GB2391041A

GB2391041A - Door gliding and lifting means

Info

Publication number: GB2391041A
Application number: GB0216899A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth Arthur Anderson
Original assignee: MANGANESE BRONZE COMPONENTS LT; Manganese Bronze Ltd
Current assignee: MANGANESE BRONZE COMPONENTS LT; Manganese Bronze Ltd
Priority date: 2002-07-20
Filing date: 2002-07-20
Publication date: 2004-01-28
Also published as: GB0216899D0

Abstract

A door assembly in which a door 10 when moving from its closed to its open position moves across the door opening to one side of the door frame 14. The door 10 then also moves angularly so as to lie transversely to the plane of the door opening and face across the door opening, has drive means for effecting lifting of the door 10 in the course of its angular movement as it opens. This enables the door to clear an inclined floor in the door area of a vehicle such as a bus or a coach. The drive means may include support means 16 in the form of an upright post 18 pivotable about its axis and having two arms 20. These two arms 20 extend transversely from the post 18 to the middle of the door 10 where they are pivotably connected to the door 10 at the top and bottom by hinge assemblies 21 incorporating cam means.

Description

Title: Doors Description of Invention

This invention relates to doors.

Doors in accordance with He invention are intended for use most commonly in public service vehicles such as buses and coaches, although it is to be appreciated that they would be usable elsewhere if required. The doors are of the type sometimes known as "glider doors". A door assembly in a vehicle may comprise two individual doors (most common on buses where a wide door opening has to be provided) or only one door (most common on coaches). Assuming the door opening is provided in a side of Be vehicle, when closed the or each door lies substantially parallel to the plane of the door opening (i.e. the side of the vehicle) so as to block the door opening, and as it opens a first edge of the door moves across the door opening (lengthwise of the vehicle) to one side thereof while the other edge of the door moves inwardly of the vehicle. When the door has fully opened it has moved angularly so that it lies to one side of the door opening and transversely to the plane of the door opening, and the surface of He door which faced the inside of the vehicle when the door was closed faces generally lengthwise of the vehicle, across the door opening. The first edge of the door (which edge, when closed, was remote from said side of the door opening) lies adjacent said side of He door opening, and preferably the entire door lies within the envelope of the vehicle. In a door assembly comprising two doors, the inside surfaces of He doors, when fully open, face each other across the door opening. Such a door assembly will hereafter be referred to as a door assembly of the kind specified.

This opening movement of each door may be achieved by supporting it from a vertical or substantially vertical post disposed adjacent the side of the

door opening, the post being angularly movable about its own longitudinal axis.

Two arms extend transversely from the post and are pivotably connected to the door at the top and bottom thereof, about an axis which is more or less halfway between the two vertical edges of the door. Guide means for one of the edges of the door, at the top and/or the bottom thereof, ensures that as the door opens and closes it follows the required path of movement and changes its orientation as required.

One problem which now arises in connection with the doors of public service vehicles particularly buses is that access thereto for disabled persons, e.g. a person occupying a wheelchair, must be facilitated. Thus the vehicle floor surface in the area of the door of the vehicle should have no step in it and therefore such floor surface immediately adjacent the door frequently is inclined downwardly as it approaches the door opening, for example at an angle of up to about 5 . Any door part which moves inwardly of the vehicle in the course of opening must be arranged to clear such an inclined floor surface. At He same time, when the door is closed there should be as good a fit as possible with the structure surrounding the door opening so it is as draught-proof as possible. The sort of draught-resistant sealing devices commonly used at the bottom edges of bus doors are not effective if the gap is too great.

Accordingly it is broadly the object of the present invention to provide an arrangement of a vehicle door which enables the requirements for clearing an inclined floor surface, and for effective draught-proofing, to be met as nearly as possible.

According to the invention there is provided a door assembly of the kind specified comprising means for effecting lifting of the door during the course of angular movement of the door from the fully closed position to the fully open position. In a door assembly in accordance with the invention, the lifting of the door enables effective draught-proofing to be achieved by the use of seals

which do not have to bridge large gaps when the door is in its fully closed position, whilst enabling the door to clear an inclined floor surface inwardly of the door opening when in its fully open position.

Preferably lifting of the door is caused to take place by angular movement of the door.

Preferably the door is carried by support means pivotable about an upright axis adjacent one side of the door opening, and pivotally connected to the door generally in the mid-region between the edges thereof Preferably pivotal movement of the door relative to the support means effects lifting of the door.

Preferably pivotal movement of the support means about its upright axis effects lifting of the support means, and the door therewith.

The efficiency with which the door assembly is lifted can be increased by sharing the lifting of the door between the pivotal movement of the door relative to the support means and the pivotal movement of the support means about its upright axis.

Preferably the support means comprises respective arms pivotally connected to the top and bottom of the door, the arms being supported by an upright post pivotable about its longitudinal axis.

Preferably the pivotal connection of at least one of the arms to the door effects lifting of the door relative to the arms, while the post itself is lifted as it pivots about its upright axis.

Preferably the pivotal connection of at least one of the arms relative to the door includes cam means for effecting the lifting of the door as it moves angularly relative to the at least one arm.

Preferably the cam means comprises first and second cam members engageable with one another such that rotation of the first cam member relative to the second cam member effects lifting of the second cam member relative to the first cam member and likewise, opposite rotation of the first cam member

relative to the second cam member effects lowering of the second cam member relative to the first cam member. In this way, the door is lifted during movement of the door from the fully closed position to the fully open position and lowered during movement of the door from the fully open position to the fully closed position.

Preferably the first and second cam members are co-operating internally and externally threaded members, which have, for example, a multiple start screw thread of appropriate pitch.

Preferably the first cam member is integral with at least one ofthe arms.

Preferably the second cam member is integral with the door.

Preferably the first cam member is a threaded sleeve.

Preferably the second cam member is a threaded rod or tube.

These and other features of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 is a perspective view of a lower end of a door in accordance with the present invention in a fully closed position.

Figures 2 to 5 are views similar to Figure 1, but showing successive positions in the course of opening movement of the door which is fully open in Figure 5; Figure 6 is a perspective view of an upper end of the door corresponding to the position of the door in Figure 3; and Figure 7 is a composite plan view of showing successive positions of the door of Figures 1 to 5 wherein position 'A' corresponds to Me position of the door shown in Figure I, 'B' corresponds to Figure 2, 'C' corresponds to Figure 3, 'D' corresponds to Figure 4 and 'EL' corresponds to Figure S. Referring firstly to Figure 1 to 7 there is shown a door assembly in accordance with the present invention having a door 10 with a central glazing panel 12. The door 10, which is substantially rectangular, is mounted within a frame structure 14, which itself is fixed to or integral with the side of, for

examples a vehicle (not shown). The lower edge of the door 10 is provided with a draught excluding seal (not shown), which engages an inclined floor surface 11, to provide a seal between the floor surface 11 and the door 10 when the door 10 is in a fully closed position. The floor surface 11 is inclined upwardly from the door opening towards the interior of the vehicle, to provide easier entry onto the vehicle for a wheelchair or pushchair from a pedestrian walkway (not shown). In the fully closed position (shown in Figure 1) the door 10 lies substantially within the plane of the frame 14, whereas in a fully open position (shown in Figure 5) the door 10 lies in a position substantially transversely of the frame 14. The door 10 is connected to the frame 14 by support means 16 in the form of a upright post 18, pivotable about its axis, extending substantially the length of the door 10 and parallel to an upright section of the frame 14. The post 18 has two arms 20 extending transversely from the post towards a mid-

region of the door 10 where they are pivotably connected to the door 10 at the top and bottom thereof by hinge assemblies 21 incorporating cam means. When the door 10 is in the fully closed position the arms 20 are partially received within a recess 36 on the Wont surface ofthe door 10 and when the door 10 is in the fully open position the arms 20 are partially received with a recess 38, which is also on the front surface of the door 10. Each hinge assembly 21 comprises a first cam member in the form of an internally threaded sleeve 22 and a second cam member in the form of a pin 24 with a co-operating external screw thread. The sleeve 22 is connected to the ann 20, such that the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 22 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the post 18, and the pin 24 is provided within a recess 37 in the door 10, between the recesses 36, 38. The pin 24 engages within the sleeve 22 such that rotation of the sleeve 22 relative to the pin 24 effects lifting of the pin 24 relative to the sleeve 22 and likewise opposite rotation of the sleeve 22 relative to the pin 24 effects lowering of the pin 24 relative to the sleeve 22. The threads in the sleeve 22 and on the pin 24 are multiple-start threads of appropriate thread

form, and pitch suitable to lift the door by the required distance when the door D opens. The post 18, at its lower end is rotatably connected to the frame 14 by a bracket 26. The bracket 26 has an internally threaded bore extending through D the bracket 26, parallel to the post 18. The bore receives an externally threaded portion 28 of the post 18 such that the bracket 26 and threaded 28 also provide a hinge assembly similar to the hinge assemblies 21.

The threaded pin 24 and the threaded portion 28 have opposite threads, thereby sharing the lifting of the door.

The connection of top of the post 18 to the frame 14 is provided by a D bracket 30 having a sleeve which co-operates with a recessed section 32 of the post 18 to provide a sliding fit. The recessed section 32 provides support for the post 18, whilst allowing the post 18 to be lifted relative to the frame 14.

Guide means in the form of a guide member 34 is provided at the top and bottom of the rear surface of the door 10, which engages in a track (not D shown) in the frame 14. The guide members 34 ensure that as the door 10 opens and closes it follows the required path of movement and changes its orientation as required. Rotational movement of the post 18 to open or close the door as required is provided by a motor 40 for example an electric motor connected to the post 18 by a suitable transmission e.g. gearing.

As an alternative to the use of the motor 40 operable to turn the post 18 to open and close the door, a driving mechanism of some other arrangement may be utilised. For example a driving mechanism such as a lead screw, disposed horizontally in the upper frame part of the door assembly and having an output drive member connected to the door in such a way as to accommodate the lifting and lowering of the door as it moves angularly, could be employed.

The operation of the mechanism above described will now be explained.

When the door 10 is in its fully closed position, it lies substantially in the plane of the side of the vehicle. To effect movement of the door 10 from the fully

closed position to the fully open position the post l 8 is moved angularly by the motor 40 such that the arms 20 move inwardly towards the interior of the vehicle. During this movement the threaded portion 28 on the post 18 extends upwardly out of the bracket 26, thereby causing the post 18 to be lifted relative to the frame 14.Also at the same time the pin 24 extends through the sleeve 22 from a first position, in which an upper surface of the sleeve 22 abuts an upper internal surface 42 of the recess 37, to a second position, in which a lower surface 44 of the sleeve 22 abuts a lower internal surface of the recess 37. This relative movement of the pin 24 to the sleeve 22 causes the door lo to be lifted relative to the arms 20. The overall effect is that the door l O is lifted relative to the frame 14 and hence the floor surface l l, thereby avoiding, when the door to is moved from the fully closed position to the fully open position, jamming of the lower edge of the door to with the floor surface l l.

To effect movement of the door 10 from the fully open position to the fully closed position the motor 40 is reversed, thereby rotating the post 18 and hence the arms 20 in the opposite direction, outwardly, away from the interior of the vehicle. Thus the hinge assemblies 2 l, and combination of the sleeve 26 and threaded portion 28, lower the door to such that when the door lO is in the fully closed position the draughtexcluding seal of the door lO engages with the floor surfacel 1.

In the above description it would be possible to have a hinge assembly or

hinge assemblies on just the door to or just on the post 18, e.g. the door lo could be lifted adequately by the cam means provided by the combination of the bracket 26 and the threaded portion 28. The main objective is to ensure that the cam means provides adequate lifting of the door to to avoid jamming of the D lower edge ofthe door lO with the floor surface 11.

In addition to the above described ability of the door to clear the inclined floor surface of the vehicle in the course of its opening movement, the lifting of the door during the course of angular movement of the door from the fully

closed position to the fully open position means that a draught resistant seal, e.g. of the brush type, provided at the bottom of He door does not have to cope win a large gap when He door is in its fully closed position. Seals of greater efficiency than He brush-type, e.g. rubber lip or balloon seals may be utilised.

Hence relatively efficient draught-proofing of vehicle doors may be achieved.

In the present specification "comprises" means "includes or consists of"

and "comprising" means "including or consisting of".

The features disclosed in He foregoing description, or the following

claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising Be invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. A door assembly of the kind specified comprising means for effecting lifting of the door during the course of angular movement of the door from the fully closed position to the fully open position.

2. A door assembly according to claim 1 wherein lifting of the door is I caused to tales place by angular movement of the door.

3. A door assembly according to claim or claim 2 wherein the door is carried by support means pivotable about an upright axis adjacent one side of the door opening, and pivotally connected to the door generally in the mid-

region between the edges thereof.

4. A door assembly according to claim 3 wherein pivotal movement of the door relative to the support means effects lifting of the door.

5. A door assembly according to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein pivotal movement of the support means about its upright axis effects lifting of the support means, and the door therewith.

6. A door assembly according to claim 3, 4 or 5 wherein the support means comprises respective arms pivotally connected to the top and bottom of the door, the arms being supported by an upright post pivotable about its longitudinal axis.

7. A door assembly according to claim 6 wherein the pivotal connection of at least one of the arms to the door effects lifting of We door relative to the arms, whilst the post itself is lifted as it pivots about its upright axis.

8. A door assembly according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the pivotal connection of at least one of the arms relative to the door includes cam means for effecting the lifting of the door as it moves angularly relative to the at least one arm,

9. A door assembly according to claim 8 wherein the cam means comprises first and second cam members engageable with one another such that rotation of the first cam member relative to the second cam member effects lifting of the second cam member relative to the first cam member and likewise, opposite rotation of the first cam member relative to the second cam member effects lowering of the second cam member relative to the first cam member.

10. A door assembly according to claim 9 wherein the first and second cam members are co-operating internally and externally threaded members.

11. A door assembly according to claim 9 or claim lOwherein the first cam member is integral with at least one of the anns.

12. A door assembly according to claim 9, 10 or 11 wherein the second cam member is integral with the door.

13. A door assembly according to any one of claims 9 to 12 wherein the first cam member is a threaded sleeve.

14. A door assembly according to any one of claims 9 to 13 wherein the second cam member is a threaded rod or tube.

15. A door assembly according to any one of the preceding claims comprising two doors, disposed at respective sides of the door opening.

16. A door assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

17. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.