EP0152533B1 - Folding door with rigid non-warping wings - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Folding door, whose door leaves or members (3 to 5, 7 to 9) are constructed in torsionally stiff manner and mounted in self-supporting manner in swivel hinges (14, 16) with vertical swivel pins (17, 18) and in the open position are folded in individually superimposed zig-zag-like manner to form at least one group (20, 21) with a guide member (32, 33, 35) at the top on a door member in the vicinity of the hingeside end of the outermost, even-numbered door member, with a guide rail (31) in which the guide member is guided and which is mounted in stationary manner along the upper edges of the door members in the closed position and with a stable locking member (50, 51) releasable against spring loading for locking the group in the open position and which in the vicinity of the position occupied by the guide member with the group folded is located in the guide rail and has on its end opposite to the guide member a sloping entry edge (54) and following onto the same a stop depression (55) for the guide member, characterized in that the locking element (50, 51) is a two-armed lever, which is pivotably mounted about a vertical axis (52), that the entry edge (54) and stop depression (55) are provided externally on a lever arm facing the guide member, that a loading spring (56) is supported on the other lever arm and urges the locking element into its locking position, in which the guide member in the open position of the group has dropped into the stop depression and is detachably secured between the stop depression and the facing wall of the guide rail and that one or more end stops (70, 71) are provided on the door members and associated fixing counterpieces (78) for locking the door in the closed position.

Description

The invention relates to a folding door, the door leaves of which are designed to be torsionally rigid in pivot joints with vertical pivot axes and are folded zigzag in the open position to form at least one package, one on top of the other, with a guide member on top of a door leaf in the region of the pivot-side end of the outermost, even-numbered door leaf, with a Guide rail in which the guide element is guided and which is mounted stationary along the upper edges of the door leaves in the closed position, and with a stable locking element which can be released against spring loading for locking the package in the open position, in the area of the position which the guide element has when folded Assumes package, is arranged in the guide rail and has at its end opposite the guide member an oblique inlet edge and then has a locking recess for the guide member.

In a folding door of this type known from US-A-3 187 800, the locking element is a two-pronged fork, the prongs of which can be spread against one another in a spring-loaded manner counter to the guide element. The mutually facing inside of the two tines are designed as leading edges, which open into a common locking recess.

The locking element is to hold and release the door leaves in the open position with the guide element in the locking recess when the door leaves e.g. can be moved by hand to the closed position.

The object of the invention is to ensure, in the case of a folding door of the type mentioned at the outset, that the opened door is adequately held and can also be easily closed again.

The solution to this problem is characteristic of claim 1.

A folding door can consist of one package or two packages on either side of the door opening. A package can include an even number or an odd number of door leaves, preferably two or three door leaves. If there are an even number of door leaves, the guide element is located at the pivoting end of the outermost door leaf. In the case of an odd number of door leaves in a package, the guide element is expediently located at the pivoting end of the second outermost door leaf, and the outermost door leaf can be designed as a walkway door - which can therefore be swung open when the folding door is otherwise closed. With an odd number of door leaves, it is also possible to arrange the guide element on the outermost door leaf, but then at the end which is adjacent to the second outermost door leaf.

In another known folding door (e.g. FR-A-2 429 889), the door leaves located in the closed position are secured in the closed position by means of drive bolts. A drive bolt consists of a handle with which two bolts vertically guided in the door leaf can be pulled out of the door leaf in opposite directions at the top and bottom and retracted again. In the closed position, these two bolts are held in corresponding stationary receptacles. These locking bolts must be operated by hand to open the door and must be operated again after the door has been closed to lock the door. They require receptacles above and below the door, which must be anchored there in the masonry.

The solution to the problem stated at the beginning with respect to the closed door is the subject of claim 5. A further development is the subject of claim 6. The narrowing holds the guide roller in the closed position of the door. This bracket is additionally secured by one or more latch bolts. To open the door it is only necessary to release the latch bolts. If the door is now pushed open in a swivel joint area, tensile force is exerted on the guide element with a very favorable lever arm, which pulls this guide element out of the constriction, so that even a weak person can operate it comfortably. When the door is closed, the latch bolts fall into their bolt position automatically due to spring force and the guide element is automatically inserted into the constriction. The force for this is applied when the already largely closed door is straightened by pressing in the area of the swivel joints. As a result, thrust is also exerted for inserting the guide member into the narrowing, with a very favorable lever arm.

In a first preferred embodiment, the door leaves consist essentially of metal, namely of two cover plates which are opened on both sides of a metal strip construction, it being possible for the resulting spaces to be filled with insulating material if necessary.

According to another preferred embodiment, which is the subject of claim 9, there is a door leaf made of plastic. Such door leaves are light in weight; they are therefore easy to handle, which is particularly advantageous in the case of a passage door, and they also do not put as much strain on the holders provided as metal doors. It also proves to be advantageous that such a door leaf, if it is damaged once by a clumsily guided vehicle or the like, can easily be repaired using plastic repair materials.

The outer stop elements and inner installations required for such folding doors can be designed and attached in the plastic version in the same way as in the metal version. A design that does justice to the peculiarity of the plastic door is the subject of claim 10.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing.

• Fig. 1 eine Falttür geschlossen, von aussen gesehen,
• Fig. 2 stilisiert den Schnitt II aus Fig. 1,
• Fig. 3 die rechte Flügelgruppe aus Fig. 1 im Schnitt 111,
• Fig. 4 den Ausschnitt IV aus Fig. 3 vergrössert,
• Fig. 5 den Teilschnitt V aus Fig. 4,
• Fig. 6 den Paketriegel in der Ansicht gemäss dem Pfeil VI aus Fig. 1,
• Fig. 7 den Teilschnitt VII aus Fig. 6,
• Fig. 8 einen Teilschnitt VIII aus Fig. 1,
• Fig. 9 den Teilschnitt IX aus Fig. 8, und
• Fig. 10 den Teilschnitt einer Kunststoff-Falttür entsprechend dem Schnittpfeil X aus Fig. 1.

The drawing shows:

• 1 a folding door closed, seen from the outside,
• 2 stylized section II of FIG. 1,
• 3 shows the right wing group from FIG. 1 in section 111,
• 4 shows the detail IV from FIG. 3 enlarged,
• 5 shows the partial section V from FIG. 4,
• 6 shows the parcel bar in the view according to arrow VI from FIG. 1,
• 7 shows the partial section VII from FIG. 6,
• 8 is a partial section VIII from FIG. 1,
• Fig. 9 shows the partial section IX of Fig. 8, and
• 10 shows the partial section of a plastic folding door in accordance with the sectional arrow X from FIG. 1.

1, 1 denotes a six-leaf folding door, the left wing part 2 of which comprises the door leaves 3, 4 and 5 and the right wing part 6 of which comprises the door leaves 7 to 9. All door leaves are designed to be torsionally rigid and in swivel joints, e.g. the swivel joints 14, 16, pivotably supported about vertical axes 17, 18. The door leaves 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 are therefore only carried by the swivel joints and are neither hung on the upper edge nor supported on the lower edge. Upper and lower support rails for the door leaves are therefore not provided.

In the open position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the door leaves are folded zigzag to form two packages 20 and 21 one on top of the other. The door leaves of the package 20 lie plane-parallel to the door opening 22, while the door leaves of the package 21 lie perpendicular to the plane of the door opening 22. This can also be done the other way round or parallel or perpendicular on both sides.

A guide rail 31 extends along the upper edge of the folding door, as shown in FIG. 1, which is mounted in a stationary manner and has the shape of a "U" open at the bottom. Two guide rollers 32, 33 are guided in this guide rail. The guide roller 32 is rotatably supported about a vertical axis at the upper pivoting end of the door leaf 4 and the guide roller 33 at the upper pivoting end of the door leaf 8. The door leaf 4 and the door leaf 8 are each the outermost even-numbered door leaf of the wing part in question. An odd-numbered door leaf 5 or 7 connects to the door leaves 4 and 8 with the guide rollers. The guide rollers 32 and 33 are mounted in the vicinity of the swivel joint 16. The guide roller could therefore also be arranged at the rear upper end of the door leaves 5 and 7, but the embodiment shown is preferred because then the door leaves 5 and 7 can be swung open unhindered by the guide rollers with the door closed as a passage and which are kinematically simpler and is safer.

The guide roller 32 is placed on an axis 35 which is fastened in a bearing block 34 which in turn is fastened to the associated door leaf 4, 8, as can be seen from FIG. 5. The guide rail is attached to the anchor 41 embedded in the lintel 40 in a stationary manner. In the area in which the guide roller 32 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the guide rail 31 has a constriction 43 inside, into which the guide roller fits tightly only by overcoming resistance. In this constriction, the guide roller is clamped in the closed position and thus holds the wing part 2 in the closed position. A corresponding narrowing is also provided for the guide roller 33 in the guide rail 31 for the closed position shown in FIG. 1.

2 and 3, the guide rail follows the path of the guide roller 32 and 33 when opening. The section of the guide rail 31 provided in the wing part 2 consists of an outer arch 23 to which a rectilinear rail section 24 adjoins, which runs parallel to the closed folding door.

For the respective open position of the guide roller, which it assumes when the package 20 or 21 is completely folded, a package bar 50, 51 is provided in each case. The package bar 50 for the guide roller 32 is pivotally mounted within the guide rail about a vertical axis 52 and is directed with its one pivoting end 53 into the path of the guide roller 32. At this end 53, an inclined inlet edge 54 is provided on the outside, followed by a detent depression 55 for the axis 35 of the guide roller 32. A compression spring 56 exerts a load on the parcel bolt 51, which is arranged to urge the parcel bolt into its bolt position shown in FIG. 6, in which the axis 35 has fallen into the detent depression 55 and the axis 35 or the guide roller 32 between the detent depression and the opposite wall 57 of the guide rail 31.

In a corresponding manner, the package latch 51 is also formed on the other side, which in the open position defines the axis of the guide roller 33. The door leaves 3 and 5 or 7 to 9 are held in place in the position shown in FIG. The door leaves 5 and 7 are each in a spring-loaded catch, of which the one catch element 60 or 61 is arranged on the last even-numbered door leaf 4 or 8 and the associated counter element 62 or 63 on the last door leaf 5, 7 kept closed state.

The locking of the closed wing parts by the constrictions corresponding to the constriction 43 and the locking of the parcels when the wing parts are open by the parcel latch can be locked in by hand and can also be unlocked again by hand. To do this, the operator grasps the outer door leaves at their ends and moves the relevant wing part. As a result, it can exert force on the locking or unlocking with a very favorable lever arm corresponding to the width of the door leaves and also release a very strong, solid locking catch.

In the event that the locking of the closed folding door by the guide rollers 32, 33 and the associated constrictions is not considered sufficient, locking devices can be provided. Such locks are recommended, as indicated by the dash-dotted lines 70, 71, on the pivoting edges of the door leaves 5 and 7. You can also in the intermediate area, e.g. Provide an additional locking device on the pivoting edge of the door leaf 10, corresponding to the dash-dotted line 72.

Such a lock is designed as a latch lock 73 with a latch bolt 75 guided vertically in a door leaf 5, as drawn for the lock according to line 70 in FIG. 8. The fall lenriegel 75 can be operated from an accessible handle 76 located at hand height. It projects from the top of the door leaf 5 under the load of a compression spring 77 and can be pushed back into the door leaf by means of the handle 76 while overcoming this spring force. For this latch bolt, a stationary striking plate 78 is provided in the lintel 40, opposite the latch bolt located in the closed position of the folding door. When the folding door is closed, the latch bolt is pushed back by sliding the inclined surface 79 on the striking plate and then falls into the opening 80 of the striking plate. To open it, just move the latch bolt down briefly on the handle and the door leaf can be swiveled.

The door can be closed by a security lock 81 with a depressible lock cylinder 82 which, in the depressed state, falls with an extension piece 83 into a counterpart 84 of the latch bolt in the closed position and prevents the latch bolt from moving downward from its position shown in FIG. 8 becomes.

The closed folding door rests with a sealing lip 90 on a supporting edge of the lintel 40. Elastic sealing profiles extend along the vertical edges of the door leaves, e.g. the sealing profiles 91, 92.

If a wing part only consists of an even number of door leaves, e.g. the wing part 3 consists only of the door leaves 2 and 3, then the catch with the catch elements 60 and 62 is not provided. The latch lock 73 can then be arranged at the pivoting end of the door leaf 3 or at the adjacent end of the door leaf 4 in the vicinity of the pivot axis 18.

The folding door described so far consists essentially of metal. The door leaves consist of metal cover plates 25, 26 which are mounted on a frame made of metal strips 27, 28. The resulting gaps can be filled with plastic insulating material 29. The fittings, e.g. the swivel joints 14, 15, 16 ... and the built-in installations, e.g. the package bars 50, 51 and the stationary, external installations, such as. B. the guide rail 31 are made of metal. The sealing profiles 91, 92 and possibly parts of the guide rollers 32, 33 are made of plastic or rubber.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 10, in contrast to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 9, the door leaves, like the two door leaves 112, 113 shown, consist of plastic, and each door leaf consists of a block 101, 102 made of closed-pore hard foam. The rigid foam is preferably polyurethane. Cover plates 103 to 106 made of hard, solid plastic reinforced with mineral or glass fibers are glued or laminated on both sides of these blocks. The block 101, 102 thus replaces the supporting frame in the metal version and the cover plates 103 to 106 made of plastic replace the sheet metal cover plates in the metal version. A rectangular profile rail 122, 123 is fitted between the associated cover plates along the sealing profile 120, 121. This rectangular profile rail 122, 123 is made of plastic and has an open slot 124, 125 on the outside. The sealing professional 120, 121 is inserted into this profile rail 122, 123. A corresponding rectangular profile rail or a correspondingly dimensioned U-profile rail can also be embedded along the upper and / or lower edge and on the longitudinal edge, on which no sealing profile is provided, in order to form an edge closure, this is not absolutely necessary. The plastic profile rails are glued in.

For an outer stop element, e.g. the hinge strap 107 of the swivel joint 126, the cover plate 104 may be weak. For this reason, it is backed with a reinforcing plate 108, which is preferably made of hard plastic. This reinforcing plate extends over the entire stop surface 109 of the hinge strap 107. The screws 130, 131 for screwing on the hinge strap 107 penetrate not only the cover plate 104 but also the reinforcing plate 108. There is space for the reinforcing plate and the inward-lying parts of the screws 130, 131 , as also created for all other internals, in that a corresponding recess 110 is provided in block 101, which extends over the entire block thickness 111.

Such cutouts can be easily cut out of the block before the cover plates are laminated on, it is also possible to cut out such cutouts later after the cover plates have already been laminated on.

Claims (10)

1. Folding door, whose door leaves or members (3 to 5, 7 to 9) are constructed in torsionally stiff manner and mounted in self-supporting manner in swivel hinges (14,16) with vertical swivel pins (17, 18) and in the open position are folded in individually superimposed zig-zag-like manner to form at least one group (20, 21) with a guide member (32, 33, 35) at the top on a door member in the vicinity of the hinge- side end of the outermost, even-numbered door member, with a guide rail (31) in which the guide member is guided and which is mounted in stationary manner along the upper edges of the door members in the closed position and with a stable locking member (50, 51) releasable against spring loading for locking the group in the open position and which in the vicinity of the position occupied by the guide member with the group folded is located in the guide rail and has on its end opposite to the guide member a sloping entry edge (54) and following onto the same a stop depression (55) for the guide member, characterized in that the locking element (50, 51) is a two-armed lever, which is pivotably mounted about a vertical axis (52), that the entry edge (54) and stop depression (55) are provided externally on a lever arm facing the guide member, that a loading spring (56) is supported on the other lever arm and urges the locking element into its locking position, in which the guide member in the open position of the group has dropped into the stop depression and is detachably secured between the stop depression and the facing wall of the guide rail and that one or more end stops (70, 71) are provided on the door members and associated fixing counterpieces (78) for locking the door in the closed position.

2. Folding door according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide member (32, 33, 35) is located on the pivoting end of the last even-numbered door member (4, 5 and 7, 8).

3. Folding door according to claim 1, characterized in that an uneven-numbered door member (7, 8) following onto the last even-numbered door member (4, 5) can be locked on group (20, 21) by a springloaded locking means (60-63), whereof a locking element (60,61) is located on the last even-numbered door member (4, 5) and the counterelement (62, 63) on the last door member (7, 8).

4. Folding door according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide rail (31) extends in a bow (23) from the open position of the guide member (32, 35) and following onto the same as a straight rail portion (24) and that the straight rail portion extends parallel to the upper edge (30) of the door members (3 to 5 and 7 to 9) in the closed position.

5. Folding door according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that there is a constriction (43) for the path of the guide member (33, 35) within guide rail (31) and in which the guide member only tightly fits after overcoming a resistance and thatthe said constriction is located in the vicinity of the closed position of the guide member assumed by the latter when the folding door is closed.

6. Folding door according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the end stop is constituted by a falling lock (73) with a falling latch (75) vertically guided in a door member (3, 7, 9) and which is operable by a handle (76) located at hand height and which projects out of the door member at the top under spring loading (77) and can be returned into the door member after overcoming said spring loading and that for said falling latch is provided a stationary closing plate (78) opposite the falling latch in the closed position which it occupies when the folding door is closed.

7. Folding door according to claim 6, characterized in that the falling lock (73) is positioned on the pivoting end of the last odd-numbered door member (3,7,9).

8. Folding door according to claims 3 and 7, characterized in that a manually operably safety lock (81) is provided with which the falling latch (75) can be secured in its closed position.

9. Folding door according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a door member (112, 113) has a block (101, 102) of closed-cell rigid foam, preferably polyurethane and that cover plates (103 to 106) made from rigid, solid plastic reinforced with mineral or glass fibres are surface-bonded on either side onto the block.

10. Folding door according to claim 9, characterized in that the cover plate (104) is backed with a rigid plastic reinforcing plate (108) for an externally fixed hinge plate (107) or similar fitting and that the reinforcing plate extends over the entire stop face (109) of the fitting and that for the built-in parts (108) recesses (110) are provided in block (101) and extend over the entire thickness (111) of said block.

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