PULL-OUT GUIDE WITH SYNCHRONIZATION MEANS AND DAMPENING AGENTS

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit and priority of German Patent Application No. DE 10 2024 107 352.7, filed on Mar. 14, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as part of the present disclosure.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a drawer runner with synchronisation means and damping means.

BACKGROUND

Cabinets with pull-out furniture parts are used in a wide variety of sectors, for example in operational facilities such as workshops, catering, shop fittings, domestic kitchens, and also in laboratories. Depending on the area of application, these pull-out furniture parts are subject to a wide variety of requirements with regard, for example, to material, chemical and physical properties, working temperature, or hygiene; in all cases, however, they are connected to the carcass of the cabinet by drawer runners arranged on the sides of the latter, and are thus made such that they can move relative to the latter.

Such a drawer runner has a carcass rail that can be attached to a furniture carcass, to a pull-out rail that can be attached to a pull-out furniture part (a drawer), and to a central rail between the two. The carcass rail and the pull-out rail each have one, or a plurality of, running tracks, on which track rollers roll when in use. In turn these track rollers are preferably all arranged on the central rail, in particular as upper and lower track rollers, which make contact with the respectively assigned running tracks of the carcass and the pull-out rail. The track rollers and tracks allow the positions of the three rails to be altered relative to each other, and thus the position of the drawer to be altered relative to the furniture carcass.

In other words, the track rollers serve to move the drawer runner from a closed position to an open position, along a pull-out path in a pull-out direction. If the drawer runner is fully pushed shut, the drawer runner is in the closed position; if it is fully pulled open, it is in the open position. Both positions are end positions in which the pull-out path or the push-in path are limited by stop elements on the rails.

The central rail can have a load-transferring differential roller, by means of which the central rail moves synchronously with the pull-out rail, whereby it covers half the distance travelled by the pull-out rail in each case.

Such drawer runners often have an end position damping unit, with which the movement of the drawer, initiated by a user in the region of one of its end positions, is damped, and in particular, is automatically and consequently gently damped.

SUMMARY

A drawer runner of this type is of known art from DE 10 2013 101 358 A1. In this drawer runner of known art, comprising a carcass rail, a central rail, and a pull-out rail, together with an end position damping unit, the end position damping unit is arranged on the central rail and engages alternately with an actuator on the pull-out rail and an actuator on the carcass rail, in one or other end position of the drawer runner in each case. By this means both the closing and opening movements of the drawer runner are damped by a single end position damping unit. In this drawer runner of known art, the cross-section of the carcass rail is C-shaped, whereby the opening of the C points approximately in the direction of a drawer side wall. This carcass rail is attached to the carcass with L-shaped brackets. A central rail runs in the carcass rail, and the pull-out rail, which points away from the carcass rail, runs on the upper side of the central rail. This means that the carcass rail and the pull-out rail are vertically opposed to each other when in the installed position, and are separated by the central rail. A horizontally opposing pair of these drawer runners of known art accommodates a drawer between them.

This guide of known art also has a synchronisation means, which synchronises a movement of the carcass rail relative to the central rail, and of the central rail relative to the pull-out rail. This synchronisation means is formed by two track rollers arranged on the central rail and a belt circulating around these, which is connected to the carcass rail and the pull-out rail. This synchronisation means serves to prevent any slippage between the component rails of the drawer runner as they move relative to each other. Such slippage always occurs if the drawer to which force is applied has static friction on the drawer runner that is greater than the force applied, since in this case the pull-out rail and the central rail are translated relative to the carcass rail, fixed in position relative to each other. In this manner, the slippage prevents the drawer runner from closing completely, since the drawer runner is not translated into the closed position due to its lack of movement relative to the central rail.

The disadvantage of the above-described prior art is that it is only suitable for light drawer loads. In addition, the drawer—the pull-out furniture part—must be located between the guides, which is unsuitable for vertical cabinets (pharmacy cabinets), which are characterised by their tall, narrow shape and their many compartments.

The present invention therefore sets itself the object of specifying a drawer runner with a synchronisation means and with damping means, which drawer runner can easily be installed, and is able to support heavy loads, and is therefore particularly suitable for the pull-outs of vertical cabinets, such as pharmacy cabinets. In the latter, the entire load rests on a pull-out rail mounted underneath the pull-out item.

This object is achieved by a drawer runner for vertical cabinets comprising a carcass rail, a central rail, and a pull-out rail, wherein the pull-out rail is accommodated such that it can move in the central rail, and the latter in turn is accommodated such that it can move in the carcass rail, wherein the carcass rail is essentially C-shaped in cross-section, with two free legs and a base plate connecting these together, wherein the respective free ends of the free legs are bent towards each other, and wherein the carcass rail has running tracks for the track rollers of the central rail, wherein the central rail has two side walls, which are spaced apart from each other by means of at least two spacers, and run essentially parallel to each other, wherein each side wall has track rollers, wherein the pull-out rail is essentially C-shaped in cross-section, with two free legs and a base plate connecting these to each other, wherein the base plate in cross-section projects beyond the free legs by means of a web, such that a track for the track rollers of the central rail is formed laterally by each leg, wherein a damping unit is arranged on the central rail, which acts both in the direction of an open position, and in the direction of a closed position, of the pull-out rail, wherein an actuator for the actuation of the damping unit is arranged in each case on opposite sides on the carcass rail in its respective end regions, wherein the drawer runner furthermore has a synchronisation means, which in turn has two guide rollers, and a cable circulating around the latter, wherein the cable is designed to be connected to the carcass rail and the pull-out rail.

In their operating positions, such drawer runners are located on the upward-facing side of the lower side of the carcass, and thus also underneath the pull-out door of the vertical cabinet, so that the entire weight of the latter bears down on the inventive drawer runner. The dynamic load capacity for such a drawer runner is usually 75 kg or more, and can easily be up to 350 kg. Above the pull-out door, and thus vertically spaced from the drawer runner, there is usually arranged an upper guide-in particular also one of a different design-which spaces the pull-out door apart from the upper part of the cabinet, and guides the upper side of the pull-out door. Vertical cabinets of this type reach heights of up to 2.5 metres, while the pull-out doors are up to 60 cm wide, and the pull-out paths are up to 1.5 metres in length.

In order to do justice to these dimensions and weights, the drawer runner is designed as described, with rails arranged nested inside each other and guided by each other, whereby the carcass rail, as the widest of the three rails of the drawer runner, accommodates the central rail, and the latter in turn accommodates the pull-out rail, such that the inventive drawer runner is formed as a nested set of rails.

The invention has the great advantage of preventing slippage, which is particularly likely to occur in the case of the heavy-duty use described above, and thus ensures the correct closure of the pull-out door on a permanent basis. The cable used for this purpose, which circulates around the guide rollers, is either present from the start as a closed cable loop, the two ends of which are connected together during assembly by a further component, such as the connecting part that is described later, to form a cable loop, or remains as a cable strand, the open ends of which are in each case attached to one of the carcass and pull-out rails. It would therefore also be in accordance with the invention to hook, or press, the cable into the carcass rail.

At the same time, the invention enables a particularly safe damping of the movement when traversing the drawer runner into both end positions, in that a damping unit is provided, and the two actuators are arranged on the carcass rail. The latter preferably have a contour shaped from the profile of the carcass rail, but can also be designed as a plastic part or bracket that is attached to the carcass rail.

Here It is particularly advantageous for the damping and synchronisation to have a synergistic effect: the force applied by a user is introduced into the drawer profile, transmitted via the cable of the synchronisation means to the central rail, and from there to the damping unit, and from the latter to the carcass rail, whereby the movement, in addition to the synchronisation, is also damped.

In a further development of the invention, provision is made for two spacers in each case to have a guide roller, in particular in the form of an attached sleeve, in particular a one-piece sleeve, and a further spacer preferably has a cable guide. The additional use of the spacers, which are necessarily present, as a location for the guide rollers of the synchronisation means, simplifies the design and manufacture of the drawer runner. Here the guide roller is designed such that it can guide the cable laterally securely; it is therefore designed in particular as a disk roller, the recessed part of which is designed as a V-, U- or C-groove. The design is further simplified by the fact that the guide roller is formed on a sleeve, in particular a one-piece sleeve, which is pushed over the spacer, and can be rotated on the latter. The inner diameter of the sleeve is therefore selected with clearance to be larger than the outer diameter of the spacer, which, like the sleeve, is in particular of cylindrical design. The guide roller is preferably made of a plastic material, in particular a reinforced, in particular a fibre-reinforced, and/or an abrasion-resistant, plastic material. Alternatively, the sleeve with the guide roller is made in three or two parts, and in particular is axially divided.

In a configuration of the invention, provision is made for a first connecting part to be detachably attached to the carcass rail between the guide rollers, and for a second connecting part to be detachably attached to the pull-out rail in the direction of its end behind a guide roller. The detachable connection makes it easy to fit the cable in the course of the assembly of the drawer runner, in particular by clipping the two connecting parts into corresponding recesses/mountings in the aforementioned rails. The described arrangement of the fixing points of the cable enables synchronisation of the movement of the central and pull-out rails over their entire travel, both in the pull-out direction and also in the push-in direction. In an alternative inventive further development, the cable is directly connected to the stop. In this case, it is either pressed into the stop, or a security part prevents the cable from unthreading upwards out of the cable guide.

In a further development of the invention, provision is made for the damping unit to have two pivoting bolts that can be clamped and released independently of each other, in particular pivoting bolts arranged axially one behind the other. By this means it is advantageously possible to actuate the damping unit at both ends, that is to say, during the closure movement in the direction of the closed position by the rear actuator on the carcass rail, and during the pull-out movement in the direction of the open position by the front actuator on the pull-out rail. A spring is located between these actuators for the two directions of movement. This has the advantage that this spring is built to be longer, and therefore has a longer service life, and also that only one spring is required and the number of components is thereby reduced. The alternative of two springs is also in accordance with the invention; these then have half the spring travel.

With great advantage a further design simplification in the configuration of the invention is enabled if the side walls of the central rail are identical parts. This also simplifies both the storage and the supply of spare parts. The parts are identical, in particular, in terms of dimensions, material thicknesses, materials, roller guides, mounting and attachment openings.

Finally, in a further development of the invention, provision is also made for the central rails to have differential rollers.

In a further development of the invention, provision is also made for a connecting part for fixing the cable to serve also as a damping stop for the movement of the central rail and thus fulfil a dual function. This simplifies the design and saves costs.

The invention also relates to a method for the assembly of a drawer runner as described above, comprising the steps of: provision of a carcass rail, provision of a pull-out rail, assembly of the central rail and assembly of the carcass, central, and pull-out rails to form the drawer runner, wherein the assembly of the central rail comprises the steps of: connection of at least two spacers to a first side wall of the central rail, and in each case the fitting of a sleeve with guide roller onto the spacer, connection of track rollers to the first and second side walls of the central rail, fitting of a circulating cable onto the guide rollers, assembly of the two side walls (14, 14′) together, wherein the assembly of the three rails comprises the steps of: introduction of the central rail into the carcass rail, and the fixing of the cable to the carcass rail, followed by the introduction of the pull-out rail into the central rail, and the fixing of the cable to the pull-out rail, or the introduction of the pull-out rail into the central rail, and the fixing of the cable to the pull-out rail, followed by the introduction of the pull-out rail and central rail into the carcass rail, and the fixing of the cable to the carcass rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures in the illustrations, whereby identical components are given the same reference symbols. Here:

FIG. 1: shows a perspective view of the drawer runner in the open position,

FIG. 2a: shows a front view in the closed position,

FIG. 2b: shows a rear view in the closed position,

FIG. 3: shows a side view of the central rail, in a section cut at the height of the circulating cable,

FIG. 4: shows a side view of the exterior of the central rail, in a section cut at the height of the rollers and the belt,

FIG. 5: shows individual perspective views of the carcass rail, the central rail and the pull-out rail, and

FIG. 6: shows a detail of the carcass rail, with cable and connecting device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the drawer runner 1 in the open position. The carcass rail 2 forms the largest and, in the installed position, the lowest of the three nested rails of the drawer runner 1. On the left-hand side of the carcass rail 2, which is approximately C-shaped in cross-section, attachment openings 29 can be seen in the base plate 7. The free ends 8, 9 of the free legs 5, 6 are bent towards each other, one of which carries one of the two actuators 20 for the damping unit 19.

The central rail 3, accommodated in the carcass rail 2, has two side walls 14, 14′, which are designed as identical parts. The central rail 3 has track rollers 12, the foremost of which can be seen in FIG. 1. One of the spacers 13 can be seen; this spaces the two side walls 14, 14′ apart from each other.

The central rail 3 accommodates the pull-out rail 4 in a nested manner. The pull-out rail 4 has a base plate 17 with lateral webs 18 facing away from each other, which in the direction of the central rail 3 connect to the free legs 15, 16 of the pull-out rail 4, which project essentially at right angles from the base plate 17. Connecting devices 30 for a pull-out door are arranged on, and attached to, the base plate 17. The webs 18 form running tracks 10, 11 for the wheels 12 of the central rail 2.

With this arrangement of the three rails 2, 3, 4 of the drawer runner 1, the load occurring in the installation position through the pull-out door is always in the centre of the rails; there are no transverse forces, as would otherwise be expected with a laterally arranged guide of the pull-out door.

FIG. 2a shows the front view, and FIG. 2b the rear view, of the inventive drawer runner 1, in each case in the closed position. The nested arrangement of the three rails 2, 3 and 4 can clearly be recognised.

With its free legs 5, 6, the carcass rail 2 has running tracks 10, 11 for track rollers 12 of the central rail 3, each of which track rollers is attached to the side of the respective side wall 14, 14′ facing the carcass rail 2. By virtue of the free ends 8, 9, which are bent towards each other, these track rollers 12 are encased and thus securely guided. In this case, the free ends 8, 9 are not bent towards each other over the entire length of the carcass rail; this is to allow the central rail 3 to be introduced or removed from the carcass rail 2, as shown in FIG. 1, for example.

Those track rollers 12 of a side wall, 14 or 14′, which in each case are arranged on the side of this side wall facing the other side wall, run on running tracks 10, 11, which are formed by the webs 18. The track rollers 12 arranged above a web 18 are those which, in the open position of this form of embodiment of the inventive pull-out device, operate on that part of the pull-out rail 4 which, in the open position, is still located inside the central rail 3 and thereby provides rear support.

FIG. 2b also shows a guide roller 23, around which the circulating cable 24 runs, and which has a groove as a cable guide 27 to guide the said cable laterally.

The damping unit 19, which, in accordance with the invention, operates in both directions, is shown arranged on the central rail 3.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the central rail in a section cut at the height of the circulating cable 24 in the closed position. In this form of embodiment, the inventive synchronisation means 21 are formed by the circulating cable 24, two guide rollers 22, 23, and two connecting parts 25, connecting to the carcass rail 2 and the pull-out rail 4. The cable 24 is made of plastic or metal with an essentially round, in particular a circular, cross-section, or also as a belt with an essentially rounded rectangular cross-section.

At least one of the guide rollers 22, 23 has a lateral cable guide 27, in particular in the form of a groove in the centre of the roller; preferably both guide rollers each have a cable guide 27. This is shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b as described above.

In a surprisingly simple form of design, and with great advantage, one or both guide rollers 22, 23 of the circulating cable 24 are moulded or arranged on a sleeve 26, which is pushed onto a spacer 13. The spacers required for the central rail 3 thus advantageously have a further function, namely that of mountings for the guide rollers.

The two connecting parts 25 shown are detachably attached between the guide rollers 22, 23, once to the carcass rail 2, and once to the pull-out rail 4; in particular they are clipped into corresponding openings in the rails. Here the connection of the cable 24 to the carcass rail 2 is preferably arranged at or in the region of the stop provided on this rail, for the maximum pull-out of the central rail, which further simplifies the design.

It is particularly advantageous for the two spacers and the two sleeves 26 with guide rollers 22, 23, and cable guides 27 as required, to be designed as identical parts.

This makes assembly easy, as will be explained below, and at the same time only low tolerances are required, as only two parts are in contact with each other, and the closed cable loop is quick and easy to install.

FIG. 4 shows external side views of the drawer runner 1, at the top in the open position, and at the bottom in the closed position, in which the three rails 2, 3, 4 are nested inside each other.

The single damping unit 19 of the drawer runner 1 is attached to the central rail 3. This positioning is particularly advantageous, as the forces constantly acting on the pull-out rail 4 can be absorbed particularly well in the course of both the pull-out and push-in movements. The damper located in the damping unit 19, in particular the damping spring 35, is activated once from its piston side, and once from its housing side, in each case by means of a swivel bolt 28, which in turn advantageously enables a floating mounting of the damper.

It is contacted, and thus actuated, by actuators 20, both in the pull-out direction A and in the push-in direction B.

FIG. 5 shows three rails 2, 3 and 4 of the drawer runner in individual perspective views. On the left-hand side is shown the approximately C-shaped carcass rail 2, with a base plate 7, and free legs 5, 6 arranged on the latter. The free ends 8, 9 are bent towards each other in a region of the length of the carcass rail 2, and thus form a region of the surrounding guide for track rollers 12 of the central rail 3. Stops 31 limit the pull-out path of the central rail 3, both in the pull-out direction and also in the push-in direction. The circulating cable 24 is fixed to this rail, with the fixing point located between the guide rollers 22, 23. As shown in FIG. 3, it is fixed by means of a clipped-in connecting part 25.

The two side parts 14, 14′ of the central rail 3, which are spaced apart by spacers 13, carry the track rollers 12, the single damping unit 19 with two damping springs 35 of the device 1, and the synchronisation means (not shown in FIG. 5). These advantageously utilise the spacers 13 as supports for sleeves 26, which in turn each carry a guide roller 22, 23, around which runs the circulating cable 24 (see FIG. 3), thus preventing slippage between the central rail 3 and the pull-out rail 4 as the drawer is pushed in.

This form of embodiment has one differential roller 12′ per side part 14, 14′, so that this example of embodiment takes the form of a differential drawer runner.

With the two webs 18 on its upper and lower faces, the pull-out rail 4 shown on the right-hand side provides running tracks for the track rollers 12, which in turn are each arranged on a side part 14, 14′. The pull-out rail 4, which is designed as a stamped and bent part, establishes the connection to a pull-out door by way of the connecting devices 30. In their respective embodiments, these connecting devices are adjusted to the particular requirements and embodiments of the pull-out furniture part, and therefore vary. The circulating cable 24 is fixed to the pull-out rail 4 by means of a connecting part 25 (see FIG. 3) that is simply clipped into a through-opening in the base plate 17 of the pull-out rail 4. Here the fixing point is located between the guide rollers 22, 23.

FIG. 6 shows a detail of the carcass rail 2, in the region of the attachment of the cable 24; this is in accordance with a second form of embodiment of the synchronisation device of the invention that is supplementary to the form of embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

A stop 32 for the central rail 3 is shown on the base plate 7. This has a V-shaped cut in the direction of the base plate 7, which cut ends in a groove 33 through which the cable 24 passes. The cable 24 in turn has a connecting part 25, which serves to transmit force to the carcass rail 2 and is therefore shaped accordingly. A hook 34 formed out from the base plate 7 prevents the cable 24 from moving upwards and thus possibly emerging from the groove 33, which would disable the synchronisation device. The connecting part 25 is connected to the cable 24, whereby the cable here has a circular cross-sectional area. With great advantage, this form of embodiment provides the component of the stop with a further function, namely that of providing a tension-resistant connection between the cable 24 and the carcass rail 2 by way of the connecting part 25. With great advantage, the invention provides a drawer runner that is secured against slippage and synchronised, as well as one that is damped with only one damping device in both the pull-out and the push-in directions, which can easily cope with the forces that occur, and also with the large loads of the pull-out doors when installed, as described above.

In a corresponding manner, this structure can also be present on the drawer profile, to which the cable 24 is also fixed, as described above. However, the attachment to the pull-out rail can easily be designed in a different manner to that on the carcass rail, for example with a connecting part 25 that can be attached in a recess of the pull-out rail, which connecting part, in particular, is fixedly connected to the cable 24.

REFERENCE LIST

• • 1. Drawer runner
  • 2. Carcass rail
  • 3. Central rail
  • 4. Pull-out rail
  • 5. Free leg
  • 6. Free leg
  • 7. Base plate
  • 8. Free end
  • 9. Free end
  • 10. Running track
  • 11. Running track
  • 12. Track roller
  • 13. Spacer
  • 14. Side wall
  • 15. Free leg
  • 16. Free leg
  • 17. Base plate
  • 18. Web
  • 19. Damping unit
  • 20. Actuator
  • 21. Synchronisation means
  • 22. Guide roller
  • 23. Guide roller
  • 24. Circulating cable
  • 25. Connecting part
  • 26. Sleeve
  • 27. Cable guide
  • 28. Swivel bolt
  • 29. Attachment opening
  • 30. Connecting device
  • 31. Stop
  • 32. Stop
  • 33. Groove
  • 34. Hook
  • 35. Damping spring