangement as set forth in claim 6, wherein said locking element has: a locking surface against which said latching element bears in the locking position, and a synchronizing surface against which said latching element bears during the movement through an ejection portion of said cardioid sliding track in the opening direction.

9. The arrangement as set forth in claim 8, wherein said locking surface is oriented substantially tangentially relative to a direction of rotation of said locking element, and said synchronizing surface is oriented substantially radially relative to an axis of rotation of said locking element.

10. The arrangement as set forth in claim 4, wherein said locking element is connected to said synchronizing device.

11. The arrangement as set forth in claim 10, wherein said locking element is connected to said synchronizing device in one piece therewith.

12. The arrangement as set forth in claim 4, wherein said locking element is mounted moveably to said housing.

13. The arrangement as set forth in claim 12, wherein said locking element is mounted rotatably to said housing.

14. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said synchronizing device includes: a coupling element for connecting said synchronizing device to said first drive device; and a synchronizing bar connected hingedly to said coupling element.

15. The arrangement as set forth in claim 14, wherein a locking element of said first locking device is formed as one piece with said coupling element.

16. The arrangement as set forth in claim 14, wherein said coupling element is rotatably mounted to a housing of said first ejection device.

17. The arrangement as set forth in claim 16, wherein a rotation of said coupling element is limited to an angle in a range of between 30 degrees and 90 degrees.

18. The arrangement as set forth in claim 17, wherein the rotation of said coupling element is limited to an angle in a range of between 40 degrees and 60 degrees.

19. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a lockable second drive device for moving the moveable furniture part.

20. The arrangement as set forth in claim 19, wherein said second drive device has a mirror-image symmetrical configuration relative to said first drive device.

21. The arrangement as set forth in claim 19, wherein said first drive device, said synchronizing device, and said second drive device are configured and interconnected such that, upon an overpressing movement of only a first one of said first drive device and said second drive device, said ejection device of a second one of said first drive device and said second drive device is unlockable from the locking position due to movement of said ejection device of said first one of said first drive device and said second drive device in the opening direction and due to movement transmission by said synchronizing device to said second one of said first drive device and said second drive device.

22. An article of furniture comprising: a furniture carcass; a furniture part moveable on said furniture carcass; and said arrangement as set forth in claim 1.

23. The article of furniture as set forth in claim 22, wherein said furniture carcass and said furniture part are configured such that a front panel gap of a maximum 3 mm remains between said moveable furniture part and said furniture carcass in the closed position.

24. The article of furniture as set forth in claim 23, wherein the front panel gap is a maximum 2 mm.

25. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said attachment element is one of a housing or an entrainment member.

26. An arrangement comprising: a first drive device configured to move a moveable furniture part, said first drive device including: a lockable first ejection force storage device for ejecting the moveable furniture part from a closed position into an open position; an attachment element to be mounted to the moveable furniture part such that said attachment element moves between an overpressing position, the closed position, and the open position with the moveable furniture part; and a first locking device for locking said first ejection force storage device in a locking position, said first ejection force storage device configured to be unlocked from the locking position by an overpressing movement of said attachment element into the overpressing position beyond the closed position; and a synchronizing device configured to synchronize said first drive device with a second drive device, said synchronizing device being moveable by said first drive device; wherein said first drive device and said synchronizing device are configured and interconnected such that an entire unlocking process of said first ejection force storage device and at least an initial portion of the overpressing movement is free from any movement transmission between said first drive device and said synchronizing device and such that said synchronizing device is moveable upon a movement of said attachment element in an opening direction by said first ejection force storage device; and wherein said first drive device and said synchronizing device are configured and interconnected such that transmission of movement to said synchronizing device begins only upon said first ejection force storage device of said first drive device reaching a position corresponding to the closed position during movement in the opening direction from the overpressing position.

27. The arrangement as set forth in claim 26, wherein said attachment element is one of a housing or an entrainment member.

28. An arrangement comprising: a first drive device configured to move a moveable furniture part, said first drive device including: a lockable first ejection device for ejecting the moveable furniture part from a closed position into an open position, said first ejection device including: a housing to be mounted to the moveable furniture part so as to move between the closed position, the open position, and an overpressing position with the moveable furniture part, an ejection slider displaceable on said housing, an ejection force storage device acting on said ejection slider, and a control lever mounted moveably to said ejection slider, and a first locking device for locking said first ejection device in a locking position, said first ejection device configured to be unlocked from the locking position by an overpressing movement of the moveable furniture part into the overpressing position beyond the closed position, said first locking device having a latching element arranged on said control lever of said first ejection device and a locking element against which said latching element bears in the locking position; and a synchronizing device configured to synchronize said first drive device with a second drive device, said synchronizing device being moveable by said first drive device; wherein said first drive device and said synchronizing device are configured and interconnected such that the overpressing movement begins free from any movement transmission between said first drive device and said synchronizing device and such that said synchronizing device is moveable upon a movement of said housing in an opening direction by said first ejection device; and wherein said housing of said first ejection device has a cardioid sliding track having an overpressing portion and an ejection portion, said latching element being moveable during the overpressing movement from the locking position into said overpressing portion of said cardioid sliding track and being moveable during the opening movement by the ejection force storage device through said ejection portion of said cardioid sliding track, wherein said locking element is configured to be moved by said latching element moving in said ejection portion in the opening direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further details and advantages of the present invention are described more fully hereinafter by means of the specific description with reference to the embodiments by way of example illustrated in the drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a partly broken-away perspective view of an article of furniture having a moveable furniture part together with drive devices and a synchronizing device,

(3) FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a drive device,

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the assembled drive device,

(5) FIG. 4 is parts of a synchronizing device,

(6) FIG. 5 is a partly exploded view of the arrangement with two drive devices and the synchronizing device,

(7) FIG. 6 shows the assembled arrangement,

(8) FIG. 7 shows an alternative variant of the synchronizing device,

(9) FIGS. 8 through 18 are plan views of the movements of an arrangement,

(10) FIG. 19 is an exploded view of an alternative configuration of the arrangement, and

(11) FIGS. 20 through 23a are plan views and perspective views of the movements of the arrangement shown in FIG. 19.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(12) FIG. 1 shows an article of furniture 18 comprising a furniture carcass 19 and a furniture part 3 which is moveable relative thereto in the form of a drawer, as a partly broken-away perspective view. The drawer is mounted moveably to the furniture carcass 19 by an extension guide 36. Mounted at the underside of the moveable furniture part 3 is an arrangement 1 which has two drive devices 2 (FIG. 5) and 7 which are fixed laterally to the drawer bottom 63 and to a drawer rail 64 respectively, and a synchronizing device 6.

(13) FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the essential components of the arrangement 1 together with the first drive device 2. The first drive device 2 is mounted to the moveable furniture part 3 by way of the housing 8. Thus, in this embodiment, the housing 8 serves as an attachment element which is to always be mounted to the moveable furniture part 3 so as to necessarily move with the moveable furniture part 3 into an overpressing position S, a closed position SS, and an open position OS of the moveable furniture part 3, as applicable. As noted above, however, it is also possible for an entrainment member 21 (described below) to serve as the attachment element which is to always be mounted or fixed to the moveable furniture part 3 so as to necessarily move with the moveable furniture part 3 into the overpressing position S, the closed position SS, and the open position OS of the moveable furniture part 3, as applicable.

(14) The ejection force storage devices 10 which are in the form of tension springs are held on the one hand to the housing 8 and on the other hand to the ejection slider 9. The ejection slider 9 is displaceable along the guide track 32 in the housing 8. The housing 8, the ejection force storage devices 10, the ejection slider 9 and the control lever 23 together form the essential components of the first ejection device 4. In addition, however, the transmission element 20 can also be associated with the first ejection device 4. The transmission element 20 bears by way of the transmission abutment 25 against the abutment 33 on the control lever 23. The transmission element 20 is displaceable along the control track 24 in the housing 8. That control track 24 has an angled end portion 34. As soon as the catch lever 22 hingedly connected to the transmission element 20 passes into that angled end portion 34, the catch lever 22 pivots whereby the drive device 2 is released from the entrainment member 21 which is fixed with respect to the furniture carcass. When conversely the catch lever 22 leaves that angled end portion 34 the entrainment member 21 is caught or held between the catch lever 22 and the transmission element 20. In addition, the coupling element 16 of the synchronizing device 6 is mounted rotatably about the axis of rotation D on the housing 8. Also provided in one piece with that coupling element 16 is the locking element 12 which jointly with the latching element 11 disposed on the control lever 23 forms the locking device 5 for the first ejection device 4. In addition, the Figure shows the cardioidal sliding track 13 which is provided in the housing 8 and which has the stressing portion S, the pressing-through portion DR, the locking portion V, the overpressing portion and the ejection portion A. The locking portion V is additionally also formed by the locking element 12.

(15) FIG. 3 shows the arrangement 1 in the assembled condition. The ejection force storages devices 10 are stressed and the latching element 11 is disposed in the locking portion V whereby the first ejection device 4 is in the locking position VS. As the entrainment member 21 is caught by the catch lever 22 the moveable furniture part 3 is in the closed position SS.

(16) An example of components of a synchronizing device 6 is shown in FIG. 4. In this case, the toothed racks 27 and the toothed gear 28 are mounted moveably to the base plate 26.

(17) FIG. 5 shows the individual components of the arrangement 1 in a condition of not yet being entirely assembled as the connection by way of the synchronizing bars 17 has not yet been made.

(18) This however is shown in FIG. 6 whereby the synchronizing bars 17 are respectively rotationally hingedly connected on the one hand to the coupling elements 16 and on the other hand to the racks 27.

(19) FIG. 7 shows a configuration of the synchronizing device 6, which is an alternative to FIG. 6, wherein the synchronizing bars 17 are positively guided linearly against each other by way of slot connections.

(20) FIG. 8 now shows a plan view of the arrangement 1 with the first drive device 2, the second drive device 7 and the synchronizing device 6. It is possible to see from the detail portions shown at left and right that in each case, the latching element 11 is in the locking portion V of the cardioidal sliding track 13. In this situation, the latching element 11 bears against the locking surface 14 of the locking element 12. That locking surface 14 is oriented tangentially relative to the direction of rotation of the axis of rotation D and adjacent 6 to synchronizing surface 15. As therefore the force of the ejection force storage devices 10, that is acting on the latching element 11, cannot trigger a rotary movement of the coupling element 16, the ejection devices 4 respectively remain in their locking position VS. The moveable furniture part 3 is disposed in the closed position.

(21) If now starting from FIG. 8 a pressure is applied at one side in the closing direction SR to the left-hand region of the moveable furniture part 3, the latching element 11 of the first drive device 2 is moved into the overpressing portion as the housing 8 moves in the closing direction relative to the control lever 23, the transmission element 20 and the entrainment member 21 (see FIG. 9). In that case, the latching element 11 is moved by the inclined deflection portion 35 from the locking portion V into the overpressing portion . That overpressing movement begins free from a movement transmission between the first drive device 2 and the synchronizing device 6 (e.g., no movement is transmitted from the first drive device 2 to the synchronizing bars 17 of the synchronizing device 6). The second drive device 7 thus remains uninfluenced by that overpressing movement on the left-hand side. As a result, the overpressing movement is only performed against the force of the ejection force storage device 10 of an ejection device 4. The moveable furniture part is thus disposedat least at one sidein the overpressing position S.

(22) As soon as the moveable furniture part 3 is released, the ejection force storage devices 10 of the first ejection device 4 can be relieved of stress. As a result, the housing 8 together with the moveable furniture part 3 fixed thereto is ejected relative to the entrainment member 21 in the opening direction OR (see FIG. 10) whereby the latching element 11 also passes into the ejection portion A of the cardioidal sliding track 13. The first ejection device 4 therefore actually thrusts against the furniture carcass 19, more specifically the entrainment member 21. Up until then there has not been any transmission of movement to the synchronizing device 6. As shown in FIG. 10, however, the latching element 11 already bears against the synchronizing surface 15 (see FIG. 8) of the locking element 12. That synchronizing surface 15 is oriented radially relative to the axis of rotation D of the coupling element 16.

(23) By virtue of that orientation of the synchronizing surface 15, finallywhen the ejection force storage device 10 moves the latching element 11 further through the ejection portion A in the opening direction into the position shown in FIG. 11the transmission of movement from the first drive device 2 to the synchronizing device 6 and further to the second drive device 7 takes place. By virtue of the synchronizing effect, the locking element 12 of the second drive device 7 is pivoted whereby the latching element 11 is no longer locked at the locking surface 14 thereof. Thus, that latching element 11 passes directly from the locking portion V into the ejection portion A. Therefore the ejection force storage device 10 of the second ejection device 4 can also be relieved of stress and the moveable furniture part 3 is ejected synchronously into an open position OS by both ejection devices 4.

(24) After further rotation of the two coupling elements 16 into the position shown in FIG. 12, the latching element 11 and the locking element 12 no longer bear against each other. The ejection force storage devices 10 of both ejection devices 4 can be further relieved of stress. In comparison with FIG. 10, it is also possible to clearly see that the coupling element 16 has rotated through about 50 about the axis of rotation D. Preferably that rotary movement is limited on the one hand by the locking element 12 coming into abutment against the housing 8 and on the other hand by the slightly elastic spring element 30 also coming into abutment against the housing 8. In general, depending on the respective design configuration, that rotary range can be between 30 and 90. The relatively wide range of rotary movement gives the advantage that in particular the total clearance of the synchronizing device 6 has scarcely any influence on synchronization.

(25) Finally, as shown in FIG. 13, both ejection force storage devices 10 are fully relieved of stress and the ejection operation is concluded.

(26) Then, due to momentum or by actively pulling on the moveable furniture part 3, the drive devices 2 and 7 pass into the position shown in FIG. 14. In that situation the control lever 23 and the transmission element 20 are no longer in contact. The catch lever 22 however is in the angled end portion 34 of the control track 24 whereby the entrainment member 21 is released. The moveable furniture part 3 is thus freely moveable.

(27) The closing process for the moveable furniture part 3 is shown as from FIG. 15. Here the entrainment member 21 is caught again and by way of the transmission element 20 the control lever 23 and with same the latching element 11 are in the stressing portion S whereby the ejection force storage devices 10 are manually stressed upon closure.

(28) In that closing and stressing movement, both latching elements 11 as shown in FIG. 16 also come into butting relationship with the return levers 29 of the coupling elements 16. In that way, the coupling elements 16 are rotated about the axis of rotation so that as shown in FIG. 17 the locking elements 12 also move closer and closer in the direction of the locking portion V.

(29) In FIG. 18, finally the coupling elements 16 are again in their starting position so that the locking surfaces 14 of the locking elements 12 again serve for locking the latching elements 11. The slightly elastic elements 30 of the coupling elements 16 provide for correct positioning (neutral position) of the locking elements 12 so that the locking elements 12 also form the latching depression or the locking portion V. The locking position VS of the ejection devices 4 is again reached with the ejection force storage devices 10 in a stressed condition. The moveable furniture part 3 is again in the closed position SS. To guarantee that the coupling element 16 remains in its positionafter the latching element 11 is no longer in contact with the return lever 29 and before the latching element 11 again bears against the locking element 12a small latching nose can be provided in the housing 8, the nose cooperating with the coupling element 16, preferably with its locking element 12.

(30) FIG. 19 shows an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of the synchronizing device 6. In accordance therewith, the toothed rack 27 is provided directly on the coupling element 16. Fixed to the housing 8 is a holder 31 to which the synchronizing bar 17 is rotatably mounted with a toothed gear 28 at the end thereof. The gear 28 meshes with the rack 27 so that a rotary movement of the coupling element 16 is transmitted into a rotary movement of the synchronizing bar 17and vice-versa. The remaining components of the arrangement 1 in FIG. 19 are identical to the first embodiment.

(31) FIGS. 20 through 23a again show the most important positions involved in the movements of the drive device 2 and 7 respectively and the synchronizing device 6. The rotary movement of the synchronizing bar 17 is most clearly shown in FIG. 23a.

(32) The essential advantages of the present invention are: synchronization is activated only by the ejection process in respect of the side triggered at one side, the triggering force upon triggering at one side is half as great as with central triggering, the triggering travel is not increased by the synchronizing device, the triggering travel is not dependent on tolerances of the synchronizing device, actuation by pulling has no influence on the drive device and on the synchronizing device, and the front panel gap can be kept small.