Furniture Hinge With Switchable Hydraulic Damper
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hinges with hydraulic dampers often have damping forces that are too great for light doors, making it difficult to adjust and dismantle the damper, and there is a need for a solution to adapt damping forces to specific applications simply and effectively.
Innovation Solution
A hinge with a switching element that allows the damper to be easily deactivated by moving the piston rod relative to the damper housing, enabling the damping function to be overridden without disassembly, and featuring a guide element to prevent noise and facilitate reactivation, with a rotatable bolt for locking and unlocking the damper.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a hydraulic damper is arranged in a side part of the hinge, then the closing movement is slowed down, but the damping forces become too great for light doors and the damper becomes difficult to dismantle
Solution Approach 1:
The damper assembly is segmented into a fixed damper housing and a movable piston rod assembly. The piston rod can be independently removed from the damper housing by detaching the coupling element, allowing the damper to be dismantled without removing the entire housing from the hinge. This segmentation enables easy maintenance while preserving the damping function when installed.
2Speed
If a hydraulic damper is arranged in a side part of the hinge, then the closing movement is slowed down, but the damping forces become too great for light doors
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge system transitions from a static damping configuration to a dynamic one where the damper can be switched between active and inactive states. The switching element allows the piston rod to be coupled to or decoupled from the damper housing, enabling the damping force to be adjusted from full strength to zero based on the application requirements, particularly for light doors versus heavier applications.
3Force
If the damper is deactivated by dismantling, then the damping force is reduced, but the operation becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling element is pre-designed with a quick-release mechanism that allows the piston rod to be detached from the damper housing in a single motion without requiring tools or complex disassembly procedures. This preliminary design of the coupling interface enables rapid deactivation of the damper function when needed, reducing the time loss associated with adjusting damping forces.
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
Enables adjustable damping forces without impairing the hinge's function, reducing noise and allowing easy reactivation of the damper, thus addressing the challenge of excessive damping in light doors.
Implementation Method 1
a hydraulic damper with a damper housing and a piston rod is arranged in a side part. If the hinge part is moved into a closed position, the damper is compressed by a mechanism so that the closing movement is slowed down.
Implementation Method 2
The hinge part 2 is prestressed in the closing direction by a spring 6 when this is located with the door with the hinge part 2 in an area adjacent to the closed position.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a hinge (1), in particular for furniture, comprising a hinge part (2) which can be fixed to a door or a flap and which is held on a lateral part (3) in a pivotal manner, said lateral part being fixable to a furniture body or to a frame via a mounting element (30). The hinge also comprises a damper (11) with a damper housing (12) and a piston rod (13) that can be moved relative to the damper housing (12). The damper (11) brakes a closing movement of the hinge part (2) relative to the lateral part (3), and a switching element (17) is provided by means of which the damper (11) can be deactivated. The user can thus select whether the damper is used for the respective application.