Patent Publication Number: US-2022232974-A1

Title: Guide device for a moveable furniture part

Description:
The present invention relates to a guide device for a moveable furniture part, in particular a drawer, comprising a catch which is moveable along a guide track and which is pretensioned by an energy store and which is moveable at least between a parked position with a tensioned energy store and an end position with a less tensioned energy store, wherein the energy store can be coupled to an activator between the parked position and the end position in order to transmit a braking or acceleration force to the moveable furniture part, wherein the activator has a metal support part. 
     DE 10 2011 053 840 A1 discloses a retraction device for installation in a pull-out guide, in which a catch is moveable along a guide and can be coupled to an activator over a certain travel section. The catch is connected to a damper and to an energy store so that, when the catch is coupled to the activator, forces are generated for braking and retracting a moveable furniture part. Such retraction devices have proven useful, but the use of a metal activator can lead to increased noise being produced at the time the activator is coupled to the catch. In addition, sharp edges may be formed on the activator, which increases the risk of injury when assembling an item of furniture. 
     The object of the present invention is therefore to create a guide device for a moveable furniture part which is able to provide high forces for braking or acceleration, but which produces less noise at the time of coupling and presents a reduced risk of injury. 
     This object is achieved by a guide device having the features of claim  1 . 
     The guide device according to the invention comprises an activator having a metal support part which, at least in an area of contact with a catch, is provided with a cover made of plastic. As a result, the catch no longer strikes against a metal component at the time of coupling to the activator, but instead strikes against the cover made of plastic, which reduces noise. The cover additionally ensures that sharp edges on the metal support part are covered, which improves handling. 
     The cover preferably comprises a protrusion which is formed with a rounded surface and which engages in a U-shaped receptacle on the catch. The rounded protrusion may have a surface which slides along a contact surface on the catch, so that low friction forces are present in the contact area. The cover preferably has two spaced-apart protrusions, and each protrusion bears at one side against a contact surface with the catch. This ensures a stable coupling between the activator and the catch. 
     The metal support part is preferably arranged at least partially within the cover and within a U-shaped receptacle of the catch. The receptacle on the catch is preferably formed between two contact surfaces, and the metal support part is arranged at least partially within these two contact surfaces. As a result, high forces at the time the catch strikes against the activator can be dissipated directly into the metal support part, thereby reducing the risk of breakage of the cover made of plastic. The cover made of plastic is substantially subjected to pressure since the cover is arranged in the direction of action of the forces between the metal support part and the contact surface on the catch. 
     For easy manufacture, the cover may be produced by overmoulding around the metal support part. This ensures that the cover is arranged in a play-free manner. 
     The metal support part preferably has a mounting plate and a retaining part which protrudes from the mounting plate and to which the cover is fixed. As a result, the metal mounting plate can be used for connection to a moveable furniture part, for example for welding to a rail of a pull-out guide. The cover is arranged only on the protruding retaining part. In this case, the retaining part may fill at least one opening with plastic so as to be secured against being pulled off. Preferably, the retaining part is non-detachably fixed to the metal support element. The retaining part may have at least one, preferably two, protruding webs which are oriented at an angle to the mounting plate and which, in a position coupled to the catch, engage in the receptacle of the catch. The web is preferably designed to be elastically deformable so as to be able to absorb the impact energy at the time of striking against the catch. 
     In order to support the cover in a stable manner, the web is preferably arranged at least partially within the cover and within the U-shaped receptacle of the catch. 
     The guide device according to the invention is used in particular in a pull-out guide, but may also be used in sliding door fittings or other linearly moveable fittings. 
    
    
     
       The invention will be explained in greater detail below on the basis of an exemplary embodiment and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  show two views of a pull-out guide with a guide device according to the invention in a retracted position; 
         FIGS. 2A to 2C  show several views of the pull-out guide of  FIG. 1  in an extended position; 
         FIGS. 3A to 3C  show several views of the pull-out guide of  FIG. 1  in different positions; 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  show two views of the pull-out guide of  FIG. 1  at the time of coupling to the catch; 
         FIGS. 5A to 5C  show several views of a metal support part of the activator, and 
         FIGS. 6A to 6C  show several views of the activator of the guide device. 
     
    
    
     A pull-out guide  1  comprises a stationary rail  2 , which is fixed to a furniture body or household appliance and on which a moveable rail  3  is provided, wherein an optionally arranged middle rail  4  is provided between the stationary rail  2  and the moveable rail  3 . A guide device is located between the stationary rail  2  and the moveable rail  3  in order to exert acceleration or braking forces during a movement of the moveable rail  3 . 
     The guide device comprises a catch  5  which is moveable along a guide track  6  on a housing. The guide track may extend substantially linearly. At least at one side, the guide track has an angled end portion, at which the catch  5  can pivot in order to release a coupling between the catch  5  and an activator  10 . In this exemplary embodiment, the activator  10  is fixed to the moveable rail  3 , while the guide track  6  with the housing is fixed to the stationary rail  2 . It is of course also possible to fix the housing with the guide track  6  to the moveable rail  3  and to fix the activator  10  to the stationary rail  2 . 
     The guide device further comprises an energy store for retracting or ejecting the catch  5 . In the exemplary embodiment shown, a damper in the form of a linear damper is also provided, having a damper housing  7  and a piston rod  8  which is coupled to the catch  5  in order to brake the catch  5  as it moves into the retracted position. The guide device may be designed substantially as shown in DE 10 2011 053 840, with the activator  10  being modified. 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  show the pull-out guide  1  in an extended position. The activator  10  is decoupled from the catch  5  and is located on the protruding moveable rail  3 . The catch  5  is parked in the parked position at an angled end portion of the guide track  6 . From this position, the activator  10  on the moveable rail  3  can activate the catch  5  in order then to be braked by the damper for the last travel section of the movement of the moveable rail  3  and to be moved into a retracted position by an energy store. An unpleasant noise may be produced at the time the activator  10  strikes against the catch  5 . 
       FIG. 3A  shows the activator  10  in engagement with the catch  5 , the latter having a U-shaped receptacle within which the activator  10  is arranged. The activator  10  in this case comprises a metal support part  11 , which has a mounting plate  13  that is fixed to the moveable rail  3 , preferably by welding. The metal support part  11  is arranged at least partially within the receptacle on the catch  5  and is provided in this region with a cover  12  made of plastic. As a result, a contact area of the catch  5  is located not directly on the metal support part  11  of the activator  10 , but rather on the cover  12  made of plastic, which has a rounded surface and thus ensures low friction as the activator moves relative to the catch  5 . In addition, the risk of injury can be reduced by covering the sharp-edged support part  11 . 
     In  FIG. 3B , the moveable rail  3  has been moved relative to the stationary rail  2  by a movement of the activator  10 , and therefore the catch  5  has also been moved along the guide track  6  counter to the force of the energy store, with the piston rod  8  being pulled out of the damper housing  7 . If the moveable rail  3  is moved further in the pull-out direction, the position shown in  FIG. 3C  is reached, in which the catch  5  has been pivoted at the angled end portion of the guide track  6  in order to release the activator  10 . The activator  10  is thus moveable independently of the catch  5 . When the moveable rail  3  is moved back in the closing direction, it comes into engagement with the catch  5 , wherein only a little noise is produced when the activator  10  strikes at high speed since the metal support part  11  is covered with plastic by the cover  12  in the contact area. 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  show a further variant of the coupling of the activator  10  to the catch  5 . The activator  10  and the catch  5  have a certain elasticity and flexibility in order to be able to make a coupling even when the catch  5  is arranged in the end position on the guide track  6  and the moveable rail with the activator  10  then strikes against an arm of the catch  5 , which is bent jointly with the activator  10  until the activator  10  couples into the catch  5 . 
       FIGS. 5A to 5C  show the metal support part  11  of the activator  10 . The metal support part  11  comprises a mounting plate  13  which is fixed to the moveable rail  3  of the pull-out guide  1  by way of two fastening points  14 , in particular welded joints. Protruding from this mounting plate  13  is a retaining part  16 , which is panel-shaped and from which two webs  17  extend, said webs being arranged at an angle and being oriented in an inclined manner relative to the plane of the mounting plate  13 , for example between 20° and 70°. An opening  18  is formed on the retaining part  16 , which opening can be filled by plastic material of the cover  12 . 
       FIGS. 6A to 6C  show the activator  10  with the metal support part  11  and the cover  12 . The cover  12  is preferably produced by overmoulding around the metal support part  11 , wherein it is not the entire support part  11  that is overmoulded, but rather only the retaining part  16  which is formed integrally with the non-overmoulded mounting plate  13 . The cover  12  comprises two protrusions having a rounded surface, wherein each protrusion can bear with one region against a contact surface on the catch  5 . The rounded surface is in this case substantially cylindrical in a protruding portion. 
     In the exemplary embodiment shown, the activator  10  is used on a pull-out guide  1 . It is also possible to use the guide device with the activator  10  on a sliding door fitting. 
     In addition, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the use of the actuator  10  is described by way of example on a so-called self-closing mechanism. It is also possible that the guide device is designed as a self-opening mechanism or also as an ejecting device. 
     List of reference signs 
       1  pull-out guide 
       2  rail 
       3  rail 
       4  middle rail 
       5  catch 
       6  guide track 
       7  damper housing 
       8  piston rod 
       10  activator 
       11  support part 
       12  cover 
       13  mounting plate 
       14  fastening point 
       16  retaining part 
       17  web 
       18  opening