EP0012453A1 - Suspension device for a sliding door - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Suspension device for a sliding door adapted to be closed by its inherent weight, notably for refrigerating installations, which comprises at least two suspension links (4, 5) pivoted to the door (1) about a horizontal pin (50, 51) and connected to sliding means consisting of a plurality of rollers (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) having peripheral grooves (41) and of a cylindrical bar (6) for guiding the sliding movement of the door parallel to its main plane, the separation of the door from its fixed frame being provided by at least one roller (19, 20) carried by the door (1) and adapted to cooperate with a ramp (21, 22) followed by a guide-path (23, 24), characterized in that the grooved rollers (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) are secured by means of substantially horizontal axle-pins (32) to the door top, that the suspension links (4, 5) are rigidly connected to said cylindrical bar (6) through a bent portion of each link, and that the grooved rollers (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) support and hold said cylindrical bar (6) by means of their grooves (41) in which the bar (6) is movable not only for translation but also for rotation about its axis.

Description

The subject of the present invention is a device for suspending a suspended sliding door closing under the effect of its own weight, in particular for refrigeration installation, and provided for this purpose with at least one roller cooperating with a ramp to spread the door of its frame when it is opened by moving the door parallel to its plane.

Several devices for suspending sliding doors are known. All known devices have a common characteristic: they comprise a fixed rail extending over the entire length of the travel of the sliding door. This rail is either a U-profile rail, as in patent CH 581 250 or a cylindrical rail according to patent application DE 2 151 063. In addition, the device described in patent CH 581 250 is provided with a mechanism relatively complicated to facilitate the upward movement of the door. However in certain cases, for example in the case of cold storage warehouse doors, the goods are transported on a rail leaving the room where it is stored and the path of which crosses the door track. It is then necessary to interrupt the door rail to let the butcher rail pass, which complicates the installation and requires additional parts. In addition, the rail must be dimensioned, in the factory, to the length corresponding to the movement of the door, an adaptation on site being generally difficult, if not impossible to execute.

The present invention aims to eliminate the fixed running rail, to simplify the entire device and make its use and mounting much more flexible, that is to say much better adaptable to all door widths.

To this end, the device according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises at least two suspension links hinged to the door about a horizontal axis and rigidly connected by a bent part to a horizontal cylindrical bar and rollers of bearing, the axes of which, at least approximately horizontal, are fixed above the door, these rollers supporting the cylindrical bar by a groove in which the cylindrical bar can move both in translation and in rotation, practically without friction.

The fixed rail is replaced by rollers between which it is without other possibility to pass a transport rail, for example a butcher rail. The number of rollers can be chosen according to the width and weight of the door. The cylindrical suspension bar can be constituted by a simple cylin tube drique, preferably reinforced inside by a tube of polygonal section, for example a square tube. This bar can be cut to length on site, the ends of the tube then being provided with frustoconical end pieces so as to facilitate engagement of the ends of the tube on the rollers. By using rollers made of self-lubricating material, for example Delrin (registered trademark), the door is moved almost without friction and silent. All the suspension elements can be delivered as a kit and mounted without difficulty by the user on doors of different dimensions.

It is also possible to automate the movement of the doors using a short movement initialization cylinder, the door then being driven by one or more of the rollers.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention.

• Figure 1 shows a front elevation view of a hanging door.
• FIG. 2 represents a partial front view of the suspension device.
• 3 shows a sectional view along III-III of Figure 2, the suspension rod being opposite the rollers so as to also show this rod in section.
• Figure 1 shows a hanging door 1 closing an opening 2 of a wall 3. At the top of the two rods 4 and 5 are fixed rigidly integral with a horizontal suspension bar 6 supported by rollers 7,8 and 9 with a horizontal axis, fixed to the wall 3. Next to the opening 2 are fixed two other identical rollers 10 and 11. Above and opposite the rollers 7 to 11 are mounted identical rollers, respectively 12,13,14,15 and 16. These rollers 12 to 16 have the function of preventing the derailment of the bar 6. Given that to prevent such a derailment, it is sufficient for the bar to be retained at a point at all times during its movement, it suffices in principle to mount the rollers 13 and 15, the rollers 12, 14 and 16 can be eliminated. The rollers 12 to 16 are therefore safety rollers and, as such, are optional. It would be possible, to a certain extent to oppose a derailment by slightly inclining the axes of the rollers 7 to 11. The suspension bar 6 has tapered ends 17 and 18 which facilitate the engagement of the end of the bar on, respectively between the rollers.

The door 1 is further provided, in a manner known per se, with two rollers 19 and 20, with a vertical axis intended to roll on ramps 21 and 22, to separate the door from its frame, as described in the patents CH 557 466 and 581 250, these ramps being followed respectively by a raceway 23.24. At its lower end, the door is provided, in a manner known per se, with two ramps 25 and 26 cooperating respectively with rollers 27 and 28 fixed to the ground to apply the door, more precisely the seal thereof, against the frame in the closed position. The door can be opened manually by means of a recessed handle 29. It is generally provided, in a manner known per se, to control a thrust cylinder by means of the handle to initialize the movement of the door, that is to say the mounting of the rollers 19 and 20 on the ramps 20 and 22. The subsequent movement of the door can also be ensured by means of a long-stroke cylinder, but it may be advantageous to ensure this movement by means of one or several of the rollers 7 to 11, for example by means of the roller 9 driven by a motor. The advantage of such a drive is that it is very safe, especially when it is closed, because if a user remains trapped between the door and the frame, the drive roller can without slipping on the suspension bar 6 .

Reference is now made to FIGS. 2 and 3. The rollers of the suspension device, for example the rollers 9 and 14, are preferably made of Delrin (registered trademark) and are mounted, by means of ball bearings such as 30, on fixed axes 31 and 32 constituted by bolts, the heads of which are welded to a plate 33 aimed in the wall 3 by means of four bolts 34, 35, 36 and 37. Spacers 38 and 39 ensure the positioning of the bearings to balls held by a nut 40. The rollers have a groove 41 of trapezoidal section.

The link 5 consists of several parts so as to simultaneously form a shock absorber. It comprises a casing 42 constituted by a rectangular tube open at its lower part. This housing is closed at its upper part by a plate 43 from which hangs a rod 44 constituted by a bolt retained by a nut 45 and whose head 46 retains a rectangular block 47 capable of sliding in the casing 42. The rod 44 is surrounded by a spring 48 working in compression between the block 47 and the plate 43. The rectangular block 47 is pierced with a hole 49 over its entire length, in which are engaged two axes 50 and 51 fixed in the part 47 by means of two screws blocking such as 52 accessible through two holes 53 and 54 formed in the wall of the casing 42. The axes 50 and 51 engage respectively in two vertical wings 55 and 56 of a support plate 57 fixed to a frame 58 of the door 1 by means of bolt. We see that it is possible to adjust the length of the connecting rod, that is to say the position in the vertical direction, of the door relative to its frame, by acting on the nut 45. The axes 49 pass through the side walls of the casing 42 through two oblong holes allowing adjustment, as well as a flap of the rod 44 in the casing, the spring 48 ensuring a certain flexibility of the connecting rod in the direction of compression.

The cylindrical suspension bar 6 is constituted by a tube of common circular section, for example made of aluminum, reinforced by a tube of square section 59 whose external diagonal is equal to the inside diameter of the tube 6. The tubes 6 and 59 are rigidly connected to the rods, for example to the rod 5, by two bolts 60 and 61, the heads of which rest on the square tube 59 and which pass through the casing 42, a nut being interposed between the casing 42 and the tube 6.

Figure 3 shows the suspension device while the door is closed. When the door is opened by moving it in the direction of the arrow Fl (fig.l), the rollers 19 and 20 mount on the rails 21 and 22 and the door departs from its frame in the approximate direction of arrow F2 (fig. 3). As its articulation with the links 4 and 5 remains at a fixed distance from the tube 6, this articulation drives the tube 6 in rotation about its virtual axis in the direction F3. The movement of the door is therefore a translational movement along a trajectory in an arc of a circle around the virtual axis of the tube 6. Since the suspension rollers simultaneously roll on the tube 6, the movement of the tube on the rollers s 'performs practically without friction. The jolts of the door during a somewhat abrupt closing or opening are absorbed by the springs 48, so that these shocks are not transmitted to the tube 6, to the rollers and to their bearings.

It is obvious that many alternative embodiments can be envisaged without departing from the scope of the present invention. In its simplest form, the suspension rods could consist of a single piece welded or screwed to the tube 6. The bend between the rod and its means of attachment to the tube need not necessarily form an angle of 90 ^° .

Claims (7)

1. Device for suspending a suspended sliding door closing under the effect of its own weight, in particular for refrigeration installation, and provided for this purpose with at least one roller cooperating with a ramp to separate the door from its frame when it is opened by displacement of the door parallel to its plane, characterized in that it comprises at least two suspension rods articulated to the door around a horizontal axis and rigidly connected by a bent part to a cylindrical bar, and rollers, the axes of which, at least approximately horizontal, are fixed above the door, these rollers supporting the cylindrical bar by a groove in which the cylindrical rail can move both in translation and in rotation. 2. Suspension device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one retaining roller similar to the rollers and whose axis is parallel to the axes of the rollers and whose groove comes to surround the part upper of the cylindrical bar. 3. Suspension device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cylindrical bar consists of a circular section tube internally reinforced by a polygonal section tube. 4. Suspension device according to claim 1, characterized in that the profile of the grooves of the rollers is trapezoidal. 5. Suspension device according to claim 1, characterized in that the links are in two parts capable of sliding in one another by compressing a damping spring. 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the links consist of a tubular part closed at its upper end and in which is mounted a sliding part integral with the suspension axis and a rod retained by the closed end of the tubular part. 7. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the rolling rollers is a drive roller for driving the cylindrical bar.

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