EP2584131B1

EP2584131B1 - Sliding door with reversible sliding system

Info

Publication number: EP2584131B1
Application number: EP12188959.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luigi Canova
Original assignee: Mth Srl; M T H Srl
Current assignee: Mth Srl; M T H Srl
Priority date: 2011-10-20
Filing date: 2012-10-18
Publication date: 2015-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 2032-10-18
Also published as: RU2012143612A; RU2606094C2; EP2584131A1; BR102012026639B1; BR102012026639A2; ES2562823T3; ITTO20110952A1

Description

The present invention relates in general to a sliding door, and more specifically to a sliding door for cold rooms (also referred to as refrigeration sliding door), having the characteristics set forth in the preamble of the enclosed independent claim 1.
A sliding door of the above-identified kind is known from EP-A-0 816 615
As is known, refrigeration sliding doors comprise a leaf, the height and width of which may typically reach some meters (for instance up to 4 meters), and a sliding system adapted to guide the leaf in the opening/closing direction of the door (hereinafter referred to also as longitudinal direction). The sliding system typically comprises a horizontal rail, along which the leaf is guided by means of two rollers which are idly supported on respective support bodies fixed to the top edge of the leaf, at the opposite longitudinal ends of this latter. The leaf is thus hanged to the rail by means of the two rollers and these latter are in contact with a rolling surface of the rail as a result of the own weight of the leaf. The sliding movement of the leaf in the longitudinal direction may be driven either by hand or by means of a special driving mechanism comprising for instance an electric motor and a tooth-belt transmission device. The rail, the length of which is at least twice the width of the leaf, is typically formed by one or more pieces of aluminium or steel and is typically closed on its upper side by a cover element having the function of retaining the rollers on their upper side so as to prevent them from disengaging from the rail. Respective travel-limit elements are typically provided at the opposite ends of the rail to limit the longitudinal travel of the rollers, and hence of the leaf, along the rail, both in the opening direction and in the closing direction of the door. A pair of so-called ramps, each of which forms a rolling track arranged to cooperate with a respective roller of the leaf, is also mounted on the rail. The ramps are positioned along the rail so that the rollers of the leaf roll thereon in the final phase of the closing movement of the door. Moreover, the rolling tracks of the ramps are suitably shaped to cause the rollers, and hence the leaf, when the rollers roll along them, to move both downwards and towards the inside of the door in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the leaf, and then to cause squeezing of the seals of elastomeric material arranged along the perimeter of the leaf.
A first drawback of the known sliding systems for sliding doors is that they are not reversible, i.e. they are not able to work both with left-hand doors and with right-hand doors. In order to convert a door of the one type into a door of the other type it is therefore necessary to replace some of the components of the sliding system of the door, in particular the rail with its ramps. A further drawback of the known sliding systems for sliding doors is represented, in case of a rail which is made in a single piece and the length of which is therefore at least twice the width of the leaf, by the great size of the rail and hence by the difficulties of handling and transport which are inevitably associated due to such a great size.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sliding door with a sliding system which is totally reversible, i.e. which can be used both with left-hand doors and with right-hand doors.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sliding door which is able to prevent the leaf from disengaging from the rail with no need to use components other than the rail itself.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a sliding door the sliding system of which is made of small-sized components, which can be handled and transported more easily than with the prior art.
These and other objects are fully achieved according to the present invention by virtue of a sliding door having the characteristics set forth in the characterizing portion of independent claim 1.
Further advantageous characteristics of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims, the content of which is to be intended as forming an integral and integrating part of the following description.
In short, the invention is based on the idea of providing a sliding door of the type mentioned above, wherein the rail comprises a first rail portion and a second rail portion, each of which forms an upper rolling surface and a lower rolling surface, wherein the first and second rail portions have an identical cross-section of symmetrical shape with respect to a horizontal plane of symmetry, wherein the two ramps are made as separate components with respect to the two rail portions and are identical to each other, wherein the two ramps have a symmetrical configuration with respect to the aforesaid plane of symmetry, and wherein one ramp is mounted between the two rail portions while the other ramp is mounted at the end of either of the rail portions. By virtue of the symmetrical configuration of the two rail portions and of the two ramps, by virtue of the rail being split into two portions and by virtue of the two ramps being made on the one hand as separate components from the rail and on the other hand as components identical to each other, a left-hand door can be converted into a right-hand door and vice versa using the same components of the sliding system of the door. It is in fact sufficient, in order to convert a sliding system for a right-hand door into a sliding system for a left-hand door and vice versa, to turn the rail by 180 degrees, with no need to disassemble the rail and to replace components of the rail.
Preferably, the upper and lower rolling surfaces of the two rail portions are convex surfaces and the rolling surfaces of the rollers are concave surfaces, and furthermore the rolling surfaces of the two rail portions and of the rollers are shaped in such a manner as to avoid movements of the rollers with respect to the two rail portions in a transverse horizontal direction (wherein the expression "transverse direction" refers to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction). The function of preventing the leaf from rolling over and from disengaging from the rail is thus ensured without having to use other components than the rail and the rollers.
Preferably, the two rail portions have the same length, whereby they are fully interchangeable with each other and can thus help to reduce the total number of components of the door.
Preferably, each ramp is made so as to form a travel-limit surface configured for cooperating, as far as the ramp mounted between the two rail portions is concerned, with either of the rollers of the leaf to limit the travel of the leaf during opening.
Preferably, the door further comprises first and second cover elements associated each to a respective rail portion, the total length of these cover elements being substantially equal to the total length of the rail.
Preferably, each cover element is hinged to a respective rail portion so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis between a closed position, in which it covers the respective rail portion, and an open position, in which it gives access to the respective rail portion and to the rollers, for instance for inspection and/or servicing purposes.
Preferably, the two rail portions are formed each by a single piece of aluminium or steel.
Preferably, the two ramps are components made of plastic material.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, given purely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the appended drawings, where:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a refrigeration sliding door according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which the door is configured as a left-hand door and is shown in a partially-open position;
Figures 2, 3 and 4 are a front elevation view, a side elevation view and a plan view, respectively, of the sliding door of Figure 1, in which the door is configured as a right-hand door and is shown in a closed position;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the sliding system of the sliding door of Figure 1;
Figures 6a and 6b are perspective views showing in detail the two ramps of the sliding door of Figure 1;
Figure 7 is a schematic view showing the cross-section of a roller and of a rail portion of the sliding door of Figure 1; and
Figures 8a and 8b are perspective views showing in detail a cover element of the sliding door of Figure 1 in the closed position and in the open position, respectively.

With reference first to Figures 1 to 4, a sliding door, intended in particular for use as a refrigeration door, is generally indicated 10. The sliding door 10 comprises a leaf 12 of rectangular shape having a pair of horizontal edges 14, namely, an upper horizontal edge and a lower horizontal edge, respectively, and a pair of lateral vertical edges 16, and a sliding system 18 adapted to guide the leaf 12 in the opening/closing direction of the door, or longitudinal direction, indicated by double-arrow F. The sliding system 18 comprises a rail extending horizontally over the leaf 12. A pair of rollers 20 are idly supported about respective axes of rotation x, which are oriented horizontally and perpendicular to the leaf 12, on respective support bodies 22 fixed to the leaf 12 at two top vertices thereof, whereby the leaf 12 is hanged to the sliding system 18 via the rollers 20.
The rail of the sliding system 18 is split into two portions, indicated 24 and 26, respectively, which have the same cross-section. As shown in Figure 7, the cross-section of the two rail portions 24 and 26 is symmetrical with respect to a horizontal plane of symmetry coinciding with the plane passing through the axes of rotation x of the rollers 20 (as is clear from Figure 7). More specifically, the two rail portions 24 and 26 form each a pair of rolling tracks 28 and 30, namely an upper rolling track and a lower rolling track, respectively, which define respective rolling surfaces 32 and 34 shaped as convex surfaces. Each roller 20 has a circumferential groove 36 defining a concave rolling surface 38. As is clear from Figure 7, the circumferential groove 36 of each roller 20 engages with both the rolling tracks 28 and 30 of the rail portion 24 or 26 along which the roller moves, whereby the roller 20 can neither translate in a transverse horizontal direction, i.e. in a direction parallel to its own axis of rotation x, nor rotate in the transverse vertical plane. In other words, the rollers 20 are constrained to move along the respective rail portions 24 and 26, from which they cannot disengage. The function of preventing the leaf from rolling over and from disengaging from the rail is thus ensured simply by virtue of the shape of the two rail portions 24 and 26 and of the rollers 20, with no need to use additional components. Preferably, the two rail portions 24 and 26 have the same length, which is approximately equal to the width of the leaf 12. Preferably, the two rail portions 24 and 26 are formed each by a single piece of aluminium or steel. Respective end elements, or plugs, 40 and 42 are provided at the ends of the two rail portions 24 and 26 opposite to each other. The end elements 40 and 42 are made as separate components with respect to the rail portions 24 and 26. Preferably, the end elements 40 and 42 are made of plastic material.
The sliding system 18 of the sliding door 10 further comprises a pair of ramps 44 and 46 arranged to cooperate each with a respective roller 20. The two ramps 44 and 46 are made as separate components with respect to the two rail portions 24 and 26 and are identical to each other. The two ramps 44 and 46 have a symmetrical configuration with respect to the aforesaid plane of symmetry and form both a pair of rolling tracks 48 and 50, namely an upper rolling track and a lower rolling track, respectively, so as to allow to convert a left-hand door into a right-hand door and vice versa without having to replace the ramps. The two ramps 44 and 46 are mounted one between the two rail portions 24 and 26 and the other at the end of either of the rail portions 24 or 26, whereby the rollers 20 roll along the respective rolling tracks 48 or 50 in the final phase of the closing movement of the door. More specifically, in the embodiment shown in Figures 2 to 4, in which the door 10 is configured as a right-hand door, the ramp 44 is mounted at the left-hand end of the first rail portion 24 (left-hand rail portion, looking at Figure 2), while the ramp 46 is mounted between the two rail portions 24 and 26. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 5, in which the door 10 is instead configured as a left-hand door, the ramp 44 is mounted between the two rail portions 24 and 26, while the ramp 46 is mounted at the right-hand end of the second rail portion 26 (right-hand rail portion, looking at Figures 1 and 5). In a per-se-known manner, each of the two rolling tracks 48 and 50 of the ramps 44 and 46 is suitably shaped so as to cause, when one of the two rollers 20 rolls along the same, the roller 20 (and hence the leaf 12) to move both downwards and towards the inside of the door in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the leaf 12, so as to cause squeezing of the seals 52 of elastomeric material arranged along the perimeter of the leaf 12. Like the end elements 40 and 42, also the ramps 44 and 46 are preferably made of plastic material. Moreover, as shown in Figures 6a and 6b, each ramp 44 and 46 forms a pair of cusp-like formations 58 which are located on opposite sides with respect to the plane of symmetry of the sliding system 18 and face each other. The distance between the cusp-like formations 58 of each ramp 44 and 46 is less than the diameter of the rollers 20, whereby each pair of cusp-like formations 58 acts as travel-limit device for limiting the travel of the leaf 12 in the opening direction. More specifically, this travel-limit function is performed by the pair of cusp-like formations 58 of the ramp 44 or 46 which is mounted between the two rail portions 24 and 26. With reference for instance to Figure 2, when, during the opening movement of the door, the left-hand roller 20 abuts against the cusp-like formations 58 of the ramp 46 mounted between the two rail portions 24 and 26, a further movement of the leaf 12 in the opening direction is prevented. The ramps 44 and 46 act therefore as travel-limit devices not only in the closing direction of the door, but also in the opening direction.
As is evident from the above description, by virtue of the rail being split into the two rail portions 24 and 26, by virtue of the symmetrical configuration both of the two rail portions 24 and 26 and of the two ramps 44 and 46, and by virtue of the ramps 44 and 46 being made on the one hand as separate components with respect to the two rail portions 24 and 26 and on the other hand as components identical to each other, the sliding system 18 of the door is fully reversible, i.e. it is possible to convert a sliding system for a right-hand door into a sliding system for a left-hand door and vice versa using the same components. It is in fact sufficient, in order to change the configuration of the sliding system 18 from a sliding system for a right-hand door to a sliding system for a left-hand door and vice versa, to turn the sliding system by 180 degrees. In this connection, the symmetrical configuration of the two rail portions 24 and 26, and in particular the fact that each rail portion 24 and 26 has two rolling tracks 28 and 30 identical to each other, allows to use the two rail portions both in the position shown in the drawings and in a position turned by 180 degrees, i.e. with the upper rolling tracks 28 becoming the lower ones and with the lower rolling tracks 30 becoming the upper ones (Figure 7).
Finally, as shown in Figure 3 and in Figures 8a and 8b, preferably the door 10 further comprises a pair of cover elements 54 and 56 associated to the first and second rail portions 24 and 26, respectively, the total length of these elements being substantially equal to the length of the sliding system 18. Each cover element 54 and 56 is hinged to a respective rail portion 24 and 26 so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the door between a closed position (Figure 8a), in which it covers the respective rail portion 24 and 26, and an open position (Figure 8b), in which it gives access to the respective rail portion 24 and 26 and to the rollers 20, for instance for inspection and/or servicing purposes.
Clearly, the fact that the rail is split into the two rail portions 24 and 26 and the use of two separate cover elements 54 and 56 allow to halve the size of these components and hence to make their storage, handling and transport easier.
Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining unchanged, the embodiments and the constructional details may vary widely from those described and illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

Sliding door (10), particularly for cold rooms, comprising a leaf (12) and a sliding system (18) adapted to guide the leaf (12) in the opening/closing movement along a longitudinal direction (F),
wherein the sliding system (18) comprises a horizontal rail (24, 26) comprising a first rail portion (24) and a second rail portion (26),
wherein the leaf (12) carries two rollers (20) by means of which it is hanged to the sliding system (18),
wherein the rollers (20) are in contact with respective rolling surfaces (32, 34) of the rail (24, 26) to roll along these surfaces during the opening/closing movement of the door, wherein the sliding system (18) further comprises a pair of ramps (44, 46) which are made as separate components with respect to the two rail portions (24, 26) and are mounted one (44) between the two rail portions (24, 26) and the other (46) at the end of either (26) of the two rail portions (24, 26), each ramp (44, 46) forming a rolling track (48, 50) arranged to cooperate with a respective roller (20) to cause the roller (20), and hence the leaf (12), to move both downwards and towards the inside of the door in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the leaf (12),
the door (10) being characterized
in that the two rail portions (24, 26) have an identical cross-section of symmetrical shape with respect to a horizontal plane of symmetry and form each an upper rolling surface (32) and a lower rolling surface (34), and
in that the two ramps (44, 46) are identical to each other, have a symmetrical configuration with respect to said plane of symmetry and form each an upper rolling track (48) and a lower rolling track (50).
Sliding door according to claim 1, wherein the rolling surfaces (32, 34) of the two rail portions (24, 26) are convex surfaces and wherein the rollers (20) have concave rolling surfaces (38).
Sliding door according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the two rail portions (24, 26) have substantially the same length.
Sliding door according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a pair of cover elements (54, 56) associated each to a respective rail portion (24, 26).
Sliding door according to claim 4, wherein each cover element (54, 56) is hinged to a respective rail portion (24, 26) so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation oriented parallel to said longitudinal direction (F) between a closed position, in which it covers the respective rail portion (24, 26), and an open position, in which it gives access to the respective rail portion (24, 26) and to the rollers (20).
Sliding door according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the two ramps (44, 46) have each a pair of cusp-like formations (58) acting as travel-limit device adapted to cooperate with one of the rollers (20) to limit the travel of the leaf (12) in the opening direction.
Sliding door according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the two rail portions (24, 26) are formed each by a single piece of aluminium or steel.
Sliding door according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the two ramps (44, 46) are made of plastic material.