EP2672049A1

EP2672049A1 - Mounting method and kit

Info

Publication number: EP2672049A1
Application number: EP13170291.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Silvio Trentin; Lorenzo Galberti
Original assignee: Nice SpA
Current assignee: Nice SpA
Priority date: 2012-06-04
Filing date: 2013-06-03
Publication date: 2013-12-11
Also published as: ITTV20120107A1

Abstract

To improve the assembly, a method or mounting assembly (kit) is described to maintain the constancy of pitch in a guide (60) that can be placed on a ceiling (15) and is composed of two or more linear guide segments (60), each having a series of seats (65) at constant pitch adapted to mesh in them a toothed wheel (80) of a movable carriage (32) adapted to move the door (14) of a garage, characterized by:
- providing for two segments a separate external blocking element (90) and
- configuring the segments and the blocking element to link to each other only at predefined points (65b, 68).

Description

The invention relates in general to a method and a mounting assembly (kit).
It is known from W003106797 or W02007087878 an electromechanical actuator for garage door that has a rail, for the support and guidance of a sliding carriage, placed on the ceiling of the garage. By means of a suitable rod or bracket the carriage is coupled to the door to move it forward and backward, and can travel along the rail through the action of an electric motor. To the output shaft of the motor is keyed a toothed wheel interacting with a fixed chain which acts as rack. The motor is powered by exploiting the electrical conductivity of the chain, suspended and stretched inside the rail. The supply current thus travels on the chain, the toothed wheel, the motor and returns along the rail.
Very often a problem that is encountered in the installation of actuators of the type above is the assembly of a very long guide or rail. Transporting it in one piece is very inconvenient, because of high costs, and sometimes impossible. So one prefers to join together guide segments of smaller standard size (usually pieces of 1,5 meters).
For the teeth, racks or holes of compound rails to mesh, one absolutely must ensure the consistency of the pitch at the junction, otherwise the toothed wheel can lock, come out of the guide and/or damage the moveable carriage.
This problem can be solved by the method and mounting assembly (kit) as defined herein.
In fact, it is desired to improve this state of the art, in particular with a method to maintain the constancy of pitch in a guide composed of two or more linear guide segments, each having a series of seats at constant pitch adapted to mesh in them a toothed wheel (e.g. of a movable carriage adapted to move the door).
The method is characterized by

providing for two segments a separate, external blocking element and
configuring the segments and the blocking element to link to each other only at predefined points.

Correlated to the method there is a mounting assembly/system (or kit of parts) comprising

two or more linear guide segments (e.g. for a movable carriage adapted to move the door of a garage), each segment having a series of seats at a constant pitch adapted to mesh in them a toothed wheel (of the carriage), and
a separate, external blocking element for the two segments to form a composite longer guide.

The assembly is characterized in that the segments and the blocking element are configured to mutually connect only at predefined points/positions, so as to maintain pitch constancy in the compound guide.
For the assembly and/or also for the method many variations can be provided to ensure that the segments and the blocking element can link to each other only at predefined points.
E.g. one can exploit a collimation of holes on both parts, or the joint between male-female parts, like a tooth or relief insertable into a corresponding seat, or a pin or relief insertable into a generic hole or cavity, or a pin insertable into a notch placed at a preset distance from the end of a segment. Another way can be the mutual abutment of parts.
Further advantageous variants are contained in the other dependent claims.
The following description relates to a preferred embodiment of a mounting assembly (kit) and will further highlight its advantages, while making reference to the attached drawing in which

Fig 1 shows a perspective view of an installation of an actuator that takes advantage of the kit;
Fig 2 shows a side and partial sectioned view of the actuator and of the kit;
Fig 3 shows an exploded, axonometric view of a connection system between linear guide segments comprised in the kit;
Fig 4 shows a sectional view of a guide rail;
Fig 5 shows an isometric view of the actuator as mounted of the kit;
Fig 6 shows an isometric view of the connection system;
Fig 7 shows a sectional view of the actuator of Fig. 6 and the connection system;
Fig 8 shows a three dimensional view of a variant of the kit;
Fig 9 shows in horizontal section the variant of Fig 8.

In fig. 1 is shown an application 10 of the kit for an actuator drive, e.g. for a liftable door 14 of the sectional type for a garage 12.
Access to the inside of the garage 12 occurs after the lifting of the door 14 that slides bending itself along lateral guides or rails 17 fixed to a ceiling 15. On the ceiling 15 is a linear guide rail 60, preferably made of metal and fixed by means of suitable brackets (not shown), having a development according to a longitudinal axis X parallel to the rail 17 and perpendicular to the liftable door 14 when it is closed. Inside the rail 17 can slide a motorized, actuating carriage 20 coupled to the door 14 via an arm 22, so as to drag it back and forth on command along the guides 17.
The carriage 20 comprise a drive block 32, equipped with an electric motor and gear reducer, integral with a runner 34, which slides inside the rail 60.
The guide rail 60 has a substantially C-shaped section (see fig. 3 and 4) and is preferably made by bending and moulding metal sheet. It is formed by

a flat surface 62 (which is in use the upper one and horizontal), from which extends perpendicularly
a pair of side walls 64, having S-shaped section, which end with
a pair of horizontal lips or edges 66 parallel to the surface 62.

The side walls 64 comprise a first part 64a, closer to the surface 62, having a series of apertures 65, aligned longitudinally (along the X axis) and at a constant pitch, and a second part 64b shaped along with the edges 66 to support/hold the carriage 20.
At the ends of each rail 60, in the part 64b, there are aligned holes 68 (or also relieves in the form of discs).
The runner 34 comprises a portion with substantially T- or I-shaped cross section, slidably inserted into the rail 60 along the X axis, and so as to be resting on and supported/hold by the edges 66, without falling. Contacts 38 serve to draw from the guide 60 a polarity of the power supply to power the motor of the carriage 20. The other polarity is supplied by a metal cable 70 taut and suspended approximately in the center of the rail 60.
A toothed wheel 80 keyed to the shaft of the electric motor is adapted to engage with its teeth the openings 65 (see fig. 5 and 7 and 9). The toothed wheel 80 by rotating enables the backward and forward movement of the carriage 20 along the rail 60.
An example of the mounting system is well shown in fig. 3 and 6. Two segments of linear guide rail 60 are mutually fixed by a fixing element comprising two C-shaped brakets, indicated by 90a, 90b.
The suffixes a, b indicate the parts relative to each bracket.
The brackets 90a, 90b are each formed by two flat parts 91a, 93a (91b, 93b) perpendicular to each other, the part 93a (93b) comprising at its free end a small edge 97a (97b) parallel to the part 91a (91b).
The part 91a (91b) of each bracket 90a (90b) possesses protruding lamellae 92 (only some shown) that can fit with those of the part 91b (91a) of the other bracket, in order to stably form an overall compound C-shaped bracket that surrounds the ends brought near of the two segments of guide rail 60. The parts 91a, 91b when linked together (piece 90) have a total width approximately as the bottom 62, and by the edges 97a, 97b they support a rail segment 60.
The working of the mounting system is described in the application EP1971744 , here inserted as reference. Figure 6 shows the two brackets 90a, 90b united with the lamellae 92 interlocked.
On the part 93a, 93b of each bracket 90a, 90b there are holes or recesses 96 aligned parallel to the axis X and superimposable to the holes or relieves 68, of which they preferably have the same pitch and size.
The distance between the holes or relieves 68 and/or that between the holes 96 is such that, when two holes 68, 96 are collimating on each segment of guide rail, the segments are automatically positioned at the correct relative distance that maintains the pitch of the openings 65 constant while passing from one segment to another.
Note that only two holes 96 and a hole 68 on each segment would be sufficient.
Advantageously said holes 68, as mentioned, can be replaced by small indentations or protrusions in relief, carried out directly on the metal sheet, such as to be able to enter and remain in the corresponding holes 96. To facilitate and speed up the mounting, it is also advantageous to make the holes or indentations 68 on only one side of the rail 60.
To assemble the guide segments, a bracket 90a, 90b is overlapped at their ends. The ends are brought maximally close until the relieves or holes 68 are collimating with the holes 96. This ensures the constancy of the pitch for the openings 65.
Subsequently, according to the method described in EP1971744 , the second bracket is added by fixing it to the first one through the interlocking of the lamellae 92 to embrace the rail 60. The compound bracket so assembled can then be fixed to the ceiling or to a suitable support.
The method and mounting device described here can be exploited by means of the rail 110 as well.
See fig. 7 for a different rail, the variant 110, in which same references as bedore indicate same parts, not described for simplicity.
One can also simplify the section and the side of the metal profile which acts as a guide rail. Instead of having an S-shaped side as in the rail 60, the rail 110 can be produced with a flat bottom 102 and two sidewalls 104 almost flat and parallel to each other, longitudinally interrupted only by openings 65. The area or band of the side 104 not affected by the openings 65 remains solid, flat and continuous, exploitable as sliding or dragging track by one or more wheels or bearings The different section of the rail 110 reduces the height thereof.
Fig 8 shows another variant of kit indicated with 200.
The two segments 60 are joined by a bracket 190 (the junction bracket 190 is one, unlike the previous variant, but could be as the brackets 90a, 90b) and are spaced along the X axis through a toothed rod 210 whose teeth 211 engage the segment 60 at the sides of the openings 65. In fact, the openings 65 are preferably formed by molding or punching, thus the displaced material can form for each opening 65 two converging flaps 65b (see fig. 9). It follows that the solid portion between two openings 65 is delimited by two divergent flaps 65b, with optimal structure to receive in abutment a tooth of the rod 210. Thus the segments 60 can be fixed relatively to each other by multiple of the distance between two teeth of the rod 210, or by the pitch between the openings 65.
Fig 8 also shows an optional and independent variation of power supply to the carriage 32: a conductive foil 230 is applied over an insulating band 230 and then to the left of a segment 60.

Claims

Method to maintain the constancy of pitch in a guide (60) that can be placed on a ceiling (15) and is composed of two or more linear guide segments (60), each having a series of seats (65) at constant pitch adapted to mesh in them a toothed wheel (80) of a movable carriage (32) adapted to move the door (14) of a garage, characterized by:
- providing for two segments a separate external blocking element (90) and

- configuring the segments and the blocking element to link to each other only at predefined points (65b, 68).
Method according to claim 1, wherein said predefined points are obtained by collimation of holes (68) present on a segment and the blocking element.
Method according to claim 1, wherein said predefined points are obtained by means of a joint between male-female parts (65b, 211).
Method according to claim 3, wherein said joint is obtained between a tooth (211) or relief insertable into a corresponding seat (65b), or a pin or relief insertable into a generic hole or cavity, or a pin insertable into a notch placed at a preset distance from the end of a segment.
Method according to claim 3, wherein said joint is obtained through mutual abutment of parts (65b, 211).
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the two segments and/or the blocking element are produced by bending and moulding metal sheet.
Mounting assembly/ system or kit of parts comprising
- two or more linear guide segments (60) for a movable carriage (32) adapted to move the door (14) of a garage, each segment having a number of seats (65) at a constant pitch adapted to mesh in them a toothed wheel (38) of the carriage, and

- a separate external blocking element (90a, 90b, 190) for the two segments to form a compound longer guide;
wherein the segments and the blocking element are mutually connectable only at predefined points (68, 65b).
Mounting assembly/system or kit of parts according to claim 7, wherein said predefined points comprise holes or locating relieves (68) present on a segment and/or the blocking element.
Mounting assembly/system or kit of parts according to claim 7, wherein said predefined points comprise male-female parts (65b, 211) that can be wedged with each other and are correspondingly present on a segment and the blocking element.
Mounting assembly/system or kit of parts according to claim 9. wherein said predefined points comprise correspondingly, on a segment and on the blocking element, a tooth (211) or relief insertable in a corresponding seat (65b), or a pin or relief insertable into a generic hole or cavity, or a pin insertable in a notch located at a preset distance from the end of a segment.
Mounting assembly/ system or kit of parts according to claim 9 or 10. wherein said predefined points comprise a toothed rod (210) with teeth insertable in a complementary series of seats (65b) present on one side of a segment.