FURNITURE WITH A METHOD FOR SPREADING OUT AT LEAST TWO HINGED DOOR LEAVES OF THE FURNITURE.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a piece of furniture, preferably a cabinet, with an arrangement for spreading at least two hinged door leaves of the furniture from a folded position into an open position, comprising an energy storage device and a spreading element that can be acted upon by the energy storage device.

[0002] EP 0 433 726 B1 describes a generic piece of furniture with an arrangement in which a lever is pre-tensioned by means of a spring element, and the spring pre-tension is used to spread the two door leaves apart after they have been pulled out of a cabinet in their folded position. A disadvantage of this solution is that the spring pre-tension is released uncontrollably, so that while the two door leaves are spread apart, this movement occurs abruptly. Furthermore, when moving the door leaves in the opposite direction, they must be pressed together against the spring pre-tension, which may be perceived as annoying by a user. DE29809193U1 also discloses an example of such furniture.

[0003] The object of the invention is therefore to provide a piece of furniture in which the ease of use when moving two hinged door leaves of the furniture is significantly improved compared to the prior art.

[0004] This problem is solved by a piece of furniture according to the features of independent claim 1.

[0005] According to the invention, a control contour is provided for controlling the movement of the spreading element.

[0006] Such a control contour has the significant advantage that its design allows for a predetermined movement sequence of the spreading element. For example, it is conceivable to design the control contour so that the at least two door leaves, starting from the folded position, initially move gently apart, then the acceleration increases, and finally the movement decelerates. With such a movement sequence, a user would perceive a smooth transition from the folded to the spread position. The control contour thus allows the energy stored in the energy storage unit to be applied to the spreading element, and therefore to the door leaves, in a controlled manner, thereby realizing a beneficial, predetermined movement pattern of the door leaves.

[0007] The control contour has also proven extremely advantageous in the opposite direction of movement, from the extended to the folded position. It is possible to design the control contour in such a way that at least two door leaves can be moved effortlessly from the extended to the folded position. This has the advantage that a user does not have to work against the energy storage device when folding the door leaves, as is the case with the prior art. Specifically, this can be achieved, for example, by having the control contour include a section that is circular with respect to a pivot point.

[0008] Alternatively, the control contour can also be designed such that, starting from the spread position, the spreading element can exert a force in the direction of the folded position on at least one of the at least two door leaves. In this way, the folding of the door leaves is even supported by the arrangement. An advantageous technical implementation of this measure consists of the control contour having a section composed of subsections whose distances to a pivot point successively decrease.

[0009] The flexibility of the control of the movement of the spreading element can be further increased by including in the control contour at least one unidirectionally - i.e. acting in one direction - preferably pivotably mounted contour bar.

[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one carriage, preferably movable along at least one horizontally arranged rail, is provided, which can be coupled to one of the at least two door leaves, preferably by means of at least one hinge. To increase the stability of the coupling, it is advantageous if two hinges are provided.

[0011] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the carriage has a support contour against which the spreading element can be supported. In this case, the door leaf, which is coupled to the carriage, comes into indirect contact with the spreading element via the support contour arranged on the carriage.

[0012] The design of the support contour can also be used to make the contact of the spreading element with the carriage smoother, for example by means of a sloping surface, and / or to provide a projection or the like behind which the spreading element engages, thereby allowing both compressive and tensile forces to be transferred to the carriage and thus to the door leaf coupled to the carriage.

[0013] An advantageous supplementary measure consists in the fact that a movement of the spreading element can be locked by means of the at least one carriage, wherein the carriage is preferably supported on a guide via at least one guide roller.

[0014] In an advantageous embodiment, the spreading element comprises a rotatably mounted lever arm with a free end, at the free end of which a rotatably mounted rolling element is preferably arranged. This rolling element can be, for example, a cylindrical roller or a ball.

[0015] Further advantageous structural measures consist in the fact that the spreading element is arranged on a pivoting element, which preferably has at least one guide groove for guiding a control bolt that interacts with the control contour, and / or that the spreading element is coupled via a toothing to a base, preferably to be attached to a support for the at least two door leaves, on which the control contour is preferably formed.

[0016] Furthermore, it has proven advantageous if the energy storage device can be charged by a method that involves at least two door leaves in the folded position. This means that the energy storage device is only charged after the door leaves are folded, and a user experiences no resistance when folding the door leaves that would be caused by the charging of the energy storage device.

[0017] For charging the energy storage device, a charging curve, preferably to be attached to a side wall of the furniture, can be provided, wherein the energy storage device is preferably coupled to the charging curve via a charging roller.

[0018] One simple technical solution is for the energy storage device to include a spring assembly.

[0019] According to the invention, user comfort is further increased by providing an ejection device for ejecting the at least two door leaves in the folded position from the, preferably fully, recessed position within the furniture to an open position outside the furniture. In such furniture, the recessed position is generally located in a laterally arranged shaft within the furniture.

[0020] The ejection mechanism first ensures that the at least two door leaves, in their folded position, are ejected from their recessed position within the furniture to an open position outside the furniture. Subsequently, the spreading element, powered by the energy storage unit, moves them from the folded to an open position. The user then simply needs to move the door leaves into a closed position, where their fronts lie flush. The furniture is then completely closed, provided the door leaves cover the entire width of the furniture body.

[0021] Further advantages and details of the invention will become apparent from the Figuren 1 bis 23 . This shows Fig. 1 A piece of furniture in the form of a cabinet with two doors in their closed position. Fig. 2 bis 11 Each figure has sub-figures a, b, and c, where sub-figures c show the position of the door leaves in relation to the furniture, sub-figures a show a perspective view of the essential parts of the arrangement, and sub-figures b show a frontal view of that part of the arrangement which includes the energy storage device, the spreading element, and the control contour. Fig. 12 An exploded view of this part of the arrangement is shown. Fig. 2 bis 12 show a first embodiment of the invention, whereas the Fig. 13 bis 23 a second embodiment of the invention. Fig. 13 bis 23 Each figure has sub-figures a and b. In this case as well, sub-figures a show a perspective view of the arrangement, and sub-figures b show a front view of that part of the arrangement which includes the energy storage device, the spreading element, and the control contour.

[0022] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a piece of furniture 3 in the form of a cabinet, comprising a furniture body consisting of several side walls 25, 26 and 27, a top panel 39, a bottom panel 40 and a back panel 41 (cf. Fig. 2c ) is composed of.

[0023] The parallel side walls 26 and 27 are spaced a short distance apart compared to the overall width of the furniture body. The cavity between these side walls 26 and 27 defines a shaft 28, which is located laterally on the furniture body.

[0024] Cabinet 3 can be closed by two hinged door leaves 1 and 2. Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows the closed position of the two door leaves 1 and 2, in which the fronts of the door leaves are arranged in one plane. As can be seen from the following figures, in particular sub-figures c of the Fig. 2 bis 11 As can be seen, door leaves 1 and 2, starting from the closed position, can first be moved into an open position (cf. Fig. 2c , 3c and 11c ) and then be moved from the spread position into a folded position (cf. Fig. 4c - 10c ). In this folded position, the door leaves 1 and 2 can then be lowered into the shaft 28, starting from an open position outside the furniture 3 (cf. Fig. 4c ) via several intermediate positions into a fully retracted position in furniture 3 (cf. Fig. 8c In this position, the door leaf assembly is completely arranged within the furniture 3, so that a user has unimpeded access to the interior of the furniture 3.

[0025] As from the Fig. 1 As can be seen, door leaves 1 and 2 are designed without handles. To move door leaves 1 and 2 from their closed position to a hinged position, which makes it easier for a user to open the door leaves further, an ejection device can be provided. This device comprises an energy storage device and an ejection element that can be actuated by the energy storage device. Pressing, for example, on one of the door leaves in the area where the door leaves are hinged together unlocks the ejection element, and then, under the action of the energy storage device, pushes one or both door leaves outwards in the area where they are hinged together, causing the door leaves to hinge relative to each other. Alternatively, handles can be provided on one or both door leaves instead of such an ejection device.

[0026] Following the folding action, the door package is then moved by the user into the position which is located in the Fig. 2c is shown.

[0027] The door leaves 1 and 2 are mounted on the furniture 3 as follows: a first door leaf 1 is coupled to a carriage 8 on one side and hinged to a second door leaf 2 on the other side. The second door leaf 2 is in turn arranged on a support 29.

[0028] To transfer door leaves 1 and 2 from the one in the Fig. 1 shown closed position in the Fig. 2c In the position shown, in which the two door leaves are spread apart from each other, it is essentially sufficient to exert force on the first door leaf 1, since the second door leaf 2 is guided between the first door leaf 1 and the support 29.

[0029] As from the Fig. 2a und 2c As can be seen, the carriage 8 is movable along a rail 7 which is aligned parallel to the plane in which the fronts of the two door leaves 1 and 2 are arranged in their closed position.

[0030] The carriage 8 is designed in multiple parts: a vertically oriented support element 43 is suspended in a first assembly 42, which is in contact with the rail 7. Interfaces 44 and 45 for hinges 9 are provided in this support element 43, via which the first door leaf 1 can be coupled to the carriage 8.

[0031] Overall, it is therefore a folding sliding door.

[0032] As the two door leaves 1 and 2 continue to move towards the folded position, the intermediate position reached is the position described in the Fig. 3c This intermediate position is characterized by the fact that the carriage 8 – more precisely – the support contour 10 on the vertically arranged support element 43 meets the spreading element 5.

[0033] As from the Fig. 12 As can be seen, this spreading element 5 comprises a rotatably mounted lever arm 11 with a free end, at the free end of which a rotatably mounted rolling element 12 in the form of a roller is arranged. This means that when the carriage 8 strikes the spreading element 5, the roller 12 makes initial contact with the support contour 10. Otherwise, if one considers the Fig. 2b and 3b compared with each other - the position of the spreading element 5 and the associated components has not yet been changed.

[0034] It should be noted in general that the partial figures b each show a frontal view of the component group arranged on the support 29, with the front plate 51 and the back plate 52 of the pivoting part 16 (cf. Fig. 12 ) in this view has been omitted in order to better understand the position of the control bolt 19 in relation to the control contour 6.

[0035] Based on the one in the Fig. 3c In the intermediate position shown, the door leaves 1 and 2 are subsequently folded by the user into the folded position, as shown in the Fig. 4c It is shown, moving.

[0036] If you compare the Fig. 3a and 4a or 3b and 4b together, it becomes apparent that in the course of this movement the lever arm 11 of the spreading element 5 is rotated counterclockwise, since the roller 12 rests against the support contour 10.

[0037] As shown in the exploded view according to Fig. 12 As can be seen, the lever arm 11 is rotatably mounted on the pivot element 16 and, on the other hand, interacts via a gear 20 with a toothed linkage 21, which is arranged on a base 22 on which the pivot element 16 is rotatably mounted about the pivot point 31. This means that the rotational movement of the lever arm 11, which is caused by the movement of the carriage 8 into the folded position of the door leaves 1 and 2, causes the pivot element 16 to pivot clockwise about the pivot point 31.

[0038] It should also be noted in general that the base 22, on which the aforementioned components are arranged or to which the aforementioned components are connected, is attached to the support 29.

[0039] If we now consider the control bolt 19, which is supported on the control contour 6, a comparison of the Fig. 3b and 4bIt can be determined that this control bolt 19 has moved along a section 30 which is circular with respect to the pivot point 31. This means that the distance of the control bolt 19 to the pivot point 31 changes during the movement of the door leaves 1 and 2 from the intermediate position according to Fig. 3c into the folded position according to Fig. 4c has remained unchanged. This also means that the tension of the springs of energy storage device 4 has not changed, or rather – since the springs are in the positions according to the Fig. 2b and 3b unloaded, i.e., not tensed - in the position according to Fig. 4b They are still in a relaxed state. Therefore, no charging of the energy storage unit 4 has taken place yet. Abstractly speaking, the control contour 6 is designed such that the two door leaves 1 and 2 can be moved effortlessly from the spread position to the folded position.

[0040] The transition of carriage 8 from the position according to the Fig. 3 into the position according to the Fig. 4a is facilitated by a guide roller 46 located in the end area of ​​the guide 24.

[0041] Now the insertion movement of the two door leaves 1 and 2 begins in their folded position, starting from the point in the Fig. 4c shown open position outside the furniture 3 via several intermediate positions, which are in the Fig. 5c , 6c and 7c shown are in the fully retracted position in furniture 3, which is in the Fig. 8c shown.

[0042] The intermediate position according to Fig. 5c is characterized by the fact that the loading roller 14 meets the loading curve 13 attached to the side wall 25 of the furniture 3 for the first time.

[0043] It is also important that when transitioning from the position according to Fig. 4c into the position according to Fig. 5c A guide roller 23, arranged on the carriage 8, comes into contact with a guide rail 24, which is also horizontally oriented but forms an angle of essentially 90° with respect to the rail 7. In other words, the guide rail 24 extends towards the shaft 28 of the furniture 3. Since the carriage 8 is now supported on the guide 24 via the guide roller 23, movement of the spreading element 5 or the lever arm 11, whose roller 12 is supported on the support contour 10, is prevented. This means that the position of the pivot element 16 with respect to the base 22 does not change during the insertion of the door leaf assembly into the shaft 28.

[0044] If one considers the Fig. 5b It can be seen that the control bolt 19 is still in contact with section 30 of the control contour 6, which is circular with respect to the pivot point 31. The energy storage device 4 is therefore still discharged.

[0045] When the door leaf assembly moves further towards the recessed position in the furniture 3, the energy storage unit 4 is charged.

[0046] If you compare the Fig. 6a and 5a or 6b and 5b together, it can be determined that the roller 14 is moved along a slope of the loading curve 13. In doing so, the distance of the loading curve 14 to the pivot point 31 or to the spring holder 50 on the pivot part 16 increases (see Figure 6b). Fig. 12 Since the loading roller 14 is arranged on the bolt holder 49 via the loading roller bearing 48, the distance between the bolt holder 49 and the spring holder 50 on the pivot part 16 also increases. The springs of the energy storage device 4 are stretched between the spring holder 50 and the bolt holder 49. Ultimately, the change in distance results in the energy storage device 4 being charged.

[0047] The control bolt 19 is supported in the grooves 17 of the pivoting part front plate 51 and 18 of the pivoting part rear plate 52. During the charging process of the energy storage device 4, the control bolt 19 moves linearly upwards in the grooves 17 and 18. In doing so, it encounters the pivotally mounted contour bar 15 of the control contour 6 and moves it to the side, as can be seen from a comparison of the Fig. 6b and 5b as is evident.

[0048] The intermediate position of door leaves 1 and 2 in their folded position according to the Fig. 7c This is characterized by the fact that in this intermediate position the charging process of the energy storage device 4 is complete, since the charging roller 14 has reached its highest point on the charging curve 13. The springs of the energy storage device 4 are under maximum tension.

[0049] If you compare the Fig. 7b and 6btogether, it can be determined that the contour bar 15 has moved back to its original position after the control bolt 19 has passed it. That is, the contour bar 15 is again in contact with the island-shaped part 47 of the control contour and covers the distance traveled by the control bolt 19 when transitioning from the open position according to Fig. 5c into the position in which the energy storage device 4 is fully charged according to Fig. 7c , has been moved back, is now blocked by the contour bolt 15. This means that the contour bolt 15 only allows the control bolt 19 to pass in one direction, or in other words, that the contour bolt 15 acts unidirectionally.

[0050] Starting from the intermediate position in which the energy storage unit 4 is fully charged, towards the fully retracted position of the door leaf assembly in the furniture 3 according to the Fig. 8 The charging roller 14 moves along a horizontally oriented section of the charging curve 13. This means that the state of charge of the energy storage device 4 remains unchanged.

[0051] Now the movement of door leaves 1 and 2 takes place in the opposite direction, i.e., from the recessed position in furniture 3 according to the Fig. 8c via several intermediate positions in shaft 28, one of which is in the Fig. 9c shown, in the open position outside the furniture 3 according to Fig. 10c and then from the folded position to the spread position according to Fig. 11c From this spread position, the door leaves 1 and 2 can then be moved by the user into the closed position according to Fig. 1 be transferred.

[0052] To initiate the movement of the door leaf assembly from the shaft 28, an ejection device is provided, which can be unlocked by pressing on the door leaf assembly towards the rear wall 41 of the furniture body. After unlocking, the energy stored in the ejection device is released and ejects the door leaf assembly. Advantageously, the energy is sufficient to completely move the door leaf assembly from the recessed position in the furniture 3 to the open position outside the furniture 3.

[0053] If one considers the in Fig. 9 The intermediate position of the door leaf assembly in shaft 28, as shown, demonstrates that the energy storage device 4 does not discharge when extending from shaft 28. This is because, firstly, a pivoting movement of the pivoting part 16 via the carriage 8 is blocked, and secondly, the path of the control bolt 19, which it traveled during the charging process, is blocked by the contour bolt 15. This is shown in the enlarged view of the area of ​​the carriage 8 with the guide roller 23 from above. Fig. 9a It is evident that the guide roller 23 is supported on the guide rail 24 and thus indirectly blocks movement of the spreading element 5 under the influence of the charged energy storage device 4.

[0054] This blocking effect is lifted as soon as the leading role 23 has reached the end of the leading 24 (cf. Fig. 10 At this moment, the lever arm 11 begins to rotate clockwise under the influence of the charged energy storage device 4, thereby accelerating the carriage 8, against whose support contour 10 the roller 12, located at the free end of the lever, is supported. The movement of the carriage 8 towards the rail 7 spreads the first door leaf 1 apart from the second door leaf 2. As the pivoting element 16 pivots, the control bolt 19 initially moves along the outer contour of the contour bolt 15 and then along the island-shaped area 47 of the control contour 6. These two areas together form a curved section designed such that the force stored in the energy storage device 4 is released in a metered manner. This means that the force is not released abruptly, but rather a metered force transmission occurs to the carriage 8 and the door leaf 1 coupled to it.

[0055] Fig. 11 shows the end position of the lever arm 11 of the spreading element 5, in which the energy storage device 4 is completely discharged again (cf. Fig. 2 and 3 Depending on the weight of door leaves 1 and 2, the carriage 8, and thus the door leaf 1 coupled to this carriage, moves a little further. However, since the carriage 8 no longer experiences any driving force, it decelerates and finally comes to a standstill. Then the door leaves 1 and 2 assume approximately the position they are in the Fig. 2c As shown. From this position, the user can move door leaves 1 and 2 into the closed position as shown. Fig. 1 transfer by hand.

[0056] The Fig. 13 bis 23 show a second advantageous embodiment of the invention. The process essentially corresponds to the process described in the Fig. 2 bis 11 shown.

[0057] The essential difference between the first and second embodiments is that the energy storage device 4 is in the initial position of the spreading element 5 according to Fig. 13 and 14 is not fully discharged.

[0058] When the carriage 8 hits the lever arm 11 of the spreading element 5, the roller 12, which is mounted at the free end of the lever, engages behind a projection on the support contour 10.

[0059] As the door leaves 1 and 2 move from the spread position to the folded position, the control bolt 19 continues to move along a section 32, which is composed of subsections whose distances to the pivot point 31 successively decrease. Three of these subsections 33, 34 and 35 are shown in the enlarged view of the Fig. 13b shown as an example together with their distances 36, 37 and 38 to the pivot point 31.

[0060] If the control bolt 19 now moves along this section 32 (see the transition of the Fig. 14b From the intermediate position 15b to the final position 16b), the residual energy in the energy storage unit 4 is released and transferred to the spreading element 5, which, since it is hooked onto the carriage 8, actively pulls the carriage 8 into the folded position. Abstractly speaking, the control contour 6 is designed such that, starting from the spread position, the spreading element 5 can exert a force in the direction of the folded position on at least one of the at least two door leaves 1 and 2.

[0061] The subsequent procedure essentially corresponds to the procedure described in the description of the first embodiment.

Claims

1. An item of furniture (3), in particular a cabinet, comprising at least two hingedly interconnected door leaves (1, 2) which can be situated at least in a folded position and in a spread-apart position, wherein the item of furniture (3) comprises an arrangement for spreading apart the door leaves (1, 2) from the folded position into the spread-apart position, wherein the arrangement comprises an energy accumulator (4) and a spreading element (5) which can impinged by the energy accumulator (4), and a control contour (6) by means of which the movement of the spreading element (5) can be controlled, wherein there is provided in the item of furniture (3) a, preferably fully, inserted position for the at least two door leaves (1, 2) in the folded position, wherein there is provided an ejection device for ejecting the at least two door leaves (1, 2) in the folded position from the inserted position in the item of furniture (3) into an open position beyond the item of furniture (3), wherein the at least two door leaves (1, 2) can be ejected by means of the ejection device in their folded position from the inserted position in the item of furniture (3) into the open position beyond the item of furniture and can then be transferred by means of the spreading element (5) which can be impinged by the energy accumulator (4) from the folded position into the spread-apart position.

2. The item of furniture (3) according to claim 1, wherein the control contour (6) is designed in such a way that the at least two door leaves (1, 2) can be powerlessly transferred from the spread-apart position into the folded position, wherein the control contour (6) comprises a section (30) which is formed circular in relation to a pivot point (31) of the control contour (6).

3. The item of furniture (3) according to claim 1, wherein the control contour (6) is designed in such a way that, starting from the spread-apart position, a force can be exerted by the spreading element (5) in the direction towards the folded position onto at least one of the at least two door leaves (1, 2), wherein the control contour (6) comprises a section (32) which is composed of segments (33, 34, 35), wherein the distances (36, 37, 38) of these segments (33, 34, 35) are getting successively smaller to a pivot point (31) of the control contour (6).

4. The item of furniture (3) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control contour (6) comprises at least one, preferably pivotally supported, contour lock (15) which acts unidirectional.

5. The item of furniture (3) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one movable carriage (8), preferably movable along at least one horizontally arranged rail (7), is provided which can be coupled, preferably by means of at least one hinge (9), with at least one of the at least two door leaves (1, 2).

6. The item of furniture (3) according to claim 5, wherein the carriage (8) comprises a supporting contour (10) on which the spreading element (5) can be supported.

7. The item of furniture (3) according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a movement of the spreading element (6) can be blocked by means of the at least one carriage (8) and wherein the carriage is supported on a guide (24), preferably by means of at least one guiding roller (23).

8. The item of furniture (3) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the spreading element (5) comprises a pivotally supported lever arm (11) with a free end, and wherein on the free end preferably a pivotally supported rolling body (12) is arranged.

9. The item of furniture (3) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the spreading element (5) is arranged on a swiveling element (16) which preferably comprises at least one guiding groove (17, 18) for guiding a control pin (19) interacting with the control contour (6).

10. The item of furniture (3) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the energy accumulator (4) can be loaded by a movement of the at least two door leaves (1, 2) in the folded position.

11. The item of furniture (3) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a loading curve (13) for loading the energy accumulator (4) is provided, the loading curve (13) preferably to be attached on a side wall (25, 26, 27) of the item of furniture (3), and wherein the energy accumulator (4) is coupled with the loading curve (13), preferably by means of a loading roll (14).

12. The item of furniture (3) according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the energy accumulator (4) comprises a spring assembly.

13. The item of furniture (3) according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the inserted position is formed in a laterally arranged slot (28) of the item of furniture (3).