An apparatus for actuating wing opening doors for lifts or elevators

Abstract

 An apparatus for actuating wings, for floor door assemblies in lifts or elevator of the type with one or two automatically opened wings, comprises a motorisation (3) that actuates a closed belt or chain (4), whereto are fastened means (5) for connecting to the wings (2), which define, together with the wings (2), connecting rod-crank mechanisms, so that, in the transmission of motion, the wings or part thereof serve as cranks, whilst the connecting means, whereon the motorisation acts, serve as connecting rods.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for actuating wing opening doors for lifts or elevators.

[0002] In door assemblies of lift installations, especially if the lifts are used to transport people, wing-opening doors are often used, to limit the size of the lift shaft, avoiding the need to occupy ample lateral spaces to allow the disappearance of the wings. Door assemblies with wing-opening doors can comprise one or two wings. If there are two wings, there is the advantage of reducing the bulk outside the door space, when opening; on the other hand, the movement of the wings needs to be synchronised. Moreover, to facilitate the entry of persons or any freight into the lift, it is desirable to cause the angle of opening of the wing door to be as great as possible. This need is particularly important in the applications where disabled persons are to be transported.

[0003] In known apparatuses for actuating wing-opening doors, a wing is set in rotation through an actuator, e.g. a gear motor, directly or by means of a belt and pulley system, in which a pulley or another rotary means has the axis of rotation in common with one of the wings. In these apparatuses, like the one described in the patent application for industrial invention TO2002A000229, the wings are synchronised by making appropriate rigid connections between disks that are coaxial to the axes of rotation of the wings and integral therewith, which, rotating, set the wings in motion. These apparatuses have the disadvantage of allowing an angle of opening of the wings that does not exceed 90 degrees and of concentrating stress on the pivots of rotation of the wings.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks and to make available an apparatus for actuating wing-opening floor doors in lifts or elevators, which is efficient and simple to construct, minimising the size of the lift shaft and of the actuating apparatus itself.

[0005] Said objects are fully achieved by the apparatus of the present invention, which is characterised by the content of the appended claims and in particular in that it comprises a motorisation that actuates a closed belt or chain, whereto are fastened means for connecting to the wings, which define, together with the wings, connecting rod-crank mechanisms, so that, in the transmission of motion, the wings or part thereof serve as cranks, whilst the connecting means, whereon the motorisation acts, serve as connecting rods.

[0006] Said apparatus exploits a known technique, currently used to actuate sliding wings, which provides for the use of planetary gears fastened to a closed belt or chain, driven by an actuator, whereto are rigidly fastened the wings. The present invention originally adapts said technique to the actuation of wing doors for lifts, by using appropriate connecting means. An important advantage of the apparatus of the present invention is that is can also be used to automate existing door assemblies, thanks to a particularly reduced size. Moreover, the subject apparatus makes is particularly easy to access the lift opening, even for disabled persons, thanks to the fact that it originally allows an opening of the wings of over 90 degree.

[0007] This and other characteristics shall become more readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, illustrated purely by way of non limiting example in the accompanying drawing tables, in which:

• Figure 1 shows an axonometric view of a door assembly, with open doors;
• Figure 2 shows an axonometric view of a door assembly, with closed doors.

[0008] In the figures, the reference number 1 globally designates a floor door assembly. The reference number 2 designates wing-opening doors. The door assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises two wings; however, the device described herein can also be applied to door assemblies comprising a single wing. The reference number 3 designates a motorisation, that actuates a closed belt 4 or chain. The belt 4 is tensioned along a straight line parallel to the plane which the wings 2 define when they are closed. The motorisation 3 is preferably constituted by a gear motor with vertical axis, in order to limit the size of the apparatus. The belt 4 is connected to the wings 2 through connecting means 5. In particular, each connecting means 5 has one end hinged on the belt, so that it is constrained to translate along the direction in which the belt is tensioned, whilst the other end is hinged on the corresponding wing. The connecting means 5 transmit motion from the belt 4 to the wings 2 transforming the motion from rectilinear to rotary, with axes of rotation of the wings designated by the reference number 10. In particular, each connecting means 5 comprises a plate 6 or any other rigid means fastened to the upper part of the wing 2, a support 7 (planetary gear) fastened to the belt 4 and a rigid arm 8, which has an end hinged on the plate 6, in a point designated by the number 9, and the other end hinged on the planetary gear 7. The point 9 in which the arm 8 is hinged on the plate 6 is preferably positioned at a distance from the axis of rotation 10 of the wing 2 of at least one third the width of the wing; in this way, the arm of the torque which the connecting means 5 transmits to the wing is increased, thereby increasing the efficiency of the apparatus. Therefore, the complex constituted by a wing and by the corresponding connecting means constitutes a connecting rod-crank system, in which the part of wing 2 between the axis of rotation 10 and the point 9 serves as a crank, whilst the connecting means 5 serves as a connecting rod. The point 9, at which the arm 8 is hinged on the plate 6, is displaced, with respect to the plane defined by the wing 2, in the direction of opening of the wing; in this way, the actuating apparatus transmits a non zero torque, relative to the axes of rotation 10, when the wings are closed, even if the belt 4 is tensioned along a straight line that lies on the plane defined by the closed wings. To this corresponds an additional reduction of the size of the actuating apparatus, which can easily be installed on existing non automatic door assemblies.

[0009] The actuating device of the present invention comprises anchoring means, not shown, which fasten the wings 2 to each other, when they are in the closed position, preventing them from opening accidentally. Said anchoring means are automatically disengaged, by means of electromechanical or mechanical actuators (not shown), which are activated when the car is at the floor.

[0010] Moreover, it should be observed that the described actuating apparatus can originally be used to actuate double wing doors or folding doors, such as bellows doors. Use of the described actuating apparatus for folding or double wing doors is particularly advantageous because said dings are, in closed position, on a single plane, with no need to introduce devices for the alignment of the wings.

[0011] The apparatus of the present invention further comprises means for the automatic re-closing of the wings. Said means, not shown in the figures, are preferably, though not necessarily, constituted by springs. Said re-closing means ensure the automatic re-closing of the wings, even in the absence of tension, after the occupants leave the lift.

[0012] Lastly, it should be noted that the actuating apparatus of the present invention, in an embodiment variant not illustrated herein, has the supports 7 slidably connected to the belt 4 and anchored thereto with fastening means. In case of emergency, i.e. in the absence of tension, said fastening means can be disengaged, e.g. with a key, enabling the actuation of the wings even when the belt is motionless. In this way, the actuating apparatus of the invention originally allows to evacuate a lift in case of failure, in a simple, economical manner.

Claims

1. An apparatus for actuating wing-opening doors, for floor door assemblies in lifts or elevators of the type with one or two automatically opening wings,
characterised in that it comprises a motorisation (3) that actuates a closed belt or chain (4), whereto are fastened means (5) for connecting to the wings (2), which define, together with the wings (2), connecting rod-crank mechanisms, so that, in the transmission of motion, the wings or part thereof serve as cranks, whilst the connecting means, whereon the motorisation acts, serve as connecting rods.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each connecting means (5) comprises a plate (6) or any other rigid means fastened to the upper part of the wing (2), a support (7) (planetary gear) fastened to the belt (4) and a rigid arm (8), which has an end hinged on the plate (6) and the other end hinged on the planetary gear (7).

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, comprising two wings (2), whose motion is synchronised, the connecting means (5) of said wings being fastened to the same belt (4).

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, comprising anchoring means which fasten the wings (2) to each other, when they are in the closed position, and prevent them from opening accidentally.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the point (9) in which each arm (8) is hinged on the plate (6) integral with the corresponding wing (2) is displaced in the direction of opening of the wing, relative to the plane defined by the wing itself.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the point in which each connecting means (5) is fastened to the corresponding wing (2) is displaced, relative to the axis of rotation (10) of that wing, by a distance equal to at least one third the width of the wing itself.

7. An apparatus as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein the motorisation that drives the belt (4) consists of a gear motor (3) with vertical axis.

8. An apparatus as claimed in any of the previous claims, such that said apparatus can be housed in the lintel of a door assembly (1) and has reduced size, in particular, height and thickness of a few centimetres and width substantially equal to the sum of the widths of the wings.

9. An apparatus as claimed in any of the previous claims, wherein each wing (2) has an angle of maximum opening exceeding 90 degrees.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the supports (7) are slidably connected to the belt (4), whereto they are fastened by fastening means which can be disengaged by an operator.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wings (2) are of the folding or double wing type.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising means for the automatic re-closing of the wings (2), constituted by springs which can be activated, with the aid of a timer, even without tension.

13. Lift or elevator of the type with one or two automatically opened wing doors,
characterised in that it comprises an apparatus for actuating the wings according to any one of the previous claims.

Drawing