Door Hinge

The present invention relates to a door hinge with closure pressure device formed from at least two hinge members connected by means of joint levers and at least one pressure member loaded by the force of a spring arm which pressure member rolls or slides on the periphery of at least one joint lever.

The problem of the invention is to improve the door hinge having a closure pressure device, which avoids any possible tilting of the pressure member, for example a roller due to an asymmetrical force of the pressure spring. The present invention has the further problem of further developing a door hinge such that the manufacturing costs can be lowered, in particular a slot for the guiding of the roller in the base of the stirrup of the stationary hinge member. The problem is solved so that the pressure member is mounted on a closed spring member of a spring which is mounted symmetrically to the longitudinal central axis of the hinge in the stationary hinge member.

With this arrangement a substantial increase of the life with an improvement at the same time of the operating safety is obtained. It is essential that the pressure member (this may be a roller, a slide or a coil of the spring itself) is employed. With this feature it is achieved that the pressure member is applied absolutely symmetrical by the force of the spring. In this way a closing force is obtained acting exclusively perpendicularly to the rolling plane of the joint lever. Any tilting is prevented by the symmetrical construction of the spring and by the symmetrical bearing of the pressure member; the life and operating certainty are substantially increased.

A further essential feature of the present invention is that the pressure member may, for example, be constructed as a roller. The displacement of the roller may be effected by suitable limitations imposed on the lengthened spring member on the spring. Such limitations on both sides of the roller may, for example, be produced by widening the closed spring member at these places in order to avoid the roller being capable of being removed.

The certainty of movement of the roller may however be effected by a slot in the base of the stirrup of the stationary hinge member through which the periphery of the roller partially projects.

Furthermore the closed spring member of the spring on which the pressure member is fixed may also be so formed that the spring coils themselves serve for the positioning of the pressure member.

Finally the pressure members may also be a slide block, a roller which is placed on the closed spring member or be formed by the closed spring member itself.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a transverse sectional view of a door hinge with a closing pressure device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed horizontal section of FIG. 1 showing the spring with fixing means and roller.

FIG. 3 is a part transverse section similar to FIG. 1 of a second embodiment showing another shape of the pressure member.

FIG. 4 is a detailed diagrammatic plan view showing spring of third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a spring with a roller as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows a front view of the spring with the roller shown in FIGS. 4 & 5.

In FIG. 1 is shown part of a door 20 movably connected to a stationary frame 25 through a door hinge having a top 21. The door hinge thus consists of the hinge top 21 inserted in the door and a stationary door frame hinge 26 which is fixed by means of a fixing screw 23 on a base plate 22 so that the base plate 22 is firmly secured on the frame 25 by fixing screws (not shown). The stationary frame hinge 26 contains the above described closing pressure device 6 which is described more precisely by the following description.

The hinge top 21 is pivotally connected to the stationary frame hinge 26 through two levers or link members 10 and 15. The link 15 is fixed to a bolt 14 on the hinge top 21 and to a bolt 13 on a stirrup 4 of the stationary frame hinge 26.

The base of the stirrup 4 is provided in with a slot 7 through which the pressure member, shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1 as a roller 6, projects partly for the purpose of lateral guidance. The closing pressure device is essentially formed by a coil spring 30 which is mounted on a pin 2 on the stirrup 4 and is supported by the legs 27, 28 on the stirrup 4 and by a lengthened spring member 31, defining a light portion (see FIG. 2) on which the pressure member, in the preceeding embodiment described, a roller 6 is mounted.

The representation of FIG. 1 shows the door hinge in the open position. In this position the roller 6 exerts a closing pressure on the hinge top 21 because of the off-set of the axis 31 in relation to the axis 11 indicated by the dead-center line 9. The roller 6 rolls on a part of the periphery of the joint lever 10 and is in the closing position just behind the over dead centre 9 on the flank 8b of the cam lobe of the joint lever 10. Upon opening the hinge top 21 in the direction of rotation 18 the pressure member (roller 6) passes over the dead centre 9 and reaches the flank 8a of the joint lever 10 lying tangentially of the bolt 11. In this position (open position) no closing pressure is produced. FIG. 2 shows the essential features of the present invention. The spring 30 is designed symmetrically about the longitudinal central axis of the door hinge. The free legs 27, 28 are supported on the viccinity of the centre of the spring on the base of the strirrup 4 and by the U shaped portion 31 of the spring 31. By means of the arrangement of the pressure member on the U shaped spring member 31 of the spring 30 gives an absolutely symmetrical loading of the pressure member 6. A rocking of the pressure member 6 on the flanks 8a, 8b of the joint lever 10 is now prevented. The embodiment according to FIG. 2 has the further advantage that the pressure member is disposed so as not to be detachable from the spring member 31 of the spring 30.

In FIG. 1 it is shown that the spring 30 is mounted on the pin 2 in the stationary hinge frame 26 (more accurately: in the stirrup 4). Another means of fixing is drawn in broken lines. The spring 30 may also be positioned on the periphery by lugs 16 pressed out of the stirrup 4 the pin 2 being then omitted.

A further essential feature is that the free legs 27, 28 of the spring 30 are supported on the stationary hinge frame (stirrup 4). In this way, as in the known arrangement in which the free legs are supported on the movable hinge and overcome the fact that in known arrangements the closing force varies during the opening of the door hinge.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides for the free legs 27, 28 to be unsupported directly on the base of the stirrup 4 but into contact with a threaded bolt (adjusting screw) and the adjusting screw is located in a threaded bore in the base of the stirrup 4. By the adjustment of the adjusting screw a variation in the closing force within certain limits can be made.

A further embodiment of the pressure member is shown in FIG. 3. Thus it can be seen that the roller 6 according to the embodiment., FIGS. 1 and 2 may be omitted; as a pressure member the bent spring member or light portion 31 of the spring 30 acts as a pressure member or can follower. This bent spring member 31 may for the reduction of friction also be coated with a plastic or have a sliding block which slides over the associated flanks 8a, 8b of the lever 10. The bending portion of the spring member 31 of the spring 30 may thus be shaped according to the constructional requirements. A third embodiment of a spring is shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. From the representations it can be seen that the closed spring members 41 on which the pressure member is mounted extends from the centre of the spring 40 and the free legs 37, 38 are formed integrally with the springs 40. With this arrangement substantially advantages are achieved. First of all the pressure member (roller 6) is held so as not to be detachable from the closed spring member 41. Secondly the pressure member is centred by the side walls of the bent spring 41 so that a slot 7 according to the representation in FIG. 1 for centering the roller 6 on the part of the lever 10 can be omitted. This slot could also be omitted in the embodiment according to FIG. 3. In both cases the manufacturing costs of the door hinge according to the invention are reduced comparted with known arrangements.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 the roller 6 can be replaced by a sliding block or be completely omitted; in the latter case the front side of the closed spring member 41 exercises the closing pressure on the flanks 8a, 8b of the lever 10. In FIG. 5 the side view of a relieved spring 40 according to FIG. 4 is shown. The numeral 32 indicates the angle around which the closed spring member 41 is turned during the mounting in order to produce the necessary tension on the lever 10 for producing the closing force. The numeral 33 indicates the working angle by which the pressure member on the closed spring member 41 is moved during the overcoming of the over dead centre point 9 from the flank 8b to the flank 8a. This arrangement makes it clear that with the springs 30, 40 according to the invention, because of their symmetrical construction and high pretention provide a high closing force.

Similarly from FIG. 6 there follows the completely symmetrical construction of the spring 40. Thus it is essential for the bent closed spring member 41 is at the bottom in the direction of the flanks 8a, 8b of the joint lever 10 so that other parts of the spring 40 do not rub on the inwardly rotating joint lever 10.