Abstract:
A hinge plate for connecting a leaf of a door to a frame includes a frame hinge plate part comprising a frame fastening part and a frame hinge part. A leaf or sash hinge plate part comprises a leaf or sash fastening part and a leaf or sash hinge part. A primary coil is disposed in the frame hinge part and a secondary coil is disposed in the leaf or sash hinge part, each being configured to surround a hinge plate pin defining a hinge axis. The hinge plate pin is provided as a core for both the primary coil and the secondary coil and is configured to conduct magnetic flux lines. The hinge plate pin comprises a support element configured to transmit a mechanical force between the leaf and the frame. A flux element is configured to conduct the magnetic flux lines between the primary coil and the secondary coil.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a U.S. National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2010/056075, filed on May 5, 2010 and which claims benefit to German Patent Application No. 10 2009 025 917.1, filed on Jun. 4, 2009. The International Application was published in German on Dec. 9, 2010 as WO 2010/139515 A1 under PCT Article 21(2). 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention provides a hinge plate for connecting a leaf of a door or a sash of a window or the like to a frame so as to be hinged about a hinge axis, with a frame hinge plate part, which can be fastened to the frame and which includes a frame fastening part and a frame hinge part, with a leaf or sash hinge plate part, which can be fastened to the leaf or sash and includes a leaf or sash fastening part and a leaf or sash hinge part, and with a hinge plate pin, which defines the hinge axis, wherein a primary coil surrounding the hinge plate pin is disposed in the frame hinge part, wherein a secondary coil surrounding the hinge plate pin is disposed in the leaf or sash hinge part and wherein the hinge plate pin is formed as a core for both coils which conducts magnetic flux lines. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Doors for structures such as houses, shops or emergency doors, increasingly have devices which are operated by means of electrical energy for improving safety or convenience. 
         [0004]    To supply them with energy, these devices are either galvanically connected, for example, via sliding contacts or flexible cables, to an external energy source, or they have energy stores themselves, for example, rechargeable cells or batteries. 
         [0005]    In the first-mentioned case, there is the disadvantage that sliding contacts are susceptible to faults and cable connections significantly impair visual appearance. In the second case, the necessity for separate stores increases operating costs. The space required by the stores moreover impairs functionality and visual appearance. 
         [0006]    DE 10 2004 017 341 A1 discloses a hinge plate with a built-in transformer for contactless energy transmission. This hinge plate includes a primary coil disposed in a frame hinge plate part and a secondary coil disposed in a leaf or sash hinge plate part. A hinge plate pin passing through both coils serves for the magnetic coupling of the secondary coil to the primary coil, which are spaced apart from each other in the direction of the hinge axis. 
         [0007]    Although the contactless energy transmission from a fixed frame into a leaf or sash disposed pivotably on the frame is in principle desirable to avoid the aforementioned disadvantages, tests have shown that, with the hinge plate disclosed in DE 10 2004 017 341 A1, only very small levels of electrical power can be transmitted from the primary side to the secondary side since the power loss in the transmission is very high. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    An aspect of the present invention is to provide a hinge plate which allows for the contactless transmission of electrical energy to an extent necessary for the operation of commonly-used convenience and safety devices provided on the leaf or sash. 
         [0009]    In an embodiment, the present invention provides a hinge plate for connecting a leaf of a door or a sash of a window or the like to a frame so as to be hinged about a hinge axis which includes a frame hinge plate part configured to be fastened to the frame. The frame hinge plate part comprises a frame fastening part and a frame hinge part. A leaf or sash hinge plate part is configured to be fastened to the leaf or sash. The leaf or sash hinge plate part comprises a leaf or sash fastening part and a leaf or sash hinge part. A primary coil is disposed in the frame hinge part and a secondary coil is disposed in the leaf or sash hinge part. The primary coil and the secondary coil are each configured to surround a hinge plate pin defining the hinge axis. The hinge plate pin is provided as a core for both the primary coil and the secondary coil and is configured to conduct magnetic flux lines. The hinge plate pin comprises a support element configured to transmit a mechanical force between the leaf or sash and the frame. A flux element is configured to conduct the magnetic flux lines between the primary coil and the secondary coil. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The present invention is described in greater detail below on the basis of embodiments and of the drawings in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  shows a longitudinal section along the hinge axis of an exemplary embodiment, but without details of the configuration of the hinge plate pin; 
           [0012]      FIGS. 2   a )- e ) show various configurations of the hinge plate pin, at least partially in section in the direction of the hinge axis; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  shows a section along sectional line III-III in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  shows an embodiment of the electrical contacting of a coil in a longitudinal section through the hinge axis; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  shows the same electrical contacting in a view from below as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    In an embodiment of the present invention, the hinge plate pin includes a support element for transmitting mechanical forces between the leaf or sash and the frame and a flux element for conducting magnetic flux lines between the primary and secondary coils. The hinge plate pin consequently has a dual function: on the one hand (as in the case of a conventional hinge plate) it transmits the mechanical forces between the frame and the leaf or sash, on the other hand, it provides an improved magnetic coupling between the primary and secondary coils. Since these two functions are brought about by different elements of the hinge plate pin, the two elements can be especially adapted to the respective function. For the support element, for example, the material may be chosen exclusively on the basis of its mechanical properties. Magnetic properties need not be taken into consideration. For example, steel alloys of sufficient toughness and hardness are suitable, but so too are modern plastics, which may, for example, contain fiber reinforcements. For the flux element, materials with ferromagnetic properties may be used, for example, those with the highest possible permeability. 
         [0017]    It has surprisingly been found that, on account of this functional separation, it is possible as a result of the use of suitable materials for the support element and for the flux element to produce hinge plate pins of the same dimensions as in the case of a conventional hinge plate which are suitable for the transmission of forces at the previous level, but on the other hand, have a permeability that leads to a magnetic coupling of the secondary coil to the primary coil which is adequate for the contactless transmission of electrical energy to an extent necessary for the operation of commonly used convenience or safety devices provided on the leaf or sash. 
         [0018]    To allow different embodiments for achieving the desired mechanical properties to be realized on the support element, it can be advantageous if the flux element is provided as a material which has ferromagnetic properties and can be processed in a flowable state. The material of the flux element can then, for example, be introduced into recesses, depressions, cavities, etc. of the support element in a flowable state and subsequently cured. 
         [0019]    An example of a material which has ferromagnetic properties and can be processed in a flowable state is a sinterable powder material, for example, produced from starting materials such as iron (III) oxide and barium or strontium carbonate. However, it is also possible to produce the flux element from a mixture of ferromagnetic particles, for example, once again from the starting materials iron (III) oxide and barium or strontium carbonate, and to produce a plastics material which can be made to set or sets itself and in which the ferromagnetic particles are then embedded. 
         [0020]    This plastics material may be a thermoplastic material. The hinge plate pin is then produced by feeding the thermoplastic material in powder form, provided with the ferromagnetic particles, to the intended locations of the support element of the hinge plate pin, subsequently heating it to above the melting temperature, and finally cooling it down again, or feeding it to these locations of the support element already in a state in which it has been heated above the melting temperature and is flowable. 
         [0021]    It is also possible, for example, to use as a curable plastics material a multi-component material or such a material which, for example, cures under the influence of electromagnetic energy and with which the ferromagnetic particles have been admixed before the curing operation. 
         [0022]    In an embodiment of the present invention, the plastics material can, for example, also have friction-reducing properties, since in this case it is possible to dispense with bearing bushes that are otherwise often necessary for friction reduction, and the volume otherwise required for the bearing bush is additionally available for the hinge plate pin and/or the coils. Materials such as POM with additions of PTFE or chalk, as well as polyamides with additions of MoSO 4  or other sliding-bearing-modifying properties can, for example, be used. In an embodiment of the hinge plate according to the present invention, an elongate component can, for example, be provided for the support element made of a mechanically stable material and connecting the flux element fixedly to the support element in such a way that the lateral surface of the flux element at least partially covers the support element. If made of a material with friction-reducing properties, the flux element can lie against the inner lateral surfaces of the coils without an additional sleeve-shaped sliding element so as to provide a gap that is as small as possible between the flux element and the coil to improve the magnetic coupling. 
         [0023]    In order to provide a particularly secure connection between the support element and the flux element, it can be advantageous if the support element includes at least one channel, which runs obliquely in relation to the hinge axis and into which the flux element protrudes, in other words: which is filled with material having ferromagnetic properties. Apart from the improvement in the fastening of the flux element to the support element by the positive connection thereby created, the proportion by volume of the material having ferromagnetic properties in the overall volume of the hinge plate pin is also increased on account of this measure, and its suitability for conducting magnetic flux lines is therefore further improved. 
         [0024]    For the further improvement of the magnetic coupling between the coils and the flux element, the flux element may completely surround the support element. 
         [0025]    It is also possible to improve the fastening of the flux element to the support element to provide a cage at least partially surrounding the flux element. This cage may be made of a material having friction-reduced properties, and assume the function of a separate sliding sleeve. In this case, the cage can, for example, be embedded in the material of the flux element so as not protrude radially beyond the flux element, or only slightly, in order that the air gap between the coil and the hinge plate pin is as small as possible. 
         [0026]    In the case of the embodiment of the hinge plate pin described above, the support element is at least substantially disposed inside the flux element. However, it is likewise possible to provide the flux element in a central volume in the support element. This embodiment of the hinge plate pin may be recommendable if, by contrast with the material used for the support element, the material used for the flux element does not have any material properties suitable for forming the surface of the hinge plate pin and the surface of the hinge plate pin is intended to be formed by the materials of the support element. In this case, however, the coupling between the secondary coil and the primary coil could worsen on account of the greater distance between the interior of the coil and the core formed by the hinge plate pin. 
         [0027]    In order to bring about an improvement in this respect, channels which are filled with the material having ferromagnetic properties may be provided so as to extend transversely in relation to the hinge axis from the volume to the lateral surface of the support element. The flux element is then located in a distributed manner over the lateral surface of the hinge plate pin, at least at the locations close to the interior of the coil where the channels pass through the lateral surface of the holding element. 
         [0028]    In an embodiment of the hinge plate according to the present invention, which, however, is not restricted to the variant with a hinge plate pin including a support element and a flux element, and to this extent has its own inventive significance independently thereof, at least one of the coils can, for example, includes contact elements which are disposed on an end face and interact with mating contact elements which are disposed on a side of a connecting element that is facing the end face. On account of this measure, the electrical contacting of the coils so configured is made considerably easier, since the coil can first be inserted into the hinge part of the respective hinge plate part without any electrical conduction and the electrical contacting can be brought about by subsequently inserting the connecting element. 
         [0029]    The hinge plate denoted as a whole in the drawing by  100  is formed as a so-called two-part hinge plate. It includes a lower frame hinge plate part  1  for mounting the hinge plate  100  on a frame (not represented in the drawing), and an upper leaf or sash hinge plate part  2 , on which a leaf or sash (not represented in the drawing) can be mounted. The frame hinge plate part  1  includes a frame fastening part  3  and a frame hinge part  4 , the leaf or sash hinge plate part  2  includes a leaf or sash fastening part  5  and a leaf or sash hinge part  6 . 
         [0030]    The frame hinge plate part  1  and the leaf or sash hinge plate part  2  are connected to each other pivotably about a hinge axis S by means of a hinge plate pin  7 , the center longitudinal axis of which coincides with the hinge axis S and consequently defines the latter. 
         [0031]    The hinge plate pin  7  passes through the frame hinge part  4  in a hinge plate pin receptacle  8  and the leaf or sash hinge part  6  in a hinge plate pin receptacle  9 . A lower bearing bush  10  in the hinge plate pin receptacle  8  and an upper bearing bush  11  in the hinge plate pin receptacle  9  serve for the bearing of the hinge plate pin  7  in the hinge plate pin receptacles  8 ,  9 . The bearing bushes are produced from a friction-reducing plastics material, for example on the basis of POM, as already known for the configuration of such bearing bushes in the case of conventional hinge plates. 
         [0032]    Seen from below, the lower bearing bush  10  extends only over part of the length of the hinge plate pin receptacle  8 ; seen from above, the upper bearing bush  11  accordingly extends only over part of the length of the hinge plate pin receptacle  9 . Disposed in the remaining length of the hinge plate pin receptacle  8  is a primary coil  12 , the coil winding  13  of which is wound concentrically in relation to the hinge axis S. The coil is singly wound and, depending on the power being transmitted, has at least two winding layers. The coil winding  13  is enclosed by a casing  14 . Its outer contour is adapted to the contour of the hinge plate pin receptacle  8  in such a way that the primary coil  12  is accommodated in the frame hinge part  4  in a rotationally fixed manner. The casing is supported with its lower end face  15  on the lower bearing bush  10 . The upper end face  16  of the casing  14  forms a rest for the lower end face  17  of a casing  18  of a secondary coil  19 , which is mounted in a way corresponding to the primary coil  12  in the hinge plate pin receptacle  9  in the leaf or sash hinge part  6  and is accordingly supported with its upper end face  20  on the upper bearing bush  11 . The secondary coil  19  has the same structure as the primary coil  12 , it being possible for the coil winding to be formed differently with regard to the number of windings and the dimension of the coil wire used if the electrical energy fed to the primary coil  12  is intended to be transformed in the case of inductive transmission to the secondary coil  19 . 
         [0033]    In order to improve the inductive coupling between the primary coil  12  and the secondary coil  19 , the hinge plate pin  7 , which in  FIG. 1  is only represented by its contours, includes a support element  21 , for transmitting mechanical forces between the leaf or sash and the frame, and a flux element  22 , for conducting magnetic flux lines of the primary and secondary coils (see  FIG. 2 ). Various hinge plate pins, which differ in the configuration of the support element  21  and the flux element  22 , are represented in  FIGS. 2   a ) to  e ). 
         [0034]    In the case of the hinge plate pin represented in longitudinal section in  FIGS. 2   a ) and  b ), the support element  21  takes the form of a rod. It is provided as a steel alloy with properties which are suitable for the transmission of the forces acting from the leaf or sash to the frame in the case of the respective application. The support element  21  is encapsulated with a thermoplastic material  23 , with which particles  24  of ferromagnetic material have been admixed. 
         [0035]    In the case of the exemplary embodiment represented in  FIG. 2   a ), the plastics material  23  is surrounded by a cage  25 , which is made of a friction-reducing plastics material, so as to reduce the friction between the hinge plate pin  7  and the bearing bushes  11 ,  12  and between the inner lateral surfaces of the casings  14 ,  18  and the coils. The cage  25  is formed as a sleeve  26  with rows of holes  27 . In these holes, the plastics material  23  including the particles  24  reaches as far as the lateral surface  28  of the hinge plate pin, so as to improve the inductive coupling between the flux element  22  and the coils  12 ,  19 . 
         [0036]    End pieces  29 ,  30  form the upper and lower terminations of the embodiment of the hinge plate pin as shown in  FIG. 2   a ) and b). For fastening to the support element  21 , these end pieces have studs  31 , which respectively form a press fit with blind-hole bores  32  of the support element  21 . 
         [0037]    A further exemplary embodiment of the hinge plate pin  7  is represented in longitudinal section in  FIG. 2   c ). In the case of this exemplary embodiment, the support element  21  is completely enclosed by the flux element  22 . The flux element is once again made of plastics material  23  with ferromagnetic particles  24 . The plastics material is a thermosetting material, for example, based on polyester or epoxy resin, the surfaces of which can be machined after curing. 
         [0038]    In the case of the further exemplary embodiment shown partially in longitudinal section in  FIG. 2   d ), the hinge plate pin  7  is provided with a flux element  22  only over part of a length. For this purpose, the support element  21  has an annular groove  33 , the length L of which corresponds approximately to the length that is covered by the two coils  12 ,  19 . Through-channels  34  are provided in the region of the annular groove; the annular groove  33  and the channels  34  are filled with plastics material  23  mixed with particles  24 . 
         [0039]    In the case of the further embodiment of the hinge plate pin  7  as shown in  FIG. 2   e ), the flux element  22  is provided within a volume  35  which extends at the top over a length of the support element  21  that is covered by the two coils  12 ,  19 . For this purpose, this volume  35  is at least partially filled with ferromagnetic particles  24 , which once again may be embedded in a plastics material. Provided to improve the inductive coupling with the coils  12 ,  19  are channels  36 , which reach from the volume  35  to the lateral surface  28  and in which the flux element  22  then once again protrudes as far as the lateral surface  28 . 
         [0040]    It should be noted that the representation of the plastics material  23  and particles  24  is merely schematic; in particular, the particle size represented and the proportion by volume thereof in relation to the plastics material do not correspond to reality. The particles may be considerably smaller, the proportion by volume thereof in relation to the proportion of plastic may be considerably greater. Furthermore, it is likewise possible to produce the flux elements from ferritic material without embedding particles in a polymer matrix, for example by sintering with a powder material, as long as a sufficiently solid connection of the flux element  22  to the support element is provided. 
         [0041]    The two coils  12 ,  19  may be fixedly provided with electrical connecting lines  37 ,  38 . These may then be led out from the hinge plate pin receptacles  8 ,  9  through transverse bores  39 ,  40  in the frame hinge part  4  and the leaf or sash hinge part  6  and led to the frame or the leaf or sash through channels  41  provided in the frame fastening part  3  and the leaf or sash fastening part  5 . As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the channels  41  can be closed with the aid of a cover  42  so that lines  37 ,  38  cannot be seen or manipulated from the outside.  FIG. 3  only illustrates the routing of the lines on the basis of the leaf or sash hinge plate part  2 , but it can be performed in a corresponding way in the case of the frame hinge plate part  1 . 
         [0042]    In particular if the space available for the contacting and the cable routing is limited, the mounting of the coils  12 ,  19  in the corresponding hinge plate pin receptacles  8 ,  9  may present difficulties on account of the connecting cables that are fixedly connected to the coils. This can be remedied by the electrical contacting that is shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . In the case of this contacting, the coils, of which only the primary coil  12  is represented by way of example in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , have on an end face contact elements  43 , which in the fitted state interact with mating contact elements  44 . The mating contact elements  44  are attached to a connecting element  45 , which may have the form of a disk, and are connected in an electrically conducting manner to the electrical lines  37 . It goes without saying that this type of contacting may be used independently of the special configuration of the hinge plate pin represented further above, and consequently also has independent inventive significance. 
         [0043]    The present invention is not limited to embodiments described herein; reference should be had to the appended claims. 
       LIST OF DESIGNATIONS 
       [0000]    
       
         
           
               100  hinge plate 
               1  frame hinge plate part 
               2  leaf or sash hinge plate part 
               3  frame fastening part 
               4  frame hinge part 
               5  leaf or sash fastening part 
               6  leaf or sash hinge part 
               7  hinge plate pin 
               8  hinge plate pin receptacle 
               9  hinge plate pin receptacle 
               10  lower bearing bush 
               11  upper bearing bush 
               12  primary coil 
               13  coil winding 
               14  casing 
               15  lower end face 
               16  upper end face 
               17  lower end face 
               18  casing 
               19  secondary coil 
               20  upper end face 
               21  support element 
               22  flux element 
               23  plastics material 
               24  particles 
               25  cage 
               26  sleeve 
               27  holes 
               28  lateral surface 
               29  end piece 
               30  end piece 
               31  studs 
               32  blind-hole bores 
               33  annular groove 
               34  channels 
               35  volume 
               36  channels 
               37  lines 
               38  lines 
               39  transverse bore 
               40  transverse bore 
               41  channels 
               42  cover 
               43  contact elements 
               44  mating contact elements 
               45  connecting element 
             L length 
             S hinge axis