EP0179002A1 - Automatic closing and opening device for pivoting doors - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a device ensuring automatic closure of pivoting doors and for holding them in open position. The device includes a fixed box mounted on the door (or frame) and supporting a pivoting arm subjected to the action of a return element. A fixed slide rail is mounted on the frame and a connecting element is positioned between the pivoting arm and the slide rail. The connection between the pivoting arm and the slide rail is obtained by way of a sliding rod, retractable inside the arm. The rod is adapted to be blocked automatically when it projects from the arm by a determined length corresponding to a given degree of opening of the door.

Description

The present invention relates to an improved device for ensuring the automatic closing of pivoting doors as well as their maintenance in the open position.

In the following description, the invention will be described for a device intended to ensure the automatic closing of a door, the opening of which is carried out manually, but it is obvious that this is not limiting and that such a device could optionally be motorized to also ensure automatic opening.

The most common device for automatic closing of a pivoting door is essentially constituted by a two-arm compass system, one being pivotally mounted on a box fixed to the door (or the frame), the axis of rotation being subjected to the action of a return means (spring system) and the end of the other branch being fixed, also pivotally, on the frame (or the door). If such a device ensures automatic closing of the door, it does however have a number of drawbacks. Indeed, given its design, the compass works on 90 °, which leads to the creation of a large torque causing, in the long run, wear of the axes of rotation and even even tearing of the fasteners. In addition, it creates hard spots during opening and, in general, it does not allow the door to be locked in the open position, blocking which, in general, must be achieved by means of an additional element. operated, for example at the foot.

Various solutions have been proposed for overcome these disadvantages.

Among these solutions, mention may be made of those which are the subject of the French patent application published under No. 2,540,545 and which relates to a device making it possible to automatically control the opening of pivoting doors.

• - un mécanisme proprement dit de pivotement ;
• - un bras susceptible d'être fixé par l'une des extrémités au mécanisme d'entraînement en rotation de sorte qu'il puisse pivoter dans un plan ;
• - un coulisseau monté pivotant à l'autre extrémité du bras et,
• - un mécanisme de guidage susceptible d'être fixé à la porte et au châssis supportant ladite porte afin de guider le coulisseau dans une direction parallèle au plan.

Such a device includes:

• - an actual pivoting mechanism;
• - An arm capable of being fixed by one of the ends to the rotary drive mechanism so that it can pivot in a plane;
• - a slide mounted pivoting at the other end of the arm and,
• - A guide mechanism capable of being fixed to the door and to the frame supporting said door in order to guide the slide in a direction parallel to the plane.

In addition to the fact that this solution is complex and costly to carry out, it also has the drawback of not being able to allow blocking in the open position of the door. It also has other additional drawbacks such as the impossibility of operating it manually, a still high torque due to the presence of a compass as well as a high resistance to opening.

Now we have found and this is what is the subject of the present invention, an improved device which overcomes the drawbacks of previous solutions, device which not only allows the blocking in the open position of the door, but also practically does not create resistance to opening and virtually eliminates any risk of tearing of the fasteners and wear of the pivot pins. In addition, the device according to the invention has a very small footprint and can be adapted to any type of door.

• - un boitier fixe, monté sur la porte (ou le châssis) et supportant un bras pivotant soumis à l'action d'un élément de rappel ;
• - une glissière fixe montée sur le châssis (ou sur la porte) ;
• - un élément de liaison entre le bras pivotant et la glissière, et il se caractérise par le fait que la liaison entre le bras pivotant et la glissière est obtenue au moyen d'une tige coulissante, escamotable à l'intérieur du bras, ladite tige pouvant être bloquée automatiquement lorsqu'elle dépasse dudit bras d'une longueur déterminée correspondant à un degré donné d'ouverture de la porte.

In general, the invention therefore relates to a device for ensuring the automatic closing of pivoting doors, said device comprising:

• - a fixed box, mounted on the door (or the chassis) and supporting a pivoting arm subjected to the action of a return element;
• - a fixed slide mounted on the frame (or on the door);
• - A connecting element between the swivel arm and the slide, and it is characterized in that the connection between the swivel arm and the slide is obtained by means of a sliding rod, retractable inside the arm, said rod can be automatically blocked when it protrudes from said arm by a determined length corresponding to a given degree of opening of the door.

Such a device thus comprises in its operation two degrees of freedom.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the return of the pivoting arm allowing the automatic closing of the door is obtained by means of a rack system controlled by a compressed (or stretched) spring during pivoting of the door.

• - la figure 1 est une vue schématique en perspective montrant la structure et le fonctionnement d'un dispositif conforme à l'invention ;
• - la figure 2 est une vue de détail, également en perspective, montrant plus spécialement la manière dont peut être réalisé le rappel du bras pivotant
• - les figures 3 à 8 sont des vues de détail montrant plus particulièrement la manière dont est réalisé le bras pivotant, la glissière, et la tige escamotable reliant ce bras pivotant à ladite glissière.

The invention and the advantages which it brings will however be better understood thanks to the embodiment given below by way of indication but not limitation and which is illustrated by the appended diagrams in which:

• - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure and operation of a device according to the invention;
• - Figure 2 is a detail view, also in perspective, showing more specifically the manner in which the return of the swivel arm can be carried out
• - Figures 3 to 8 are detail views showing more particularly how the pivoting arm is made, the slide, and the retractable rod connecting this pivoting arm to said slide.

If we refer to the attached diagrams, the device according to the invention consists essentially of a fixed box (1) mounted on the door (2) at its upper part. This case (1) supports a pivoting arm (3), subjected to the action of a return element and which is normally, when the door is closed, maintained in the superimposed position with the case (1). A slide (4) is, for its part, fixed to the frame (5) of the door.

According to the invention, the connection between the slide (4) and the pivoting arm (3) is obtained by means of a sliding rod (6) retractable inside the arm (3). It should be noted that the arm (3) is designed so that when the door is closed, it can come to fit around the periphery of the slide (4). As can be seen more particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rod (6) is mounted in the slide (4) by means of rollers (7,8) mounted at the end of a return (9) provided at the end of the rod (6). Such an assembly therefore allows the angular pivoting of said rod (6) relative to the slide (4).

In order to be able to maintain the door in the open position, the rod (6) and the pivoting arm (3) include means making it possible to automatically lock said rod (6) in position. These means are, in this case, constituted (see Figures 3 and 7) by a ball system (10) which can be embedded in grooves (11,12) provided in the rod (6). These balls (10) are subjected to the action of a spring (13) which tends to keep them pressed against the periphery of the rod (6). When the door is open, these balls provide immobilization coming to be embedded in one or other of the grooves (11,12), the release can be easily achieved by simple additional push on the door.

Furthermore, the slide (4) has, at each of its ends, stop stops. These stops can be constituted by simple screws.

The control of the return of the pivoting arm (3) and consequently the automatic closing of the door is carried out as follows. The arm (3) is pivotally mounted on the frame (1) by means of a pin (16). Inside the housing (1), is disposed an assembly acting on said axis (16) and which makes it possible to maintain the arm (3) and the housing (1) normally superimposed on each other. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the assembly for the return of the arm (3) consists of a rack (17) slidably mounted in a fixed body (18) and subjected to the action of 'a spring (19). This rack (17) engages with a pinion (20) mounted on the axis (16). The spring (19) normally tends to keep the rack (17) in the pushed-back position and, consequently, to return the arm (3) superimposed on the body (1) and to keep the door in the closed position.

During the opening, the rotation of the axis (16) causes the displacement of the rack (17) and, consequently the compression of the spring (19). Consequently, when the door is released, the spring (19) automatically pushes the rack (17), causes the rotation of the axis (16) and the return of the arm (3).

Such a particularly simple design device, easy to assemble and install, requires for its operation a very low torque and, consequently, practically eliminates any risk of tearing in the long run.

In addition, when opening, there are no hard spots and the closing is done, meanwhile, smoothly and smoothly. Of course, the mounting of such a device can be reversed, that is to say that the body (1) can be fixed to the chassis, the slide (4) being then fixed in turn to the upper part of the door (2). Furthermore, such a device can be easily adapted to ensure not only the automatic closing of the door but also its opening. Thus, it could be envisaged to associate with the rack system making it possible to control the rotation of the pivot axis of the arm with an electric motor controlling return gears and actuated automatically.

Claims (3)

1 / Device for automatically closing pivoting doors and keeping them in the open position and said device comprising: - a fixed box (1) mounted on the door (2) (or the chassis) and supporting a pivoting arm (3) subjected to the action of a return element; - a fixed slide (4) mounted on the chassis (5) - a connecting element between the pivoting arm (3) and the slide (4), characterized in that the connection between the pivoting arm (3) and the slide (4) is obtained by means of a sliding rod (6 ), retractable inside the arm (3), said rod (6) being able to be locked automatically when it protrudes from said arm by a determined length corresponding to a given degree of opening of the door. 2 / Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the return of the pivoting arm (3) is obtained by means of a rack system (17,20) controlled by a spring (19) compressed (or stretched) when the door swings. 3 / Device according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the means for automatically locking in position the rod (6) consist of a ball system (10) which can be embedded in grooves (11 , 12) provided in the rod (6), these balls being subjected to the action of a spring (13) which tends to keep them pressed against the periphery of the rod (6).

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