Furniture Hinge Self-Correcting Lever Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture hinges face issues with misalignments during operation, leading to malfunction and limited functionality, especially when the movable furniture part is opened quickly or under peak loads, resulting in incorrect lever positions that prevent proper interaction between the further lever and the guide section, causing damping or actuation failures.
Innovation Solution
A hinge design with a further lever that is pivotally connected to a damper or actuator arrangement, which automatically adjusts to a predetermined ready position before coupling, ensuring correct engagement with the guide section, even in non-regulated positions, thereby self-correcting misalignments and maintaining functional operation without user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the movable furniture part is opened quickly or under peak loads, then the hinge experiences high stress and speed, but the further lever assumes incorrect positions causing malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating section is designed to automatically guide the further lever back to the correct ready position using the pivoting movement itself as the guiding force, without requiring external intervention or additional control mechanisms. The system self-corrects during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuating section provides mechanical feedback by guiding the further lever through a predetermined path during pivoting, ensuring the lever returns to the correct engagement position with the guide section based on the hinge's own movement.
2Device complexity
If the further lever is in non-regulated positions, then the hinge structure remains simple, but the coupling process fails and damping function is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating section automatically corrects the further lever's position during the pivoting movement, using the hinge's own operation to restore proper alignment without requiring external adjustment mechanisms or increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuating section performs preliminary correction of the further lever's position during the pivoting movement, ensuring proper alignment is restored before the coupling process with the guide section is completed.
3Device complexity
If the further lever and guide section move past each other without engagement, then the hinge appears compact, but the damper arrangement cannot be activated
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating section ensures the further lever is automatically guided into the correct engagement position with the guide section during pivoting, self-correcting any misalignment that would prevent damper activation without requiring additional control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuating section acts as an intermediary mechanical element that mediates between the hinge's pivoting movement and the further lever's position, ensuring proper engagement with the guide section occurs during the coupling process.
4Reliability
If manual adjustment of the further lever is provided, then incorrect positions can be corrected, but the hinge complexity increases and user intervention is required
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating section enables the hinge to self-correct the further lever's position automatically during pivoting movement, eliminating the need for manual adjustment mechanisms or user intervention while maintaining position accuracy.
5Reliability
If the hinge is designed to accommodate misalignments, then reliability improves, but the hinge size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating section allows the hinge to automatically correct misalignments of the further lever during normal pivoting operation, maintaining reliability without requiring additional space for adjustment mechanisms or increasing overall hinge volume.
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 solution ensures self-healing of incorrect lever positions, preventing malfunction and ensuring smooth, damped movements, reducing the risk of slamming and damage, while maintaining a compact and aesthetically pleasing design by utilizing existing space within the hinge.
Implementation Method 1
a further lever acting on a damper arrangement of the hinge being present, which is pivotally received via an axis separate from the articulation axes and when the hinge is pivoted as intended is temporarily engaged with a guide section on the hinge
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~4b
Figure 5
AI summary
A hinge (38) for a movable furniture part is proposed, which can be mounted on a furniture body, wherein the hinge (38) has a first stop part (2) which is pivotably connected to a second stop part (3) via a joint mechanism, wherein the joint mechanism comprises joint levers (4 to 7), and wherein a further lever (40) acting on a damper arrangement of the hinge (38) is provided, which is pivotably mounted via a separate axis and is temporarily engaged with a guide section (30) on the hinge (38) during a pivoting movement of the hinge (38), wherein the further lever (40) assumes a predetermined ready position before an engagement process, from which the further lever (40) engages with the guide section (30).According to the invention, an actuating section adapted to the further lever (40) is designed such that the further lever (40) on the hinge (38) from a pivoting position which differs from the predetermined ready position before the engagement process, interacts with the actuating section during the intended pivoting movement of the hinge (38), so that the actuating section forcibly moves the further lever (40) into the engaged state.