Patent Abstract:
The invention pertains to a sliding door system with at least one automatically driven sliding leaf, which is guided on a traveling carriage and a support profile, where the drive and a runway rail are mounted in a housing above the sliding leaf, and where the sliding leaf can be swung open if necessary in the outward direction around a vertical axis. To create a sliding door system which ensures a reliable and effective sealing function, especially with respect to smoke and fire, which is suitable for use in escape and rescue routes, and which can be used anywhere, regardless of the structural conditions, the sliding leaf, when in the closed position, has sealing-devices, which are active at all times, on all horizontal and vertical edges.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The invention pertains to a sliding door system with at least one automatically driven sliding sash guided on a traveling carriage. 
     These types of sliding door systems and their sliding leafs are opened and closed by an electric drive and a corresponding control unit. These types of sliding door systems are often used to produce a leak-proof seal for interior spaces and therefore must be provided with effective sealing measures in the area of their contact edges and at other points where leakage is likely to occur. In the case of fire, the escape of smoke must be effectively and reliably prevented. When such systems are used in escape and rescue routes, furthermore, the sliding leafs and possibly their side parts can be pivoted around a vertical axis of rotation and thus opened in the escape direction when a panic situation occurs. 
     A sliding door system of this type is known from DE 197 53 132 A1, where expanding fire protection material is used to seal off several intermediate spaces located between the sliding leafs and the surrounding periphery. The disadvantage here is that the fire protection material is not activated until the temperature has been raised sufficiently by the fire. The only way to prevent the leakage of smoke before that point is reached, however, is by the use of additional measures, involving the use of sealing devices which are activated when a sensor-measured threshold value is exceeded. 
     It is also known that, when in their closed position, the sliding leafs of door systems can be sealed against the floor by lowerable sealing strips. A sealing device of this type is described in, for example, DE 35 26 720 C2. The disadvantage here is that the release device projects from the main contact edge of the sliding leaf but is not protected in any way. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a sliding door system which guarantees a reliable and effective sealing function especially against smoke and fire, and which is also suitable for use in escape and rescue routes. A sliding door system of this type should also be usable anywhere, regardless of the type of structure in question. 
     The sliding door system of the present invention is a door system which is always sealed when in the closed state, because the sliding leafs always provide a complete seal regardless of the boundary conditions such as smoke or fire. When smoke or fire occurs, there is no need to activate any additional sealing devices of any kind, which means that there is no need for any sensor-activated devices to create a smoke-tight seal. As a result of the continuous sealing function, the sliding door system is also suitable for use in situations where good sound damping or thermal insulation is also required and also in situations where nearly dust-free areas are to be created. As an option, the sliding door system according to the present invention can also have stationary side parts which can be designed to swing open in case of need. The overall design of the system is such that the sliding doors can be used in any type of structure and adapted to the prevailing construction tolerances. 
     The actuation or automatic drive of the sliding leafs can be adapted to various closing forces, which vary as a function of the number and type of sealing measures required in the specific case. A smoke alarm system can also be provided, so that the sliding leafs can be closed by a motor when an alarm is given and then locked so that they can no longer be opened in the sliding direction. The locking function can make use of the standard locking mechanism of the sliding door system, which holds the traveling carriages of the sliding leafs in place. 
     A sealing strip is integrated invisibly into the transverse profile at the bottom of the sliding leaf and lowered automatically onto the floor to form a seal when the door system is closed. A release device for the spring-loaded sealing strip is actuated by a rotatably supported cam located in the longitudinal profile at the secondary contact edge of the sliding leaf. This cam is turned by a stationary ramp when the sliding leaf moves in the closing direction. That the components which control and release the sealing strip are located within the frame at the secondary contact edge means that they are shifted into a protected area. No parts of any kind project into the room, where they could possibly be damaged or manipulated by passers-by. Because of the way in which the ramp and the cam interact according to the invention to release the sealing strip, the actuating force increases continuously, which is advantageous especially with respect to control, because this prevents the door from being a slow-moving hazard. 
     Because the release device and the cam are mounted permanently in the frame of the sliding leaf and are thus aligned precisely with each other, they never need to be readjusted. The cam, the axle body of the cam, and a floor glide on the bottom form a compact assembly. The cam has a projecting lobe, which slides along the ramp. On the radially opposite side of the cam there is a slide block, which actuates the release device. At least one axially projecting stop at the bottom of the slide block prevents the cam from turning too far. It is advantageous to fabricate the cam out of aluminum, because this reduces wear, especially on the contact surfaces. The cam and the floor glide are accessible through openings in the longitudinal profile of the sliding leaf, so that they can be replaced or so that the height of the components can be adjusted. 
     When the door is opened, no additional force component is required to retract the sealing strip, because the sealing strip&#39;s own elastic restoring force fulfills this function. The release device also presses the cam back into the starting position. The cam is supported rotatably on the axle body; when the sliding leaf is swung open to open an escape route, the release device therefore travels by a rotational movement around the slide block of the cam, which remains in its position, with the result that the release device is automatically pulled back and the sealing strip rises from the floor. The friction and wear which occur during the pivoting of the sliding leaf are therefore reduced. It is advantageous for the sliding leaf to be swung into its closed position by a door closer, which is installed under cover at the top, inside the frame. Here again, the slide block of the cam actuates the release device to lower the sealing strip back onto the floor. It follows from this that the swinging of the sliding leaf does not interfere with the functions of the cam and the release device either during or after the swinging open or swinging closed of the sliding leaf. 
     The runway rail which guides the sliding leaf along the floor and the ramp which controls the cam are screwed permanently to the attachment of the side part to the floor, which guarantees their precise alignment with the cam and the reliable operation of the release function. As a result, the sliding leaf is also guided precisely across a vertical seal located on the side part. In an advantageous embodiment, the runway rail and a threshold, onto which the sealing strip is lowered, can be designed as a one-piece profile. 
     The functional area pertaining to the release of the bottom sealing strip is completely outside the vertical sealing plane. The vertical sealing at the secondary contact edge between the stationary side part and the sliding leaf is advantageously provided by an elastic sealing profile. The sealing profile has the shape of a lip to minimize the force required to actuate the seal and thus to minimize the load on the drive. That the motion occurs along a wedge-shaped vertical profile has the effect of reducing the load. 
     Sealing profiles with sealing lips are mounted on the main contact edge; even in the case of a door system with two leafs, these profiles and lips ensure a good seal after the sliding leafs have been swung shut. Here, too, the actuating force to be provided by the drive is minimized. 
     The door system is also sealed adequately along the top horizontal edges. An automatically actuated sealing strip between the drive housing and the support profile of the sliding leaf provides the seal. This sealing strip is designed basically in the same way as the bottom sealing strip and is integrated into the housing. Slots are provided so that its position with respect to the support profile can be adjusted. The sealing strip is operated by way of a force-reducing lever mechanism, which is actuated by an arm mounted on the support profile. The arm has a plastic end piece, which can be adjusted in several directions and which is designed so that it can be mounted on or under the arm, depending on the preset height of the sliding leaf. 
     The housing is sealed off horizontally with respect to the ceiling by an extendable ceiling cover profile and possibly also by silicone. Lining panels, which can be extended toward the wall, are also mounted on the edge areas of the vertical columns. These panels can also be sealed with silicone if desired. The leakage points at the corners and transition areas are sealed by brush seals or by molded plastic parts. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view in plan, of a sliding door system with side parts and sliding leafs in the closed state; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of a sliding door system according to  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2   a  is an enlarged plan view of part of  FIG. 2 , in which a sealing strip and a lever are in a first position; 
         FIG. 2   b  is an enlarged plan view of part of  FIG. 2 , in which a sealing strip and a lever are in a second position; 
         FIGS. 3–5  are enlarged partial cross-sectional views in plan of the sliding door system according to  FIG. 1  in various stages of the closing operation; 
         FIG. 6  is a partial cross-sectional view of the sliding door system according to  FIG. 5  with the sliding leaf in various stages of the outward swinging movement, starting from the closed position; 
         FIG. 7  is a partial cross-sectional view of the sliding door system according to  FIG. 5 , where the sliding leaf has been swung outward from the closed position; 
         FIG. 8  is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view through the sliding door system along axis VIII—VIII of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view through the sliding door system along axis IX—IX of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 10   a  is an isometric view of a cam of the sliding door system; 
         FIG. 10   b  is a bottom view of the cam of the sliding door system; 
         FIG. 10   c  is a side view of the cam of the sliding door system; 
         FIG. 10   d  is a plan view of the cam of the sliding door system; 
         FIG. 11   a  is a side view of a ramp of the sliding door system; and 
         FIG. 11   b  is a plan view of the ramp of the sliding door system. 
     
    
    
     Although the invention is explained and described in the following in the form of a sliding door system with a smoke protection function, it can also be put into service wherever a tightly-sealing door system is used. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the illustrated sliding door system  1  consists of two stationary side parts  2  and two sliding leafs  3 , which are guided so that they can slide back and forth between the side parts. Steel columns  50  (illustrated generically) are installed at the sides of an opening in a building. These columns extend between the floor and the ceiling, and a runway rail  4  and a housing  6 , which supports a drive  5 , are attached to them. The side parts  2  are attached laterally to the steel columns  50  and also, at the top, to the housing  6 . In  FIGS. 8 and 9 , a door threshold  7  and rails  8 , which serve to guide the sliding leafs  3  along the floor, are permanently connected to the floor, and are preferably also connected to the frame  9  of the side parts  2 . Floor glides  10  on the sliding leafs  3  are attached in a form-locking manner to the rails  8  and are free to slide along them. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , each sliding leaf  3  is attached pivotably to its own support profile  12  by an adjustable support arm  11 . The support profile  12  is connected in turn to a carriage  13 , which travels along the runway rail  4 . The sliding leaf  3  is kept in the normal position with respect to the support section  12  by interlocking profiles  14 . When a panic situation occurs, these profiles are disconnected from each other, and the sliding leafs  3  are swung out of their normal position in the escape direction. Door closers (not shown) are installed under cover in the upper horizontal transverse profile  15  of the sliding leafs  3 . These door closers have slide rail arms, which are connected to slide pieces in the support profile  12  above, which is open at the bottom. The closers make it possible for the leafs to swing back automatically into the normal position. 
     In  FIGS. 3 and 8 , a spring-loaded sealing strip  17  is integrated invisibly into the transverse profile  16  at the bottom of each sliding leaf  3 ; when the door system  1  is closed, this strip is lowered automatically to the floor to form a seal. In  FIGS. 2 ,  2   a  and  3 , a release device  18  for the sealing strip  17  is actuated by a rotatably supported cam  21 , which is located in a longitudinal profile  19  at the secondary sealing edge  20  of the sliding leaf  3 . When the sliding leaf  3  travels in the closing direction, this cam  21  is turned by a ramp  22 , which is attached permanently to the side part  2 . The ramp  22  is preferably fabricated as an injection-molded part and has an entrance bevel  23 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 10   a – 10   d , the cam  21  has a projecting lobe  24 . Opposite it, on the cam  21 , a radially ascending slide block  25  extends over a certain area. A stop  26 , which projects axially from the bottom of the slide block  25 , prevents the cam  21  from rotating too far. 
     The release device  18  and the cam  21  are positioned precisely with respect to each other, because the two components are premounted at the factory in permanent positions in the transverse profile  16  and in the longitudinal profile  19 , respectively, of the sliding leaf  3 . The cam  21  an axle body  27  of the cam, and the floor glide  10  attached to the bottom of the axle body form a compact assembly, the axle body  27  being supported with freedom to slide in a bearing block  28  mounted inside the longitudinal profile  19 . The assembly is accessible through openings  29  in the longitudinal profile  19  of the sliding leaf  3 , so that the components can be replaced or so that their height can be adjusted. 
     During a normal closing operation, the sliding leaf  3  is moved automatically by the drive  5 . This operation starts from the completely open position shown in  FIG. 3 , in which the sealing strip  17  is completely retracted into the transverse profile  16  at the bottom of the leaf. During the closing operation, the lobe  24  of the cam  21  has a first phase of free travel before it starts to slide along the entrance bevel  23  of the ramp  22 . As a result, the cam  21  is forced to turn, and the slide block  25  comes into contact with the release device  18  of the sealing strip  17  (see  FIG. 4 ). As the closing movement of the sliding leaf  3  continues, the cam  21  continues to be turned by the ramp  22 , so that the slide block  25  continues to press the release device  18  farther and farther inward (see  FIG. 5 ), which has the effect of pushing the sealing strip  17  outward to a corresponding extent. By the time the leaf is completely closed, the sealing strip  17  is resting on the floor or on the threshold  7  to form a seal as shown in  FIG. 8 . All the other seals have also assumed effective positions by the time the sliding leaf  3  is closed. An additional horizontal sealing strip  30  between the housing  6  and the support profile  12  is also moved automatically into position. 
     During the normal door opening operation, no additional force component is required to retract the sealing strip  17 , because the elastic restoring force of the sealing strip  17  fulfills this function. The release device  18  also presses the cam  21  back into its starting position. 
       FIG. 6  shows that when the sliding leaf  3  is swung open in a panic situation, the release device travels rotationally around the slide block  25  of the cam  21 , which is held in position against the ramp  22 . The radially descending design of the slide block  25  makes it possible here for the spring-loaded release device  18  to travel outward, which has the effect of lifting the sealing strip  17  from the floor. The door closer takes care of swinging the sliding leaf  3  shut; during this phase , the slide block  25  of the cam  21  controls the movement of the release device  18 , which now travels back in the opposite direction. It follows from this that there is no interference with the interaction between the cam  21  and the release device  18  either during or after the swinging-open or the swinging-closed of the sliding leaf  3 . 
     The vertical seal along the secondary contact edge  20  between the stationary side part  2  and the sliding leaf  3  is advantageously accomplished by an elastic sealing profile  31 , which is mounted on the sliding leaf  3 . The sealing profile  31  has the shape of a lip to minimize the load on the drive  5 . A load-reducing effect is obtained here in that the lip is supported by a wedge-shaped vertical profile (not shown in  FIG. 3 ), which is mounted on the side part  2 . For the sake of protecting the fingers, a web is also provided to guarantee a safety gap with respect to the side part  2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , sealing profiles  33  with sealing lips are mounted on the central edge  32 , i.e. axis,  32  of the sliding leafs  3 . These profiles perform the desired sealing function after the sliding leafs  3  have been swung shut even in the case of a dual-leaf door system  1 . Here again, the actuating force which the drive  5  must produce is minimized. 
     The door system  1  is also adequately sealed along the top horizontal edges. An automatically actuated sealing strip  30  shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  2   a ,  2   b  corresponds in its basic design to the sealing strip  17  at the bottom and is attached to the housing  6 . The sealing strip  30  moves from the housing  6  toward the support profile  12  of the sliding leaf  3 . An appropriate release device  18   a  is operated by a force-reducing lever  34 , which is actuated by an arm  35  attached to the support profile  12 , the arm having an end piece  36 . The end piece  36  is designed so that it can be mounted on or under the arm  35 , depending on the height at which the sliding leaf  3  is mounted. The way in which the sealing strip  30  operates is similar to that of the sealing strip  17  at the bottom. During the closing and opening of the sliding leaf  3 , the movement of the sealing strip  30  is controlled by the arm  35 , which is mounted on the support profile  12  and actuates the lever  34 . 
     The horizontal sealing of the housing  5  against the ceiling is accomplished by extendable ceiling cover profiles (not shown) and possibly by silicone on the nonmoving parts. Extendable lining panels are also mounted on the edge areas of the vertical columns facing the wall, which panels are sealed with silicone if desired. The leakage points at the corners and transition areas are sealed by brush seals or molded plastic parts. 
     The preceding description of the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention serves only to illustrate the object of the invention, not to limit it. Within the scope of the invention, various changes and modifications can be made without abandoning the scope of either the invention itself or its equivalents. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS 
     
         
           1  sliding door system 
           2  side part 
           3  sliding leaf 
           4  runway rail 
           5  drive 
           6  housing 
           7  threshold 
           8  rail 
           9  frame 
           10  floor glide 
           11  support arm 
           12  support profile 
           13  carriage 
           14  profile 
           15  transverse profile 
           16  transverse profile 
           17  sealing strip 
           18  release device 
           19  longitudinal profile 
           20  secondary closing edge 
           21  cam 
           22  ramp 
           23  entrance bevel 
           24  lobe 
           25  slide block 
           26  stop 
           27  axle body 
           28  bearing block 
           29  opening 
           30  sealing strip 
           31  sealing profile 
           32  main closing edge 
           33  sealing profile 
           34  lever 
           35  arm 
           36  end piece

Technology Classification (CPC): 4