Furniture hinge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Furniture hinges with spring-loaded cams exhibit uneven spring preload, leading to unnatural movement and difficulties in holding flaps in intermediate positions, especially when dealing with flaps of different weights, resulting in an unsatisfactory opening and closing experience.
Innovation Solution
The spring bearings of the furniture hinge are adjusted during the opening and closing movements, allowing for regulation of spring force, eliminating the need for complex control mechanisms like cams, and incorporating a damping element to maintain consistent manual force required for operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If spring-loaded cams with complex control geometry are used, then the flap can be held in intermediate positions, but the spring preload becomes very high in closed position and comparatively less in open position, leading to unnatural movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the spring bearing position adjustable during operation. The spring bearing can be moved along the closing direction by an adjusting mechanism, allowing the spring force to be dynamically regulated during the opening/closing movement sequence. This dynamic adjustment enables the spring preload to be optimized at different positions, resolving the contradiction between reliable holding and natural movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of spring bearing position along the closing direction. By adjusting the position of the spring bearing relative to the hinge axis, the moment arm and thus the spring force are modified. This parameter change allows the spring force to be regulated during the movement sequence, achieving both reliable holding and natural movement characteristics.
2Ease of operation
If spring-loaded cams are used to achieve coordinated traverse paths, then the flap movement is controlled, but the spring tension varies significantly between closed and open positions
Solution Approach 1:
The spring bearing position is made dynamically adjustable during the movement sequence. The adjusting mechanism allows the spring bearing to be repositioned along the closing direction, enabling the spring force to be regulated at different points in the traverse path. This maintains coordinated movement while reducing spring tension variability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the complex spring-loaded cam mechanism with a simpler spring system combined with an adjustable spring bearing. The cam mechanism is substituted by a direct spring connection with adjustable bearing position, controlled by an adjusting mechanism that can be operated independently. This substitution maintains the coordinated traverse path while significantly reducing spring tension variability.
3Ease of operation
If complex control mechanisms like cams are used, then precise movement control is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the complex spring-loaded cam mechanism with a simpler spring system and adjustable spring bearing. The cam geometry is replaced by a linear adjustment mechanism that moves the spring bearing along the closing direction. This substitution maintains movement control precision while significantly reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent separates the spring force generation function from the position control function. The spring provides the force, while a separate adjusting mechanism controls the spring bearing position. This segmentation allows independent optimization of force generation and position control, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining control precision.
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
This solution enables a harmonious and efficient opening and closing motion with reduced spring tension variability, accommodating different flap weights and ensuring a smooth, automatic movement sequence with minimal manual effort, while maintaining a compact design.
Implementation Method 1
a spring (76) which can be tensioned between two spring bearings (74, 84.4) or can be clamped, and which tensions or relaxes the hinge part (20) in the opening and/or closing movement
Implementation Method 2
incorporating a damping element to maintain consistent manual force required for operation
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a furniture hinge with a fastening portion and a hinge part connected thereto via a multi-axis articulated connection, wherein a spring preloads the hinge part directly or indirectly, at least in a subregion of the adjustment path of the hinge part, with respect to the fastening portion, and wherein the spring is mounted or can be mounted under tension between two spring bearings. In order, in such a furniture hinge, to achieve improved movement control and to make the required manual force for hinge opening or closing more even, provision is made according to the invention for the spring (76) to be adjusted in the region of its two spring bearings (74, 84.4) during the adjustment of the hinge part (20) from the opening into the closing position and/or during the adjustment from the closing into the opening position.