Furniture Hinge Damping via Dead Center Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture hinges with damping mechanisms are complex and costly to manufacture, requiring actuation from both sides and precise tolerances to avoid jamming, which complicates design and assembly.
Innovation Solution
A furniture hinge design featuring a damping element mounted pivotably about a first axis of rotation, with maximum or minimum deflection occurring at the dead center, allowing damping only in one direction, and a spring mechanism for adjusting the hinge arm, enabling cost-effective production and reliable damping during folding and opening/closing movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a damper is actuated from both sides to dampen hinge arm movement, then damping effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of actuating the damper from both sides simultaneously, the invention inverts the approach by using a single-sided actuation mechanism where the damper is activated sequentially in opposite directions through the dead center mechanism. The hinge arm's movement past the dead center position automatically reverses the damper's actuation direction, achieving bidirectional damping control with unidirectional actuation components.
Solution Approach 2:
The dead center mechanism serves as an intermediary element that translates the hinge arm's rotational movement into bidirectional damper actuation. When the hinge arm passes through the dead center position, it triggers the dead center mechanism to switch the damper's actuation direction, effectively mediating between the unidirectional actuator and the bidirectional damping requirement.
2Reliability
If a damper is actuated from both sides with narrow tolerances to avoid jamming, then damping reliability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the complex bidirectional actuation function from the damper assembly itself and relocates it to the dead center mechanism. This separation allows the damper to be designed with simpler, more tolerant guidance features while the dead center mechanism handles the precise directional switching, reducing the overall manufacturing precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The dead center mechanism acts as an intermediary that absorbs the tolerance accumulation between the hinge arm movement and the damper actuation. By introducing this intermediate switching mechanism, the system can operate with larger tolerances in the damper guidance while maintaining reliable damping function through the dead center's directional control.
3Ease of operation
If damping is applied throughout the entire hinge arm movement range, then movement control is improved, but energy loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The damper operates periodically rather than continuously, activating only when the hinge arm approaches the end positions and passes through the dead center mechanism. During the intermediate movement range, the damper remains inactive, allowing free movement without energy dissipation. This periodic activation pattern reduces overall energy loss while maintaining control at critical moments.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying damping throughout the entire movement range, the invention uses partial action by limiting damping to specific portions of the movement cycle - specifically during the approach to and passage through end positions. This selective damping application provides sufficient control where needed while minimizing energy loss during the majority of the movement range.
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 design simplifies manufacturing, reduces complexity, and provides effective damping of the hinge arm in both directions with a single damping element, allowing for adjustable damping paths for opening and closing cabinet doors, while avoiding unnecessary damping before reaching end positions, thus enhancing movement smoothness and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a damping element damping in a deflection direction for damping the movement of the hinge arm
Implementation Method 2
a spring for adjusting the hinge arm opposite are provided to the attachment portion
Data Source
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a furniture hinge (10) with a hinge arm (20) and a fastening portion (30), wherein the hinge arm (20) and the fastening portion (30) are pivotably connected to one another via a multi-axis articulated connection (40), and wherein a damping element (60), which damps in a deflection direction, for damping the movement of the hinge arm (20) and a spring (76) for adjusting the hinge arm (20) with respect to the fastening portion (30) are provided. It is provided here that the damping element (60) is mounted in such a way that, during a folding movement of the hinge arm (20) from a first end position into a second end position, a maximum or a minimum deflection of the damping element (60) is carried out within an adjusting movement of the damping element (60) caused by said folding movement. As a result, a furniture hinge which can be produced cost-effectively and which allows damped opening and closing of the hinge arm is provided.