Driving mechanism and driving method for furniture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9756940-B2
Application number	US-201615146875-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2016
Priority date	Nov 12, 2015
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A driving mechanism for furniture is disclosed. The furniture includes a first furniture part and a second furniture part movable relative to the first furniture part. The driving mechanism includes a driving device, a locking device and a swing member. The driving device includes an elastic member. The locking device includes a locking part and a guiding member, the guiding member is for generating a force toward the locking part. The swing member is movably connected to the second furniture part. When the swing member is operatively engaged between the locking part and the guiding member, the elastic member of the driving device accumulates a driving force; and when the swing member is operatively disengaged from the locking part and the guiding member, the driving force is released to drive the second furniture part to move from a retrieve position to an open position relative to the first furniture part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A driving mechanism for furniture, comprising:
a first driving device comprising a first elastic member, the first driving device being connected to a first rail;
a locking device comprising a locking part and a guiding member, the guiding member configured to generate a force toward the locking part; and
a swing member movably connected to a second rail movable relative to the first rail, wherein when the swing member is operatively engaged between the locking part and the guiding member, the first elastic member of the first driving device accumulates a first driving force; and when the swing member is operatively disengaged from the locking part and the guiding member, the first driving force is released to drive the second rail to move from a retrieve position to an open position relative to the first rail;
wherein the first driving device comprises a first base connected to the locking device, the driving mechanism further comprises a second driving device, the second driving device comprises a second base, the first base and the second base are longitudinally movable relative to each other;
wherein the first rail comprises an engagement feature, the second driving device further comprises a capturing member configured to capture the engagement feature;
wherein the first base of the first driving device comprises a blocking part, the second driving device further comprises a blocking member pivoted to the capturing member, the blocking part configured to abut against the blocking member;
wherein the driving mechanism further comprises a damping member configured to damp the blocking member of the second driving device.

2. The driving mechanism for furniture of claim 1 , wherein the locking device has a guiding passage passing through the locking part, the swing member is movable in the guiding passage.

3. The driving mechanism for furniture of claim 1 , wherein the second base is connected to the second rail.

4. The driving mechanism for furniture of claim 1 , wherein the second base comprises a first guiding section and a second guiding section communicated with the first guiding section and turned from the first guiding section, the capturing member is movable between the first guiding section and the second guiding section.

5. The driving mechanism for furniture of claim 1 , wherein the second base of the second driving device has a notch for allowing the blocking part to extend into the notch.

6. The driving mechanism for furniture of claim 1 , wherein the second base comprises a room for accommodating an auxiliary elastic member and a pushing member, the pushing member is configured to abut against the blocking member to press the auxiliary elastic member, for allowing the second rail to move a distance relative to the first rail.

7. The driving mechanism for furniture of claim 1 , wherein the first rail comprises a first blocking feature, the second rail comprises a second blocking feature, when the second rail is pushed to move a distance from the retrieve position relative to the first rail, the second blocking feature abuts against the first blocking feature.

8. The driving mechanism for furniture of claim 1 , wherein the second driving device further comprises a second elastic member, the driving mechanism further comprises a clutch device connected to the first base of the first driving device, the clutch device is configured to temporarily block the first driving device in an early process of the second rail moving from the open position to the retrieve position relative to the first rail, such that the second elastic member accumulates a second driving force in response to movement of the second rail, the second driving force is configured to drive the second rail to move to the retrieve position to be retrieved in an end process of the second rail moving from the open position to the retrieve position relative to the first rail.

9. The driving mechanism for furniture of claim 1 , further comprising a carrying member mounted to the second rail, wherein the carrying member has a plurality of connection holes, the second rail comprises a plurality of protruded connection features, a longitudinal dimension of each of the connection holes of the carrying member is greater than an outer dimension of each of the connection features, such that the carrying member is longitudinally movable relative to the second rail.

10. The driving mechanism for furniture of claim 9 , further comprising an adjusting member having an eccentric part deviated from a center position of the adjusting member, wherein the second rail further comprises an adjusting hole, the carrying member further has a through hole, the eccentric part is correspondingly arranged to pass through the through hole and the adjusting hole, when the adjusting member is rotated to adjust the carrying member, the eccentric part abuts against the second rail for longitudinally moving the carrying member relative to the second rail.

11. A driving method for furniture, comprising:
providing a first rail comprising an engagement feature, wherein the first rail is connected to a first furniture part of the furniture;
providing a second rail movable relative to the first rail, wherein the second rail is connected to a second furniture part of the furniture;
providing a first driving device connected to the first rail, wherein the first driving device comprises a first base, the first base of the first driving device comprises a blocking part;
providing a locking device connected to the first base;
providing a swing member movably connected to the second rail, wherein when the swing member is operatively engaged with the locking device, the first driving device accumulates a first driving force; and when the swing member is operatively disengaged from the locking device, the first driving force is released to drive the second rail to move from a retrieve position to an open position relative to the first rail;
providing a second driving device mounted to the second rail; wherein the second driving device comprises a second base, a capturing member and a blocking member, the first base and the second base are longitudinally movable relative to each other, the capturing member is configured to capture the engagement feature, the blocking member is pivoted to the capturing member, the blocking part is configured to abut against the blocking member;
providing a damping member configured to damp the blocking member of the second driving device; and
applying an external force to the second rail to move the second rail from the open position to the retrieve position, such that the second driving device is moved relative to the first rail in response to the external force, and the first driving device generates an elastic force in response to movement of the second driving device;
when the external force is not big enough to move the swing member to engage with the locking device, the first driving device releasing the elastic force to eject the second rail outward relative to the first rail;
when the external force is big enough to move the swing member to engage with the locking device, the second driving device capturing the engagement feature of the first rail, and the second driving device driving the second rail to move toward the retrieve position relative to the first rail.

Assignees

• King Slide Works Co Ltd
• King Slide Technology Co Ltd
• King Slide Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Ken-Ching
• Liang Hsiu-Chiang
• Huang ci-bin
• Wang Chun-Chiang

Classifications

• A47B2210/0091

  Drawer movement damping · CPC title

• A47B88/0481 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A47B88/0477

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A47B88/08

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A47B88/49

  with double extensible guides or parts · CPC title