EP2907956B1 - Automatic sliding door power drive assembly - Google Patents
Automatic sliding door power drive assembly Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2907956B1 EP2907956B1 EP15155144.7A EP15155144A EP2907956B1 EP 2907956 B1 EP2907956 B1 EP 2907956B1 EP 15155144 A EP15155144 A EP 15155144A EP 2907956 B1 EP2907956 B1 EP 2907956B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- longitudinal member
- longitudinal
- drive assembly
- sliding
- fixed
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- 238000009304 pastoral farming Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000001681 protective effect Effects 0.000 description 9
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 description 7
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000003638 chemical reducing agent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000004873 anchoring Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010079 rubber tapping Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001360 synchronised effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05F—DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION; CHECKS FOR WINGS; WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING
- E05F15/00—Power-operated mechanisms for wings
- E05F15/70—Power-operated mechanisms for wings with automatic actuation
- E05F15/73—Power-operated mechanisms for wings with automatic actuation responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05F—DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION; CHECKS FOR WINGS; WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING
- E05F15/00—Power-operated mechanisms for wings
- E05F15/60—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators
- E05F15/603—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors
- E05F15/632—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for horizontally-sliding wings
- E05F15/643—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for horizontally-sliding wings operated by flexible elongated pulling elements, e.g. belts, chains or cables
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- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2201/00—Constructional elements; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/10—Covers; Housings
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2201/00—Constructional elements; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/10—Covers; Housings
- E05Y2201/11—Covers
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2201/00—Constructional elements; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/60—Suspension or transmission members; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2201/622—Suspension or transmission members elements
- E05Y2201/684—Rails; Tracks
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2400/00—Electronic control; Electrical power; Power supply; Power or signal transmission; User interfaces
- E05Y2400/80—User interfaces
- E05Y2400/85—User input means
- E05Y2400/852—Sensors
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2600/00—Mounting or coupling arrangements for elements provided for in this subclass
- E05Y2600/60—Mounting or coupling members; Accessories therefor
- E05Y2600/626—Plates or brackets
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2900/00—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof
- E05Y2900/10—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for buildings or parts thereof
- E05Y2900/13—Type of wing
- E05Y2900/132—Doors
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly.
- the present invention relates to a power drive assembly for supporting and automatically moving sliding doors. Use to which the following description will make explicit reference without this implying any loss of generality.
- a sliding door is a door structure which is installed over a through opening in a general wall, and essentially consists of one or, more often, two rectangular-shaped sliding shutters, which are vertically fixed to/suspended from the wall with the capability to horizontally movable, while remaining on their vertical laying plane, so as to be movable to and from a closed position, in which the sliding shutter(s) are arranged at the opening in the wall, usually adjacent to each other, so as to completely close/ obstruct such opening in order to prevent people and/or things from transiting.
- the automatic sliding-door power drive-assemblies are rigidly anchored to the wall, immediately above the opening on which the sliding door is located, and are structured to directly support the sliding shutter(s) and also be able to move the sliding shutter(s) horizontally to and from the closed position, while keeping them on their vertical laying plane.
- DE19902559 discloses a automatic sliding-door power drive assembly according to the preamble of Claim 1.
- US 4 809 000 A discloses an automatic sliding-door power drive assembly with a presence sensor.
- the automatic sliding-door power-drive assemblies generally comprise: a straight load-bearing longitudinal member, which is adapted to be fixed in a horizontal position grazing the wall, immediately above the opening on which the sliding door is located; a series of shutter-supporting carriages which are fixed on the longitudinal member with the possibility to slide freely along the longitudinal member, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the same longitudinal member, and are provided with a protruding appendage that cantilevered projects downwards from the longitudinal member and is structured to support the sliding shutter of the door, while keeping the same shutter substantially coplanar to the longitudinal supporting member; and finally an electrically-operated carriage drive system which is directly fixed on the longitudinal member and is capable of moving the shutter-supporting carriages back and forth along the load-bearing longitudinal member, so as to synchronously move the sliding shutter(s) parallel to the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal member.
- automatic sliding-door power-drive assemblies currently on the market are provided with a longitudinal driving belt which is looped and tightened around two substantially coplanar return pulleys that are fixed in an axially rotatable manner on the longitudinal member, close to the two axial ends of the longitudinal member; and with an electric motor which is attached to the longitudinal member, close to one of the two return pulleys, and is connected to such a return pulley by means of a mechanical gear reducer which allows the electric motor to drive the return pulley into rotation.
- the single shutter-supporting carriages are fixed to the upper straight section or to the lower straight section of the driving belt, so as to follow the movements of the belt; whereas the electric motor is able to drive the return pulley into rotation in both rotation directions, so as to move the two straight sections of the driving belt back and forth in opposition to each other, thus synchronously moving the shutter-supporting carriages back and forth along the longitudinal member.
- the load-bearing longitudinal member is provided with two horizontal flat shelves that cantilevered project from the wall, one above the other, while remaining parallel to the ground.
- the lower shelf is provided with a straight rail along which the shutter-supporting carriages slide, while the upper shelf supports the carriage drive system.
- the above-mentioned power-drive assemblies are moreover provided with a removable protective casing that cantilevered projects from the upper shelf and extends downwards so as to be arranged straddling the lower shelf, thus to close the space in front of the rail on which the shutter-supporting carriages slide.
- the above-mentioned power-drive assemblies are finally provided with an electronic control unit which controls the electric motor and is suspended below the upper shelf of the longitudinal member, beside the electric motor; and with a presence sensor which is fixed outside the protective casing by means of self-tapping screws, more or less in the middle of the load-bearing longitudinal member, and is connected to the back-located electronic control unit by means of a long electric cable, so as to control opening and closing of the door.
- the installer technician must remove the protective casing to continuously access all the components fixed to the longitudinal member, and at the same time must repeatedly operate the power-drive assembly under normal operating conditions. Operation quite uneasy to perform and which necessarily requires the simultaneous presence of two people, considering that the presence sensor is integral with the protective casing and that the protective casing is not attached to the longitudinal member.
- Aim of the present invention is to simplify and speed up the installation and routine and/or extraordinary maintenance of the apparatus.
- an automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly as defined in claim 1 and preferably, though not necessarily, in any one of the dependent claims.
- reference numeral 1 indicates as a whole an automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly which is designed to support and horizontally move the sliding shutter(s) of a sliding door.
- the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 is structured so as to be rigidly fixed/attached on wall P, where the sliding door 100 is located, just above the sliding door 100 to be driven, and is able to support the sliding shutter(s) 101 forming said sliding door 100.
- the sliding door 100 is preferably provided with two substantially rectangular, flat sliding shutters 101 which are fixed to/suspended from the power drive assembly 1 so as to be vertically arranged and locally substantially coplanar and adjacent to each other; and the power-drive assembly 1 is structured so as to move the two sliding shutters 101 in a horizontal direction d locally parallel to the laying plane of the sliding shutters 101, so as to move the two sliding shutters 101 preferably in opposition to each other, to and from a closed position (see figure 2 ) in which the two sliding shutters 101 are stationary at the opening on wall P, preferably closely shut to each other, so as to substantially completely close/obstruct such opening and prevent people and/or things from transiting.
- the two sliding shutters 101 of door 100 are furthermore designed so that their straight bottom edge rests in axially sliding manner on a horizontal straight rail (not shown) extending, grazing the ground, substantially coplanar to the laying plane of the two sliding shutters 101.
- the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 is structured to at least partly support the two sliding shutters 101 of sliding door 100, and to horizontally move the two sliding shutters 101 in direction d to and from the closed position, while keeping the two sliding shutters 101 on their laying plane.
- the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 comprises:
- the load-bearing longitudinal member 2 is adapted to be anchored/fixed in rigid manner on wall P in a substantially horizontal position and also locally substantially grazing the wall P, immediately above the opening on which the sliding door 100 is located, so as to be substantially coplanar to the two sliding shutters 101.
- the load-bearing longitudinal member 2 is moreover provided with two flat projecting shelves 5, 6 which are arranged parallel to and facing each other, so as to cantilevered extend from wall P one above the other while remaining substantially parallel to the ground, i.e. horizontal, when the longitudinal member 2 is fixed in horizontal position on wall P.
- the top flat shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2 is also wider than the bottom flat shelf 5, so as to cantilevered extend beyond the edge of the bottom flat portion 5 of the longitudinal member 2.
- the shutter-supporting carriages 3 rest on the lower shelf 5 of the longitudinal member 2 with the capability to freely slide along the lower shelf 5, parallel to the longitudinal axis L of longitudinal member 2, preferably substantially along the whole length of the longitudinal member 2.
- the shutter-supporting carriages 3 are preferably fitted in an axially sliding manner on a straight rail 7 which is located on the upper face of the bottom flat shelf 5 of longitudinal member 2, and which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis L of longitudinal member 2, preferably substantially along the whole length of the longitudinal member 2.
- the shutter-supporting carriages 3 are located inside the straight channel laterally delimited by the two flat projecting shelves 5 and 6 of longitudinal member 2, with the capability to move inside the channel parallel to the longitudinal axis L of longitudinal member 2.
- each shutter-supporting carriage 3 is preferably provided with a projecting bottom appendage 8 that cantilevered extends downwards from the longitudinal member 2, or better from the bottom flat shelf 5 of longitudinal member 2, and is structured to be rigidly fixed to the body of the corresponding sliding shutter 101 preferably, though not necessarily, by means of anchoring screws.
- the projecting bottom appendage 8 is moreover structured to keep the same sliding shutter 101 locally substantially coplanar with, or in any case substantially parallel to, the load-bearing longitudinal member 2.
- the carriage moving device 4 is instead suspended/fixed below the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2, so as to face the shutter-supporting carriages 3, and is preferably designed so as to move the shutter-supporting carriages 3 in a synchronous manner back and forth along the longitudinal member 2, thus to move the sliding shutters 101 parallel to the longitudinal axis L of longitudinal member 2 in opposition to each other.
- the carriage moving device 4 is preferably fixed/attached in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, below the top flat shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2, and preferably comprises:
- the return pulley 9 is preferably fixed in axially rotatable manner on a supporting bracket 13 that cantilevered extends downwards from the lower face of upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2, and is preferably structured so as to be fixed/attached to the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2 in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner.
- the supporting bracket 13 is preferably provided at the top with a coupling head which is shaped/structured so as to engage and lock in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, inside a longitudinal straight groove 14 which preferably has a substantially T-shaped cross section and extends along the lower face of the top flat shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2 parallel to the longitudinal axis L of longitudinal member 2, preferably along the whole length of longitudinal member 2.
- return pulley 10 is preferably fixed in axially rotatable manner on a second supporting bracket 15 which cantilevered extends downwards from the lower face of the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2, and is preferably fixed to the upper shelf 6 of the longitudinal member 2 in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner.
- the supporting bracket 15 is preferably provided at the top with a coupling head which is shaped/structured to engage and lock inside the longitudinal groove 14 on the lower face of the top flat shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2 in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner.
- the supporting brackets 13 and 15 of the carriage moving device 4 are preferably designed so as to keep, when they are fixed to the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2, the two return pulleys 9 and 10 substantially facing the bottom flat shelf 5 of longitudinal member 2, with the respective rotation axes 9a and 10a locally substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L of longitudinal member 2, and also substantially horizontal, i.e. perpendicular, to the laying plane of the sliding shutters 101.
- the return pulleys 9 and 10 and the driving belt 11 preferably lie on a substantially vertical reference plane which is locally substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis L of longitudinal member 2, and the two horizontal straight sections of driving belt 11 are vertically offset one above the other.
- the shutter-supporting carriages 3 are fastened to the lower straight section or to the upper straight section of the driving belt 11 by means of a screw-clamp, so as to follow the movements of belt 11; whereas the electric motor 12 is able to drive pulley 10 into rotation about the rotation axis 10A in both rotation directions, so as to move the two straight sections of the driving belt 11 back and forth in opposition to each other, thus synchronously moving the shutter-supporting carriages 3 back and forth along the load-bearing longitudinal member 2.
- the electric motor 12 is preferably cantilevered fixed on the supporting bracket 15, coaxial to the rotation axis 10a of pulley 10; and the return pulley 10 is preferably angularly rigidly fitted directly onto the end of the drive shaft of the electric motor 12, so as to be driven into rotation by the electric motor 12 without the interposition of speed reducers.
- the supporting bracket 15 is preferably structured to keep, when the top coupling head is firmly fixed on the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2, the electric motor 12 with its drive shaft locally substantially facing the lower shelf 5 of longitudinal member 2, and with the rotation axis substantially horizontal and locally substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L of longitudinal member 2, i.e. perpendicular to the laying plane of the sliding shutters 101.
- the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 furthermore comprises an electronic control unit 17 which is adapted to control the electric motor 12, and is preferably suspended/fixed below the upper shelf 6 of the longitudinal member 2, preferably in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner.
- the electronic control unit 17 is preferably suspended/fixed below the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2 by means of one or more supporting brackets (not shown), each of which is preferably provided with a top coupling head which is shaped/ structured to engage and lock in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, inside the longitudinal groove 14 on the bottom face of the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2.
- the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 is additionally provided with a longitudinal protective casing 18 which is fixed on the longitudinal member 2, to cover the front portion of the longitudinal member 2 substantially for the whole length of the longitudinal member 2, so as to hide the shutter-supporting carriages 3, the carriage moving device 4, and the electronic control unit 17.
- the longitudinal casing 18 is fixed on the upper shelf 6 of the longitudinal member 2, preferably in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, and cantilevered extends downwards so as to be arranged straddling the lower shelf 5 of longitudinal member 2, in order to close the space in front of rail 7 on which the shutter-supporting carriages 3 slide.
- the longitudinal casing 18 preferably consists of a substantially C-shaped straight section bar which has the upper longitudinal edge structured so as to couple in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, onto the top flat shelf 6 of the longitudinal member 2, preferably also forming an extension of the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2, and then cantilevered projects downwards so as to step over the lower shelf 5 of longitudinal member 2 and place the lower longitudinal edge thereof substantially below the bottom flat shelf 5 of longitudinal member 2, in a more or less horizontal position.
- the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 is finally moreover provided with a presence sensor 19 which is stably located immediately outside the longitudinal casing 18, preferably vertically aligned to the center of the opening on wall P.
- the presence sensor 19 is an electronic device 19 of known type, which is capable of detecting the presence of things and/or people in the immediate nearby of the sliding door 100, and it is connected to the electronic control unit 17 located behind the longitudinal casing 18 preferably by means of an electric cable (not shown), so as to communicate to the electronic control unit 17 when it is required to move the shutter-supporting carriages 3 for opening and/or closing the sliding door 100 .
- the presence sensor 19 may preferably be a uni- and/or bi-directional opening sensor, an opening and safety sensor, or a safety sensor.
- the presence sensor 19 is however rigidly fixed/attached to the load-bearing longitudinal member 2 by means of an intermediate supporting bracket 20 which is rigidly fixed directly on the longitudinal member 2 and is structured to bypass/extend around the longitudinal casing 18 and keep the presence sensor 19 stably suspended outside the longitudinal protective casing 18.
- supporting bracket 20 cantilevered extends downwards from the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2 so as to cantilevered project below the longitudinal casing 18, and is substantially hook-shaped so as to then extend again upwards while remaining locally substantially grazing the outer surface of the longitudinal casing 18; and the presence sensor 19 is rigidly fixed directly on the distal end of the supporting bracket 20, outside the longitudinal casing 18 and close to the same.
- the supporting bracket 20 is furthermore structured so as to couple on the longitudinal member 2, or better on the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2, in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner.
- the supporting bracket 20 is preferably provided at the top with a coupling head 21 which is shaped/ structured to engage and lock, in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, inside the longitudinal groove 14 on the lower face of the top flat shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2.
- the supporting bracket 20 is divided into an unmovable portion 22 which is rigidly fixed to the load-bearing longitudinal member 2, and into a movable portion 23 which directly supports the presence sensor 19 and is movably mounted on the unmovable portion 22; and moreover comprises a locking device 24 which is designed to lock the movable portion 23 to the unmovable portion 22 selectively and in a rigid and stable, though easily releasable manner.
- the unmovable portion 22 of supporting bracket 20 cantilevered extends downwards from longitudinal member 2, or better from the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2, and is preferably fixed on the longitudinal member 2 in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner.
- the unmovable portion 22 of supporting bracket 20 incorporates the coupling head 21 which is shaped/structured to engage and lock in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, into the longitudinal groove 14 on the top flat shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2.
- the movable portion 23 of supporting bracket 20 is instead preferably coupled in floating manner to the unmovable portion 22, so as to be able to move, with respect to the unmovable portion 22, to and from an operating position (see figures 3 and 5 ) in which the movable portion 23 arranges the presence sensor 19 immediately in front of the longitudinal casing 18, at the minimum distance from the outer surface of longitudinal casing 18 and preferably also substantially at the height of the lower shelf 5 of longitudinal member 2, in such a position to allow the proper functioning of the presence sensor 19.
- the locking device 24 is instead designed so as to lock the movable portion 23 to the unmovable portion 22 selectively and in a rigid and stable, though easily releasable manner, when the movable portion 23 is in the operating position.
- the locking device 24 preferably comprises one or more permanent magnets 25 which are rigidly and unmovably fixed on the unmovable portion 22 and/or on the movable portion 23 of the supporting bracket 20, and are structured so as to magnetically lock the movable portion 23 in a rigid manner to the unmovable portion 22 when the movable portion 23 is in the operating position.
- the movable portion 23 of supporting bracket 20 is preferably coupled in floating manner to the unmovable portion 22, so as to be able to move, with respect to the unmovable portion 22, between a raised position (see figures 3 and 5 ) in which the movable portion 23 arranges the presence sensor 19 in front of the longitudinal casing 18, at the minimum distance from the outer surface of longitudinal casing 18 and preferably also substantially at the height of the bottom flat shelf 5 of longitudinal member 2; and a lowered position (see figures 4 and 6 ) in which the movable portion 23 arranges the presence sensor 19 at the maximum distance from the outer surface of longitudinal casing 18, preferably vertically spaced apart below the longitudinal casing 18, so as to allow/ facilitate the detachment/removal of longitudinal casing 18 from the longitudinal member 2.
- the movable portion 23 of supporting bracket 20 is preferably pivotally connected/hinged to the unmovable portion 22, so as to be able to at least rotate with respect to the unmovable portion 22 about a rotation axis R substantially horizontal and parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the load-bearing longitudinal member 2.
- the locking device 24 instead is structured to selectively lock the movable portion 23 to the unmovable portion 22 in a rigid and stable, though easily releasable manner, when the movable portion 23 is in the raised position.
- the locking device 24 preferably comprises one or more permanent magnets 25 which are rigidly and unmovably fixed to the movable portion 23 of supporting bracket 20, and are structured so as to be able to magnetically attached to the unmovable portion 22 of supporting bracket 20 when the movable portion 23 is in the raised position.
- the permanent magnets 25 could be rigidly and unmovably fixed to the unmovable portion 22 of the supporting bracket 20, and be structured so as to be able to magnetically attach to the movable portion 23 of supporting bracket 20 when the movable portion 23 is in the raised position.
- the unmovable portion 22 of supporting bracket 20 preferably comprises a plate-like element 26 which extends perpendicular to the upper shelf 6 of longitudinal member 2 and parallel to the longitudinal axis L, and is provided, close to the lower side edge, with two adjacent straight slits 27 which extend aligned to each other, along a reference axis R locally parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the load-bearing longitudinal member 2.
- the movable portion 22 of supporting bracket 20 is instead provided with two plate-like tabs 28, each of which freely slidingly engages a respective straight slit 27 of plate-like element 26, so as to allow the movable portion 22 to rotate freely with respect to the plate-like element 26 about axis R, and optionally to translate vertically with respect to the plate-like element 26.
- the locking device 24 in turn comprises two permanent magnets 25 which are preferably substantially shaped like a cylindrical pad, and each of which is rigidly fixed to the distal end of a respective plate-like tab 28, so as to abut on the body of the plate-like element 26 when the movable portion 23 is in the raised position (see figures 3 and 5 ).
- each permanent magnet 25 is moreover fixed to the corresponding plate-like tab 28 by means of a pass-through anchor bolt 29 that engages a centring hole 30 made on the body of the plate-like element 26, when the permanent magnet 25 stably abuts on the body of the plate-like element 26.
- the presence sensor 19 is now completely released from the longitudinal protective casing 18 and remains in position even when the longitudinal casing is removed, thus allowing a single person to quickly perform any calibration and/or maintenance operation on the power drive assembly 1 without any hindrances.
- supporting bracket 20 is divided into an unmovable portion 22 rigidly fixed to the load-bearing longitudinal member 2 and into a movable portion 23 directly supporting the presence sensor 19, allows the longitudinal casing 18 to be quickly removed without being hindered by the presence of the presence sensor 19.
- using the permanent magnets 25 makes locking the movable portion 23 on the unmovable portion 22 of the supporting bracket 20 highly simple and quick, with the advantages this involves.
- the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 may be provided with only one shutter-supporting carriage 3 which supports such a sliding shutter.
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Description
- The present invention relates to an automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly.
- More in detail, the present invention relates to a power drive assembly for supporting and automatically moving sliding doors. Use to which the following description will make explicit reference without this implying any loss of generality.
- As is known, a sliding door is a door structure which is installed over a through opening in a general wall, and essentially consists of one or, more often, two rectangular-shaped sliding shutters, which are vertically fixed to/suspended from the wall with the capability to horizontally movable, while remaining on their vertical laying plane, so as to be movable to and from a closed position, in which the sliding shutter(s) are arranged at the opening in the wall, usually adjacent to each other, so as to completely close/ obstruct such opening in order to prevent people and/or things from transiting.
- On the other hand, the automatic sliding-door power drive-assemblies are rigidly anchored to the wall, immediately above the opening on which the sliding door is located, and are structured to directly support the sliding shutter(s) and also be able to move the sliding shutter(s) horizontally to and from the closed position, while keeping them on their vertical laying plane.
-
DE19902559 discloses a automatic sliding-door power drive assembly according to the preamble ofClaim 1. -
US 4 809 000 A discloses an automatic sliding-door power drive assembly with a presence sensor. - More in detail, the automatic sliding-door power-drive assemblies generally comprise: a straight load-bearing longitudinal member, which is adapted to be fixed in a horizontal position grazing the wall, immediately above the opening on which the sliding door is located; a series of shutter-supporting carriages which are fixed on the longitudinal member with the possibility to slide freely along the longitudinal member, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the same longitudinal member, and are provided with a protruding appendage that cantilevered projects downwards from the longitudinal member and is structured to support the sliding shutter of the door, while keeping the same shutter substantially coplanar to the longitudinal supporting member; and finally an electrically-operated carriage drive system which is directly fixed on the longitudinal member and is capable of moving the shutter-supporting carriages back and forth along the load-bearing longitudinal member, so as to synchronously move the sliding shutter(s) parallel to the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal member.
- More in detail, automatic sliding-door power-drive assemblies currently on the market are provided with a longitudinal driving belt which is looped and tightened around two substantially coplanar return pulleys that are fixed in an axially rotatable manner on the longitudinal member, close to the two axial ends of the longitudinal member; and with an electric motor which is attached to the longitudinal member, close to one of the two return pulleys, and is connected to such a return pulley by means of a mechanical gear reducer which allows the electric motor to drive the return pulley into rotation.
- The single shutter-supporting carriages are fixed to the upper straight section or to the lower straight section of the driving belt, so as to follow the movements of the belt; whereas the electric motor is able to drive the return pulley into rotation in both rotation directions, so as to move the two straight sections of the driving belt back and forth in opposition to each other, thus synchronously moving the shutter-supporting carriages back and forth along the longitudinal member.
- In most power-drive assemblies, in particular, the load-bearing longitudinal member is provided with two horizontal flat shelves that cantilevered project from the wall, one above the other, while remaining parallel to the ground. The lower shelf is provided with a straight rail along which the shutter-supporting carriages slide, while the upper shelf supports the carriage drive system.
- In addition, the above-mentioned power-drive assemblies are moreover provided with a removable protective casing that cantilevered projects from the upper shelf and extends downwards so as to be arranged straddling the lower shelf, thus to close the space in front of the rail on which the shutter-supporting carriages slide.
- The above-mentioned power-drive assemblies are finally provided with an electronic control unit which controls the electric motor and is suspended below the upper shelf of the longitudinal member, beside the electric motor; and with a presence sensor which is fixed outside the protective casing by means of self-tapping screws, more or less in the middle of the load-bearing longitudinal member, and is connected to the back-located electronic control unit by means of a long electric cable, so as to control opening and closing of the door.
- Unfortunately, location of the presence sensor on the protective casing creates many problems during initial installation and subsequent maintenance of the power-drive assembly.
- During the operations of calibrating and/or maintaining the power drive assembly, in fact the installer technician must remove the protective casing to continuously access all the components fixed to the longitudinal member, and at the same time must repeatedly operate the power-drive assembly under normal operating conditions. Operation quite uneasy to perform and which necessarily requires the simultaneous presence of two people, considering that the presence sensor is integral with the protective casing and that the protective casing is not attached to the longitudinal member.
- Aim of the present invention is to simplify and speed up the installation and routine and/or extraordinary maintenance of the apparatus.
- In compliance with the above aims, according to the present invention there is provided an automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly as defined in
claim 1 and preferably, though not necessarily, in any one of the dependent claims. - The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a non-limiting embodiment thereof, in which:
-
figure 1 is a perspective view, with parts in section and parts removed for clarity, of a sliding door equipped with an automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly realized in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; -
figure 2 is a front view, with parts removed for clarity, of the sliding door infigure 1 ; -
figures 3 and 4 are two side views, with parts removed for clarity, of the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly inFigure 2 , sectioned along section line A-A; whereas -
figures 5 and 6 are two perspective views of some components of the power-drive assembly shown infigure 1 . - With reference to
figures 1 ,2 ,3 and 4 ,reference numeral 1 indicates as a whole an automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly which is designed to support and horizontally move the sliding shutter(s) of a sliding door. - More in detail, the automatic sliding-door power-
drive assembly 1 is structured so as to be rigidly fixed/attached on wall P, where the slidingdoor 100 is located, just above the slidingdoor 100 to be driven, and is able to support the sliding shutter(s) 101 forming said slidingdoor 100. - In the example shown, in particular, the sliding
door 100 is preferably provided with two substantially rectangular, flat slidingshutters 101 which are fixed to/suspended from thepower drive assembly 1 so as to be vertically arranged and locally substantially coplanar and adjacent to each other; and the power-drive assembly 1 is structured so as to move the two slidingshutters 101 in a horizontal direction d locally parallel to the laying plane of the slidingshutters 101, so as to move the two slidingshutters 101 preferably in opposition to each other, to and from a closed position (seefigure 2 ) in which the two slidingshutters 101 are stationary at the opening on wall P, preferably closely shut to each other, so as to substantially completely close/obstruct such opening and prevent people and/or things from transiting. - Preferably, though not necessarily, the two sliding
shutters 101 ofdoor 100 are furthermore designed so that their straight bottom edge rests in axially sliding manner on a horizontal straight rail (not shown) extending, grazing the ground, substantially coplanar to the laying plane of the two slidingshutters 101. - Therefore, the automatic sliding-door power-
drive assembly 1 is structured to at least partly support the two slidingshutters 101 of slidingdoor 100, and to horizontally move the two slidingshutters 101 in direction d to and from the closed position, while keeping the two slidingshutters 101 on their laying plane. - More in detail, with reference to
figures 1 ,2 ,3 and 4 , the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 comprises: - a straight load-bearing
longitudinal member 2 which is arranged in substantially horizontal position, above the slidingdoor 100 to be driven; - a plurality of shutter-supporting
carriages 3, each of which is slidingly mounted on thelongitudinal member 2 with the capability to slide freely along thelongitudinal member 2 parallel to the longitudinal axis L oflongitudinal member 2, preferably substantially along the whole length of thelongitudinal member 2, and is furthermore structured to be rigidly fixed to the body of a respective slidingshutter 101 underneath; and - a
carriage moving device 4 which is rigidly fixed on thelongitudinal member 2 and is structured to move the various shutter-supportingcarriages 3 back and forth along thelongitudinal member 2. - More in detail, the load-bearing
longitudinal member 2 is adapted to be anchored/fixed in rigid manner on wall P in a substantially horizontal position and also locally substantially grazing the wall P, immediately above the opening on which the slidingdoor 100 is located, so as to be substantially coplanar to the two slidingshutters 101. - The load-bearing
longitudinal member 2 is moreover provided with two flat projectingshelves longitudinal member 2 is fixed in horizontal position on wall P. Preferably, the topflat shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2 is also wider than the bottomflat shelf 5, so as to cantilevered extend beyond the edge of the bottomflat portion 5 of thelongitudinal member 2. - The shutter-supporting
carriages 3 rest on thelower shelf 5 of thelongitudinal member 2 with the capability to freely slide along thelower shelf 5, parallel to the longitudinal axis L oflongitudinal member 2, preferably substantially along the whole length of thelongitudinal member 2. - More in detail, with reference to
figures 1 ,2 ,3 and 4 , in the example shown, the shutter-supportingcarriages 3 are preferably fitted in an axially sliding manner on astraight rail 7 which is located on the upper face of the bottomflat shelf 5 oflongitudinal member 2, and which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis L oflongitudinal member 2, preferably substantially along the whole length of thelongitudinal member 2. - In other words, the shutter-supporting
carriages 3 are located inside the straight channel laterally delimited by the two flat projectingshelves longitudinal member 2, with the capability to move inside the channel parallel to the longitudinal axis L oflongitudinal member 2. - In addition, with reference to
figures 2 ,3 and 4 , each shutter-supportingcarriage 3 is preferably provided with a projectingbottom appendage 8 that cantilevered extends downwards from thelongitudinal member 2, or better from the bottomflat shelf 5 oflongitudinal member 2, and is structured to be rigidly fixed to the body of the corresponding slidingshutter 101 preferably, though not necessarily, by means of anchoring screws. - Preferably the projecting
bottom appendage 8 is moreover structured to keep the same slidingshutter 101 locally substantially coplanar with, or in any case substantially parallel to, the load-bearinglongitudinal member 2. - With reference to
figures 1 ,2 ,3 and 4 , thecarriage moving device 4 is instead suspended/fixed below theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2, so as to face the shutter-supportingcarriages 3, and is preferably designed so as to move the shutter-supportingcarriages 3 in a synchronous manner back and forth along thelongitudinal member 2, thus to move thesliding shutters 101 parallel to the longitudinal axis L oflongitudinal member 2 in opposition to each other. - More in detail, the
carriage moving device 4 is preferably fixed/attached in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, below the topflat shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2, and preferably comprises: - two
pulleys longitudinal member 2, preferably close to the two axial ends oflongitudinal member 2, so as to be substantially coplanar to each other and have therespective rotation axes longitudinal member 2; - a
driving belt 11 which is looped and tightened around the twopulleys longitudinal member 2, and locally substantially face the bottomflat shelf 5 of thelongitudinal member 2; and - an
electric motor 12 which is fixed on thelongitudinal member 2 close to returnpulley 10, and is mechanically connected topulley 10 so as to drive it into rotation about therotation axis 10a. - More in detail, the
return pulley 9 is preferably fixed in axially rotatable manner on a supportingbracket 13 that cantilevered extends downwards from the lower face ofupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2, and is preferably structured so as to be fixed/attached to theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2 in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner. - More in detail, the supporting
bracket 13 is preferably provided at the top with a coupling head which is shaped/structured so as to engage and lock in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, inside a longitudinalstraight groove 14 which preferably has a substantially T-shaped cross section and extends along the lower face of the topflat shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2 parallel to the longitudinal axis L oflongitudinal member 2, preferably along the whole length oflongitudinal member 2. - With reference to
figures 3 and 4 , similarly topulley 9, also returnpulley 10 is preferably fixed in axially rotatable manner on a second supportingbracket 15 which cantilevered extends downwards from the lower face of theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2, and is preferably fixed to theupper shelf 6 of thelongitudinal member 2 in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner. - More in detail, the supporting
bracket 15 is preferably provided at the top with a coupling head which is shaped/structured to engage and lock inside thelongitudinal groove 14 on the lower face of the topflat shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2 in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner. - In addition, the supporting
brackets carriage moving device 4 are preferably designed so as to keep, when they are fixed to theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2, the tworeturn pulleys flat shelf 5 oflongitudinal member 2, with therespective rotation axes longitudinal member 2, and also substantially horizontal, i.e. perpendicular, to the laying plane of the slidingshutters 101. - Therefore, the
return pulleys driving belt 11 preferably lie on a substantially vertical reference plane which is locally substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis L oflongitudinal member 2, and the two horizontal straight sections ofdriving belt 11 are vertically offset one above the other. - Depending on to the sliding
shutter 101 that the shutter-supportingcarriages 3 must support, the shutter-supportingcarriages 3 are fastened to the lower straight section or to the upper straight section of thedriving belt 11 by means of a screw-clamp, so as to follow the movements ofbelt 11; whereas theelectric motor 12 is able to drivepulley 10 into rotation about the rotation axis 10A in both rotation directions, so as to move the two straight sections of thedriving belt 11 back and forth in opposition to each other, thus synchronously moving the shutter-supportingcarriages 3 back and forth along the load-bearinglongitudinal member 2. - With reference to
figures 1 ,2 ,3 and 4 , in the example shown, in particular, theelectric motor 12 is preferably cantilevered fixed on the supportingbracket 15, coaxial to therotation axis 10a ofpulley 10; and thereturn pulley 10 is preferably angularly rigidly fitted directly onto the end of the drive shaft of theelectric motor 12, so as to be driven into rotation by theelectric motor 12 without the interposition of speed reducers. - In other words, the supporting
bracket 15 is preferably structured to keep, when the top coupling head is firmly fixed on theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2, theelectric motor 12 with its drive shaft locally substantially facing thelower shelf 5 oflongitudinal member 2, and with the rotation axis substantially horizontal and locally substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L oflongitudinal member 2, i.e. perpendicular to the laying plane of thesliding shutters 101. - With reference to
figure 1 , the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 furthermore comprises anelectronic control unit 17 which is adapted to control theelectric motor 12, and is preferably suspended/fixed below theupper shelf 6 of thelongitudinal member 2, preferably in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner. - More in detail, the
electronic control unit 17 is preferably suspended/fixed below theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2 by means of one or more supporting brackets (not shown), each of which is preferably provided with a top coupling head which is shaped/ structured to engage and lock in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, inside thelongitudinal groove 14 on the bottom face of theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2. - In addition, with reference to
figures 1 ,3 and 4 , the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 is additionally provided with a longitudinalprotective casing 18 which is fixed on thelongitudinal member 2, to cover the front portion of thelongitudinal member 2 substantially for the whole length of thelongitudinal member 2, so as to hide the shutter-supportingcarriages 3, thecarriage moving device 4, and theelectronic control unit 17. - More in detail, the
longitudinal casing 18 is fixed on theupper shelf 6 of thelongitudinal member 2, preferably in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, and cantilevered extends downwards so as to be arranged straddling thelower shelf 5 oflongitudinal member 2, in order to close the space in front ofrail 7 on which the shutter-supportingcarriages 3 slide. - In the example shown, in particular, the
longitudinal casing 18 preferably consists of a substantially C-shaped straight section bar which has the upper longitudinal edge structured so as to couple in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, onto the topflat shelf 6 of thelongitudinal member 2, preferably also forming an extension of theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2, and then cantilevered projects downwards so as to step over thelower shelf 5 oflongitudinal member 2 and place the lower longitudinal edge thereof substantially below the bottomflat shelf 5 oflongitudinal member 2, in a more or less horizontal position. - With reference to
figure 1 , the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly 1 is finally moreover provided with apresence sensor 19 which is stably located immediately outside thelongitudinal casing 18, preferably vertically aligned to the center of the opening on wall P. - The
presence sensor 19 is anelectronic device 19 of known type, which is capable of detecting the presence of things and/or people in the immediate nearby of the slidingdoor 100, and it is connected to theelectronic control unit 17 located behind thelongitudinal casing 18 preferably by means of an electric cable (not shown), so as to communicate to theelectronic control unit 17 when it is required to move the shutter-supportingcarriages 3 for opening and/or closing the slidingdoor 100 . - More in detail, with reference to standard EN 16005, the
presence sensor 19 may preferably be a uni- and/or bi-directional opening sensor, an opening and safety sensor, or a safety sensor. - With reference to
figures 3, 4 ,5 and 6 , unlike the currently known automatic sliding-door power drive-assemblies, thepresence sensor 19 is however rigidly fixed/attached to the load-bearinglongitudinal member 2 by means of an intermediate supportingbracket 20 which is rigidly fixed directly on thelongitudinal member 2 and is structured to bypass/extend around thelongitudinal casing 18 and keep thepresence sensor 19 stably suspended outside the longitudinalprotective casing 18. - More in detail, supporting
bracket 20 cantilevered extends downwards from theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2 so as to cantilevered project below thelongitudinal casing 18, and is substantially hook-shaped so as to then extend again upwards while remaining locally substantially grazing the outer surface of thelongitudinal casing 18; and thepresence sensor 19 is rigidly fixed directly on the distal end of the supportingbracket 20, outside thelongitudinal casing 18 and close to the same. - Preferably the supporting
bracket 20 is furthermore structured so as to couple on thelongitudinal member 2, or better on theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2, in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner. - More in detail, with reference to
figures 3, 4 ,5 and 6 , the supportingbracket 20 is preferably provided at the top with acoupling head 21 which is shaped/ structured to engage and lock, in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, inside thelongitudinal groove 14 on the lower face of the topflat shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2. - In addition to the above description, the supporting
bracket 20 is divided into anunmovable portion 22 which is rigidly fixed to the load-bearinglongitudinal member 2, and into amovable portion 23 which directly supports thepresence sensor 19 and is movably mounted on theunmovable portion 22; and moreover comprises alocking device 24 which is designed to lock themovable portion 23 to theunmovable portion 22 selectively and in a rigid and stable, though easily releasable manner. - More in detail, the
unmovable portion 22 of supportingbracket 20 cantilevered extends downwards fromlongitudinal member 2, or better from theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2, and is preferably fixed on thelongitudinal member 2 in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner. - In other words, the
unmovable portion 22 of supportingbracket 20 incorporates thecoupling head 21 which is shaped/structured to engage and lock in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner, into thelongitudinal groove 14 on the topflat shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2. - The
movable portion 23 of supportingbracket 20 is instead preferably coupled in floating manner to theunmovable portion 22, so as to be able to move, with respect to theunmovable portion 22, to and from an operating position (seefigures 3 and5 ) in which themovable portion 23 arranges thepresence sensor 19 immediately in front of thelongitudinal casing 18, at the minimum distance from the outer surface oflongitudinal casing 18 and preferably also substantially at the height of thelower shelf 5 oflongitudinal member 2, in such a position to allow the proper functioning of thepresence sensor 19. - The locking
device 24 is instead designed so as to lock themovable portion 23 to theunmovable portion 22 selectively and in a rigid and stable, though easily releasable manner, when themovable portion 23 is in the operating position. - More in detail, in the example shown, the locking
device 24 preferably comprises one or morepermanent magnets 25 which are rigidly and unmovably fixed on theunmovable portion 22 and/or on themovable portion 23 of the supportingbracket 20, and are structured so as to magnetically lock themovable portion 23 in a rigid manner to theunmovable portion 22 when themovable portion 23 is in the operating position. - With reference to
figures 3 and 4 , in the example shown, in particular, themovable portion 23 of supportingbracket 20 is preferably coupled in floating manner to theunmovable portion 22, so as to be able to move, with respect to theunmovable portion 22, between a raised position (seefigures 3 and5 ) in which themovable portion 23 arranges thepresence sensor 19 in front of thelongitudinal casing 18, at the minimum distance from the outer surface oflongitudinal casing 18 and preferably also substantially at the height of the bottomflat shelf 5 oflongitudinal member 2; and a lowered position (seefigures 4 and6 ) in which themovable portion 23 arranges thepresence sensor 19 at the maximum distance from the outer surface oflongitudinal casing 18, preferably vertically spaced apart below thelongitudinal casing 18, so as to allow/ facilitate the detachment/removal oflongitudinal casing 18 from thelongitudinal member 2. - More in detail, in the example shown, the
movable portion 23 of supportingbracket 20 is preferably pivotally connected/hinged to theunmovable portion 22, so as to be able to at least rotate with respect to theunmovable portion 22 about a rotation axis R substantially horizontal and parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the load-bearinglongitudinal member 2. - The locking
device 24 instead is structured to selectively lock themovable portion 23 to theunmovable portion 22 in a rigid and stable, though easily releasable manner, when themovable portion 23 is in the raised position. - More in detail, in the example shown, the locking
device 24 preferably comprises one or morepermanent magnets 25 which are rigidly and unmovably fixed to themovable portion 23 of supportingbracket 20, and are structured so as to be able to magnetically attached to theunmovable portion 22 of supportingbracket 20 when themovable portion 23 is in the raised position. - Obviously, in a different embodiment, the
permanent magnets 25 could be rigidly and unmovably fixed to theunmovable portion 22 of the supportingbracket 20, and be structured so as to be able to magnetically attach to themovable portion 23 of supportingbracket 20 when themovable portion 23 is in the raised position. - With reference to
figures 3, 4 ,5 and 6 , in the example shown, in particular, theunmovable portion 22 of supportingbracket 20 preferably comprises a plate-like element 26 which extends perpendicular to theupper shelf 6 oflongitudinal member 2 and parallel to the longitudinal axis L, and is provided, close to the lower side edge, with two adjacentstraight slits 27 which extend aligned to each other, along a reference axis R locally parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the load-bearinglongitudinal member 2. - Preferably the
movable portion 22 of supportingbracket 20 is instead provided with two plate-like tabs 28, each of which freely slidingly engages a respective straight slit 27 of plate-like element 26, so as to allow themovable portion 22 to rotate freely with respect to the plate-like element 26 about axis R, and optionally to translate vertically with respect to the plate-like element 26. - Preferably the
locking device 24 in turn comprises twopermanent magnets 25 which are preferably substantially shaped like a cylindrical pad, and each of which is rigidly fixed to the distal end of a respective plate-like tab 28, so as to abut on the body of the plate-like element 26 when themovable portion 23 is in the raised position (seefigures 3 and5 ). Preferably eachpermanent magnet 25 is moreover fixed to the corresponding plate-like tab 28 by means of a pass-throughanchor bolt 29 that engages acentring hole 30 made on the body of the plate-like element 26, when thepermanent magnet 25 stably abuts on the body of the plate-like element 26. - Operation of automatic sliding-door power-
drive assembly 1 is clearly inferable from the above description, and does not require further explanations. - The advantages associated with fixing the
presence sensor 19 to the load-bearinglongitudinal member 2 by means of supportingbracket 20 are remarkable. - Firstly, the
presence sensor 19 is now completely released from the longitudinalprotective casing 18 and remains in position even when the longitudinal casing is removed, thus allowing a single person to quickly perform any calibration and/or maintenance operation on thepower drive assembly 1 without any hindrances. - Furthermore, the fact that supporting
bracket 20 is divided into anunmovable portion 22 rigidly fixed to the load-bearinglongitudinal member 2 and into amovable portion 23 directly supporting thepresence sensor 19, allows thelongitudinal casing 18 to be quickly removed without being hindered by the presence of thepresence sensor 19. Finally, using thepermanent magnets 25 makes locking themovable portion 23 on theunmovable portion 22 of the supportingbracket 20 highly simple and quick, with the advantages this involves. - Finally, it is apparent that changes and variations may be made to the automatic sliding-door power-
drive assembly 1 without departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined by the claims. - For example, if the automatic sliding-door power-
drive assembly 1 must drive a sliding door provide with only one sliding shutter, it may be provided with only one shutter-supportingcarriage 3 which supports such a sliding shutter.
Claims (11)
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly (1) of the type comprising: a straight load-bearing longitudinal member (2) which is arranged in a substantially horizontal position, above the sliding door (100) to be driven; at least one shutter-supporting carriage (3) which is slidingly mounted on the longitudinal member (2) parallel to the longitudinal axis (L) of the longitudinal member, and is structured to be fixed to the body of a sliding shutter (101) of the sliding door (100); and carriage moving means (4) which are fixed on the longitudinal member (2), and are designed so as to be able to move said at least one shutter-supporting carriage (3) back and forth along the longitudinal member (2);the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly (1) being furthermore provided with a longitudinal casing (18) which is fixed on the longitudinal member (2) so as to hide said at least one shutter-supporting carriage (3) and said carriage moving means (4), and with a presence sensor (19) which is located outside the longitudinal casing (18) and is capable of detecting the presence of things and/or people in the immediate nearby of the sliding door (100);the automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly (1) being characterized in that said presence sensor (19) is attached to the longitudinal member (2) by means of a supporting bracket (20) which is rigidly fixed directly on the load-bearing longitudinal member (2) and is structured to bypass and extend around the longitudinal casing (18) and keep the presence sensor (19) stably suspended outside the longitudinal casing (18),wherein the supporting bracket (20) is divided into an unmovable portion (22) which is rigidly fixed to the load-bearing longitudinal member (2), and into a movable portion (23) which directly supports the presence sensor (19) and is movably mounted on the unmovable portion (22),wherein the load-bearing longitudinal member (2) is provided with two protruding shelves (5, 6) which are arranged parallel and facing each other, so as to cantilevered extend from the wall (P) one above the other; said at least one shutter-supporting carriage (3) being movably mounted on the lower shelf (5) of the longitudinal member (2); the carriage moving means (4) being instead suspended below the upper shelf (6) of the longitudinal member (2),wherein the longitudinal casing (18) is fixed on the upper shelf (6) of the longitudinal member (2) and cantilevered extends downwards so as to be arranged straddling the lower shelf (5), andwherein the supporting bracket (20) cantilevered extends downwards from the upper shelf (6) of the longitudinal member (2) so as to cantilevered project below the longitudinal casing (18), and is substantially hook-shaped so as to then extend again upwards while remaining locally substantially grazing the outer surface of the longitudinal casing (18); the presence sensor (19) being fixed on the distal end of the supporting bracket (20).
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the supporting bracket (20) is structured so as to couple on the load-bearing longitudinal member (2) in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner.
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the movable portion (23) of the supporting bracket (20) is coupled in a floating manner to the unmovable portion (22), so as to move, with respect to the unmovable portion (22), to and from an operating position in which the movable portion (23) arranges the presence sensor (19) in front of the longitudinal casing (18), in such a position so as to allow the proper functioning of the presence sensor (19).
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that the movable portion (23) of the supporting bracket (20) is pivotally connected and hinged on the unmovable portion (22), so as to rotate, with respect to the unmovable portion (22), about a rotation axis (R) substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis (L) of the longitudinal member.
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the supporting bracket (20) also comprises locking means (24) structured so as to lock the movable portion (23) of the supporting bracket (20) to the unmovable portion (22) of said supporting bracket (20) in a rigid and stable, though easily releasable manner, when the movable portion (23) is in said operating position.
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that said locking means (24) comprise one or more permanent magnets (25) which are fixed on the unmovable portion (22) and/or on the movable portion (23) of the supporting bracket (20), and are structured to magnetically lock the movable portion (23) in rigid manner to the unmovable portion (22).
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the longitudinal casing (18) is fixed to the longitudinal member (2) in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner.
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly according to any previous claim, characterized in that the lower face of the upper shelf (6) of the longitudinal member (2) is provided with a longitudinal groove (14), and in that the supporting bracket (20) is provided with a coupling head (21) which is shaped and structured so as to engage and lock inside said longitudinal groove (14) in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner.
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly according to any previous claim, characterized in that the carriage moving means (4) are fixed on the upper shelf (6) of the longitudinal member (2) in a rigid and stable, though easily removable manner.
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the carriage moving means (4) comprise:- two pulleys (9, 10) which are fixed in axially rotatable manner on the longitudinal member (2), so as to be substantially coplanar to each other and have the respective rotation axes (9a, 10a) locally substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (L) of the longitudinal member,- a driving belt (11), which is looped around the two pulleys (9, 10) so as to form two adjacent straight sections which are locally substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis (L) of the longitudinal member, and- an electric motor (12) which is fixed on the longitudinal member (2) close to one (10) of the two pulleys (9, 10), and is mechanically connected to said pulley (10) so as to drive it into rotation.
- An automatic sliding-door power-drive assembly according to claim 10, characterized by additionally comprising an electronic control unit (17) which is adapted to control the electric motor (12); the presence sensor (19) being connected to the electronic control unit (17) so as to communicate to the electronic control unit (17) when opening and closing the sliding door (100) is required.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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ITTV20140026 | 2014-02-14 |
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EP2907956A1 EP2907956A1 (en) | 2015-08-19 |
EP2907956B1 true EP2907956B1 (en) | 2023-10-04 |
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EP15155144.7A Active EP2907956B1 (en) | 2014-02-14 | 2015-02-13 | Automatic sliding door power drive assembly |
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Families Citing this family (2)
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US10392854B2 (en) | 2016-02-11 | 2019-08-27 | Technology Construction, Inc. | Systems and methods for an automatic sliding door having a slide and rail assembly |
CN114323623B (en) * | 2022-01-06 | 2024-05-14 | 山东中科工程质量检测有限公司 | Door and window detector clamping device |
Family Cites Families (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US4809000A (en) * | 1981-09-04 | 1989-02-28 | Noel Carroll | Transom member for sliding doors |
DE29801134U1 (en) * | 1998-01-24 | 1998-03-12 | Geze Gmbh & Co, 71229 Leonberg | Power supply for a door leaf |
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