DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE OPENING AND SHUTTING MOVEMENT OF SLIDING LIFT DOORS

Abstract: The device disclosed serves to control the opening and shutting movement of sliding lift doors, and is designed to lock the compartment door (3) and the landing door (5) together when positioned face to face, in such a way that both doors open and shut as one. Such a device comprises a projecting catch fitted to the landing door (5), and a mechanism, carried by the compartment door (3), which engages the catch and grips it between the upright surfaces of a pair of jaws (9, 10) that can be drawn together and spread apart within a horizontal plane, as well as being traversed horizontally at right angles to the landing door toward and away from the catch.

Description: The invention relates to a device for controlling the opening and shutting movement of sliding lift doors. In a conventional lift installation, the 'open' and 'shut' sliding movements of the landing door are brought about when the lift compartment draws level with the landing at each floor; the actual movement derives from that of the door of the compartment, with which a mechanical linkage is established at the moment of opening and closing. Such a linkage incorporates a special catch component, attached either to the outermost section of a telescopic type compartment door, or to the single panel in a simple door assembly, that engages a corresponding latching system fastened to the inside of the landing door. The latching system will normally consist in a pair of parallel rollers or pins, which are disposed horizontally and set apart at a distance such as will allow the catch to locate between them during normal ascent and descent of the lift car. Clearly enough, the two rollers need to project from the face of the landing door, as well as from the relative internal wall of the lift shaft, and in order to avoid their unwarranted contact with the lift car, a certain minimum clearance must be left between the landing threshold and the compartment threshold, or the outermost surface of the car. The distance in question will not be less than 25...30mm in most instances, and is the source of a number of drawbacks arising from the gap created between the landing and compartment thresholds. Transit into and out of the lift is rendered problematic by the very wideness of the gap, especially with trolleys having small diameter wheels or casters. US-A-4 491 200 shows a locking mechanism for an elevator car door, comprising a pair of movable clutch vanes which cooperate with an interlock roller assembly consisting of one or more rollers mounted on a pivotable interlock arm. The clutch vanes may be moved towards each other and from each other, but they cannot be moved at right angles to the landing door or to its path of movement. The object of the invention, namely, to overcome the drawbacks mentioned above, is achieved with a device for controlling the opening and shutting movement of sliding lift doors as disclosed herein, which is of a type that operates between the panels of the lift compartment door and the landing door when these are positioned face to face, in such a way that both doors open and shut as one, and is characterized in that it comprises a projecting catch component carried by the landing door, and a grab component carried by the compartment door and designed to engage the catch component, gripping it between the two opposed upright surfaces of a pair of jaws that can be drawn together and spread apart within a horizontal plane, while traversing horizontally at right angles to the landing door toward and away from the catch component. The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which: fig 1 is a perspective of the device; fig 2 is a schematic representation of the device viewed in vertical elevation; fig 3 is a schematic representation of part of the section through II-II in fig 2, showing the landing and compartment doors positioned face to face; fig 4 is the same section through II-II in fig 2, showing the device in a different configuration to that of fig 3. With reference to the drawings, 1 and 2 denote the car of a lift installation, and the shaft internally of which the car ascends and descends. The door 3 of the lift compartment consists in an assembly of sliding panels 4 which are propelled through their opening and shutting movement, guided parallel with one another, by a conventional drive unit not illustrated in the drawings. The landing door 5 likewise consists in an assembly of sliding panels 6 which are guided through their opening and shutting movement by a system identical to that utilized for the compartment door 3, and can be operated only when positioned in exact face to face alignment with the panels 4 of the compartment door. The traversing movement necessary to open and shut the sliding panels 6 of the landing door 5 is transmitted from the panels 4 of the compartment door 3 by way of a device which causes the two sets of panels to slide as one. According to the invention, such a device comprises a catch component, carried by the landing door 5 and projecting into the lift shaft 2, which consists of a roller 7 with a horizontally disposed axis, and a grab component, denoted 8 in its entirety, carried by the compartment door 3 and designed to engage the roller 7, becoming rigidly associated therewith. The grab component 8 is fitted either to the sliding panel 4 itself, or to the part supporting it, and exhibits a pair of jaws 9 and 10 which are capable of movement within a horizontal plane, operated by a mechanism that draws them together and spreads them apart, as well as traversing them through a path at right angles to the landing door 5 toward and away from the roller 7. The mechanism incorporates a substantially upright rod 11 the top end of which engages with a conventional cam 12 that pushes down on the rod when the compartment door 3 is opened; the bottom end of the rod 11 is constrained to a given arc of movement by a crank lever 13, and is pivotably attached to one end of a further lever 14 the remaining end of which carries a ball joint 15, and a pivot 16 inserted through and axially slidable within a transverse hole 17 cut into the central section of a crank shaft 18 which rotates about a vertical axis. The crank shaft 18 exhibits distinct top and bottom halves which are disposed symmetrically in relation to a horizontal median plane containing the axis of the hole 17, the top half incorporating two cranks 21 and 22 offset one from the other through a given angle, say 180°. The pin 19 of the one crank 21 is rotatably attached to one end of a connecting rod 23 the remaining end of which is rigidly associated with one jaw 9 of the pair, the pin 20 of the other crank 22 being rotatably attached to one end of a rod 24 the remaining end of which associates rigidly with the other jaw 10. It will be seen from fig 1 that this same arrangement is mirrored in the bottom half of the crank shaft 18, below the horizontal median plane aforementioned; accordingly, the one jaw 9 is attached to the crank shaft 18 by way of two parallel connecting rods denoted 23, whilst the remaining jaw 10 is similarly attached to the same shaft by way of the two parallel rods denoted 24. The parallel connecting rods 23 and 24 of each set are vertically aligned, and all four rods will be seen to be located on one side of a vertical plane lying substantially at right angles to the doors 3 and 5 and containing the axis of the crank shaft 18 (see fig 4). Figs 3 and 4 illustrate the two limit configurations assumed by the mechanism. Fig 3 shows the jaws 9 and 10 spread completely apart and fully drawn back from the threshold of the landing door 5, whereas fig 4 shows the jaws drawn together to the point where their opposed vertical surfaces enter into contact with the outer surface of the catch roller 7; in the configuration of fig 4, the two jaws also occupy a position further forward than that of fig 3, i.e. nearer to the threshold of the landing door 5. Movement of the two sets of connecting rods 23 and 24 is controlled by angled guides 25 and 26 which are positioned such as to ensure that the jaws 9 and 10 are drawn fully back from the landing door 5 when spread apart to the maximum, and urged fully forward toward the landing door 5 when drawn together, so that the catch roller 7 is firmly gripped. Accordingly, a considerable reduction is obtained in the minimum clearance conventionally allowed between the landing threshold and the car to ensure that no contact occurs during ascent and descent. 27 denotes spring means attached directly to the crank shaft 18, the function of which is to bias the shaft toward the position whereby the jaws 9 and 10 are at the maximum distance apart. The moment that the cam 12 no longer impinges on the top end of the rod 11, the mechanism will be returned by the spring means 27 from the configuration of fig 4 to that illustrated in fig 3.

Claims: Device for controlling the opening and shutting movement of sliding lift doors, of the type that operates between the panels of the comportment door (3) and the panels of the landing door (5) when positioned face to face, in such a way that both doors open and shut as one, and comprising: a projecting catch component carried by the landing door (5); a grab component (8) carried by the compartment door (3) and designed to engage the catch component, gripping it between the two opposed upright surfaces of a pair of jaws (9, 10) that can be drawn together and spread apart within a horizontal plane, characterized in that it comprises: a crank shaft (18), operated by the opening and shutting movement of the door (3) and attached to the jaws (9, 10) by way of two parallel connecting rods (23, 24), so that the jaws (9, 10) can traverse horizontally at right angles to the landing door (5) toward and away from the catch component; angled guides (25, 26) for connecting rods (23, 24) of the grab jaws (9, 10), positioned such as to ensure that the jaws (9, 10) are drawn fully back from the landing door (5) when spread apart to the maximum, and urged fully forward toward the landing door when drawn together. Device as in claim 1, wherein the projecting catch component is embodied as a pin or roller (7) fitted to the landing door (5) with its axis horizontally disposed, and the grab component (8) is operated by a mechanism comprising: a substantially upright rod (11) the top end of which is impinged upon by a cam device (12) in such a way that the rod is pushed down as the compartment door (3) opens; the crank shaft (18), linked mechanically with the bottom end of the upright rod (11), rotatable about a vertical axis, and incorporating at least two cranks (21, 22) offset one from the other through a given angle; a first connecting rod (23), one end of which is rotatably attached to the pin (19) of the one crank (21), its remaining end rigidly associated with one jaw (9) of the pair; a second connecting rod (24), one end of which is rotatably attached to the pin (20) of the other crank (22), its remaining end rigidly associated with the other jaw (10) of the pair; means by which to guide the movement of the first and second connecting rods. Device as in claim 2, wherein the cranks (21, 22) are offset one from the other through 180°. Device as in claim 3, wherein the connecting rods (23, 24) and the respective jaws (9, 10) occupy positions a short distance apart on the same side of a vertical plane containing the axis of the crank shaft (18) and lying substantially at right angles to the door (3) and to its path of movement. Device as in claim 2 wherein spring means attached to the crank shaft (18) ensure that the shaft is biased toward the position in which the jaws (9, 10) are fully spread apart.

Inventors: MARCHIORI, SANDRO
Applicants: SELCOM S.P.A.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B66B13
IPC codes: B66B13