Arrangement with a movable portion of an article of furniture

• US 20030122519A1
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Julius BLUM GmbH (BLUM Verwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Julius BLUM GmbH (BLUM Verwaltung GmbH)
• Inventors: Huber, Edgar, Mattle, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 7,633,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/646
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 88/457 operated by electrically-powered actuation means
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 88/463 self-opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/722 Racks

Abstract

An arrangement with a movable portion of an article of furniture, in particular a drawer (3) or the like, with a drive unit (5) and with a regulating device (1) for regulating the drive unit (5), wherein the arrangement has a preferably analog force measuring device (2) and wherein the force measuring device (2) produces a force signal which is characteristic for forces (20) applied from the exterior to the movable portion (3) of the article of furniture and can be fed to the regulating device (1).

Claims

1. An arrangement with a movable portion of an article of furniture or the like, with a drive unit and with a regulating device for regulating the drive unit, characterized in that the arrangement has a force measuring device, wherein the force measuring device produces a force signal which is characteristic for forces applied externally to the movable portion of the article of furniture and which can be fed to the regulating device.

2. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the movable portion of the article of furniture is a drawer.

3. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the force measuring device is analog.

4. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the force signal contains both the information about the amount of and also about the direction of the forces applied from the exterior to the movable portion of the article of furniture.

5. An arrangement as set forth in claim 4 characterized in that the force signal contains both the information about the amount of and also about the directional component parallel to the pull-out direction of the movable portion of the article of furniture of the forces applied from the exterior to the movable portion of the article of furniture.

6. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that it has at least one position measuring device which produces a position signal which is characteristic for the condition of opening of the movable portion of the article of furniture and can be fed to the regulating device.

7. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the drive unit has an electric motor.

8. An arrangement as set forth in claim 7 characterized in that the electric motor is a servomotor.

9. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the regulating device has a reference value calculation device which, from the force signal produced by the force measuring device, calculates a reference value in respect of acceleration or deceleration of the movable portion of the article of furniture.

10. An arrangement as set forth in claim 9 characterized in that the reference value in respect of acceleration or deceleration is independent of the loading condition of the movable portion of the article of furniture.

11. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6 characterized in that the regulating device has an actual value calculation device which, from the position signal produced by the position measuring device, calculates the instantaneous actual position and/or the instantaneous actual speed and/or the instantaneous actual value in respect of acceleration or deceleration of the movable portion of the article of furniture as a function of the measured position.

12. An arrangement as set forth in claim 11 characterized in that the regulating device has a regulating module which adapts the actual value in respect of acceleration or deceleration to the reference value in respect of acceleration or deceleration by transmitting a regulating signal to a drive unit regulator, when the drive unit regulator actuates the drive unit.

13. An arrangement as set forth in claim 12 characterized in that the regulating device has a speed reference value calculation device which calculates a reference value in respect of speed, which is dependent on the actual position, wherein the regulating module sends the drive unit regulator a control command for reducing the actual value in respect of acceleration or for increasing the actual value in respect of deceleration when the actual value in respect of speed exceeds the reference value in respect of speed for the instantaneous position.

14. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the force measuring device is arranged between a front panel and a part, directly adjoining same, of the movable portion of the article of furniture.

15. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the force measuring device is arranged between a front panel and the drive unit.

16. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1 characterized in that the force measuring device is arranged in the motor.

17. An arrangement as set forth in claim 4 characterized in that it has at least one position measuring device which produces a position signal which is characteristic for the condition of opening of the movable portion of the article of furniture and can be fed to the regulating device.