US1432058A - Door-operating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

J. E. W. FOGAL AND C. L. FULGHUM.

DOOR OPERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1919.

2 S HEETSSHEET l.

WITNESSES I GLFZdg/zu By A TTOR/VEYS J. E. W. FOGAL AND C. L. FULGHUM.

Patented 0011.17, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTORSI J E W1 A TTORNEY5 Patehted' Oct. 17, 1922 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. W. FOGAL AND CLhA-UD L. FULGH'UM, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

DOOR-OPERATING APPARATUS.

Application filed November 7, 1919. Serial No. 336,274.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, JOHN E. W. FOGAL and CLAUn L. FULGHUM, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Quincy, county of Adams, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Door-Operating Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to doors for buildings, and especially to door operating apparatus. More particularly the invention relates to electrically operated door control means.

A purpose of the invention is to provide electrically operated door control means which has a plurality of remote switches or buttons placed at different points of convenience and advantage throughout a building in order to open and close the doors of sai building.

It is a purpose to rovide a door operating device capable 0 handling all types of doors, such as folding doors, sliding doors, lifting doors, and in fact any type of closures usually found in buildings. A feature is to provide a control means which will make for the convenience in operating garages, shops, stables, and other buildings where considerable traffic passes in and out.

It is a particular object of this invention to provide a well designed door closing and opening means which will eliminate all possibility of slamming the doors when said doors approach the maximum opened or closed position.

With the above principal objects, and others, in view, the invention has relation to a certain mechanism used in combination with doors, an example of which is. described in the following specification, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective-view of the operating mechanism shown in connection with a pair of double doors. I

Figure 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a side elevation ofa portion of the door operating and closing mechanism,

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the drum shown in Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a face view of the drum, and .Figure 6 is a diagrammatical view of a simple circuit arrangement for effecting the automatic stopping of the door opening and closing mechanism.

In constructing a door operating device accordingto the present plans of my invention, we employ a reversible motor adapted to run a cable drum in either direction. Cables are carried on the drum and connected to the doors so that the doors will be opened and closed under the control of the motor. Electrical switches are used to open and close the motor circuit when the doors reach a maximum closed or opened position.

' Referring now more in .particular'to the drawings, the numeral 7 designates a reversible, or two-direction electric motor of any ordinary type provided with a drive shaft 8. The drive shaft is fitted with a vThe worm wheel 10 is mounted on a shaft 12, and upon the shaft 12 is fixed a drum 13.

The shaft 12 with the drum is adapted to undergo rotation in either direction under the power of the motor 7. A compensating beam 14 is carried on the outer end of the shaft 12, which rotates therein. The compensating beam is adapted to rock-about the shaft 12 as a center, and a buffer cushion or spring 15 is disposed between the compensating beam and base upon which the mechanismis mounted. A bufier cushion, as mentioned, is employed at each end of the compensating beam and acts to neutralize and approximately maintain the beam in a horizontal osition. Each end of the compensating eam is provided with a rotating cable sheave 16.

Switch devices are employed for breaking the electric circuit when an abnormal strain comes on the operating cables to protect the motor and to prevent other damage to the apparatus. These switches are shown in diagrammatical form in the drawings, and comprise blocks 17 each fitted with a contact run. A switch operating cam 22 is fixed to the compensating beam, 'and when the compensating beam rocks about the shaft 12,

against the resistive compression of one of the buffer springs, due to abnormal strain on the cables connected to the door, the end of the beam, on the side where the strain comes, descending, and the other end rising and taking up the slack cable on the oppo- "site end. "When the cam 22 reaches the circuit breaker, the latter operates as stated. A switch operating cam and switch device as described, is provided upon each end 0 the compensating beam so that the electrical circuit is opened each time the compensating beam rocks downwardly, either from one side or the other.

A cable is wrapped upon the drum 13 with each end of the cable passed over direction sheaves and connected with doors to be opened and closed. The reference 24 indicates the cable which extends from the drum over the sheaves 16. This cable passes over a guide sheave or pulley 26. The cable 24 also passes over additional guide pulleys 28, 29 and 30, whence the cable returns to the drum 13 over the pulley 16 carried upon the other end of the compensating beam. Thus the drum 13 is included in a complete and endless circuit of cable. When the drum revolves one way, the cable travels in one directioin over the sheaves, and when the drum is reversed, the cable reverses, movin in the opposite direction through the severa guide pulleys.

The doors to be controlled are designated 32 and 33. Each door is provided with a swing bar 34 pivoted at 35 on said door. Each swing bar is restricted in movement by a guide 36. The upper'end of each swing bar is reduced in size and fitted with acable attachment block 38. This attachment block may be readily removed and replaced upon the reduced end of the swing bar. In case the doors require manual opening and closing, the attachment blocks 38 will be removed from the swing bar, which frees the door from the control cable. Each attachment block 38 is clamped or fixed to the cable. Tension springs 39 have one end thereof fixed to the door with the other end attached to the swing bar. The s rings 39 normally limit each swing bar to a 'orwardly restricted position within the guide.

It is understood that a number of control buttons are remotely located from the apparatus. The apparatus disclosed'in the draw ings, and any approved form of reversible electric motor, may be installed on a platform above the door, or in any other appropriate position. Electric control circuits are connected with the motor and provided with remote control buttons located at any desired point within the building or garage equipped with this door control device. It may be desirable to employ a double set of buttons at each point of control so that the doors may be opened by pressing one button, and may be closed by pressing the other button.

In the operation of the system, the electri motor is set in operation when any one of the control buttons is, pressed to close the circuit. The motor drives the drum and the drum takes in or lets out on the cable, dependent upon which direction the motor is turning. In Fi the direction 0 the cable movement and show the door closed. To open the doors, the electric motor 7 would be run in the o posite direction, which would wind the cab e 24 upon the drum 13 in a direction opposite to that shown by the arrows in Figure 1. This would cause the cable 24 to exert an outward pull upon each swing bar 34 and thus open the doors.

The spring 39 provides a flexible connection between the cable and the doors, and in case any obstacle is in" the path of the swinging door, the spring 39 will yield and prevent breakage the control system.

After the doors have reached their maxi- .mum closed or opened position, it becomes necessary to automatically cut off the motor circuit and thus stop the movement of the cable.

In Figure 6 we have shown a circuit arrangement, by means of which the motor may be stopped automatically, and started b a remote control button. It will be un erstood that this circuit arrangement is merely for the sake of illustration of the automatic stopping of the mechanism at the end of the opening or closing operation. In practice it would be desirable to employ other electrical circuits, but since these circuits form no part of the invention, we have illustrated the operation by means of the simple circuit shown in Figure 6. In this fi ure, the motor 7 may be energized from the cad wire 45 through the normally closed contacts 40 and 43 and by a return wire 46 to the lead 47. The motor will thereupon cause the swinging of the doors in the manner stated until they engage one of these circuit 0 ening devices 40 or 43, depending upon wliich way the doors are moving. If, for instance the doors are being opened, the circuit will re 1 the arrows indicate be broken at the contacts 40, when the door 7 has reached its opened position by any suitable means, as by providing a lug 41 (see Figure 2) which will engage one of the spring contacts at 40 to open the circuit,

the motor is energized to move the door away from the contacts (such as 40), thereupon permitting the latter to close the circuit through the motor, after which the control button is released. When the door reaches its closed position, the contacts at 43 may be broken, as, for instance, the lug 42 (see Figure 1) which engages one of the spring contacts to break the circuit.

The description of the electric circuit, as given above, is, as stated, merely typical of one of many that might be used in connection with our improved form of door opening and closing apparatus.

We claim:

1. A door controlling system comprising an endless cable, doors connected with the cable and adapted to be'opened thereby during the movement of the cable in one direction, and to be closed during the movement of the cable in the opposite direction, an electric motor' for operating the cable, normally stationary means connected with the cable and adapted to be moved when an abnormal strain comes on the cable, and a circuit breaker actuated by the movement of said means for cutting off the circuit of the motor.

2. A door controlling system comprising an endless cable, doors connected with the cable and adapted to be opened thereby during the movement of the cable in one direction, and be closed during the movement of the cable in the opposite direction, an electric motor for operating the cable, and means for cutting off the circuit of the motor when an abnormal strain comes on the cable, said last named means comprising a compensating beam connected with the cable, a circuit breaker, and means carried by the compensating beam for actuating the circuit breaker when the compensating beam is moved a predetermined distance.

3. A door controlling system comprising in combination a pivoted compensating beam, a cable winding drum, an endless cable having portions engaging said compensating beam, a motor for operating the drum, doors connected with said cable and arranged to be opened and closed by the lat ter, a pair of circuit breakers for cutting off current from the motor, and means carried at each end of said compensating beam for actuating said circuit breakers when the compensating beam is moved a predetermined distance.

4. A door controlling system comprising in combination a reversible power means, a cable' drum driven by the power means, doors adapted to be opened and closed, a pivoted bar mounted upon each door, springs for holding said bars under tension,

and an endless cable wound on the drum and connected with each pivoted bar.

5. A door controlling mechanism comprising a pair of doors, a pivoted bar mounted on each door, springs for placing said bars under tension, a reversible electric motor, a cable drum driven by said electric m0- tor, an endless cable wound on saiddrum and having connection with the pivoted bars on said doors, and a pivoted compensating beam having a portion of the cable carried thereby. said beam being adapted to move to take up the slack of that portion of. the cable connected with one door when the pivoted bar connected with the other door is moved from its normal position against the tension of its spring.

6. A door controlling mechanism comprising a pair of doors, a pivoted bar mounted on each door, springs for placing said bars under tension, a reversible electric motor, a cable drum driven by said electric motor, an endless cable wound on said drum and having connection with the pivoted bars on said doors, a pivoted compensating beam having a portion of the cable carried thereby, said beam being adapted to move to take up the slack of that portion of the cable connected with one door when the pivoted bar connected with the other door is moved from its normal position against the tension of its spring, and means carried by the compensating beam for cutting off the current from the motor after a predetermined movement of the beam.

7. A door controlling system comprising an electric motor, a drum, an endless cable wound on said drum, a pair of doors, means connecting said endless cable with said doors for opening and closing them, mechanically actuated means for automatically cutting off the current of the motor when the doors have reached their open or their closed position, and means for permitting the continued movement of one door when the other door is stopped by an obstruction.

8. A door controlling system comprising an electric motor, a drum, an endless cable wound on said drum, a pair of doors, means connecting said endless cable with said doors for opening and closing them, means for au-

Images