DESCRIPTION

Field of invention

The present invention is generally applicable in the technical field of the closing hinges, and particularly relates to a hinge.

Background of the invention

Hinges are known which comprise a hinge body anchorable to a stationary support structure, such as a wall or the like, and a pivot anchorable to a door, a shutter or the like rotatably coupled thereto for rotating around an axis between an open position and a closed position.

The pivot generally includes cam means, whereas the hinge body comprises a plunger member slidably movable upon interacting with the cam means for automatically return the door from the open position to the closed one.

Moreover, a working fluid is provided acting on the plunger member to hydraulically damp the action thereof.

Examples of these hinges are known from the International Applications WO2007125524 and WO201 1016000. In both these hinges the plunger element moves along a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis of the door.

Although these known hinges have been demonstrated to be safe and effective in the automatic closing of doors from the open position, they can be improved with respect to bulkiness and costs.

Summary of the invention

A main object of the present invention is to overcome, at least in part, the above mentioned drawbacks, by providing a hinge having characteristics of high functionality and constructional simplicity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hinge having a moderate bulking.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hinge that is very low cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hinge which ensures the automatic closing of the door from the open position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hinge which ensures the controlled movement of the door on which it is mounted, upon the opening as well as upon closing of the door. These and other objects, as better explained hereafter, are fulfilled by a hinge according to claim 1 .

The dependent claims define preferred but non-exclusive embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will appear more evident upon reading the detailed description of some preferred, non-exclusive embodiments of a hinge according to the invention, which is described as non-limiting examples with the help of the annexed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the hinge 1 according to the invention;

FIG. 2a is an axially sectioned view of the hinge 1 according to the invention in the closed door position, with in FIGs. 2b and 2c some enlarged particulars;

FIG. 3a is an axially sectioned view of the hinge 1 according to the invention in the open door position, with in FIGs. 3b and 3c some enlarged particulars;

FIG. 4a is an axonometric axially sectioned view of the hinge 1 according to the invention, with in FIG. 4b some enlarged particulars;

FIG. 5 is an exploded axially sectioned view of some particulars of the hinge 1 according to the invention;

FIG. 6a is an axonometric view of the shaft 40, with in FIG. 6b an axonometric view of the same shaft 40 rotated of 180° around the axis X;

FIG.7 is a sectioned view of the hinge 1 taken along a plane π' - π'.

Detailed description of some preferrred embodiments

Referring to the above mentioned figures, the hinge 1 is particularly suitable to automatically close all kind of door, shutter, windows, window frames or like elements, which can preferably be made of metallic material, wood, glass, composite materials or the like.

The hinge 1 may comprise a hinge body 10 anchorable to a stationary support structure, such as a wall or the like, and a pivot 20 anchorable to a door, a shutter or the like.

To this end, both the hinge body 10 and the pivot 20 may comprise suitable anchoring means, which may be of any kind.

For example, the hinge body 10 may comprise one or more fastening member, such as one or more screw and/or bolt, to anchor it to a wall or the frame of a door. On the other hand, the hinge body may have an elongated form to be embedded or otherwise inserted into a wall or a door frame, in such a manner to be partly or completely hidden to the user's sight.

The pivot 20 may comprise an anchoring portion 21 designed to cooperate with a coutershaped part of a door.

For sake of clearness, both the stationary support structure and the door, which are per se well known in the art, have not been shown in the drawings.

Advantageously, the hinge body 10 and the pivot 20 may be reciprocally coupled to rotate around a longitudinal axis X between an open door position, shown in FIG. 3a, and a closed position, shown in FIG. 2a.

The hinge body 10 may comprise an operating chamber 11 , which defines the longitudinal axis X, along which a plunger member 30 slidably moves between a compressed end position, corresponding to the open door position of FIG. 3a, and an extended end position, corresponding to the closed door position of FIG. 2a.

To this end, the plunger member 30 may comprise a substantially cylindrical body 31 , that is housed in the operating chamber 11 , and counteracting elastic means, for example a spring 32, acting thereon to move it between the compressed and extended end positions.

The pivot 20 and the plunger member 30 may be reciprocally coupled in such a manner that the rotating movement of the former about the axis X corresponds to the sliding movement of the latter along the same axis X, and vice versa.

In fact, upon the opening of the door, i.e. upon the rotating of the pivot 20 along the axis X, the plunger member 30 slides along the same axis X by passing from the extended end position of FIG. 2a to the compressed end position of FIG. 3a.

In this situation, the plunger member 30 acts on the pivot 20 to automatically return the door from the open position to the closed position. As it is apparent, this is due to the action of the spring 32 that elastically returns from the compressed end position to the extended end position.

Suitably, a shaft 40 may be inserted into the operating chamber 11 for operatively coupling the plunger member 30 and the pivot 20. The shaft 40 may define the axis X, and may have a first end portion 41 operatively coupled to the pivot 20 and a second opposite end portion 42 operatively coupled to the plunger member Advantageously, as particularly shown in FIG. 7, the shaft 40 may have a central portion 43 having two opposite flat faces 44', 44" designed to cooperate with corresponding flat surfaces 12', 12" of the operating chamber 11 for rotatably blocking the shaft 40. In this manner, rotation of the latter around the axis X is avoided during the sliding of the plunger member 30 between the compressed and extended end positions.

The first portion 41 of the shaft 40 may include a helical cam element 45 operatively engaged with at least one follower member belonging to the pivot 20, such as one couple of followers 22', 22" placed on opposite sides of the pivot 20. In this manner, the rotating movement of the pivot 20 around the axis X will correspond to the axial movement of the shaft 40 along the same axis X.

Conveniently, for maximum smoothness in the reciprocal movement, the helical cam element 45 may comprise a groove 46 having semispherical shape, whereas the followers 22', 22" may have a countershaped semispherical shape. Moreover, the semispherical followers 22', 22" may be staggered with respect to a medium radial plane π laying therebetween.

In a preferred, non-exclusive embodiment of the invention, the pivot 20 may include a cylindrical wall 23 designed to encompass the helical cam element 45 of the shaft 40. Thanks to this configuration, the bulkiness of the hinge 1 is minimized, because the shaft 40 and the pivot 20 are telescopically coupled.

Suitably, in order to greatly simplify the assembling of the hinge 1 , the semispherical followers 22', 22" may be mounted on respective set screws 24', 24" passing through the cylindrical wall 23.

The second portion 42 of the shaft 40 may be mutually connected to the plunger element 30 by a fastening element, such as a bolt 47, passing through the latter.

Conveniently, as particularly shown in FIG. 5, the bolt 47 may be inserted into a first hole 33 passing through the cylindrical body 31 , whereas the second end portion 42 of the shaft 40 may include a second blind hole 48 at least partly internally threaded to engage the bolt 47.

Thanks to this embodiment, a very simple assembly of the the shaft 40 and the plunger element 30 is achieved. Moreover, this embodiment allows minimizing the bulkiness of the hinge, as better explained hereinafter. Advantageously, a working fluid may be provided, such as oil, acting on the plunger member 30 to hydraulically damp the action thereof.

The operating chamber 11 may comprise a first compartment 13 for housing the plunger member 30 and the oil, and a second compartment 14 for housing the helical cam element 45 and the followers 22', 22".

Suitably, separation means may be provided to fluidically separate the first compartment 13 from the second one 14, that is the compartment containing the hydraulic damping means and the one containing mechanical actuating means of the hinge.

Thanks to this feature, a very cost-effective hinge 1 can be provided.

In a preferred, non-exclusive embodiment, these separation means may comprise a separation portion 15 of the operating chamber 11 which is interposed between the first and the second compartments 13, 14, as well as one or more sealing ring 50 inserted into suitable seats 51 of the shaft 40 to cooperate with the separation portion 15. Preferably, the separation portion 15 may have a diameter D-i substantially matching the diameter D ₂ of the shaft 40.

In this manner, any leakage of working fluid from the first compartment 13 into the second one 14 can be avoided.

Advantegeously, the cylindrical body 31 may separate the first compartment 13 into a first and a second variable volume adjacent and fluidically connected receptacles 16, 17, the spring 32 being preferably located into the first one 16.

In a preferred, non-exclusive embodiment, the first and second receptacles 16, 17 may be designed to have in correspondence with the closed door position respectively the maximum and minimum volume.

The first compartment 13 may comprise valve means to allow the flow of the working fluid from the first receptacle 16 to the second receptacle 17 upon the opening of the door and to avoid the backflow thereof upon the closing of the door.

In order to allow the controlled backflow of the working fluid from the second receptacle 17 to the first one 16, the cylindrical body 31 may be inserted with a predetermined clearance, which can be in the order of few tenths of millimetres, into the operating chamber 11 in such a manner to define a tubular interspace 18 between the outer surface 34 the cylindrical body 31 and the inner surface 19 of the operating chamber 11. In this manner, upon the closing of the door the working fluid will pass through the tubular interspace 18, thus returning from the second receptacle 17 to the first one 16.

In a preferred, non-exclusive embodiment, the cylindrical body 31 may comprise a third axially passing through hole 35, which may coaxially encompass the first passing-though hole 33. Thanks to this feature, the third passing-through hole 35 may put into fluidic communication the first compartment 16 and the second blind hole 48.

Conveniently, the latter may have a first enlarged portion 49' designed to allow the passage of the working fluid into the second receptacle 17 via a radial outlet 49" and a second portion 49"' which is threaded for engaging the connecting bolt 47.

The valve means may comprise an elongated cylindrical member 36 designed to cooperate with the cylindrical body 31 for defining the seat 37 of a butterfly valve 38 slidably moving along the axis X.

To this end, the cylindrical member 36 may include an enlarged end portion

60' designed to match with a recess 60" of the cylindrical body 31 , in such a manner to define the seat 37.

In order to allow exclusively the sliding movement along the axis X of the butterfly valve 38 into the seat 37, the diameter D ₃ of the latter may substantially match the diameter D ₄ of the former.

The cylindrical member 36, which may move unitary with the spring 32, may include a fourth passing-through hole 39, having a radial inlet 61.

Thanks to these features, a very easy assembly of the hinge 1 is possible, as well as an extremely minimizing of the bulking thereof.

In fact, upon the opening of the the door, the working fluid will flow through the fourth passing-through hole 39 to selectively open the butterfly valve 38, as shown in FIG. 3a, thus allowing the passage of the fluid from the first receptacle 16 to the second one 17 via the third passing-though hole 35 and the enlarged portion 49' and the outlet 49" of the second blind hole 48.

On the other hand, upon the closing of the door, the butterfly valve 38 will selectively close, as shown in FIG. 2a, so that the working fluid will be forced to pass through the interspace 18 to flow back to the first receptacle 16.

Therefore, it is possible to effectively hydraulically damp the automatic closing of the door with a minimum bulkiness, since the hydraulic circuit needed to exploit the damping action has minimum dimensions.

The above disclosure clearly shows that the invention fulfils the intended objects.

The invention is susceptible to many changes and variants, all falling within the inventive concept expressed in the annexed claims. All particulars may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements, and the materials may be different according to the needs, without exceeding the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.