EP3568551B1

EP3568551B1 - Linear drive unit for automatic sliding door

Info

Publication number: EP3568551B1
Application number: EP18709808.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Slavko Cehner; Franc HANZIC; Urban CEHNER
Original assignee: Doorson d o o
Current assignee: Doorson d o o
Priority date: 2017-01-14
Filing date: 2018-01-12
Publication date: 2021-10-27
Anticipated expiration: 2038-01-12
Also published as: SI25354A; WO2018132077A1; SI3568551T1; EP3568551A1

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention belongs to the field of construction, more precisely to the field of mechanisms for movement or automatic opening and closing of sliding door. The present invention may also be classified to the field of machine assemblies in combination with electromechanic drives.

The technical problem

The technical problem, which is solved by the present invention, is a contructional design of slim linear drive units for automatic sliding door, which despite small measurements comply with requirements regarding rigidity and enable installation of mechanisms for movement of sliding door wings. Small measurements of drive units for installation of the whole mechanism of automatic sliding door are required due to design solutions, overall appearance and looks, which are driven by modern architecture solutions for spaces as a whole. The problem, which is created by minimization of gabarites for guides, is how to install an appropriately efficient drive for opening and closing of door that would provide suitable driving forces with minimal noise created by driving of components of the mechanic assembly and by movement of door wings.
It is the task and aim of this invention how to provide a safe, reliable, durable and non-robust mechanism for movement of door or door wings, wherein the mechanism is designed with simple mechanical constructing elements, suitable electronics and electric motor as a drive element. Used elements of the mechanism must be silent or create minimal noise during movement of movable elements of the mechanism.

State of the art

Known linerar electromechanical drive units for automatic sliding door use toothed belts as pulling elements of sliding wings. The drive units tipically comprise a holder with a guide, a drive assembly, carriages with wheels on guides, to which carriages of wings are attached, a control unit, electric installation and other equipment for safe use of automatic sliding door. Linear drive units are used to drive single-winged, two-winged, telescopic and corner automatic door.
The drive assembly function is to move the sliding wings of door and can be a preassembled structure of elements on a base, which is later mounted onto the holder with the guide, or can individual elements be directly mounted to the holder with the guide so that they perform the movement of the sliding wings of door. Known solutions of the applicant the drive assembly comprises a drive motor with a reducer and a pulley, the pulling element is a toothed belt tensioned between the pulley of the reducer and return pulley which is located at a specific distance that depends on the width of the passage. The movement of sliding wings, which are hanged on carriages with carriage wheels, is enabled by a rigid connection with a holder between linearly moving pulling element and carriage with carriage wheels guided by the guide, which is an integral part of the holder. Due to a large number of elements employed in the transfer of movement from the electric motor to carriage wheels, such drive assemblies with toothed belts as pulling elements are loud.
Patent US 4821456 discloses a mechanical linear drive comprising a drive motor with an option to change the direction of spinning, driven shaft, assembly of two connected nuts and on both ends of the shaft adjustable cups with a return spring. The shaft connected to the electromotor has a thread in its middle part, while its end parts do not have a thread. Two nuts, which are connected with adjustable screws, are mounted on a part of the shaft with the thread, while to load is attached to one of the nuts. The adjustable screws enable setting of a distance, which consequently defines the length of the opening. When the shaft is spinning, the nuts travel together in the direction towards the part without thread, wherein the direction to which thread-less part they move depends on the direction of spinning. When both nuts are out of the threaded part, they stop and the shaft spins without effect. When the nuts are out of the threaded part, the front nut presses onto the return spring in the adjustable cup. When the direction of rotation of the motor changes, the return spring pushes the nuts towards the threaded part of the shaft. The threaded part of the shaft engages with the nuts and pulls the nuts thereby tensioning the return spring.
Document DE 199 46 501 A1 discloses a linear drive with a threaded spindle for swing sliding door on vehicles. The stiff connection of a threaded nut and an element enables movement or pulling of door wing. The threaded spindle is not directly linked to a motor, but is driven via a toothed pair.
Linear drives with a threaded spindle which can be used to drive automatic door are also known. These systems are mostly intended for use in garage door. Further, known are also linear drives with a threaded spindle for driving sliding wings of heavy door, where speed of movement is low. The transfer of power from the motor to the driven threaded spindle is done through a reducer as described in patent US 6177771 .
One of the linear systems for driving automatic sliding door is also a system for sliding door of rail vehicles. These systems use threaded spindles with a ball nut in order to propel sliding wings. Systems with ball nuts have to be precisely manufactured. Due to their rigidity these systems are louder and more expensive than sliding nuts.
Dutch company IFE-Tebel Technologies B.V. on the website mentiones electric sliding door having a mechanism with a spindle and a nut. More information is not available, so further comparison with the present invention is not possible.
Company KNORR BREMSE GES MIT BESCHRANKTER HAFTUNG filed a European patent application EP 2957701 A1 for a drive unit for door in a rail car. The application describes a solution for movement of rail car door based on a drive motor, which spins a threaded spindle with a nut, thereby enabling door movement. The system has an electromagnetic brake on the opposite side of the drive motor.
EP 2 799 653 A1 discloses a linear drive unit with a L-shaped carrier, further comprising a perpendicular rib on the short leg of the L, a semi-circular convex part and an intermediate spacer. This linear drive unit is of the belt type.
All of the above-described embodiments of the mechanism for movement of sliding door are designed in a different manner as the sliding door with the mechanism according to the invention, which is essentially a flexible mounting of a threaded spindle driven by an electric motor with a silencer and a floating threaded nut.

Description of the solution of the technical problem

The above described problem is overcome with a linear drive unit according to the invention, as defined in claim 1.
The linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to the invention comprises a guide with a spacer in an oblong carrier, to which a drive motor is mounted, the drive motor through a motor console and an elastic coupling transfers rotational movement to a threaded spindle, of which a floating threaded nut translationally moves two carriages with a wing of sliding door. At the end the threaded spindle is mounted into a supporting console through the elastic coupling, wherein the axes of the drive motor, the motor console, the elastic coupling, the threaded spindle, the floating threaded nut and the support console are in the same longitudinal axis.
Automatic sliding door with the linear drive unit according to the invention will be described in further detail based on figures, which show:

Figure 1: a linear drive unit for one-winged door
Figure 2: a cross-section A - A
Figure 2a: an embodiment of cross-section A - A
Figure 3: detail B
Figure 4: an end batten
Figure 5: a cross-section B - B
Figure 6: a drive unit with one drive motor
Figure 7a: carriage 3
Figure 7b: carriage 4 with a carrier for the threaded nut
Figure 7c: a variant of carriage 4 with a carrier for the threaded nut
Figure 8: a carrier batten of the linear drive unit for two-winged door
Figure 9: a drive unit with two drive motors

Figure 1 shows a linear drive unit for automatic sliding door, wherein the door wing is mounted on a first carriage 3 and a second carriage 4. A drive unit is mounted on an oblong carrier 1 having a cross-section in the shape of a recumbent letter L with a shorter leg 1a (Figure 2). A longer leg 1b of the carrier 1 begins with a pair of convex ends forming a first groove 1b' and the longer leg 1b ends with a second pair of convex ends forming a second groove 1b". The shorter leg 1a of carrier 1 has a rectangular rib 1a' with a semi-circular convex part 1aʺʹ, which is a mirror image of a convex part 1bʺʹ on the longer leg 1b. A guide 2 is mounted along the semi-circular convex part 1aʺʹ. The guide 2 is on its bottom part surrounded with a spacer 8, which can be a two-sided adhesive tape from a PVC material, a tape of rubber or a tape of any other material suitable for reduction of vibration transfer from the carrier 1 to the guide 2 or vice versa. A groove 1a" is provided on the end of the shorter leg 1a of the carrier 1.
Figures 4 and 5 show an end batten 6, which closes the carrier 1. Along the end batten 6 a groove is provided, intended for mounting a decorative band 6a. The groove in the batten 6 is made so that it is suitable for mounting any decorative band available in the market.
A drive motor 10 is mounted on the carrier 1 as shown in Figure 1, whereby the drive motor 10 through a motor console 11 and an elastic coupling 12a transfers rotational movement to a threaded spindle 13, of which a floating threaded nut 14 translationally moves carriages 3 and 4 with the wing of sliding door. At one end the threaded spindle 13 is mounted into a support console 15 via an elastic coupling 12b. The axes of the drive motor 10, the motor console 11, the elastic coupling 12a, the threaded spindle 13, the floating threaded nut 14, the elastic coupling 12b and the support console 15 are in the same longitudinal axis. The right carriage 4 having a first wheel 4a and a second wheel 4b and a tensioning wheel 4c between said wheels 4a and 4b is mounted on a holder 5 of the floating threaded nut 14. The tensioning wheel 4c is movable in the direction from left to right in a groove 4d (Figure 7b). The left carriage 3 having a first wheel 3a and a second wheel 3b and a tensioning wheel 3c between said wheels 3a and 3b is movable in the direction from right to left in a groove 3d on the carriage 3. The left carriage 3 is mounted to the door wing left of the right carriage 4, which is consequently movable when the threaded nut 14 is moved along the threaded spindle 13.
A holder 5 of the floating threaded nut 14 is provided with a layer of rubber 9 applied by vulcanization. The rubber layer minimizes transfer of vibration and sound, which is caused by the drive assembly to the other parts of the sliding door. The rubber layer 9 can be applied to the bottom part of the holder 5 as shown in figure 2 or the rubber is applied on both sides of the holder 5 to flanges 9a in 9a' as shown in figure 2a. If the rubber is applied to the sides of the holder, the lifespan of the floating nut is increased. The rubber layer can also be applied to the holder by gluing. Wheels 3a, 3b and 3c of the left carriage 3 as well as wheels 4a, 4b and 4c of the right carriage 4 are concave in the middle, so that they can reliably slide along the guide 2, which is semi-circularly convex.
Mounting of the threaded spindle with the threaded nut into the holder of the nut is carried out so that the threaded nut is not fixedly mounted in or on the holder, but is placed in the holder so that during operation its movement is limited to movement in y and z axis, when axis x is the axis of the threaded spindle.
Carrier elements of the drive assembly are a motor console 11 and a support console 15, which are mounted on the carrier 1 with screws on the consoles and nuts in the groove 1b" of the carrier 1 (Figure 2).
An embodiment of the linear drive unit for automatic sliding door for two-winged door is shown in figure 6. The profile of a carrier 21 has the same design as the carrier 1 in the embodiment of one-winged door. The linear drive unit comprises a drive motor 210, which through a motor console 211 and an elastic coupling 212a transfers rotational movement to a threaded spindle 213, of which a floating threaded nut 214 translationally moves the carriage 24a. To the left wing of the door carriages 214a and 213a are mounted. The first threaded spindle 213 is thorugh the elastic coupling 212a, support console 215a and support console 215b connected to the second threaded spindle 217, which is mounted into a console 215c through a second threaded nut 218. The second threaded nut 218 is connected with the carriage 23b, which due to connection with door wing also pulls the carriage 24b. The first threaded spindle 213 and the first threaded nut 214 have a right thread, wherein the second threaded spindle 217 and the second threaded nut 218 have a left thread. However, it is also possible that the first threaded spindle 213 and the first nut 214 have a left thread, and the second threaded spindle 217 and the second nut 218 have a right thread.
An embodiment of the linear drive unit for automatic sliding door includes two drive motors and is shown in figure 9. Such drive unit can be used for one-winged or two-winged door. A drive motor 310a which through a motor console 311 and an elastic coupling 312a transfers rotational movement to a threaded spindle 313, of which a floating nut 314 translationally moves the carriages with a door wing. The threaded spindle 313 is on one end mounted into a console 311b of the motor 310b via an elastic coupling 312b.
The solution according to the present invention can comprise one threaded spindle or two threaded spindles. The second threaded spindle has the same drive axis and is connected to the drive motor through the first spindle with a help of a spacer, which is preferably a connecting rod or a gear, which changes the direction of rotation.
The holder of the drive unit is an extruded aluminium oblong batten, to which the guide is mounted, the guide being preferably made of a polymer or aluminium alloy having a semi-circular shape, on which the wheels of the carriages roll. A spacing two-sided adhesive tape made from PVC, rubber or any other plastic material is applied before mounting the guide to the oblong batten and bottom surfaces of the guide including ends. If the guide is placed onto an adhered surface, the guide is physically separated from the batten of the holder, which enables minimal transfer of vibration and noise due to rolling elements of the carriage from the guide to the holder of the drive unit.
The drive motor 10, 210, 310a and/or 310b is an electromotor, preferably a direct current (DC) coreless electromotor, which has a larger torque with regards to the motor cross-section and has an almost zero inertia torque and high efficiency. Due to the characteristic contruction of the electromotor and its control by the pulse width modulation, the motor has an oscillating torque value which causes mechanical vibration and increased noise. In order to reduce torque oscillation an electric choke is added to the control circuit, which enables damping of fast changes in the circuit, resulting in steady and silent motor functioning.
The drive assembly is assembled in such a way that it enables correction of discrepancies in interrelations of components, which is needed due to differences in measurements and shapes during manufacture and later deformations during storage, mounting or transport of the carrier of the drive unit and other elements of the drive unit. The threaded spindle is mounted into the elastic coupling of the carrier console and into the elastic coupling of the support console. The elastic couplings, between which the threaded spindle is mounted silence shock loads during start and slowing down and compensate possible discrepancies in position of the motor console and support console. The threaded nuts as pulling elements can move transversely and along the height, so that discrepancies are compensated.
The threaded spindle is multi-levelled with a high ascent of the thread, which eliminates self-locking effect. The threded spindle without the self-locking also allows manual movement of sliding door wings with a small force, which is useful in cases of power outage. The length of the threaded spindle depends on the width of passage when door is in an open state.
The threaded nut on the threaded spindle is the pulling element, which enables transfer of translational movement to the carriage and is trapped or floats in the holder of the nut attached to the carriage. The threaded nut has a limited movement in two axes, which are perpendicular to the axis of the threaded spindle. This type of mounting of the threaded nut enables correction of errors in the parallelism of the threaded spindle axis and the guide axis on which the carriage runs in both directions.
The linear drive unit of automatic sliding door is based on a known threaded spindle with a nut. It can be used in automatic sliding door for internal or external door, which have to operate silently and reliably. Automatic operation is enabled by electronic equipment, which controls the drive electromotor with sensors and a program. The electromotor through the elastic coupling transfers rotational movement to a threaded spindle, which pulls the floating threaded nut, which in turn through its holder into which it is mounted pulls the right carriage with the right part of the door wing. The other carriage mounted on the left part of the door wing rolls together with thre door wing and enables uniform distribution of wing door weight resulting in easier sliding on the guide.
To additionally reduce noise and ensure lowest possible energy consumption during operation of the linear drive unit of automatic sliding door the drive motor has to be carefully selected, so that it has a low energy consumption and silent operation. The pulling element or threaded nut, respectively, is a sliding nut made of plastics, which does not require lubrication. Transfer of rotational movement from the motor to the threaded spindle is carried out directly via the elastic coupling. The holder of the threaded nut, which is mounted to the right carriage, serves as a guide, which guides the floating threaded nut coated with a vulcanized rubber, which prevents a direct contact of the nut with metal and transfer of vibration and noise from the drive assembly to the carriage.
The linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to the invention enables different implementations and combinations for single as well as double winged door.

Claims

Linear drive unit for an automatic sliding door, comprising a guide (2) with an axis for supporting wheels of carriages of a sliding door wing and an oblong carrier (1), shaped as a longitudinal guide rail having a recumbent L-shaped cross section, whereby the shorter leg (1a) of the L has a perpendicular rib (1a') with a semi-circular convex part (1a"'), which is a mirror image of a convex part on the longer leg (1b) of the L, and that one end of the longer leg of the carrier has a pair of convex ends, which form a groove (1b') and that the other end has a second pair of convex ends that form a second groove (1b"), the guide (2) is mounted along the semi-circular convex part (1a"') and is on its bottom part surrounded with a spacer (8) provided between the guide (2) and the perpendicular rib (1a'), wherein the spacer (8) can be a two-sided adhesive tape from a PVC material, a tape of rubber or a tape of any other material suitable for reduction of vibration transfer from the carrier (1) to the guide (2) or vice versa, and a drive motor (10) mounted to the oblong carrier (1), whereby the drive motor (10) through a motor console (11) and an elastic coupling (12a) of the linear drive unit transfers rotational movement to a threaded spindle (13) of the linear drive unit, of which a floating threaded nut (14) of the linear drive unit translationally moves a left and a right carriage (3,4) of the sliding door wing in use with the automatic sliding door, the end of the threaded spindle (13) is through the elastic coupling (12a) installed in a support console (15) of the linear drive unit;
the axes of the drive motor (10), the motor console (11), the elastic coupling (12a), the threaded spindle (13), the floating threaded nut (14), the elastic coupling (12b) and the support console (15) are in the same longitudinal axis, wherein the threaded floating nut (14) is not fixedly mounted, but is placed in a holder (5) of the floating nut so that during operation the threaded floating nut (13) has a limited movement in the y and z axis, when axis x is the axis of the threaded spindle (13) to enable correction of errors in the parallelism of the threaded spindle (13) axis and the guide axis on which the left and right carriages (3,4) run in both directions during use of the linear drive unit with the automatic sliding door, and a layer of rubber (9) is applied to the holder (5) of the floating threaded nut (13) by vulcanization or by gluing.
Linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to claim 1, whereby the right carriage (4) having a first wheel (4a) and a second wheel (4b) and a tensioning wheel (4c) between said wheels (4a and 4b) is mounted on the holder (5) of the floating threaded nut (14); that the tensioning wheel (4c) is movable in the direction from left to right in a groove (4d) of the right carriage (4); the left carriage (3) having a first wheel (3a) and a second wheel (3b) and a tensioning wheel (3c) between said wheels (3a and 3b) is movable in the direction from right to left in a groove (3d) of the left carriage (3); and the left carriage (3) is mounted to the door wing left of the right carriage (4), which is consequently movable when the threaded nut (14) is moved along the threaded spindle (13).
Linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to claim 1 whereby to a left wing of the door the left and right carriages (24a, 23a) are mounted; the threaded spindle (213) is through the elastic coupling (212a), support console (215a) and support console (215b) connected to a second threaded spindle (217) of the linear drive unit, which is mounted into a console (215c) through a second threaded nut (218) of the linear drive unit; and the second threaded nut (218) is connectable with a second left carriage (23b), which due to the connection with a right door wing also pulls a second right carriage (24b) connectable to the right door wing.
Linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to any of claims from 1 to 3, whereby it comprises a second drive motor; whereby one end of the threaded spindle (313) is mounted into a console (311b) of the second motor (310b) via a second elastic coupling (312b).
Use of the linear drive unit for an automatic sliding door according to claims 3 and 4 in a one-winged or two-winged door.
Linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to claim 4, whereby the threaded spindle (213) and the threaded nut (214) have a right thread, wherein the second threaded spindle (217) and the second threaded nut (218) have a left thread.
Linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to claim 4, whereby the threaded spindle (213) and the threaded nut (214) have a left thread, wherein the second threaded spindle (217) and the second threaded nut (218) have a right thread.
Linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to any of the preceding claims 1-4 or 6-7, whereby the rubber is applied to the lower part of the holder (5).
Linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to claim 8, whereby the rubber is applied on the sides of the holder (5) to flanges (9a in 9a').
Linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to any of the preceding claims 1-4 or 6-9, whereby the drive motor, preferably Direct Current (DC) coreless electromotor has an electric choke in the control circuit to decrease torque oscillation.
Linear drive unit for automatic sliding door according to any of the preceding claims 1-4 or 6-10, whereby the carrier (1) is closed by an end batten (6), which has along the batten (6) a groove for mounting a decorative tape (6a).
Automatic sliding door comprising the linear drive unit according to any of the preceding claims 1-4 or 6-11.