Patent Publication Number: US-2022235593-A1

Title: Pulley device, sliding door and sliding window

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims to the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 2021100884411, filed on Jan. 22, 2021, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the technical field of door or window fittings, in particular to a pulley device, a sliding door, and a sliding window. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With the development of related technologies, sliding doors and sliding windows have become more and more widely used in people&#39;s daily life. Therefore, manufacturers and users have continuously improved the performance requirements of pulley devices for smooth sliding of the sliding doors and the sliding windows. 
     In the conventional technology, in order to realize the adjustability of the pulley device, structures used to mount and position the pulley device are relatively complicated, resulting in that the pulley device is not easy to be mounted and detached, and the production cost is high, which greatly limits the application range of the pulley device. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to various embodiments, a pulley device, a sliding door, and a sliding window are provided. 
     According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a pulley device is provided. The pulley device includes: a pulley component including a pulley; a connecting component including a rocker, one end of the rocker being rotatably connected to the pulley component; and a housing including a bottom plate and two side plates. The two side plates are fixed to two opposed sides of the bottom plate, respectively, so that the bottom plate and the side plates jointly define a receiving cavity configured to receive the pulley component and the connecting component. A surface of the side plate facing the receiving cavity defines a receiving groove along a length direction of the side plate, and the other end of the rocker is received in the receiving groove and is capable of sliding along the receiving groove. 
     In one of the embodiments, the side plate further defines a guiding groove. An extending direction of the guiding groove is not parallel to an extending direction of the receiving groove. The connecting component further includes a positioning pin. The rocker defines a positioning hole. The positioning pin extends through the positioning hole. One end of the positioning pin is received in the guiding groove so that the positioning pin is capable of sliding along the guiding groove and guiding the rocker. 
     In one of the embodiments, the the guiding groove extends through the side plate along a thickness direction of the side plate. The positioning pin includes a pin body and a flange at one end of the pin body. The pin body extends through the positioning hole and the guiding groove. The flange abuts against a surface of the side plate away from the receiving cavity, so that the pin body is capable of sliding along the receiving groove. 
     In one of the embodiments, from an end adjacent to the bottom plate to an end far away from the bottom plate, the two side plates each includes a first plate body and a second plate body. The receiving groove is located on the first plate body, and the guiding groove is located on the second plate body. 
     In one of the embodiments, a distance between two opposed first plate bodies is less than a distance between two opposed second plate bodies. 
     In one of the embodiments, the connecting component further includes a connecting rod. The connecting rod is rotatably connected to the other end of the rocker. The connecting rod is received in the receiving groove and is capable of sliding along the receiving groove. Two pulleys are provided. The two pulleys are respectively located at both ends of the pulley component in a length direction. Two rockers are provided. One ends of the two rockers are rotatably connected to the two pulleys, respectively, and the other ends of the two rockers are rotatably connected to both ends of the connecting rod, respectively. 
     In one of the embodiments, the pulley device further includes an adjusting component. The adjusting component is connected to the rocker, to drive the rocker to slide along the receiving groove. 
     In one of the embodiments, the adjusting component includes a fixing block and a push-pull rod. The fixing block is fixedly connected to the housing. One end of the push-pull rod is slidably connected to the fixing block, and the other end of the push-pull rod is connected to the rocker to drive the rocker to slide along the receiving groove. 
     In one of the embodiments, the fixing block and the push-pull rod are received in the receiving cavity. A surface of the fixing block facing the side plate is provided with a protrusion matching the receiving groove. 
     According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a sliding door is further provided. The sliding door includes the pulley device as described above. 
     According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a sliding window is further provided. The sliding window includes the pulley device as described above. 
     In the pulley device, the sliding door, and the sliding window according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the pulley component is connected to the housing by the connecting component having the rocker, as such, the connecting structure is relatively simple, so that both the pulley component and the connecting component can be received in the receiving cavity within the housing. In addition, the position of the pulley component relative to the housing is adjustable. Moreover, the receiving groove is defined on the surface of the side plate of the housing facing the receiving cavity, so that one end of the rocker of the connecting component can be received in the receiving groove, which facilitates mounting. In this way, when the pulley component moves relative to the housing, the rocker can slide in the receiving groove. Under the premise of ensuring that the connecting component and the housing are firmly connected, the position of the pulley component can be adjusted smoother. As such, the pulley device has a simple overall structure, convenient mounting, and low production cost. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a pulley device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of a pulley device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a partial enlarged schematic view of a portion A of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of a connecting structure between a connecting component and a housing in a pulley device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of a connecting structure between a connecting component and an adjusting component in a pulley device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a pulley device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the pulley device is in a first state. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a pulley device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the pulley device is in a second state. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a pulley device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the pulley device is in a third state. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     In order to enable the above objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are illustrated in order to aid in understanding of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the connotation of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below. 
     It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being “fixed to” another element, it can be directly on another element or there may be an intermediate element therebetween. When an element is considered to be “connected to” another element, it can be directly connected to another element or there may be an intermediate element therebetween at the same time. 
     Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field of the present disclosure. The terms used in the specification of the disclosure herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more associated listed items. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 5 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a pulley device  10  is provided. The pulley device  10  includes a pulley component  100 , a connecting component  200 , and a housing  300 . The pulley component  100  is connected and fixed to the housing  300  through the connecting component  200 . A position of the pulley component  100  relative to the housing  300  can be adjusted. 
     The pulley component  100  includes a pulley  110 . The pulley  110  may be mounted on a pulley frame. The pulley frame is a main structure used to mount and fix the pulley  110  and other parts in the pulley component  100 . A structure of the pulley frame is not limited herein. In this embodiment, the pulley frame defines a mounting space therein. The pulley  110  is mounted in the mounting space, and is rotatably connected to the pulley frame by a pin. One side of the pulley frame further has an opening that is in communication with the mounting space. A portion of the pulley  110  protrudes out of the opening to be convenient for being connected with doors or windows. The number and mounting positions of the pulleys  110  can be flexibly adjusted according to different use requirements. As shown in the figure, two pulleys  110  are provided in this embodiment. The two pulleys  110  are respectively mounted on both ends of the pulley frame in a length direction thereof. 
     The pulley component  100  is connected and fixed to the housing  300  through a transmission assembly. The position of the pulley component  100  relative to the housing  300  is adjusted by the transmission assembly. Specifically, the connecting component  200  includes a rocker  210 . One end of the rocker  210  is rotatably connected to the pulley frame  110 . The other end of the rocker  210  is slidably connected to the housing  300 . By providing the rocker  210 , the pulley component  100  and the housing  300  can move relative to the rocker  210  respectively and maintain a stable connection relationship therebetween. 
     The housing  300  is used to connect, carry, and fix the pulley component  100  and the connecting component  200 . The housing  300  includes a bottom plate  310  and two side plates  320 . The two side plates  320  are respectively fixed on two opposite sides of the bottom plate  310  so that the bottom plate  310  and the side plates  320  jointly define a receiving cavity  330  for receiving the pulley component  100  and the connecting component  200 . According to different processing techniques, the two side plates  320  in the housing  300  can be fixed on the bottom plate  310  by welding, riveting, and other methods commonly used in the art, or the two side plates  320  and the bottom plate  310  can be integrally formed. The size and shape of the receiving cavity  330  enclosed by the bottom plate  310  and the side plates  320  are not limited, as long as the receiving cavity  330  can completely receive the pulley component  100 , the connecting component  200 , and other parts or components of the pulley device  10 . In addition, a surface of the side plate  320  facing the receiving cavity  330  defines a receiving groove  340  along a length direction of the side plate  320 . Since the connecting component  200  is received in the receiving cavity  330  of the housing  300 , the other end of the rocker  210  can also be further received in the receiving groove  340  on the side plate  320 . By reasonably setting the shape and size of the receiving groove  340  to be respectively adapted to the ends of the rocker  210 , the receiving groove  340  can limit and guide the rocker  210 , enabling the rocker  210  to slide along the receiving groove  340 . 
     In this way, the other end of the rocker  210  can be inserted into the receiving groove  340  from the end of the housing  300 , so that the connecting component  200  and the housing  300  can be easily connected and fixed, which facilitates the mounting. Moreover, when the position of the pulley component  100  relative to the housing  300  is adjusted through the connecting component  200 , due to that the receiving groove  340  can limit and guide the rocker  210 , the movements of the connecting component  200  and the pulley component  100  are smooth, and the position of the pulley component  100  can be adjusted smoother. 
     In the pulley device  10  according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the pulley component  100  is connected to the housing  300  by the connecting component  200  having the rocker  210 , as such, the connecting structure is relatively simple, so that both the pulley component  100  and the connecting component  200  can be received in the receiving cavity  330  within the housing  300 . In addition, the position of the pulley component  100  relative to the housing  300  is adjustable. Moreover, the receiving groove  340  is defined on the surface of the side plate  320  of the housing  300  facing the receiving cavity  330 , so that one end of the rocker  210  of the connecting component  200  can be received in the receiving groove  340 , which facilitates mounting. In this way, when the pulley component  100  moves relative to the housing  300 , the rocker  210  can slide in the receiving groove  340 . Under the premise of ensuring that the connecting component  200  and the housing  300  are firmly connected, the position of the pulley component  100  can be adjusted smoother. As such, the pulley device  10  has a simple overall structure, convenient mounting, and low production cost. 
     The receiving groove  340  on the side plate  320  can limit and guide the rocker  210 . Moreover, in order to make the movement of the connecting component  200  easier to be adjusted and controlled, in one of the embodiments, the side plate  320  further defines a guiding groove  350 . An extending direction of the guiding groove  350  is not parallel to an extending direction of the receiving groove  340 . That is, the extending direction of the guiding groove  350  intersects the extending direction of the receiving groove  340 . The connecting component  200  further includes a positioning pin  230 . The rocker  210  defines a positioning hole  211 . The positioning pin  230  extends through the positioning hole  211 . One end of the positioning pin  230  is received in the guiding groove  350  so that the positioning pin  230  can slide along the guiding groove  350  and guide the rocker  210 . The rocker  210  is respectively connected to the pulley component  100  and the housing  300  at two ends thereof, so the rocker  210  has a greater degree of freedom of movement. For this reason, in this embodiment, the rocker  210  is further connected to the side plate  320  at the middle thereof through the positioning pin  230 . The positioning pin  230  and the guiding groove  350  can cooperate to limit the rocker  210 , so that the rocker  210  moves within a specific range. In addition, the positioning pin  230  can slide in the guiding groove  350  along the extending direction of the guiding groove  350 . As such, by properly setting the extending direction of the guiding groove  350 , the pulley component  100  can be moved relative to the housing  300  within a specific range. In this embodiment, in order to enable the pulley component  100  to be lifted and lowered relative to the housing  300 , that is, to change the extent to which the pulley component  100  protrudes out of the receiving cavity  330  within the housing  300 , the rocker  210  is required to be capable of displacing in a height direction of the side plate  320 . Therefore, the extending direction of the guiding groove  350  is not parallel to the extending direction of the receiving groove  340 . In this way, when the positioning pin  230  slides along the guiding groove  350 , the positioning pin  230  can slide in the height direction of the side plate  320 , or has a sub-displacement in the height direction of the side plate  320 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6 to 8 , which show the relative positional relationship between the components in the pulley device  10  when the pulley component  100  moves relative to the housing  300  to be in three different states. In  FIG. 6 , the positioning pin  230  is located at an extreme position of one end of the guiding groove  350 . In this case, the pulley component  100  is in a first state. That is, the pulley component  100  has the largest protruding portion relative to the housing  300 , and the pulley component  100  has the highest height. In  FIG. 7 , as the rocker  210  swings counterclockwise in the figure, the end of the rocker  210  adjacent to the housing  300  slides to the right side in the figure, and the positioning pin  230  also slides to the middle position of the guiding groove  350 . In this case, the pulley component  100  is in a second state. That is, the pulley component  100  has a moderate protruding portion relative to the housing  300 , and the pulley component  100  has a moderate height. In  FIG. 8 , as the rocker  210  further swings counterclockwise in the figure, the end of the rocker  210  adjacent to the housing  300  slides to the right side in the figure, and the positioning pin  230  also slides to the extreme position of the other end of the guiding groove  350 , in this case, the pulley component  100  is in the third state. That is, the pulley component  100  has a smallest protruding portion relative to the housing  300 , and the pulley component  100  has the lowest height. During the use of the pulley device  10 , the position of the pulley component  100  can be adjusted according to the use requirements, so that the pulley component  100  can be in the above several different states to meet the use requirements in different scenarios. 
     The guiding groove  350  can have a structure similar to that of the receiving groove  340 . That is, the guiding groove  350  is defined on the surface of the side plate  320  facing the receiving cavity  330 . In this case, the positioning pin  230  extends through the positioning hole  211 , and the end of the positioning pin  230  adjacent to the side plate  320  is received in the guiding groove  350 . The guiding groove  350  may also have a structure different from that of the receiving groove  340 . Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , in one embodiment, the guiding groove  350  extends through the side plate  320  along the thickness direction of the side plate  320 . The positioning pin  230  includes a pin body  231  and a flange  232  at one end of the pin body  231 . The pin body  231  extends through the positioning hole  211  and the guiding groove  350 . The flange  232  abuts against the surface of the side plate  320  away from the receiving cavity  330 , so that the pin body  231  can slide along the receiving groove  340 . The structure of the guiding groove  350  extending through the side plate  320  facilitates the mounting and fixation of the positioning pin  230  and the rocker  210 , and also facilitates the user to adjust the state of the pulley component  100  by adjusting the position of the positioning pin  230 , which is more convenient to use. 
     As described above, the receiving groove  340  and the guiding groove  350  are both defined on the side plate  320 , but since the rocker  210  of the connecting component  200  are connected to the receiving groove  340  and the guiding groove  350  at different positions, the receiving groove  340  and the guiding groove  350  are located at different positions on the side plate  320 . In one embodiment, from an end adjacent to the bottom plate  310  to an end far away from the bottom plate  310 , the two side plates  320  each includes a first plate body  321  and a second plate body  322 . That is, the first plate body  321  of the side plate  320  is directly connected to the bottom plate  310 , and the second plate body  322  is connected to the bottom plate  310  through the first plate body  321 . In addition, the receiving groove  340  is located on the first plate body  321 , and the guiding groove  350  is located on the second plate body  322 . In this way, the receiving groove  340  and the guiding groove  350  are disposed on the first plate body  321  and the second plate body  322 , respectively, the heights of the receiving groove  340  and the guiding groove  350  relative to the bottom plate  310  are different to each other, so that the receiving groove  340  and the guiding groove  350  can better cooperate with the connecting component  200 . It should be noted that the first plate body  321  and the second plate body  322  may be two separate plates that are connected by welding, riveting, and other methods commonly used in the art, or may also be connected by an additional connecting member or connecting plate. The first plate body  321  and the second plate body  322  can also be integrated to improve the structural integrity of the side plate  320  and reduce the processing difficulty of the side plate  320 . As such, the first plate body  321  and the second plate body  322  are divided according to the function when they are connected. The actual structure of the side plate  320  does not have a boundary line for dividing the two plates. The size of the space occupied by the first plate body  321  and the second plate body  322  can be different from each other according to the actual use scenarios. 
     The bottom plate  310  and the two side plates  320  jointly define the receiving cavity  330  for receiving the pulley component  100  and the connecting component  200 . Therefore, the size and shape of the receiving cavity  330  are directly related to the shapes of the two side plates  320  and the distance between the two side plates  320 . In order to make the internal space of the pulley device  10  more compact, it is necessary to make full use of the space of the receiving cavity  330  in the housing  300 . Therefore, in one of the embodiments, the distance between the two opposed first plate bodies  321  is less than the distance between the two opposed second plate bodies  322 . Since the side plate  320  is divided into the first plate body  321  and the second plate body  322 , the receiving cavity  330  is also divided into a first cavity enclosed by the two opposed first plate bodies  321 , and a second cavity enclosed by the two opposed second plate bodies  322 . The distance between the two opposed first plate bodies  321  is less than the distance between the two opposed second plate bodies  322 , that is, the distance between the two opposed first plate bodies  321  is smaller, and the first cavity also has a relatively small space, which can receive a connecting rod  220  of the connecting component  200  without waste of space. The distance between the two opposed second plate bodies  322  is relatively large, and the second cavity also has a relatively large space, which can receive the pulley component  100  and other accessory components. It should be noted that the side plate  320  may be vertically connected to the bottom plate  310 , that is, an angle between the side plate  320  and the bottom plate  310  is a right angle. The side plate  320  may also be inclinedly connected to the bottom plate  310 , that is, the angle between the side plate  320  and the bottom plate  310  is an obtuse angle. The connection between the first plate body  321  and the bottom plate  310  and the connection between the second plate body  322  and the first plate body  321  can be flexibly selected from the above methods, as long as the requirement that the distance between the two opposed first plate bodies  321  is less than the distance between the two opposed second plate bodies  322  can be satisfied. 
     In order to further strengthen the stability of the movement of the pulley component  100  relative to the housing  300  when being adjusted, in one of the embodiments, the connecting component  200  further includes the connecting rod  220 . The connecting rod  220  is rotatably connected to the other end of the rocker  210 , and thus the connecting rod  220  is received in the receiving groove  340  and can slide along the receiving groove  340 . Two pulleys  110  are provided. The two pulleys  110  are respectively located at both ends of the pulley component  100  in the length direction. In addition, two rockers  210  are provided. One ends of the two rockers  210  are rotatably connected to the two pulleys  110 , respectively, and the other ends of the two rockers  210  are rotatably connected to both ends of the connecting rod  220 , respectively. That is, at each of both ends of the connecting rod  220 , one rocker  210  is rotatably connected to the connecting rod  220 , and the two rockers  210  are respectively rotatably connected to the pulleys  110  at both ends of the pulley component  100  in the length direction. In this way, both ends of the pulley component  100  are connected and fixed to the housing  300 . The stability is better when the pulley component  100  moves. It should be noted that, in order to simplify the structure and reduce the cost, one connecting rod  220  may be disposed in the connecting component  200 . In this case, it is only necessary to define the receiving groove  340  on one of the two side plates  320  adjacent to the connecting rod  220  after mounting and connecting the connecting component  200  and the housing  300 , and the connecting rod  220  is received in the receiving groove  340 . In order to make the connection of the connecting component  200  more stable and the movement of the pulley component  100  to be smoother, as shown in this embodiment, two connecting rods  220  may be correspondingly disposed on both sides of the pulley component  100 . In this case, the two side plates  320  respectively defines the receiving grooves  340 , and the two connecting rods  220  are respectively received in the respective two receiving grooves  340 . 
     In the above embodiments, the position of the pulley component  100  can be adjusted by adjusting and control the position of the positioning pin  230  in the guiding groove  350 . For the user to adjust the position of the pulley component  100  more simply, conveniently, and accurately, referring to  FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 , in one of the embodiments, the pulley device  10  further includes an adjusting component  400 . The adjusting component  400  is fixedly connected to the rocker  210 , to drive the rocker  210  to slide along the receiving groove  340 . In this embodiment, by providing the adjusting component  400  fixedly connected to the rocker  210 , the adjusting component  400  can be used to directly push or pull the rocker  210  to slide in the receiving groove  340 , or the adjusting component  400  can be used to push or pull the connecting rod  220 , to drive the rocker  210  to move and finally drive the pulley component  100  to move. As such, the position of the pulley component  100  can be adjusted. Since the position and structural design of the adjusting component  400  are beneficial to the operation of the user, the use of the adjusting component  400  can enable the user to adjust the position of the pulley component  100  more simply and conveniently. As such, it is convenient to adjust the position of the pulley component  100 , thereby facilitating more precise adjustment of the pulley component  100 . 
     Specifically, the adjusting component  400  includes a fixing block  410  and a push-pull rod  420 . The fixing block  410  is fixedly connected to the housing  300 . One end of the push-pull rod  420  is slidably connected to the fixing block  410 . The other end of the push-pull rod  420  is connected to the rocker  210  to drive the rocker  210  to slide along the receiving groove  340 . Furthermore, the fixing block  410  and the push-pull rod  420  are both received in the receiving cavity  330 . A protrusion  411  matching the receiving groove  340  is provided on the surface of the fixing block  410  facing the side plate  320 . By disposing the protrusion  411  on the surface of the fixing block  410  to match the receiving groove  340 , it is convenient to mount the fixing block into the receiving groove  340  to fix it to the housing  300 , so that the sliding of the push-pull rod  420  can be limited and guided, and the movement of the push-pull rod  420  is more stable. 
     An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a sliding door, which includes the pulley device  10  according to any one of the above embodiments. Another embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a sliding window, which includes the pulley device  10  according to any one of the above embodiments. 
     By adopting the pulley device  10  according to the above embodiments in the sliding door or window, the connection structure in the sliding door or the sliding window is relatively simple. Both the pulley component  100  and the connecting component  200  can be received in the receiving cavity  330  in the housing  30 , and the positions of the pulley component  100  relative to the housing  300  is adjustable. In addition, the receiving groove  340  is defined on the surface of the side plate  320  of the housing  300  facing the receiving cavity  330 , and one end of the rocker  210  of the connecting component  200  can be received in the receiving groove  340 , which facilitates mounting. In this way, when the pulley component  100  moves relative to the housing  300 , the rocker  210  can slide in the receiving groove  340 . Under the premise of ensuring that the connecting component  200  and the housing  300  are firmly connected, the position of the pulley component  100  can be adjusted smoother. The pulley device  10  has a simple overall structure, convenient mounting, and low production cost. 
     The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To simplify the description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, all of the combinations of these technical features should be considered as being fallen within the scope of the present disclosure, as long as such combinations do not contradict with each other. 
     The foregoing embodiments merely illustrate some embodiments of the present disclosure, and descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed. However, it should not be understood as a limitation to the patent scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that, a person of ordinary skill in the art may further make some variations and improvements without departing from the concept of the present disclosure, and the variations and improvements falls in the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the appended claims.