Piece of furniture with a movable furniture component

• US 20060061245A1
• Filed: 11/10/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Julius BLUM GmbH (BLUM Verwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Julius BLUM GmbH (BLUM Verwaltung GmbH)
• Inventors: Huber, Edgar, Scheffknecht, Uwe
• Granted Patent: US 7,331,643 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 312/348.100
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 88/457 operated by electrically-powered actuation means
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 88/463 self-opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/649 operated by swinging arms
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/214 Disengaging means
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/232 by automatically acting means
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/412 for the final closing movement
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/426 for the initial opening movement
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/434 Electromotors; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/20 for furniture, e.g. cabinets

Abstract

Piece of furniture with a movable furniture component, in particular a drawer or door, a drive unit and a device for the mechanical transmission of force from the drive unit to the movable furniture component or the body of the furniture, in particular a pin arranged on a lever that can be powered by the drive unit, for the ejection and/or insertion of the movable furniture component, the device for the mechanical transmission of force (4) being arranged in a guide track (8) for the transmission of tensile and thrust forces.

Claims

1. Piece of furniture with a movable furniture component, a drive unit and a device for the mechanical transmission of force from the drive unit to the movable furniture component or the body of the furniture for the ejection and/or insertion of the movable furniture component, which device is arranged in a guide track for the transmission of tensile and thrust forces, wherein the guide track has at least one position at which the device for the mechanical transmission of force can be inserted into the guide track or removed from it.

2. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit and the device for the mechanical transmission of force are arranged on the body of the furniture and the guide track is arranged on the movable furniture component.

3. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit and the device for the mechanical transmission of force are arranged on the movable furniture component and the guide track is arranged on the body of the furniture.

4. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the piece of furniture has a control or regulation unit for regulating the drive unit.

5. Piece of furniture according to claim 4, wherein the piece of furniture has at least one sensor the signals of which can be fed to at least the control or regulation unit.

6. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the device for the mechanical transmission of force is arranged to be moved between two end-positions.

7. Piece of furniture according to claim 6, wherein the end-positions can be detected by sensor, the signals of which can be fed to at least the control or regulation unit.

8. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit comprises an electric motor.

9. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the device for the mechanical transmission of force has a pin on which a castor is arranged.

10. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit has at least one of a current-measurement device, a voltage-measurement device and a position-measurement device.

11. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the movable furniture component can be moved between a closed and an opened end-position and wherein the device for the mechanical transmission of force can be inserted into the guide track or removed from it between the closed and opened end-positions of the movable furniture component.

12. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the device for the mechanical transmission of force has a pin arranged on a lever that can be powered by the drive unit and in that the length of the lever is less than the distance between the closed and the opened end-positions of the movable furniture component.

13. Piece of furniture according to claim 12, wherein the length of the lever is less than half of the distance between the closed and opened end-positions of the movable furniture component.

14. Piece of furniture according to claim 10, wherein the position-measurement device is integrated in the electric motor.

15. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein the movable furniture component is one of a drawer and a door.

16. Piece of furniture according to claim 1, wherein said device for the mechanical transmission of force from the drive unit to the movable furniture component or the body of the furniture comprises a pin arranged on a lever that can be powered by the drive unit.

17. Piece of furniture according to claim 7, wherein said sensors are optical sensors.

18. Piece of furniture according to claim 13, wherein the length of the lever is less than one third of the distance between the closed and opened end-positions of the movable furniture component.

19. Guide track for guiding a device for the mechanical transmission of force onto a movable furniture component, wherein it has at least one position at which the device for the mechanical transmission of force can be inserted into the guide track or removed from it

20. Guide track according to claim 19, wherein the guide track is curved.

21. Guide track according to claim 19, characterized that the tangent of the guide track in the area of position is parallel to the direction of movement of the movable furniture component.

22. Guide track according to claim 19, wherein the guide track is a level curve.

23. Guide track according to claim 19, wherein the guide track is formed by a groove or recess.

24. Guide track according to claim 19, wherein the guide track is developed in a separate component that can be secured to the movable furniture component or to the body of the furniture.

25. Guide track according to claim 19, wherein the guide track has two ends and is open at at least one end.

26. Guide track according to claim 25, wherein in the area of the closed end the guide track runs diagonally to the direction of movement of the movable furniture component.

27. Movable furniture component housed in or on a piece of furniture, wherein either a drive unit and a device for the mechanical transmission of force or a guide track are arranged on the movable furniture component.

28. Method for the ejection and/or insertion of a movable furniture component which is housed on or in a piece of furniture, the piece of furniture having a drive unit and a device for the mechanical transmission of force from the drive unit to the movable furniture component or the body of the furniture, and the device for the mechanical transmission of force for the ejection and/or insertion of the movable furniture component along a guide track arranged on the body of the furniture or on the movable furniture component exerts tensile and thrust forces on the movable furniture component, wherein the device for the mechanical transmission of force is moved out of the guide track after a distance covered by the movable furniture component from its closed end-position.

29. Method according to claim 28, wherein the device for the mechanical transmission of force is moved into the guide track after a distance travelled by a movable furniture component out of its fully-opened end-position.

30. Method according to claim 28, wherein the device for the mechanical transmission of force is moved in the same guide track in a first direction during ejection and in a second, opposite direction during insertion.

31. Method according to claim 28, wherein the movable furniture component is pushed out of its closed end-position into its fully-opened end-position by the drive unit via the device for the mechanical transmission of force.

32. Method according to claim 28, wherein the control or regulation of the drive unit takes place according to the current induced in the drive unit by the movement of the movable furniture component.

33. Method according to claim 32, wherein the speed of the movable furniture component is established by measuring the current.

34. Method according to claim 32, wherein during the insertion process the drive unit counteracts the movement of the movable furniture component until a preset or presettable current is measured.

35. Method according to claim 34, wherein the drive unit is supplied with current to brake the movable furniture component.

36. Method according to claim 34, wherein the drive unit is short-circuited to brake the movable furniture component.

37. Method according to claim 28, wherein, after the inward movement of the device for the mechanical transmission of force into the guide track, the movable furniture component is first braked almost to a stop and then pulled into the fully-closed end-position.