Patent Publication Number: US-2022228411-A1

Title: Sliding door device

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a sliding door device for moving a sliding door between a closed position for closing an opening and an opened position for allowing the sliding door to face a wall or the like adjacent to the opening. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     As this type of the sliding door device, the present applicant has proposed a sliding door device described in Patent document 1. This sliding door device includes a rail for guiding a support shaft attached to the sliding door. The rail includes a straight portion for linearly guiding the support shaft and an inclined portion which is inclined with respect to the straight portion and obliquely guides the support shaft. When the rail oscillates the support shaft, the sliding door moves between the closed position for closing the opening and the opened position for allowing the sliding door to face the wall adjacent to the opening. According to this sliding door device, since the sliding door and a wall surface become flat when the sliding door is closed, it is possible to produce a clear and smart space. Further, when the sliding door is opened, it is possible to form a large opening. 
     The sliding door device is provided with a pull-in device for pulling the sliding door to the closed position. The pull-in device is disposed on a rail side, that is, on the inclined portion of the rail to capture a roller traveling body which has moved from the straight portion to the inclined portion and pull the support shaft attached to the roller traveling body to the closed position. 
     PRIOR ART DOCUMENT 
     Patent Document 
     Patent Document 1: JP 2008-285942A 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Problems to be Solved by the Invention 
     However, since the pull-in device above is disposed on the inclined portion of the rail in the conventional sliding door device as described above, there is a problem that the inclined portion of the rail is enlarged and appearance of the inclined portion of the rail is deteriorated. 
     Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sliding door device which can move a support shaft attached to a sliding door along an inclined portion of a rail by using a pull-in device which can linearly move along a straight portion of the rail or a trigger which can linearly move along the straight portion of the rail. 
     Means for Solving the Problems 
     To solve the above-described problem, one aspect of the present invention relates to a sliding door device comprising a rail having a straight portion for linearly guiding a support shaft attached to a sliding door and an inclined portion which is inclined with respect to the straight portion and obliquely guides the support shaft; a pull-in device which can capture a trigger provided on the rail and linearly move along the straight portion of the rail when the sliding door is closed; and a pull-in force transmission part which is coupled to the pull-in device and moves the support shaft along the inclined portion according to linear movement of the pull-in device. 
     To solve the above-described problem, another aspect of the present invention relates to a sliding door device comprising a rail having a straight portion for linearly guiding a support shaft attached to a sliding door and an inclined portion which is inclined with respect to the straight portion and obliquely guides the support shaft; a trigger which can be captured by a pull-in device and linearly move along the straight portion of the rail when the sliding door is closed; and a pull-in force transmission part which is coupled to the trigger and moves the support shaft along the inclined portion according to linear movement of the trigger. 
     Effects of the Invention 
     According to the one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to move the support shaft attached to the sliding door along the inclined portion of the rail by using the pull-in device which can linearly move along the straight portion of the rail. 
     According to the other aspect of the present invention, it is possible to move the support shaft attached to the sliding door along the inclined portion of the rail by using the trigger which can linearly moves along the straight portion of the rail. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a sliding door device according to a first embodiment of the present invention (a state that the sliding door is in a closed position); 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the sliding door device of the present embodiment (a state that the sliding door is opened to a predetermined position). 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a rail ( FIG. 3( a )  is an upper surface side perspective view of the rail,  FIG. 3 ( b - 1 ) is an upper surface side perspective view of an inclined portion,  FIG. 3 ( b - 2 ) is a lower surface side perspective view of the inclined portion and  FIG. 3( c )  is an upper surface side perspective view of a straight portion). 
         FIG. 4  is an upper surface side perspective view of the rail, a pull-in device and a pull-in force transmission part. 
         FIG. 5  is an upper surface side perspective view of the pull-in device and the pull-in force transmission part. 
         FIG. 6( a )  is a perspective view of a coupling portion between an arm and a roller traveling body and  FIG. 6( b )  is a perspective view of a coupling portion between the arm and the pull-in device. 
         FIG. 7  is an operation diagram of the sliding door device of the present embodiment (a state before the pull-in device captures the trigger,  FIG. 7( a )  is a horizontal cross-sectional view and  FIG. 7( b )  is a cross-sectional view taken along a b-b line in FIG.  7 ( a )). 
         FIG. 8  is another operation diagram of the sliding door device of the present embodiment (a state that the pull-in device captures the trigger,  FIG. 8( a )  is a horizontal cross-sectional view and  FIG. 8( b )  is a cross-sectional view taken along a b-b line in  FIG. 8( a ) ). 
         FIG. 9  is yet another operation diagram of the sliding door device of the present embodiment (a state that the sliding door is in the closed position,  FIG. 9( a )  is a horizontal cross-sectional view and  FIG. 9( b )  is a cross-sectional view taken along a b-b line in  FIG. 9( a ) ). 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded view of the pull-in device ( FIG. 10( a )  is a plan view and  FIG. 10( b )  is a side view). 
         FIG. 11  is another exploded view of the pull-in device ( FIG. 11( a )  is a plan view and  FIG. 11( b )  is a side view). 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the roller traveling body and a bracket. 
         FIG. 13  is an exploded perspective view of the roller traveling body. 
         FIG. 14  is a diagram showing vertical adjustment of the bracket ( FIG. 14( a )  shows a front view of the bracket after the adjustment and  FIG. 14( b )  shows a front view of the bracket before the adjustment). 
         FIG. 15  is a diagram showing left-right adjustment of the bracket ( FIG. 15( a )  shows a front view of the bracket moved in the left direction,  FIG. 15( b )  shows a side view of the bracket and  FIG. 15( c )  shows a side view of the bracket moved in the right direction). 
         FIG. 16  is a diagram showing front-back adjustment of the bracket ( FIG. 16( a )  shows a cross-sectional view taken along an a-a line in  FIG. 16( b )  and  FIG. 16( b )  shows a front view of the bracket). 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view showing a sliding door device (a pull-in device and a pull-in force transmission part) according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view showing a sliding door device (a pull-in device and a pull-in force transmission part) according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view showing a sliding door device (a pull-in device and a pull-in force transmission part) according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a perspective view of a sliding door device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention (in a state that the sliding door is in the closed position). 
         FIG. 21  is another perspective view of the sliding door device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention (a state that the sliding door is opened to the predetermined position). 
         FIG. 22  is an upper surface side perspective view of a trigger and the pull-in force transmission part of the sliding door device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 23  is an operation diagram of the sliding door device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention (a state before the pull-in device captures the trigger,  FIG. 23( a )  is a horizontal cross-sectional view and  FIG. 23( b )  is a side view). 
         FIG. 24  is an operation diagram of the sliding door device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention (a state that the pull-in device captures the trigger,  FIG. 24( a )  is a horizontal cross-sectional view and  FIG. 24( b )  is a side view). 
         FIG. 25  is another operation diagram of the sliding door device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention (a state that the sliding door is in the closed position,  FIG. 25( a )  is a horizontal cross-sectional view and  FIG. 25( b )  is a side view). 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, sliding door devices according to embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the sliding door device of the present invention may be embodied in various forms and is not limited to the embodiments described in the specification. The embodiments are provided with intention of sufficiently providing the disclosure of the specification for allowing a person having ordinary skill in the art to sufficiently understand the scope of the invention. 
     First Embodiment 
       FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  show a sliding door device  1  according to a first embodiment of the present invention (an upper surface side perspective view of the sliding door  2 ).  FIG. 1  shows a state that the sliding door  2  is in a closed position.  FIG. 2  shows a state that the sliding door  2  is opened from the closed position to a predetermined position in an opening direction. In this regard, for convenience of the explanation, the following description uses a direction when the sliding door is viewed from the front side, that is a door head and door tail direction and a depth direction shown in  FIG. 1  for explaining a configuration of the sliding door  1 . 
     The reference number “ 3 ” refers to a frame, the reference number “ 4 ” refers to an opening, the reference number “ 5 ” refers to a wall, the reference numbers “ 6   a ”, “ 6   b ” respectively refer to rails and the reference numbers “ 7   a ”, “ 7   b ” respectively refer to support shafts. When the rails  6   a ,  6   b  respectively guide the support shafts  7   a ,  7   b  attached to the sliding door  2 , the sliding door  2  can move between the closed position for closing the opening  4  (see  FIG. 1 ) and an opened position for allowing the sliding door  2  to face the wall  5  adjacent to the opening  4 . In this regard, the sliding door  2  can move from a predetermined position shown in  FIG. 2  to the opened position located in the door tail direction in  FIG. 2 . A blind plate  8  for hiding the rails is provided on an upper portion of the opening  4  of the frame  4 . 
     The rails  6   a ,  6   b  include the door head side rail  6   a  disposed on the door head side of the frame  3  and the door tail side rail  6   b  disposed on the door tail side of the frame  3 . The rail  6   a  includes a straight portion  11  and an inclined portion  12  connected to an end portion of the straight portion  11  and inclined with respect to the straight portion  11 . The rail  6   b  also includes a straight portion  11  and an inclined portion connected to an end portion of the straight portion  11  and inclined with respect to the straight portion  11 . The rail  6   a  is disposed more to the back side and the door head side than the rail  6   b . The straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a  and the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   b  are parallel to each other. 
     The support shafts  7   a ,  7   b  include the door head side support shaft  7   a  which can move on the rail  6   a  and the door tail side support shaft  7   b  which can move on the rail  6   b . The support shaft  7   a  is supported by a roller traveling body  21   a  which can travel on the rail  6   a  (see  FIG. 9 ). The support shaft  7   b  is supported by a roller traveling body  21   b  which can travel on the rail  6   b  (see  FIG. 9 ). The support shaft  7   a  is attached to the door head side of the sliding door  2  through a bracket  13   a . The support shaft  7   b  is attached to the door tail side of the sliding door  2  through a bracket  13   b . A length of the bracket  13   a  in the depth direction is longer than a length of the bracket  13   b  in the depth direction. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , when the sliding door  2  is in the closed position, front surfaces of the sliding door  2  and the wall  5  viewed from the front side become flat (see  FIG. 9( a ) ). When the sliding door  2  is opened, the inclined portions  12  of the rails  6   a ,  6   b  respectively oscillate the support shafts  7   a ,  7   b , and thus the sliding door  2  moves to the back side and the door tail side. Thereafter, the straight portions  11  of the rails  6   a ,  6   b  respectively oscillate the support shafts  7   a ,  7   b , and thus the sliding door  2  linearly moves to the opened position. 
       FIG. 3  shows a detailed view of the rail  6   a . As shown in  FIGS. 3( a )( c ) , the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a  is formed in a cylindrical shape having a substantially C-shaped cross-section. A groove  11   a  extending in the lengthwise direction is formed in a lower portion of the straight portion  11 . Rollers  16  of a pull-in device  15  (see  FIG. 5 ) travel on both sides of the groove  11   a  and rollers  22  of a roller traveling body  21   a  (see  FIG. 5 ) also travel. Further, an anti-vibration roller  17  of the pull-in device  15  (see  FIG. 5 ) travels inside the groove  11   a  and an anti-vibration roller  23  of the roller traveling body  21   a  (see  FIG. 5 ) also travels. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3( a ) , the inclined portion  12  is connected to the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a . The inclined portion  12  is also formed so as to have a substantially C-shaped cross-section. A flange  12   a  is formed on an upper portion of the inclined portion  12 . As shown in  FIG. 3 ( b - 2 ), a curved groove  12   b  is formed on a lower portion of the inclined portion  12 . This groove  12   b  includes an arcuate groove  12   b   1  leading to the groove  11   a  of the straight portion  11  and a straight groove  12   b   2  inclined with respect to the groove  11   a . In this regard, an entire portion of the groove  12   b  may be formed in an arcuate groove. The rollers  22  of the roller traveling body  21   a  (see  FIG. 5 ) travel on both sides of the groove  12   b . The anti-vibration roller  23  of the roller traveling body  21   a  (see  FIG. 5 ) travels inside the groove  12   b.    
     Since the rail  6   b  (see  FIG. 1 ) has the substantially same configuration as the rail  6   a , the same reference numbers are attached to components of the rail  6   b  and the description for the rail  6   b  will be omitted. 
       FIG. 4  shows the rail  6   a  and the pull-in device  15  and  FIG. 5  shows the pull-in device  15 . The pull-in device  15  is disposed only on the rail  6   a  and not disposed on the rail  6   b  (see  FIG. 9( a ) ). Note that the pull-in device  15  may be disposed only on the rail  6   b  or the pull-in device  15  may be disposed on both of the rail  6   a  and the rail  6   b.    
     The reference number “ 18 ” refers to a trigger provided on the rail  6   a . The trigger  18  is fastened to the rail  6   a  or the frame  3  by a screw or the like not shown in the drawings. When the sliding door  2  is closed, the pull-in device  15  captures the trigger  18  and linearly moves along the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a . A moving direction of the pull-in device  15  and a transmission direction of pull-in force of the pull-in device  15  are indicated by an arrow A. After capturing the trigger  18 , the pull-in device  15  moves to the closed position shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the pull-in force transmission part  20  includes the roller traveling body  21   a  and an arm  19  rotatably coupled to the roller traveling body  21   a  and the pull-in device  15 . The arm  19  is constituted of one link. As shown in  FIG. 6( b ) , one end portion of the arm  19  is coupled to an end portion of the pull-in device  15  so as to be capable of rotating around a vertical shaft  26 . As shown in  FIG. 6( a ) , another end portion of the arm  19  is coupled to the roller traveling body  21   a  so as to be capable of rotating around a vertical shaft  25 . 
       FIG. 7  to  FIG. 9  show operation diagrams of the sliding door device  1  when the sliding door  2  is closed. As shown in  FIG. 7 , when the sliding door  2  is closed, the pull-in device  15  moves along the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a  together with the sliding door  2 .  FIG. 7  shows a state before the pull-in device  15  captures the trigger  18 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , when the pull-in device  15  captures a shaft portion  18   a  of the trigger  18 , the pull-in device  15  generates the pull-in force in the direction of the arrow 
     A and thus linearly moves in the direction of the arrow A. The pull-in force of the pull-in device  15  is transmitted to the roller traveling body  21   a  through the arm  19 . The roller traveling body  21   a  moves in a direction of an arrow B along the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a . According to the movement of the roller traveling body  21   a  in the direction of the arrow B, the roller traveling body  21   b  also moves. Since the support shafts  7   a ,  7   b  (see  FIG. 1 ) are respectively attached to the roller traveling bodies  21   a ,  21   b , the support shafts  7   a ,  7   b  move along the inclined portions  12 . Therefore, it becomes possible to obliquely pull the sliding door  2  in the direction of the arrow B. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , when the pull-in device  15  further moves in the direction of the arrow A, the roller traveling body  21   a  moves to the vicinity of a tip end portion of the inclined portion  12  and thus the sliding door  2  moves to the closed position. The closed position of the sliding door  2  is held by the pull-in force of the pull-in device  15 . When the sliding door  2  is opened, an operation opposite to the above-described operation is performed. 
     One example of the configuration of the pull-in device  15  will be described below.  FIG. 10  is an exploded view of the pull-in device  15 . The pull-in device  15  has a base configuration including a base  30 , a catcher  31   a  which can relatively slide with respect to the base  30  and a spring  32   a  disposed between the base  30  and the catcher  31   a . When the catcher  31   a  captures the trigger  18 , the catcher  31   a  rotates to release engagement between the catcher  31   a  and the curved groove  30   a  of the base  30  and thus the base  30  moves to the door head direction in the drawing due to spring force of the spring  32   a . Movement of the base  30  is braked by a first linear damper  33  and a second linear damper  34 . 
     In this embodiment, two pairs of catchers  31   a ,  31   b  and springs  32   a ,  32   b  are provided so as to generate the pull-in force not only when the sliding door  2  is closed but also when the sliding door  2  is opened. In this regard, one pair of the catcher  31   a  and the spring  32   a  may be provided so as to generate the pull-in force only when the sliding door  2  is closed. 
     Hereinafter, a more detailed configuration of the pull-in device  15  will be described. A first slider assembly  35  and a second slider assembly  36  are slidably provided on the base  30 . A damper assembly  37  is slidably provided between the first slider assembly  35  and the second slider assembly  36 . A cover  39  (see  FIG. 5 ) is attached to the base  30 . A groove  39   a  for receiving the shaft portion  18   a  of the trigger  18  is formed on the cover  39 . 
       FIG. 11  shows exploded views of the first slider assembly  35 , the second slider assembly  36  and the damper assembly  37 . The first slider assembly  35  includes a slider body  41 , the catcher  31   a , a pusher  43  and a malfunction prevention cam  44 . 
     As described above, the catcher  31   a  engages with the curved groove  30   a  of the base  30 , and thereby a standby position of the catcher  31   a  is maintained. The pusher  43  pushes the catcher  31   a  so as to hold the catcher  31   a  in the standby position. The slider body  41  is provided to stabilize relative sliding of the catcher  31   a  with respect to the base  30 . The malfunction prevention cam  44  is provided to return the catcher  31   a  to the standby position when the catcher  31   a  is left from the standby position due to malfunction. 
     Similarly to the first slider assembly  35 , the second slider assembly  36  includes a slider body  41 , the catcher  31   b , a pusher  43  and a malfunction prevention cam  44 . Since configurations of these components are substantially the same as those of the first slider assembly  35 , the same reference numbers are attached to them and description for them will be omitted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the damper assembly  37  includes a first linear damper  33 , a second linear damper  34  and a damper base  38  on which the first linear damper  33  and the second linear damper  34  are disposed. Damper locks  38   a ,  38   b  are provided on the damper base  38 . 
     When the first slider assembly  35  relatively slides with respect to the base  30 , a distance between the damper base  38  and the first slider assembly  35  first decreases and the first linear damper  33  operates. Thereafter, the damper lock  38   a  is released, the damper base  38  slides together with the first slider assembly  35 , a distance between the second slider assembly  36  and the damper base  38  decreases, and the second linear damper  34  operates. When the second slider assembly  36  relatively slides with respect to the base  30 , the second linear damper  34  first operates and then the first linear damper  33  operates. 
     Note that the above-described configuration of the pull-in device  15  is merely one example. The pusher  43 , the malfunction prevention cam  44 , the slider body  41  and the damper assembly  37  may be omitted. 
     Hereinafter, description will be given to one example of the configuration of the roller traveling body  21   a .  FIG. 12  shows the roller traveling body  21   a  and the bracket  13   a .  FIG. 13  shows an exploded view of the roller traveling body  21   a . The roller traveling body  21   a  includes a main body  40 , the pair of left and right rollers  22  rotatably disposed on side surfaces of the main body  40  respectively and the anti-vibration roller  23  rotatably disposed on a lower surface of the main body  40 . The above-described arm  19  is coupled to the main body  40 . 
     The support shaft  7   a  is supported by the main body  40 . The support shaft  7   a  can rotate with respect to the main body  40  around a center line c. A bushing  42  for smoothing the rotation of the support shaft  7   a  is incorporated in the main body  40 . 
     The bracket  13   a  (see  FIG. 12 ) is attached to the support shaft  7   a  so that a position of the bracket  13   a  can be adjusted in three-dimensional directions (vertical, left and right, and front and rear directions in  FIG. 13 ). The reference number “ 57 ” refers to a front-back adjustment screw and the reference numbers “ 44   a ”, “ 44   b ” respectively refer to left-right adjustment screws. The reference number “ 45 ” refers to a vertical adjustment screw formed on the support shaft  7   a . The reference number “ 46 ” refers to a plate and the reference number “ 47 ” refers to a bracket support body. The bracket  13   a  is sandwiched between the plate  46  and the bracket support body  47  (see  FIG. 14( a ) ). 
     The vertical adjustment of the bracket  13   a  is performed as follows. As shown in  FIG. 14( b ) , by fitting the vertical adjustment screw  45  of the support shaft  7   a  into a screwed hole of the plate  46  and rotating the support shaft  7   a , the plate  46  moves in the vertical direction. As shown in  FIG. 14( a ) , by tightening a nut  48  to sandwich the bracket  13   a  between the plate  46  and the bracket support body  47 , the bracket  13   a  is fixed to the plate  46 . 
     The left-right adjustment of the bracket  13   a  is performed as follows. As shown in  FIG. 15( a ) , by tightening the right-side left-right adjustment screw  44   b  fitted into the bracket support body  47  and tightening the left-side left-right adjustment screw  44   a , the bracket  13   a  moves in the left direction with respect to the bracket support body  47 . As shown in  FIG. 15( c ) , by tightening the left-side left-right adjustment screw  44   a  fitted into the bracket support body  47  and tightening the right-side left-right adjustment screw  44   b , the bracket  13   a  moves in the right direction in the drawing with respect to the bracket support body  47 . 
     The front-back adjustment of the bracket  13   a  is performed as follows. As shown in  FIG. 16( a ) , the front-back adjustment screw  57  is formed in a drum shape having a recessed central portion. The support shaft  7   a  engages with the recessed portion of the front-back adjustment screw  57 . By tightening or loosening the front-back adjustment screw  57  fitted into the bracket support body  47 , the bracket support body  47  and the bracket  13   a  move in the front direction or the back direction with respect to the support shaft  7   a.    
     Once the vertical, left-right and front-back adjustments of the bracket  13   a  are completed, a fixing screw  49  is tightened to the plate  46  to fix the bracket  13   a  to the plate  46  as shown in  FIG. 14( a ) . In this regard, the bracket  13   a  may be directly fixed to the support shaft  7   a  without providing the above-described three-dimensional adjustment structure. 
     Since the roller traveling body  21   b  (see  FIG. 9 ) has substantially the same configuration as the roller traveling body  21   a , description for the roller traveling body  21   b  will be omitted. 
     The configuration of the sliding door device  1  of the present embodiment has been described. According to the sliding door device  1  of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. 
     Since the pull-in force transmission part  20  is coupled to the pull-in device  15 , it is possible to move the support shaft  7   a  attached to the sliding door  2  along the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a  by using the pull-in device  15  which can linearly move along the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a.    
     Since the pull-in force transmission part  20  includes the arm  19  rotatably coupled to the roller traveling body  21   a  and the pull-in device  15 , it is possible to move the roller traveling body  21   a  to the vicinity of the tip end portion of the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a.    
     Since the arm  19  is constituted of the one link, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the arm  19 . 
     Since the support shaft  7   a  is supported by the roller traveling body  21   a , it is possible to move the support shaft  7   a  to the vicinity of the tip end portion of the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a  together with the roller traveling body  21   a.    
     Second Embodiment 
       FIG. 17  shows a pull-in device  15  and a pull-in force transmission part  50  according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the support shaft  7   a  is supported by the roller traveling body  21   a , whereas in the second embodiment, the support shaft  7   a  is supported by the arm  19 . The other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus the same reference numbers are attached them and description for them will be omitted. 
     Third Embodiment 
       FIG. 18  shows a pull-in device  15  and a pull-in force transmission part  51  according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the arm  19  is constituted of the one link, whereas in the third embodiment, an arm  52  is constituted of a plurality of links  53   a ,  53   b ,  53   c . The plurality of links  53   a ,  53   b ,  53   c  are coupled so as to be capable of rotating around a vertical shaft  55 . According to the third embodiment, since the arm  52  is constituted of the plurality of links  53   a ,  53   b ,  53   c , it is possible to move the support shaft  7   a  along the inclined portion  12  even if the inclination of the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a  is steep. 
     Fourth Embodiment 
       FIG. 19  shows a pull-in device  15  and a pull-in force transmission part  56  according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the pull-in force transmission part  20  is constituted of the roller traveling body  21   a  and the arm  19 , whereas in the fourth embodiment, the pull-in force transmission part  56  is constituted of the roller traveling body  21   a . The roller traveling body  21   a  is coupled to the pull-in device  15  so as to be capable of rotating around the vertical shaft  54  without through any arms. The configuration of the roller traveling body  21   a  is substantially the same as that of the roller traveling body  21   a  of the first embodiment, and thus the same reference number is attached to it and description for it will be omitted. 
     Fifth Embodiment 
       FIG. 20  and  FIG. 21  show a sliding door device  61  according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 20  shows a state that the sliding door  2  is in the closed position and  FIG. 21  shows a state that the sliding door  2  is opened from the closed position to the predetermined position in the opening direction. 
     The reference number “ 3 ” refers to a frame, the reference number “ 4 ” refers to an opening, the reference number “ 5 ” refers to a wall, the reference number “ 8 ” refers to a blind plate, the reference numbers “ 6   a ”, “ 6   b ” respectively refer to rails and the reference numbers “ 7   a ”, “ 7   b ” respectively refer to support shafts. The rails  6   a ,  6   b  include the door head side rail  6   a  disposed on the door head side of the frame  3  and the door tail side rail  6   b  disposed on the door tail side of the frame  3 . The rail  6   a  includes a straight portion  11  and an inclined portion  12  which is connected to an end portion of the straight portion  11  and inclined with respect to the straight portion  11 . The rail  6   b  also includes a straight portion  11  and an inclined portion  12  which is connected to an end portion of the straight portion  11  and inclined with respect to the straight portion  11 . The support shafts  7   a ,  7   b  includes the door head side support shaft  7   a  which can move on the rail  6   a  and the door tail side support shaft  7   b  which can move on the rail  6   b . The support shaft  7   a  is supported by a roller traveling body  21   a  (see  FIG. 22 ) which can travel on the rail  6   a.    
     The support shaft  7   b  is supported by a roller traveling body which can travel on the rail  6   b . The support shaft  7   a  is attached to the door head side of the sliding door  2  through a bracket  13   a . The support shaft  7   b  is attached to the door head side of the sliding door  2  through a bracket  13   b . Since these configurations are the same as those of the sliding door device  1  of the first embodiment, the same reference numbers are attached to them and detailed description for them will be omitted. 
     In the sliding door device  1  of the first embodiment, the pull-in device  15  which can linearly move along the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a  is used for moving the support shaft  7   a  attached to the sliding door  2  along the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a , whereas in the sliding door device  61  of the fifth embodiment, a trigger  62  which can linearly move along the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a  is used for moving the support shaft  7   a  attached to the sliding door  2  along the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a . A pull-in device  63   a  for capturing the trigger  62  to pull the trigger  62  is attached to the rail  6   a.    
       FIG. 23( a )  shows a horizontal cross-sectional view of the sliding door device  61  and  FIG. 23( b )  shows a side view of the sliding door device  61 . The pull-in device  63   a  is attached to the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a . The pull-in device  63   a  includes a base  69  extending along the straight portion  11 , a catcher  70  provided on the base  69  so as to be capable of sliding in the lengthwise direction of the base  69  and a spring (not shown in the drawings) disposed between the base  69  and the catcher  70 . The pull-in device  63   a  is configured so that the catcher  70  rotates when the catcher  70  captures the trigger  62  to release engagement between the catcher  70  and the base  69  and thus the catcher  70  moves in the door head direction due to spring force of the spring. It is also possible to provide a linear damper for braking the movement of the catcher  70  in the door head direction. Since the configuration of the pull-in device  63   a  itself has been known in the art, further detailed description for it will be omitted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 20  and  FIG. 21 , when the sliding door  2  is closed, the trigger  62  is captured by the pull-in device  63   a  and linearly moves along the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a . As shown in  FIG. 22 , the pull-in force transmission part  20  is coupled to the trigger  62 . The pull-in force transmission part  20  moves the support shaft  7   a  along the inclined portion  12  according to linear movement of the trigger  62 . Note that the reference number “ 63   b ” in  FIG. 20  refers to a pull-in device for capturing the trigger  62  to pull the trigger  62  to the door tail side. The pull-in device  63   b  is symmetrical with the pull-in device  63   a  and has substantially the same configuration as the pull-in device  63   a . The pull-in device  63   b  generates pull-in force when the sliding door  2  is opened. 
     As shown in  FIG. 22 , the trigger  62  includes a trigger body  64 , for example, four rollers  65  and, for example, two anti-vibration rollers  66 . The trigger body  64  has an elongated rectangular parallelepiped body portion  64   a  contained in the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a  and an engagement portion  64   b  which protrudes from the body portion  64   a  to the outside of the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a  and can engage with the catcher  70  (see  FIG. 23( b ) ) of the pull-in device  63   a . The rollers  65  are rotatably attached to side surfaces of the trigger body  64  and travel on both sides of a groove  11   a  (see  FIG. 23( a ) ) of the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a . The anti-vibration rollers  66  are rotatably attached to a bottom surface of the trigger body  64  and travel in the groove  11   a  of the straight portion  11 . 
     The pull-in force transmission part  20  includes the roller traveling body  21   a  and an arm  19  rotatably coupled to the roller traveling body  21   a  and the trigger  62 . One end portion of the arm  19  is coupled to the trigger  62  so as to be capable of rotating around a vertical shaft  67 . Another end portion of the arm  19  is coupled to the roller traveling body  21   a  so as to be capable of rotating around a vertical shaft  68 . Since the configuration of the roller traveling body  21   a  is the same as the roller traveling body  21   a  of the first embodiment (see  FIG. 12 ), the same reference number is attached to it and description for it will be omitted. 
       FIG. 23  to  FIG. 25  show operation diagrams of the sliding door device  61  when the sliding door  2  is closed.  FIG. 23  shows a state before the pull-in device  63   a  captures the trigger  62 . As shown in  FIG. 23 , when the sliding door  2  is closed, the trigger  62  moves along the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a  together with the sliding door  2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 24 , when the pull-in device  63   a  captures the trigger  62 , the pull-in device  63   a  generates pull-in force in a direction of an arrow A and thus the trigger  62  linearly moves in the direction of the arrow A. The pull-in force acting on the trigger  62  is transmitted to the roller traveling body  21   a  through the arm  19 . The roller traveling body  21   a  moves along the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a  in a direction of an arrow B. Since the support shaft  7   a  is attached to the roller traveling body  21   a , the support shaft  7   a  moves along the inclined portion  12 . Therefore, it is possible to obliquely pull the sliding door  2  in the direction of the arrow B. 
     As shown in  FIG. 25 , when the trigger  62  further moves in the direction of the arrow A, the roller traveling body  21   a  moves to the vicinity of a tip end portion of the inclined portion  12  and thus the sliding door  2  moves to the closed position. The closed position of the sliding door  2  is held by the pull-in force of the pull-in device  63   a . When the sliding door  2  is opened, an operation opposite to the above-described operation is performed. 
     The configuration of the sliding door device  61  of the present embodiment has been described. According to the sliding door device  61  of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. 
     Since the pull-in force transmission part  20  is coupled to the trigger  62 , it is possible to move the support shaft  7   a  attached to the sliding door  2  along the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a  by using the trigger  62  which can linearly move along the straight portion  11  of the rail  6   a.    
     Since the pull-in force transmission part  20  includes the arm  19  which is rotatably coupled to the roller traveling body  21   a  and the pull-in device  63   a , it is possible to move the roller traveling body  21   a  to the vicinity of the tip end portion of the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a.    
     Since the arm  19  is constituted of the one link, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the arm  19 . 
     Since the support shaft  7   a  is supported by the roller traveling body  21   a , it is possible to move the support shaft  7   a  to the vicinity of the tip end portion of the inclined portion  12  of the rail  6   a  together with the roller traveling body  21   a.    
     In this regard, it is not limited that the present invention is embodied according to the above-described embodiments and the present invention can be changed to various embodiments without changing the spirit of the present invention. 
     Although the sliding door is moved to the front side when the sliding door is closed in the above-described embodiments, the sliding door may be moved to the back side. 
     Although the sliding door and the wall surface adjacent to the opening become flat in the closed position of the sliding door in the above-described embodiments, the sliding door and another slide door adjacent to the sliding door may become flat. 
     Although the sliding door and the wall surface become flat in the closed position of the sliding door in the above-described embodiments, the sliding door and the wall surface may not become flat. For example, in order to improve airtightness of the opening, the sliding door may be in close contact with packing of the frame of the opening. 
     The present specification is based on Japanese patent application No. 2019-147829 filed on Aug. 9, 2019. The entire contents of this application are hereby incorporated. 
     DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SINGS 
     
         
         
           
               1 ,  61  . . . Sliding door device 
               2  . . . Sliding door 
               6   a  . . . Rail 
               7   a  . . . Support shaft 
               11  . . . Straight portion 
               12  . . . Inclined portion 
               15 ,  63   a  . . . Pull-in device 
               18 ,  62  . . . Trigger 
               19 ,  52  . . . Arm 
               20 ,  50 ,  51 ,  56  . . . Pull-in force transmission part 
               21   a  . . . Roller traveling body 
               53   a ,  53   b ,  53   c  . . . Link