Compact Hinge With Damping And Cam Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compact hinges for furniture suffer from uncontrolled door closure speed, noise, and wear due to metal coil springs, and lack adjustability in three dimensions without removing mounting hardware.
Innovation Solution
A compact hinge system featuring a hinge cup, hinge body, and hinge arm biased by coil springs, with a damping mechanism and adjustable cam screws that allow positional adjustments in three directions without removing mounting hardware, and spring sleeves to reduce noise and wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a metal coil spring is used to bias the hinge cup toward the hinge arm, then the hinge provides closing force, but the closure speed becomes uncontrolled and causes noise and impact wear
Solution Approach 1:
A plastic insulating member is introduced as an intermediary between the metal coil spring and the metal hinge arm. This mediator reduces direct metal-to-metal contact during sliding movement, thereby eliminating the grinding noise and reducing impact wear while maintaining the closing force function of the spring.
Solution Approach 2:
A damper mechanism incorporating fluid resistance is integrated into the hinge assembly. The damper controls the closure speed by creating hydraulic resistance to the hinge arm's movement, preventing uncontrolled rapid closure and reducing impact wear and noise while working together with the spring system.
2Ease of manufacture
If the hinge body is fixed to the cabinet carcass, then mounting is simple, but the hinge cannot be adjusted in three directions without removing mounting hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge body is segmented into multiple adjustable components including an overlay plate, adjustment plate, and mounting plate, each with specific adjustment slots and cam screws. This segmentation allows independent adjustment in three directions (horizontal overlay, vertical position, and depth) while maintaining a unified mounting structure that remains attached to the cabinet carcass.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge body incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities through cam screws and adjustment slots that allow the hinge position to be modified after mounting. The overlay plate can be adjusted horizontally, the adjustment plate vertically, and the depth can be modified, all without removing the mounting hardware from the cabinet carcass.
3Device complexity
If the spring slides directly on the metal hinge arm, then the structure is simple, but noise and grinding perception occur during operation
Solution Approach 1:
A plastic insulating member is positioned between the metal coil spring and the metal hinge arm to serve as a mediator. This intermediate component eliminates direct metal-to-metal contact during the spring's sliding movement, thereby preventing grinding noise while adding minimal complexity to the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assembly combines different materials (metal and plastic) to reduce noise. The plastic insulating member is integrated with the metal spring and arm components, creating a composite structure that maintains structural integrity while eliminating the harmful grinding noise through material differentiation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides silent, soft-close functionality and adjusts the door closure speed, eliminating noise and wear by using a fluid-filled damping mechanism and cam screws for precise positioning, ensuring smooth operation and extended hinge life.
Implementation Method 1
A damping mechanism is comprised of a housing removably fitted within the hinge cup and a piston within a fluid filled cylinder. The cylinder is slidably engaged with the housing and is acted upon by an abutment section of the hinge arm.
Implementation Method 2
A metal coil spring biases the metal hinge cup toward the metal hinge arm. One end of each coil spring is disposed in the hinge cup while the other end of each coil spring is fitted with a spring sleeve.
Implementation Method 3
The spring sleeves engage cam surfaces on the hinge arm. The spring sleeves insulate the contact area of the coil springs on the cams of the hinge arm to eliminate the noise and 'grinding' generated by the movement of the springs on the hinge arm.
Implementation Method 4
Three separate cam screws provide positional adjustability of the hinge body with respect to the hinge arm in three different directions. The overlay plate and the adjustment plate each include access holes aligned with a mounting hole in the mounting plate.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a silent, soft-close compact hinge comprising of a hinge cup pivotally connected to a hinge body via a hinge arm. A set of coil springs biases the hinge to a closed position. A damping mechanism is removably attached to the hinge cup and acted on by the hinge arm. A set of spring sleeves are fitted to the coil springs to insulate the movement of the coil springs on the hinge arm providing the closing bias. The hinge body is comprised of three separate plates adjustably connected to each other with cam screws. The position of the hinge body with respect to the hinge arm is adjustable in three directions without the need for removal or loosening of mounting hardware used to attach the hinge body to a furniture piece.