WO1997040251A1

WO1997040251A1 - Storage module with controlled shutter

Info

Publication number: WO1997040251A1
Application number: PCT/FR1996/000611
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christian Poinot
Original assignee: Steelcase Strafor
Priority date: 1996-04-22
Filing date: 1996-04-22
Publication date: 1997-10-30
Also published as: AU5696996A

Abstract

The invention discloses a storage module (1) with shutter (2, 31) sliding in lateral sliding rails (9) fitted in the side panels (5, 5) of said module (1). It is characterized in that it comprises a mechanical control system controlling the movement of the said shutter (2, 31) which tends to counter the gravitational effects applied to the said shutter (2, 31) when operated manually. The said mechanical control system comprises at least two wheels (8, 28) fixed at the two ends of a bar (14), the said wheels (8, 28) being located at the level of the lateral sliding rails (9) and working jointly with the shutter (2, 31), the bar (14) and wheels (8, 28) assembly being rotatable and equipped with a device providing an adjustable mechanical bias creating a variable restoring force when the shutter (2, 31) is displaced, countering its movement in one direction and stimulating it in the other direction, the said force being proportional to the movement of the shutter (2, 31).

Description

STORAGE MODULE WITH CLOSING SHUTTER WITH CONTROLLED MOVEMENT

The present invention relates to a storage module with a sliding closing flap, and more particularly a module intended to be suspended above a work surface in an office, so as to allow easy storage and optimal access to the stored articles.

Such a device comprises a flap which slides from top to bottom, and must be provided to ensure opening and closing in the best conditions of comfort and safety. Thus, in particular, if the closure is effected by displacement downwards. of the shutter, there must be no risk that said shutter, driven more and more quickly by its own weight, injures the user Conversely, on opening, the resistance shown must be compatible with the requirement aforementioned of optimal comfort of use, knowing that the manipulations can be numerous and frequent, and that the position of the user relative to the module hung in height does not allow him to exert an action in the best possible way

In fact, in its displacement of substantially vertical pace, the main component of the forces applying to the flap is vertical and exerted downward, since it is the weight. The object of the invention is in particular to minimize the effects of weight on the movement of the shutter, whatever the length of the latter. For this purpose, the storage module of the invention comprises a mechanical system for controlling the movement of the shutter which tends to oppose the effects of the gravitational field applied to said flap during manual manipulations of said flap

The system of the invention is easily adjustable whatever the type of shutter and its length

An objective of the invention is also that said system has a reduced bulk, so as to preserve a maximum storage volume in the module

Another objective aims to allow the adaptation of the system to volumes involving a stroke of the flap which can be straight or curvilinear

According to yet another objective, this system must be able to apply to closing shutters of the louvered curtain type, but also to more rigid shutters made up of articulated panels.

Finally, the closing and opening movements must be such that the horizontal edges of the flaps are at all times perpendicular to the direction of movement, regardless of the location of the flap on which the user exerts an action. terms, we can manipulate the shutter at any location, the effects will be the same Compared with the devices of the prior art, the advantages procured by the invention, resulting from the aforementioned objectives, are therefore numerous and significant. In addition, the flexibility of application allows the equipment of multiple forms of storage boxes, while the current modules are only provided for movable shutters in a rectilinear travel, with mechanisms which are often costly in useful space to the inside the volume of the modules

According to a preferred configuration, the mechanical control system of the invention comprises at least two wheels fixed at the two ends of a bar, said wheels being placed at the level of the lateral slides and cooperating with the flap, the bar / wheel assembly being rotary and provided with a device making it possible to establish an adjustable initial preload leading to the creation of a variable restoring force then during the movement of the shutter, opposing its movement in one direction and favoring it in the other direction, said return force being proportional to the movement of the flap The prestressing device comprises at least one torsion spring at one of the ends of the bar / wheel assembly, one of the ends of said spring being fixed relative to said bar, so that the second end is fixed relative to the corresponding slide

More precisely, one of the ends of the spring is constituted by a loop whose diameter is adjusted in a diagonal of the bar, the hollow section of which is rectangular, the body of the spring being inserted in said bar. The torsion springs are by example of the flange type, the diameter of which is less than the sides of the rectangle, while said loop has a diameter greater than said sides There is therefore freedom of movement in translation, while rotation is impossible. The other end of the spring consists of a rigid rod perpendicular to the axis of the spring, protruding from the bar, the length of which is provided so that the outer end of said rod can cooperate with at least one locking tab made in the side cheeks

The structure is as follows: ^• the coil spring is inserted in the hollow rectangular shaft, until it comes into abutment against said second end, because the perpendicular rod or finger cannot be inserted in the bar. The lateral external opening of the latter is flush with the outer lateral surface of each end wheel, against which said rod can move, at the same time forcing the torsion of the spring, the other end of which is fixed, until insertion into a locking tab which maintains prestressing

The locking tabs are preferably two in number, located at the periphery of the end wheels on a line extending a diameter of said wheels, and symmetrically with respect to said line. In this way, the adjustment of the preload, depending on the weight of the flap, and therefore on its length, can be carried out in successive increments of half a twist of the spring, on each side In the case where there is a spring on both sides, the adjustment must be identical on each side, so that the parallelism of the movement of the shutter with respect to the slides is preserved.

The rotary end wheels are positioned on the side cheeks in such a way that a portion of their periphery enters the volume of the slides made in said side cheeks, by means of an opening provided in each slide for this purpose. There is therefore a mechanical interaction between said wheels and the slide / flap link, which allows the control system to exert the restoring force attenuating the effect of the gravitational field.

At this stage, two variants are provided, depending on whether the shutter is of the louvered curtain type offering a flexible surface, or of the type with articulated rigid sides, as is the case if noble materials such as wood are used. , as opposed to the plastic of louvered curtains.

According to a first version, the end wheels are toothed and cooperate with lamellae of the flap whose shape and pitch allow said wheels to drive the flap by meshing. It is a pinion / rack system.

However, when the storage modules of the invention are long, it is necessary to provide an intermediate support between the end wheels, moreover also performing a drive function, while avoiding stiffening the slatted curtain by heavy and inconvenient guide bars for installation

This is why, in this case, the bar fixed to the end wheels comprises at least one additional toothed wheel of the same shape as the end wheels and situated between them.

According to a second version, preferably applied to the flap with articulated rigid sides, said end wheels are pulleys around which a ribbon can be wound, one end of which is fixed in a peripheral groove of said pulley, the other end being attached to the flap

In this second case, in a preferred configuration, said flap comprises two sections and is pivotally mounted on the module in the vicinity of the bar connecting the end wheels, the two sections being moreover articulated to one another and the ribbons of the end wheels being fixed in the vicinity of the non-pivoting lower edge of said flap In this way, when a movement is communicated to said flap, in one direction or the other, the ribbon exerts an action which tends to oppose the effects of the weight, which is here more important than in the previous version. More specifically, when the shutter is opened, the ribbon tends to wrap around the pulley, under the action of the return spring which rotates the pulley, whereas in the event of closing, there is a stress of torsion on said spring which slows down the shutter, exactly as in the previous configuration.

In this version, the side rails do not have the sole function of guiding and / or accommodating the ribbons: the corners of the flap located opposite the edge around which the pivoting is carried out comprise members sliding in the rails side cheeks, which also comprise, in the vicinity of said pivot axis, a flat area of horizontal appearance on which said members come to rest when the two sides are in the open position, folded against one another. There is therefore a particular shape of the slides which corresponds to a precise function at the end of opening, in combination with the articulations of the flap which allow the balance to be achieved in the folded position.

Preferably, the ribbons are fixed at the level of the sliding members, since the flaps with rigid sides do not slide directly in the slides. The two variants therefore rely on an identical mechanical control system, and differ only in the connection between the flap and the drive wheels.

The system of the invention allows easy handling of the shutter, perfectly safe, regardless of the position of the user relative to the storage module.

The invention will be described in more detail below, with reference to the figures presented in the appendix, for which:

- Figure 1 shows schematically a high storage module according to the invention;

- Figure 2 shows a partial exploded view of the various elements involved in the shutter movement control system in the version with louvered curtain;

- Figure 3 is a side view of the interior of the module, a cheek and the various components of the system in functional interaction;

- Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of Figure 3; - Figure 5 shows a partial exploded view of the version with rigid panel flap;

- Figure 6 shows a view identical to Figure 3 for the variant with hinged flap, in the open position; and - Figure 7 is identical to the previous one, in the shutter closed position.

Figure 1 is only intended to give a concrete representation of the type of storage furniture concerned. In essence, the top storage module of the invention consists of a box 1, the front panel of which is accessible to the user, comprises a sliding shutter 2 (in its version of the slatted curtain type), and two side covers 3 , 3 'covering the side cheeks ensuring the aforementioned mechanical functions. A handle 4 located at the bottom of the curtain helps to grip said flap 2, and to communicate a movement to it to open or close it. FIG. 2 shows a part of the left side cheek 5, as well as the various components intended to cooperate with said cheek 5, or to interconnect. Thus, this cheek 5, made of molded synthetic material, comprises an orifice 6 doubled with a peripheral housing 7 intended to receive one of the end wheels 8. Said peripheral housing 7 virtually encroaches on the volume of a slide 9 whose vertical-looking part 9 'defines the sides of the opening surface of the module 1, while the horizontal-looking part 9 "serves to house the shutter when it is in the open position. In this case, said part flap is almost invisible from the outside, except for its lower edge provided with the manipulation handle 4. The slide 9 comprises, in the vicinity of the housing 7 / orifice 6 assembly of the wheel 8, a notch 11 intended to position the flap in the slide 9 during assembly of the module On either side of the housing, and situated on a line L intersecting the axis A of rotation of the rotary elements, two locking tabs 12, 12 'are provided to cooperate with an end rod of the spring 13, as will be explained in more detail below.

The rotary elements are mainly the bar or tube 14 and its wheels 8, fixed at the two ends, or even at intermediate locations if the module 1 is of a length which requires it. The wheels 8 and the square hollow tube 14 are integral, and guided at each end of the module 1 by the orifice 6 and its peripheral housing 7, truncated at the orifice 15 making it communicate with the slide 9.

The square hollow bar 14 and each end wheel 8 are fixed by means of a notch 16 formed in one face of this rectangular bar

14, cooperating with a tab 17 provided in the central rectangular orifice 18 of said wheel 8. The latter clips around the bar 14 according to the orientation given by the members 16, 17. The assembly is free to rotate.

The spring 13 is configured in a particular way at its two ends: the end 19 in the form of a loop is inserted in a diagonal of the bar 14, in which it is free in translation, but locked in rotation, due to the dimensional adjustment between these two elements

The end 20 is a finger perpendicular to the axis of the spring 13, the dimension of which leads it to play in particular the role of stop during the insertion in translation of the spring into the shaft 14. This secondary function is combined with its main functions, namely maintaining and presetting the spring tension, as well as the constant application of a variable restoring force, in particular when the wheels 8 are rotated in the direction of the initial preload. This rod 20 cooperates with the lugs 12, 12 ′, which hold it when the spring preload is turned around, as well as during any subsequent movement of the wheel 8 / hollow bar 14 assembly.

When the wheel 8 is in place in its housing 7, its periphery protrudes into the volume of the slide 9, via the orifice 15. It is at this level that the meshing occurs with the flap 2, whose particular shape of each strip 2 'allows it on the one hand to be attached to at least one contiguous strip 2', and on the other hand to mesh with the toothed periphery 21 of the wheel 8, according to a conventional pinion type system / rack.

This connection appears particularly well in Figures 3 and 4, the plan view of the right cheek 5 'shows the entire curtain 2 and the precise shape of each "link", that is to say in reality of each 2 'strip. Each strip 2 ′ pivots in a known manner on the adjoining strip (s) 2 ′, and has at its center a recess 22 which meshes with the teeth 21.

At each movement of the flap 2, the spring undergoes a corresponding deformation, going either in the direction of a twist (on closing), or in the direction of a reduction in torsion (on opening). The restoring force increases as it closes and is maximum during complete closure. Conversely, the restoring force decreases according to the degree of opening and is minimal during full opening. The preload allows this minimum restoring force to be exerted preventing a sudden fall of the flap 2 which could prove to be dangerous. The force maximum return must <_ ^r e below the threshold consisting of a force allowing the flap 2 to go up without external action

The setting of the preload depends on the chosen spring and is relatively simple to execute In the chosen configuration, it suffices to increase said preload by a half-turn per additional 200 mm length of flap 2, starting from the initial planned stress for a 600 mm long module, which is also half a turn The second variant is essentially different from the first only by the shape of the end wheels and by that of the closing flap 2. This variant appears in FIGS. 5 to 7.

In FIG. 5, the toothed wheel 8 is replaced by a wheel 28 provided with a peripheral groove 29 acting as a pulley. One end of a ribbon 30

(also appearing in Figures 6 and 7) is fixed in said groove, while the other end is fixed to the flap 31 used with this type of control mechanism.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are similar to FIG. 3, but with the appearance of the whole of the tilting shutter with rigid faces 31. This shutter 31 has two sides 32 and 33, articulated at 34 and is itself pivotally mounted at using fasteners known per se

35. The pivot axis 35 is located at the limit of the box 1 forming the body of the storage module, at the top of the opening area.

This flap 31 slides laterally in the runners 9 and is mechanically connected to the wheels 28 by the ribbon 30. The fixed point of the ribbon relative to said flap is preferably located in the lower zone, that is to say in the vicinity of the corners lower flaps 31.

It should be noted that, in this configuration, the side cheeks of the previous configuration are reused, although the elements which appear there are no longer functional. Thus, the horizontal aspect part 9 ′ of the slide 9 no longer has a function of storing the flap in the open position, whereas this was the case previously.

Given the rigid structure of the flap 31, it is obvious that it is not the flap itself which slides in the slides 9, but sliding members 36 located at the two lower corners of the pan 33, whose shape is provided to adapt to that of said slide 9. According to a possible configuration, the lower ends of the ribbons 30 are fixed to the flap 31 via said sliding members 36. More generally, the fixing points of said ribbons 30 are located in the vicinity of said organs 36. The mechanism for controlling the movement of the flap 31 acts in exactly the same way as before, with the only difference that the restoring force is applied to said flap 31 via the ribbon 30.

When the latter is in the open position, even more folded than in figure

6, it is in a position of equilibrium because the lower edge of the pan 33 has crossed the threshold separating the part of horizontal shape 9 "from the vertical part 9 'of the slide, and thus finds a stability which does not exist not in the vertical part, the function of which is, on the contrary, to guide a dynamic movement. change of direction of the slide 9 is in this configuration in the vicinity of the external locking tab 12 '.

In the two variants proposed previously, the movement of the flap is perfectly controlled, in both directions, and appears easy to the user. The technical choices described, as well as the materials chosen (the two cheeks are made of recyclable ABS and are injection molded) should only be understood as being nonlimiting examples of the invention, which also covers the possible variants which are in the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1 storage module 1 with closing flap 2, 31 sliding in lateral slides 9 made in the side cheeks 5, 5 'of said module 1, characterized in that it comprises a mechanical system for controlling the movement of said flap 2, 31 , which tends to oppose the effects of the gravitational field applied to said flap 2, 31 during manual manipulations.

2. Storage module 1 with closing flap 2, 31 sliding according to claim 1, characterized in that said mechanical control system comprises at least two wheels 8, 28 fixed to the two ends of a bar 14, said wheels 8, 28 being placed at the level of the lateral slides 9 and cooperating with the flap 2, 31, the bar 14 / wheel assembly 8, 28 being rotatable and provided with a device making it possible to establish an adjustable initial preload leading to creating a force of variable return during the movement of the flap 2, 31, opposing its movement in one direction, and favoring it in the other direction, said return force being proportional to the movement of the flap 2, 31

3 storage module 1 with closing flap 2, 31 sliding according to claim 2, characterized in that said prestressing device comprises at least one torsion spring 13 at one end of the bar assembly 14

/ wheels 8, 28, one of the ends 19 of said spring 13 being fixed relative to the bar 14, while the second end 20 is fixed relative to the corresponding slide 9

4 storage module 1 with closing flap 2, 31 sliding according to claim 3, characterized in that one of the ends of the spring 13 is constituted by a loop 19 whose diameter is adjusted in a diagonal of the bar 14 which the hollow section is rectangular, the body of said spring 13 being inserted into said bar 14. 5. Storage module 1 with closing flap 2, 31 sliding according to claim 4, characterized in that the other end of the spring 13 is constituted a rigid rod 20 perpendicular to the axis A of said spring 13, protruding from said bar 14, the length of which is provided so that the outer end of said rod can cooperate with at least one locking tab 12, 12 ′ formed in the side cheeks 5, 5 '6 Storage module 1 with closing flap 2, 31 sliding according to claim 5, characterized in that said locking tabs 12, 12' are two in number, located on the periphery of the wheels are end 8, 28 on a line L extending a diameter of said wheels 8, 28 and symmetrically with respect to this line L 7. Storage module 1 with closing flap 2, 31 sliding according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the end wheels 8, 28 rotating are positioned on the side cheeks 5, 5 ', so such that a portion of their periphery enters the volume of the slides 9 made in said side cheeks 5, 5 'by means of openings 15 provided in said slides 9 for this purpose.

8. Storage module 1 with sliding shutter 2 according to claim

7, characterized in that the end wheels 8 are toothed and cooperate with lamellae 2 'of the flap 2 whose shape and pitch allow said wheels 8 to drive the flap 2 by meshing the teeth 21 in recesses

22 of said strips 2 '.

9. Storage module 1 with sliding shutter 2 according to claim

8, characterized in that the bar 14 fixed to the end wheels 8 comprises at least one additional toothed wheel 8 of the same shape as the end wheels 8 and situated between them.

10. Storage module 1 with sliding shutter 31 according to claim 7, characterized in that the end wheels 28 are pulleys around which a ribbon 30 can be wound, one end of which is fixed in a groove 29 peripheral of said pulley 28, the other end being fixed to the flap 31.

11. Storage module 1 with sliding shutter 31 according to claim 10, characterized in that the shutter 31 has two sides 32, 33 and is pivotally mounted on the module 1 in the vicinity of the bar 14 connecting the end wheels 28, the two sides 32, 33 being moreover articulated to one another and the ribbons 30 of the end wheels 28 being fixed to the flap 31 in the vicinity of its non-pivoting edge.

12. Storage module 1 with sliding shutter 31 according to claim 11, characterized in that the corners of the shutter 31 located opposite the edge 35 around which the pivoting is carried out comprise sliding members 36 in the runners 9 of the side cheeks 5, 5 ′, which comprise, in the vicinity of said pivot axis 35, a flat area of horizontal appearance on which said members 36 rest when the two sides 31, 32 are in the open position, folded up one against the other.

13. Storage module 1 with sliding shutter 31 according to claim 12, characterized in that the strips 30 are fixed at the level of the sliding members 36.