EP2360339B1 - Arm actuator for shutter - Google Patents

Abstract

The actuator has a driving arm (20) rotating a motor around an axis (X-P0). A leaf arm (30) is articulated by an end (E-BV1) on another end (E-BM2) of the driving arm. An abutment device is provided with stop surfaces (21a, 21b) integrated with the driving arm. Stop elements i.e. stop parts (41, 42), are fixed to the leaf arm, and are cooperated with the stop surfaces, where the positions of the stop elements are adjustable with respect to the leaf arm. The abutment device adjusts a minimum diffuser angle between the driving and leaf arms.

Description

Technical area :

The invention relates to an actuator with arm for motorizing the movement of a leaf such as a gate, a door or a flap.

State of the art :

To maneuver this type of leaf, it is known to use a hand actuator. This actuator generally comprises a motor driving in rotation a first motor arm around a first end, the latter causing the rotation of a second leaf arm connected on one side to the second end of the motor arm by a first pivot and connected, on the other side, to the wing by a second pivot. As a result, the actuator causes the leaf to open or close around hinges.
Certain actuators make it possible to limit the rotation of the leaf. For example, the patent US5,752,344 discloses an arm actuator incorporating an accessory disposed at the first pivot between the two arms. This accessory, adaptable to different sizes of gate, limits the angular movement between the two arms and thus to limit the rotation of the leaf. For a position of the given accessory, the stroke of the leaf is fixed by the dimensioning of the accessory and in particular the position of stops intended to bear against an arm flank. In order to be able to adapt to the different leaf sizes, a solution, mentioned in the document, consists in moving the accessory along an arm, which causes the location of the first articulation pivot to be displaced. The displacement of the pivot hinge is not necessarily easy to achieve or adjust. Adjusting the gate stroke is therefore not practical and can take time. Furthermore, by moving the pivot, a portion of the arm supporting the accessory extends beyond the joint. Thus, this extension can be injurious during a maneuver of the leaf or inconvenient for the movement of the leaf if the arms are caused to overlap at the extension, for example, when the arms are aligned, especially in the closed position of the portal.

Other actuators limit the movement between the two arms through a stop integral with an arm and positioned at the elbow. For a certain angle, the stop of the first arm comes into contact with one side of the other arm which blocks the relative rotation of the two arms. In this case, the movement between the arms is not adjustable.

A third way of limiting the opening of the leaf is illustrated in the patent application EP-A-2029525 . This document describes an arm actuator incorporating an adjustable stop at the first end of the motor arm. By design, the adjustment of the stop is not practical because the stop is located under the engine, which makes it difficult to access. Once set, the stop is secured to a housing fixed to the frame. She is not mobile. When the leaf passes from an open position to a closed position, the motor arm rotates around its first end by an angle significantly greater than the angle of rotation of the leaf arm around the first pivot. Therefore, the adjustment by notching proposed is difficult to transpose at the elbow, the required angular precision is not the same.

Presentation of the invention

To this end, the invention relates to a leaf arm actuator comprising a motor, a motor arm driven by the motor in rotation about a first axis on the side of a first end of the motor arm, a leaf arm hinged by a first end on a second end of the motor arm and articulated by a second end on a leaf and a stop device, housed near the first end of the leaf arm and limiting a relative deflection angle between the two arms. This actuator is characterized in that the stop device is adjustable and comprises at least one abutment surface integral with a first arm of the motor arm and the leaf arm, and a stop element fixed to the second arm, among the motor arm. and the leaf arm, and adapted to cooperate with the stop surface, the position of the stop member relative to the second arm being adjustable.

Thanks to the invention, the adjustment of the stop adjusts the relative deflection angle between the two arms, namely the motor arm and the leaf arm, without moving the joint.

When the leaf is closed, the two arms are generally aligned or almost, the opening angle between the two arms is maximum. Conversely, when the leaf is open, the two arms form a lower angle. This is the minimum opening angle. Each of these extreme positions corresponds to a configuration for which the relative rotation of the arms is blocked by a stop. The stop device according to the invention acts for one or both extreme positions. The relative deflection angle between the two arms corresponds to the difference between the maximum aperture angle and the minimum aperture angle.

The arm actuators are intended to motor the leaves whose opening can be in a trigonometric direction, it is called a motor configured to "right", or in an anti-trigonometric direction, it is called a motor configured to "left" . However, an optimized leaf arm is not symmetrical with respect to a plane passing through the axes of the first and second pivot and perpendicular to the plane of movement of the arm. This requires a specific arm for the "right" motor and a specific arm for the "left" motor. By making the interface end of the leaf arm cooperating with the end of the motor arm, symmetrical with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of articulation between the arms, this plane being designated "median plane" in the following description we are free from this need for differentiation. This feature makes the actuator more versatile. The same actuator can thus adapt to the two previous configurations. It is only necessary to turn the leaf arm, that is to say, to turn it by 180 ° with respect to its main longitudinal axis which is the axis passing through the axes of articulation of the first and second pivots and by the median plane of the arm.

Advantageously, the leaf arm is completely symmetrical with respect to the median plane. This embodiment is easier to achieve with conventional methods such as molding, stamping or the like.

To avoid any risk of pinching, at least part of the adjustable stop device is advantageously protected by at least one cover.

In order to facilitate the adjustment of the position of the stop member of the adjustable stop device, it is preferably made from an accessible face of the motor arm. Indeed, the upper arm of the elbow is usually close at hand. By allowing the adjustment from the upper face of the motor arm, it facilitates the work of the installer who can quickly adjust the limit position or positions of the leaf.

• Au moins un bras comprend des moyens de guidage de l'élément d'arrêt avant que l'élément d'arrêt soit fixé sur le second bras. Ainsi, l'élément d'arrêt peut uniquement être dirigé vers des emplacements judicieux permettant ainsi un réglage rapide.
• En variante, au moins un bras comprend des moyens d'indexation permettant de fixer l'élément d'arrêt à des positions déterminées. Cette caractéristique présente l'avantage d'assurer un maintien de l'élément d'arrêt dans une position particulière avant de le fixer sur le bras correspondant. Il est cependant à noter que l'indexation n'est pas très évidente à réaliser pour obtenir un bon compromis entre une indexation efficiente et une précision angulaire du réglage.
• Un troisième aménagement consiste à prévoir que l'actionneur comprenne un moyen de maintien de l'élément d'arrêt permettant de lier l'élément d'arrêt avec au moins un bras avant que l'élément d'arrêt soit fixé sur le second bras. Ce moyen de maintien évite de faire tomber ou de perdre l'élément d'arrêt lorsque l'installateur ajuste son réglage.

Several other arrangements make it easy to adjust the installer:

• At least one arm includes means for guiding the stop member before the stop member is attached to the second arm. Thus, the stop element can only be directed to sensible locations thus allowing a quick adjustment.
• Alternatively, at least one arm comprises indexing means for fixing the stop member to specific positions. This feature has the advantage of ensuring a holding of the stop member in a particular position before attaching it to the corresponding arm. It should be noted, however, that indexing is not very easy to achieve in order to obtain a good compromise between efficient indexing and angular precision of the setting.
• A third arrangement consists in providing that the actuator comprises a means for holding the stop element making it possible to link the stop element with at least one arm before the stop element is fixed on the second arm . This holding means avoids dropping or losing the stop element when the installer adjusts its setting.

A preferred embodiment of the stop device consists in producing the stop element with two abutment pieces connected by at least one screw, the screwing of the screw allowing the two abutment pieces to be brought together until they are solidarized with one of the two arms. At least one abutment piece is intended to cooperate with a bumper surface disposed on the other arm. This embodiment is an assembly of standard parts or easy to achieve. Fastening by clamping the two parts against an arm, on either side of the arm, provides a precise adjustment of the stop. The surfaces in contact can be arranged to improve the strength of the connection between the stop pieces and the arm.

To achieve the arrangements mentioned above, an embodiment consists in providing that the end of the arm supporting the stop element forms a disk comprising at least one oblong slot in an arc centered on the axis of articulation between the arm, this light housing a portion of the rod of the screw belonging to the stop element. The oblong light coupled with the screw corresponds to the guide means and the holding means.

Description of the drawings:

• la figure 1 est une vue de dessus partielle d'un portail motorisé par un actionneur à bras selon l'invention, le portail étant fermé ;
• la figure 2 est une vue de dessus du portail de la figure 1, le portail étant ouvert ;
• la figure 3 est une vue éclatée de l'assemblage des bras de l'actionneur ;
• la figure 4 est une coupe du pivot d'articulation entre les deux bras de l'actionneur, selon la ligne IV-IV à la figure 1 ;
• la figure 5 est une vue de dessus des bras assemblés.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• the figure 1 is a partial top view of a portal motorized by an arm actuator according to the invention, the gate being closed;
• the figure 2 is a top view of the portal of the figure 1 , the gate being open;
• the figure 3 is an exploded view of the assembly of the arms of the actuator;
• the figure 4 is a section of the pivot joint between the two arms of the actuator, along the line IV-IV to the figure 1 ;
• the figure 5 is a top view of the assembled arms.

Description of the embodiments:

The Figures 1 and 2 represent a leaf 1 pivoting about an axis X ₁ with respect to which it is articulated by hinges not shown. The opening of the leaf is obtained by rotating it in an anti-trigonometric direction, as indicated by the arrow S _AT . An actuator A makes it possible to operate the leaf. It comprises an electric motor 10 driving in rotation an articulated arm composed of two unitary arms 20 and 30 respectively called "motor arm" and "leaf arm". The actuator is formed of the elements 10, 20 and 30. The motor 10 is fixed on a frame B, for example a pillar. It rotates the motor arm 20 about an axis X _P0 defined by a first end E _BM1 of this arm. The other end E _BM2 of the motor arm 20 is connected, by a first pivot defining an axis X _P1 , to a first end E _BV1 of the leaf arm 30. The second end E _BV2 of the leaf arm is connected to the leaf 1 by a second pivot defining an axis X _P2 . The X axes _P0 , X _P1 and X _P2 are parallel. According to the configuration shown in Figures 1 and 2 , the actuator A can be called "left" motor.

The figure 1 illustrates the leaf in the "closed" position. In this position, the ends E _BM1 , E _BM2 , E _BV1 and E _BV2 of the arms are substantially aligned. The relative opening of the arms is blocked by a non-adjustable stop 35, integral with the leaf arm 30 and coming into contact with a complementary surface 25a, integral with the motor arm 20.

The figure 2 illustrates the leaf in the "open" position. The flapper turned 90 ° from its original position of the figure 1 . The opening angle is not necessarily right. To block the rotation of the leaf, the opening angle between the two arms is limited by a stop device subject of the invention. The rotational stop is obtained by the contact of the face 41a of a first stop piece 41 fixed on the leaf arm 30 against a stop surface 21a of the motor arm 20. A second stop piece 42, connected to the first stop piece 41, also blocks the relative rotation of the arms 20 and 30, on the other side of the arm 20, its face 42a being in contact with a stop surface 22a of the motor arm 20.

The following figures represent the assembly of the two arms.

The first end E _BM1 of the motor arm 20 interacts with the motor 10. The second end E _BM2 of the motor arm 20 comprises two circular flanges 21, 22 spaced by a non-zero distance d, measured parallel to the axis X _P1 . The respective axes of these flanges are coincident with the X axis _P1 of the first pivot. In the center of each flange, an opening 21o, 22o is provided for the passage of a shaft 50 constituting a portion of the pivot. The flange 21 constitutes, at the level of this opening 21o, a housing 21 h of hollow hexagonal shape intended to cooperate with a portion 50h of full hexagonal shape of the shaft 50. In this way the shaft 50 is secured in rotation with the motor arm 20. Each flange 21, 22 comprises, in addition, a through semicircular light 21 u, 22u centered on the axis of the first pivot X _P1 . These lights are limited angularly by end faces 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, the last two faces not being shown in the figures but their position being deduced from those of the end faces 21a and 21b to the figure 3 .

A first end E _BV1 of the leaf arm 30 is inserted between the two flanges 21, 22. This first end E _BV1 forms a disk 31, of thickness e, measured parallel to the axis X _P1 , slightly less than the distance d. In the center of this disc 31 is inserted a bearing 32 for receiving the shaft 50. These last two elements form the first pivot. The disc 31 further comprises two arcuate oblong through-holes 33a, 33b, centered on the axis of the pad X _30P1 , which coincides with the axis of the first pivot X _P1 , once the arms 20 and 30 assembled. In addition, these lights are arranged at the bottom of arcuate grooves 34a, 34b, 34'a, 34'b, these being formed on either side of the disc 31.

The other end E _BV2 of the leaf arm forms an interface with the leaf 1 so as to produce a second pivot X axis _P2 .

The stop device of the leaf in the closed position is formed by the stop pieces 41, 42 fixed to the leaf arm 30. The stop pieces 41, 42 have a substantially parallelepipedal shape and are housed in one of the arcuate grooves 34a. , 34b, 34'a, 34'b. The radial width, with respect to the axis X _P1 , of these abutment pieces is greater than the radial width of the arcuate apertures 33a, 33b but slightly smaller than the radial width of the arcuate grooves 34a, 34b, 34'a, 34'b. The grooves 34a, 34b, 34'a, 34'b thus make it possible to guide the abutment pieces 41 and 42 in an arc of a circle centered on the axis X _P1 of the first pivot. The height of the abutment pieces, measured parallel to the axis X _P1 , is dimensioned so that once fixed on the arm, the abutment pieces 41 and 42 are housed inside the lights 21 u, 22u corresponding and that a face 41a, 41b, 42a, 42b of each stop piece is adapted to cooperate respectively with a stop face 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b. These bumper faces may be the ends of the grooves 34a, 34b, 34'a, 34'b.

The stop pieces 41, 42 are fixed to the leaf shaft 30, by clamping, by means of two screws 43. A first abutment piece 41 comprises, for each screw, a hole of diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the thread, the hole incorporating a counterbore for receiving the screw head. The second stop piece 42 includes, for each screw, a threaded hole for cooperating with the corresponding associated screw. Furthermore, the stem of each screw 43 passes through one of the lights 33a, 33b. Thus, one of the lights 33a or 33b receives a portion of the screw rod 43 and, by tightening the screws 43, the abutment pieces 41 and 42 come closer to each other until their facing faces. 41a and 42b contact the bottom of one of the grooves 34a, 34b, 34'a, 34'b. The stop pieces 41 and 42 can then be secured with the leaf arm 20, by tightening the screws 43, by adhesion between the face 41a or 42a of each abutment piece with the bottom of the groove in which it is received. In other words, the fastening is obtained by pinching ribs constituting the bottoms of the grooves 34a, 34b, 34'a and 34'b, on either side of the apertures 33a and 33b, between the facing faces 41a and 42a. stop pieces 41 and 42.

Adhesion between a stop piece and the bottom of the corresponding groove can be improved by providing special shapes on these contacting surfaces or by modifying their surface condition. Similarly, one can provide indexing means, such as a notch, on the faces 41a and 42a and / or on the bottom of the grooves. It should be noted that the rotation of the stop piece 42 on itself, with respect to the threaded hole and around the axis of this hole, is blocked by one of the grooves 34a, 34b, 34'a, 34'b and / or one of the lights 33a, 33b. Indeed, the shape of the abutment pieces is such that they cooperate with these grooves or lights so as to allow only their translation along an arc of a circle around the axis X _P1 , when adjusting the stop device.

The abutment pieces 41 and 42 thus serve as a stop member cooperating with the abutment surfaces 21a, 21b, 22a and 22b, at least in the "closed" position of the gate.

To protect the stop device against the risk of pinching or deterioration, two covers 51 or 52 mask the stop device. A cover 51, 52 is attached to each end of the shaft 50 by means of a screw 53, 54.

The articulated arm assembly is shown at figure 3 .

A first mounting step consists in inserting the end E _BV1 of the leaf arm 30 between the two flanges forming the end E _BM2 of the motor arm 20. Two configurations are possible depending on the type of installation of the leaf. If the actuator is intended to motorize a leaf opening in the trigonometric direction, with a so-called "right" motor, the leaf arm is assembled as represented by the arrow A ₁ . Conversely, if the actuator is intended to motorize a leaf opening in the anti-trigonometric direction, with a so-called "left" motor, as illustrated in FIGS. Figures 1 and 2 , the leaf arm is turned, that is to say, rotated 180 ° on its longitudinal main axis X _L30 , and inserted as shown by the arrow A ₂ . The main longitudinal axis of an arm is the axis passing through the centers of the pivots arranged at each end of the arm, that is to say by the axes of articulation of these pivots, and the median plane of the arm.

A second mounting step is to insert the shaft 50 into the openings 210, 220 and the pad 32, so as to form the first pivot.

A third mounting step consists in fixing the abutment elements 41, 42 on the leaf arm 30. During this step, the abutment elements 41, 42 are placed on either side of the joint, at the inside one of the lights 33a, 33b and one of the grooves 34a, 34b, 34'a, 34'b. The screws 43 are introduced through the first abutment element 41, pass through one of the lumens 33a, 33b and cooperate with the threading of the second abutment element 42. The screwing operation makes it possible to secure the abutment elements with the arm leaf 20.

A fourth mounting step consists in fixing the covers 51, 52 on the shaft 50 by means of the screws 53, 54.

The figure 5 represents the different arrangements of the two arms when the leaf reaches its end positions. The opening angle between the two arms is denoted α.

When the gate is closed, the arms are substantially aligned, as illustrated by the leaf arm 30 dotted. Indeed, the longitudinal main axis of the leaf arm X ' _L30 is then substantially coincides with the longitudinal main axis of the motor arm X _L20 . The opening angle between the two arms is then maximal, it is noted α _Max . In this case, the maximum opening angle is limited by the stop 35 integrated in the leaf arm 30. As the motor is configured to "left" in the example shown, for this end of stroke, the stop adjustable 35 is in contact with the complementary surface 25a of the motor arm 20. If the motor was configured to "right", the non-adjustable stop 35 would then be in contact with the complementary surface 25b.

When the gate is open, the opening angle between the arms is limited by the stop device according to the invention. In this case, the faces 41a and 42a of the stop pieces 41 and 42 respectively come into contact with the abutment surfaces 21a and 21b. The opening angle between the two arms is then minimal, it is noted α _min . In the example of the figures, the angle α _min is approximately 90 °. In other words, the longitudinal axes X _L20 and X _L30 of the motor and leaf arms are then substantially perpendicular.

We denote P _30P1 a plane containing the X axis _L30 and perpendicular to the axis X _30P1 . This plane P _30P1 is a median plane of the disc 31 and the end E _BV1 of the leaf arm 30 is symmetrical with respect to this plane. This allows the mounting of the leaf arm 30 on the motor arm 20 in the two portions shown with reference to the arrows A ₁ and A ₂ to the figure 5 . In the assembled configuration of the actuator A, the plane P _30P1 is perpendicular to the axis X _P1 .

In practice, the leaf arm 30 is symmetrical with respect to the plane P _30P1 .

Β is the relative deflection angle between the two arms. This angle corresponds to the difference between the maximum angle α _Max and the minimum angle α _min . This angular deflection β of the leaf can be adjusted by acting on the stop device, that is to say, by modifying the location of the stop pieces 41, 42. For this, the installer works on the joint performed between the arms 20 and 30 from a face of this joint which is accessible, in practice its upper face which is in the extension of the upper face 20 _SUP of the motor arm 20. The installer removes the cover 51 and loosens the screw 43 of the stop device, which eliminates the adhesion of the stop pieces 41, 42 with the leaf arm 30. Then, it moves these stop pieces 41, 42 along the light 33a to the desired position. Finally, it again tightens the screws 43 to fix the stop pieces 41, 42 on the leaf arm 30. In this configuration, we can only adjust the minimum angle α _min arm opening.

It may be envisaged to adjust also the maximum angle α _Max of arm opening. For this, simply add a second stop device. Stop pieces of this second device are positioned in the grooves 34b, 34'b, assembly screws passing through the light 33b. They are able to be in contact with the abutment surfaces 21b and 22b in the end position. In this case, the fixed stops 25a, 25b and 35 are not used.

Alternatively, the disk 31 can integrate a single transverse oblong through-hole light, of the same length as the sum of the two lights 33a and 33b. The grooves 34a and 34b are then fused together with the grooves 34'a and 34'b.

It is also possible to fix the stop pieces 41 and 42 on the two flanges 21 and 22 of the motor arm 20. The slots 33a and 33b and the grooves 34a, 34b, 34'a, 34'b of the leaf shaft are then replaced by one or two lights whose ends form the bumper surfaces. This solution makes it possible to have only one piece of abutment crossing a light of the leaf arm.

Another embodiment consists of inverting the structure at the joint: the end of the leaf arm 30 is formed of two parallel flanges inside which is inserted the disc forming the end of the motor arm 20. The parts stoppers are then attached to the motor shaft.

Claims (12)

1. Arm-type actuator (A) for a panel, said actuator comprising:

   - a motor (10);

   - a driving arm (20) which is driven by the motor in rotation about a first axis (X_P0) near a first end (E_BM1) of the arm;

   - a panel arm (30) which is articulated, by a first end (E_BV1), on a second end (E_BM2) of the driving arm and is articulated, by a second end (E_BV2), on a panel (1); and

   - a stop device (21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 41, 42) which is accommodated close to the first end of the panel arm and limits an angle (α) of relative displacement between the two arms (20, 30),

   characterised in that
   the stop device is adjustable and comprises:

   - at least one stop surface (21a, 21b, 22a, 22b) which is integral with a first arm (20), from among the driving arm (20) and the panel arm (30); and

   - an arresting element (41, 42) which is fixed to the second arm (30), from among the driving arm (20) and the panel arm (30), and is capable of cooperating with the stop surface, the position of the arresting element in relation to the second arm (30) being adjustable.
2. Arm-type actuator according to claim 1, characterised in that the minimum angle of opening (α_min) between the two arms (20, 30) can be adjusted by the adjustable stop device (21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 41, 42).
3. Arm-type actuator according to either of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first end (E_BV1) of the panel arm (30) is symmetrical in relation to a plane (P_30P1) perpendicular to the axis (X_P1) of articulation between the arms (20, 30).
4. Arm-type actuator according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the panel arm (30) is symmetrical in relation to a plane (P_30P1) perpendicular to the axis (X_P1) of articulation between the arms (20, 30).
5. Arm-type actuator according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the panel arm (30) can be fitted together with the driving arm (20) in accordance with two configurations (A₁, A₂), the panel arm having pivoted by 180° in relation to its main longitudinal axis (A_30L) between the first and the second configuration.
6. Arm-type actuator according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least part (21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 41, 42) of the adjustable stop device is protected by at least one cover (51, 52).
7. Arm-type actuator according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that adjustment of the position of the arresting element (41, 42) of the adjustable stop device (21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 41, 42) is carried out from an accessible face (20_SUP) of the driving arm (20).
8. Arm-type actuator according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least one arm (30) comprises means (34a, 34b, 34'a, 34'b) for guiding the arresting element (41, 42) before said arresting element is fixed on the second arm (30).
9. Arm-type actuator according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least one arm comprises indexing means which make it possible to fix the arresting element (41, 42) at specific positions.
10. Arm-type actuator according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises a means (43) for holding the arresting element (41, 42) in position, the said holding means making it possible to link said arresting element to at least one arm (30) before the arresting element is fixed on the second arm.
11. Arm-type actuator according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the arresting element comprises two stop pieces (41, 42) which are connected by at least one screw (43), screwing-in of said screw making it possible to bring the said two stop pieces together until they are fastened to one (30) of the two arms, at least one stop piece being intended to cooperate with a stop surface (21a, 21b, 22a, 22b) disposed on the other arm (20).
12. Arm-type actuator according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the end (E_BV1) of the arm (30) supporting the arresting element (41, 42) forms a disc (31) comprising at least one oblong opening (33a, 33b) in the form of an arc of a circle which is centred on the axis (X_P1) of articulation between the arms (20, 30), the said opening accommodating part of the shank of the screw (43).

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