US3777620A - In-header hydraulic operator - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an integrated self-contained hydraulic door operator suited for easy in-header mounting in new construction or on a retrofit basis with the availability of a standard A.C. outlet the only architectural requirement. In-line modular subassemblies of the operator are removably mounted on a base plate with leakproof hydraulic connections made automatically during assembly. A double acting spring assembly holds the door in its closed position without backlash, returns the door to its closed position after swinging movement in either direction, and includes an accessible adjustable spring plunger stop for fixing the door open position. A solenoid operated control valve has laterally adjustable valve seats for automatic alignment with the valve and a spring-biased self-lubricating nonlocking cam to serve as a safety relief valve and to control flow from the hydraulic accumulator. The hydraulic power unit includes a special arrangement for supporting the piston rod against lateral forces throughout its stroke and an overcenter crank which cooperates with the power cylinder for providing hydraulic control during manual emergency operation in the reverse door opening direction.

Description

United States Patent Schultheiss Dec. 1 1, 1973 IN-HEADER HYDRAULIC OPERATOR [75] Inventor: Paul C. Schultheiss, Bristol, Conn. [57] ABSTRACT Assignee: h Stanley works, New Britain Disclosed is an integrated self'contained hydraulic door operator suited for easy in-header mounting in [22] Filed: July 31, 1972 new construction or on a retrofit basis with the availability of a standard AC. outlet the only architectural [21] PP 276,705 requirement. In-line modular subassemblies of the op- Related Application Data erator are removably mounted on a base platewith [62] Division of Ser No 94 475 Dec 2 1970 leakproof hydraulic connections made automatically during assembly. A double acting spring assembly holds the door in its closed position without backlash, [52] U.S. Cl 91/394, 99l2//3l9341, 9914712406 returns the door to its closed position after g g [51] Int F15) 15/22 F0 31/00 movement in either direction, and includes an accessi- [58] Fie'ld 91/356 186 ble adjustable spring plunger stop for fixing the door 49/344: open position. A solenoid operated control valve has laterally adjustable valve seats for automatic align- [56] References Cited ment with the valve and a spring-biased selflubricating nonlocking cam to serve as a safety relief UNITED STATES PATENTS valve and to control flow from the hydraulic accumu- 72Q,399 2/1903 Brewer 92/130 ]ato The hydraulic power unit includes a pecial 31'.

1,420,256 6/l922 Hammond, 92/13 rangement for supporting the piston rod against lateral 3 8/1959 Schroeder 3 forces throughout its stroke and an overcenter crank gz f 'g s 3;}; which cooperates with the power cylinder for provid- 32678l5 8/1966 i ing hydraulic control during manual emergency opera- Ortman et al 91/396 Primary Examiner-Paul E. Maslousky Attorney-Vernon F. Kalb tion in the reverse door opening direction.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDDEEI 1 ma SHEUIBFQ INVENTOR PAUL c. SCHULTHEISS BYWWWM$$ TTORNEYS MN w IN-HEADER HYDRAULIC OPERATOR This application is a division of application Ser. No. 94,475, filed Dec. 2, 1970.

This invention relates to power operators for automatic doors and more particularly to an integrated selfcontained hydraulic operator which is low in cost, flexible in operation and easy to install either in new construction or on a retrofit basis.

It is an object of this invention to provide a selfcontained compact automatic door operator in which the presence of a conventional l10-V a.c. outlet is the only architectural requirement for its installation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lightweight self-reinforcing integrated hydraulic operator which may be readily mounted as a unit by the header of an automatic door. Included in this object is the provision of a unit suitable for concealed or visible mounting above a doorway without specialized architectual requirements for the doorway.

Still another object is to provide an integrated flexible hydraulic door operator adapted for controlled door opening and closing operation under manual, automatic, and emergency breakout in the reverse direction of opening. Included in this object is such an operator adapted for powering a wide range of door sizes and weights.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construe tion hereafter set forth.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view, partially broken away, of an integrated door operator embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a doorway, partially broken away, showing the inheader mounting of the operator of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic hydraulic circuit of the operator;

FIG. 5 is a side view, partially broken away, of the power cylinder of the operator;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the double acting return spring assembly for the operator; and

FIG. 7 is a side view, partially broken away, of the control valve of the assembly.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout the several views, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a preferred embodiment of the door operator of this invention comprising a spindle subassembly 10, a power cylinder subassembly 12, a double acting closing spring subassembly 14, a solenoid actuated con- 'trol valve subassembly 16, a pump-accumulatorreservoir subassembly 18, a pump motor 20, a control box 22, and a mode selector switch 23.

As shown in FIG. 2, the self-contained operator is mounted by the header 44 ofa doorway between a pair of supporting jambs 24 by a pair of mounting brackets 26 secured to the jambs 24 by a plurality of screws 28 (FIG. 3).

The spindle subassembly is provided with a noncircular drive spindle 36 which is shown as being engaged in a complementary recess in the top edge of the door 37 to serve as a door pivot and to provide a driving connection with the door.

As best shown in FIG. 2, each of the subassemblies 10-22 are individually mounted on the supporting plate 30 by a plurality of fasteners 40 with a plurality of Iongitudinally disposed nipples 42 interconnecting the pump-accumulator-reservoir assembly 18, the valve as sembly l6, and the power cylinder 12 to provide hydraulic connections automatically upon the relative longitudinal movement of these members during assembly. Each nipple 42 is provided with an O-ring adjacent each of its ends and, when received in the aligned recesses of the adjacent components of the operator during assembly on the mounting plate 30, automatically provide leakproof hydraulic connections therebe tween. I

As shown in FIG. 3, the header 44 for the door may be an extruded housing having a pivoted cover 46 to provide access to the operator for installation, inspection, adjustment, and maintenance of the operator unit.

The lower wall of the housing 44 is provided with a pair of vertically extending walls 43, and the mounting plate 30 is sized to closely fit between the walls. With this construction, only a single pair of screws 33, secured in the threaded apertures of flanges on the spindle subassembly 10 of the operator, are required to maintain it against longitudinal and transverse move ment relative to the housing 44 and the doorway. It should be noted that the edges of the mounting plate 30 engage the walls 43 and 45, respectively, to prevent relative movement of the operator with respect to the housing 44 due to the torque loading imposed by the door on the operator. The holes for the screws 28 and 33 plus the hole in the bottom wall of the housing for the spindle 36 are the only openings required in the bottom wall 41 of the housing. A resilient O-ring 35 seals the spindle opening, and the openings for screws through the bottom wall 41 of "the housing may be sealed as by caulking the lower flanges 32 and the lower wall 41 of the housing 44 so that the upstanding walls 43 and 45 and the lower flanges 32 serve as an oil pan to collect any small amount of leakage which might provided (FIG. 2) for withstanding the vertical bending I moments between the spindle assembly and the power unit which occur in use. As shown in FIG. 2, the spindle assembly 10 and the power cylinder 12 are each fixed to the mounting plate 30 by fasteners 40, and a pair of adjustable reinforcing threaded members 47 vertically spaced from plate 30 connect the walls of these units to each other to form a self-reinforcing box construction to withstand the mechanical forces encountered when the power cylinder 12 or the spring subassembly 14 is rotating the spindle 36.

FIG. 4 is a schematic showing of the unique hydraulic circuit incorporated in the design. The motor 20 is connected to the pump-accumulator-reservoir assembly 18 (FIGS. 1 and 2) which includes the positive displacement pump 50, the accumulator 52, the reservoir 54 and the one-way valve 56. The power supplied to the motor is controlled by a switch 58. The accumulator 52 is provided with a movable wall to divide the in terior thereofin to a gas chamber 62 and a liquid chamber 64, and the switch 58 is connected to energize the motor 20 when the fluid is discharged from the liquid chamber 64 of the accumulator and to de-energize the motor when the accumulator is recharged to a preset level at the end of a power stroke. The one-way valve 56 prevents the reverse flow of hydraulic fluid when the motor 20 is de-energized.

. The hydraulic control system includes a three-way valve assembly 66 which is energized by a solenoid 68 against the bias of a helical return spring 70 to move valve 76 to the left to pass pressurized fluid from the accumulator 52 into the conduit 72 at a rate established by the adjustable opening speed control valve 73 in supply conduit 71 to power the piston 74 ofthe power cylinder 12 by moving the piston to the right as viewed in FIG. 4 to effect the power opening of the door through the rotation of the drive spindle 36.

After the traffic passes through the doorway, the solenoid 68 is de-energized and the spring 70 returns the valve 76 to its right-hand position, as viewed in FIG. 4, to seal the connection between the accumulators 52 and the conduit 72. Discharge conduit 78 from the valve 66 is then connected to conduit 72 so that the pressurized fluid may flow past the adjustable closing speed control valve 80 to return to the reservoir 54 under the power stored in the double acting spring assembly 14 during the opening movement of the door.

The three-way valve assembly 66 (FIGS. 4 and 7) comprises a shaft 82 having a crank arm 84 connected by pivots 88 and 90 of threadably adjustable connector 94 to the crank arm 84 and the armature 92 of the solenoid 68.

An eccentric 96 is fixed to rotate with the shaft 82 within the valve chamber 97 of the valve subassembly 66 and provides a nonlocking wedging force against the end surface 98 of notch 100 while providing a mechanical advantage seating the tip 102 in the lip of the passage 104 of the valve seat 106. The cylindrical valve seat 106 is axially insertable in a complementary enlarged bore 97a of the valve subassembly 66 and is axially fixed in position by a snap ring 108 seated in a groove 110 at the end of the bore. The valve seat 106 is dumbbell shaped to provide a necked down central annulus 112 which communicates with inlet passage 71 from the accumulator 52 to deliver pressurized fluid from the accumulator 52 to the passage 104 of the valve seat 106. The end lands 114 and 116 are respectively provided with peripheral grooves which receive resilient O- rings 118 and 120 to seal against leakage between the annulus 112 along the bore 97a.

A clearance is provided between the lands 114 and 116 and the bore 97a and the O- rings 118 and 120, being resilient, provide the valve seat 106 with a limited radial mobility so that it is automatically centered and aligned with the conical tip 102 of the valve 76 to provide a leak-proof seal.

As indicated above, the eccentric 96 is so disposed with respect to its mating bearing surface 98 of the valve 76 to provide a mechanical advantage for the spring 70 in biasing the conical valve tip 102 against the lip of the passage 104. With this construction, its wedging connection with the shoulder 98 can be so selected that the valve assembly, including the biasing spring 70,

which has one end connected to the crank 84 and the other end resting against a stop 122 (FIG. 1), serves as a safety valve to prevent the pressures in the accumulator from exceeding a prescribed level in the event the motor 20 should continue to run after the accumulator is recharged as, for example, if the control switch 58 should malfunction. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the liquid level in the reservoir 54 as indicated by the sight gage 53, is higher than the valve chamber 97 of valve subassembly 16 to maintain the bore 97 full for automatic lubrication of the eccentric cam 96 to minimize the frictional wear of eccentric cam 96 despite the heavy loading imposed between the eccentric cam 96 and the mating shoulder 98 of the valve 76.

It will be apparent that when the solenoid 68 is energized, the eccentric 96 will engage the shoulder 124 of v the notch 100 of valve 76 to move the valve 76 to the left (FIG. 7) to seat the tapered tip 126 of the valve 76 in a mating passage 128 of cylindrical valve seat 130. The valve seat 130 is identical to valve seat 106 and is similarly disposed in an enlarged bore 97b and secured therein by a snap ring 132 to provide communication with the discharge conduit 78 and the passage 128.

FIG. 6 illustrates the unique double acting closure spring subassembly 14 of the operator. A single spring 184 is provided within a cylinder 185 with its ends resting against the flanges 200 and 240 of a pair of deep saddles and 188. The other flanges 181 and 189 of the saddles engage abutments 191, 193 fixed on shaft 183.

The spring is pretensioned between the flanges 200 and 240 by means of one or more adjusting nuts 187 threaded to the shaft 183. Thus, the adjustment of nuts 187 will set the spring compression which must be overcome to move the plunger 182 axially in either di rection to move the door 37 from its normally closed position.

The cylinder is provided with fixed end caps 202 and 242. End cap 242 is adjustable with respect to the cylinder 185 (as by being threaded thereto) and is tightened snugly against flanges 200 and 240 to prevent any clearance between the flanges 200 and 240 and the end caps 202 and 242. As adjusted, the pressure between the cap 242 and the flange 240 is less than the spring force of the compression spring 184 so that the spring is not compressed to provide play between the flanges 181 and 189 and the abutments 191, 193. In this manner, the plunger 182 is fixed so that the door 37 and the spindle 26 are held in closed position by the spring without play. The adjustability of the end cap 242 makes it easy to assemble the spring subassembly 14 without play despite the build up of tolerances.

It will be readily apparent that if the plunger 182 is moved to the left, the saddle 180 is also moved to the left to compress the spring 184 so that when the door 37 is released the spring will return the door and the plunger 182 to the position illustrated.

In like manner, if the plunger 182 is moved to the right, the saddle 188 will be moved to the right to compress the spring 184 so that the spring returns the door to the position illustrated when the door 37 is released after being opened in the opposite direction.

Stops, such as rings and 197 may be provided to limit the movement of the plunger 182 and may serve to limit door movement when the door is swung in either direction by their respective engagement with the saddles 180 or 188. However, in the preferred embodiment, the saddle 188 is provided with an end extension 190 having a threaded stop 192 to serve as an externally available adjustable door stop when the door is opened 90 in the normal direction of opening. The door closed position may be adjusted by virtue of the threaded connection between the plunger 182 and shaft 183 FIG. 5 discloses the details of the unique power cylinder 12. The cylinder includes a power piston 74 having a piston rod 134 which is connected by a clevis 144 and a pin 136 to a drive link 138 which in turn is connected to the spindle 36 through the drive plate 140 fixed thereto (FIG. 1).

Since the drive link 138 is connected to the drive plate 140 and its angular relationship to the axis of the piston rod 134 is changed with changes in the axial position of the drive rod 134 (see FIG. 1), means are provided for giving full lateral support of the piston rod 134 against lateral forces thereon while accommodating the relative pivotal movement of the drive link 138 with respect thereto. As shown in FIG. 5, the power cylinder has an end extension 142 which engages the bearing surface of clevis 144 on the end of the rod 134 throughout its travel. The sidewall of the end extension 142 is provided with an axially extending slot 146 through which the drive linkage 138 may pass as the drive link 138 enters the end extension 142 so as to accommodate its relative angular position with respect to the piston rod 134.

The power cylinder 12 is provided with opening and closing checking pistons 168 and 194.

The opening checking piston 168 and the closing checking piston 194 are radially spaced from the piston rod 134 so as to be floatingly mounted thereon. The opening checking piston 168 engages an abutment 208 on the piston rod 134 to fix its axial position. The opening check piston 168, the power piston 74, a spacer sleeve 210 and the closing check piston 194 are axially assembly over the reduced end portion of the piston rod 134 and secured thereon by an annular washer 216 and a threaded fastener 218 received in the end of the piston rod. The checking pistons 168 and 194 are spaced from the reduced end portion of the piston rod 134 to provide annular clearances 214 therebetween so as to be radially free floating thereon. The checking pistons 168 and 194 are respectively provided with annular grooves 204 and 206 to receive O'rings. By virtue of the axial biasing force of Orings 204 and 206 the checking pistons 168 and 194 are frictionally held in a radial position relative to piston rod 134 and are automatically aligned with checking chambers 160 and 148 respectively during the first operating cycle of the power cylinder 12. Moreover, this construction automatically accommodates any misalignment between the axis of the end extension 142 and the checking chambers 160 and 148 as well as for any distortion in the linearity of the piston rod 134 to prevent any binding which might occur due to any such inaccuracy or misalignment.

The operation of the door operator of this invention will now be described with particular reference to FIG. 4.

With the door closed and the accumulator 52 charged to its operating level, the solenoid 68 may be energized in any suitable manner, as by an automatic carpet switch, a photoelectric cell, etc. (not shown) to power door spindle 36 and open the door 37 in its normal direction (counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 4). The energization of the solenoid 68 shifts the valve 76 to provide communication between the accumulator 52 and the inlet conduit 72 to power cylinder 12 through conduit 71. The adjustable restriction 73 sets the rate of flow for the desired door opening speed.

Since the piston rod 134 is positioned with the closing checking piston 194 located as indicated by the dash lines of FIG. 5, the pressurized fluid passes from the conduit 72 (FIG. 4) to the end of the checking chamber 148 and through passageway 150 past oneway valve 152 into the power piston cahmber end 156 to engage the end of the power piston 74 to provide a high starting force. As the piston 74 moves to the right during the opening stroke, as viewed in FIG. 5, the unpressurized fluid in power piston chamber end 158 on the opposite side of the piston 74 is discharged from the checking chamber 160 through conduits 162, 164 and 166 to the reservoir 54.

Toward the end of the power stroke, the opening checking piston 168 enters the checking chamber 160 to initially throttle the direct passage of fluid into checking chamber 160 from power: piston chamber end 148 and then to trap the fluid remaining in the power piston chamber end 158 (FIG. 5). The trapped fluid is prevented from returning to the reservoir 54 through passage 172 by one-way valve and must pass through the passage 174 past adjustable opening check valve 176 to be discharged to the reservoir 54 via the conduit 162 so that adjustable check valve 176 provides a control for the deceleration of the door.

As the power cylinder 12 opens the door 37, the drive link 178 which is pivotally connected to the drive plate 140 of the door spindle and to the end of the spring plunger 182 moves the plunger 182 to the left. At the desired door open position, the shaft 183 bottoms against the adjustable threaded stop 192 at the end of extension of saddle 188 to terminate the door opening movement with the door 37 in the desired door open position.

The dooris held in its open position so long as the solenoid 68 is energized to maintain the door in its full open position due to the hydraulic pressure biasing the power piston 74 to the right.

When the solenoid 68 is de-energized, the helical spring 70 returns the valve 76 to the left to disconnect the pressurized fluid in the accumulator 52 from the power cylinder 12 and to connect the closing checking chamber 148 to the reservoir 54 through conduits 72 and 78.

The energy stored in the spring 184 of spring subassembly l4 biases the door to its closed position through the plunger 182, drive link 178 and drive plate 140 of the spindle assembly.

The door closing speed may be regulated by adjustable restriction 80 in the passage 78 which maintains the pressure in the power piston chamber end 156 at an intermediate level to oppose the closing force of the spring.

As the power piston 74 approaches the closed position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 5, the closing checking piston 194 enters the closing checking chamber 148 and because of a peripheral clearance therewith initially throttles the passage of fluid between power piston chamber end 156 and the checking chamber 148 and then shuts off direct communication between these chambers. Since the check valve 152 prevents the flow of fuel from the power piston chamber end 156 through the passage 150 at this time, the trapped hydraulic fluid in the chamber end 156 is discharged through passage 196 past adjustable restriction 198 to decelerate the door to its final closing speed as the fluid is returned to reservoir 54 through the conduits 72 and 78.

The end flange 200 of spring saddle 180 bottoms against the fixed end cap 202 of the spring assembly (FIG. 6) to terminate the door closing movement.

The hydraulic circuit also provides for the regulation and control of the door operation when the door is manually opened in its normal direction as when the control switch 23 is set so that the solenoid 68 is not energized.

The power piston chamber ends 156 and 158 of the power cylinder 12 are maintained full at all times since the power cylinder 12 is disposed below the level of the hydraulic fluid in the reservoir 54 (see FIG. 2).

When the solenoid 68 is de-energized, atmospheric pressure is present in conduit 72 so that the spring biased piston 222 is biased to its upper position (FIG. 4). This allows the ball valve 224 to be seated against the seat'226 by the hydraulic fluid discharged from the power piston chamber end 158 as the power piston 74 begins to move to the right as the door is pushed open. A conduit 228 bypasses the check valve 224 and includes an adjustable restriction 230 which regulates the dumping of fluid from chamber end 158 to reservoir 54. Hence the pressure within the chamber end 158 of power cylinder 12 limits the rate of door opening movement for the safety of a person in the path of the opening door under manual operation.

Spring 184 is compressed as the door is opened, and when the manual force on the door is release, spring 184 returns the door to its closed position at a controlled rate in the same manner as heretofore described in connection with the automatic operation of the door.

It will be apparent from FIG. 4 that during any closing of the door, gravity will cause hydraulic fluid to pass from the reservoir 54 through conduits 166 and 164 into the chamber end 158 of the power cylinder past the one-way valve 170 which is readily unseated by the suction force of the piston 74 during closing. It is also apparent that during the manual opening of the door, the fluid will enter chamber end 156 of the power cylinder 12 from the reservoir 54 through conduits 166, 72, 150 and 154 with the check valves 220 and 152 being unseated by the suction pressure provided by the piston 74 when the closing checking piston 194 prevents direct communication between chamber end 156 and closing checking chamber 148 bypassing restriction 198 so that the rate of manual opening is regulated by restriction 230.

The operator of this invention further provides for the manual emergency opening of the door in the opposite from normal direction as, for example, might occur during power failure. In such operation, the spindle 36 and the drive plate 140 are rotated in the clockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 4. The connection between the drive link 138 and the drive plate 140 is such with respect to the pivots 136 and 137 of the drive link 138 that drive link 138 reaches an overcenter position with respect to the axis of rotation of the spindle 36 when the door is opened in an emergency position a predetermined amount of the door opening movement. Prior to this, the piston 74 moves in the same direction (i.e., to the left as viewed in FIG. as in closing following door opening in the normal (or counterclockwise) direction so that the closing checking piston 194 moves further into the closing checking chamber 148. Since the closing checking piston 194 cuts off direct communication for the discharge of fluid trapped in the power piston chamber end 156, the trapped fluid must flow through the conduit 196 (FIG. 4) where the restriction 198 limits the opening speed during the initial portion of the emergency opening of the door in the reverse direction. The sleeve 210 spaces the closing checking piston 194 a greater distance from the power piston 74 to provide an added amount of trapped fluid in the chamber end 156 of the power cylinder 12 for controlling the speed during the initial portion of the reverse opening movement of the door.

When the drive link 138 reaches the overcenter position with respect to its pivots and the center of rotation of the drive spindle 36, the power piston 74 begins to move in the opposite direction, that is to the right as viewed in FIG. 5. As the piston 74 reverses direction during the remainder of the opening movement of the door in the reverse direction under emergency conditions, the fluid within the chamber end 158 is discharged through the passage 162 to the reservoir. Since the pressure in conduit 72 is at atmospheric level, the spring biased plunger 222 is at its upper position so that such hydraulic fluid being discharged from chamber end 158 will seat the ball valve 224 against its seat 226 and the restriction 230 is effective to establish a pressure in chamber end 158 resisting the manual force applied to the door during emergency opening.

As the door closes after emergency opening in the re verse direction, the piston 74 will move to the left as viewed in FIG. 5, and the checking piston 194 is positioned so as to trap fluid in chamber end 156 from di rect communication to check chamber 148. Accordingly, the adjustable restriction 198 limits the initial closing speed of the door under the bias of the closing spring 184.

After the door is closed from its emergency position to a point where the overcenter position of the pivots of drive link 138 and the axis of spindle 36 is reached, the piston 74 begins to move to the right as viewed in FIG. 5. Since the solenoid 68 is not energized, reservoir pressure exists in conduit 72, and the spring biased piston 222 for ball valve 224 is in its upward or inactive position. Thus, the fluid being discharged from power piston chamber end 158 to the reservoir 54 through conduit 162 seats the ball valve 224 against its seat 226 and the restriction 230 creates a back pressure to resist the closing of the door until the door reaches its fully closed position when both the flange 240 of saddle 188 and the flange 200 of saddle are bottomed, respectively, against end wall 242 and end wall 202 of the spring package to hold the door in its closed position against movement in both directions.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that this invention provides an integrated self-contained hydraulic operator which is low in cost, flexible in operation and easy to install either in new construction or on a retrofit basis. It is further apparent that the invention provides a power operator imposing minimum architectural limitations and is adapted for controlled door opening and closing operation during both automatic and manual operation as well as during emergency breakout in the reverse direction of opening.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications, adaptations and variations of the foregoing specific disclosure can be made without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A hydraulically powered operator suited for controlled powered and manual actuation of a swinging door which swings in one direction from the door closed position during powered door operation and also swings in the other direction from the door closed position during emergency manual actuation comprising a hydraulic cylinder having a piston defining first and second closed chambers on opposite sides of thepiston, a rotatable spindle drivingly connected to the door, a drive link pivotably connecting the piston to a crank arm of the spindle, biasing means connected to the spindle to bias it toward the door closed position when it is rotated therefrom in either direction of rotation, a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid, a fluid reservoir, first passage means including valve means selectively interconnecting the first chamber to said source and said reservoir, second passage means interconnecting said reservoir and the second chamber, said reservoir being positioned to maintain both chambers full of hydraulic fluid, means responsive to the position of the piston to restrict the rate of flow of fluid from said first chamber as the piston approaches the end of its stroke in the direction of said first chamber to check the closing movement of the door, means effective to restrict the rate of flow of fluid from said second chamber as the piston moves in the direction of said second chamher when the door swings in said other direction from the door closed position, said drive link and said crank arm of the spindle having an overcenter position relative to the axis of the spindle when the door is open a predetermined angle in said other direction from the door closed position.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 including means for rendering said last mentioned means ineffective for restricting the flow from said second chamber when pressurized hydraulic fluid enters said first chamber during the hydraulically powered operation of the door when it swings in said one direction from the door closed position.

3. A device as recited in claim 2 wherein a plurality of adjustable means are provided for continuously controlling the speed of the spindle at all times during the powered and manual emergency operation of the door.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the piston has a piston rod pivotally connected to said drive link projects through an end wall of said cylinder, said cylinder having a hollow longitudinal projection slidably mounting said piston rod to provide lateral support for the full length of the portion of the piston rod external of the cylinder to support such external portion of the piston rod against deflection under lateral forces applied thereto.

5. A device as recited in claim 4 in which the side wall of said projection is slotted for slidably receiving said drive link when it is disposed at an angle relative to the axis of the piston rod intermediate the ends of said projection.

Claims (5)

1. A hydraulically powered operator suited for controlled powered and manual actuation of a swinging door which swings in one direction from the door closed position during powered door operation and also swings in the other direction from the door closed position during emergency manual actuation comprising a hydraulic cylinder having a piston defining first and second closed chambers on opposite sides of the piston, a rotatable spindle drivingly connected to the door, a drive link pivotably connecting the piston to a crank arm of the spindle, biasing means connected to the spindle to bias it toward the door closed position when it is rotated therefrom in either direction of rotation, a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid, a fluid reservoir, first passage means including valve means selectively interconnecting the first chamber to said source and said reservoir, second passage means interconnecting said reservoir and the second chamber, said reservoir being positioned to maintain both chambers full of hydraulic fluid, means responsive to the position of the piston to restrict the rate of flow of fluid from said first chamber as the piston approaches the end of its stroke in the direction of said first chamber to check the closing movement of the door, means effective to restrict the rate of flow of fluid from said second chamber as the piston moves in the direction of said second chamber when the door swings in said other direction from the door closed position, said drive link and said crank arm of the spindle having an overcenter position relative to the axis of the spindle when the door is open a predetermined angle in said other direction from the door closed position.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 including means for rendering said last mentioned means ineffective for restricting the flow from said second chamber when pressurized hydraulic fluid enters said first chamber during the hydraulically powered operation of the door when it swings in said one direction from the door closed position.

3. A device as recited in claim 2 wherein a plurality of adjustable means are provided for continuously controlling the speed of the spindle at all times during the powered and manual emergency operation of the door.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the piston has a piston rod pivotally connected to said drive link projects through an end wall of said cylinder, said cylinder having a hollow longitudinal projection slidably Mounting said piston rod to provide lateral support for the full length of the portion of the piston rod external of the cylinder to support such external portion of the piston rod against deflection under lateral forces applied thereto.

5. A device as recited in claim 4 in which the side wall of said projection is slotted for slidably receiving said drive link when it is disposed at an angle relative to the axis of the piston rod intermediate the ends of said projection.

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