NL2011353C2

NL2011353C2 - Sliding door rail assembly for closing an opening in a wall.

Info

Publication number: NL2011353C2
Application number: NL2011353A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Danny Veluwen
Original assignee: Metaflex Doors Europ B V
Priority date: 2013-08-29
Filing date: 2013-08-29
Publication date: 2015-03-03

Description

Title: Sliding door rail assembly for closing an opening in a wall

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a sliding door rail assembly for closing an opening in a wall, wherein the assembly comprises a guide rail and a sliding assembly that is configured to cooperate with the guide rail. More in particular, the invention relates to a sliding door rail assembly for hermetically closing an opening in a wall.

Background of the invention

To be able to hermetically close conditioned spaces it is known to use sliding doors to close the opening towards said conditioned spaces. Sliding door can be used to advantage since sliding doors need only little space for opening and closing said door.

Such a sliding door is for instance known from NL110557. The known sliding door comprises a sliding door rail assembly that is configured for displacing a sliding door panel along a guide rail to bring said panel in front of the door opening. To be able to hermetically close the opening in the wall, the door has to be displaced towards the opening after the door has been brought in front of said opening. The known sliding door therefore comprises a guide rail that is provided with a locally recessed carrying surface and with a guide surface inclined upwardly away from the wall. The door is provided with rollers cooperating with said carrying surface and said guide surface. By virtue of this construction, when the sliding door has come in front of the opening in the wall, the carrying rollers sink into the recessed sections of the carrying surface, but as a result of the inclined position of the guide surface, the sliding door is at the same time moved towards the wall. To open the sliding door again, an auxiliary rail that is mounted along the guide rail is moved such that cams provided on said auxiliary rail lift the door with the rollers upwardly and at the same time from the wall. The auxiliary rail is moveable manually by means of a lever. In case the sliding door can be opened and closed automatically, a power transmission device may be operatively coupled to the sliding door rail assembly. Since the sliding door may be relatively heavy to adequately close the door opening, for instance having a weight of approximately 200 kg or even more, removing the rollers of the door out of the local recess in the guide rail demands a minimum amount of force and thus a corresponding size of the power transmission device. To be able to lift the sliding door, the power transmission device may be over dimensioned. After all, the power necessary to slide the door in horizontal direction along the guide rail may be much less than the power necessary to locally lift the door. It may even take up to 15 times the energy to lift the door than to slide the door In case of a manually operated door, a lever construction is necessary to lift the door and subsequently shde the door. Such a lever construction may be a complicated construction that increases the complexity of the manufacturing process of the door and therefore increases the manufacturing costs of the sliding door. Furthermore, the recess or recesses provided in the guide rail are obtained by means of a milling operation during the manufacturing process of the guide rail. Therefore, the sliding direction and the door width have to be determined before manufacturing said guide rail.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved sliding door rail assembly for closing an opening in a wall that at least partly obviates the above indicated problems of the known sliding door.

More in particular it is an object of the invention to provide a sliding door rail assembly that enables easy opening and closing of the sliding door and which at the same time has a relatively simple construction.

Summary of the invention

Thereto, according to a first aspect of the invention, a sliding door rail assembly for closing an opening in a wall is provided, wherein the assembly comprises a guide rail and a sliding assembly that is configured to cooperate with the guide rail. The guide rail may be provided with an activating member and the sliding assembly may be coupled to a door panel. The sliding assembly may comprise at least one sliding element, which element is moveable along a support surface of the guide rail, and a closing mechanism that is configured to cooperate with the activating member such that upon contact of the closing mechanism with said activating member, the door panel is displaced towards the opening in a direction substantially perpendicular to a plane of the opening and wherein at the same time the door panel is displaced in a direction away from the guide rail substantially parallel to the plane of the opening, wherein the closing mechanism further is configured to move the door panel away from the opening upon release of the closing mechanism from the activating member. Due to the construction of the sliding door rail assembly according to the invention, the at least one sliding element remains on the same height with respect to the support surface of the guide rail during opening and closing of the sliding door. The sliding assembly slides along the guide rail until the closing mechanism contacts the activating member. The activating member activates the closing mechanism to move the door panel in a direction towards the opening in the wall and at the same time towards the floor. The seals, that may be provided on the door in case of for instance a hermetically closed door, are subsequently brought in contact with the wall surrounding the opening and with the floor to hermetically close the door. The closing mechanism is configured to move the door panel away from the opening upon release of the closing mechanism from the activating mechanism. When the door is opened, thus slid along the guide rail in opposite direction, the closing assembly is removed from the activating member. Upon said release, the door panel is removed from the opening in the wall by means of the specific construction of the closing mechanism. No additional operations are necessary to lift the door panel. Furthermore, due to the construction of the closing mechanism, the guide rail only has to be provided with an activating member. This member can be mounted to the guide rail, in particular to the surface facing away from the support surface, after the guide rail has been mounted above the door opening in the wall. Consequently, the guide rail may be customized at location, for instance to adapt the guide rail to the sliding direction and to the width of the sliding door. Since opening and closing of the door is obtained by sliding of the door along the guide rail and bringing the door towards the opening in the wall by means of the closing mechanism, no additional mechanisms are needed for instance to lift the door again upon opening thereof. Since the sliding elements remain on the same height with respect to the support surface during opening and closing of the door, the force needed for displacing the door along the guide rail remains substantially constant during the entire displacement trajectory. In case of an automated sliding door, the power transmission device that is needed to close and open the door thus does not have to be over dimensioned.

To enable displacement of the door panel towards the opening of the wall while the sliding element remains at the same height with respect to the support surface of the guide rail, the closing mechanism, according to a further aspect of the invention, preferably comprises a first part and a second part displaceably coupled to the first part, to enable displacement of said second part relative to the first part.

Preferably, the first part may be coupled to the at least one sliding element. For instance, the sliding element may be rotatably provided with respect to the first part to enable rolling of the sliding element along the support surface of the guide rail.

According to another aspect of the invention, the second part of the closing mechanism comprises a follower that is configured to cooperate with the activating member such that upon displacement of the sliding element along the guide rail and upon interaction with the activating member, the follower is displaced in a direction away from the guide rail, wherein said direction extends substantially parallel to the plane of the opening. When the closing mechanism is displaced, such that the follower interacts with the activating member, the follower is displaced in a direction away from the guide rail until the door panel is positioned in the end position, i.e. the position in which the lower side of the door panel abuts the floor and the opening in the wall is covered. Due to the interaction of the follower with the activating member, the door is lowered and at the same time brought towards the door opening. Since, in further elaboration of the invention, the closing mechanism comprises a pre-tension device that is connected with a first end thereof to a frame of the first part of the closing mechanism and with a second, opposing, end to a frame of the second part of the closing mechanism, the door panel is guided towards the door opening in a predetermined way. Dependent on the kind of pre-tension device, the closing movement of the door in a direction towards the floor and at the same time towards the door opening can be predetermined. The spring constant of the pre-tension device preferably is chosen such that the force that is exerted on the spring by the door panel is only shghtly smaller than the force necessary to bring the pre-tension device back in its initial state. Consequently, upon removal of the follower from the activating member, the pre-tension device causes the door panel to be moved away from the door opening and lifted again before sliding it open.

The pre-tension device may, according to a further embodiment of the invention, comprises at least one of a compression spring, a tension spring, a gas spring, a hydraulic spring, at least two magnets arranged with opposing similar poles.

According to another aspect of the invention, an axis of the pretension device and the plane of the opening include an angle of approximately 30°- 60°, preferably approximately 45°. An angle of approximately 45° is preferred since such angle at one hand prevents a seal provided at the bottom of the door panel from excessive sliding along the floor and on the other hand provides a suitable angle of inclination of the pre-tension device to prevent excessive force needed to lift the door panel when opening the door.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the pretension device may be contractible from a first initial length to a second pre-tensed length, wherein during contraction of the pre-tension device upon interaction of the closing mechanism with the activating member, energy is stored in said pretension device, wherein upon release of the closing mechanism from the activating member, the stored energy enables return of the pre-tension device to the first initial length and thus removing the door panel away from the opening. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the pre-tension device is extendable from a first initial length to a second pre-tensed length, wherein during extension of the pre-tension device upon interaction of the closing mechanism with the activating member, energy is storable in said pre-tension device, wherein upon release of the closing mechanism from the activating member, the stored energy enables return of the pre-tension device to the first initial length.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the closing mechanism is provided with an adjusting member that is configured to cooperate with the pre-tension device to adjust a spring constant of the device. Such adjusting member enables fine tuning of the pre-tension device after mounting the sliding door such that the sliding door is lifted and moved away from the opening in the wall at a predetermined manner.

In further elaboration of the invention, the activating member comprises a wedge shaped member that is provided at a surface of the guide rail opposite to the support surface thereof, wherein a height of a side of the wedge shaped member facing the sliding assembly is smaller than the height of a side of the wedge shaped member facing away from the sliding assembly. By providing the activating member as a wedge shaped member, displacement of the follower in the direction away from the guide rail can be obtained in a simple manner. Such a wedge shaped member can be easily adapted to provide the suitable displacement. By changing the height of the wedge shaped member, at least at a side of the wedge shaped member facing away from the sliding assembly, the amount of displacement can be adjusted. Preferably, such a wedge shaped member is of a material that is not sensitive to wear, such as for instance of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or the like material.

The follower may comprise, according to another aspect of the invention, a further wedge shaped member that is coupled to the closing mechanism, preferably connected to the second part of said mechanism, wherein a height of a side of the wedge facing the activating member is smaller than a height at a side of the wedge facing away from the activating member. Such further wedge shaped member preferably is of a material that is substantially wear resistant, for instance of PTFE or the like material. The follower may instead have another shape, as long as the contact surface thereof is configured to cooperate with the opposing contact surface of the activating member. Alternatively, the follower may comprise at least one wheel that is arranged to roll along an activating member contact surface.

To be able to mount the door panel easily to the closing mechanism, the second part of said closing mechanism comprises a mounting member to which the door panel is mountable.

The invention further relates to a sliding door for hermetically closing of an opening in a wall, for instance an entrance opening of a conditioned space such as an operating room or a laboratory, comprising a sliding door rail assembly as above described. Such a sliding door according to the invention brings about similar advantages and effects as above described with the sliding door rail assembly.

The aforementioned and other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the invention, taken together with the accompanying drawings, which are meant to illustrate and not to limit the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a sliding door comprising a sliding door rail assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the sliding assembly of the sliding door rail assembly of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross sectional view of the sliding assembly of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of a sliding assembly of the sliding door rail assembly according to a second embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 5 shows a schematic front view of the sliding assembly of Fig. 4.

It is to be noted that hke parts in the different, figures are provided with like reference numerals.

Detailed description

In Figure 1, a sliding door 1 for hermetically closing an opening 2 in a wall, for instance an entrance opening of a conditioned space such as an operating room or a laboratory, is shown. The sliding door 1 comprises a sliding door rail assembly 3 that is arranged for slidably displacing the sliding door panel 4 of the sliding door 1 in front of the opening 2 in direction Rc and away from said opening 2 in direction R0. The sliding door rail assembly 3 comprises a guide rail 5 that is arranged above the opening 2 and extends in the plane P of the opening 2 substantially parallel to an upper edge of the opening 2. The guide rail 5 is provided with a support surface 6. In the shown embodiment, the support surface 6 inclines from the wall mounting part 7 of the guide rail 5 upwardly away. On the surface 8 of the guide rail 5 facing away from the support surface 6, an activating member 20 is provided. In the shown embodiment, the activating member 20 is a wedge shaped member 20. The wedge shaped member 20 may be of a substantially wear resistant material such as PTFE. The sliding door rail assembly 3 further comprises two sliding assembhes 9, 9’. Each sliding assembly 9 is mounted adjacent a respective upper corner 10 of the door panel 4. The sliding assembly 9, 9’ comprises at least one sliding element 11 that is movable along the support surface 6 of the guide rail 5. In the shown embodiment, one of the sliding assemblies 9 comprises two sliding elements 11 which each comprises a wheel 11 that is rotatably arranged with respect to a frame 12 of a closing mechanism 13 of the sliding assembly 9. The other sliding assembly 9’ comprises only one wheel 11. That is rotatably arranged with respect to a frame 12’of the closing mechanism 13’.

The closing mechanism 13 comprises a first part 14 and a second part 15 that is displaceably coupled to the first part 14. The first part 14 comprises the first frame 12 and the second part 15 comprises a further frame 16. The further frame 16 is displaceably coupled to the first frame 12 by means of a pre-tension device 17 that is connected with a first end thereof to the first frame 12 and with a second end thereof to the second frame 16 (see also Figures 2 and 3). On the second frame 16 a mounting member 21 is provided. The mounting member 21 is arranged to mount the door panel 4 against the lower surface of the second frame 16 of the sliding assembly 9. Furthermore, the second frame 16 comprises a follower 22 (see Figures 1 and 2) that is configured to cooperate with the activating member 20 to displace the door panel 4 towards the opening 2 in a direction Rt substantially perpendicular to a plane P of the opening 2 (see Figure 3) and at the same time to displace the door panel 4 in a direction Rd away from the guide rail 5 substantially parallel to the plane of the opening 2, i.e. towards the floor below the sliding door 1. To enable such displacement, the height hi at the side of the wedge shaped member 20 that faces the sliding assembly 9 is smaller than the height Hi at the side of the wedge shaped member 20 facing away from the sliding assembly 9 (see Figure 1). In the shown embodiment, the follower 22 also comprises a wedge shaped member 22 that is mounted to the second frame 16 of the sliding assembly 9. The wedge shaped member 22 has a height I12 that is smaller at the side of the activating member 20 than a height H2 at the side of the wedge shaped member 22 at the side facing away from the activating member 20. In a different, embodiment (not shown), the follower 22 may have different configurations, for instance comprise a wheel to roll along an opposing contact surface of the activating member. Also other kinds of configurations of the follower are possible as long as the follower cooperates with the activating member to initiate the displacement of the door panel 4 to close the opening 2 and to pre-tense the pre-tension device 17 such that upon release of the follower 22 from the activating member 20, the door panel 4 is moved back in the open position.

In the shown embodiment the pre-tension device 17 comprises a compression spring 23. A pin 24 extends from the second frame 16, through the spring 23 via the second end 19 of the spring 23 through the first end 18 of the spring, subsequently through the first frame 12 and connected to the second frame 16 again. The pin 24 is slidably arranged with respect to the first end 18 of the spring 23. As is clearly visible in Figure 3, the compression spring 23 and the pin 24 extending there through extend in an angle a with respect to the plane P of the opening. With different words, the axis A of the pre-tension device 17 and the plane P of the opening 2 include an angle a of substantially 45° there between. In a different embodiment, said angle a may be between 30° and 60°. The compression spring 23 is configured to be contracted from a first initial length li to a second pretensed length Li when the follower 22 contacts the activating member 20. The spring constant of the compression spring 23 of the pre-tension device 17 is chosen such that the pre-tension device 17 is configured to lift the sliding door 1 when the follower 22 is not in contact with the activating member 20. When the sliding door 1 is opened, thus slid along the guide rail 5 in an opening direction R0 (see Figure 1), the contact between the follower 22 and the activating member 20 is released. Since energy is stored in the pre-tension device 17 during closing of the sliding door 1 by moving said door 1 along the guide rail 5 in closing direction Rc, release of the follower 22 allows the energy to bring the pre-tension device 17 back to its initial length 11. The closing mechanism 13 comprises an adjusting member 30, in the shown embodiment an adjusting nut that is configured to cooperate with the pre-tension device to adjust a spring constant of the device 17.

Due to the construction of the closing mechanism 13 of the sliding assembly 9 of the sliding door rail assembly 3, the force used to close and open the sliding door 1 can be minimal. Consequently, when providing the sliding door 1 with a motor to be able to open and close the door 1 automatically, the motor does not have to be over dimensioned to be able to lift the door 1 before displacing it in the opening direction R0.

In Figure 4 and 5 a further embodiment of the sliding door rail assembly 3 according to the invention is shown. Figures 4 and 5 are of a schematic nature and only show the elements that differ from the elements shown and described with the first embodiment. For a detailed description of elements that already have been described with the first embodiment, reference is made to the above description.

In the second embodiment of sliding door rail assembly 3, the sliding assembly 109 comprises a sliding element 111, i.e. a wheel, that is rotatably mounted to an upper part of the first frame 112. A second frame 116 is movable arranged with respect to the first frame 112. The second frame 116 is pivotably connected to a lower end 132 of the first frame 112 such that the second frame 16 can rotate with respect to the lower end 132 of the first frame 112. The second frame 116 comprises a mounting member 121 to which the door panel 4 can be mounted. Between the lower part 133 of the second frame 116 and an opposing part 134 of the first frame 112, a pretension device 117 is provided. In this embodiment, the pre-tension device 117 comprises a tension spring 123, which is extendable from a first initial length b to a second pre-tensed length L2 (see Figure 5). When sliding the sliding assembly 9 along the guide rail 5 in the closing direction Rc (see also Figure 1), the follower 22 contacts the activating member 20 when the sliding door 1 is almost closed. Due to the movement of the follower 22 along the activating surface 20a of the activating member 20, the door panel 4 is displaced towards the opening 2 in the wall in direction Rt and at the same time in a substantially downward direction Rd to bring the door panel 4, at least the lower edge thereof, in contact with the floor that extends below the opening 2. Upon the displacement of the door panel 4 towards the opening and the floor, the pre-tension device 117, i.e. the tension spring 123, is extended from the initial length I2 to the pre-tensed length L2, thereby storing energy in the pre-tension device 117. Upon release of the follower 22 from the activating member 20, the tension spring 123 retracts again such that the spring returns to its initial length I2 again. During retraction of the spring 123, the door 1 is moved away from the opening 2 in a direction opposite to direction Rt and the door is lifted in a direction opposite to direction Rd. In fact, due to the stored energy in the tension spring 123, the lower end 133 of the second frame 116 is rotated around the pivot point 125 such that the door panel 4 is displaced and lifted.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments of the invention. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. First of all, the sliding door rail assembly may be suitable for closing of openings in wall to hermetically close conditioned spaces such as operating rooms, laboratory rooms, clean rooms, and the like rooms. However, the sliding door rail assembly may also be used to advantage for closing openings in walls that need not be hermetically closed. The door panel of the sliding door rail assembly may have different, configurations and dimensions for instance dependent on the kind of room that is has to be closed. This may also hold for the guide rail supporting the sliding assembly according to the invention. The different parts of the sliding door rail assembly may have different shapes, different dimensions and may be made of different materials. However, other modifications, variations and alternatives are also possible. The specifications, drawings and examples are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense.

In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word ‘comprising’ does not exclude the presence of other features or steps then those listed in a claim. Furthermore, the words ‘a’ and ‘an’ shall not be construed as limited to ‘only one’, but instead are used to mean ‘at least one’, and do not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Claims

A sliding door rail assembly (3) (1) for closing an opening (2) in a wall, the assembly comprising a guide rail (5) and a sliding assembly (9) configured to cooperate with the guide rail , wherein the guide rail is provided with an activation element (20), and wherein the slide assembly is coupled to a door panel (4), the slide assembly comprising: - at least one slide element (11), which element can be moved along a support surface ( 6) of the guide rail, and - a closing mechanism (13) configured to cooperate with the activation element such that when the closing mechanism comes into contact with the activation element, the door panel is movable towards the opening in a direction (Rt) substantially perpendicularly on a plane (P) of the opening and wherein the door panel is simultaneously movable in a direction (Rd) away from the guide rail substantially parallel to the plane of the opening, where the closing mechanism is further configured to move the door panel away from the opening when the closing mechanism is released from the activating element.

A sliding door rail assembly according to claim 1, wherein the closing mechanism comprises a first part and a second part which is movably coupled to the first part, to allow displacement of the second part relative to the first part.

A sliding door rail assembly according to claim 2, wherein the first part is coupled to the at least one sliding element.

A sliding door rail assembly according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the second part of the closing mechanism comprises a follower (22) configured to interact with the activating element such that, when sliding the sliding element along the guide rail, the follower and interaction with the activating element is movable in a direction away from the guide rail, said direction extending substantially parallel to the plane of the opening.

A sliding door rail assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closing mechanism comprises a biasing device (17, 117) connected at a first end thereof to a frame of the first part of the closing mechanism and to a second, opposite end to a frame of the second part of the closing mechanism.

A sliding door rail assembly according to claim 5, wherein the biasing device comprises at least one of a compression spring (23), a tension spring (123), a gas spring, a hydraulic spring, at least two magnets arranged with opposite equal poles.

A sliding door rail assembly according to claim 5 or 6, wherein an axis of the biasing device and the plane of the opening enclose an angle of about 30 ° - 60 °, preferably of about 45 °.

A sliding door rail assembly according to any of claims 5-7, wherein the biasing device is contractable from a first initial length (li) to a second, biased length (Li), wherein during the contraction of the biasing device by interaction of the closing mechanism with the activating element, energy can be stored in said biasing device, wherein the stored energy upon releasing the closing mechanism of the activating element allows return of the biasing device to the first initial length.

A sliding door rail assembly according to any of claims 5-8, wherein the closing mechanism is provided with an adjustment element (30) configured to cooperate with the biasing device to adjust a spring constant of the device.

A sliding door rail assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the activating element comprises a wedge-shaped part provided on a surface of the guide rail opposite the supporting surface, a height (hi) on one side of the wedge opposite the sliding assembly is smaller than the height (Hi) on one side of the wedge that is turned away from the sliding assembly.

A sliding door rail assembly according to any one of claims 4-10, wherein the follower (22) comprises a further wedge-shaped part that is coupled to the closing mechanism, preferably connected to the second part of the mechanism, the height (h2) ) located on a side of the wedge opposite the activating element, is smaller than a height (H2) on a side of the wedge remote from the activating element.

A sliding door rail assembly according to any of claims 1-10, wherein the follower comprises at least one wheel arranged to roll over a contact surface of the activating element.

A sliding door rail assembly according to any of claims 2 to 12, wherein the second part of the closing mechanism comprises a mounting part (21) to which the door panel can be attached.

A sliding door rail assembly according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein a surface extending through the support surface of the guide rail extends substantially perpendicular to the plane of the opening.

A sliding door rail assembly according to any of claims 1-14, wherein the closing mechanism comprises at least two biasing devices arranged on opposite sides of the at least one sliding element.

A sliding door rail system according to any of claims 1-15, wherein the sliding door rail assembly is provided with at least a second closing mechanism that is spaced from the first closing mechanism.

A sliding door for hermetically closing an opening in a wall, for example an entrance opening of a conditioned room such as an operating room or a laboratory, comprising a rail assembly for a sliding door according to one of the preceding claims.