Movable or removable closures – Mounted for multidirectional or oblique movement – Initial or terminal movement transverse to sliding movement...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-17
2001-04-17
Redman, Jerry (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Mounted for multidirectional or oblique movement
Initial or terminal movement transverse to sliding movement...
C049S216000, C049S223000, C049S280000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216393
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for opening and closing a sliding door, in particular for vehicles.
Sliding doors are provided in particular in vehicles in which access to the interior of the vehicle is provided from the side, for example in minibuses or transport vehicles. Such a sliding door is generally constructed in such a way that in the closed or locked position it terminates flush with the surrounding vehicle body and in the opened state, being offset parallel to the side, is movable along the body in at least one guide rail.
In recent times there has been a growing need to be able to move and close such a sliding door automatically, in particular for certain end uses, for example for taxis, freight vehicles, ambulances or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
DE-A-38 31 698 discloses a device for opening and closing a sliding door, in particular for vehicles, which closes an aperture in a side. The device possesses a linear drive constructed as a taut chain with a pinion engaging therein provided with an electric motor for displacing the sliding door parallel to the side of the vehicle as well as for swinging out a mounting supporting the sliding door. In addition a guide device consisting of a guide rail fastened to the sliding door as well as guide rollers fastened to the mounting for guiding the sliding door substantially parallel to the side are provided. The linearly constructed driven member of the linear drive, that is the taut chain, is installed in fixed manner on the sliding door. The mounting is supported via a support arrangement which is connected to the side wall and constructed as a guide parallelogram. The pivot levers of the guide parallelogram are mounted in articulated manner on the one hand on the side wall and on the other hand on the mounting with vertical axes of rotation in each case so that they can exercise a support function for the sliding door. At the same time the drive motor is rigidly attached to one of the pivot levers belonging to the guide parallelogram which convert a movement of the mounting of the sliding door substantially perpendicular to the wall into a pivot movement.
This device according to the state of the art has the disadvantage that extensive measures are necessary on the vehicle chassis in order to attach a guide parallelogram which can swing out and support the sliding door. This is greatly disadvantageous in particular when retrofitting the device for opening and closing the sliding door. It is, furthermore, disadvantageous that despite the automatic closing process the actual locking does not ensue automatically. This can represent a safety risk.
WO 93/17211 discloses a device for opening and closing a horizontally displaceable vehicle door having an endless screw connected to the body. The endless screw is accommodated in a rail. Arranged on the screw is a carriage which is movable in translational manner in the rail, the endless screw being driven by a motor. The carriage is connected to the door via a damped connecting rod which preferably assumes an angle of less than 25° to the endless screw. Furthermore, in the door a locking or unlocking device is provided, the locking or unlocking being carried out via an electromagnet.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim underlying the invention is to provide a device for opening and closing a sliding door which reliably opens and closes or locks the door and has a simple structure as well as a low requirement for space and is thus also highly suitable for retrofitting.
Advantageous refinements and improvements are possible by means of the measures specified in the subsidiary claims.
According to the present invention the device for opening and closing a sliding door which is arranged displaceably in at least one longitudinal guide provided on a side of the vehicle is provided with a running unit which performs the displacement movement and which has a linear drive provided with an electric motor and a guide device. In this case the linearly constructed driven member of the linear drive and a member of the guide device are fastened on the one hand to the door and the driving member of the linear drive and the other member of the guide device working together with the guide member on the door side are fastened on the other hand to a mounting which is supported via a support arrangement connected to the wall. The support arrangement is provided with at least one pivot lever, each mounted in articulated manner, connected on the one hand to the mounting and on the other hand to a bearing connected to the wall, which lever converts a movement of the mounting substantially perpendicular to the wall into a pivot movement. Furthermore, a locking unit driven by the aforesaid electric motor or a further electric motor is provided which locks and unlocks the sliding door in its position closing the aperture by executing a movement perpendicular to the wall. A control device which has positional switches controls the running and locking unit.
Due to this construction, the device for opening and closing a sliding door can be built in such a way that it possesses a relatively simple structure and due to the conversion of the movement of the mounting of the running unit substantially perpendicular to the wall into a pivot movement a space-saving design is possible. In particular, in the retrofitting of the device for opening and closing a sliding door in existing vehicles, in order for instance to equip them in a manner suitable for the handicapped or to convert a conventional minibus into a safety transporter, the retention of the longitudinal guide provided on the vehicle, for retaining the support function of the sliding door for instance, is a decisive advantage since the costs of the modification can therefore be kept low.
The locking unit advantageously possesses a linearly displaceable locking member and a catch member engaging with the locking member, the locking member and/or the catch member being constructed in such a way that the process of coming into engagement is executed simultaneously with the movement perpendicular to the wall. This is preferably achieved in that the outer surface of the locking member and/or of the catch member is constructed in sloping manner.
It is particularly advantageous that the linear drive with electric motor and the guide device as well as the mounting of the running unit are arranged on a preferably trough-shaped support part to form a unit capable of preassembly. Due to this design the assembly of the device for opening and closing can be greatly simplified since the individual parts of the running unit can be preassembled on the support part so that for the assembly of the running unit the support part only has to be connected to the door, for example by gluing or screwing.
A particularly simple construction of the linear drive is to implement it as a toothed rack with a pinion driven by the electric motor and correspondingly an advantageous design of the guide device is to implement it as a linear guide rail having a running carriage enclosing the latter at least in part, the running carriage being advantageously fastened at that point on the mounting at which the greatest force acts.
It is further advantageous that the pivot lever of the support device is constructed as a slide bar arranged displaceably in a guide sleeve, the guide sleeve being mounted in rotatable and pivotable manner. In this case the movement perpendicular to the door or wall is converted into a displacement movement of the pivot lever or of the slide bar in the guide sleeve and a pivot movement of the guide sleeve. In doing so the pivot movement of the guide sleeve takes place about an axis lying parallel to the wall.
In certain cases it can be advantageous that the slide bar member simultaneously forms the locking unit as a catch member, the locking member having a cone or a sloping surface which slides along the circumference of the slide bar.
The locking member can be constructed in part as a toothed rack whic
Apprich Secur 2000 GmbH
Marshall & Melhorn LLC
Redman Jerry
LandOfFree
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