Spring hinge equipped with fitting tool

Abstract

A hinge composed of two coaxial, overlapping constituent wings, each of which is composed of a body having an ovoid profile with a cavity inside, where one of the constituent wings carries a smaller diameter pin stably engaged within the cavity, the pin being surrounded by a spring, the pivot and the spring are adapted to engage with the cavity of the other component wing, the coaxial component wing having a tangential groove on the base surface of the internal cavity for receiving the terminal attachment of the spring.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to hinges, and more particularly to spring-loaded hinges for sliding doors relative to a frame. Background Technology

[0002] These components are typically used in industrial machinery, such as for connecting goods to the chassis of mechanical equipment, or for connecting doors to (automatic) vending machines, electrical cabinets, banking equipment, or for protecting enclosures, access gates, etc.

[0003] Unlike ordinary hinges, this type of product is designed to ensure a stable position of the door relative to the frame unless a force opposite to the force that ensures the door remains in the desired position is applied to the door.

[0004] Typically, the spring body is inserted into an internal pin associated with the two component wings that connect to the hinge itself, with the ends of the spring body arranged in cavities respectively fixed to the frame and the body of the door to properly define the relative positions of the two elements.

[0005] Hinges available on the market today work well under normal conditions, but they encounter numerous problems when they must be installed in boxed uprights that require a certain degree of offset during assembly, ensuring proper alignment of the panel relative to the uprights in the rest (or preloaded) position and alignment when the panel is in the open (or loaded) position. In this regard, it is necessary to highlight an important issue for installers: the hinge springs must be preloaded during assembly to allow the hatch cover to remain closed when stationary. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to realize a spring-loaded hinge adapted to return a panel to a predetermined position relative to the upright portion of the box, wherein installation is quick and the hinge is fully aligned with the support, such that the panel is flush with the frame structure when in the operating position, and there is no movement error when the panel must be moved from one stable position to another.

[0007] The objective is achieved by: a hinge consisting of two coaxial, overlapping constituent wings, each of the constituent wings consisting of a body having an oval profile and an interior cavity, wherein one of the constituent wings carries a smaller diameter pin stably engaged within the cavity, the pin being surrounded by a spring, the pivot and the spring being adapted to engage with the cavity of the other constituent wing, the coaxial constituent wings having tangential grooves on the base surface of the interior cavity for receiving terminal attachments of the spring.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a tool associated with the hinge that allows the installer to quickly, accurately, and efficiently assemble the hinge to the structure to which it is to be attached, so as to enable rapid assembly and adjustment on the one hand, and to determine the perfect alignment of the two component wings with the parts of the machine to be connected, and thus the movement of one element relative to the other.

[0009] The objective is achieved by: a hinge consisting of two coaxial, overlapping constituent wings, one of which is composed of an internally hollow, oval body, and the other of which is composed of a cylindrical body with a pin of a smaller diameter extending from one end thereof, characterized in that the constituent wings are provided with an assembly tool composed of a substantially C-shaped body, extending vertically from one of the short sides of the "C"—approximately half the height—up to a pair of support walls of one of the constituent wings.

[0010] Other advantages and preferred features will be the subject of the secondary claims. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The present invention will now be described with reference to preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, the following of which provides a brief description to aid understanding.

[0012] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the hinge according to the invention, in which one component wing is rotated 90° relative to the other;

[0013] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A sectional view of the exploded diagram, in which the constituent wings are aligned;

[0014] Figure 3 This is a rear view of the hinge according to the invention, wherein the constituent wings are aligned;

[0015] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the hinge in the image;

[0016] Figure 5a and Figure 5b Details of one of the relative attachments of a spring according to two different embodiments (right-hand and left-hand) are shown;

[0017] Figure 6a and Figure 6b This is a view of the hinges to be installed. Figure 6a It is a front view of the first component and a side view of the second component. Figure 6b It is a mirror image, showing a front view of the second component and a side view of the first component.

[0018] Figures 7a to 7fA hinge according to the invention mounted on a tool is shown in the various assembly stages provided;

[0019] Figure 8 This is a view of the assembled hinges. Detailed Implementation

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, the hinge 1 according to the invention comprises two coaxial and overlapping constituent wings 2, 3, each wing having a substantially oval profile. A pivot 4 protrudes from one of the constituent wings, which is surrounded by a spring 5. More specifically, the pivot 4 comprises a body 4a and a larger diameter head 4b, the head 4b defining an extension area of ​​the spring 5.

[0021] Figures 2 to 4 The internal structure of the constituent wings is shown: the oval body of wing 2 has an internal cavity 6 shaped to accommodate the ends of the pin 4 and the spring 5, while the oval body of wing 3 has a cavity 7 adapted to accommodate the base of the pin 4 and a portion of the spring 5. More specifically, the pin 4 is embedded in its end portion within the base of the constituent wing 3, while the central portion of the pin 4 and approximately half of the spring 5 are accommodated within the cavity 7.

[0022] To facilitate the housing of the spring 5 and allow for the correct movement of one component wing relative to the other, the cavity 6 has two distinct chambers, with the upper chamber 6b having a slightly smaller diameter than the lower chamber 6a.

[0023] On each side, two pairs of cavities 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d are provided to accommodate (preferably nickel-plated steel) studs 9 and brass threaded bushings 10, respectively.

[0024] In addition, a tangential groove 11 is provided at the contact surface between each of the coaxial component wings 2 and 3 and the spring 5.

[0025] from Figure 5a and Figure 5b In fact, we recognize that the spring body is configured such that an attachment 5a is provided at the end of its coil, as mentioned above, which serves to limit the rotation angle of the hinge—whether to the right or left—and thus identify the reciprocating position of the wing attached to the hinge relative to the wing attached to the frame at rest and at maximum load.

[0026] like Figure 6a and Figure 6b As shown, in fact, when the hinge is in the operating phase, the two component wings are offset by 90°.

[0027] In addition, such as Figures 7a to 7fAs well illustrated, an assembly tool 12 is provided, comprising a substantially “C”-shaped body, offset vertically from one of the short sides of the “C” by about half a height, by a pair of support walls 12a, which extend up to one of the constituent wings, the bottom wall 12b and head wall 12c of the tool serving as support walls for the opposite ends of the constituent wings 2, 3.

[0028] Figures 7a to 7f and Figure 8 This provides a better understanding of the assembly and operation of the hinge according to the invention.

[0029] The operator should ensure that the hinge is placed inside tool "C" 12, with both wings ( Figure 7a The hinges are aligned. After installing the hinges in tool 12, the operator should ensure they are turned counterclockwise ( Figure 7b ) or right-handed ( Figure 7c Rotate it 90° to put the spring into a preloaded state. A pair of pushers 13, provided on at least one of the two walls 12a, 12b at the base and head, hold the hinge in the preloaded position and prepare it for installation.

[0030] At this point, the operator should ensure that all studs are securely fastened to the upright side. Figure 7d It is possible to associate them with regular sealing nuts and combine them with washers to protect the panel itself.

[0031] Once this operation is complete, the panel can be fastened to the hinge using through bolts, by screwing screws into the galvanized bushings set on the free-standing component wings. Figure 7e ).

[0032] Once the tightening operation is complete, the tool can be pulled ( Figure 7f This allows the hinge to operate freely in the conventional manner.

[0033] If finally in Figure 8 As shown, this produces an elegant hinge that guarantees perfect tightness and precise alignment without the difficulties of excessive measurement and further inspection after assembly.

[0034] Therefore, the desired objective is achieved, namely, to produce a hinge with quick assembly and perfect alignment with the uprights, so that the panel is flush with the frame structure when in the operating position, and there is no movement defect when the panel must be moved from one stable position to another, and a tool that ensures that the assembly of the hinge is indeed quick and accurate.

[0035] As will be readily understood, the above description relates to specific preferred forms of implementation. Various modifications to the solutions now described may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended set of claims.

[0036] In particular, this specification relates to specific and paradigmatic implementations, but various configurations are conceivable. For example, the wing component can appear in its initial state, i.e., when the spring is at rest, in various states: parallel, offset by 90°, or another angle, depending on the preload force to be applied when the door closes. Obviously, the relative positions of the wings will differ from those shown in the figures depending on the conceived preload angle, and a substantially unlimited number of implementations are foreseeable.

[0037] To confirm the above, Figure 7 shows a 'C'-shaped tool 12 with two wings aligned: with the hinge preloaded at different angles, the tool—due to the pusher 13—maintains the desired angle, which the operator accomplishes by attaching the wings to the machine body components.

[0038] Similarly, in the description, it is envisioned that the hinge will be fastened by a pair of bushings and a pair of studs. In reality, if two pairs of bushings or two pairs of studs were chosen, nothing would change: these are actually different variations of the same innovative design.

Claims

1. A hinge consisting of two coaxial, overlapping constituent wings, each of said constituent wings comprising a body having an oval profile and a cavity within said body, wherein, One of the component wings carries a smaller diameter pin that is stably engaged within the cavity. The pin is surrounded by a spring. The pivot and the spring are adapted to engage with the cavity of the other component wing. The coaxial component wing has a tangential groove on the base surface of the inner cavity for receiving a terminal attachment of the spring.

2. The hinge according to claim 1, wherein, A hole is provided on the rear surface of the hinge to accommodate a device that engages with the wall to which the hinge is to be fixed.

3. The hinge according to claim 2, wherein, These engagement devices each consist of at least one of a threaded bushing and a threaded stud.

4. The hinge according to claim 3, wherein, The threaded bushing is disposed on one component wing, and the threaded stud is disposed on the other component wing.

5. The hinge according to claim 3, wherein, The stud is disposed on both of the two constituent wings.

6. The hinge according to claim 3, wherein, The bushing is disposed on both of the two constituent wings.

7. The hinge according to claim 3, wherein, The threaded bushing is made of brass, and the threaded stud is made of nickel-plated steel.

8. The hinge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The pin consists of a main body and a head with a larger diameter, the head defining the expansion region of the spring.

9. The hinge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, An assembly tool is provided, consisting of a substantially C-shaped body, which is perpendicularly offset from one of the short sides of the "C"—about half the height—up to a pair of support walls of one of the constituent wings, the base and head walls of the tool serving as support walls for the opposite ends of the constituent wings.

10. The hinge according to claim 9, wherein, A pusher is present on at least one of the base and head walls, the pusher being used to maintain the relative position of one wing with respect to the other wing.

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