EP0879335A1

EP0879335A1 - Door operator and process for operation of a door operator

Info

Publication number: EP0879335A1
Application number: EP96901703A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Peter Krumhauer
Original assignee: Geze GmbH
Current assignee: Geze GmbH
Priority date: 1996-02-07
Filing date: 1996-02-07
Publication date: 1998-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 2016-02-07
Also published as: ATE217048T1; DE59609167D1; US6266847B1; WO1997029265A1; EP0879335B1

Abstract

A door closer assembly and a method for operating a door closer assembly. The door closer assembly includes a housing and a door piston guided in the housing. The door piston is operably connected to move a door. A spring piston is guided in the housing and is operable to assist movement of the door piston toward a door closing position. The spring piston is situated in the housing and is acted upon by a spring. The door closer assembly also includes a hydraulic control circuit containing hydraulic fluid which is operable to selectively eliminate a coupling of the door piston and the spring piston from one another during a portion of the travel path of the door piston in the housing. The door closer of the present invention improves the comfort of passing through a door by providing different transmission ratios and therefore, different moment curves.

Description

Door closer and method for operating a door closer

description

The invention relates to a programmable door closer which, depending on the path and direction, significantly improves the ease of access of a door with different transmission ratios and thus different torque profiles. A method for operating such a door closer is also described.

A method and an arrangement for controlling the force of a locking device can be found in DE 35 35 506 A1. The door is connected to the door frame by means of a locking device in the form of a door closer and link arms which are articulated to one another. The control of the different forces for opening and subsequent automatic closing of the door is achieved by moving the end of the linkage, which is distant compared to the door closing device, by the moment exerted by the closing device on the door in separate phases of opening and closing the door. changed accordingly. This arrangement is a device that works with external energy, i.e. an electric motor is provided which displaces a slide and at the same time determines its position in a guide member. The motor control is carried out in accordance with the desired opening angle

US 4,979,261 discloses a door closer with a variable articulation position. Due to a toothed wheel attached to the closer shaft that rolls on the door, the point of application of the linkage and thus the entire torque analysis is automatically changed. This mechanical type reduces the opening force, while increasing the closing force.

In another US Pat. No. 3,818,637, a device is described. αie allows a door to be opened quickly. A device that opens a door with a linear force is shown in US Pat. No. 4,231,192. An approximately linear course of the force at the door as a function of the opening angle has been achieved here via a corresponding lever system in connection with external energy in the form of a voltage supply.

A door closer that works with two pistons can be found in US 4,040,144. This system also works with external energy in the form of air

No. 4,419,786 describes an arrangement with which the force required to open a door is reduced in relation to normal door opening situations. A door closer is used here by moving the distal end of the linkage, which is connected to the door closer. From a certain opening angle, the force ratio is changed by using additional spring forces and a hydraulic or pneumatic control. As a result, the moment exerted by the door closer on the door via the articulated linkage arrangement can be changed. This principle shown is very complicated and its adaptability to different operating modes cannot be used everywhere

A device in the form of a door closer, which is shown in the Swedish Auslegeschπft 469 342. consists of a housing in which two pistons are arranged. Furthermore, there are two springs, each of which is directly assigned to a piston and acts on it in the same direction. The other piston is connected to a piston rod, the rear end of which is sealingly received in a central bore of the second piston. The diameters of the two pistons are different. The liquid flow of the damping medium is controlled via the pistons via various channels in connection with valves. With these measures it is achieved that the force for opening the door is low and nevertheless a large force is available for the final phase of the closing process To reduce the opening torque, a solution was known from DE-OS 32 34 319, in which the required higher closing force is applied by external energy for a spring preload. With this solution, the additional spring preload can be generated both via an electric motor and via a piston with a pressure medium circuit generated by external energy

The object of the invention is then to improve a door closer to such an extent that a low opening torque is required for a high closing torque when the door is opened. For this purpose, no external energy is to be used, as some solutions which are used in the prior art should use and at the same time Such a door closer is inexpensive to manufacture and also easy to assemble

The object of the invention is achieved in that the normally existing fixed coupling between the opening and the closing force is released. The removal of the fixed coupling is achieved in that in addition to the existing door piston there is a further spring piston acted upon by the closing spring Compared to a normal door closer, additional pressure spaces are connected on the one hand by fixed channels, but on the other hand by controlled channels or throttles and valves for the damping medium. This creation and connection of at least one hydraulic second transmission can control the power transmission In the opening process and in the subsequent first part of the onset of the closing process, this additional hydraulic transmission has a power transmission of U = 1. In the further closing process, an area follows in which the power transmission U <1, ie the closing torque wi rd reduced Only in a third part of the closing process, namely in the area where the door is to fall into the lock, is the power transmission U> 1 reached. This means that the closing torque is greater than the opening torque In the embodiment of the idea according to the invention, both the spring piston and the door piston are designed in an L-shaped configuration. This results in two differently sized displacement surfaces. The geometrical design of the displacer surfaces also makes it possible to adapt and thus virtually program because the damping medium within the door closer housing can be used to control it accordingly. The channels present within the door piston and spring piston. Pockets, chokes, rooms can be regarded as switching devices, since they correspond to switching devices that are also located outside the pistons. Such a possibility makes it possible for the individual piston spaces to be activated alternately, with damping being possible via throttles. Appropriate check valves in certain circles can be used to maintain the pressure.

A targeted and conscious damped movement of the door piston and the spring piston can thus be realized via the hydraulic damping and switching means. For this purpose, a control is carried out according to a method to be determined. Such a method can, for example, take the form that when the door is opened, which can be done manually or by means of a power-operated drive, and during the subsequent closing process, which is made possible solely by the energy stored in the spring accumulator, up to one The door opening angle, the spring piston and the door piston, which are to be defined and thus individually selectable, move at the same speed by pressure equalization between all the piston spaces filled with the hydraulic fluid. Only from a certain opening angle of the door can a control be activated which causes the door piston to separate from the spring piston. This removes the door piston from the spring piston. which is a lesser translation. In the last area of the closing process, ie in the area where the door is also supposed to snap securely over the latch of the lock with the locking latch, the two pistons are again approached with increased closing force. Such a procedure makes it possible for the door closer to have at least two different gear ratios and thus different torque profiles depending on the path and direction. On the basis of the idea according to the invention, an unlimited number of further hydraulic transmissions can be interposed, which would result in an infinite number of different gear ratios. An extremely precise coordination of the torque profiles can thus be achieved by the invention.

The invention is explained in more detail with the aid of a possible schematically illustrated exemplary embodiment. It shows:

Figure 1 ^• Principle of breaking the coupling between the spring piston and door piston and thus increased power transmission

Figure 2: Like Figure 1. but with a force reduction

Figure 3: Diagram of the opening and closing torque curve depending on the door opening angle

FIG. 4 diagram of the translation characteristic of the connected

Gearbox

Figure 5 cross section through a door closer with L-shaped piston without hydraulic switching means

Figure 6. Section through the door closer according to Figure 5

FIG. 7 cross section through the door closer with an L-shaped piston with hydraulic switching and damping means in various switching positions

Figure 8 Like Figure 7 area c

Figure 9 Like Figure 7 area b

Figure 10 Like Figure 7 area a FIG. 4 shows a possible translation process that can arise when an additional gear with the translations for the opening and closing process of a door is switched on for the most different areas of the closing process. The following definitions are established:

a Actual shooting area with high torque requirements (approx. 5 °

Door opening angle) and thus with high closing force

b Area with low shot power

c Installation area (approx. 130 ° opening angle)

By superimposing the characteristic of the existing gear (door closer with a piston), the force ratios result in the torque curve for the closing process S1, which is shown in FIG. 3. The torque curve for the opening process is retained. The displacement of the original torque curve MS in MS1 then corresponds to the energy rate . if the energy areas A1 and A2 formed in this way are of equal size. Through this approach, i.e. the control of the torque curve, the task is solved, namely. the closing moment MS1 is significantly larger in the closing area than the opening moment MÖ. This solution of a downstream transmission is demonstrated on the basis of a possible hydraulic solution described in the following, and purely mechanical solutions are also possible

FIG. 1 shows the schematic separation of the spring piston 2 from the door piston 3. This separation creates an additional space 25 which lies between the spring piston 2 and the door piston 3 and is also filled with hydraulic fluid. There are therefore three pressure medium spaces. namely, a spring chamber 21, a door piston chamber 24 and the room 25. The door piston chamber 24 is permanently connected to the spring chamber 21 via a channel 53. In the case of a further division, a further one located inside the door piston 3 is inserted Piston, which can be formed, for example, by a pinion cage, creates the inner piston 10, which in turn thereby creates two further pressure spaces. namely an inner piston space 26 and one Inner piston chamber 27. creates. The inner bulb chamber 26 is connected to the chamber 25 by a channel. The inner piston chamber 27 is also connected to the door piston chamber 24 by means of a pressure medium.

In an embodiment of the idea according to the invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the inner piston chamber 26 can also be connected to the door piston chamber 24 via a channel, and the inner piston chamber 27

FIG. 5 shows a basic structure of the above-described approach to a solution. The door piston 3 and the spring piston 2 are arranged within a housing 5. The spring piston 2 is acted upon by the spring 1, which functions as an energy accumulator. The spring 1 is supported on the other hand on the Seitenwaπd 1 17 of the housing 5. In the door piston 3 there is a toothing 4 which is connected to a pinion cage which projects with an external axis projecting outside the housing 5. for the connected

The linkage (not shown) is struck on this drive axle, the other free end of the linkage being articulated for actuating the door, either on the door or on the door frame. In contrast to the prior art, the fixed coupling between the spring 1 and the piston 3 is not present. Rather, due to the interposition of a hydraulic gear, namely the spring piston 2, the piston 3, the housing 5 and the hydraulic spaces filled with the damping medium, namely the spring space 21, the piston chamber 22, the piston chamber 23 and the Turkish piston chamber 24.

The choice of the L-shaped piston, namely door piston 3 and spring piston 2. results in two differently sized displacement surfaces through the piston end face. These are surface 101 and surface 12 in door piston 3. In spring piston 2, this is the surface 1 1 and the Fläcne 13. However, to enable movement of the pistons, the door piston chamber 24 is permanently connected to the spring chamber 21 by a channel 44. In FIG. 6 it is clear that this channel 44 is located in a side plate 7. In addition to the L-shaped shape for the door piston and the spring piston can also be selected in any other technically producible form.

A door closer whose movement is located within the closing process is shown in FIG. 7. The areas a, b, c are also shown in FIG. 7, as have already been mentioned in FIG. However, the areas have not been shown to scale for better understanding. In addition to the areas, the individual conditions have been indicated with large letters. Here means:

0 A door is in the 'open' state

U1 transition from area c to b

U2 transition from area b to a

Z door is in the 'closed' state

The arrows at the lower end of the pistons indicate the applicable range or condition as indicated above.

A channel 42 in the spring piston 2 connects the piston chamber 22 to the spring chamber 21 via a pocket 61 in the door closer housing 5. In the same way, a channel 41 also bridges the piston chamber 23 with the door piston chamber 24 via a pocket 53 0 be said that the length of a pocket is above when a pressure medium space is connected to another or closed. The connection described above makes it clear that the door piston 3 and the spring piston 2 are hydraulically ineffective, so that a direct coupling between the spring 1 and the door piston 3 by contact of the 5 surfaces 1 1 with the surface 101 and the surface 12 with the Surface 13 takes place. As a result, the gear ratio is U = 1. The overpressure which arises inside the housing, namely in the door piston chamber 24, is compensated for by the underpressure in the spring chamber 21 in that a channel 44 is constantly open between the two chambers. As the C representation also makes clear, the door, not shown, is still in the area c of the closing angle. When the door is closed further, area b is reached, which has been shown in FIG. The previously open channel 42 is closed here since there is no pocket in this partial area. As a result, the lower part of the spring piston 2 is effective. In contrast, the channel 41, which is still in the area of the pocket 63 and thus comprises the upper part of the spring piston 2, but at the same time also the upper part of the door piston 3, is hydraulically inactive However, due to its larger displacement area 13, the spring piston displaces a larger amount of the hydraulic medium. than the smaller displacement surface 12 of the door piston 3 can take up at the same speed. This has the consequence that the door piston 3 moves away from the spring piston 2 at a higher speed than the spring piston 1 can move due to the force of the spring 1 derkotben 2 and Turko 3 less than 1

At the beginning of area b, the spring piston 2 and the turk piston 3 are still in contact. A compensation of the excess pressure in the piston chamber 22 in this state is prevented by a channel 43 with a check valve 71 then located. At the same time, the movement of both pistons is dampened by a throttle 66 in the door piston 3. This area b results from the selected transmission ratio

As a result of the closing process, both pistons reach the area a as a result of the closing process taking place. This area, which is supposed to perform the actual closing of the door, must be provided with a significantly greater force. Again, this area has been shown much larger for better understanding to the previously described area, the channel 42 is now open via a pocket 22 that is now becoming active. At the same time, however, the channel 41 is blocked by the absence of a pocket. This measure means that only the upper part of the spring piston 2 and the Turk piston 3 become effective due to the facts . that the area 1 1 of the spring piston 2 is smaller than the displaced area 101 of the turk piston 3 now results in a translation inevitably into the slower which, however, when viewed from the force side, means a translation U> 1 Position that they are in this Approach the area again. The movement of the two pistons is damped by a throttle 67 in the spring piston 2.

The last part of the closing process is shown in FIG. 10. Here the door is closed and the door piston has reached its closed position Z, which is in the housing before the stop. However, the contact between the spring piston 2 and the door piston 3 has not yet been established. Via the channel 43 and the check valve 71 of the spring piston 3, a pocket 64, the channel 45 and a channel 48 are switched through in such a way that a connection is established between the piston spaces 22 and 23. This makes it possible for the contact between the spring piston 2 and the door piston 3 to be restored. However, the strong throttling via a throttle 65, which is preferably located in the door piston 3, at the same time prevents the high pressure in the piston chamber 23 from dropping. As soon as the contact is made, the overpressure is reduced via the channel 43 and the transmission ratio U = 1 is established again.

The corresponding distance between the end position and the stop of the door piston 3 also simultaneously compensates for the distance between the spring piston 2 and the door piston 3, because at the start of this closing process corresponding tolerances between the door movement and the processes in the door closer can be compensated for

When the door is opened, there is constant contact between the spring piston 2 and the door piston 3, as is also shown in FIG. There is a gear ratio U = 1 for this. The resultant overpressure in the piston chamber 23 and the inevitably arise underpressure in the piston chamber 22 are compensated for via the channel 43 and the check valve 71 connected therebetween

The great advantage of the idea of this solution according to the invention arises from the fact that virtually any x-ratio ratio can be formed by the appropriate choice of the displacement areas. This fact quickly makes it clear that a door closer was created here, based on the local conditions and thus the The desired or special purpose can be easily adapted. The configuration of the geometric dimensions of the pistons is also possible in some respects, so that the L-shaped pistons do not have to have a rectangular cross-section as in the exemplary embodiment in the displacer surfaces. These surfaces 11, 12 and 13 can also contain any other form which can be produced economically. The object according to the invention shows that, due to different piston surfaces and different channels, but with the same housing, different torque profiles can be realized

reference numeral

1 feather

2 spring pistons

3 door pistons 4 teeth

5 housing

6 rare plate

7 side plate

10 inner pistons 1 1 surface

12 area

13 area

21 spring chamber

22 piston chamber 23 piston chamber

24 door piston chamber

25 room

26 inner piston chamber

27 inner piston chamber 41 channel

42 channel

43 channel

44 channel

45 channel 46 channel

47 channel

48 channel

53 channel

61 pocket 62 pocket

63 bag

64 pocket throttle

throttle

check valve

area

Side wall

Claims

Patent claims

1 door closer with a turquoise piston guided in a housing, the drive axis of which is connected to a door via a linkage, and an energy storage device in the form of a spring, which is used when the door is opened for the subsequent automatic

Closing aisle, the necessary energy is supplied, characterized in that the door closer has at least two different ratios and thus different torque profiles depending on the path and direction, and the fixed coupling between opening force and closing force is released

2 T _ü rschließer according to claim 1 characterized in that zwi¬ rule of the spring (1) and the Turkolben (3) at least one hy¬-hydraulically gear is interposed

3 door closer according to claim 2, characterized in that the hydraulic transmission consists of at least one spring piston (2), the door piston (3) and by this piston and a surrounding housing limited different space be¬

4 door closers according to claims 1 to 3 marked thereby. that the spring piston (2) and the turquoise piston (3) an L-shaped

Have shape and can be moved into each other

5 T _ü rschließer according to claim 4 characterized in that the spring piston (2) and the Turkolben (3) each having two different sized Verdrangerflächen for Dampfungsmedium

6 door closers according to the preceding claims, characterized in that a turquoise piston chamber (24) and a spring piston chamber (21) are present which are connected by a channel ⁽ 44)

7. Door closer according to claims 3 to 5, characterized gekennzeich¬ net that the housing interior, which surrounds the spring piston (2) and the Turko piston (3), is staggered so that by hydraulic damping and switching means piston chambers (22nd 23rd ) 5 can be activated alternately, with damping being realized by means of at least one throttle.

8 method for operating a door closer according to claim 1. da¬ characterized in that via hydraulic damping and switching means in the housing (5), in the spring piston (2) and in the door piston 0 (3) the hydraulic coupling and damped movement of the Tur¬ piston (3) and the Federenkolbeπs (2) so is realized.

that sicn when opening the door and in its subsequent closing up to a selectable door opening angle of the spring piston (2) and the door piston (3) by a pressure equalization between all 5 filled with hydraulic fluid

Move piston spaces (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27) at the same speed,

that the door piston (3) is removed from the spring piston (2) in the subsequent second part of the closing process,

o - that in the third part of the closing process, the door must close. the spring piston (2) and the door piston (3) approach again.

9. Door closer according to the preceding αeπ claims, characterized ge indicates that while maintaining the housing (5), aDer with 5 differently designed piston surfaces (1 1, 12, 1 3 101) and modified channels different translation courses can be realized.