Automatic door locking device for a barrel

Abstract

 Aplicable specially to barrels (1) with a mouth (2) established for access to the inside and aided by a door (3) displaceable by a runner over guides (4) with which a pneumatic chamber (5) colaborates to push the door (3) against the perimeter of the mouth (2), with insertion of an elastic seal (6), the invention consists on the incorporation to the guides (4) of a mechanical tie-down made up of a runner (8) sliding over a guide (9), the first associated to the guide (4) and the second one to the door (3), in such a way that complementary projections of the said runner (8) and guide (9) are capable of being out of phase, in the opening situation of the door (3) or being confronted, in a locking situation for the same, situation after which the pneumatic chamber can be deactivated, keeping the door stable in locking situation.

Description

SCOPE OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention refers to a locking device for automatic doors, specifically for doors that constitute the means of access to the inside of a barrel, of the type used in leather-dyeing baths. A device that ensures the pretended locking situation, preventing accidental opening or leaks of the liquids housed inside the barrel, due to loss of pressure in the automatic locking systems caused by cuts in the electrical supply or produced by any other reason.

[0002] The device is not only applicable to leather-dyeing barrels but also to any other practical cases that require similar services.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Currently, when automatic, all barrel doors present, as locking system, the constant maintenance of a pneumatic pressure on the cover or on its sealing element, which must be maintained indefinitely until opened.

[0004] The locking system implies the risk that said sealing element may, at a set moment, loose the necessary pressure that maintains the locking situation, for example, versus an eventual cut in the electrical power supply, versus a breakage of the sealing chamber, etc., in such a manner, that this loss of tightness in the barrel lock causes the process that is operating inside, to loose the liquids or baths used to that effect, with the consequent deterioration or destruction of the leather housed inside the same, and in turn, with the consequent economic loss.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The locking device proposed by the invention solves in a totally satisfactory way, the previously described problem, ensuring that the barrel door that is automatically closed in a conventional way, is kept invariably stable in this locking situation versus any failure in the pneumatic system with which this locking is initially performed.

[0006] For this, and in a more specific way, the device proposed by the invention is based on the functional combination of a pneumatic and conventional locking system, with which the actual locking operation is carried out and of a complementary and mechanical blocking system with which the final stabilising of said locking situation reached with the previous system, is achieved, and that keeps stable with independence from said pneumatic system. That is to say, with independence from the existence or not, of pressure in the latter.

[0007] Specifically, the door acts on a seal, functionally established on the mouth of the barrel, due to the effect of a pneumatic or hydraulic element that presses on this door against the seal during the initial operative phase of the device, specifically to reach the water-tight locking situation, after which the mechanical system acts, which consists of a runner sliding over a guide equipped with complementary projections and recesses, in such a way that in a relative position between the runner and the guide, the assembly thickness of these elements is minimum, remaining duly separated from the door, whilst when the longitudinal displacement of the runner is produced as regards the guide or vice versa, an accused increase of thickness of this assembly is achieved, which translates into a greater distance of the guide as regards the runner, and in consequence, an exterior pressure on the barrel door which keeps this door suitably fixed and water-tight over the seal associated to this barrel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In order to complement the description that is being offered and with the object of aiding to a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention according to a preferred exemplary practical embodiment of the same, a set of drawings is enclosed to the same and which form integral part of this description in which, with illustrative and non restrictive character the following has been represented.

[0009] Figure 1 shows a side elevational schematic representation in cross-section of a barrel door, together with the part adjacent to the latter, provided with the locking device for this door that constitutes the object of the present invention.

[0010] Figures 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D show respective sequences of one of the assembly ends represented in the previous figure, corresponding to the freely opened position of the door, the pneumatic tie-down position, the pneumatic and mechanical tie-down position and finally, the exclusively mechanical tie-down position.

[0011] Figures 3A and 3B show a longitudinal cross-sectional detail of the assembly represented in Figure 2, specifically in situations equivalent to those in Figures 2C and 2A.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0012] In view of the indicated figures, and especially from Figure 1, it can be observed that the proposed device applies to barrels (1) in which at least one mouth (2) is established for access to the inside and that is aided by a door (3) displaceable by a runner between a pair of guides or side and parallel profiles (4-4'), for example with "U" configuration and with confronted concavities, on the external side branch of which, a pneumatic chamber (5) is established, which, conveniently connected to a source of pressure, pushes the door (3) against an elastic seal (6) by means of which the sealing is produced, for which said seal (6) is assembled on a support (7) in turn attached to the marginal zones of the barrel (1) adjacent to its mouth (2).

[0013] In consequence, the locking device proposed by the invention and parting from this basic and conventional structure, centres its characteristics in the incorporation in the locking system, of a mechanical tie-down made up of a runner (8) sliding over a guide (9), the first associated to the external branch of the profile (4-4') and the second associated to the marginal and corresponding zone of the door (3), runner (8) and guide (9) including opposed projections (10) and (11) and with straight trapezoidal profile, which are capable of being confronted, defining a maximum spacing between the runner (8) and the guide (9) as is shown in Figure 3A, and consequently a maximum spacing between the side and external branch of the profile (4) and the door (3) with which it is kept permanently pressed against the seal (6) as is shown in Figure 2B, independently from which, is the operative or inoperative situation of the pneumatic or hydraulic element (5), or else, that the projections (10) of the runner (8) remain longitudinally staggered as regards the projections (11) of the guide (9), in which case, the door (3) is capable of retracting towards the freeing situation as regards the seal (6) shown in Figure 2A, both when the pneumatic mechanism (5) is deactivated and when it is activated as is the case in Figure 2B.

[0014] In this way, and due to the special configuration of the projections (10) and (11), it is achieved that by means of a slight longitudinal displacement of the runner (8) as regards the guide (9) or vice versa, and after the door has pneumatically reached the water-tight locking situation, said water-tight locking is kept indefinitely without requiring that the pneumatic or hydraulic tie-down continues is operative.

Claims

1. Automatic door locking device for a barrel, said barrel being of the type that includes, framing the mouth for access to the same, a water-tight seal against which the door is deformable in the locking situation, this door being displaceable by means of a runner between two side profiles or guides, and likewise displaceable against said seal by means of a hydraulic or pneumatic pusher, characterised in that additionally to said pneumatic or hydraulic device that presses the door against the water-tight seal, it includes a mechanical mechanism that maintains stable this situation of pressure of the door against the seal associated to the barrel: maintaining the sealed lock of the same, with independence of the operative or inoperative pneumatic or hydraulic system.

2. Automatic door locking device for a barrel, according to Claim 1, characterised in that said mechanical tie-down system consists of a runner and a guide, established between the external side of the door and the external side branch of the profile for the displacement of said door, suitably forming integral part of the barrel, this runner and guide being equipped, on their confronted sides, with projections, preferably of straight trapezoidal profile, related to each other by means of recesses with similar configuration in such a manner, that in the opening situation, the projections of the guide are housed between the projections of the runner, whilst in locking situation, one and the other projections remain in opposition, determining a maximum spacing of the door as regards the profile-guide of the same, and consequently a tightening of said door against the water-tight seal associated to the barrel.

Drawing