US2026956A - Door opening and closing device - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 7, 1936. c E ALLEN 2,026,956

DOOR OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE Fild July 1, 1935 fl w 1. 7 46 45 i 7 44 7 9 4 INVENTOR. 22 6/ owl/P45: E. AAAE/V Fjg. E

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to improvements in devices for opening and closing garage doors, by means of power derived from an electric motor, whose operation can be controlled from. a distance.

In garages, especially large commercial garages, where cars are entering and leaving at frequent intervals, and where large doors must be used, the opening and the closing of the door involves a large amount of labor if the door must be v opened and closed by hand, with the result. that the door is usually left open, except during the coldest weather.

One type of door frequently employed in the larger commercial garages is suspended at points near its upper corners from tracks that usually intersect each other at an angle of 90. Such doors are frequently employed where the door opening is adjacent one corner of the garage, in

which case, one track extends parallel with the adjacent wall, and the other extends along the top of the door opening and parallel thereto.

The door is provided with a hanger at each end which cooperates with one of the tracks. When such doors are to be moved from closed to open position, the end nearest the wall is pulled inwardly along the track that extends parallel to this wall, whereupon the other end will move along the track that extends parallel with the to door opening.

The door will always form the hypothenuse of a right angled triangle whose other two sides are formed by the tracks, as long as it is in partly open or partly closed position.

:35 It is the object of this invention to produce an electrically operated mechanism that can be controlled from one or more points spaced from the door in such a way that by merely closing an electric switch, the door will be automatically 40 moved from closed to open or from open to closed position, as the case may be.

Another object of this invention is to produce an operating mechanism that will also serve to hold the door in closed position in opposition to 45 any force exerted therein from the outside;

The above and other objects that may become apparent as the description proceeds are attained by means of a combination and arrangement of parts that will now be described in detail, and for 50 this purpose reference will be had to the accompanying drawing in which the device has been illustrated, and in which Figure l is a plan view of the link mechanism, taken on line i--l, Figure 2, and shows the door 55 in open position;

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the operating mechanism, with the exception of the link mechanism illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diagram showing the position of the links when the door is almost close-d; 5 Figure 4 is a section tairen on line 4-4, Figure 2, and, shows the construction of the friction clutch;

Figure 5 is aside elevation of the clutch show-- ing a portion broken away; 10

Figure 6 is a bottom. plan view of the large sprocket wheel; and

Figure '7 is a wiring diagram.

In the drawing, reference numerals l0 and H designate two walls of a garage. provided with a door opening whose ends have been designated by reference numeral l2. Extending along the inside of wall It! and located above the top of the door opening, is a track l3 and located along the inside of wall II is a track 0 M which extends parallel to the wall, and preferably at right angles to the track l3.

The exact angle that the tracks make with each other is not material, and may vary many degrees from a right angle, in either direction. 5 For the purpose of this description, the two tracks will be considered, as extending at right angles.

Suspended from the tracks l3 and M, by suitable roller suspensions l5 and I6, is a door [1. The suspension member l5 can move freely along track l3, and member Hi can move freely along track M, so that the door will always form the hypothenuse of a right angled triangle whose sides are the tracks I3 and 14, except when it is in fully open or fully closed position.

When the door is in the position shown in Figure 1, it leaves the door opening fully open, and this will be referred to as the open position, while the position occupied by the door in Figure 3, is the closed position. In Figure 3, the door 40 has been shown as slightly open, so as to make it possible. to distinguish more clearly between the track l3 and the door, and so as to obtain a clearer distinction between the different links.

When the door is to be moved from open position (Figure 1,) to closed position (Figure 3) a pull must be exerted on the end of the door to which the hanger I5 is secured, and this can be continued until the door has rotated through an angle of 45. The door will now start binding, and will resist. a further pulling force, and it is therefore necessary to exert a pushing force on that end adjacent the hanger I6, which will complete the movement to closed position.

When the door is to be.- moved from the posi- The wall In is 15 tion shown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure 1, the operation just described must be reversed.

The mechanism for opening and closing the door, which will now be described, consists of a plate l8, that is suspended from the ceiling 9 by rods or bolts 2|] and 2|. The plate must be rigidly supported, but since the invention relates to the mechanism and not to the supports, the latter have been indicated in a more or less diagrammatic way. Attached to one end of plate I8 is a bearing 22 in which is rotatably mounted a crank shaft 23. Attached to the upper end of the shaft 23 and supported by the upper end of bearing 22, is a sprocket wheel 24, which has also been indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1.

Secured to the lower end of shaft 23 is a friction disk 25. The edge of this disk has two diametrically opposed notches 26. Attached to and carried by the disk 25 is a crank arm 21, which is provided at one end with a removable cap 28. The enlarged end 29 of the crank shaft is provided with lugs 30, and part 28 has corresponding lugs 3|. Bolts 32 have one end attached to the lugs 30, and pass through openings in lugs 3|. Springs 33 are interposed between the lugs 3|, and the nuts 34, and are under compression so that they serve to force the cap 28 toward the cooperating portion of the crank arm.

The adjacent concave surfaces of the cap 28 and the end of the crank arm have grooves for the reception of the edge of the disk 25, as shown in Figure 5. Cap 28 is provided with a pin 35 that extends through the groove and serves to engage one of the notches 26. If for any reason the resistance to rotation of crank arm 21 exceeds a predetermined amount, the pin 35 will move out of the notch 26, with which it is engaged, and shaft 23 can thus rotate against a moderate resistance until the current to the motor is turned off. This will be more fully explained hereinafter.

A stub shaft 36 is provided at its lower end with a base 31 which is secured to the upper surface of plate l8. Mounted for rotation on shaft 36 is an assembly comprising a sprocket wheel '38, and a worm gear 39, which are interconnected. -A sprocket chain 40 interconnects sprocket wheels 24 and 38, while worm 4| on motor 42 cooperates with the worm gear 39. A two way switch 43 is fastened to the upper surface of the plate beneath the rim of the sprocket wheel 24. The switch is provided with a rocking lever 44, and the lower surface of wheel 24 has inclined flanges 45 that engage the handle 44 and rock the handle.

In Figure 7 a simple wiring diagram illustrates the control circuit and in this the source of the current has been designated by Ba and the switch 43 has been illustrated as a two-way switch having a pivoted contact 46 that can be rocked into engagement with either one of contacts 41 and 48, which are connected by suitable conductors with contacts 41a and 48a, of another two-way switch having a rockable contact 46a and a handle 44a.

It will readily be seen that the current to the motor can be controlled by either one of the two switches shown. When the motor has operated to turn sprocket Wheel 24 and crank arm 21, 180, the flange earns 45 will open switch 43 and stop the motor.

From the above it will be seen that by operating switch 43a the crank arm 21 can be turned through an angle of 180 and will stop automatically at the end of each such movement.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 3 it will be seen that the plate l8 carries three stationary pivots 49, 50 and 5|, which are 5 located on its lower surface. A link 52 has one end connected with the pivot 59 and the other end pivotally connected at 53 with the end of a link 54 whose other end is connected with the door at 55. A link 52a has one end connected with the stationary pivot 5|, and the other end connected by means of the pivot 530. with the link 54a, whose other end is connected with the door by means of the pivot 55a.

A link 56 is operatively connected with the pivot 49, and has its longer lever arm pivoted at 51 to the end of a link 58 whose other end is pivoted at 53 to the common pivot of links 52 and 54. A link 58a has one end connected with the common pivot 53a of links 52a and 54a, and the other end connected, by means of a pivot 59, with one end of link 56a, whose other end is pivotally connected at 60 with the end of link 56.

A connecting rod or link 6| has one end pivoted at 62 with the end of the crank arm 21, and the other end connected, by a pivot 63, with link 56a.

Attention is called here to the fact that in Figure 3 the door has been shown as slightly opened, and when it is fully closed, pivots 55a, 53a and 5| will be substantially on a straight line and form a toggle that forces the door to closed position, and holds it in this position in opposition to an inwardly directed force tending to move it to open position.

Let us now assume that the door is fully closed, and switch 43a shifted so as to start the motor. The crank arm 21 will begin to turn clockwise, and will soon arrive at the position shown in Figure 3. Pivot 63 will continue to turn about pivot 60 as a center and the latter will remain stationary because the forces are so related that the component at pivot 60 is substantially in the direction of the length of link 55.

It is evident that as link 55a is being slowly turned about its pivot 60, it will put link 58a under tension, and this will be transmitted to pivot 55a, by link 54a, thereby exerting an inward pull on the door, in the direction of the length of track l4 and this will continue until links 52 and 52a form substantially a straight line at right angles to the bisector of the angle between the walls in which position the door will form the hypothenuse of a. 45 right angled triangle, whose sides are formed by the tracks I3 and I4. Any further rotation of crank arm 21 will produce a rocking of link 56 about pivot 49 in a clockwise direction, and this produces a force acting through the pivot 55, and in the direction of track l3, so as to push the door farther toward open position, and this continues until the parts reach the position shown in Figure 1, where the door is shown in fully open position.

When the door is to be returned from open to closed position the switch 43a is operated and 65 this starts the motor which in turn imparts a further clockwise movement of crank arm 21. The result of this movement is that link 56 is rocked counter-clockwise about pivot 49, and through the intermediary of links 54 and 58, exerts a pull on the door at pivot 55 which moves it downwardly (Figure 1) along track I3, until the door reaches its half way position.

During the first half of the closing movement, link 52a remains practically stationary. During 2,02 6,& 56

the last. half of the closing movement, link 52 moves through a small angle only, (from a position parallel to a line joining pivots 50 and 5| to that shown in Figure 3) while link 52a moves from a position in which it is parallel to a line joining pivots 5!! and 5! to the position shown in Figure 3. The result of this action is that during the first half of the movement. of the door in either direction, a pull is exerted on the leading edge of the door in the direction of movement while during the last half of the movement a push is exerted on the following edge of the door.

The change from a pull to a push action at the half open point prevents the door from binding, and results in an easy movement, whereas if a pull were depended on to complete the movement, the door would not fully open or fully close.

An inspection of Figures 1 and 3 will show that the door is not parallel with the track in either instance, and any pull on the right side of the door in Figure 1 will have only a negligible component in the direction of track l3, whereas a comparatively small force exerted against pivot 55 will be effective to move the door along track [3.

This is a very important consideration in a mechanism for operating doors of this type which, if it has not been shown in the prior art, is claimed broadly as the basic principle of this invention.

Let us now consider what would happen if the door should meet with an obstruction.

If the door is stopped before it has reached the final position in either direction, the friction clutch shown in Figures 4 and 5 will operate and allow sprocket 24 to rotate until one of the cams 45 opens the switch 43.

When the obstruction has been removed, and the motor is again started, disk 25 will rotate relative to the crank arm 21 until the pin 35 engages a notch 26, whereupon the disk will begin to turn the crank arm and the parts will be in synchronized position once more. The friction clutch and the two diametrically opposed notches 26 for engagement with a pin 35 or some equivalent projection, serves as a safety device that prevents breakage or damage to the motor.

Since the worm gear drive is non-reversible it is evident that the door cannot be opened by iorce exerted on it alone, but when the door is in closed position, links 52 and 54 form a straight toggle that resists inward movement as heretofore explained.

It is evident that this device can also be used for operating doors of the type known as overhead doors, as can be seen from Figures 1 and 3, in which the track Mmay be considered as positioned along the ceiling. Such doors require two sets of link mechanisms, but can be operated by a single motor, or by separate motors whichever is found to be the most desirable.

Attention has already been called to the fact that the two tracks can intersect at any angle greater or less than One limit of this angle is or a straight line, in which case we can assume both tracks to be combined in track l4 (Figure 1) or track l3, (Figure 3). In this case, the door should be reduced'in length to substantially one half of that shown, or pivots 55 and 55a moved closer together. In fact, where the door moves in a straight line, pivots 55 and 5501, can be merged into a single pivot located near the center of the door, or any place along the door.

In the embodiment shown, links 52 and 52a have been shown as attached to separate pivots 5B and 5|, but. this is merely for convenience in constructing the device as. these two pivots can be. combined if desired, and it is to be understood that the invention is to be construed broadly enough to include a construction in which pivots 50 and 51 have been merged into a single pivot.

The door has been shown and described as suspended from the tracks, which is believed to be the most practical construction, but it is evident that the door may be supported from a track located below, if such construction should be considered desirable.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1,. A device for opening and closing a door which is mounted for movement along a track, comprising in combination, a source of power, means interposed between the power and the door for transmitting movement to the door, said means comprising two sets of link assemblies each connected with the source of power and with the door, each link assembly serving as a means to exert a pull on the door in the direction of its movementduring the first one half t l6 distance of the movement, and as a means to apply a pushing force to the door during the last half of its movement when moving in the opposite direction.

2. A device for opening and closing a door which is mounted for movement along a track, comprising in combination, a source of power, means interposed between the power and the door for transmitting movement to the door, said means comprising two sets of link assemblies, each connected with the source of Power and with the door, one link assembly serving as a means to exert a pull on the door in the direction of its movement for substantially one half the distance of the movement in one direction, and the other link. assembly serving as a means to apply a pushing force to the door for the remainder of its movement in this direction, one link assembly being substantially inactive during the half of the door movement when the other link assembly is active.

3. A device for opening and closing a door whose ends are slidably supportedon two horizontal intersecting angularly related tracks, comprising in combination, .a source of power, means interposed between the power and one end of the door for pulling it in the direction of one of the tracks until the door is substantially half open, and means interposed between the source of power and the other end for exerting a pushing force to the door for the remainder of its movement, the two means being so related that when one is active the other is inactive.

4. A device for opening and closing a door of the type whose ends are suspended for movement along two horizontal tracks that intersect each. other at an angle of substantially 90 degrees, comprising a source of power, means comprising a link mechanism interposed between the power and one end of the door for exerting a pull on the door in the direction of the length of the track, during the first half of the movement of the door in one direction, and means comprising a second link mechanism interposed between the same source of power and the other end of the door for exerting a pushing force on that end of the door during the last half of its movement, the two means being so related that when one is active the other is inactive.

5. A device for opening and closing a door whose ends are slidably supported on two angularly related tracks, comprising in combination, a base, two pair of hinged links, one link of each pair being pivotally connected to the base and the free end of the other link being pivotally connected with the door, one at each end of the door, a motor carried by the base, and means operated by the motor for efiecting independent and successive movements of the pairs of links whereby one end of the door will be subjected to a difierent force than the other.

6. In a building having one wall provided with a door opening, a track supported above the door opening, another track extending inwardly from a point adjacent one side of the door opening, a door having each end supported from a separate track whereby when the door moves it will assume the position of one side of a triangle whose other sides are formed by the two tracks, a base supported from the building, a motor carried by the base, the base having two stationary pivots, two pair of hinged links, one link of each pair being pivotally connected with the door and the other link of each pair being connected with one of the pivots on the base, and means interposed between the motor and the two pair of links for first imparting to one pair of links a movement tending to pull the door along one of the tracks, and then imparting to the other pair of links a movement tending to push the door along the other track to complete the movement thereof.

7. In a building having one wall provided with a door opening, a track supported above the door opening, another track extending inwardly from a point adjacent one side of the door opening, a door having each end supported from a separate track whereby when the door moves it will assume the position of one side of a triangle whose other sides are formed by the two tracks, a base supported from the building, a. motor carried by the base, the base having two stationary pivots, two pair of hinged links, one link of each pair being pivotally connected with the door and the other link of each pair being connected with one of the pivots on the base, a third pivot carried by the base, a link connected to rock about the third pivot, the pivotal connection being nearer one end of this link than the other, a link connecting the end of the pivoted link, farthest from the pivot, with one pair 01' links near their hinged connection, a floating link connected with the other end of the pivoted link, the free end of the floating link being connected with the other pair of links adjacent their hinged connection by means of another link, and means pivotally connected with the floating link and operated by the motor for imparting motion to the same.

8. In a building having one wall provided with a door opening adjacent the adjoining wall, a

door track located above the door opening, a second track extending along the other wall and at substantially right angles to the first track, a door having one end slidably connected with one track and the other end similarly connected with the other track, a base supported from the building, the base having two stationary pivots, the pivots being located on opposite sides of a line bisecting the angle between the tracks, a pair of hinged links pivotally connected with each pivot, the free end of each pair of links being pivotally connected with the door adjacent its ends, a motor carried by the base, means operated by the motor for imparting an unequal movement to the pairs of links to first exert a pull on the door, and then a push on the door, a two-way switch for controlling the motor, and means for operating the switch to stop the motor when the door reaches either open or closed position.

9. In a building having one wall provided with a door opening adjacent the adjoining wall, a door track located above the door opening, a second track extending along the other wall and at substantially right angles to the other track, a door having one end slidably connected with one track and the other end similarly connected with the other track, a base supported from the building, a motor carried by the base, a shaft carried by the base for rotary movement, means for rotating the shaft from power derived from the motor, a crank arm carried by the shaft, a friction clutch connection between the shaft and the crank arm, said clutch having two points of increased resistance, means comprising a link mechanism interposed between the crank and the door for first exerting a pull on the leading edge of the door in the direction in which it is to move, and then a push on the following edge oi. the door, and means for stopping the motor when the door reaches open and closed positions.

10. A door operating mechanism, comprising a base, two pair of hinged links, one end of one link of each pair being pivotally connected with the base, the free ends of the other links two pair being connected with the door, a link pivoted at a point between its ends, to a pivot carried by the base, the pivot being nearer one end than the other, forming a long and a short of the lever arm, a link connecting the free end of the 60 longer lever arm with the link of one pair that is pivoted to the base, a floating link pivoted to the free end of the shorter lever arm, the other end of the floating link being connected by a link to the link of the other pair, that is pivoted to the base, a source of power, a crank arm mounted for rotation by the source of power, and a connecting rod extending from the crank arm to the floating link.

CHARLES E. ALLEN.

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