Patent Description:
As this type of the sliding door device, the present applicant has proposed a sliding door device described in Patent document <NUM>. 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.

Patent Document <NUM> discloses an example of a sliding door device.

Patent Document <NUM>: <CIT>; Patent Document <NUM>: <CIT>.

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.

To solve the above-described problem, one aspect of the present invention relates to a sliding door device according to claim <NUM>.

To solve the above-described problem, another aspect of the present invention relates to a sliding door device according to claim <NUM>.

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.

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, as defined by the claims.

<FIG> and <FIG> show a sliding door device <NUM> according to a first embodiment of the present invention (an upper surface side perspective view of the sliding door <NUM>). <FIG> shows a state that the sliding door <NUM> is in a closed position. <FIG> shows a state that the sliding door <NUM> 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> for explaining a configuration of the sliding door <NUM>.

The reference number "<NUM>" refers to a frame, the reference number "<NUM>" refers to an opening, the reference number "<NUM>" refers to a wall, the reference numbers "6a", "6b" respectively refer to rails and the reference numbers "7a", "7b" respectively refer to support shafts. When the rails 6a, 6b respectively guide the support shafts 7a, 7b attached to the sliding door <NUM>, the sliding door <NUM> can move between the closed position for closing the opening <NUM> (see <FIG>) and an opened position for allowing the sliding door <NUM> to face the wall <NUM> adjacent to the opening <NUM>. In this regard, the sliding door <NUM> can move from a predetermined position shown in <FIG> to the opened position located in the door tail direction in <FIG>. A blind plate <NUM> for hiding the rails is provided on an upper portion of the opening <NUM> of the frame <NUM>.

The rails 6a, 6b include the door head side rail 6a disposed on the door head side of the frame <NUM> and the door tail side rail 6b disposed on the door tail side of the frame <NUM>. The rail 6a includes a straight portion <NUM> and an inclined portion <NUM> connected to an end portion of the straight portion <NUM> and inclined with respect to the straight portion <NUM>. The rail 6b also includes a straight portion <NUM> and an inclined portion connected to an end portion of the straight portion <NUM> and inclined with respect to the straight portion <NUM>. The rail 6a is disposed more to the back side and the door head side than the rail 6b. The straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a and the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6b are parallel to each other.

The support shafts 7a, 7b include the door head side support shaft 7a which can move on the rail 6a and the door tail side support shaft 7b which can move on the rail 6b. The support shaft 7a is supported by a roller traveling body 21a which can travel on the rail 6a (see <FIG>). The support shaft 7b is supported by a roller traveling body 21b which can travel on the rail 6b (see <FIG>). The support shaft 7a is attached to the door head side of the sliding door <NUM> through a bracket 13a. The support shaft 7b is attached to the door tail side of the sliding door <NUM> through a bracket 13b. A length of the bracket 13a in the depth direction is longer than a length of the bracket 13b in the depth direction.

As shown in <FIG>, when the sliding door <NUM> is in the closed position, front surfaces of the sliding door <NUM> and the wall <NUM> viewed from the front side become flat (see <FIG>). When the sliding door <NUM> is opened, the inclined portions <NUM> of the rails 6a, 6b respectively oscillate the support shafts 7a, 7b, and thus the sliding door <NUM> moves to the back side and the door tail side. Thereafter, the straight portions <NUM> of the rails 6a, 6b respectively oscillate the support shafts 7a, 7b, and thus the sliding door <NUM> linearly moves to the opened position.

<FIG> shows a detailed view of the rail 6a. As shown in <FIG>, the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a is formed in a cylindrical shape having a substantially C-shaped cross-section. A groove 11a extending in the lengthwise direction is formed in a lower portion of the straight portion <NUM>. Rollers <NUM> of a pull-in device <NUM> (see <FIG>) travel on both sides of the groove 11a and rollers <NUM> of a roller traveling body 21a (see <FIG>) also travel. Further, an anti-vibration roller <NUM> of the pull-in device <NUM> (see <FIG>) travels inside the groove 11a and an anti-vibration roller <NUM> of the roller traveling body 21a (see <FIG>) also travels.

As shown in <FIG>, the inclined portion <NUM> is connected to the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a. The inclined portion <NUM> is also formed so as to have a substantially C-shaped cross-section. A flange 12a is formed on an upper portion of the inclined portion <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>(b-<NUM>), a curved groove 12b is formed on a lower portion of the inclined portion <NUM>. This groove 12b includes an arcuate groove 12b1 leading to the groove 11a of the straight portion <NUM> and a straight groove 12b2 inclined with respect to the groove 11a. In this regard, an entire portion of the groove 12b may be formed in an arcuate groove. The rollers <NUM> of the roller traveling body 21a (see <FIG>) travel on both sides of the groove 12b. The anti-vibration roller <NUM> of the roller traveling body 21a (see <FIG>) travels inside the groove 12b.

Since the rail 6b (see <FIG>) has the substantially same configuration as the rail 6a, the same reference numbers are attached to components of the rail 6b and the description for the rail 6b will be omitted.

<FIG> shows the rail 6a and the pull-in device <NUM> and <FIG> shows the pull-in device <NUM>. The pull-in device <NUM> is disposed only on the rail 6a and not disposed on the rail 6b (see <FIG>). Note that the pull-in device <NUM> may be disposed only on the rail 6b or the pull-in device <NUM> may be disposed on both of the rail 6a and the rail 6b.

The reference number "<NUM>" refers to a trigger provided on the rail 6a. The trigger <NUM> is fastened to the rail 6a or the frame <NUM> by a screw or the like not shown in the drawings. When the sliding door <NUM> is closed, the pull-in device <NUM> captures the trigger <NUM> and linearly moves along the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a. A moving direction of the pull-in device <NUM> and a transmission direction of pull-in force of the pull-in device <NUM> are indicated by an arrow A. After capturing the trigger <NUM>, the pull-in device <NUM> moves to the closed position shown in <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, the pull-in force transmission part <NUM> includes the roller traveling body 21a and an arm <NUM> rotatably coupled to the roller traveling body 21a and the pull-in device <NUM>. The arm <NUM> is constituted of one link. As shown in <FIG>, one end portion of the arm <NUM> is coupled to an end portion of the pull-in device <NUM> so as to be capable of rotating around a vertical shaft <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, another end portion of the arm <NUM> is coupled to the roller traveling body 21a so as to be capable of rotating around a vertical shaft <NUM>.

<FIG> show operation diagrams of the sliding door device <NUM> when the sliding door <NUM> is closed. As shown in <FIG>, when the sliding door <NUM> is closed, the pull-in device <NUM> moves along the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a together with the sliding door <NUM>. <FIG> shows a state before the pull-in device <NUM> captures the trigger <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, when the pull-in device <NUM> captures a shaft portion 18a of the trigger <NUM>, the pull-in device <NUM> 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 <NUM> is transmitted to the roller traveling body 21a through the arm <NUM>. The roller traveling body 21a moves in a direction of an arrow B along the inclined portion <NUM> of the rail 6a. According to the movement of the roller traveling body 21a in the direction of the arrow B, the roller traveling body 21b also moves. Since the support shafts 7a, 7b (see <FIG>) are respectively attached to the roller traveling bodies 21a, 21b, the support shafts 7a, 7b move along the inclined portions <NUM>. Therefore, it becomes possible to obliquely pull the sliding door <NUM> in the direction of the arrow B.

As shown in <FIG>, when the pull-in device <NUM> further moves in the direction of the arrow A, the roller traveling body 21a moves to the vicinity of a tip end portion of the inclined portion <NUM> and thus the sliding door <NUM> moves to the closed position. The closed position of the sliding door <NUM> is held by the pull-in force of the pull-in device <NUM>. When the sliding door <NUM> is opened, an operation opposite to the above-described operation is performed.

One example of the configuration of the pull-in device <NUM> will be described below. <FIG> is an exploded view of the pull-in device <NUM>. The pull-in device <NUM> has a base configuration including a base <NUM>, a catcher 31a which can relatively slide with respect to the base <NUM> and a spring 32a disposed between the base <NUM> and the catcher 31a. When the catcher 31a captures the trigger <NUM>, the catcher 31a rotates to release engagement between the catcher 31a and the curved groove 30a of the base <NUM> and thus the base <NUM> moves to the door head direction in the drawing due to spring force of the spring 32a. Movement of the base <NUM> is braked by a first linear damper <NUM> and a second linear damper <NUM>.

In this embodiment, two pairs of catchers 31a, 31b and springs 32a, 32b are provided so as to generate the pull-in force not only when the sliding door <NUM> is closed but also when the sliding door <NUM> is opened. In this regard, one pair of the catcher 31a and the spring 32a may be provided so as to generate the pull-in force only when the sliding door <NUM> is closed.

Hereinafter, a more detailed configuration of the pull-in device <NUM> will be described. A first slider assembly <NUM> and a second slider assembly <NUM> are slidably provided on the base <NUM>. A damper assembly <NUM> is slidably provided between the first slider assembly <NUM> and the second slider assembly <NUM>. A cover <NUM> (see <FIG>) is attached to the base <NUM>. A groove 39a for receiving the shaft portion 18a of the trigger <NUM> is formed on the cover <NUM>.

<FIG> shows exploded views of the first slider assembly <NUM>, the second slider assembly <NUM> and the damper assembly <NUM>. The first slider assembly <NUM> includes a slider body <NUM>, the catcher 31a, a pusher <NUM> and a malfunction prevention cam <NUM>.

As described above, the catcher 31a engages with the curved groove 30a of the base <NUM>, and thereby a standby position of the catcher 31a is maintained. The pusher <NUM> pushes the catcher 31a so as to hold the catcher 31a in the standby position. The slider body <NUM> is provided to stabilize relative sliding of the catcher 31a with respect to the base <NUM>. The malfunction prevention cam <NUM> is provided to return the catcher 31a to the standby position when the catcher 31a is left from the standby position due to malfunction.

Similarly to the first slider assembly <NUM>, the second slider assembly <NUM> includes a slider body <NUM>, the catcher 31b, a pusher <NUM> and a malfunction prevention cam <NUM>. Since configurations of these components are substantially the same as those of the first slider assembly <NUM>, the same reference numbers are attached to them and description for them will be omitted.

As shown in <FIG>, the damper assembly <NUM> includes a first linear damper <NUM>, a second linear damper <NUM> and a damper base <NUM> on which the first linear damper <NUM> and the second linear damper <NUM> are disposed. Damper locks 38a, 38b are provided on the damper base <NUM>.

When the first slider assembly <NUM> relatively slides with respect to the base <NUM>, a distance between the damper base <NUM> and the first slider assembly <NUM> first decreases and the first linear damper <NUM> operates. Thereafter, the damper lock 38a is released, the damper base <NUM> slides together with the first slider assembly <NUM>, a distance between the second slider assembly <NUM> and the damper base <NUM> decreases, and the second linear damper <NUM> operates. When the second slider assembly <NUM> relatively slides with respect to the base <NUM>, the second linear damper <NUM> first operates and then the first linear damper <NUM> operates.

Note that the above-described configuration of the pull-in device <NUM> is merely one example. The pusher <NUM>, the malfunction prevention cam <NUM>, the slider body <NUM> and the damper assembly <NUM> may be omitted.

Hereinafter, description will be given to one example of the configuration of the roller traveling body 21a. <FIG> shows the roller traveling body 21a and the bracket 13a. <FIG> shows an exploded view of the roller traveling body 21a. The roller traveling body 21a includes a main body <NUM>, the pair of left and right rollers <NUM> rotatably disposed on side surfaces of the main body <NUM> respectively and the anti-vibration roller <NUM> rotatably disposed on a lower surface of the main body <NUM>. The above-described arm <NUM> is coupled to the main body <NUM>.

The support shaft 7a is supported by the main body <NUM>. The support shaft 7a can rotate with respect to the main body <NUM> around a center line c. A bushing <NUM> for smoothing the rotation of the support shaft 7a is incorporated in the main body <NUM>.

The bracket 13a (see <FIG>) is attached to the support shaft 7a so that a position of the bracket 13a can be adjusted in three-dimensional directions (vertical, left and right, and front and rear directions in <FIG>). The reference number "<NUM>" refers to a front-back adjustment screw and the reference numbers "44a", "44b" respectively refer to left-right adjustment screws. The reference number "<NUM>" refers to a vertical adjustment screw formed on the support shaft 7a. The reference number "<NUM>" refers to a plate and the reference number "<NUM>" refers to a bracket support body. The bracket 13a is sandwiched between the plate <NUM> and the bracket support body <NUM> (see <FIG>).

The vertical adjustment of the bracket 13a is performed as follows. As shown in <FIG>, by fitting the vertical adjustment screw <NUM> of the support shaft 7a into a screwed hole of the plate <NUM> and rotating the support shaft 7a, the plate <NUM> moves in the vertical direction. As shown in <FIG>, by tightening a nut <NUM> to sandwich the bracket 13a between the plate <NUM> and the bracket support body <NUM>, the bracket 13a is fixed to the plate <NUM>.

The left-right adjustment of the bracket 13a is performed as follows. As shown in <FIG>, by tightening the right-side left-right adjustment screw 44b fitted into the bracket support body <NUM> and tightening the left-side left-right adjustment screw 44a, the bracket 13a moves in the left direction with respect to the bracket support body <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, by tightening the left-side left-right adjustment screw 44a fitted into the bracket support body <NUM> and tightening the right-side left-right adjustment screw 44b, the bracket 13a moves in the right direction in the drawing with respect to the bracket support body <NUM>.

The front-back adjustment of the bracket 13a is performed as follows. As shown in <FIG>, the front-back adjustment screw <NUM> is formed in a drum shape having a recessed central portion. The support shaft 7a engages with the recessed portion of the front-back adjustment screw <NUM>. By tightening or loosening the front-back adjustment screw <NUM> fitted into the bracket support body <NUM>, the bracket support body <NUM> and the bracket 13a move in the front direction or the back direction with respect to the support shaft 7a.

Once the vertical, left-right and front-back adjustments of the bracket 13a are completed, a fixing screw <NUM> is tightened to the plate <NUM> to fix the bracket 13a to the plate <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. In this regard, the bracket 13a may be directly fixed to the support shaft 7a without providing the above-described three-dimensional adjustment structure.

Since the roller traveling body 21b (see <FIG>) has substantially the same configuration as the roller traveling body 21a, description for the roller traveling body 21b will be omitted.

The configuration of the sliding door device <NUM> of the present embodiment has been described. According to the sliding door device <NUM> of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

Since the pull-in force transmission part <NUM> is coupled to the pull-in device <NUM>, it is possible to move the support shaft 7a attached to the sliding door <NUM> along the inclined portion <NUM> of the rail 6a by using the pull-in device <NUM> which can linearly move along the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a.

Since the pull-in force transmission part <NUM> includes the arm <NUM> rotatably coupled to the roller traveling body 21a and the pull-in device <NUM>, it is possible to move the roller traveling body 21a to the vicinity of the tip end portion of the inclined portion <NUM> of the rail 6a.

Since the arm <NUM> is constituted of the one link, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the arm <NUM>.

Since the support shaft 7a is supported by the roller traveling body 21a, it is possible to move the support shaft 7a to the vicinity of the tip end portion of the inclined portion <NUM> of the rail 6a together with the roller traveling body 21a.

<FIG> shows a pull-in device <NUM> and a pull-in force transmission part <NUM> according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the support shaft 7a is supported by the roller traveling body 21a, whereas in the second embodiment, the support shaft 7a is supported by the arm <NUM>. 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.

<FIG> shows a pull-in device <NUM> and a pull-in force transmission part <NUM> according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the arm <NUM> is constituted of the one link, whereas in the third embodiment, an arm <NUM> is constituted of a plurality of links 53a, 53b, 53c. The plurality of links 53a, 53b, 53c are coupled so as to be capable of rotating around a vertical shaft <NUM>. According to the third embodiment, since the arm <NUM> is constituted of the plurality of links 53a, 53b, 53c, it is possible to move the support shaft 7a along the inclined portion <NUM> even if the inclination of the inclined portion <NUM> of the rail 6a is steep.

<FIG> shows a pull-in device <NUM> and a pull-in force transmission part <NUM> according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the pull-in force transmission part <NUM> is constituted of the roller traveling body 21a and the arm <NUM>, whereas in the fourth embodiment, the pull-in force transmission part <NUM> is constituted of the roller traveling body 21a. The roller traveling body 21a is coupled to the pull-in device <NUM> so as to be capable of rotating around the vertical shaft <NUM> without through any arms. The configuration of the roller traveling body 21a is substantially the same as that of the roller traveling body 21a of the first embodiment, and thus the same reference number is attached to it and description for it will be omitted.

<FIG> and <FIG> show a sliding door device <NUM> according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. <FIG> shows a state that the sliding door <NUM> is in the closed position and <FIG> shows a state that the sliding door <NUM> is opened from the closed position to the predetermined position in the opening direction.

The reference number "<NUM>" refers to a frame, the reference number "<NUM>" refers to an opening, the reference number "<NUM>" refers to a wall, the reference number "<NUM>" refers to a blind plate, the reference numbers "6a", "6b" respectively refer to rails and the reference numbers "7a", "7b" respectively refer to support shafts. The rails 6a, 6b include the door head side rail 6a disposed on the door head side of the frame <NUM> and the door tail side rail 6b disposed on the door tail side of the frame <NUM>. The rail 6a includes a straight portion <NUM> and an inclined portion <NUM> which is connected to an end portion of the straight portion <NUM> and inclined with respect to the straight portion <NUM>. The rail 6b also includes a straight portion <NUM> and an inclined portion <NUM> which is connected to an end portion of the straight portion <NUM> and inclined with respect to the straight portion <NUM>. The support shafts 7a, 7b includes the door head side support shaft 7a which can move on the rail 6a and the door tail side support shaft 7b which can move on the rail 6b. The support shaft 7a is supported by a roller traveling body 21a (see <FIG>) which can travel on the rail 6a. The support shaft 7b is supported by a roller traveling body which can travel on the rail 6b. The support shaft 7a is attached to the door head side of the sliding door <NUM> through a bracket 13a. The support shaft 7b is attached to the door head side of the sliding door <NUM> through a bracket 13b. Since these configurations are the same as those of the sliding door device <NUM> 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 <NUM> of the first embodiment, the pull-in device <NUM> which can linearly move along the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a is used for moving the support shaft 7a attached to the sliding door <NUM> along the inclined portion <NUM> of the rail 6a, whereas in the sliding door device <NUM> of the fifth embodiment, a trigger <NUM> which can linearly move along the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a is used for moving the support shaft 7a attached to the sliding door <NUM> along the inclined portion <NUM> of the rail 6a. A pull-in device 63a for capturing the trigger <NUM> to pull the trigger <NUM> is attached to the rail 6a.

<FIG> shows a horizontal cross-sectional view of the sliding door device <NUM> and <FIG> shows a side view of the sliding door device <NUM>. The pull-in device 63a is attached to the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a. The pull-in device 63a includes a base <NUM> extending along the straight portion <NUM>, a catcher <NUM> provided on the base <NUM> so as to be capable of sliding in the lengthwise direction of the base <NUM> and a spring (not shown in the drawings) disposed between the base <NUM> and the catcher <NUM>. The pull-in device 63a is configured so that the catcher <NUM> rotates when the catcher <NUM> captures the trigger <NUM> to release engagement between the catcher <NUM> and the base <NUM> and thus the catcher <NUM> 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 <NUM> in the door head direction. Since the configuration of the pull-in device 63a itself has been known in the art, further detailed description for it will be omitted.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, when the sliding door <NUM> is closed, the trigger <NUM> is captured by the pull-in device 63a and linearly moves along the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a. As shown in <FIG>, the pull-in force transmission part <NUM> is coupled to the trigger <NUM>. The pull-in force transmission part <NUM> moves the support shaft 7a along the inclined portion <NUM> according to linear movement of the trigger <NUM>. Note that the reference number "63b" in <FIG> refers to a pull-in device for capturing the trigger <NUM> to pull the trigger <NUM> to the door tail side. The pull-in device 63b is symmetrical with the pull-in device 63a and has substantially the same configuration as the pull-in device 63a. The pull-in device 63b generates pull-in force when the sliding door <NUM> is opened.

As shown in <FIG>, the trigger <NUM> includes a trigger body <NUM>, for example, four rollers <NUM> and, for example, two anti-vibration rollers <NUM>. The trigger body <NUM> has an elongated rectangular parallelepiped body portion 64a contained in the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a and an engagement portion 64b which protrudes from the body portion 64a to the outside of the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a and can engage with the catcher <NUM> (see <FIG>) of the pull-in device 63a. The rollers <NUM> are rotatably attached to side surfaces of the trigger body <NUM> and travel on both sides of a groove 11a (see <FIG>) of the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a. The anti-vibration rollers <NUM> are rotatably attached to a bottom surface of the trigger body <NUM> and travel in the groove 11a of the straight portion <NUM>.

The pull-in force transmission part <NUM> includes the roller traveling body 21a and an arm <NUM> rotatably coupled to the roller traveling body 21a and the trigger <NUM>. One end portion of the arm <NUM> is coupled to the trigger <NUM> so as to be capable of rotating around a vertical shaft <NUM>. Another end portion of the arm <NUM> is coupled to the roller traveling body 21a so as to be capable of rotating around a vertical shaft <NUM>. Since the configuration of the roller traveling body 21a is the same as the roller traveling body 21a of the first embodiment (see <FIG>), the same reference number is attached to it and description for it will be omitted.

<FIG> show operation diagrams of the sliding door device <NUM> when the sliding door <NUM> is closed. <FIG> shows a state before the pull-in device 63a captures the trigger <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, when the sliding door <NUM> is closed, the trigger <NUM> moves along the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a together with the sliding door <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, when the pull-in device 63a captures the trigger <NUM>, the pull-in device 63a generates pull-in force in a direction of an arrow A and thus the trigger <NUM> linearly moves in the direction of the arrow A. The pull-in force acting on the trigger <NUM> is transmitted to the roller traveling body 21a through the arm <NUM>. The roller traveling body 21a moves along the inclined portion <NUM> of the rail 6a in a direction of an arrow B. Since the support shaft 7a is attached to the roller traveling body 21a, the support shaft 7a moves along the inclined portion <NUM>. Therefore, it is possible to obliquely pull the sliding door <NUM> in the direction of the arrow B.

As shown in <FIG>, when the trigger <NUM> further moves in the direction of the arrow A, the roller traveling body 21a moves to the vicinity of a tip end portion of the inclined portion <NUM> and thus the sliding door <NUM> moves to the closed position. The closed position of the sliding door <NUM> is held by the pull-in force of the pull-in device 63a. When the sliding door <NUM> is opened, an operation opposite to the above-described operation is performed.

Since the pull-in force transmission part <NUM> is coupled to the trigger <NUM>, it is possible to move the support shaft 7a attached to the sliding door <NUM> along the inclined portion <NUM> of the rail 6a by using the trigger <NUM> which can linearly move along the straight portion <NUM> of the rail 6a.

Since the pull-in force transmission part <NUM> includes the arm <NUM> which is rotatably coupled to the roller traveling body 21a and the pull-in device 63a, it is possible to move the roller traveling body 21a to the vicinity of the tip end portion of the inclined portion <NUM> of the rail 6a.

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 scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

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.

Claim 1:
A sliding door device (<NUM>, <NUM>), comprising:
a rail (6a) having a straight portion (<NUM>) for linearly guiding a support shaft (7a) attached in use to a sliding door (<NUM>) and an inclined portion (<NUM>) which is inclined with respect to the straight portion (<NUM>) and obliquely guides the support shaft (7a);
a pull-in device (<NUM>) which can capture a trigger (<NUM>) provided on the rail (6a) and linearly move along the straight portion (<NUM>) of the rail (6a) when the sliding door (<NUM>) is closed; and
a pull-in force transmission part (<NUM>, <NUM>) which is coupled to the pull-in device (<NUM>) and moves the support shaft (7a) along the inclined portion (<NUM>) according to linear movement of the pull-in device (<NUM>),
characterized in that
the pull-in force transmission part (<NUM>, <NUM>) includes:
a roller traveling body (21a) which can travel on at least the inclined portion (<NUM>) of the rail (6a), and
an arm (<NUM>, <NUM>) rotatably coupled to the roller traveling body (21a) and to the pull-in device (<NUM>).