Patent Publication Number: US-11377891-B2

Title: Damped hinge for pieces of furniture

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 application of PCT/EP2019/058195 filed Apr. 1, 2019, which claims priority to Application IT 102018000004919 filed on Apr. 27, 2018. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The invention relates to a damped hinge for doors of pieces of furniture or the like, in particular to a hinge provided with a damping device in order to dampen the closing movement of said hinge. 
     In the furniture sector, pieces of furniture are provided which are equipped with doors supported so that they can swing by means of hinges which comprise a fixed part, which can be connected to the body of the piece of furniture, and a movable part, constituted by a box, which can be connected to the door, such parts being mutually articulated so as to oscillate, for example by means of an articulation system which comprises a plurality of connecting levers. 
     The hinges further comprise spring means, for example leaf or wire springs, in order to actuate the hinge in the closing direction. 
     Due to the presence of the spring means, the door, at the closing position, strikes the body of the piece of furniture, causing unwanted noise. 
     In order to overcome this problem, it has been variously proposed to adopt damping devices, for example associated with one of the parts of the hinge, in order to cushion the closing motion of the hinge, and such devices can be of the linear or rotary type and can use a fluid or grease as a breaking medium. 
     In particular, in the case of hinges with an articulation system which comprises two connecting rockers and four articulation axes, it is known, for example from EP 1199433, to apply a damping device of the fluid-operated linear type on a wall of the fixed part of the hinge, the device having an actuation member which is shaped and arranged so as to be actuated by the door or by the movable part of the hinge that is fixed to the door. 
     This solution is simple but is not suitable for example for hinges with an articulation system provided with four connecting levers and seven articulation axes, since due to the configuration of said articulation system it would not be possible to place the damping device at the same time on a wall of the fixed part of the hinge and actuated by the door or by the movable part of the hinge fixed to said door. 
     For this type of hinge it is instead known, for example from WO 2006/053364, to apply a damping device to one of the connecting levers so that the actuation member can be pressed by a second connecting lever which is adjacent to the preceding one; however, such a solution entails a considerable space occupation of the damping device inside the piece of furniture and greater constructive complexity of the articulation system, and cannot be applied to all types of hinges with seven articulation axes. 
     As an alternative, it has been proposed to apply a damping device to the movable part of the hinge so that it is actuated by a lever of the articulation system; however, the presence of the damping device inside the door constitutes a hindrance and an obstacle in the normal use of the piece of furniture and therefore is not desirable. 
     There is therefore the need to have a hinge of the type with four connecting levers and seven articulation axes which is provided with a damping device that is capable of overcoming the drawbacks mentioned above, with particular reference to constructive simplicity and space occupation. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a hinge of the type with four connecting levers and seven articulation axes for doors of pieces of furniture or the like provided with a damping device of the linear type which has a simple actuation and entails limited modifications to the standard configuration of the hinges for the purpose of positioning said damping device. 
     Within this aim, an object is to provide a hinge for doors of pieces of furniture or the like provided with a damping device of the linear type of the kind mentioned above, which has a limited space occupation inside the piece of furniture and does not entail hindrances to use caused by the presence of additional members on the door. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a hinge for doors of pieces of furniture or the like that is highly reliable, relatively simple to provide and at competitive costs. 
     This aim, as well as these and other objects which will become better apparently hereinafter, are achieved by a hinge for mounting a door on a piece of furniture or the like, comprising: 
     a hinge arm having a first and a second side walls, the arm being fixable to a fixed part or to a door of the piece of furniture; 
     a box fixable to the door or to the fixed part of the piece of furniture and connected to the hinge arm by an articulation system comprising a plurality of movable connecting levers and seven articulation axes; 
     spring means acting in closing direction of the hinge; and 
     a damping device having an actuation member linearly movable according to a longitudinal axis,
     characterized in that said damping device is at least partially enclosed between said side walls of the hinge arm, and   in that the actuation member of said damping device extends at a front end of the hinge arm facing the hinge box for contacting a thrust element of one of said connecting levers of the articulation system or integral with one of the same levers or with said hinge box at least in a range near the closing position of the hinge.   

     Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention are furthermore defined in the dependent claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the description that follows of some preferred but non-limiting embodiments of the hinge with damping device for pieces of furniture, with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the hinge according to a first embodiment of the invention with the damping device applied in a cavity of the hinge arm; 
         FIG. 2  is a transverse sectional view of the hinge of  FIG. 1 , taken along the plane  2 - 2 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged-scale view of a detail of  FIG. 1 , with the damping device removed from the arm of the hinge; 
         FIG. 4  is a longitudinal sectional view of the hinge of  FIG. 1 , at a closing angle of the hinge at which the damping device begins to perform its function; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the damping device shown in  FIG. 1 , removed from the hinge arm; 
         FIG. 6  is a view from below of the damping device of  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIG. 7  is a longitudinal sectional view of a second embodiment of the hinge according to the invention with the damping device applied in the hinge arm. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       FIGS. 1 to 6  show a hinge for mounting a door on a piece of furniture according to a first embodiment of the present invention, designated generally by the reference numeral  10 ; said hinge comprises a hinge arm  11  which can be fixed to a side wall  12  of the piece of furniture that forms a resting surface or to another fixed part of the piece of furniture by means of a conventional separate fixing base  13  which can be applied to said side wall  12  of the piece of furniture. 
     The arm  11  is provided with two side walls  11 ″, which are substantially mutually parallel and spaced, and an intermediate wall  11 ′ interposed between the sidewalls  11 ″, which are extended along a longitudinal axis of said arm, preferentially forming a substantially C-shaped transverse cross-section. 
     The hinge  10  further comprises a hinge box  14  which can be fixed to a movable part of the piece of furniture, for example a door A, and is connected to the hinge arm  11  by means of an articulation system  15  which comprises a plurality of connecting levers which can move to allow the hinge to move between an open position and a closed position for the door A. 
     A reverse mounting of the hinge is not excluded in which the arm  11  is fixed to the door A or to another movable part of the piece of furniture and in which the box  14  is fixed to a fixed part or side wall  12  of the piece of furniture. 
     The articulation system  15  is of the type comprising four connecting levers and seven articulation axes, which allows to obtain wide opening angles of the doors, for example equal to or greater than 110°, as well as specific movements for the door, which are required for example to allow the opening of doors with particular shapes or made of glass or the like. 
     In particular, the articulation system  15  comprises a first connecting lever  16  which is articulated to a front end of the hinge arm  11  that is directed toward the door of the piece of furniture by means of a first axis  17 , and comprises a second connecting lever  18  which is again articulated to a front end of the hinge arm  11  by means of a second axis  19  which is spaced from the preceding one in the direction of the rear end of said arm  11 . 
     Preferentially, the ratio between the length of the hinge arm  11  and the distance between the first axis  17  and the second axis  19  is comprised for example between  4  and  8 . 
     The first connecting lever  16 , at the end that is opposite with respect to the first axis  17 , is articulated to a third connecting lever  20  by means of a third axis  21  at a first end of said third lever; at the opposite end, the third lever  20  is articulated to the box  14  by means of a fourth axis  22  arranged at the front part of said box  14 . 
     The second connecting lever  18 , at the opposite end with respect to the second axis  19 , is articulated to a fourth connecting lever  23  by means of a fifth axis  24  at a first end of said fourth lever; at the opposite end, the fourth lever  23  is articulated to the box  14  by means of a sixth axis  25  arranged at the rear part of said box  14 . 
     Finally, the first connecting lever  16  and the fourth connecting lever  23  are mutually articulated in an intermediate point thereof by means of a seventh articulation axis  26 . 
     The hinge  10  further comprises spring means which act in the closing direction of the hinge, which preferentially comprise a leaf spring  27  which is C-shaped and is mounted integrally with the first connecting lever  16 , said spring  27  having an arm which cooperates and acts on a cam  28  which is integral with the third connecting lever  20 . 
     The hinge further comprises a damping device  29  which is provided with an actuation member  30  which can move in a linear manner along a longitudinal axis. 
     According to the present invention, the damping device  29  is enclosed at least partially between the side walls  11 ″ of the hinge arm  11 ; furthermore, the actuation member  30  of the damping device  29  is extended at a front end of the hinge arm  11  that is directed toward the hinge box  14  in order to make contact with a thrust element which is integral with one of the connecting levers  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  23  of the articulation system  15  of the hinge or to the hinge box  14  at least in a range near the closure position of the hinge. 
     In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 to 6 , the damping device  29  is provided with a housing body  31  which is shaped so as to be arranged and fixed in a housing seat or cavity  32  that is provided at a front end of the hinge arm  11  and is enclosed between the side walls  11 ″, in particular a cavity  32  which is provided in the intermediate wall  11 ′ of the hinge arm  11  and is also open at the front end of said arm  11 . 
     The longitudinal axis of the actuation member  30  and the longitudinal axis of the hinge arm  11  preferentially lie on a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the door A and to the fixing plane of said arm  11  and can be substantially mutually parallel or inclined, for example by an angle comprised between 1° and 20°. 
     The damping device  29  further comprises a damper preferentially of the fluid-operated linear type, for example using oil, air or grease, which in turn comprises a cylinder  30  which forms a chamber  33  for the fluid, in the specific case oil, in which a piston  34  provided with an annular sealing gasket can move slidingly. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the actuation element  30  of the damping device and the cylinder of the damping device coincide or are in the case provided monolithically; however, it is not excluded that they might be configured as mutually connected separate parts. 
     The damper further comprises a rod  35  which is connected to the piston  34 , said rod protruding from the cylinder through a hole in a lid on a rear side of said cylinder so as to be able to engage an appropriately provided retention seat provided in the housing body  31  at a rear end thereof. There is furthermore a spring for resetting the damper, which is arranged for example coaxially to the rod  35  between the rear lid of the cylinder and the housing body  31  or is arranged inside the cylinder  30  between the piston  34  and the front end of said cylinder  30 . 
     As an alternative, the damper can be turned oppositely, with the cylinder directed toward the rear end of the arm  11  and with the rod  35  of the piston directed toward the front end in order to act as an actuation member or with a separate actuation member connected to said rod. 
     The housing body  31  preferentially has a hollow semicylindrical shape and, together with the seat  32  of the hinge arm  11 , cooperates to form as a whole a sliding seat for the actuation member  30 , which protrudes forward from the housing body  31  so as to make contact, as mentioned, with a thrust element which is integral with one of the connecting levers  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  23  of the articulation system  15  of the hinge or with the box  14  of the hinge. 
     In the preferred embodiment of  FIGS. 1 to 6 , the thrust element is in the form of a cross pin  36  which is connected integrally to the first connecting lever  16  articulated to the front end of the arm  11 ; said pin  36 , during the terminal part of the closing motion of the hinge, in which the box  14  performs for example an oscillation from an open position comprised between 15° and 30° up to the fully closed position of the hinge, makes contact with and acts on a front surface of the interaction element  30  so as to compress the damping device, thus achieving a slowing of the closing motion of said hinge. 
     As an alternative, the thrust element can be integral with another one of the connecting levers  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  23  of the articulation system  15 , for example the second lever  18 , providing in this case an appropriate shape of said thrust element and/or of the actuation member of the damping device and/or of the articulation system as a whole. 
     Furthermore, it is not excluded that the thrust element, as an alternative to the pin, might be constituted by a part or element of the first connecting lever  16  itself, for example a transverse wall of the lever  16 , or also by a cam or other element which is connected to said lever  16  and is appropriately shaped to provide in general a thrust surface capable of actuating the damper, for example shaped so as impart a specific rule of motion to the compression of said damper. 
     According to an alternative configuration, the actuation member can be extended between the side walls  11 ″ of the arm  11  without protruding from the housing body  31 , and the thrust element can be configured so as to protrude inside the front opening of the housing seat for the damping device so as to compress the damper. 
     As mentioned, as an alternative to the actuation of the damper by a thrust element that is integral with a lever of the articulation system, the damper can be actuated by a thrust element which is integral with the hinge box  14 , for example by a part of said box or by a separate element that is connected integrally to said box. 
     Therefore, the actuation member can be actuatable directly or indirectly by one of the connecting levers of the hinge articulation system or by the hinge box. 
     As shown more clearly in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , for the purpose of fixing the damping device  29  inside the seat  32  in the hinge arm  11 , the housing body  31  preferentially has a plurality of elastic hooking elements, for example two rear elastic teeth  39  and two elastically flexible lateral hooks  40 , which are shaped and arranged so as to hook by snap action in corresponding openings in the housing seat  32 . 
     As an alternative, the housing body  31  can comprise quick fixing means of another type, for example rotatable and sliding locking means, bayonet couplings or the like, for fixing to the hinge arm  11 . 
     In this manner it is possible to hook and unhook the damping device  29  with respect to the hinge arm  11  in a simple manner, allowing to adapt the braking effect that can be obtained on the doors as a function of the weight and dimensions of said doors. 
     In particular, since each door is supported so that it can oscillate by at least two hinges, it is possible to provide for the application of the damping device to all the hinges that are present, thus achieving a higher braking effect which is useful in particular in the case of heavy doors, or it is possible to provide for the application of the damping device only to some of the hinges provided for supporting the door, for example one hinge provided with a damping device and one hinge without the damping device, thus achieving a reduced braking effect, which is sufficient for lightweight doors. 
     If the damping device  29  is not applied, it is possible to provide for the application of a cover, not shown, to close the housing seat  32  in the hinge arm  11 , said lid being fixable in a removable manner to said arm  11 . 
       FIG. 7  shows a second embodiment of the hinge according to the invention with the damping device applied in the hinge arm. 
     In particular, the hinge arm  11  is provided with a housing seat  41  that is open only at the front end of said arm  11  and in which the damping device is inserted axially. 
     In this case, the damping device may not comprise the housing body but only the fluid-operated linear damper. 
     Preferentially, the damper comprises a cylinder  30  which coincides with the actuation member and protrudes forward from the seat  41  to come into contact with a thrust element which is integral with one of the connecting levers  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  23  of the articulation system  15  of the hinge or with the hinge box  14  at least in a range near the closure position of the hinge. 
     In this case, the intermediate wall  11 ′ of the arm  11  has no opening for the insertion of the damping device, since the damper is inserted axially in the seat  41  from a front end of the arm  11 . 
     In this embodiment also it is possible to provide all the variations described with reference to the first embodiment, with particular reference to the configuration and arrangement of the damper, of the actuation member and of the thrust element for the damping device. 
     In practice it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, providing a damped hinge that has a damping device that has a simple actuation and entails limited modifications to the standard configuration of the hinges for the positioning of the damping device. 
     Furthermore, the damping device has a limited space occupation inside the piece of furniture and there are no additional elements on the door that entail hindrances to use. 
     The hinge according to the invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; the constructive details may furthermore be replaced with technically equivalent elements. 
     In practice, the materials used and the contingent shapes may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art. 
     The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102018000004919 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference. 
     Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.