Self-retracting and damping device for a drawer element, and piece of furniture or domestic appliance having at least one drawer element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10758043-B2
Application number	US-201716329850-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2017
Priority date	Sep 2, 2016
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

A self-retracting and damping device for a drawer element, having a first driver, which has a first driver fork for the engagement of an external activator and is guided in a displaceable manner in a first guide curve, and having a second driver, which is guided in a displaceable manner in a second guide curve. One of the drivers is coupled to a damping element and the other driver is coupled to an energy store. The two drivers are coupled to one another in part. The first driver is coupled to the energy store and the second driver is coupled to the damping element. In a first part of a retracting movement, the energy store and the damping element act on the external activator and, in a second part of the retracting movement, only the energy store acts on the external activator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A self-retracting and damping device for a drawer element, wherein the self-retracting and damping device is configured to engage with an external activator, and wherein the self-retracting and damping device comprises:
a first driver having a first driver fork configured for engagement of the external activator and which is displaceably guided in a first guide curve; and
a second driver, which is displaceably guided in a second guide curve, wherein one of the drivers is coupled to a damping element and the other of the drivers is coupled to an energy storage unit, wherein
the two drivers are coupled together in part,
the first driver is coupled to the energy storage unit and the second driver is coupled to the damping element,
the self-retracting and damping device is configured to have a retracting movement between an extended position of the self-retracting and damping device and a retracted position of the self-retracting and damping device,
the retracting movement of the self-retracting and damping device comprises first and second sections of the retracting movement from the extended position to the retracted position of the self-retracting and damping device, the second section of the retracting movement following the first section of the retracting movement,
in the first section of the retracting movement the energy storage unit and the damping element are configured to act on the external activator and in the second section of the retracting movement only the energy storage unit is configured to act on the external activator,
wherein a completely retracted position of the first driver and thus of the external activator lies within the second section.

2. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 1 , wherein the first driver includes an internal activator, the second driver has a second driver fork for cooperating with the internal activator in order to couple the first and second drivers to one another.

3. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 2 , wherein in the first section the first driver engages with its internal activator in the second driver fork of the second driver in order to couple the two drivers, and at an end of the first section the second driver is guided through the second guide curve in such a way that the first and second drivers are uncoupled.

4. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 3 , wherein the second guide curve has an angled end section in a transition region between the first and second section, wherein the angled end section faces away from the first guide curve.

5. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 4 , wherein a detent means is arranged in the region of the angled end section, which detent means fixes the second driver in the end section.

6. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 1 , wherein the energy storage unit has at least one tension spring and/or at least one compression spring.

7. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 6 , wherein the energy storage unit has a tension spring and a compression spring connected to one another via a coupling carriage which is guided displaceably on a housing of the self-retracting and damping device.

8. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 1 , wherein a length of the second section is between 30% and 35% of a total displacement path of the first driver.

9. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 1 , wherein the damping element is a linear damper.

10. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 1 , wherein the second guide curve has at least one evasion section extending obliquely with respect to a main guide direction to enable an evasive movement of the second driver in a direction transverse to the main guide direction.

11. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 10 , wherein the second driver has a spring lance projecting into its travel path and exerts a restoring force on the second driver during the evasive movement.

12. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 1 , wherein at least one edge of the second guide curve is flexible in sections in order to enable an evasive movement of the second driver in a direction transverse to a main guide direction.

13. The self-retracting and damping device of claim 12 , wherein the second guide curve is formed in a wall of a housing of the self-retracting and damping device, wherein an incision is present in sections in the wall adjacent to the second guide curve.

14. A piece of furniture or a domestic appliance, comprising:
at least one drawer element;
an external activator; and
a self-retracting and damping device coupled to the at least one drawer element, wherein the self-retracting and damping device comprises
a first driver having a first driver fork configured for engagement of the external activator and which is displaceably guided in a first guide curve; and
a second driver, which is displaceably guided in a second guide curve, wherein one of the drivers is coupled to a damping element and the other of the drivers is coupled to an energy storage unit, wherein
the two drivers are coupled together in part,
the first driver is coupled to the energy storage unit and the second driver is coupled to the damping element,
the self-retracting and damping device is configured to have a retracting movement between an extended position of the self-retracting and damping device and a retracted position of the self-retracting and damping device,
the retracting movement of the self-retracting and damping device comprises first and second sections of the retracting movement from the extended position to the retracted position of the self-retracting and damping device, the second section of the retracting movement following the first section of the retracting movement,
in the first section of the retracting movement the energy storage unit and the damping element are configured to act on the external activator and in a second section of the retracting movement only the energy storage unit is configured to act on the external activator,
wherein a completely retracted position of the first driver and thus of the external activator lies within the second section.

Assignees

• Hettich Paul Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Pohlmann Volker

Classifications

• A47B88/467 Primary

  self-closing · CPC title

• A47B88/477

  Buffers; End stops · CPC title

• A47B2088/4675

  with detent or emboss on slide · CPC title