WO2001007743A1

WO2001007743A1 - Door lintel arrangement for an automatic sliding door

Info

Publication number: WO2001007743A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/019575
Authority: WO
Inventors: Karl F. SCHÖPS
Original assignee: Otis Elevator Company
Priority date: 1999-07-21
Filing date: 2000-07-18
Publication date: 2001-02-01
Also published as: DE19934229A1; TW436574B

Abstract

A door lintel arrangement (2) for a motorized sliding door, comprising at least one suspended door panel (28), a drive motor (40) and a drive mechanism, characterized in that the door lintel arrangement (2) is hollow and the drive motor (40) and drive mechanism are integrated into the hollow door lintel arrangement (2).

Description

DOOR LINTEL ARRANGEMENT FOR AN AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR

Technical Field

This invention concerns a door lintel arrangement for a motorized sliding door, particularly an elevator sliding door comprising at least one suspended sliding door panel, a drive motor and a drive mechanism, such as a drive belt or cable.

B ackground of the Invention

Such door lintel arrangements have a widely distributed application, particularly for motorized shaft doors and the motorized elevator cabin doors. The door lintel arrangement area of these motorized sliding doors contains a guideway to suspend the one or several door panels, a drive motor to move them and a drive mechanism, for example an endless belt which is connected to the door panel and drives it. The door lintel arrangement concept includes only the top of the door opening, regardless of whether or not it supports any masonry.

The installation of such sliding doors is usually very costly since the individual components, i.e. the door lintel arrangement, door panel, guideway, drive motor and driving mimic are delivered as individual parts to the construction site, where they are then assembled. Add to this that the door drive usually undergoes demanding adjusting and tuning work which makes the installation more difficult, requires qualified personnel and causes the arrangement to be altogether more expensive.

Another cost increasing factor in previous construction was that all separately mounted components required their own housing, or that they must be designed so as not to be affected by environmental influences, for example contamination and moisture. The housing was especially significant until now, particularly in electrically driven sliding doors where an electronic control regulates the drive motor's speed control. Such electronic controls are of the variable frequency type, which can be imagined as a "chopper" and can be produced in an easy and cost effective manner. Such choppers and the respective supply lines to the drive motor emit unwanted electromagnetic stray radiation and must be expensively shielded for reasons of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). Thus very costly and well shielded cables are required, for example between the electronic control and the 5 electric drive motor. Moreover a plug connection is normally installed between the electronic control and the drive motor for purposes of easier installation and repair. Such EMC compatible plug connections are usually constructed of many individual parts and are accordingly expensive.

i o Disclosure of the Invention

It is therefore the objective of this invention to provide a construction which minimizes the cost of producing, installing and operating motorized sliding doors.

The invention achieves this in that the door lintel arrangement is hollow and the drive motor and the driving mechanism, such as a belt or cable, have been integrated into the

15 hollow door lintel arrangement. In such an arrangement the drive motor and the driving mimic are essentially separated from the environment, thereby saving the housings and requiring much less effort to protect the drive motor and the driving mechanism as compared to the conditions which existed until now. Beyond that it is preferred to design the door lintel arrangement for electronically controlled drive systems so that an electronic regulator,

2 o which is located in the hollow space, is shielded against outward emitted electromagnetic stray radiation. The hollow space preferably has an opening that extends in the lengthwise direction of the door lintel arrangement, through which the door panel is connected to the drive mechanism. Thus a connecting part of the drive mechanism can for example protrude outward through the opening and the door or the door panel can be attached thereto.

25 Alternately an attachment element can also protrude from the door panel into the opening.

A movement of this attachment element along the lengthwise opening simultaneously carries the door panel along. Sliding doors can generally be equipped with one or several sliding panels. For example two sliding panels which open in the center and move laterally from there to open the passage space of the sliding door. Two telescopically extending door panels can be provided as an alternative and create the door opening by starting from one side. It is also possible to provide a centrally opening sliding door with four door panels, two each of which are respectively arranged to move in the described telescopic manner.

The movement of such door panels moving telescopically in one direction is often designed so that both panels start to open simultaneously and both have essentially the same position at the end of the opening movement. In that way the door panel with the longer travel path must move a greater distance during the same time than the door panel with the shorter travel path. Such drive mechanisms are particularly susceptible to contamination, so that locating the door lintel arrangement in the hollow space is especially advantageous here. Preferably the hollow space is partitioned by a separating wall into two hollow areas in the lengthwise direction of the door lintel arrangement, namely one essentially closed hollow space and another which contains the opening. With this type of construction the components needed for the drive mechanism can be located in the hollow space with the opening, while the remaining components can be located in the essentially fully closed hollow space where they are even better protected against external influences. This special way of partitioning the hollow space in the door lintel arrangement is particularly advantageous if the electronic motor control and the outgoing cable line must be installed in an EMC-shielded manner. If a shielding material is used at least for this part of the door lintel arrangement, i.e. if this hollow space is constructed like a Faraday cage, a mounting plate which is located therein and on which the motor control is installed does not need any additional shielding. For example if an electric drive motor is located in the hollow space of the door lintel arrangement here the opening is toward the outside, only the part of the connecting cable between the electronic motor control and the drive motor in the hollow space which contains the opening needs electronic shielding. In that case it is preferable to install a plug connection between the electronic motor control and the drive motor inside the essentially closed hollow space. Such a plug connection does not require any shielding either and is therefore simple to produce.

The door lintel arrangement is preferably made of metal, particularly a light alloy, where aluminum or an aluminum alloy is preferred in this case. Such a material is by itself suitable for the electromagnetic shielding. Beyond that it has sufficient strength for an acceptable weight and makes a cost effective production possible. As an alternative, plastic materials with conductive additions such as carbon for example, or a plastic material with an imbedded wire netting can also be used for the electronic shielding, or a layer of metal can be vapor-deposited thereon.

The door lintel arrangement is preferably made of an extruded hollow profile, for example an extrusion molded aluminum profile. This type of construction enables a particularly cost effective production where all post-operative work can essentially be omitted. The hollow profile preferably has a rectangular cross section, one side of which contains the opening. In this way the opening in the door lintel arrangement can easily be produced during the extrusion. The partitioning wall in the hollow profile is preferably a cross piece between two opposite walls of the rectangular cross section. The crosspiece can also be easily produced during the extrusion. The hollow space of the door lintel arrangement is preferably equipped with grooves, especially in the lengthwise direction, into which components of the door drive are inserted. This makes it especially easy to install and service the door lintel arrangement. In this way the drive motor can be installed on a mounting plate for example and inserted into two grooves located in two opposite walls of the hollow space. These inserted components can be secured for example with a quick lock of the type used for bicycles. As an alternative such a component can be secured in the groove with a screw, or it may be attached in any other fixed or removable manner.

The outside of the door lintel arrangement preferably has at least one guideway to guide the door panel. This saves a separate guideway and contributes to a further cost reduction and minimizes the installation effort. For example a guide shoe can run in the guideway and be attached to the drive mechanism through the opening. The guide shoe preferably runs in two guideways on opposite sides of the opening in the door lintel arrangement. This produces especially high stability and secure guidance of the guide shoe. The guide shoe in turn carries the attached door panel. One or more guide shoes can be provided for each door panel. The guide shoe in the guideway can be constructed like a glide bearing with suitable pairs of materials, for example plastic-to-plastic or plastic-to- metal. A roller bearing can also be provided as an alternative. The door lintel arrangement preferably has a drive mechanism with an endless drive belt, e.g. a cog belt moving around a 5 deflection pulley and a roller which is connected to the drive motor. This circulating drive belt can be designed to either stand, i.e. with its forward or backward running end superimposed, or lying down, i.e. with the forward and backward running end behind each other. The standing arrangement has the advantage that a sliding door which opens in the center is easier to install. o The door lintel arrangement is preferably built so that the hollow space is closed off at opposite sides in the lengthwise direction by one or preferably each by one cover plate. In that case it is especially preferred to mount the deflection pulley of the drive mechanism on one of the cover plates. As preferred with the drive motor, as an alternative the deflection pulley can be attached to a mounting plate and be inserted into corresponding grooves in the 5 hollow space. But when attached to the cover plate one component, i.e. the additional mounting plate, is less necessary which further reduces the cost.

The invention also concerns an elevator which is characterized in that it comprises at least one door lintel arrangement according to the invention.

o Brief Description of the Drawings

In the following the invention is explained in greater detail by means of an illustrated configuration example, where: Fig. 1 is a door lintel arrangement according to the invention in a expanded schematic illustration, and 5 Fig. 2 is an enlarged illustration of a detail in Fig. 1.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

The door lintel arrangement 2 has an extruded rectangular hollow profile 4, which for example extends at least across the width of the door opening. The hollow profile 4 has an upper wall 6, a lower wall 8, a rear side 10 and a front side 12 with an opening 14 that extends in the lengthwise direction. A crosspiece 16 partitions the hollow space in hollow profile 4 into an essentially closed hollow space 18 and a hollow space 20 with the opening 14. An upper guideway 22 and a lower guideway 24 can be seen in the hollow profile 4. 5 The guide paths 22 and 24 conduct a guide shoe 26 to which a door panel 28 is secured by means of an attachment 30. Grooves 32, 34, 36 and 38 are provided in the hollow profile 4, into which components that are an integral part of the hollow profile 4 can be inserted. This insertion allows the door lintel arrangement 2 to be very quickly installed like a "plug-in card". In addition it simplifies the replacement of defective parts during maintenance and l o enables a simple retrofit of existing devices with functionally optimized components, insofar as this is desired.

An electronic control device 37 is for example inserted into the grooves 32 and 34 in the essentially closed hollow space 18. This control device 38 controls the operation of a drive motor 40. The special configuration of the electronic control device 38 determines for

15 example the speed at which the door panel 28 moves during the opening. The drive motor

40 is secured to a mounting plate 42; it is inserted into grooves 36 and 38 in the hollow space 20 with the opening 14, wherein it is secured. The drive motor 40 can be rotated on the drive plate 42 so that the rotation axis of the drive roller 44 lies vertical or horizontal, depending on what the intended configuration needs.

20 The electronic control device 38 in the essentially closed hollow space 18 is electromagnetically shielded against the environment by the metallic material of the hollow profile 4. A more complete closure of this hollow space 18 can be obtained with the cover plates 46 and 48 at both ends of the hollow profile 4 if these are also made of a metallic material or an electromagnetically shielding material.

25 The cover plates 46 and 48 are attached to the hollow profile 4 with screws for example. The corresponding openings can also be produced for example during the extrusion. The hollow profile 4 can altogether be produced so that it requires no further processing except for the proper length. The hollow profile 4 can furthermore be configured so that it can be used for many different individual types of sliding doors, for example for those with one door panel, with two door panels, with three or more door panels. A deflection pulley 50 is attached to the cover plate 46. A drive belt or a cog belt 52 runs around the drive roller 44 and the deflection pulley 50 and is tensioned between them. The deflection pulley 50 can be configured for example so that it tensions the drive belt 52, the deflection pulley 50 can be spring-loaded for example so that the drive belt 52 is automatically tensioned. As an alternative the correct tension can be set with an adjusting screw. A shoulder 54 on the guide shoe 26 protrudes into the hollow space 20 through the opening 14, while the U-shaped guide shoe 26 itself encloses the top and bottom side of the rectangular hollow profile. A pressure block 56, which is secured to the guide shoe by means of screws for example, is used to secure the drive belt 52 to the shoulder 54. Teeth on the inside of the drive belt, which are shown here to interact with the drive roller 44 and the deflection pulley 50, also engage with the corresponding cutouts in the pressure block 56 to establish the relative position between the drive roller 44, the drive belt 52 and the guide shoe 26. In addition to guide shoe 26, one or several more guide shoes can be provided, which are also either driven or are only carried along.

The illustrated door lintel arrangement can be fully assembled, adjusted and tested in the supplier's facility so that it is ready to be mounted and installed at the site without any special expertise.

The individual components of the illustrated integrated door arrangement are highly condensed into a package. This type of compact arrangement also provides space saving, which is especially advantageous for elevator applications. Particularly in elevators which are not installed in conventional masonry buildings, but are rather enclosed e.g. by glass walls, the use of such a door lintel arrangement allows to form a particularly neat and clearly aesthetic impression. Special cost saving is also obtained in that the expensive individual shielding of the electric drive control 37 and the connecting line from the electronic drive control 37 to the drive motor 40, and especially the plug in this case, has been taken over by external limitation of the door lintel arrangement 2. For example the plug can therefore be located in the essentially closed hollow space 18. This allows the use of a conventional plug connector instead of an expensive shielded plug connector. Any shielding of the line which leads into the hollow space 20 with the opening 14, and in there to the drive motor 40, is advantageous.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A door lintel arrangement (2) for a motorized sliding door, comprising at least one suspended door panel (28), a drive motor (40) and a drive mechanism wherein the door lintel arrangement (2) is hollow and the drive motor (40) and the drive mechanism are integrated into the hollow door lintel arrangement (2).

2. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the hollow space (18,

28) in the door lintel arrangement (2) has an opening (14) which extends in the lengthwise direction of the hollow space (18, 28), through which the door panel (28) is connected to the door mechanism.

3. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 2, further including a separating wall (16) partitions the hollow space in the lengthwise direction into an essentially closed hollow space (18), and a hollow space (20) which contains the opening (14).

4. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 3, further including an electric drive motor (40) is provided, which can be controlled by an electronic motor control (38), where the motor control (38) is designed for EMC-shielding of the essentially closed hollow space (18).

5. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein it is constructed of a light metal alloy.

6. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein it is constructed of an extruded hollow profile (4).

7. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the hollow profile (4) has a rectangular cross section which contains the opening (14) on one side.

8. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the partitioning wall 5 is a crosspiece (16) located between two opposite walls (6, 8) of the rectangular cross section.

9. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein lengthwise grooves (32, 34, 36, 38) are provided on the inside and that door drive components are inserted into l o them.

10. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the drive motor (40) is installed on a mounting plate (42) which is inserted into two grooves (36, 38) fashioned in two opposite walls (6, 8).

15

11. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one guideway (22, 24) is provided on the outside to guide the door panel (28).

12. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 11, further including at least one 20 door panel (28) secured to a guide shoe (26) which is connected to the drive mechanism through the opening (14), and runs in two guideways (22, 24) on opposite sides of the opening (14).

13. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism 25 contains a closed drive belt (52) which moves around a deflection pulley (50) and a drive roller (44).

14. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each lengthwise opposite side of the hollow space (18, 20) is closed by a cover plate (46, 48).

15. A door lintel arrangement (2) as claimed in claim 14, wherein the deflection pulley (50) of the drive mechanism is located on one of the cover plates (46, 48).