EP0688392B1

EP0688392B1 - A chain operating device for opening and closing a window or a door

Info

Publication number: EP0688392B1
Application number: EP94909894A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bjarne BÖRRESEN; Peter SÖGER; Leon Geisshirt
Original assignee: VKR Holding AS
Current assignee: VKR Holding AS
Priority date: 1993-03-10
Filing date: 1994-03-08
Publication date: 1998-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-08
Also published as: DE69408126T2; SK111695A3; DK27293D0; ATE162583T1; CZ218695A3; EP0688392A1; DE69408126D1; CZ291828B6; PL310536A1; ES2113092T3; HU214771B; PL173626B1; DK169999B1; HUT72881A; WO1994020717A1; SK284376B6; DK27293A; HU9502414D0

Abstract

For opening and closing a window or a door into and from a ventilation position a chain operating device is provided, having a first and a second fixture secured on the main frame and the frame, respectively. One fixture is firmly connected with one end of a chain (4) in engagement with a sprocket wheel mounted in the second fixture and which is driven by a rotating driving member. Said one connected fixture is designed as a two-parted coupling fixture comprising a first fixture part (1, 5) connected with the chain (4) and a second fixture part (17 to 19) connected with a frame or main frame structure. Said two fixture parts (1, 5; 17 to 19) have the form of elongated profiles that may be coupled together having individually at one end a stationary locking means (7, 22) and at the other end a releasable locking means (9, 23) so that the stationary locking means on one fixture part may be retained in releasable engagement with the releasable locking means on the second fixture part. Each of the releasable locking means (9, 23) can be switched over between two positions for releasing and retaining, respectively, the corresponding stationary locking means (22, 7).

Description

The invention relates to a chain operating device for opening and closing a wing of a window or a door into and from a ventilation position and comprising a first and a second fixture secured opposite each other on the main frame and the wing, respectively, of the window or door structure one of which fixtures is firmly connected with one end of a chain which is in engagement with a sprocket wheel mounted in the other fixture and driven by a rotating driving means.

Such operating devices are known in manually operable designs and in electrically driven designs, cf. US Patent No. 4,521,993 and DK Patent Application No. 2632/90. If such a chain operating device is to be mounted on a window or on a door, which must function as an emergency exit it is with a view to allow the window or door to open beyond the ventilation position necessitated that the chain can be released from the first or the second fixture with the window in a full closed position. When the chain and the actual fixture shall again be connected, this is normally not possible if the free end of the chain is in a position corresponding to the position occupied in the closed position of the window, in which the frame abuts on the main frame when subjected to packing pressure.

In a design that is the object of the above DK Patent Application it is thus with a view to effect said connection necessary that the chain can be driven somewhat out of the second fixture by means of the electric motor in order that the free chain end may be connected with the first fixture. It is obviously then required, that the motor can be actuated also when in the disconnected condition.

In particular as regards inwardly opening windows and doors it is due to the restricted space conditions general that the second fixture which accommodates the sprocket wheel and the driving means is mounted on the openable frame while the first fixture with which the free chain end is connected is secured on the main frame structure. In order to activate the electric motor when the chain is disconnected, such a design requires a relatively complicated flexible and visible wiring between the main frame and the frame.

On this background it is the object of the invention to provide a new design which in particular allows to easily reconnect the free chain end with the first fixture in the completely closed condition of the window, i.e. when subjected to packing pressure.

This is obtained according to the invention in that said one fixture connected with said one end of the chain is designed as a two-part coupling comprising a first part connected with the chain and a second part connected with the wing or main frame, said parts having the form of elongated profiles, that may be interconnected and which individually at one end are provided with a stationary locking means and at the other end have a releasable locking means so that the stationary locking means of the first part may be retained in a releasable engagement with the releasable locking means of the second part each of the releasable locking means being shiftable between two positions for releasing and retaining, respectively, the corresponding stationary locking means.

With this two-part design of the fixture connected with the free chain end the interengaging locking members and locking means of the two parts may with no difficulty be disconnected from each other as well as be reconnected, also if the wing abuts tightly on the main frame under packing pressure.

In view of the fact that the connection thus requires no activation of the electric motor, it may as well be effected in situations of failing power supply.

In a preferred embodiment the chain operating device according to the invention is in particular fit for being mounted on inwardly opening windows and doors, in which said second fixture with the sprocket wheel as driving means accommodates an installed electric motor driving the sprocket wheel via a transmission and which is mounted on the wing whereas the first fixture connected with the chain is secured on the main frame. In accordance with the invention this design provides for obtaining a substantially simpler wiring, which may be effected substantially invisibly in that a main supply line for the electric motor is passed inside the chain to switch terminals in said first part, said terminals when in the connected condition of the two parts being in contact with terminals in the second part with which a connection line is established through the main frame.

The invention will now be explained in detail with reference to the schematical drawings which as an embodiment of the invention illustrate the two-parted design of the coupling fixture which is connected with the free chain end and which in the actual case is mounted on the main frame structure of an inwardly openable window.

In the drawings

Figs 1 and 2 illustrate the fixture part connected with the free chain end, in a side view and in a longitudinal sectional view, respectively,

Fig 3 is an enlarged section of the sectional view in Fig 2,

Figs 4 and 5 illustrate the fixture part secured to the main frame structure, viewed from the front and from the external side, respectively,

Fig 6 is a longitudinal section along the line VI-VI in Fig 5, and

Fig 7 is an enlarged cross-section along the line VII-VII in Fig. 4.

The fixture part illustrated in Figs 1 to 3 is mainly shaped as an elongated U-profile with a bottom wall 1 facing the fixture secured on the frame structure and which accommodates the sprocket wheel with associated electric motor and transmission. A chain holder 3 for retaining the free end of the chain 4 connected with the frame fixture is mounted in an opening 2 in the bottom wall 1.

Two opposite parallel and substantially uniform upstanding walls are connected with the bottom wall 1, one of which being shown by 5 in Fig 2.

At the end of the U-profile illustrated to the right in the figure a protruding holder 6 is secured and provided with a transverse locking pin 7.

At the opposite end of the upstanding walls 5 there is a pair of cut-outs 8 in flush with each other and with a substantially V-shaped mouth. At this end of the U-profile a longitudinally displaceable spring-biassed slide 9 is, moreover, mounted. A recess 10 is formed in slide 9, and the end wall of said recess constitutes a hooked protusion 11. Slide 9 is placed so in relation to the flushing cut-outs 8 in the walls 6, that the recess 10 by activation of the slide against the spring-bias may be made to flush with the cut-outs 8 for receiving a stationary locking member of the second fixture part which will be described in the following.

As a substantial feature of the invention a connection line 12 is passed through the chain 4 to a plug 13 that is coupled to the motor in the frame fixture not shown. In the illustrated fixture part the connection line is coupled to a terminal member 14 which in the illustrated embodiment includes two contact clips 15. In order to retain the conductive connection 12 one or more line holder(s) 16 may be mounted internally of chain 4, as shown in Fig 3.

As it appears from Figs 4 to 7 the fixture part secured on the main frame structure is mainly formed as a U-profile with a bottom wall 17 with screw holes 17a with a view to be secured to the main frame structure by means of screws. The second fixture part, however, differs from the first fixture part shown in Figs 1 to 3 in that the side walls upstanding from the bottom wall 17 comprise two

separate sections

18 and 19 with an intermediate free space vis-à-vis a terminal means 20 with a contact clips 21 which upon the interconnection of the fixture parts are put into electrically conductive connection with the contact clips 15 on the terminal means 14 in the fixture part illustrated in Figs 1 to 3.

The U-profile of the fixture part shown in Figs 4 to 7 is designed with a smaller distance between the opposite

upstanding side walls

18, 19 than the U-profile in Figs 1 to 3, so that the upstanding side walls 5 of the latter U-profile upon interconnecting the fixture parts are pushed in over the side walls 4 of the U-profile in Figs 4 to 7. At the end of the profile positioned to the left in Figs 4 to 7 a transverse locking pin 22 is connected between the opposite upstanding wall sections 18, said pin upon the coupling of the fixture parts is being received in the recess 10 of the spring-biassed longitudinally displaceable slide 9 in the fixture part shown in Figs 1 to 3.

At the opposite end the fixture part in Figs 4 to 7 is provided with a tilt locking means 23 which by means of a bias spring 25 is pivotally mounted about a pin 24 between two stable positions shown in Fig 4 and in Fig 6, respectively, for releasing and retaining, respectively, the locking pin 7 of the fixture part in Figs 1 to 3.

The pivotal tilt locking means 23 is, as it most clearly appears from Fig 6 formed with a guide track 26, the mouth 26a of which in the stable position shown in Fig 4 faces the fixture part shown in Figs 1 to 3, with the view of receiving or releasing the locking pin 7. In the second stable position the guide track 26 is orientated substantially longitudinally of the U-profile for retaining the locking pin 7 in a position, in which the window is completely closed with the frame tightly abutting the main frame under packing pressure.

The terminal means 20 on the fixture part in Figs 4 to 7 is connected to a connection line 27 passed through the U-profile and the main frame structure. The connection line may also be passed invisibly through the main frame structure by passing it out through the hole 28 in the bottom 17 of the U-profile. The terminal means 14, 20 may besides

contact clips

15, 21 for the connection line to the electrical motor not shown, comprise contact clips for sensing means, e.g. weather and temperature sensors, mounted on the main frame structure.

From an interconnected condition of the two fixture parts, the fixture part illustrated in Figs 1 to 3 and connected with the free chain end, may be released from the fixture part shown in Figs 4 to 7 by operating the tilt locking means 23, and correspondingly, the spring-biassed slide 9 may be released from its engagement with the locking pin 22 by pushing at the end of the slide against the spring bias.

When the two fixture parts shall again be coupled together the frame is closed towards the main frame, whereby the locking pin 22 is received in the cut-outs 8 flushing with each other, thereby forcing the slide 9 backwards against the spring bias, which effects that the slide 9 gets to the bottom of the recess 10 and is retained in this position by the spring-biassed slide.

When the tilt locking means 23 is passed to the position shown in Fig 4, the locking pin 7 is caught by the guide track 26 and the frame can now be pushed against the main frame under packing pressure by a push on the tilt locking means 23 which is thereby passed to the position shown in Fig 6.

As it appears from Fig 6 the guide track 26 is provided with a break point 26b, and by a suitable choice of the distance of said break point from the rotational pin 24 in proportion to the distance from a finger grip 28a at the extreme end of the tilt locking means 23 an exchange may be obtained, ensuring that the tilt locking means only needs to be slightly pushed in order to effect the described locking operation.

Even though the invention in the preceding has been described with particular reference to inwardly openable windows and doors, in which the sprocket wheel and the electric motor are mounted within the frame fixture, and even though the invention entails particular advantages of this design, the invention is not restricted thereto, because the easy coupling of the two fixture parts further entails advantages as regards operating in connection with installations, in which the driving member is mounted in the main frame fixture, so as is the case with the chain operating device according to the above referenced US Patent No. 4,521,993. Likewise, the application of the invention is not restricted to electrically driven operating devices.

Claims

A chain operating device for opening and closing a wing of a window or a door into and from a ventilation position and comprising a first and a second fixture secured opposite each other on the main frame and the wing, respectively, of the window or door structure one of which fixtures is firmly connected with one end of a chain (4) which is in engagement with a sprocket wheel mounted in the other fixture and driven by a rotating driving means, characterized in that said one fixture connected with said one end of the chain (4) is designed as a two-part coupling comprising a first part (1,5) connected with the chain (4) and a second part (17 to 19) connected with the wing or main frame, said parts (1, 5; 17 to 19) having the form of elongated profiles, that may be interconnected and which individually at one end are provided with a stationary locking means (7, 22) and at the other end have a releasable locking means (9, 23) so that the stationary locking means of the first part may be retained in a releasable engagement with the releasable locking means of the second part each of the releasable locking means (9, 23) being shiftable between two positions for releasing and retaining, respectively, the corresponding stationary locking means (22, 7).
A chain operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the two parts are designed as U-shaped profiles, and that the stationary locking means (7, 22) of the two parts are formed as locking pins transversely to upstanding side walls (5, 18) in said profiles.
A chain operating device according to claim 2, characterized in that the releasable locking means (9) of the first part comprises a spring-biassed, longitudinally displaceable slide with a cut-out (8) having at its one side edge a hooked protrusion (11) which cut-out (8) for receiving and releasing the opposite locking pin (22) of the second part by displacement of the slide (9) against the spring-bias may be made to flush at stationarily flushing recesses (10) in the upstanding walls (5) of the U-profile.
A chain operating device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the releasable locking means (23) of the second part is designed as a tilt locking means which by spring bias is pivotal between said two positions, of which the position corresponding to the retaining of the stationary locking member (7) is a stable position, said tilt locking means (23) being provided with a guide track (26) the mouth (26a) of which in this position faces the first part for receiving or releasing the opposite locking pin (7) of the first part, whereas it in said stable position is orientated substantially longitudinally of the profile of the second part for retaining said locking pin (7).
A chain operating device according to claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the locking pins (7, 22) and the releasable locking means (9, 23) of the two parts are placed in relation to each other, so that the locking pin (22) of the second part when the two parts are coupled together upon closing the window from a position, in which the parts have been mutually released, first is received in said cut-out (8) in the spring-biassed slide (9) of the first part following which the locking pin (7) of the first part is received in the guide track (26) in the tilt locking means (23) of the second part and upon the following pivoting of the second part to said stable position the wing is pressed into completely closed position.
A chain operating device according to one of the preceding claims, in particular for inwardly openable windows and doors, in which the second fixture with the sprocket wheel as driving means accommodates an installed electric motor, which via a transmission drives the sprocket wheel and is mounted on the wing while the first fixture connected with the chain is secured on the main frame, characterized in that a power supply line (12) for the electric motor is passed internally of the chain (4) to a terminal (14) of said first switch part, said terminals in the interconnected condition of the two parts are in contact with a switch (20) of the second part, to which a connection line (27) is passed through the main frame.
A chain operating device according to claim 6, characterized in that the terminals (14, 20) of the two parts besides contact clips (15, 21) for the connection line to the electric motor comprise contact clips for connection lines to the sensing means mounted on the wing.