SE534107C2 - sliding door assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A sliding door assembly (1, 201) comprises a guiding rail (10, 210), a door panel (20, 220), and a guiding mechanism connecting said door panel (20, 220) to said guiding rail (10, 210) such that the door panel (20, 220) is slidable in a moving direction along said guiding rail (10, 210). The guiding mechanism comprises a driving means (36, 38, 236) for automatically moving said door panel (20, 220) along said guiding rail (10, 210) from a closed position to an open position, and an actuator (40, 42, 240) connectable to said driving means (36, 38, 236) and configured to activate said driving means (36, 38, 236) when the door panel (20, 220), in its closed position, is exposed to a pressing force in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of said door panel (20,220).

Description

10 20 20 25 30 534 107 through the door opening. The few seconds of delay in this process can cause severe injury to the person in the event of fire or similar hazards.

If many people are trapped, a situation can also arise when people near the door are pushed towards the person behind, who is eager to get out. In such a situation, there may be a pressure on the door leaf that is large enough to prevent the door leaf from opening, even if someone tries to push the door leaf aside.

A particular problem can occur in shower enclosures, which are closed by a sliding door unit. If the temperature of the shower water suddenly increases, the person in the shower can be blinded. If the shower cubicle is small and thus does not allow the person to simply take a step to the side to avoid the hot water, the person must be able to get out of the shower cubicle quickly.

Additional disadvantages include that sliding door units are often perceived as noisy and that they are not very stable.

DE7737705U1 shows a motorized sliding door unit with several blades. In emergencies, the door leaves can be swung and opened outwards to allow quick exit of people trapped on one side of the door unit. However, this solution is not acceptable in areas where the available space does not allow revolving doors.

Summary of the Invention The above and other problems are solved by a sliding door assembly according to the characterizing part of claim 1. The sliding door assembly comprises a guide mechanism comprising a drive means for automatically moving the door leaf along the guide rail from a closed position to an open position. The control mechanism further comprises an actuator which can be connected to the drive means and is intended to activate the drive means when the door leaf, in its closed position, is subjected to a pressure valve in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the door leaf. The sliding door assembly can thus be easily opened with the use of only a small force. A safer and more stable door opening procedure is further achieved.

The Skj doorstep unit is also advantageous, in that it provides space for a clean door design without the need for handles. The sliding door unit also provides the opportunity for easy introduction of further developments, such as motorized closing.

The drive unit may comprise a spring. This is advantageous in that an automatic opening of the door leaf is achieved without any electrical parts, which reduces the costs of components and installation. 10 15 20 25 30 35 534 107 In the case of another embodiment, the drive unit may comprise a weight. Although the advantages of the spring are still there, the sliding door assembly can be implemented for curved guide rails, which increases the ibil flexibility of the sliding door assembly.

When the door leaf, when in its closed position, is subjected to a pressure force in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the door leaf, it can be moved in the same direction as the pressure force for activating the drive means. The actuator can thus be directly connected to the door leaf, which further improves the safety of the so-called outdoor door assembly.

The guide mechanism may further comprise a groove extending along the guide rail, and a hook which is movable in the groove between a first end, at which the hook can engage a charging bolt connected to the door leaf, and a second end, at which the hook can engage a drive bolt connected to the door leaf. The hook will thus always be in position for loading or driving the door leaf, which increases the reliability.

The hook can be connected to the groove through two joints, the groove being U-shaped to enable the hook to pivot when a joint enters a leg of the U-shaped groove. This is advantageous in that the hook can be locked at the other end, so that the energy stored in the drive means can be saved. The pivotable hook can thus engage the drive means when activating the actuator to provide an automatic opening of the door unit, while the door can still be allowed to slide between the open position and the closed position, if a user chooses not to activate the automatic opening of the door unit. .

The actuator may comprise a lever which is pivotable about a joint, one end of the lever being able to engage the hook when it is located at the other end of the groove.

The automatic closing of the door leaf is thus activated simply by pivoting the lever, which enables a simple and cost-effective construction.

A second end of the lever can further engage the loading rule, so that the lever pivots when the door leaf is subjected to a pressure chalk perpendicular to the direction of movement of the door leaf to release the hook from the other end of the groove. A transverse displacement of the door leaf will thus directly start a sliding movement of the door leaf back to its open position by means of a simple construction.

The guide rail can comprise at least one recess with a tapered profile, which is advantageous in that when the door leaf reaches the recess, it will follow the tapered profile under the influence of gravity and without any external force.

The sliding door assembly may further comprise at least one damper, which is arranged to engage with the door leaf. All shocks and blows during opening or closing 10 15 20 25 30 35 534 10? of the door leaf will thus be damped. In addition to making the movement softer, the risk of squeezing a user's fingers is avoided.

Brief description of the drawings The invention will be described in more detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: fi g l is a perspective view of a sliding door assembly, a door leaf being in an open position. ñg 2 is a perspective view of the sliding door assembly according to fi g 1, where the door leaf is in a closed position. fi g Sa is a side view of the sliding door unit according to fig l, where the door leaf is in the open position. fi g 3b is a side view of the sliding door assembly according to Fig. 1, where the door leaf is in a position between the closed and the open position. fi g 3c is a side view of the sliding door assembly according to Fig. 1, where the door leaf is in the closed position. Fig. 4a is an end view of the so-called door assembly, where the door leaf is offset from the inside. fi g 4b is an end view of the so-called door unit, where the door leaf is slid dry from the outside. Fig. 5a is a side view of the sliding door assembly according to fi g 1, when an automatic opening movement is initiated. fi g 5b is a side view of the sliding door unit according to fi g 1, as the door leaf automatically moves from the closed position towards the open position. tig Sc is a top view of the sliding door unit, as the door leaf is offset from the inside. fi g 6 is a perspective view of the sliding door assembly according to fi g l, as the door leaf automatically moves from the closed position towards the open position. 7 g 7a-c are side views of a sliding door unit. 8 g 8a ~ c are side views of an embodiment of a sliding door assembly. Figures 9a-c are side views of the sliding door assembly shown in Figures 8a-c. 9 g 9d is a perspective view of the sliding door assembly shown in ñg 9a-c.

Description of embodiments A first embodiment of a sliding door assembly 1 is shown in ñg 1 and fi g 2. Two guide grooves 10a, 10b are arranged parallel to each other to form a guide rail 10. A door leaf 20 is arranged in a gap 12 between the guide grooves 10a, 10b and extends downwards from the guide rail 10. The door leaf 20 is connected to the guide rail 10 by means of a guide mechanism which enables the door leaf 20 to be slid along the guide rail 10.

The guide mechanism comprises two pairs of rollers 32a, 32b and 34a, 34b, respectively.

The pairs of rollers 32a, 32b and 34a, 34b are arranged at the upper end of the door leaf 20, i.e. the end of the door leaf 20 facing the guide rail 10, by means of two ball parts 33a, 33b connected to the upper end of the door leaf 20. The ball parts 33a, 33b are at a distance from each other equal to or less than the width of the door leaf 20. Each pair of rollers 32a, 32b and 34a, 34b, respectively, are mounted on the corresponding ball portions 33a, 33b, so that the rollers 32a, 32b and 34a, 34b are mounted parallel to each side of the ball members 33a, 33b. The rollers 32a, 32b and 34a, 34b, respectively, are arranged on common axes of rotation extending through their corresponding ball portions 33a, 33b.

The distance between the rollers 32a, 32b and 34a, 34b is slightly larger than the width of the gap 12 formed by the guide grooves 10a, 10b. The rollers 32a, 34a thus rest on the guide groove 10a, and the rollers 32b, 34b rest on the guide groove 10b so that the door leaf 20 must be slidably movable along the guide rail 10 from an open position shown in Fig. 1 to a closed position shown in Fig. 2.

The guide mechanism also includes, as shown in Figures 3a, 3b and 3c, means for automatically moving the door leaf 20 from a closed position to an open position. These means comprise an energy storage device 36, which is connected to a hook 38, a charging bolt 40, which is mounted on the ball part 33a and can be engaged with the hook 38, a lever 42 and a drive bolt 44, which is mounted on a third ball part 33c. arranged between the ball parts 33a, 33b at the upper end of the door leaf 20.

The energy storage device 36 and the hook 38 define a drive means, while the lever 42 and the drive latch 40 define an actuator. In a first form of means for automatically moving the door leaf 20, the energy storage device 36 is a traction spring, the first end of which is connected to a mounting purity (not shown), arranged at the guide rail 10. The traction edge 36 extends along the guide groove 10a and is connected to the hook 36 at its second End.

The hook 38 is movably arranged in a groove 46, which is formed in the guide groove 10a. The groove 46 thus extends horizontally along the guide groove 10a. Furthermore, at each end of the groove 46 it has a bend 90 ° downwards, so that the groove 46 de fi nizes an inverted U-shape.

The hook 38 is made movable in the groove 46 by means of two joints which are fixed to the hook 38 and slidably connected thereto. When the hook 38 reaches one of the ends of the groove 46 and moves 534 ' shank angle of the U, the joint facing the leg will further move downward in the leg, and thus the hook 38 will pivot to enable and disable engagement between the drive bar 40 and the charging bar 44, respectively.

When the hook 38 is in the leg of the U-shaped groove 46 facing away from the spring 36, the hook rests on a first end of the lever 42, which extends towards the end of the guide groove 10a. The lever 42 is pivotable about a joint 49, which is attached to the guide groove 10a.

At a second end of the lever 42, i.e. the end facing away from the hook 38, a roller 50 is provided. The roller 50 has a axis of rotation which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rollers 32a, 32b, 34a, 34b. The roller 50 is arranged to move in a V-shaped recess 52 of the loading bolt 40, as shown in Figs. 4a, 4b, to force the lever 42 to pivot when the door leaf 20, including the loading bolt 40, is pressed in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the roller 50, i.e. the direction of the grooves 10a, 10b.

The procedure for opening and closing the sliding door assembly will now be described with reference to 3-5 g 3-5.

Starting from Fig. 5a, the door leaf 20 is in the closed position. The spring 36 is retracted and thus carries no or very little load. The hook 38 is hereby located in its retracted position, i.e. one of the pivot joints of the hook 38 is arranged in the right leg of the U-shaped groove 46. In this position the hook 38 can be engaged with the charging bolt 40.

When a user pushes the door leaf 20 in direction A, the charging bolt 40 engages the hook 38, as shown in Fig. 3b. The hook 38 is thus forced to move in the direction A by following the shape of the groove 46. During this movement, the spring 36 is tensioned.

As ddnbiader 20 raf fl yaars now a rage, where naked as when the vansnn shank of the U-found groove 46, the hook 38 will follow the groove 46 and move downwards.

During this movement, the hook 38 will also pivot, so that the loading bolt 40 will leave the hook 38. The hook 38, which is locked in this position by means of the two pivot joints and the 90 ° turn of the groove 46, is located so that the loading bolt 40 can move freely over the hook 38 without being engaged therewith. In this position, the spring 36 is tensioned and prevented from contracting. The hook 38 also presses the right end of the lever 42 downwards, which means that the lever 42 pivots about the joint 49.

As a result, the other end, i.e. the left end in Figs. 3a, 3b and 3c, is moved in an upward direction.

As the user continues to move the door leaf 20 towards the closed position according to fi g 3c, the charging bolt 40 will move over the hook 38 without interacting therewith. 10 15 20 25 30 35 534 107 The charging bolt 40 will here pass over the lever 42 and finally stop when the door leaf 20 reaches the end of the guide rail 10. In this position, shown in Fig. 3c, the charging bolt 40 is over the roller 50 of the lever 42. The distance between the loading bolt 40 and the drive bolt 44 also corresponds to the distance between the roller 50 of the lever 42 and the hook 38, so that the drive bolt 44 is located adjacent to the hook 38.

When the door leaf 20 is in the closed position according to fi g 3c, the user can choose to manually move the door leaf 20 back to its open position or to activate the automatic opening function of the sliding door assembly.

If the door leaf 20 is manually moved back to the open position, the loading bolt 40 will move freely over the lever 42, the hook 38 and the groove 46 without interacting with any of these parts. The spring 36 will therefore remain tensioned until it is released at a later stage of the automatic opening procedure, which will now be described.

As shown in Figs. 4a and 4b, two different scenarios are possible for activating the automatic opening of the door leaf 20. When the door leaf 20 is closed, the roller 50 of the guide mechanism is aligned in the middle (not shown) of the V-shaped groove 52 of the loading bar 40.

If the user is on the inside of the door leaf 20, automatic opening is activated by sliding the door leaf 20 in the outward direction, i.e. perpendicular to the direction of movement A shown in Fig. 3a. fi g 4a. Since the roller 50 of the lever 42 is located in the V-shaped recess of the loading bar 42, this end of the lever 42 will be pressed down, so that an upward movement of the opposite end of the lever 42 is thereby generated.

If, on the other hand, the user is on the outside of the door leaf 20, automatic opening is activated by pushing the door leaf 20 inwards. In this case, the door leaf 20 and the parts attached thereto will move inwards and cause the lever arm to pivot.

When the door leaf 20 is pushed inwards or outwards, the pivoting lever will press the hook 38 in an upward direction, as shown in Fig. 5a. The hook 38 will then be released from the left leg of the U-shaped groove 46 and allowed to move horizontally in this groove 46 by means of the tensioned spring 36.

However, when the hook 38 is pressed upwards, it will, as shown in Fig. 5, engage the drive bolt 44 of the control mechanism and thus slide the door leaf 20 towards the open position. As shown in Fig. 5c, at least one of the guide grooves 10a, 10b has a V-shaped profile 65 at its left edge. Thus, when the door leaf 20 has been slid inwards or outwards and starts its movement back towards the open position, the rollers 32a, 32b will follow the V-shaped profile 65 to align the door panel 20 to the center of the guide rail 10.

When the hook 38 reaches the right leg of the U-shaped groove 46, it will pivot and follow the 90 ° turn downwards. When the loading bolt 40 reaches the hook 38, which occurs when the opening movement of the door leaf 20 is almost completed, the loading bolt 40 will reach the hook 38 and press it further downwards to pass the hook 38. The hook 38, which is preferably made of plastic material, has inherent elastic properties , which means that the charging bolt 40 can press down the hook 38. This means that the charging bolt 40, when the sliding door assembly is open, must pass the hook 38 to enable renewed charging of the energy charging device 36.

In a further embodiment, a spring (not shown) may be arranged to return the hook 38, when the charging bolt 40 has passed the hook 38.

In a further embodiment, the force storage device 36 may be a weight which is freely movable in a vertical module (not shown), attached to a wall. A wire connects the weight to the hook 38, so that the hook is always subjected to a force corresponding to gravity acting on the weight. The guide rail 10 is preferably connected to the vertical module, so that the wire is completely enclosed. The mass of the weight is further adapted to the force required to pull the door leaf 20 from the closed to the open position.

In another embodiment, the guide grooves 10a, 10b are provided with recesses 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b on the surface on which the rollers 32a, 32b, 34a, 34b move.

This arrangement is shown in Fig. 6. The recesses 61a, 61b, 63a, 63, comprising tapered profiles, enable the door leaf 20 to slide against the guide grooves 10a, 10b by means of gravity. When the user has pushed the door leaf 20 far enough for the rollers 32a, 32b, 34a, 34b to reach the recesses, the downward taper will ensure that no more effort by the user is required, since the rollers 32a, 32b, 34a, 34b will automatically roll down in the recesses by means of the gravity crane.

The recesses 62a, 62b, 64a, 64b, including tapered bolts, will further allow the door leaf 20 to slide the last part without any force caused by the energy storage device 36 or by a user during automatic opening or user-assisted sliding. In some embodiments, the length of the spout axes 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, 63b, 64a and 64b is between 0.05 and 0.2 m. When the drive means 36 has pulled the door leaf 20 far enough for the rollers 32a, 32b, 34a , 34b should reach the recesses, the taper downwards will ensure that no more effort of the drive means 36 is required, since the rollers 32a, 32b, 34a, 34b will automatically fall into the recesses.

As can be seen from fig 6 and ñg Sc, the recess 61b includes the V-shaped profile 65 for aligning the door leaf 20 to the center of the guide rail 10 as the door leaf 20 moves from its closed position towards its open position.

In a further embodiment, the sliding door assembly comprises dampers 71, 72 arranged to interact with the door leaf 20 or with any other component previously described as fixed to the door leaf 20.

As shown in Fig. 1, a first damper 71 is provided at the end of the guide rail 10 to dampen the closing movement of the door leaf 20. A second damper 72 is provided at the opposite end of the guide rail to dampen the opening movement of the door leaf 20. The dampers may be which on market available dampers at any time, such as a hydraulic, pneumatic, magnetic or the like.

In a further embodiment, the sliding door assembly comprises a damper 171, which is integrally formed with one of the guide grooves 10a, 10b. As shown in Fig. 7a, the pair of flaps 171 are formed at the end of the recess 161. The recess 161 has a tapered profile to allow the door leaf 120 to slide along the recess 161 by means of the weight crane. The door leaf 120 thus moves along the recess 161 without any force applied by the energy storage device or a user.

The damper 121 consists of a tapered profile, which forms an uphill slope from the bottom of the recess 161. The recess 161 and the damper 171 thus form a smooth curvature, on which the door leaf 120 can slide.

Starting from fi g 7a, the door leaf moves in the direction of the wall, as indicated by the arrow B. When the door leaf 120 reaches the recess 161, it will start to slide down into the recess 161 by means of the gravity crane. As the door leaf 120 moves further down into the recess 161, the door leaf will accelerate and finally the door leaf 120, as shown in Fig. 7b, will reach the tapered profile of the damper 171.

The uphill slope of the damper 171 will drastically reduce the speed of the door leaf 120, so that the door leaf 120 will lose its full speed by means of the damper 171. Somewhere along the uphill slope of the damper 171, the door leaf 120 will, as shown in Fig. 7c, change its direction. and return to the bottom of the integrally designed recess / damper, i.e. at the end of the recess 161, by means of gravity. To further improve the damping, the door leaf 120 may include a seal 122 disposed along the side of the door leaf 120. The seal 122 may be made of any suitable material, such as rubber. The seal 122 is preferably a hollow, tubular body extending along the entire side of the door leaf 120.

When the door leaf 120 engages the pair of mandrels 171, the seal 122 will engage the wall or wall module 180. In this engagement, the seal 122 will deform and contribute to the damping of the movement of the door leaf 120.

The dimensions of the seal 122 are adapted so that the seal 122 is in contact with the wall or wall module 180, when the door leaf is at the end of the recess 161, i.e. at the bottom of the integrally formed recess / door pair. In this embodiment, the seal 122 will prevent any water from leaking out of the shower stall when the door assembly 100 is installed in a shower stall.

The dimensions of the recess 161 and the pair of mandrels 171 are adapted to the weight of the door leaf 120 to achieve a smooth movement of the door leaf 120. A light door leaf 120 thus requires a smaller recess 161 and a larger damper 171 than a heavy door leaf 120. The designations smaller and larger can apply to both the length and the angle of inclination of the recess 161 and / or the damper 171.

The damper 171, which is integrally formed with a recess 161, can be arranged at different places of the guide rail 110 in order to effect a quiet opening and / or closing of the door leaf 120. In a special embodiment, shown in Fig. 6, all recesses 6la , 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, 63b, 64a and 64b be connected to a damper 171 as described above.

A further embodiment of a sliding door assembly will be described with reference to Figs. 8a, 8b, 8c and fig 9a, 9b, 9c and 9d. A sliding door assembly 201 includes a door leaf 220 and a guide rail 210, on which the door leaf 220 is slidably movable by means of at least a pair of rollers 232, attached to the door leaf 220. Furthermore, there is a guide mechanism which connects the door leaf220 to the guide rail 210.

The guide mechanism comprises a spring 236, one end of which is connected to the guide rail 210. A pivot pin 240 is arranged at an upper corner of the door leaf 220 at a location on the side of the door leaf 220 facing the wall against which a closing movement of the door leaf 220 is directed. . Since the door leaf 220 extends slightly over the guide rail 210, the pivot pin 240 is correspondingly arranged over the guide rail 210.

The pivot pin 240 is connected to the door leaf220 by means of a pivot joint 222.

The door leaf 220 further comprises an upside-down, V-shaped recess 224, which has the pivot joint 222 at its tip. Thanks to the recess 224, the pivot pin 240 is only pivotable at an angle defined by the angle of the V-shaped recess 224.

While the upper portion of the pivot pin 240 is pivotally connected to the door leaf 220 by means of the pivot joint 222, the lower portion of the pivot pin 240 is connected to a free end of the cape 236. The pivot pin 240 further has a roller 242 disposed between the upper pivot 222 and the lower , fi oath-fixing joint. The roller 242 is intended to roll against the guide rail 210 during opening and closing of the door leaf 220. The pivot pin 240 is further pivotable in the transverse direction of the guide rail 210.

The guide rail 210 extends between two ends, of which a first end is close to the door leaf 220, when open, and a second end is close to the door leaf 220, when closed. The first end of the guide rail 210 has a recess 261 and a damper 271.

The damper 271 has a tapered profile which forms an uphill slope from the bottom of the recess 261. The recess 261 and the damper 271 thus form a smooth curve on which the roller 242 of the pivot pin 240 can slide. The widths of the recess 261 and damper 271 are smaller than the width of the guide rail 210, so that a flat surface is thus left on the guide rail 210 next to the recess 261 and the damper 271.

The other end of the guide rail 210, i.e. the end facing the door leaf 220, when the door leaf 220 is in its closed position, is cut off and forms an oblique end surface. The other end of the guide rail further defines a cut-out surface towards the center of the guide rail 210.

The other end of the guide rail 210 thus denies an inverse pyranide shape 280.

Starting from fi g 8a, b and c, a closing operation will be described. When the door leaf 220 is in the open position, the spring 236 is retracted and thus carries no or very little load. The pivot pin 240 is angled so that the lower portion of the pivot pin 240 is directed in the same direction as the closing movement of the door leaf 220. The door leaf 220 rests on the rollers 232 and is slidably movable along the guide rail 210. Since the roller 242 of the pivot pin 240 also rests on the guide rail 210, the pivot pin 240 will remain at the same angle during closing, as a pivoting movement of the pivot pin 240 during closing would require the door leaf 220 to lift thus, from a guide rail 210. As a user pushes or pulls the door leaf 220 toward the closed position, the spring 236 will expand. When the pivot pin 240 reaches the pyramid-shaped surface of the other end of the guide rail 210, the roller 242 will be able to move into the pyramid-shaped mold 280. When the roller 242 lies in the pyramid-shaped 220, it will be secured. Thus, the spring 236 will pull the pivot pin 240 so that it will pivot toward the other end of the V-shaped recess 224 of the door leaf 220. During this stage, the pivot pin 240 will force the door leaf 220 to move the last part towards the end position without any assistance from a user. The opening of the door leaf 220 will now be described with reference to fi g 9a, b, c and d. When the door leaf 220 is closed, the roller 242 of the pivot pin 240 is located in the pyramid shapes 280 and the door leaf 220 is thus locked in the closed position. A user can choose to either manually pull the door leaf in the same direction as the opening movement or to slide the door leaf 220 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the opening movement.

If the user pulls the door in the opening direction, for example by using a handle fixed to the door leaf 220, the pulling force will exceed the locking crane of the roller 242 in engagement with the pyranide mold 280.

The roller 242 will thus return to the flat surface of the guide rail 210, and the spring 236 can thus pull the door leaf 220 back towards the open position.

If, on the other hand, the user slides the door inward or outward, the door leaf 220 will move in the same direction. The roller 242 of the pivot pin 240 will then slide up next to the pyramid shape 280, until it reaches the flat surface of the guide rail 210. As a result, the roller 242 of the pivot pin 240 is no longer locked, and the spring will pull the door leaf 220 back towards the open position.

As the door leaf 220 moves from the closed position towards the end position, the pivot pin 240 will be so angled that the lower portion of the pivot pin 242 is in the same direction as the opening movement.

As the door leaf approaches the open end position, the roller 242 of the pivot pin 240 will reach the recess 261 of the guide rail 210. Since the recess 261 is uncentrated in the guide rail 210, the pivot pin 240 will pivot in a direction transverse to the closing direction of the door leaf 220. The roller 242 will thus follow the recess 261, and the speed of the door leaf 220 will increase slightly. When the roller 242 finally reaches the ridge jaw of the damper 271, it will follow the ridge jaw until the roller 242 is prevented from moving further upwards by the weight of the door leaf 220. Since the door leaf 220 still has a certain kinetic energy, it will continue to move towards the open end position without any assistance from the spring 236. The pivot pin 240 will therefore be forced to pivot, so that the lower part of the pivot pin 240 pivots in the opposite direction. During the swing, the door leaf 220 moves the last part of the opening movement without any assistance from the spring 236 or a user. When the door leaf 220 reaches its open end position, the roller 242 of the pivot pin 240 is allowed to move up from the damper 271 and pivots transversely back to the flat surface at the center of the guide rail 210. The door leaf 220 is thus in its open position. and the pivot pin 240 is properly angled to allow a close / reopen operation.

In another embodiment, the spring 236 may be replaced by any suitable drive means. The spring 236 may, for example, be replaced by a weight connected to a wire which is connected to the pivot pin 240. The wire extends along the guide rail 210 and further into a wall module in which the weight hangs freely.

It is understood that all references to up / down and left / right are for illustrative end needles only. The screen door assembly can thus be pivoted, rotated or mirrored without departing from the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A sliding door assembly (1, 201), comprising a guiding rail (10, 210), a door panel (20, 220), and a guiding mechanism connecting said door panel (20, 220) to said guiding rail(10, 210) such that the door panel (20, 220) is slidable in a moving direction along saidguiding rail (10, 210), characterized in that said guiding mechanism coinprises a driving means (36, 38, 236) forautomatically moving said door panel (20, 220) along said guiding rail (10, 210) from aclosed position to an open position, and an actuator (40, 42, 240) connectabie to said driving means (36, 38, 240) andconfigured to activate said driving means (36, 38, 240) when the door panel (20, 220),in its closed position, is exposed to a pressing force in a direction perpendicular to themoving direction of said door panel (20, 220).

2. The sliding door assembly according to ciaim l, wherein the driving means(36, 38, 236) comprises a spring.

3. The sliding door assembly according to claim 1, wherein the driving means(36, 38, 236) cornprises a weight.

4. "l" he sliding door assembly according to any one of claims i to 3, wherein thedoor panel (20, 220), when in its closed position, is exposed to a pressing force in adirection perpendiculai' to the moving direction of said door panei (20, 220) is moved inthe same direction as the pressing force for activating said driving means.

5. The sliding door assembly according to any one claims 2 to 4, whereiii theguiding mechanism further comprises a groove (46) extending along the guiding rail(10), and a hook (3 8) being moveable in said groove (46) between a first end whereinthe hook (3 8) is engageable with a loading catch (40) connected to the door panel (20)and a second end wherein the hook (38) is engageable with a driving catch (44)connected to the door panel (20).

6. The siiding door assembly according to clairn 5, whereín the hook (3 8) isconnected to the groove (38) by two joints, and wherein the groove (38) is forming a U-shape for allowing the hook (38) to pivot when one joint is entering a leg of the U-shaped groove (3 8). 090902 E“:\0029 Ifö Sanít.'lr\1'\252\f|Ll\ draft\Püüfšštläíiïnüüüüülgpplicatíonëfzxmdoc 14

7. The sliding door assembly according to clairn 5 or 6, wherein the actuatox'(40, 42) comprises a cantilever (42) pivotable around ajoint (49), and Wherein one endof the cantilever is engageable with the hook (38) when it is positioned at the secondend of the groove (38).

8. The sliding door assembly according to claim 7, wherein a second end of thecantilever (42) is engageable with the loading catch (40) such that the cantilever (42) ispivoting when the door panel (20) is exposed to a pressing force in a directionperpendicular to the moving direction of said door panel (20) for releasing the hook (38)from the second end of the groove (46).

9. The sliding door assembly according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein theguiding rail (10, 210) comprises at least one reccss (61, 261) having a tapered profile.

10. The sliding door assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, furthercornprising at least one dampener (71, 271) arranged to engage with the door panel (20,220).