EP0443952B2 - Sliding door, especially for railway carriages - Google Patents

Abstract

A leaf (8) can move between an open position and a closed position relative to an opening (3, 4, 6, 7). In the closed position, a front edge (12) of the leaf is engaged in a groove (11) of the front edge (3) of the opening. At the beginning of the opening procedure, a thrustor (24) pivots two arms (18a, 18b), the ends of which slide in grooves (21a and 21b) of the leaf, toward the outside of the opening. This disengages the rear edge of the leaf relative to the rear edge (4) of the opening. Then, a thrustor displaces a carriage (39) along a slideway (38), while, by way of a roller (47) following a track (51), an arm (41) articulated to the carriage (39) and to the leaf (8) disengages the front edge (12) in a controlled manner relative to the plane of the opening. The arm (41) drives the leaf (8 ) toward the rear, while the leaf (8) pivots slightly and slides relative to the axis (19a) defined by the ends of the two rear arms (18a and 18b). The lower rear arm (18b) sustains in compression the reaction force of the pivoting of the leaf about the axis of the cylindrical slideway (38). The reaction force to the tilting of the leaf (8) about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the opening is provided by the slideway (38) via the joints of the arm (41).

Description

The present invention relates to a leaf door sliding and swaying, in particular for vehicles and in particular for railway vehicles.

The present invention applies in particular at doors whose leaf must fit into the bay to be closed when in the closed position. These doors and their guiding and operating device motorized vehicles pose complex reliability problems, precision, wear resistance, size, of weight and cost.

It is particularly desired that the guide device and motorized operation does not exceed, in the direction of the width of the bay, a size which or of the order of magnitude of said width. We wish in particular avoid the slides on the outside of the vehicle body. We wish however, in the open position, the leaf releases almost all of the bay.

Systems have been proposed in which a load-bearing slide allowing the leaf to slide relative to the bay is also transversely movable to the bay thanks to arms to ensure the leaf insertion and extraction movement by relative to the bay at the end of the closing movement and at the start of the opening movement respectively. The slide sleeps be very robust to support the weight of the leaf which is cantilevered backward when in the open position. The slide is therefore heavy, the weight supported by the arm during insertion and extraction is therefore important, and the device is heavy and expensive. In addition, the slide necessarily has a limited length for ability to reinsert into bay when leaf ends its closing stroke. This limits the race of the slide to such an extent that it is generally necessary to double the slide, that is to say to realize a two-stage telescopic slide so that the leaf leaves the bay sufficiently clear when it is in open position. This further weighs down the slide, and further aggravates the problems mentioned above. In addition, whether the slide comes out on a single floor or two telescopic stages, arms ensuring movement leaf insertion and extraction, which can be plunger systems or rods parallels forming with the slide and with the frame of the bay a deformable parallelogram, does not not allow to give the leaf certain trajectories particular desirable in practice, such as the so-called "swaying" trajectory since the leaf always remains parallel to itself.

The document DE-A-32.31.181 relates to a leaf suspension device which comprises two articulated arms for controlling the lateral movement of the leaf.

Document DE-A-31.23.789 relates to a door, the leaf of which is carried with the interposition of a connecting member by a carrier element such as a carriage which is movable without being able to turn on a guide. The connecting member can pivot around a vertical axis on the carrier element and on the leaf so that the latter performs an additional movement horizontal and parallel to the opening.

To ensure the so-called "wiggling" trajectory, we knows from FR-A- 2 621 879 a device comprising means for selective spacing between the leaf and the rear edge of the bay, i.e. the edge towards which the leaf moves during its opening movement. The spacing means selective are associated with two driving pinions coaxial meshes with two racks one extending along the upper edge and the other the along the lower edge of the leaf. The spacing means are also associated with a roller which supports the weight of the leaf near its edge upper and rollers which position laterally the leaf in the vicinity of its upper edges and lower. The leaf carries in the vicinity of its edge before (relative to the direction of closing) i.e. its edge distant from the selective spacing means when in the closed position, a roller upper and lower roller following tracks in solidarity with the framing of the bay and contribute thus to the lateral positioning of the leaf. These tracks define the path of the front edge of the leaf, in especially in the vicinity of the closed position. The trajectory of the rear edge of the leaf in the vicinity of the closed position is defined by the means selective spacing. The leaf can therefore take oblique positions in relation to the bay plan. The leaf is prevented from tilting around perpendicular axes in the bay plan because the two gables are rigidly coupled with each other.

This device responds in theory to most requirements. However, it remains expensive, relatively complex, and relatively bulky all along the rear edge of the bay. This device also the disadvantage of requiring racks on the inside of the leaf.

The object of the invention is thus to propose a sliding door with simple structure, robust, relatively light, compact, allows a large sliding stroke, and leaves significant freedom of choice with regard to the respective paths of the front and rear edges of the leaf.

The invention is defined in the claims.

The sliding leaf door, in particular for vehicles, especially vehicles rail, the leaf having a front edge and a trailing edge relative to movement from a open position to a closed position in which the leaf is inserted in a bay and the front and rear edges of the leaf are respectively adjacent to the front and rear edges of the bay, comprising means for selective spacing between the leaf and the rear edge of the bay, means of guiding the front edge of the leaf, and the driving means to move the leaf between the open positions and closing. Means for guiding the front edge of the leaf include a carriage slidably mounted on a slide along the bay, one arm hinged to the leaf and to the carriage along two distinct axes substantially vertical, the arm being movable between an insertion position from the front edge of the leaf in which said arm is directed forward from the carriage relatively in the closing direction and an extraction position from the front edge of the leaf, in which it is directed transverse to the bay plan, outwards of it.

Thus, the slide no longer undergoes movements insertion and extraction, and its length is no longer strictly limited to the width of the bay. The race of the carriage along the slide can therefore be relatively important even if the support length of the carriage on the slide is itself relatively large. The arm has two essential functions following: it determines the distance beyond the edge front of the leaf and the bay plan; and it increases the leaf displacement stroke relative to the slide stroke of the carriage. When the arm pivots relative to the carriage from its position inserting the front edge of the leaf, in which it is directed forward, towards its extraction position from the front edge of the leaf, in which it is transverse in the bay plan, it moves the leaf backwards, i.e. towards the open position, relative to the cart. Unlike the state arms of the technique, the arm according to the invention supports a leaf relatively light since not directly coupled at the slide. The carriage and the arm, although mechanically simple, can be designed sufficiently robust to support largely, or even in full, the gravity force of the leaf and some the resulting tilting torques. In these conditions, the means of selective spacing between the leaf and the rear edge of the bay can be considerably simplified and lightened. Preferably, motor means are means of movement of the carriage along the slide, which is relatively simple to perform and removes all rack and pinion system known from FR-A- 2 621 879.

The device according to the invention is particularly compact. It allows however, as well as the FR-A-2 621 879, great freedom of choice of trajectory of the leaf since the insertion movement and of the rear edge of the leaf is defined by the means of selective spacing while the movement inserting and extracting the front edge of the leaf is defined by the articulated arm to the carriage.

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge further from the description below relating to a nonlimiting example.

• la figure 1 est une vue de dessus, avec coupes partielles et arrachement, de la porte selon l'invention, le vantail étant en position de fermeture;
• la figure 2 est une vue selon le plan II-II de la figure 1, du sommet de la porte de la figure 1;
• les figures 3 et 4 sont des vues partielles en coupe selon les lignes III-III et respectivement IV-IV de la figure 1, le vantail étant en position d'ouverture ; et
• les figures 5 à 9 sont des vues en perspective de la porte selon l'invention, depuis l'intérieur du véhicule, à cinq stades successifs du mouvement d'ouverture du vantail, dans une représentation qui est simplifiée et comporte, dans un but de clarté fonctionnelle, des détails modifiés par rapport aux figures 1 à 4.

In the accompanying drawings:

• Figure 1 is a top view, with partial sections and cutaway, of the door according to the invention, the leaf being in the closed position;
• Figure 2 is a view along the plane II-II of Figure 1, from the top of the door of Figure 1;
• Figures 3 and 4 are partial sectional views along lines III-III and respectively IV-IV of Figure 1, the leaf being in the open position; and
• FIGS. 5 to 9 are perspective views of the door according to the invention, from inside the vehicle, at five successive stages of the leaf opening movement, in a representation which is simplified and includes, for the purpose of functional clarity, details modified from Figures 1 to 4.

In the example shown in the figures, the door according to the invention comprises a frame including two uprights verticals 1 and 2 are visible in figures 1 and 2. This frame defines a substantially rectangular opening having a front vertical edge 3 along the upright 1, a rear vertical edge 4 along the upright 2 and an upper horizontal edge 6 (FIGS. 2 to 4), thus only a lower horizontal edge 7 which is only visible than in Figures 5 and following, in phantom. The Bay 3, 4, 6, 7 can be closed selectively by a leaf 8 of corresponding shape. In the closed position, shown in Figures 1 and 2 and 5, the leaf 8 fits into bay 3, 4, 6, 7, i.e. the surface leaf 8 is substantially in the extension of the exterior surface 9 of the bodywork of the vehicle.

In addition, the front edge 3 of the bay has a groove 11 in which, when the leaf 8 is closed, is engaged a front edge 12 of the leaf 8, so to be carried out between leaf 8 and the upright 1 a mechanical connection capable of resisting efforts transverse which can be exerted on the leaf in due to pressure variations occurring in particular when passing through tunnels. This connection by groove and rib has the advantage of being less expensive than a lock system. Along the edge rear 4, on the other hand, for the same purpose of mechanical resistance, provide a lock system not shown.

From the leaf 8 closed position, shown schematically in Figure 5, to make pass the leaf in the open position, first put it in a position of dislocation (arrow F1 in Figure 6), in which its edge rear 10 is clear of the rear edge 4 of the bay while that its front edge 12 is still engaged in groove 11, then subject the leaf to a movement backward (arrow F2 in Figure 7) to clear its front edge 12 of the groove 11, then continue this backward movement while spreading the edge front 12 of the leaf towards the outside of the bay (arrow F3 in Figure 8), i.e. towards the outside of the vehicle relative to the PP plan (figure 1) of the bay, after which the leaf slides substantially parallel PP plane to the open position complete (Figure 9).

Thus, in the situation shown in Figures 6 and 7, to a lesser degree, in that shown in FIG. 7, the leaf is oblique with respect to the plane PP, while it is located in this plane or parallel to this plan in the situations represented in the figures 5 and 9.

To guide the leaf along this path complex, the door includes spacing means selective between the rear edge 4 of the bay and the leaf 8.

These means include a shaft 16 which is rotatably supported by bearings 17 fixed to the face interior of the vehicle body so that the shaft 16 extends along the rear edge 4 of the bay, that is to say substantially vertically, inside of the vehicle relative to the PP plan of the bay, and slightly beyond edge 4 so as not to clutter the Bay.

On the shaft 16 are fixed an upper rear arm 18a and a lower rear arm 18b (see also figure 4) which from the shaft 16 are bent outward from the vehicle to an end fitted with a roller 19 engaged in a groove 21a and respectively 21b formed in the inner face of the leaf 8. The two rollers 19 have a common axis 19a which is parallel to the axis of rotation of the shaft 16 as defined by the bearings 17, and perpendicular to the planes of the trajectories of the different points of the leaf (the plane of the figure 1 is one of these planes) when the leaf moves between its open and closed positions. The two grooves 21a and 21b are rectilinear, parallel to each other and parallel to said planes of the trajectories.

The slides 21a and 21b respectively open up and down respectively and have each an outer flat face and a flat face interior between which the roller 19 circulates with a sufficient clearance to avoid jamming. So the two angled levers 18a and 18b, which are in position identical angular around the shaft 16, position laterally the axis 19a with respect to which the leaf 8 can have a combined sliding motion and pivot.

To the shaft 16 is further fixed a lever 23 whose end free is articulated at the outer end of the rod 24a of a jack 24 for controlling the pivoting of the shaft 16 around its axis. The body of the jack 24 is articulated to a bracket 26 fixed to the inner face of the vehicle body above the bay.

The lever 23 is movable under the action of the jack 24 between the position shown in Figure 1, when the leaf 8 is in the closed position, and a position 23a, shown in phantom in Figure 1, in which a stop 27 integral with the lever 23 is located in a position 27a bearing against the inner face of the vehicle body. This lever position 23 corresponds to the edge dislocation position rear 4 of the leaf (figure 6), then it is kept in the continuation of the leaf opening movement.

We also see in Figure 4 the lever 23 and the stop 27 which are in the position designated by 23e and 27a in FIG. 1, the jack 24 not being shown in Figure 4, for clarity of the latter.

A bistability lever is still attached to the shaft 16 28 (Figure 1) whose end opposite the shaft 16 is articulated to an elastic compression device 29 of the plunger type, the other end of which is itself articulated to a support 31 secured to the body of the vehicle. Line of action 32 of the elastic compression 29 goes from one summer to another from the axis of the shaft 16 when the lever 23 passes from its position shown in solid lines in Figure 1 at its position 23a shown in phantom in Figure 1. By therefore, in the position shown in lines full, arms 18a and 18b pull leaf 8 inward of the vehicle under the action of the elastic compression 29 without the actuator 24 needing to be fed. This produces support between a face seal 33 carried by the leaf 8 on its inner face along its rear edge 10 and a step 34 presented by the vehicle body along the rear edge 4 of the bay towards the outside of the vehicle.

Similarly, when the lever 23 is in the position 23a (Figure 1), the elastic compression device 29 supports the stop 27 in its position 27a against the inside of the vehicle body and stabilizes thus arms 18a and 18b in their corresponding position at the dislocation of the rear edge of the leaf relatively PP plan of the bay. For this, once still, it is not necessary that the jack 24 is supplied. During operation, it is therefore sufficient to supply cylinder 24 in short periods of time where the levers 18a and 18b must change position. The cylinder 24 is double acting to ensure both directions movement of levers 18a and 18b.

In the vicinity of the rear edge of leaf 8, the slides 21a and 21b are terminated by a stop 36 which strikes the rollers 19 when, during the movement leaf 8 closing, it is approaching from the position shown in Figure 6 from the one shown in figure 7. This collision produced on arms 18a and 18b a couple initiating their rotation towards the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 1.

The door according to the invention further comprises at neighborhood of the front edge 3 of the bay, in the region upper part of it, a support 37 which faces the support 31 already cited. The supports 31 and 37 support rigidly between them a slide 38 formed by a tube with cylindrical outer surface whose axis is designated by 38a.

A sleeve-shaped carriage 39 is mounted sliding on the slide 38. An arm 41 is articulated had carriage 39 along an axis 42 and at leaf 8 along a axis 43. Axes 42 and 43 are parallel to each other and perpendicular them planes of the trajectories (in particular in the plan of figure 1). Axes 42 and 43 are spaced from each other, axis 43 being spaced from the plane PP towards the interior of the vehicle and offset longitudinally beyond the front edge 3 of the bay thanks to a console 44 fixed to the leaf 8.

When leaf 8 is in the closed position, the arm 41 and more particularly its plane 46 containing axes 42 and 43 is directed forward, relatively in the leaf closing direction, from axis 42 towards axis 43. In the example shown, this orientation forward is oblique.

The axial length of the carriage 39 is for example 250 mm, the outer diameter of the slide 38 being 50 mm. Thus, the slide 38 has excellent rigidity with respect to bending and coaxiality between the carriage 39 and slide 38 is excellent even if tilting torques are exerted on the carriage 39 around axes perpendicular to the axis of the slide 38. The arm 41 as well as the joints 42 and 43 are made robust, the joints having in particular an axial dimension and a journal diameter Relatively large D of the order of 25 mm. Given all of these dimensional peculiarities, leaf 8 is, with good precision, immobilized relative to the slide 38 to regard for any rotation about a perpendicular axis PP plan of the bay. In other words, the bond provided between the slide 38 and the leaf 8 by the carriage 39 and arm 41 is the only one which prevents the leaf 8 to pivot in its own plane. In particular, the rollers 19 and more generally the bent arms 18a, 18b are not mounted to oppose a reaction against such unwanted rotation.

By cons, the carriage 39 is mounted free to rotate on the slide 38 around the axis 38a of the slide 38. In the connection between leaf 8 and the slide 38, the rotation between the carriage 39 and the slide 38 around the axis 38a of the latter is the only rotation possible around an axis parallel to the slide 38. In other words, the leaf 8 is integral with the carriage 39 with respect to rotations around any axis parallel to the axis 38a of the slide 38. Nevertheless, given the freedom of rotation between the carriage 39 and the slide 38 around the axis of the slide 38, another means of positioning is necessary to position the leaf 8 around the axis 38a of the slide 38. This positioning means consists by the roller 19 of the bent arm 18b against which is supported, at a distance below the axis 38a and according to a direction transverse to the plane PP, the plane surface outside of the groove 21b (FIG. 4). This support is caused by the weight of the leaf and more precisely by the moment of this weight around the axis 38a of slide 38, a moment which is balanced by the moment, around the same axis, from the reaction of the roller 19 against the flat surface 22 of the groove 21b.

The arm 41 guides the front edge 12 of the leaf 8 during opening and closing movements of the last. To this end, the arm 41 carries to distance from axes 42 and 43 a track follower 47 whose axis 48 is parallel to axes 42 and 43. The plane 49 containing axes 42 and 48 is directed towards the front (relative to the leaf closing direction) and towards the interior of the vehicle when the arm 41 is in insertion position of the edge of leaf 8 in the opening. The roller 47 is engaged in a track 51 which is fixed on the one hand to the support 37 and on the other hand to the gallows 26 as well as various intermediate gallows such than 52 (other gallows similar to 52 are not represented because they are located in the part of the device which is cut away in Figure 1). The fixing of track 51 at brackets 26 and 52 is made by screw passing through elongated lights 53 allowing precise adjustment of the position during assembly.

Track 51 is a U-shaped rail comprising two vertical and opposite interior faces 54 between which is the roller 47 with a certain play sliding.

Runway 51 includes a neighboring region 51a before from the front edge 3 of the opening and extending substantially parallel to the PP plan, an intermediate region 51b which is oblique to the PP plane and connects the front region 51a with a rear region 51c which is parallel to the PP plane and closer to the plane PP than the region before 51a. The transition between the region before 51a and the intermediate region 51b is done by a curve 51d whose concavity is turned towards outside of the vehicle. A 51st curve whose concavity is facing the interior of the vehicle transition between the intermediate region 51b and the region rear 51c. The axis 51f of the slide 51 is located in a plane perpendicular to axes 42, 43 and 48.

Thus, when the carriage 39 moves along its slide 38, the track 51 causes, depending on the position of the carriage along the slide, a movement of the roller 47 with respect to the axis 42 and by therefore, a rotation of the arm 41 between the position insertion of the front edge 12 of the leaf 8 into the opening, shown in Figure 1, and an extraction position from the front edge 12 of the leaf 8 relative to the opening towards the outside of the vehicle, as shown in Figure 9. Figure 8 shows an intermediate position between the two aforementioned extreme positions.

The distance between axes 42 and 48 is approximately equal to half the distance between axes 42 and 43 of the arm 41, so that the movement of the roller 47 with respect to the articulation axis 42 have the consequence amplified movements of the articulation axis 43 around the axis of articulation 42. We reduce thus the overall dimensions of the device according to the direction transverse to the PP plane.

A motor means consisting of a rodless cylinder 56 is mounted between the supports 31 and 37 and is immobilized between these. A rodless cylinder is a device known to produce movement by displacement a slider 57 along a longitudinal slit (not shown) extend all along a body 58 of the cylinder. The slider 57 of the rodless cylinder 56 is coupled rigidly to the carriage 39 by a plate 59.

We will now describe with reference to the figures 5 to 9 the operation of the door according to the invention.

When the leaf is closed, the situation is that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5. The arm 41 is inclined forward in front edge insertion position of the leaf, the carriage 39 is at the front end of the slide 38, the plane passing through the axis of the shaft 16 and by the common axis 19a of the two rollers 19 is inclined forward, the bi-stable means 28, 29 apply the seal 33 of the rear edge of the leaf against the shoulder 34 from the rear edge 4 of the opening, and the jack 24 is not powered. If necessary, a lock completes the action of the bi-stable device 28, 29 for keep the rear edge of the leaf in the PP plane. The front edge of the leaf does not require any device particular for this purpose since it is engaged in the groove 11 from the front edge 3 of the bay.

To open the leaf, after having released the any locks, we start by supplying the cylinder 24 in the direction of contraction to rotate arms 18a and 18b towards the outside of the vehicle to their position of extraction of the rear edge of the vehicle, shown in Figure 6. During this movement, a hard point must be crossed by the jack 24 when the bi-stable device 28, 29 is in state of maximum compression then, in the following movement, the bi-stable device helps the jack 24. In the concrete example shown in Figure 1, the cylinder 24 is arranged forward relative to the lever 23 that it operates, and the lever arm from which the cylinder 24 to act on the shaft 16 becomes zero when the leaf approaches the total extraction position of the rear edge. In Figures 5 to 9, for reasons of clarity, the cylinder was placed on the other side of the arm 23, so that the jack 24 must be actuated when extended to cause dislocation of the rear edge.

Then, as shown in Figure 7 by a arrow F4, the carriage 39 is set in motion along of the slide 38 by the motor means (not shown in this figure). At first, the pebble track follower 47 travels the region before 51a of the slide 51 so that the arm 41 remains substantially stationary relative to the carriage 39 and that the edge forward 12 moves backward substantially in the plane PP according to arrow F2, and thus emerges from the groove 11 of the front edge 3 of the opening. Otherwise, the leaf 8 and more particularly its slides 21a and 21b slide relative to the axis 19a of the two rollers 19, which forms a positioning axis. Arms 18a and 18b remain stationary. To simplify, to Figures 7 and following, the bi-stable device, which will change more state compared to the represented situation in Figure 6 is not shown.

As shown in Figure 8, while the carriage 39 continues to run along the slide 38 along arrow F4, the track follower roller 47 travels the region 51b of the slide 51 so that the arm 41 begins to pivot around the axis 42 with respect to to the carriage 39 which dislodges the front edge 12 of the leaf 8 towards the outside of the vehicle relative to the PP plan.

The carriage 39 still continuing its travel on along the slide 38 (FIG. 9), the roller 47 travels the region 51c of the slide 51 so that the arm 41 takes around its axis 42 relative to the carriage 39 an orientation of maximum dislocation of the edge front 12 of the leaf 8. The leaf 8 is then substantially parallel to the PP plane, but offset towards the outside of the opening relative to the latter to slide along the outside of the body, without contact with the latter.

Reverse operations bring back the leaf in the closed position.

In the closed position (figure 5) the leaf undergoes a certain centering effect on the part of the periphery of the Bay. But apart from that, and especially in all positions other than those near the fully closed position, the leaf is not positioned only by its articulation on the arm 41 and by its articulation with arms 18a and 18b sliding around of the common axis 19a of the rollers 19 carried by these.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the example described and shown. The means of control of the orientation of the arm 41 could be different, it could be for example a cylinder.

The means of moving the carriage along the slide can be a device other than a jack without rod, for example a screw-nut system. We might even imagine that the motor means act directly on the leaf.

Claims (12)

1. A door, more particularly for a rail vehicle, comprising a leaf (8) sliding and tacking from an open position to a closed position in which a front edge (12) of the leaf (8) is inserted into a recess (3, 4, 6, 7) extending along a plane (PP) and engaged along such plane (PP) into a groove of a front edge (3) of the recess, while a rear edge (10) of the leaf is adjacent to the rear edge (4) of the recess and kept resting towards the inside of the vehicle;

   the door comprising means for guiding (38, 39, 41, 47, 51) the front edge (12) of the leaf, selective spacing means (16, 18a, 18b, 19, 23, 24) for spacing the rear edge (10) of the leaf relative to the rear edge (4) of the recess and driving means (24, 29, 56) for moving the leaf (8) between the open and the closed positions;
      characterised in that the guiding means (38, 39, 41, 47, 51) comprise a carriage (39) mounted for sliding on and along a slideway (38) parallel to the plane (PP);

   and an arm (41) connecting the leaf (8) and the carriage (39) along two distinct substantially vertical rotation axes (42, 43), the arm being movable between a position for engaging the front edge (12) of the leaf (8) where it extends towards the front edge (3) of the recess and a position for extracting the same where the arm extends transversely to the plane (PP);

   the driving means (24, 29, 56) including, on the one hand, means for moving (56) the leaf (8) along the plane (PP) via its front edge (12) ; and

   on the other hand, distinct means (24, 29) for moving and keeping the rear edge (10) resting transversely to the plane (PP), via the selective spacing means (16, 18a, 18b, 19, 23, 24).
2. A door according to claim 1, characterised in that the means for guiding the front edge of the leaf comprise means (47, 51) for moving the arm between the position for inserting the front edge and the position for extracting the front edge.
3. A door according to claim 2, characterised in that the means for moving the arm are sensitive to the position of the carriage (39) along the slideway (38).
4. A door according to claim 3, characterised in that the means for moving the arms comprise a sectional track (51) and a track follower (47) connected to the arm (41) and spaced apart from the axis (42) along which the arm (41) is pivoted to the carriage (39), and mounted so as to follow the contour of the track (51) when the carriage (39) travels along the slideway (38).
5. A door according to claim 4, characterised in that the track follower (47) is less far from the axis (42) between the carriage (39) and the arm (41) than the axis (43) between the arm (41) and the leaf (8).
6. A door according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the driving means (56) are means for moving the carriage (39) along the slideway (38).
7. A door according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the arm (41), the carriage (39) and the articulations of the arm (41) to the leaf (8) and the carriage (39) subject the slideway (38) to practically the entire stress for holding the leaf (8) motionless relative to rotation around an axis perpendicular to the plane (PP) of the recess.
8. A door according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the connection between the leaf (8) and the frame (2, 3) of the recess via the carriage (39), the arm (41) and the slideway (38) has one degree of freedom in rotation around a single axis (38a) substantially parallel to the slideway (38), rotation of the leaf (8) around the axis being prevented by a bearing means (18b, 19) which subjects the leaf to a force of reaction in a direction transversely to the plane (PP) of the recess at a distance from the axis (38a) substantially parallel to the slideway (38).
9. A door according to claim 8, characterised in that the axis substantially parallel to the slideway is an axis (38a) of the slideway (38), the carriage (39) being mounted so that it can rotate freely relative to the slideway (38) around the axis (38a) of the slideway.
10. A door according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the bearing means (18b, 19) comprise at least a part of the selective spacing means (16, 18a, 18b, 19, 23, 24) between the leaf (8) and the front edge (4) of the recess.
11. A door according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the selective spacing means define an axis or shaft (19a) near the front edge (4) of the recess and relative to which the leaf (8) pivots and slides, means (18a, 18b, 16, 23, 24) for selectively moving the axis or shaft (19a) between a position for inserting the rear edge of the leaf and a position for extracting the rear edge of the leaf, and bistable means (28, 29) for holding the axis or shaft (19a) near the rear edge in its two aforementioned positions.
12. A door according to claim 11, characterised in that the axis or shaft (19a) near the rear edge is carried by at least one rear pivoting arm (18a, 18b) bearing a lug (19) in engagement with a slide (21a, 21b) borne by the leaf (8).

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