ES2887277T3 - Device for opening thermally insulating sliding doors - Google Patents

Abstract

Device (10) for opening a sliding door, in particular a thermally insulating sliding door for cold rooms, the device (10) comprising: an external handle (14); an inside handle (16); a shaft (18) arranged to be inserted into a through hole (20) of a door leaf (12) of the sliding door, coaxially thereto, wherein said through hole (20) extends with its axis (x) perpendicular to an outer side (12a) and an inner side (12b) of the door leaf (12), and wherein the outer handle (14) and the inner handle (16) are arranged to be releasably attached (24, 28) to the opposite ends of the shaft (18) so that they are motorically connected to each other for their rotation around said axis (x), as well as for their translation along said axis (x); an inner bush-shaped support element (38) arranged to be inserted for at least a portion of its length into the through hole (20) of the door leaf (12), coaxially thereto, and to support the shaft (18 ) for its rotation around said axis (x); a mounting plate (48) arranged to be mounted on the inner side (12b) of the door leaf (12), the inner support member (38) being adapted to be releasably attached (52) to the mounting plate ( 48) and, through the latter, to the door leaf (12); an outer support element (40) arranged to support, together with the inner support element (38), the shaft (18) to rotate about said axis (x), the outer support element (40) comprising a portion of head (66) and a stem portion (68) which, in the assembled state of the device (10), are arranged respectively outside the door leaf (12) and in the through hole (20) of the door leaf ( 12), coaxially to said through hole (20); and guiding means (54, 56) arranged to cause, as a result of the rotation of the shaft (18) around said axis (x), a simultaneous translation of the shaft (18) along said axis (x); the device being characterized in that the outer support element (40) has a plurality of axial threaded holes, and in that it further comprises a corresponding plurality of coupling rods (78), each with a head (80) and a threaded shaft (82), said coupling bars (78) being configured to each be inserted into a respective through hole (84) of the mounting plate (48), until the respective head (80) comes into contact with the mounting plate (48), and each for screwing into a respective one of said plurality of axial threaded holes in the outer support member (40) to cause the head portion (66) of the outer support member (40) to come into contact with the outer side (12a) of the door leaf (12).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Device for opening thermally insulating sliding doors

The present invention relates to a device for opening sliding doors, in particular thermally insulating sliding doors intended, for example, for use in cold rooms, as set forth in the preamble of independent claim 1.

A device of the type identified above is known, for example, from EP 2439366.

According to this known solution, the device basically comprises:

an inner handle, that is, a handle intended to be mounted on the inner side of a door leaf of the sliding door;

an outer handle, ie a handle intended to be mounted on the outer side of the door leaf; a bush-shaped inner support element, which in the assembled state of the device on the door is housed entirely in a through hole of the door leaf with its axis extending perpendicular to the door leaf;

a mounting plate, which is intended to be fixed to the inner side of the door leaf and to which the inner support element is attached in the assembled state of the device;

a mushroom-shaped outer support element having a head portion and a stem portion, which element is housed with its stem portion in said through hole, on the outer side of the door leaf, coaxially to the support element interior, in the assembled state of the device on the door;

a shaft inserted in the inner support element, coaxially thereto, to be able to rotate around the axis of that element, as well as to translate along the axis of that element; the inner handle and the outer handle being attached to opposite ends of the shaft, ie the inner end and the outer end, respectively; Y

guiding means comprising a pair of opposing guiding surfaces, which are formed on the inner support element and are inclined with respect to the axis of that element, and a pair of pins drivingly connected to the shaft and projecting radially from the shaft, each pin being arranged to slide along a respective guide surface of the inner support element to cause, as a result of the rotation of the shaft around its axis, a simultaneous translation of the shaft along its axis.

According to this known solution, in order for the device to be mounted on door leaves with different thicknesses, the inner and outer support elements of the device can be telescopically coupled to each other, so that the inner support element can be inserted into the portion stem of the outer support element, coaxially thereto, and be fixed to the latter in a plurality of relative axial positions to allow the length of the assembly formed by the two support elements to be changed. More particularly, according to this known solution, the two support elements are fixed to each other by means of a plurality of screws which are inserted into respective through holes provided in the stem portion of the outer support element and are screwed into threaded holes provided. on the inner support element. For each through hole in the stem portion of the outer support member, a row of threaded holes is provided in the inner support member, which holes are aligned with one another parallel to the axis of that member and spaced apart from each other by a given distance ( for example 5 mm), thus allowing to change stepwise (for example, in steps of 5 mm) the length of the assembly formed by the two support elements. Therefore, the assembly formed by the two support elements is mounted on the door leaf of the sliding door in the following way. First of all, the inner support element is inserted into the outer support element and fixed thereto by the aforementioned screws in a given relative axial position, depending on the thickness of the door leaf. Once the two support elements have been fixed together, the assembly formed by these elements is inserted into the through hole of the door leaf, until the head portion of the outer support element comes into contact with the outer side of the door leaf. Finally, the inner support element is fixed by means of screws to the mounting plate, which has previously been fixed to the inner side of the door leaf in the region of the through hole, thus fixing the assembly formed by the two support elements to the sliding door door leaf.

As explained above, said known device allows a step change in the length of the assembly formed by the two support elements, since these elements can be fixed to each other in positions predetermined relative axial dimensions, depending on the number of threaded holes provided in the inner support element, as well as the distance between said holes.

Therefore, the device can only be used as such on door leaves of given thicknesses, whereas for the device to be mounted on door leaves with different thicknesses it is necessary to insert spacer elements of suitable thicknesses between the door leaf and, for example, the outer support element. Of course, this makes the mounting of the device on the door leaf of the sliding door more difficult and expensive.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a device for opening sliding doors which is not affected by the drawbacks of the prior art discussed above and which can therefore be adjusted continuously, rather than stepwise. , to be mounted on door leaves of different thicknesses, without requiring the use of additional components, such as spacer elements.

This and other objects are fully achieved according to the invention by virtue of a device for opening sliding doors having the features set forth in independent claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims, the subject matter of which is to be considered as an integral part of the following description.

In short, the invention is based on the idea of providing a device for opening sliding doors of the type identified above, further comprising a plurality of coupling rods, each of which has a head and a threaded shaft and is configured to be inserted into a respective through hole of the mounting plate, until the respective head comes into contact with the mounting plate, and to screw into a respective axial threaded hole of the outer support member to make the head portion of the support member outside comes into contact with the outside of the door leaf.

By virtue of said configuration, the device according to the invention can be easily adjusted continuously depending on the thickness of the door leaf of the sliding door, without the need for any additional spacer element to compensate for possible gaps between the head portion of the outer support element and the outer side of the door leaf. The opening device according to the invention can thus be installed more easily, quickly and precisely than in the prior art.

Preferably, the outer support element is made of plastic material and the axial threaded holes in that element are provided in respective metal inserts embedded (eg by co-moulding process) in that element.

According to one embodiment, the inner support member has a splined outer surface and the stem portion of the outer support member has a splined inner surface arranged to engage the splined outer surface of the inner support member to allow said support elements engage each other in such a way that they can slide axially relative to each other, but motorically connected to rotate relative to each other. This allows the outer support element to slide axially relative to the inner support element during mounting of the device on the door leaf, but prevents the outer support element from rotating relative to the inner support element and therefore , relative to the door leaf, when the device is operated to open and close the door.

As an alternative to the embodiment in which the two support elements are motorically connected to rotate with each other by means of a splined coupling, it is conceivable that the outer support element is not coupled to the inner support element, thus being able to rotate with respect to the latter, but is prevented from rotating with respect to the door leaf by suitable rotation prevention means (such as, for example, pins) directly interposed between the outer support element and the door leaf.

Other characteristic features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, given merely by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1a to 1c are a front view from the outside, a front view from the inside and a partial side view (on an enlarged scale), respectively, of a door leaf of a sliding door on which a device is mounted. opening according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the opening device in the closed position;

Figures 2a to 2c are views corresponding to those of Figures 1a to 1c, with the opening device in the open position;

Figure 3 is an exploded view of the opening device of Figures 1a-1c and 2a-2c; Figure 4 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the opening device taken through section line IV-IV of Figure 1a;

Figure 5 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the opening device taken through section line V-V of Figure 2a;

figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of the inner support element of the opening device of figure 4;

figures 8 and 9 are sectional views of the inner support element of the opening device of figure 4, taken through the section line VIM-VMI and the section line IX-IX of figure 6, respectively;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the outer support element of the opening device of Figure 4; Y

figure 11 is a sectional view of the external support element of the opening device of figure 4, taken through the section line XI-XI of figure 10.

In the following description and claims, the terms "exterior" and "interior" are used to identify components, as well as parts thereof, of the opening device according to the invention which in the assembled state of the device on the sliding door are arranged on, or at least oriented towards, the outer side and the inner side of the door, respectively, while the term "axial" is used to identify a direction coaxial, or at least parallel, to the axis of the through hole of the leaf of door in which the shaft that connects the external handle with the internal handle of the opening device is inserted, axis that extends perpendicular to the external side and to the internal side of the door leaf.

Referring first to figures 1a-1c and 2a-2c, an opening device for opening a sliding door, in particular a thermally insulating sliding door for cold rooms, is indicated generically with the reference number 10.

The opening device 10 can be moved between a closed position (figures 1a-1c) and an open position (figures 2a-2c). As a result of its movement from the closed position to the open position, the opening device 10 causes, by co-action with a stile (not shown) of a door frame, a sliding movement of a door leaf 12 of the door moving away from the stud. The outer side (or front side) and the inner side (or rear side) of the door leaf 12 are indicated by 12a and 12b, respectively.

The opening device 10 comprises, in a manner known per se, an external handle 14, which can be actuated by the user when the latter is in front of the external side 12a of the door leaf 12, and an internal handle 16, which can be be operated by the user when the latter is in front of the inner side 12b of the door leaf 12. The outer handle 14 and the inner handle 16 are rigidly connected to each other by means of a shaft 18 that extends in a through hole 20 (whose axis indicated with x in figures 1c and 2c) of the door leaf 12, coaxially to said hole.

The outer handle 14 is formed, in a manner known per se, by a rod (particularly made of metal) which is releasably attached with an upper end thereof to an outer end (i.e., a forward-facing end). outer side of the door) of the shaft 18. In particular, as shown in detail in figures 4 and 5, the upper end of the rod that forms the outer handle 14 is inserted into a special seat 22 provided on the shaft 18 and it is fixed to the shaft 18, for example by means of a screw 24.

The inside handle 16 comprises a rod 26 (made in particular of metal) which is releasably attached at an intermediate point thereof to an inside end (i.e., an end facing the inside of the door) of the shaft 18. , for example by means of screws 28. At an upper end thereof, the rod 26 carries a tip 30 which is preferably made of plastic material and has, for example, a semi-circular shape. The tip 30 is intended to come into contact, as a result of the rotation of the rod 26 of the internal handle 16 about the axis x from the closed position of Figures 1a-1c to the open position of Figures 2a-2c, with a stop element (not shown) attached to the upright of the door frame, which acts as a fulcrum to cause the door leaf 12 to slide in the opening direction. The inner handle 16 further comprises a gripping portion 32 attached to the opposite end (lower end) of the rod 26 to allow the user to operate the inner handle 16, causing the rod 26 to rotate about the x-axis in the opening direction. It should be noted, in this regard, that the opening device 10 according to the invention can be used both on the left and on the right side of the door leaf 12 and can therefore cause the door to open. both by rotating the inner handle 16 in the direction of clockwise (as shown in Figure 2b) or by rotating the inner knob 16 counterclockwise.

With reference to figures 1c, 2c and 3, the gripping portion 32 is advantageously articulated by means of a shaft 34 to the lower end of the rod 26 so as to be able to tilt with respect to the latter about an axis parallel to the door leaf. 12 (as can be seen in the comparison between figure 1c and figure 2c) to allow the user to insert the fingers between the gripping portion 32 and the door leaf 12 without risk of pinching. The gripping portion 32 is held by an elastic element 36 (for example, a leaf spring) in a rest position, where it extends substantially parallel to the rod 26 and thus to the door leaf 12, and it can be tilted at a certain angle with respect to the rod 26, in order to move away from the inner side 12b of the door leaf 12, against the action of the elastic element 36.

As shown in figures 3 to 5, the opening device 10 further comprises a pair of support members 38 and 40, that is, an inner support member 38 and an outer support member 40, for supporting the shaft 18 in the through hole 20 of the door leaf 12 to allow the shaft 18 to rotate about its axis (coaxial to the axis x of the through hole 20) and to translate along its axis.

The inner support element 38 is a bushing-shaped element (which is preferably made of plastic material), which is arranged coaxially to the through hole 20 of the door leaf 12 and has a through hole 42 through which it is inserted. extends the shaft 18. The inner support element 38 preferably has a length less than the thickness of the door leaf 12 and is housed entirely in the through hole 20 of the door leaf. However, in the case of a door leaf 12 with reduced thickness, the inner support element 38 can even protrude from the door leaf 12, but still not be visible, since it is housed inside the outer support element 40. .

Referring also to Figures 6 and 7, the internal support element 38 comprises a tubular body 44, having an external diameter smaller than the internal diameter of the through hole 20 of the door leaf 12, and a rim 46 extending radially from one end (the inward-facing end 12a of the door leaf 12) of the tubular body 44 and has an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the through hole 20 of the door leaf 12. The inner support member 38 is fixed to the door leaf 12 by means of a mounting plate 48, preferably made of metal. More specifically, the mounting plate 48 is fixed by means of a plurality of screws or rivets 50 to the door leaf 12, on the inner side 12a of the latter, in the region of the through hole 20, and the inner support element 38 is fixed to the mounting plate 48 and thus to the door leaf 12 by means of a plurality of screws 52. The inner support member 38 is thus prevented from rotating about the x-axis and from moving along the axis. along the axis x with respect to the through hole 20 of the door leaf 12.

In a manner known per se, the inner support element 38 and the shaft 18 are provided with guiding means configured to cause, as a result of the rotation of the shaft 18 about its axis (x-axis), a simultaneous translation of the shaft to along its axis. In particular, said guide means are configured to cause, when the user rotates the outer handle 14 or the inner handle 16 in the direction from the closed position to the open position, which causes a corresponding rotation of the shaft 18 around its axis. , a translation of the shaft 18 directed towards the inner side 12b of the door leaf 12, as indicated by the arrow F in figure 2c, and, therefore, a movement of the inner handle 16 away from the inner side 12b of the door leaf 12.

According to the illustrated embodiment, said guide means comprise a pair of opposing guide surfaces 54, which are formed on the inner surface of the inner support element 38 and are inclined with respect to the x-axis, as well as a pin 56 which is carried by the shaft 18 (in particular, housed in a through hole 58 extending radially through the shaft 18) and protrudes radially at both opposite ends with respect to the shaft 18, in such a way that each end of the pin 56 is slidingly engages a respective guide surface 54 of inner support member 38.

Elastic means are provided between the inner support element 38 and the shaft 18, which are formed, in particular, by a cylindrical helical spring 60 and are configured to apply to the shaft 18 an elastic force directed axially towards the outer side 12a. of the door leaf 12 and therefore tends to push the shaft 18, together with the outer handle 14 and the inner handle 16, towards the closed position. The spring 60 is arranged around the shaft 18 and bears axially at one end thereof against a shoulder 62 formed by the shaft 18 and at the opposite end against a shoulder 64 formed by the inner support element 38. As can be seen in comparison between figures 4 and 5, as a result of the movement from the closed position (figure 4) to the open position (figure 5), the spring 60 is compressed between the shoulder 62 of the shaft 18 and the shoulder 64 of the support element inner 38, since the shaft 18, during the rotation from the closed position to the open position, translates axially towards the inner side 12a of the door leaf 12 and therefore moves further inside the inner support element 38 .

The outer support member 40 is a mushroom-shaped member (preferably made of plastic material) comprising a head portion 66 and a tubular stem portion 68. The head portion 66 has a through hole 70 through which it is inserted. extends shaft 18. Sealing means, such as a sealing ring 72, are provided on head portion 66 to coact sealingly with shaft 18. Head portion 66 also houses a plurality of threaded inserts 74 ( four threaded inserts, in the illustrated example), which are advantageously made of metal and are embedded by a co-molding process in the outer support element 40.

In the assembled condition of the opening device 10, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the head portion 66 of the outer support element 40 protrudes from the door leaf 12, with an annular face 66a thereof in contact with the outer side 12a of the door leaf, while the stem portion 68 is housed in the through hole 20 of the door leaf 12, coaxially to said hole and therefore coaxially to the inner support element 38. Of Advantageously, sealing means, such as a sealing ring 76, are provided on the annular face 66a of the head portion 66 of the outer support member 40 for sealing against the door leaf 12.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, outer support member 40 is attached to door leaf 12 by means of a plurality of tie bars 78 (four tie bars in the illustrated example). Each coupling rod 78 comprises a head 80, which is arranged in contact with a face of the mounting plate 48 opposite the door leaf 12, and a threaded shaft 82, which is inserted into a respective through hole 84 of the plate. mounting plate 48 and a respective through hole 86 of the inner support member 38 and is threaded at its end opposite the head 80 in a respective threaded insert 74 of the outer support member 40. Once the mounting plate 48 has been fixed to the door leaf 12 by means of the screws or rivets 50 and once the inner support element 38 has been inserted into the through hole 20 of the door leaf 12 and has been fixed to the mounting plate 48 by means of of the screws 52, the outer support element 40 is thus inserted with its stem portion 68 into the through hole 20 of the door leaf 12 and then fixed to the door leaf 12 by means of the fixing bars. coupling 78. In this regard, It will be understood that by threading the tie rods 78 into the respective threaded inserts 74 of the outer support member 40, the user can make the head portion 66 (in particular, the annular face 66a of the head portion 66) of the support member outside 40 comes into contact with the outside 12a of the door leaf 12, regardless of the thickness of the door leaf. Therefore, thanks to the use of the coupling bars 78 to fix the outer support element 40 to the door leaf 12, it is possible, without modifying the components of the opening device 10 and without using additional components, to mount the device on leaves door of different thicknesses. In other words, by using the tie rods 78 to fix the outer support member 40 to the door leaf 12, it is possible to continuously adjust the distance between the mounting plate 48 and the head portion 66 of the member. outer support 40, depending on the thickness of the door leaf 12.

Furthermore, in accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the inner support member 38, and more specifically the tubular body 44 of that member, has a serrated outer surface and the stem portion 68 of the outer support member 40 has a serrated surface. corresponding inner splined surface adapted to engage the outer splined surface of inner support member 38, whereby support members 38 and 40 engage each other so as to slide axially relative to each other, but motor connected to rotate relative to each other . More specifically, the outer surface of the tubular body 44 of the inner support member 38 has a plurality of radial bosses 88, having, for example, a substantially rectangular cross-section, which radial bosses extend axially over the entire length of the body. 44, and the inner surface of the stem portion 68 of the outer support member 40 has a corresponding plurality of slots 90, having a cross-section with a shape complementary to that of the radial bosses 88, axially extending slots and they are each adapted to receive a respective radial boss 88 of support member 38.

The arrangement of the radial bosses 88 and slots 90 may also be reversed from that illustrated herein, as the radial bosses and slots may be provided on the stem portion 68 of the outer support member. 40 and in the tubular body 44 of the inner support element 38, respectively.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the outer surface of the tubular body 44 of the inner support element 38 also forms, between each pair of adjacent radial bosses 88 and in the region of the through hole 86, a radial boss 92 having a section crosswise in the form of an arc of a circle and extends axially over the entire length of the tubular body 44, and the inner surface of the stem portion 68 of the outer support element 40 has, for each radial protrusion 92, a corresponding recess 94 having a cross-section with a shape complementary to that of radial boss 92 and extending axially over the entire length of stem portion 68.

Such a configuration of the inner and outer support elements 38 and 40 allows for a relative axial sliding movement of the support elements during mounting of the opening device 10 in the opening. door leaf 12, but prevents the outer support element 40 from rotating relative to the inner support element 38, and thus relative to the door leaf 12, during operation of the device for opening and closing the door.

As an alternative to the illustrated embodiment, in which the support elements 38 and 40 are motorically connected to rotate with respect to each other about the x axis by means of a splined coupling, it can also be envisaged that the outer support element 40 does not is coupled to the inner support element 38 and is therefore able to rotate with respect to the latter about the x-axis, but is prevented from rotating about the x-axis with respect to the door leaf 12 by suitable means of preventing rotation (such as, for example, pins) that are directly interposed between the outer support element 40 and the door leaf 12.

Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining unchanged, the embodiments and construction details may vary widely from those described and illustrated simply by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the attached claims.

Claims (7)

1. Device (10) for opening a sliding door, in particular a thermally insulating sliding door for cold rooms, the device (10) comprising: an outside handle (14); an inside handle (16); a shaft (18) arranged to be inserted into a through hole (20) of a door leaf (12) of the sliding door, coaxially thereto, wherein said through hole (20) extends with its axis (x) perpendicular to an outer side (12a) and an inner side (12b) of the door leaf (12), and wherein the outer handle (14) and the inner handle (16) are arranged to be releasably attached (24, 28) to the opposite ends of the shaft (18) so that they are motorically connected to each other for their rotation around said axis (x), as well as for their translation along said axis (x); an inner bush-shaped support element (38) arranged to be inserted for at least a portion of its length into the through hole (20) of the door leaf (12), coaxially thereto, and to support the shaft (18 ) for its rotation around said axis (x); a mounting plate (48) arranged to be mounted on the inner side (12b) of the door leaf (12), the inner support member (38) being adapted to be releasably attached (52) to the mounting plate ( 48) and, through the latter, to the door leaf (12); an outer support element (40) arranged to support, together with the inner support element (38), the shaft (18) to rotate about said axis (x), the outer support element (40) comprising a portion of head (66) and a stem portion (68) which, in the assembled state of the device (10), are arranged respectively outside the door leaf (12) and in the through hole (20) of the door leaf ( 12), coaxially to said through hole (20); Y guiding means (54, 56) arranged to cause, as a result of the rotation of the shaft (18) around said axis (x), a simultaneous translation of the shaft (18) along said axis (x); the device being characterized because the outer support element (40) has a plurality of axial threaded holes, and because it further comprises a corresponding plurality of tie rods (78), each with a head (80) and a threaded shaft (82), said tie rods (78) being configured to each be inserted into a respective through hole (84) of the mounting plate (48), until the respective head (80) contacts the mounting plate (48), and each for screwing into a respective one of said plurality of axial threaded holes in the outer support member (40) to cause the head portion (66) of the outer support member (40) to contact the outer side ( 12a) of the door leaf (12). Device according to claim 1, in which the outer support element (40) is made of plastic material and said axial threaded holes are provided in respective metal inserts (74) embedded in the outer support element (40) . Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the inner support element (38) has, for each tie rod (78), a respective axial through hole (86) into which the threaded shaft (82) of the coupling rod (78). Device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising rotation prevention means (88, 90) to prevent rotation of the outer support element (40) around said axis (x) with respect to the sheet. door (12). Device according to claim 4, wherein said rotation prevention means (88, 90) comprise at least one radial protrusion (88) extending axially over at least one length of the inner support element (38) and, for each radial boss (88), a respective slot (90) having a shape complementary to that of the radial boss (88) and extending axially over at least one length of the stem portion (68) of the element. outer support (40). Device according to claim 4, wherein said rotation prevention means (88, 90) comprise at least one radial protrusion (88) extending axially over at least one length of the stem portion (68) of the outer support element (40) and, for each protuberance radial (88), a respective groove (90) having a shape complementary to that of the radial boss (88) and extending axially over at least one length of the inner support member (38). 7. Sliding door, in particular for cold stores, comprising a door leaf (12) having a through hole (20) extending perpendicularly to an outer side (12a) and an inner side (12b) of the door leaf. door (12), and an opening device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.