EP0717807B1 - Sliding door - Google Patents

Abstract

Sliding door for closing or opening a bay formed in a wall, said door comprising a raisable curtain (3) which may be gathered at the top part of the door, a vertical slide (5) on each side of the curtain in order to receive an edge of the curtain, each slide being applied against the wall at the edge of the bay, the side edges of the curtain being adapted to slide within said vertical side slides in order to maintain the curtain substantially in the plane of the door, and mechanical means for operating the door and comprising a curtain rolling shaft (4) or raising straps, and arranged at the top part of the door, a motor (104) for driving said shaft, an end-of-travel device (105) and control means (106), said door being characterized in that each slide is held in place by disconnectable means (9) so as to hold the slide in the plane of the door during the normal operation of the latter and to space it apart from its location by exerting a sufficient force on the slide.

Description

The subject of the present invention is a so-called handling door for an industrial building, such as a factory, workshop, depot, hangar and the like, to allow the obturation or the release of a bay cut out from a wall.

A door of this type has a curtain which must be able to raise and lower quickly to let vehicles pass by remaining open as short as possible in order to limit the passage of noise and air between two rooms or between a room and outside. The curtain is flexible or made of rigid panels, and can be rolled up or folded down at the top of the door. The curtain is optionally reinforced with horizontal stiffening bars. The door has at its upper part mechanical organs: motor, curtain winding shaft or lifting straps, speed reducer, limit switch, etc. On each side of the door are provided slides, to guide the edges of the curtain, possibly the ends of the stiffening bars. These slides can possibly form vertical lateral uprights at the top of which mechanical elements can be fixed. The tops of the uprights can be joined by an upper crosspiece. It can also be attached to the wall, above the door, or on the sides of the door.

The uprights are usually placed against the wall, at the edge of the opening of the opening, possibly inside it, in the thickness of the wall, against the section of it. This arrangement is infrequent because it reduces the useful opening surface.

In some industries, such as pharmacy, food, chemicals, etc., it is necessary to regularly perform a complete cleaning of the door elements. However, it is not possible to clean the gap located between one side of an upright, and the wall section against which it is applied. The object of the present invention is to allow such cleaning to be carried out completely.

When a vehicle is present in front of the door, in general, the curtain automatically raises, and the vehicle can pass almost without slowing down, and the door closes after the vehicle has passed. However, sometimes the vehicle speed is too high, and the vehicle hits the curtain before it is raised enough. Means and arrangements have already been proposed to limit material damage to the door in such circumstances. In one proposal, the slides can be flexible, and allow the curtain to escape if it is stressed by excessive force (European patent EP-0 272 733). In another proposal, the stiffening bars of the curtain can be flexible, and bend out of the slides if they are used too strongly (EP-0 398 791). Hinged doors have also been proposed, the hinges of which drop out if they are stressed too much (FR-1 196 095).

It can also happen that the vehicle passing through the door hits the runners. These can be deformed and can jam the edge of the curtain, which can no longer function. Another object of the invention is to provide means for limiting the damage in such circumstances, in order to avoid taking the door out of service. Such decommissioning often means stopping production in a workshop until the door is repaired. It is another object of the invention to remove or reduce the damage in such circumstances.

To do this, the invention relates to a handling door for closing or clearing a bay formed in a wall, said door comprising: a lifting curtain which can be collected at the upper part of the door; a vertical slide on each side of the curtain, to each receive a side edge of the curtain, the side edges of the curtain being adapted to slide in said lateral vertical slides to keep the curtain substantially in the plane of the door; and mechanical means for ensuring the operation of the door, comprising a curtain winding shaft, or lifting straps, disposed at the upper part of the door, a motor for driving said shaft, a limit switch device , and control members, each slide being fixed in the operating position by removable means, said door being characterized in that, in the operating position, the slides are each applied by one face against the wall, on the edges of the bay, so, when the slides are dislocated, to release on the one hand the surfaces of the wall and the sliding faces, otherwise applied one against the other.

In an advantageous embodiment, the fixing of each slide comprises an articulation allowing free rotation outside the plane of the door of at least part of the slide, and a detachable holding means.

It is thus possible, by tilting the slide to release the slide to repair it or clean the face of the slide applied against the wall, as well as the wall section against which it is applied. It is generally the lower part that collects the most dirt, but obviously, the entire slide can be tilted out of its working position. The slide can be dislodged by an appropriate command.

Likewise, when a vehicle clumsily hits one of the slides, it slides out of its removable support. In most cases, the dislocation of the slide is without damage to the curtain which is adapted to slide in the slides. In fact, when the vehicle arrives at the door, the curtain is most of the time already almost completely raised and therefore clear of the slides. The slide during its fall does not There is therefore no risk of causing the curtain to fall, which will not damage it. The slides thus mounted, in a detachable manner, constitute a kind of non-deformable bumper for the door. By re-engaging the slide on its removable support provided on the wall or on the ground, or on structural elements of the door, or all three, the door returns to its original functional state.

By subjecting the slide to a fixed structure by means of an articulation, it is prevented from falling to the ground once it has left its detachable holding means. Falling the slide could injure someone, especially when the door reaches a considerable height. With an articulation, the slide or at least the rotating part disengaged, returns naturally in the plane of the door under the effect of gravity. Its repair is also facilitated, given that the slide always remains perfectly positioned in line with the detachable holding means. A shock on one of the slides will cause it to rotate around the point of articulation. By this simple means, any risk of accident is avoided and the re-engagement of the slide on its removable support is facilitated.

In a satisfactory embodiment, the articulation is located at the upper end of the rotary part of the slide, and the removable means is located at the lower end of the rotary part of the slide.

According to one embodiment of the invention, only part of the slide, preferably its lower part, since it is most exposed to dirt and vehicle impact, is articulated and provided with detachable holding means. The upper part of the slide is fixed against the wall where to structural elements, for example, a bracket fixed to the wall. The joint makes the junction between the fixed upper part and the rotary lower part. Even when the rotating lower part is no longer in the plane of the door, the slide defines a continuous guide for the edges of the curtain. The slide is indeed bent at the joint but remains uninterrupted.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the slide is formed in one piece, the articulation being located at the upper end of the slide and the detachable holding means at the lower end.

This is the practically simplest embodiment: the slides are secured in the plane of the door at two points each located at one end of a slide. The articulation can bear on the upper part while the holding means are fixed to the ground. This provides good stability of the slide and easy disengagement.

According to a practical form, the detachable holding means consists of a ball placed on the slide. and urged by an elastic means away from the slide for cooperate with a fixed housing on the ground, said ball being adapted to leave said housing under the effect of a thrust or a shock, by driving the ball against said elastic means.

According to another practical form, the holding means consist of a magnet secured to one of the slide and the ground, and a ferromagnetic mass secured to the other, the magnet and the mass being opposite one of the other when the slide is in the normal operating position.

The slide can have the shape of a U with lateral walls extending at the level of said articulation by curved parts inserted in an exit guide of the upper structure.

The curved parts in an arc allow the slide to rotate without leaving daylight at the joint. The articulation point is engaged in the exit guide of the upper structure and the curved parts surround it in the manner of a ball joint.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the description which follows, given by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, and which will make it clear how the invention can be implemented.

• la figure 1 est une vue de face d'une porte conforme à la présente invention, prévue pour obturer ou dégager une baie pratiquée dans un mur,
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe par un plan vertical suivant la ligne II-II de la figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une vue en plan d'un exemple d'une pièce de fixation de la porte selon l'invention,
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe par un plan vertical suivant la ligne IV-IV de la figure 3,
• la figure 5 est une vue en coupe par un plan horizontal suivant la ligne V-V de la figure 1 d'une glissière, munie d'une pièce d'emboîtement pour fixer la glissière en coopération avec la pièce des figures 3 et 4,
• la figure 6 est une vue en coupe de la pièce d'emboîtement de la figure 5 par un plan vertical suivant la ligne VI-VI de la figure 5,
• la figure 7 est une vue correspondant à la figure 2, avec une glissière déboîtée de sa position normale, pour un nettoyage,
• les figures 8, 9 et 10 sont des vues en coupe par un plan horizontal, analogues à la figure 5, mais pour des glissières de sections droites différentes,
• la figure 11 est une vue schématique en coupe d'un mode de réalisation de l'invention, et
• la figure 12 est une vue schématique en coupe d'une variante de réalisation d'une glissière.

In the drawings:

• FIG. 1 is a front view of a door in accordance with the present invention, intended for closing or clearing a bay formed in a wall,
• FIG. 2 is a sectional view through a vertical plane along the line II-II of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a plan view of an example of a door fixing part according to the invention,
• FIG. 4 is a sectional view through a vertical plane along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3,
• FIG. 5 is a sectional view through a horizontal plane along the line VV of FIG. 1 of a slide, provided with an interlocking part for fixing the slide in cooperation with the part in FIGS. 3 and 4,
• FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the fitting part of FIG. 5 by a vertical plane along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5,
• FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, with a slide disengaged from its normal position, for cleaning,
• FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are sectional views through a horizontal plane, similar to FIG. 5, but for slides of different straight sections,
• FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view of an embodiment of the invention, and
• Figure 12 is a schematic sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a slide.

Figures 1 to 5 show an example of a door according to the invention. In a wall 1 is cut a bay 2. In the example shown, the door has a flexible curtain 3 which can be wrapped around a shaft 4 arranged above the bay. On each side of the bay. at the top of it. a structural element is fixed. According to an advantageous mode of application of the present invention, each frame element has the shape of a square 10, comprising a first wing fixed against the wall and a second wing perpendicular to the first. The second wing 102G of the left bracket 10G (in FIG. 1) carries a first bearing 103 and the second wing 102D of the right bracket 10D carries a second bearing. The shaft 4 is carried by these two bearings. According to an advantageous arrangement of the present invention, one of the brackets (the one on the left) only carries the bearing, while the other bracket also carries all of the electrical control members and the mechanical drive members of the shaft. : an electric motor 104, generally with reduction and built-in brake, a limit switch 105, and the various relays and other electric organs 106. This arrangement allows a prefabrication of the door and a very simple delivery and installation which reduce significantly the cost of such a door.

The curtain shown can be wound directly on the shaft 4. The invention applies in the same way, if a curtain is provided, rigid or flexible which is raised by folding up at the top thanks to straps which s 'wind on the tree 4. The curtain 3 unrolling and descending closes the bay. Since the tree 4 is placed against the wall, above the bay, the curtain unrolls in front of the bay. If the tree is placed in the bay, the curtain unfolds inside the bay, in the thickness of the wall. This arrangement requires a larger opening to obtain the same opening, since the parts of the door obscure part of it. It is at the time of construction of the building that sufficient height must be provided, which presupposes knowledge of the type of door that will be installed in the bay. For this reason, this arrangement is less often chosen. However, the present invention applies to it in a privileged manner.

On the sides of the bay are arranged slides 5, to receive and guide the edges of the curtain during the movements of raising and lowering of it, and to maintain it, when it is lowered against the pressure of the wind, or Air Currents.

In the example shown, the slides are arranged in front of the wall plane (see Figure 2), to directly receive the curtain. In addition, in this example, the slides are placed inside the profile of the bay, when the latter is viewed from the front, for reasons which will be specified below.

As can be seen in Figure 5, which is a sectional view through a horizontal plane of a slide, it has approximately in section the shape of an F. The slide itself, in which slides the edge of the curtain comprises a bottom 51 and two wings 52, 53 whose edges can be flared as shown. In this example, the slide comprises a third caulking wing 54, in the extension of the bottom, for sealing the door by closing the space between the curtain and the wall 1. The slide can be made of any suitable material: folded and welded sheet, extruded plastic or aluminiun, etc. The wing has a free edge 54a, which is advantageously curved to make a sealed contact. In a variant, the caulking wing 54 can be separated from the slide, and fixed to the wall (FIG. 12); the free edge 54a overflowing the wall on the right to seal with the bottom 51 of the slide.

An object of the invention is to allow thorough cleaning, at least of the lower parts of the door, exposed to the fallout of dust and splashes. In the arrangements currently used, the slide is applied against the wall by one of its faces (51, 52 or 53) and is fixed at the top and at the bottom, possibly at intermediate points. There is therefore a lamellar space between the face of the slide and the wall, where dirt and bacteria can accumulate. If this is of no consequence in certain workshops, it is not acceptable in food or pharmaceutical warehouses for example. Another object of the invention is also to avoid the destruction of a slide under the impact of a vehicle, truck or trolley which strikes it, as a result of improper maneuvering of the driver.

For this purpose, the slide is fixed so that it can be moved simply from its working position. It can be fixed by snapping or interlocking. This allows personnel to release it instantly, clean areas that are not accessible during normal service, and then reinstall it. In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the snap fastening can be carried out so as to allow the slide to be able to escape from its position if it receives a shock, or excessive push, to prevent it from being crushed, twisted or broken, and that it wedges the curtain which could not be manipulated any more. In the example shown, the slide remains fixed at its upper part by a hinge 6 around which it can tilt. In this example, the articulation 6 is formed on a bracket 102, itself fixed to the wall 1. The slide is fixed to its lower part by a removable fixing. In this example, the removable attachment consists of a point, in this case a ball 7 cooperating with a housing 8 formed by a cavity in a base part 9. The ball 7 is biased by a spring 11.

A basic part is shown in Figures 3 and 4. It is provided with a channel 12 of the same orientation as the curtain; in the channel is formed the cavity 8 provided to receive the wedging ball 7. On each side of the channel are provided slopes for the approach of the ball when the slide is replaced, and in these slopes can be provided fixing holes in the ground.

To fix the lower end of the slide, an interlocking piece 13, containing the ball 7 and the spring 11, is fixed to the foot of the slide, against the caulking wing 54, therefore, outside the passageway of the curtain, between the wings 52, 53 so as not to hinder the movements of the curtain. Such a part, available commercially, comprises a fixing part, with bores for passing bolts and a threaded well 14, into which is screwed a sleeve 15 enclosing the spring 11 and the ball 7, which projects for the opening. lower of the sleeve, and a plug 16 allowing the adjustment of the compression of the spring.

In the event of an impact that is too strong against the slide, the latter disengages from the lower attachment and swings around the articulation 6. This prevents any damage to both the slide and the curtain, as can be seen in FIG. 7 where the curtain is shown in broken lines.

The removable attachment can also be in the form of a magnet mounted at the lower end of the slide, in place of the ball. The magnet, when the slide is in its normal state in the plane of the door, is arranged opposite a ferromagnetic mass sensitive to the properties of the magnet. This device incorporating a magnet allows an automatic replacement of the slide in the plane of the door without the intervention of any person. By choosing a fairly powerful magnet, you achieve the desired goal. The positions of the ball and the interlocking piece can be reversed, as the magnet and the magnetic mass. The removable fastening can be provided in a horizontal plane, under the slide or on the side thereof at the bottom. Means, such as a lever, can be provided to disengage the slide from its lower attachment.

The upper articulation fixing, as shown in the figures, allows the slide to escape from its position while protecting the curtain when it is lowered. Other fixings are possible, including a dislocation. Note that the impact against one of the slides will occur when a vehicle passes, that is to say when the curtain is raised. and therefore there is little risk of damaging the curtain.

It will be noted that there are many nesting or snap-fastening systems, and that those which have just been described have been cited only by way of nonlimiting example. The object of the invention is in fact to produce a removable system for holding the slide in the plane of the door.

In the two examples described, the fixing points are located at the ends of the slide: it is a simple and convenient embodiment. These fixing points can be chosen in other places. The slide could be provided with a longitudinal rib which would be engaged and held elastically in a vertical groove. Under shock or pressure, the slide would come off.

It is conceivable that the slide escapes not by an impact on the slide, but by an impact or a pressure on the curtain, when it is closed. The slide can then be driven by the curtain, without it being torn.

Figure 8 shows schematically in section a form of slide 17 placed in the profile of the wall 1. It operates in the same way as that which has been described above.

It will be understood that the slide 18 of FIG. 9 can escape only in one direction, to the right of FIG. 2, while the slide 19 of FIG. 10 can escape normally to the right, and only from a very limited way to the left. In both cases, there is the advantage of being able to move the slide by hand, to carry out repairs or cleaning. The slide of FIG. 12 corresponds to the case where the sealing wing 54 ′ is fixed to the wall and has a free edge 54 ′ provided for sealing against the slide, possibly with an appropriate lining. The wing 54, small at its upper part, is integral with the frame element supporting the winding shaft and participates in the support thereof.

To improve the protection of the curtain and guarantee its movements when the slide is out of its socket, it is possible to produce a slide comprising a fixed upper part, and an articulated lower part (FIG. 11) with a continuous junction between the edges of the side walls 52 , 53 of the lower part of the slide and the fixed upper part 20, by extending said side walls 52, 53 by curved parts 52A, 53A. This arrangement allows the debate of the slide without leaving day. The two cylindrical extensions 52A, 53A of the walls 52, 53 rotate inside the fixed slide 20.

Claims (12)

1. A goods-handling door for closing or opening a bay formed in a wall, said door comprising: a raisable curtain (3) capable of being collected together at the top of the door; a vertical slideway (5) on either side of the curtain, each slideway being suitable for receiving a respective side edge of the curtain, the side edges of the curtain being adapted to slide in said side vertical slideways to hold the curtain substantially in the plane of the door; and mechanical means for operating the door, the mechanical means comprising a shaft (4) disposed at the top of the door for winding up the curtain or curtain-raising straps, a motor (104) for driving said shaft, an end-of-stroke device (105), and control means (106), each slideway being fixed in the operating position by disengageable means (9), said door being characterized in that in the operating position each slideway has a face placed against the wall at the edge of the bay, in such a manner that when the slideways are disengaged, the surfaces of the wall and the slideway faces which are otherwise placed against each other are leaved free.
2. A goods-handling door according to claim 1, in which the fixing of each slideway includes disengageable holding means (9) and a hinge (6) allowing at least a portion of the slideway to rotate away from the plane of the door.
3. A goods-handling door according to claim 2, in which the hinge is situated at the top end of the rotary portion (5) of the slideway, and the disengageable means (9) is situated at the bottom end of the rotary portion of the slideway.
4. A goods-handling door according to claim 3, in which the slideway is formed as a single piece, the hinge (6) being situated at the top end of the slideway (5) and the disengageable holding means (9) at its bottom end.
5. A goods-handling door according to any preceding claim, in which the disengageable holding means consist in a ball (7) placed on the slideway, and urged away from the slideway by resilient means (11) to co-operate with a housing (8) fixed on the ground, said ball being adapted to escape from said housing under the effect of a shock, by the ball being pressed back against said resilient means.
6. A goods-handling door according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the holding means consist in a magnet secured to one of the slideway and the ground, and a ferromagnetic mass secured to the other, the magnet and the mass facing each other when the slideway is in its normal operating position.
7. A goods-handling door according to any preceding claim, characterized in that it includes, at the top of the door and on either side thereof, a doorframe element (10G, 10D) advantageously in the form of a bracket, the wind-up shaft (4) being carried by two bearings (103) disposed on respective ones of said doorframe elements.
8. A goods-handling door according to claim 7, in which the one of said doorframe elements (5) carries a bearing (103) while the other doorframe element also carries, in addition to the second bearing, an electric motor (104) for actuating the wind-up shaft, optionally via a stepdown gear box, an end-of-stroke device (105), and electrical members (106) for controlling the motor.
9. A goods-handling door according to any preceding claim, in which the disengageable upright is provided with means (54) for providing draft-proofing relative to a fixed wall surrounding the door.
10. A goods-handling door according to claim 9, in which the draft-proofing means comprise a flange (54) having an edge surrounding the door along the slideway, the flange being disposed so that its free edge is pressed along a fixed wall (1) surrounding the door.
11. A goods-handling door according to claim 9, in which the draft-proofing means include a flange fixed to the wall, the flange having a free edge designed to co-operate with the slideway to provide draft-proofing.
12. A goods-handling door according to any preceding claim, in which a control mechanism is provided for voluntarily disengaging the slideway.

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