AU2009243840A1

AU2009243840A1 - Sectional door

Info

Publication number: AU2009243840A1
Application number: AU2009243840A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Guido Langenbach
Original assignee: Zimsen Darren Noel; Zimsen Radcliffe
Current assignee: Zimsen Darren Noel; Zimsen Radcliffe
Priority date: 2008-05-03
Filing date: 2009-04-30
Publication date: 2009-11-12
Also published as: DE202008006088U1; NZ589704A; DE112009001669A5; WO2009135473A1

Description

Translation from German of PCT Apnlication PCT/DE2009/000619 Sectional door 5 [00011 The invention relates to a sectional door for closing a wall opening, comprising at least two sheet like elements with rectangular surface area that are 10 retained on the end faces thereof in at least two guide rails via a guiding and separating device each that is fitted with rollers, and which are moveable via the guiding and separating devices by means of traction ropes from a position that closes the wall opening into a 15 position that clears the wall opening and where said sheet-like elements lie flat against each other above the wall opening. [00021 A sectional door of this kind is known, for 20 example, from the German utility model 20 2006 011 746. In this known sectional door, in which the sheet-like elements are called sections, the guiding and separating of the individual sheet-like elements is implemented relatively complicated, which can lead to malfunctions in 25 the operating sequence and to premature wearing in operation. [0003] It is therefore the object of the invention to further improve a sectional door of the kind described in 30 the beginning so that through improved guidance and separation of the individual sheet-like elements a simpler and most importantly more cost-effective design 2 is provided and that the running noise is reduced at the same time. [0004] To meet this object it is proposed, according 5 to the invention, that each guiding and separating device is formed of a lever that comprises, in the closed starting position, an at least approximately horizontal arm and an at least approximately vertical arm, that the vertical arm, with a roller at its free end, is retained 10 in an inner running track and that a guide rod is pivotally attached to both ends of the horizontal arm, said guide rod being moveable in the direction of its axis, in which the outer guide rod is pivotally attached to the upper region of an upper sheet-like element and 15 the inner guide rod is pivotally attached to the lower region of a lower sheet-like element. [0005] This type of design simplifies and improves the guiding, but in particular the separation of the 20 individual sheet-like elements, thus reducing malfunctions significantly. [00061 Further characteristics of a sectional door according to the invention are disclosed in claims 2 to 25 20. [00071 The invention as well as further advantages thereof are described in more detail by way of exemplary embodiments shown in a drawing. Shown are in: 30 Figure 1 a simplified side view of a sectional door according to the invention, 3 Figures 2 to 4 enlarged sections from Figure 1, Figure 5 a different embodiment of the sectional door in Figure 1, 5 Figure 6 an enlarged upper region of the sectional door in Figure 5, Figure 7 a different embodiment of the sectional door in 10 Figure 1, Figure 8 a further embodiment of the sectional door according to the invention, 15 Figure 9 an enlarged view from Figure 8, Figures 10 and 11 different positions of the sectional door of Figure 8, and 20 Figure 12 and 13 a different embodiment of the upper region of a sectional door according to the invention. [0008] Figures 1 and 5 of the drawing depict a 25 sectional door 1 in side view that is complete in both instances but not necessarily drawn to scale and which serves the purpose of closing an only indicated wall opening 2. Said sectional door 1 consists, for example, of four sheet-like elements 3, the so-called sections, of 30 a type of construction known per se, which all have the same form, for example. However, it is possible to provide an element . 3 as a so-called window element. Elements 3 are shown twice in Figures 1 and 5; once in a position where they combine to close wall opening 2 and once where they fully clear the wall opening 2. The surface areas of the elements 3 that are touching each other, particularly in the closed position, have a 5 profiled shape known per se so that they form a relatively tight and flat covering for wall opening 2. The lower edge of the lowest sheet-like element 3 is fitted with an end profile 3a known per se. A traction rope, which is known per se but is not shown in the 10 drawing, is attached to both ends of said end profile 3a and coupled with a door drive, which can be used to open and close the sectional door 1. Sealing strips that are known per se are advantageously provided on the side of wall opening 2, and the sheet-like elements 3 are pressed 15 against said sealing strips in the closed position of sectional door 1. [0009] Moreover, on both sides of wall opening 2 are guides that are provided in the form of 2 running tracks 20 4, 5, which first extend vertically, parallel and are placed relatively close together in the vicinity of wall opening 2, then go over into a curve followed by a horizontal orientation, for example behind a lintel. According to Figure 1 the horizontal section of the so 25 called outer running track 4 is significantly longer than the horizontal section of the inner running track 5. [0010] The individual sheet-like elements 3 are connected to each other via two guiding and separating 30 devices 6, one of which is located on each side of the sheet-like elements 3 and which are advantageously all of the same shape. According to Figure 1, said guiding and separating devices 6 are provided in between the 5 individual sheet-like elements 3. A different arrangement is also possible. Each guiding and separating device 6 (Figures 2 to 4) is firstly formed by a lever 7, which consists of two arms 7a, 7b that extend at an angle to 5 each other. The angle between arms 7a, 7b is advantageously 900 or close to 90O. [00111 when the sectional door 1 or the sheet-like elements 3 of Figure 1 respectively are in the closed 10 position, the arm 7a assumes a horizontal position. It is therefore called the horizontal arm 7a. It is guided via roller 8 in the outer running track 4. In its position shown in Figure 1 the arm 7b of lever 7 extends vertically up and it is fitted close to its free end with 15 a roller 9, which is guided by the inner running track 5. Said arm 7b is therefore called the vertical arm 7b. [0012] The horizontal arm 7a of lever 7 is designed as a compact body, made for example from a synthetic 20 material or aluminum, and supports in its center section on one side the roller 8 mentioned above, which is able to rotate around an axle that is merely indicated. Vertical arm 7b of lever 7 is attached solidly and non rotatably to horizontal arm 7a. Moreover, two channel 25 like recesses 10a, 10b are provided in the horizontal arm 7a of the lever that extend parallel to each other in longitudinal direction of said horizontal arm. 'Said channel-like recesses 10a, 10b have advantageously a circular cross-section. Other cross-sectional shapes of 30 the channel-like recesses 10a, 10b are possible. On opposite ends of both recesses 10a, 10b, one of each recess 10a and 10b is enlarged in such a way that a so called articulating member 11a, 11b can be rotatably 6 attached, which has a guide aperture 12 passing through it. [0013] Located in said guide aperture 12 of each 5 articulating member is the end section of a guide rod 13a, 13b when the sectional door 1 is in its closed position. Said guide rods have the same cross-section as the guide apertures 12 assigned to it and which, according to Figures 1 to 4, rest with their rounded end 10 face against the inner wall of the channel-like recesses 10a or 10b respectively, at which point the inner wall is provided with a radius that extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the channel-like recesses 10a, 10b. Said radius is determined by the external diameter 15 of the articulating members 11 in the vicinity of the guide apertures 12. The cross-section of the guide rods 13a, 13b, which are preferably made of aluminum, may be of almost any shape. However, from a production point of view it is advantageous for the guide rods 13a, 13b to 20 have a circular cross-section, and for reasons of cost they are made from tubes. Seen from the point of view of the sectional door 1 in its closed position, the guide rod 13a is fixed, at the end facing away from the arm 7a, to the upper section of the sheet-like element 3 above 25 the guiding and separating device 6. This may be a pivoting attachment. The guide rod 13b is always pivotally attached to the lower section of the sheet-like element 3 below the guiding and separating device 6 with the end facing away from arm 7a. 30 100143 The operation of the described sectional door 1 with the guiding and separating device 6 is now described by way of Figures 2 to 4. The starting premises are that 7 the sectional door 1 is in its lower position as per Figure 1, and wall opening 2 is thus fully closed. As soon as the previously mentioned drive is switched on and the traction ropes are pulled up, all sheet-like elements 5 3 of the sectional door 1 are forced to move upwards in the direction of arrow 14. The rollers 8, 9 in the outer and inner running track 4 and 5, and the guiding and separating device 6 carrying them, move upwards. As soon as roller 9 reaches the upper, curved section of the 10 inner running track 5, lever 7 is swiveled clockwise. As a result the sheet-like element 3 that is above the guiding and separating device 6 is gradually forced off the lower sheet-like element 3, but retaining its vertical position (Figure 2)~. Thus a gap is created 15 between the profiled longitudinal edges of both sheet like elements 3, which gradually increases further so that the profiled, each other opposing longitudinal edges of elements 3 are no longer engaged, and the sheet-like element 3 above the guiding and separating device is 20 gradually moved sideways, as can be seen clearly in Figures 2 to 4 of the drawing. [0015] As soon as roller 9 of inner arm 7b reaches the horizontally extending section of the inner running track 25 5, the inner arm 7b assumes a horizontal position and the outer arm 7a assumes a vertical position, Roller 8 then approaches the horizontal section of the outer running track 4. In this horizontal position of the outer arm 7a both guide rods 13a and 13b leave their end position in 30 arm 7a and slide through the corresponding channel-like recesses 10a or 10b respectively of horizontal arm 7a down and up respectively so that the first or upper-most sheet-like element 3 can assume its upper position in the 8 horizontal section of the outer running track 4. This hand-over process is repeated until all sheet-like elements 3 are located above wall opening 2 and wall opening 2 is fully cleared. Depending on the shape of 5 running track 4, in this end position of the sheet-like elements 3 at least two sheet-like elements 3 are supported by running tracks 4, whilst at least the lowest or the last sheet-like element 3 is retained by the traction ropes. 10 [0016] When sectional door 1 is closed at a later stage, the described process is reversed. To this end it can be expedient that the guide rods 13a, 13b have at their ends in the closed position of sectional door 1 a 15 type of driving lug, which on the one hand does not interfere with the rotating motion of the articulating members lla, 1lb and the sliding of the guide rods 13a, 13b in said members, but on the other hand ensures that the lever 6 is engaged by the sheet-like element 3 that 20 leaves the upper position first, and by said lever the following sheet-like element 3 is engaged. [00171 As far as the design of the sheet-like elements 3, the levers 6 with rollers 8, 9, the channel-like 25 recesses 10a, 10b and the articulating members 1la and lb as well as the guide rods 13a and 13b are concerned, the sectional door I of Figures 5 and 6 is equivalent to the sectional door 1 described by way of Figure 1. No further explanations are therefore required in this 30 respect. However, one difference is already apparent in the outer running track 4, which ends here approximately with the upper end of the inner running track 5 and thus provides no upper horizontal section. Instead a guiding 9 carriage 15 each is provided above and on both sides of the wall opening 2, in which said guiding carriage can slide freely on a horizontal guiding track 16. 5 [0018] Said guiding carriage 15 supports a guiding rod 17 with a slightly pre-tensioned compression spring 18 extending over the greater part of the length of said rod. The compression spring 18 is in this instance placed on the outside of a spring rod 17; said spring can, 10 however, also be arranged inside said rod. That, however, would require a tubular design and larger dimensions of the guiding rod 17. Said compression spring 18 rests with its lower end on the upper section of a sleeve-like connecting element 19, which is supported in its lower 15 section by a further, slightly pre-tensioned compression spring 20, which may be located for example on the outside of a guide rod 13b. Said guide rod 13b is in addition pivotally attached to the lower end of the upper sheet-like element 3 when the sectional door 1 is in its 20 closed position. All other guide rods 13a, 13b are also fitted with compression springs 20 in this embodiment, which are also fitted to the outside of guide rods 13a, 13b. An arrangement inside the guide rods 13a, 13b is also possible if they are dimensioned accordingly. For 25 reasons of a clearer representation compression springs 20 are not shown for all guide rods 13a, 13b in the upper position of the sheet-like elements 3, that is, when sectional door 1 is open. 30 [0019] Moreover, the guide rods 13a, 13b in the exemplary embodiment depicted in Figure 6, which extend along arms 7a of levers 6 into the articulating members 1la and llb, have slots 21, depicted by a slightly 10 heavier line, through which the indicated axles of articulating members 11a and 1lb extend. The effect of this design is that during opening of the sectional door 1 all of the slightly pre-tensioned compression springs 5 20 are placed under further pressure and assume the position shown in Figure 6; this is shown only for some compression springs 20. When the sectional door 1 is closed at a later stage the force in the compression springs 20 is largely released, which causes the guide 10 rods to move out of the articulating members 11a and lb and back into their starting position, taking the sheet like elements 3 with them. [0020] The exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 7 also 15 deviates only slightly from that shown in Figure 1. Seen from the outside, an additional running track 4a is in this instance provided in front of running track 4, which initially extends completely parallel to running tracks 4 and 5, then follows a curve until it ends above wall 20 opening 2, parallel to and at a distance above running track 4. Said running track 4a has the purpose of guiding a roller 8a, which is provided at both sides on the upper region of each element 3. The track of the curved sections of both running tracks 4 and 4a is such that the 25 elements 3 are always in a vertical position while they move. The opening and closing process is also the same as in the embodiments of Figures 1-4. [0021] A further sectional door 1 is depicted in 30 Figures 8 to 10, which is in many parts identical to the previously described sectional doors 1. Thus the same reference numerals are used for those parts. In this instance only one running track 4 is provided, which 11 extends close to the ceiling but does not have an upper curved section. On the side facing away from the wall opening, running track 4 is open in the upper section and leads at this point over into two parallel and at a 5 distance to each other extending guide rails 16, which also retain a moveable guiding carriage 15. The previous running track 5 is now reduced to a short elbow in the upper section of wall opening 2. A further difference consists in that each element 3 is fitted with two 10 rollers 8a, 8b of which the first roller 8a is located at the upper end of each element 3, whereas the second roller 8b is arranged in the center section of the same. As a result of the second roller 8b, the roller 8 located so far on lever 6 is no longer required. Arm 7b of lever 15 6, which is shown much enlarged in Figure 9 of the drawing, is now arranged at a distance from the free end of arm 7a. Guide rods 13a, 13b, which are also in this instance advantageously made from tubes, are fitted at their ends with a head 22, which has a pin 23 each on 20 opposite sides. The guide rods 13a, 13b are guided via said pins 23 during the movement of the elements 3 in the channel-like recesses 10a, 10b, in which said recesses have lateral slots 24 to accept said pins 23. When elements 3 are moved, that is, when opening or closing 25 the sectional door, the guide rods 13a, 13b also change their location and assume different positions, as can be clearly seen in Figures 10 and 11. Figures 12 and 13 of the drawing finally show a different 30 embodiment of the upper section of a sectional door 1, which has no guiding carriages at all. In this instance a parallelogram 25, which consists of four levers 25a, 25b, 25c and 25d, is pivotally connected to the upper section 12 of the top-most element 3, and its other corner point 25f and 25g is moveably retained in a vertical guide 26. When opening sectional door 1 the corner points 25f and 25g are moved upwards in guide 26 on the one hand, and the 5 levers 25a, 25b, 25c and 25d are pivoted anticlockwise on the other hand until levers 25b and 25d assume a horizontal position (Figure 13). Through this kind of a design the so-called threading in of elements 3 into the section above wall opening 2 is made easier. For the 10 closing movement it is advantageous if a compression spring is assigned to at least one of the levers 25b or 25d, which is brought under tension when sectional door 1 is opened. The guide 26 may be provided on a side wall or at a particular part of the sectional door 1. 15 With the depicted and explained exemplary embodiments it is possible to combine the designs of the individual Figures, or to make small changes. It is possible, for example, to replace the rollers with guide pins. 20 Moreover, the angle between the horizontal arm 7a and the vertical arm 7b of lever 6 may also be larger than 901 and may, for example, be up to 180O.

Claims

1. Sectional door for closing a wall opening, 5 comprising at least two sheet-like elements with rectangular surface area that are retained on the end faces thereof in at least two guide rails via a guiding and separating device each that is fitted with rollers, and which are moveable via the guiding and separating 10 devices by means of traction ropes from a position closing the wall opening into a position that clears the wall opening and where said sheet-like elements lie flat against each other above the wall opening, characterized in that each guiding and separating device is comprised, 15 in the closed starting position, of a lever (6) with an at least approximately horizontal arm (7a) and an at least approximately vertical arm (7b), that the vertical arm (7b) is retained in an inner running track (5) with a roll (9) attached to its free end, and that a guide rod 20 (13a, 13b) each, movable in the direction of its axis, is pivotally attached at both ends of the horizontal arm (7a), of which the outer guide rod (13a) is pivotally attached at the upper section of an upper sheet-like element (3) and the inner guide rod (13b) is pivotally 25 attached at the lower section of a lower sheet-like element (3).

2. Sectional door according to claim 1, characterized in that the levers (6) are arranged between two sheet 30 like elements (3) in the change-over region. 14

3. Sectional door according to claim 1, characterized in that the levers (6) are arranged in center section of a sheet-like element (3). 5

4. Sectional door according to at least one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the vertical arm (7b) is arranged at the end of the horizontal arm (7a).

5. Sectional door according to at least one of the 10 claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the vertical arm (7b) is arranged in the center section of the horizontal arm (7a).

6. Sectional door according to at least one of the 15 claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the horizontal arm (7a) is pivotally retained in a running track (4) via a roller (8) that is arranged in said horizontal arm's center section. 20

7. Sectional door according to claim 6, characterized in that the guide rods (13a, 13b) are moveably supported in lever (6).

8. Sectional door according to at least one of the 25 claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the ends of the guide rods (13a, 13b) extend into an articulating member (1la, llb) each, and where each articulating member is pivotally supported in the outer arm (7a) of lever (6) . 30

9. Sectional door according to at least one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the guide rods (13a, 13b) are formed by tubes. 15

10. Sectional door according to at least one of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the horizontal arm (7a) of lever (6) provides recesses (10a, 10b) for the guide rods (13a, 13b) that extend in the longitudinal 5 direction of horizontal arm (7a).

11. Sectional door according to claim 10, characterized in that the recesses (13a, 13b) have a channel-like form. 10

12. Sectional door according to claim 10, characterized in that the recesses (13a, 13b) have a slot-like form.

13. Sectional door according to at least one of the claims 1 to 12, characterized in that each guide rod 15 (1 3 a, 13b) is assigned a slightly pre-tensioned compression spring (20) .

14. Sectional door according to claim 13, characterized in that the compression spring (20) is arranged between 20 the outer arm (7a) and the free end of a guide rod (13a, 13b).

15. Sectional door according to claim 14, characterized in that the compression spring (20) is arranged inside or 25 outside of a guide rod (13a, 13b).

16. Sectional door according to at least one of the claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the guide rods (13a, 13b) are each provided with a slot (21). 30

17. Sectional door according to at least one of the claims 1 to 16, characterized in that a guiding carriage 16 17. Sectional door according to at least one of the claims 1 to 16, characterized in that a guiding carriage (15) each with a guiding rod (17) is provided above and to the side of wall opening (2). 5

18. Sectional door according to at least one of the claims 1 to 17, characterized in that a connecting element (19) is provided between the guiding rod (17) of the guiding carriage (15) and the guide rod (13b) of the 10 upper-most sheet-like element (3).

19. Sectional door according to claim 12, characterized in that the connecting element (19) has a sleeve-like form, 15

20. Sectional door according to at least one of the claims 1 to 19, characterized in that the angle between the two arms (7a and 7b) of lever 7 is exactly 901.