US3193274A

US3193274A - Safety door actuator

Info

Publication number: US3193274A
Application number: US212587A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold L Miller
Original assignee: VEMCO PRODUCTS Inc
Current assignee: VEMCO PRODUCTS Inc
Priority date: 1962-07-26
Filing date: 1962-07-26
Publication date: 1965-07-06
Anticipated expiration: 1982-07-06

Description

July 6, 1965 H. L. MILLER' SAFETY DOOR ACTUATOR Filed July 26. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 gm/7 A ///7/L INVENTOR. 19048040 A. M/llfl? July 6, 1965 H. MILLER 3,193,274

SAFETY DOOR ACTUATOR Filed July 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTOR H4ROZ0 M/LLIR BY M M ATTOA'A A'YS United States Patent 3,193,274 SAFETY DOGR ACTUATGR Harold L. Miller, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Vernco Products, Inc, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed July 26, 1962, Ser. No. 212,587 7 Claims. (Cl. 268- 59) This invention relates to a garage door operating mechanism and more particularly to a mechanism which has a safety release feature in the event the door hits an obstruction. It is becoming quite common to have power-operated garage doors, some of which are operated by a simple switch mechanism and others of which are operated in response to radio signals, light signals, or an audible signal such as a horn blast.

In these control mechanisms, there have been many attempts to provide safety features primarily of an electrical nature to reverse the mechanism or release the power when an obstruction is met. For example, if the car is not fully in the garage or a childs bicycle or toy is in the doorway, it is desirable that the power be cut off on the meeting of the obstruction to prevent damage either to the article causing the obstruction or to the door or the operating mechanism.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safety release mechanism which is independent of the electrical circuit. This permits a less expensive electrical circuit both from the point of view of initial cost and maintenance.

It is another object to provide a release mechanism which is readily adjustable and which can be manually released if desired and manually re-engaged.

Other objects and features of the invention relating to details of construction and operation will be apparent in the following description and claims.

Drawings accompany the disclosure and the various views thereof may be briefly described as:

FIGURE 1, a side view of a door operating assembly.

FIGURE 2, a bottom elevation of the release mechanism.

FIGURE 3, a section through the track of the mechamsm.

FIGURE 4, a plan view of the mechanism.

FIGURE 5, a diagrammatic view of the operating circuit.

FIGURE 6, a view of a modification showing a safety lock mechanism.

FIGURE 7, a plan view of the safety mechanism.

Referring to the drawings:

The mechanism consists primarily of a housing 20, a driving motor 22, a guide track 24 and a drive chain 26. The header 3% of a garage door opening is shown adjacent which is mounted in suitable vertical and horizontal tracks (not shown) a vertical-lift garage door 32 of standard construction. Suitable and standard counterbalance mechanisms can be used. On the housing 20 is a bracket 34 (FIGURE 4) which serves as a support to be bolted or suspended within the garage in horizontal spaced relation to the header 39. The guide track 24 is preferably an angle iron of inverted T-shape bolted to the forward end of the housing 2% at 36 and suspended at the other end by an angle bracket 38 mounted on the header 3t) and a short insert 40 joined to the angled bracket at 42 and to the angle mount 24 at 44.

On the short insert 40 is mounted an idle sprocket 46 to support one end of the chain 26. A drive sprocket 48 on the housing 29 serves to power the chain. A center support bracket 50 for the guide iron 24 (FIGURE 1) is provided. The motor 22 drives a pulley 52 which in turn, through a belt 54, drives a large pulley 56 which is connected to the drive sprocket 48.

Slidably mounted on the guide track 24 is a power shuttle block 66 shaped as shown in FIGURE 3 to have suitable engagement with the horizontal flanges of the track 24. A pillar block 62 is securely fastened to the righthand side of block 60 as viewed in FIGURE 4, this block being apertured to receive the chain 26 which is adjustably anchored to the block by nuts 64 and 66. Pillar block 62 is located at one end of the shuttle block 60 and at the other end is a second pillar block 68 (see FIGURE 3) also apertured to receive the chain 26 which is pinned in position by a small cross pin 70.

Depending from the bottom surface of shuttle block 60 are two parallel flanges 72 and '74 positioned in spaced relation. Lying alongside of the outside surfaces of these flanges are two plates '76 and 78 held in position at one end by a cross pin 80 and at the other end by a cross pin 82. The

plates

76 and 78 have a relatively loose fit with each of the cross pins so that they may pivot at cross pin 82 to a limited degree.

It will be seen that cross pin 82 projects to either side of the plates at one end, and there is mounted on said pin a compression spring 84 held in place and adjustable in tension by a nut 86. At the other end of pin 82 is a toggle lever 88 pivoted at 99, this lever being pivoted on the pin 82 in such a way that in the position shown in FIGURE 2 the spring is under a greater tension than when the toggle lever is moved to a position perpendicular to the plate 76. It will be noted that the

plates

76 and 78 have a formation at one end wherein there is a slight return portion 92 and an outward flaring portion 94, thus creating a re-entrant recess just within the portions 92.

Also slidably mounted on the horizontal flanges of track 24 is a second or follower shuttle suitably shaped to slide horizontally on the guide track and having at one end depending spaced bracket flanges 102 to which is pivoted one end of a garage door actuator bar 164, the other end of the bar 104 being pivoted to a bracket 106 on the door 32 (see FIGURE 1). Also depending from the follower shuttle 100 at the other end is a bolt member 110, this bolt member being shaped on one side with angled surfaces which complement the return portions 92 on the

plates

76 and 78.

It will be seen from an inspection of the bottom view shown in FIGURE 2 that a predetermined tension force tending to separate the two shuttle blocks 60 and tilt! will cause a separation of the

plates

76 and 78 by reason of an outward camming force on the portions 92 causing a slight compression of the spring 84 as the plates pivot around pin 80. Likewise, if the parts are separated, they may be re-engaged by forcing the bolt member 110 into the flaring jaws 94 which spread to allow the bolt to reente the re-entrant recess between the plates. The action of the actuator bar IE4 is standard and common to power-controlled door systems.

The chain 26 is provided with two

actuator lugs

112 and 114, one lug having an upstanding pin 116 and the other lug having a depending pin 118. These pins c0- operate with a Y-shaped switch actuator lever 120 pivoted at 122 on housing 20. This lever actuates a reversing switch pin 124 projecting out of the top of the housing 20. A limit member 126 controls the throw of the lever 120.

It will be seen that the Y-shaped lever 120 has two

arms

128 and 130 spaced vertically (FIGURE 1) so that pin 116 will contact arm 130 and pin 118 will contact arm 128. Thus, in normal operatioin, at the end of each cycle the switch arm 124 will be shifted for a re-start in the opposite direction.

This disclosure is supplemented in FIGURE 5 by a diagrammatic control circuit wherein a 115 volt line feeds to a transformer primary coil 130 from which a secondary coil 132 feeds into a circuit controlled by a push-button switch 134 or any other automatic control desired and includes a solenoid coil 136 in a ratchet relay mechanism indicated generally at 138. The solenoid controls the ratchet relay 138 which directs the normalvoltage to the motor M, this being the motor 22 in the other figures. This current is controlled by the reversing switch 148. This is normal circuitry in the system. I

In FIGURES 6 and 7, a modified construction is shown wherein the control plates on the power shuttle, shown at 150 and 152, have standard construction at the lefthand end similar to that shown in FIGURE 2. At the right-hand end, the plates are extended to have lock porti-ons 154 and 156 in spaced sllightly flared relationship. Adjacent the door header is a spreader bar 160 shaped to enter the space between the portions 154-156 as the power shuttle comes to a stop in the door-closed position. Thus, a person trying to operatethe door from the outside could not cause the opening of the biased plates and 152 against the spring 84 because the plates cannot pivot around the pin 86 due to the presence of the spreader bar 160.

In the operation of the device, it will be seen that normally the power shuttle block 60 and the follower shuttle block 100 are traveling together along the track slide 24 and cause normal opening and closing of the door 32. When the door is closing, if it should meet an obstruction, the latch bolt 110 will be forced out of the grip of the side plates 764% and the power shuttle can continue its circuit and come to a stop, the door remaining in the position in which it was blocked. To re-engage the two parts, it is necessary only to manipulate the door to force the follower shuttle 180 firmly against the power shuttle. This causes re-engagement of the bolt 110 into the recess formed by the spring plates 76-78. Thus, an exceedingly simple safety mechanism is provided, and it will be seen that the adjustment of the tension on the spring 84 will allow the breakaway to occur at any predetermined point desired I claim:

1. In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttle operates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise and lower the door, safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track,

(b) a power shuttle on said track,

(c) spring biased means on said shuttle forminga re-entry recess,

(d) a second shuttle on said track associated with an actuator arm of a garage door, and l (e) anchor means on said second shuttle releasably receivable in said re-entry recess of said power shuttle wherein said shuttles may be releasably engaged for normal operation of said door.

2. In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttle operates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise and lower the door, a safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track,

(b) a power shuttle on said track,

(c) a second shuttle on said track associated with an actuator arm of a garage door,

(d) spring biased means on one of said shuttles forming a re-entry recess, and

(e) anchor means on the other of said shuttles releasably receivable on, said re-entry recess of said one shuttle wherein said shuttles may be releasably engaged for normal operation of said door.

3; In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttle operates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise and lower the door, a safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track, 7

(b) a power operated shuttle movable on said guide track,

(c) a follower shuttle also movable on said guide track, said follower shuttle being operatively connected with a door to be opened and closed,

(d) means associating said shuttles so that under normal conditions they travel together comprising a spring-biased latch and bolt arrangement on said respective shuttles to connect said shuttles against tension separation except against a predetermined force caused by an obstruction blocking the motion of said follower shuttle,

(e) said latch and bolt mechanism comprising:

(1) a plurality of spring-biased spaced plates on one of said shuttles forming a re-entrant recess, and

(2) bolt means on the other of said shuttles adapted to be received in said recess and releasable upon the exertion of said predetermined force, said bolt and said latch means being reengageable upon motion of said shuttles toward each other. a

4. In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttle operates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise and lower the door, a safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track,

(b) a power operated shuttle movable on said guide track,

(c) a follower shuttle also movable on said guide track,

' said follower shuttle being operatively connected with a door to be opened and closed,

(d) means associating said shuttles so that under normal conditions they travel together comprising a spring-biased latch and bolt arrangement on said respective shuttles to connect said shuttles against tension separation except against a predetermined force caused by an obstruction blocking the motion of said follower shuttle, and

(e) lock means mounted adjacent one end of said track to block release of said latch means when said shuttles are positioned adjacent said lock means.

5. In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttle operates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise and lower the door, a safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track,

(b) a power operated shuttle movable on said guide track, 7

(d) means associating said shuttles so that under normal conditions they travel together comprising a spring-biased latch and bolt arrangement on said rep spective shuttles to connect said shuttles against tension separation except against a predetermined force caused by an obstruction blocking the motion of said .follower shuttle, and

(e) said latch means comprising:

(1) spaced arms forcing a re-entrant recess therebetween,

(2) a shaft transfixing said arms and projecting beyond said arms in two directions,

(3) a spring on one end of said shaft adjustable ,to bias said arms toward each other, and

(4) a releasable lever pivoted at the other end of said shaft to relieve the resilient bias on said plates.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 in which a lock means is provided, said plates being spaced apart at the ends opposite said recess, and means positioned adjacent one end of said track to lie'between said plates in said spaced apart portion to prevent an opening motion of said plates while insaid position.

7. In a garage door operating mechanism wherein a lineal power shuttle operates an actuator arm connected to a vertical-lift door to raise and lower the door, a safety release combination comprising:

(a) a guide track,

(b) a power operated shuttle movable on said guide track,

(e) said latch and bolt mechanism comprising:

(1) a plurality of spring-biased spaced plates on one of said shuttles forming a re-entrant recess, (2) means pivoting said plates on said shuttle such that the portions forming the re-entrant recess can pivot away from each other to open said recess,

(3) resilient means urging said plates together,

(4) bolt means on the other of said shuttles adapted to be received in said recess and releasable upon the exertion of a predetermined force,

(5) a portion of said plat-es adjacent said pivot lying in spaced relation, and

(6) means mounted independently of said shuttles to position between said plates adjacent said pivot when the shuttles are in a door closing position, said means blocking any pivotal motion of said plates to prevent the opening of said recess when in said position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

2 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A GARAGE DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM WITHIN A LINEAL POWER SHUTTLE OPERATES AN ACTUATOR ARM CONNECTED TO A VERTICAL-LIFT DOOR TO RAIDE AND LOWER THE DOOR, A SAFETY RELEASE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) A GUIDE TRACK, (B) A POWER SHUTTLE ON SAID TRACK, (C) SPRING BIASED MEANS ON SAID SHUTTLE FORMING A RE-ENTRY RECESS, (D) A SECOND SHUTTLE ON SAID TRACK ASSOCIATED WITH AN ACTUATOR ARM OF A GARAGE DOOR, AND (E) ANCHOR MEANS ON SAID SECOND SHUTTLE RELEASABLY RECEIVABLE IN SAID RE-ENTRY RECESS OF SAID POWER SHUTTLE WHEREIN SAID SHUTTLE MAY BE RELEASABLY ENGAGED FOR NORMAL OPERATION OF SAID DOOR.