Detent assembly and its application to actuation means

• US 20080012360A1
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hoppe AG (Hoppe Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Hoppe AG (Hoppe Holding AG)
• Inventors: Engel, Heinz-Eckhard, Alber, Helmut
• Granted Patent: US 8,210,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 292/252
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 15/0053 means providing a stable, i.e. indexed, position of lock parts
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 15/006 Spring-biased ball or roller entering a notch
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 7/10 moving radially between engagement and disengagement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 403/06 Reciprocable ball detent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/14 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/592 Ball detent

Abstract

A detent assembly—namely of pairs of sub-assemblies of which the individual ones comprise spatially directly associated surfaces at which projecting elements cooperate with engaging elements in prestressed manner—comprises at least one detent element within a detent sub-assembly, said detent element being retained prestressed within an obliquely directed guide in a manner that it projects beyond a detent sub-assembly outer surface and that it enters an aperture sub-assembly while being obliquely prestressed into a recess of an opposite aperture outer surface and rests only unilaterally and point-wise against associated rim sites of the mutually associated interlocking zones. A preferred application relates to a handle being supported rotatably but in axially fixed position by a stop fitted with a disk connected to a handle extension and comprising circumferential interlocking recesses, for instance notches. The stop is fitted with guides containing compression springs to prestress balls and to guide them at an angle to the line of symmetry of the notches. To attain play-free interlocking, the guide-supported detent balls act point-wise on the interlocking notches of the disk.

Claims

1. A detent assembly comprising mutually displaceable sub-assemblies, one of which is fitted with spatially directly associated surfaces having projecting elements cooperating in force-prestressed manner with elements of the other, at least one prestressed detent element (R, 40) being kept and in particular being trapped in one of said sub-assemblies, in a detent sub-assembly (K, 18), in a guide (F, 30), in a manner that said prestressed detent element projects beyond a detent sub-assembly outer surface (G) and partly enters an associated recess (L) at an associated outer surface (H) of the other sub-assembly, of a recess sub-assembly (N), characterized

by a design and configuration of the guide (F, 30) of the (or each) detent element (R, 40) that latter shall rest only unilaterally or point-wise against rim sites of the mutually associated detent zones (F,M).

2. Detent assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the (or each) detent element (R, 40) comes to rest at an angle defined by the predetermined direction of the guide (F, 30) and/or eccentrically at or next to the associated recess boundary (M).

3. Detent assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the (or each) recess (L) is in the form of a notch (24) or a circular hole or an elongated slot (38).

4. Detent assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the recess boundary (M) defines a plane running perpendicularly to its line of symmetry (S).

5. Detent assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the (or each) detent element is a ball (40) which is loaded in its guide (F, 30) by a compression spring (36) and which in its detent interlocked position is excentrically offset from the recess boundary (M).

6. Detent assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the guide (F, 30) is oriented at a predetermined angle to a line of symmetry (S) of the recess (L).

7. Detent assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the (or each) recess (L) is fitted with an oblique rest edge which is obliquely away from the (or each) rest boundary (M), said rest edge illustratively being a notch flank (34) that supports the detent element (R, 40) which does not make contact with the rim (M) per se.

8. Detent assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least two pairs of mutually associated interlocking detents are fitted on the subassemblies (K, 18;

N, 24/38) and consist each of a detent element (R, 40) and a recess (L, 24).

9. Detent assembly in particular as claimed in claim 1 used in conjunction with one pair of subassemblies, one of the sub-assemblies (N) being fitted with a disk (20) at or in a rotatable body (12, 14) and rotatable about an axis (C) or supported at or in an associated sub-assembly (K, 18), characterized

in that the disk (20) is fitted at or near its circumference (22) with at least one recess (L, 24) comprising a rest rim (M), said recess being directly opposite a revolving element (R, 40) retained in the associated sub-assembly (K, 18), said rolling element being prestressed towards the recess (L, 24) and being excentrically offset by means of a guide (F, 30) in the associated sub-assembly (K, 18) from the rest rim (M).

10. Detent assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the recess (L, 24) comprises an axis of symmetry (S) perpendicular or parallel to its boundary (M) whereby the sub-assemblies (K, 18, N, 20) can be interlocked in the axial or radial directions.

11. Detent assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the recess sub-assembly (N) or the disk (20) comprises at least two diametrically opposite recesses (L, 24).

12. Detent assembly as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that each recess or each second recess (L, 24) is opposite a revolving element R, preferably a ball (40).

13. Application of a detent assembly as claimed in claim 1, to actuation means(10) for room closures such as doors or windows at or in a support for a handle (12).

14. Application of a detent assembly as claimed in claim 13, to a disk (20) that is retained in a stop (18) and that is irrotationally affixed to a handle neck or extension (14), further being fitted at or near its circumference (22) with detent recesses (24, 25) and able to be interlocked in play-free manner by means of detent elements (R, 40) supported in oblique guides (F, 30).

15. Application of a detent assembly as claimed in claim 13, for a disk (20) which is fitted on one of its surfaces and/or at its circumferential zone (22) with at least one recess (L, 24) fitted with a rest edge (M), said recess being directly opposite a spring-loaded ball (R, 40) retained in the stop (K, 18), said ball being prestressed toward the recess (L, 24) and being excentrically offset by means of a guide (F, 30) relative to the rest rim (M).

16. Application as claimed in either of claims 14, characterized in that the disk (20) is at least approximately circular and comprises a number of recesses (L, 24) configured in rotational symmetry relative to said disk'"'"'s axis (C) and in that one ball (40) is opposite the recesses (L, 24) or each second such recess.

17. Application as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that a recess (19) of the same or similar shape as the disk (20) is used in the stop (18) to receive said disk, the (or each) guide (F, 30) issuing into said recess (19).

18. Application as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the extension (14) of the handle (12) is fitted at its end face with a blind hole (15) receiving a matched and in particular a square drive pin with which to actuate a latching or locking mechanism.