Movable or removable closures – Closures interconnected for concurrent movement – Opposed similar movement
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-13
2001-02-20
Redman, Jerry (Department: 3634)
Movable or removable closures
Closures interconnected for concurrent movement
Opposed similar movement
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189265
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to one-leaf or two-leaf sliding doors, swinging doors or pocket doors with an electric, pneumatic or hydraulic drive, in particular for vehicles, wherein a spindle is provided, the leaf or leaves being connected therewith via a nut, wherein, in the case of two-leaf doors, the spindle is constructed symmetrically with respect to the center of the door, and wherein the door drive acts either rotatively on the spindle or linearly on one of the leaves.
2. Description of the Related Art
A swinging/sliding door with an electric drive is known, for example, from DE-C 36 30 229 which discloses a two-leaf door in which each leaf has an upper and a lower guide rail in which at least one roller engages in each instance. The vertically extending rotational axis of the rollers is swivelable about a vertically extending door post pipe, this swiveling movement causing the door to open outward.
Since the electric drive can carry current only when the door is actuated, a dead-center mechanism is required for locking the door so as to ensure that the closed door cannot be opened by manipulation.
As another consequence of this dead-center mechanism, the door is only locked when it has been moved completely into the final closing position, so that any failure of the drive or any obstacle preventing the door from being closed completely will allow the door to open, e.g., as a result of the vibrations of the moving vehicle. On the other hand, the dead-center mechanism must also be adjusted precisely which, under heavy-duty operating conditions and during large differences in temperature, is difficult and accordingly disadvantageous.
The use of the door post pipe which is associated with each door leaf and is located at the edge of the door opening in the region of the lateral closing edge is another great disadvantage. When the door is open, this door post pipe can be covered only with difficulty and, even then, not completely. In the process of closing the door, the door post pipe in the region of the lateral closing edge poses the most serious kind of risk, especially for children and older, frail persons seeking a handhold.
Problems also occur in alignment because the door post pipe must be fitted and aligned in the floor region as well as in the roof region. There is no need to demonstrate in particular such problems which occur in all three axial directions.
Swinging/sliding doors with a pneumatic or hydraulic drive in which the door leaves are guided in a swivelable manner by means of a slide so as to be longitudinally displaceable at a stationary circular supporting pipe have also been known from Austrian Patent document 188 323. The corresponding guide rails for the opening out movement and for longitudinal guidance are arranged on the vehicle side in the region of the upper edge and lower edge of the door. Suitable guide rollers are provided at the door leaf
The drive is effected via a cylinder-piston unit, and various lever mechanisms and scissor mechanisms have been suggested for reducing installation width. In the closed state, these doors are locked in the region of the lateral closing edge by a mechanism arranged in that location so that they remain closed while the vehicle is in motion in the event of a drop in pressure in the drive, but also because the normal operating pressure is not sufficient to prevent the door from opening in a reliable manner. It is not possible to achieve an operating pressure sufficient for this purpose in an economical manner due to the required wall thickness of the pipes and tubes.
The lock projecting beyond the free profile of the door at the height of the door handle in the region of the lateral closing edge poses a source of risk on a par with the door post pipe in the construction mentioned above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a one-leaf or two-leaf door of one of the types mentioned above which does not have their disadvantages and which is easy and simple to install and remove and in which, in particular, alignment is also simplified. Moreover, the lateral closing edge should be unencumbered by obstacles and objects or built-in elements posing a risk of pinching.
These objectives are met according to the invention in that the spindle is provided at one end with a freewheel and a releasable brake or clutch preventing the rotation of the stationary part of the freewheel.
As a result of this construction, a self-adjusting, continuous locking of doors is achieved which dispenses with the dead-center mechanism, the locking at the lateral closing edge, and the undesirable door post.
The actual hanging of the door can be effected in different ways corresponding to the prior art and depends on whether the door has one or two leaves, on whether it is a sliding door, swinging/sliding door or a pocket door as well as on the type of drive provided.
The release of the brake or clutch during the opening movement is preferably effected electrically also when a pneumatic or hydraulic drive is used, since this allows a simpler control and a smoother opening than pneumatic or hydraulic actuation.
In two-leaf doors, not only is the door movement synchronized by the spindle drive, but the transmission of movement forces for a door leaf is also effected via the spindle when the actual door drive acts on a door leaf That is, the movement of this door leaf in this case sets the spindle in rotation via the nut connected with the door leaf, this rotation being transmitted to the other door leaf via its nut in such a way that both leaves open and close synchronously since, as was mentioned above, the spindle is constructed symmetrically with respect to the center of the door so as to be right-handed along half its length and left-handed along the other half.
Of course, a linear drive can also act on an independent nut arranged on the spindle so that both door leaves are moved by means of the spindle. This is also the case in a drive producing a rotational movement in the spindle, e.g., an electric motor which sets the spindle in rotation via a toothed belt or a toothed wheel gear unit.
Another advantage which can be achieved with the invention consists in the advantageous arrangement of a pneumatic piston-cylinder unit above the door. The length of the piston corresponds to roughly half the width of the door, that is, it corresponds to a door leaf. Since it acts on the door leaf to which it is adjacent, it can act directly on this leaf or on a projection arranged at this leaf without a rod linkage or scissor mechanism. The door leaf located below the pneumatic piston-cylinder unit is moved via the spindle without taking up substantial space.
In a development of the invention, a door support in the form of a roller arranged at the door frame is provided in the region of the lateral closing edge of the door above the conventional height of a handle and preferably near the upper edge of the door so that it is covered by the covering of the door drive. The axis of this roller extends substantially horizontally and lies normal to the movement direction of the door in the final closing region and cooperates with a supporting surface of the door which comes to rest under the roller.
Surprisingly, this brings about a substantial improvement in the stability of the door in the closed state, since any attempt to open the door, whether on the part of passengers or as a result of pressure shocks caused by wind resistance, results in a lifting of the door in the region of the lateral closing edge. The support effectively counters this lifting and accordingly prevents the door from being lifted out and opened.
Other advantages and details are explained more fully in the description of the drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3392812 (1968-07-01), Kaptur et al.
patent: 4060310 (1977-11-01), Brown
patent: 5077938 (1992-01-01), Moreuil
patent: 3602781 (1986-08-01), None
patent: 2118667 (1983-11-01), None
IFE Industrie-Einrichtungen Fertigungs-Aktiengesellschaft
Kueffner Friedrich
Redman Jerry
LandOfFree
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