Hinge device with dampening of end strokes

Hinge device with dampening of an end portion of an opening stroke, an end portion of a closing stroke, or both the end portion of the opening stroke and the end portion of the closing stroke of a door of an appliance, and comprising a first element fixable to a body of the appliance and a second element fixable to the door of the appliance, where the first and second elements, in an assembled condition, are mutually connected by means of a hinge pin for the rotation of the door along the end portions of the opening and closing strokes and along an interposed intermediate portion of the opening and closing strokes of the door around a rotation axis of the hinge pin;

• the device comprises a cradle for sliding along or within the first element, and a connecting rod having an end connected by a respective rotation pin to the cradle and another end connected by a respective rotation pin to the second element, such that the rotation of the second element in the end portion of the opening stroke, in the intermediate portion of the opening and closing strokes of the door, and in the end portion of the closing stroke, causes corresponding translations of the cradle which slidably houses a linear damper having two parts that are slidable with respect to each other, such that length of the damper may vary from a minimum length to a maximum length, at which it elastically stretches as a result of the action of an internal or external elastic component;
• wherein each of the parts of the linear damper is provided with a respective sliding member each having an end for sliding in first slots of the cradle and in second slots of the first element, wherein in the assembled condition each of the first slots of the cradle is aligned face-to-face with a corresponding slot of the second slots of the first element, wherein the second slots have a longitudinal extension at least equal to or greater than that of the first slots with which they are face-to-face in the assembled condition;
• wherein the intermediate portion of the stroke of the door, the damper is at its maximum or substantially maximum length, and the sliding members of its parts contact or substantially contact ends of the first slots of the cradle and such sliding members slide in the second slots of the first element;
• in the end portions of the opening and closing strokes of the door, one of the sliding members is in contact with one end of the first slots and the other is in contact with one end of the second slots of the first element and the rotation of the door in the opening and closing direction causes the cradle to slide with respect to the first element in the corresponding direction of mutual approaching of the sliding members and the consequent compression of the damper, that causes rotational speed of the door to slow down in the end portions of the opening and closing strokes.