Specially designed rail for mounting a tensioning device

This invention concerns a specially designed rail for mounting a tensioning device in which a mount for its guide component can be positioned at vaus areas of the rail. Pursuant to the invention, the rail has a row of cut-outs in the area of the mount and rows of projections in the direction of the mount.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention concerns a a specially designed rail for mounting a 
tensioning device with rails, where a mount for the guide component can be 
positioned in various areas of the rail. 
Generic tensioning devices of various methods of embodiment are used, for 
example, in gate drives, such as industrial gates or garage doors. Such 
types of gates are driven by means of a pinion driven by a motor with 
gears, via which the drive is guided and which serves as the first guide 
component. The drive here is preferably designed as an endless synchronous 
belt or chain. At a distance from the powered pinion, there is a rotatable 
second guide component that is generally designed as a roller or may also 
be a pinion. In the ready-to-operate status, the drive component runs over 
both guide components and transfers the rotational motion of the drive 
pinion into the translational direction required for opening and closing 
the gate. A catch is mounted to the drive component in a preferably 
detachable manner; it follows the motion of the drive and causes the 
movement of the gate by means of a rod assembly connected to the gate. 
Drive and catch generally run on a rail attached to a bay or garage 
ceiling, the end ranges of which are provided with mounts for the guide 
components. 
Since a minimum tension on the drive component is necessary for 
problem-free, quiet operation of the gate drive, the spacing of the drive 
pinion and the second guide component, which establish the end points of 
the drive as laid out and thus impact the tension on the drive, is of 
great importance. Tensioning devices are known for such drives with which 
the position of one or more mounts for the guide components and thus the 
position of the guide components themselves can be altered continuously by 
means of an adjusting screw. Such tensioning devices have the disadvantage 
that a relatively large number of different components are necessary for 
the mounting and operation. Another disadvantage is that loosening or 
tightening the adjusting components or screws, with the corresponding 
tools, is always necessary to change the tension on the drive component 
when using the generic tensioning device. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The object of this invention is to create a tensioning device for drives 
that is easily adjustable and allows for simple mounting. 
This task is largely solved by a generic device in that the rails for 
positive positioning of the mounts for the guide components have one or 
more cut-outs (40) in the area of the mount and/or one or more (20,30) 
projections projecting in the direction of the mount. An essential 
characteristic of the tensioning device pursuant to the invention is that 
the adjustment of the tension on the drive components is possible by 
simply displacement of the mount on the rail without having to loosen or 
displace attachment or adjustment components. If the rail has cut-outs, 
the corresponding projections are provided on the mount that penetrate the 
cut-outs in such manner that a positive connection is created between the 
rails and the mount. Projections may also be provided on the rail that 
extended in the direction of the mount and penetrate positively into the 
corresponding cut-outs or hollows in the mount. If the drive component is 
to be tensioned, the mount is loosened from its original position on the 
rail and displaced until the projections again penetrate into the 
corresponding cutouts. Very precise adjustment of the tension on the drive 
component is possible if the distance between projections and/or cut-outs 
is small. Drive components of varying length can also be used here since 
the tensioning device pursuant to the invention enables not only fine 
positioning but also larger changes in the spacing of the guide 
components. Since the desired positioning of the guide roller mounts is 
created by a positive connection with the rail, attachment or tensioning 
components are not necessary, which considerably simplifies and lessens 
the expense of the preparation and assembly of the device. 
The rail can have cut-outs and/or projections spaced along the longitudinal 
direction of the rail and/or in a plane perpendicular thereto. The 
cut-outs and/or projections spaced longitudinally cause a displacement of 
the guide roller mount in this direction, while the cut-outs and/or 
projections spaced on a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 
serve to ensure a secure connection, particularly capable of bearing 
weight, between the mount and rail in a desired position. The cut-outs 
and/or projections are spaced such that a weakening of the material that 
could impair operation of the tensioning device and the gate drive is 
precluded. If the rail has only cut-outs and/or projections that are 
spaced in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail, 
displacement of the mount on the rail in a longitudinal direction is 
achieved in that the mount itself has several cutouts and/or projections 
spaced accordingly. The advantage of this method of embodiment is that the 
rail is only slightly weakened by the corresponding, relatively low number 
of cutouts and/or projections. 
In another method of embodiment of the invention, provision is made so that 
the rails have cut-outs and/or projections that are spaced both in a 
longitudinal direction and in a plane perpendicular thereto. Here, a row 
of cut-outs and/or projections extend, for example, from the middle 
section of the rail diagonally toward an edge area. The advantage of this 
method of embodiment is that a fine adjustment of the tension on the drive 
is possible without substantially impairing the stability of the rail 
through the cut-outs and/or projections, which are spaced at 
correspondingly small distances from each other. 
The rail can be designed as a C-profile or a U-profile. The guide roller 
mounts and the drive and catch can be placed on the profiles such that a 
secure connection is guaranteed, as is reliable lateral control. 
In another method of embodiment of the invention, provision is made such 
that the rail, embodied as a C profile or a U profile, has cut-outs and/or 
projections spaced longitudinally in its middle section and/or at the leg 
parts. This results in the advantage that the mount can be fixed in a 
desired position on several sides of the rail, creating a particularly 
secure connection. 
Pursuant to a preferred method of embodiment of this invention, the rail 
designed as a C profile or U profile has cut-outs and/or projections in 
its middle section and/or at the leg parts that are spaced in a plane 
perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. This results in several 
cut-outs and/or projections penetrating at the desired position for the 
mount, thus preventing undesired displacement of the mount. To position 
the mount at various positions, the mount in turn must have several 
cut-outs and/or projections spaced along the longitudinal direction of the 
rail; it does not matter here whether the cut-outs or the projections are 
on the mount or on the rail. This method of embodiment has the advantage 
that the cut-outs and/or projections on the mount can be manufactured by 
extruding plastic, resulting in a substantially simpler production for the 
rails with correspondingly few cutouts and/or projections. Furthermore, 
the rail is highly stable in this case, due to the low number of cut-outs 
and/or projections. 
In another method of embodiment of this invention, provision is made so 
that the projections are designed as flexible clips. They extend from the 
rail in the direction of the positionable mount, or starting from the 
mount in the direction of the cut-outs on the rail. The clips can be 
produced on the mount by extruding plastic, while the clips on the rail 
can be produced by punching and bending.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 shows rail 10 with a C profile that has projections 20, 30 in its 
middle section 102 as well as on leg parts 104, spaced in the longitudinal 
direction of the rail and in a plane perpendicular thereto. Rail 10 is 
attached to a bay ceiling or garage ceiling, and the upper portion of 
middle part 102, shown on the left in FIG. 1, is oriented toward the 
ceiling. Rail 10 accepts the guide roller mounts, the drive and catch in 
the C profile. For secure attachment of the mount (not shown in the 
drawing), it has cut-outs at positions spaced in the circumferential 
direction, into which projections 20, 30 of rail 10 penetrate at the 
desired position for the mount. If the tension on the drive component is 
to be changed or if the drive component is to be replaced, the mount is, 
for example, loosened from the topmost projections 20, 30, shown on the 
left in FIG. 1, in order to be attached by means of projections 20, 30 
oriented toward the end of rail 10, depending on the desired tension. 
Here, the mount is drawn to the end of rail 10, as shown in FIG. 1, to the 
point at which a new series of projections 20, 30 penetrate into the 
cut-outs in the mount. Displacement of the mount is also possible in a 
direction opposite thereto when projections 20, 30 are pressed down during 
displacement in the direction of the exterior of the C profile. 
FIG. 2 shows a method of embodiment of this invention in which projections 
20, 30 are placed on rail 10 in its middle section 102, as well as on leg 
parts 104. Projections 20, 30 are, however, not spaced in the longitudinal 
direction of rail 10, but rather in a plane perpendicular to the 
longitudinal direction. This results in the fact that the manufacture of 
the rail is made relatively simple, for one thing, and only a slight 
weakening of the material occurs, for another. Rail 10 shown in FIG. 2 
also accepts the mount (not shown) as well as the drive component and 
catch. Displacement of the mount in the longitudinal direction of rail 10 
in this case however, is not possible when the mount can be accepted in 
various projections 20, 30 spaced in the longitudinal direction, but 
rather only when the mount itself has cut-outs spaced in a longitudinal 
direction. If the mount is displaced from a first position to a second, 
projections 20, 30 are released from the cut-outs and finally penetrate in 
new cut-outs in the mount spaced in the longitudinal direction.