GB2308399A

GB2308399A - Tracked canopy door with motor driven opening and closing mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2308399A
Application number: GB9525871A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Timothy John Auger
Original assignee: AUGERTECH Ltd
Current assignee: AUGERTECH Ltd
Priority date: 1995-12-19
Filing date: 1995-12-19
Publication date: 1997-06-25
Also published as: GB9525871D0

Abstract

A tracked canopy door 1, for example for a garage, pivots during opening and closing of the door about a generally horizontal axis substantially in the plane of the door and intermediate the top and bottom thereof. The axis about which the door pivots is able to rise and fall substantially in the plane of the closed door as the door is opened or closed. The door incorporates an opening and closing mechanism comprising a horizontal axle 7 about which the door can pivots, having toothed gears 11 at either end engaging tracks 13 mounted on the door jam, and a housing 3 containing a motor which rotates the axle 7. The rotating axle causes the door to lift or lower via the gears 11 on their respective tracks 13 and, due to friction in the mechanism, the housing and thus the door also rotate in the opposite direction to the axle. Limit switches can be used to control the extremities of movement, and the motor can be operated by an radio or infra-red signal.

Description

TRACKED CANOPY DOOR WITH OPENING AND CLOSING MECHANISM The present invention relates to a tracked canopy door, such as an upright or vertically tracked canopy door, provided with an opening and closing mechanism.

Tracked canopy doors are commonly used for garages for vehicles and it is known to provide automatic opening mechanisms for such doors. In a tracked canopy door, the door is pivotably mounted about a generally horizontal axis intermediate the top and bottom of the door, the axis being substantially in the plane of the door and being able to rise and fall substantially in the plane of the door when closed as the door is opened and closed.

However, tracked canopy doors are not well suited to being opened and closed automatically by forces acting in a single plane because they require two distinct forces to open and close the doors. To open a tracked canopy door, a turning force is first applied to initiate opening of the door and this is followed by a lifting force. To close the door, the operation is reversed and a lowering force is first applied, followed by a turning force in order to complete the closing operation.

Conventional opening mechanisms for tracked canopy doors generally comprise a generally horizontal tracked push/pull device which is connected to the top of the door. A push/pull device is not well adapted to providing the distinct turning and lifting/lowering forces required and this gives rise to difficulties in opening and closing the door.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a tracked canopy door provided with an opening and closing mechanism which is constructed to provide distinct turning and lifting/lowering forces in order to facilitate opening and closing of the door.

According to the present invention there is provided a tracked canopy door which is pivotable during opening and closing of the door about a generally horizontal axis substantially in the plane of the door and intermediate the top and bottom thereof, the axis being able to rise and fall substantially in the plane of the closed door as the door is opened or closed, the door incorporating an opening and closing mechanism comprising: door lifting and lowering means connected to the door substantially at the horizontal pivotable axis thereof for lifting or lowering the door; and door opening and closing means for applying a force substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door for opening and closing the door.

The door lifting and lowering means may comprise a spur gear mounted at each side of the door and engaged with an upright rack mounted adjacent to the door, such that rotation of the spur gear results in lifting or lowering of the door. Each spur gear may have provided on that side thereof remote from the door a guide wheel, which guide wheel is received in an upright channel mounted adjacent to the rack.

The spur gears may be mounted at opposite ends of a rotatable bar which extends transversely of the door. The bar may be mounted in bearings provided in the side regions of the door. The bar may be rotated by means of an electrical motor, for example by way of an intermediate gear or by providing the armature of the motor on the bar.

The electrical motor may be connected to the door at a point offset from the horizontal axis so as to apply to the door the force substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door for opening and closing the door. The electrical motor may be connected to the door by way of a resilient member such as a spring. Rotary movement of the motor relative to the door, as permitted by the resilient member, may additionally be employed to unlock and/or lock the door.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of one embodiment of a tracked canopy door provided with a door opening mechanism according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic elevational view showing in more detail part of the door opening mechanism illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic side view of the part of the door opening mechanism shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic elevational view in greater detail of a spur gear and rack assembly forming part of the door opening mechanism shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3; and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic side view of the spur gear and rack assembly shown in Figure 4.

Figure 1 shows a conventional tracked canopy garage door 1, although for clarity the manner in which the door is mounted is not shown. Although a number of door opening and closing mechanisms may be employed, they all result in the door pivoting about a generally horizontal axis which extends intermediate the top and bottom of the door between side members of a frame (not shown) in which the door is mounted. The axis is therefore substantially in the plane of the door. A track is provided in the region of the side members of the frame so that the axis is able to rise and fall substantially in the plane of the door, when closed, as the door is opened and closed.

The door is provided with a door opening and closing mechanism which is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The door opening and closing mechanism comprises a housing 3 which is positioned substantially mid-way between the side edges of the door and is mounted by way of bearings 5 so as to be rotatable relative to a bar 7. Bar 7 is itself rotatable and is rotatably supported in mountings 9 provided in the region of each side edge of the door 1. In practice, bar 7 is arranged such that the axis of the bar is adjacent to the axis about which the door will pivot in conventional manner when opened and closed. Bar 7 extends through the mountings 9 and has secured at each end thereof a spur gear 11. The spur gears each engage with a track in the form of rack 13 which is secured to the jamb (not shown) of the garage door 1 or any other convenient part of the garage (not shown).Rack 13 effectively constrains the axis of pivoting of the door to upward and downward movement in a single plane corresponding substantially to the plane of the door when closed. Spur gears 11 and racks 13 effectively form door lifting and lowering means.

As shown in Figure 2, within the housing 3 is arranged an electrical motor 15 which is able to rotate the housing relating to the bar 7 by way of gears 17 which in turn rotate a gear 18 provided on the bar. As shown in Figure 3, housing 3 is spaced a small distance from the garage door 1, but engages therewith by way of a resilient member, such as spring 19 or an elastomeric member, which in the illustrated embodiment is offset laterally above a plane perpendicular to the garage door and passing through the axis of the bar 7. Rotation of housing 3 therefore applies to the door by way of spring 19 a force substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door. Housing 3 and spring 19 effectively form door opening and closing means.

Figures 4 and 5 show the spur gear 11 and rack 13 in more detail. As can be seen in Figures 4 and 5, bar 7 terminates in a guide wheel 21 which is received in a guide channel 23 secured to the garage (not shown). Guide wheel 21 and channel 23 serve to restrain lateral movement of the bar 7 both in the axial direction of the bar and in a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the bar moves, thus maintaining the spur gears 11 in engagement with the racks 13. Although it is not shown in the figures, but racks 13 and guide channels 23 may be provided with covers to prevent anything becoming trapped between the gears 11 and racks 13 or between the guide wheels 21 and channels 23.

In use, and assuming the garage door to be closed, on a predetermined opening signal, such as a radio signal or an infra-red signal, the electrical motor 15 rotates in a direction to open the door. Because, with the door closed, the spur gears 11 are unable to climb the racks 13 due to the door and the racks all being substantially upright, the motor 15 causes the housing 3 to rotate in the opposite direction to the motor. This causes the spring 19 to be extended.

Rotation of the housing 3 relative to the door and extension of the spring 19 are used to pull a lock latch release cable (not shown) to unlock the garage door 1 and also to apply a lateral or turning force substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door to initiate opening of the door by pivoting of the door about a generally horizontal axis. As the door rotates about its pivot point, the spur gears 11 become able to climb the racks 13 to apply a lifting force to lift the garage door to its fully open position where the motor 15 receives a stop signal by way, for example, of a limit switch (not shown).

Lowering of the open door is relatively straightforward.

On a predetermined closing signal, the electrical motor rotates in a direction to close the door. This causes the spurs gears 11 to rotate in a direction such that the teeth move in a direction to lower the door. In the early stages of lowering of the door, there is little resistance to rotation of the spur gears, and indeed the motor may operate as a brake under over-run conditions, but as the door 1 approaches the closed position the resistance to downward motion increases and, because of the resilient connection between the housing 3 and the door 1, a turning force is again exerted on the door substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door to pivot the door about a generally horizontal axis to finalise closing of the door.When the door closes, the motor 15 receives a stop signal, for example by way of a limit switch (not shown) and as the housing rotates towards its equilibrium position under the action of the spring 19 the door latch (not shown) may be operated to lock the door.

One advantage of the door opening mechanism according to the present invention is that it is possible to open the door even in the event of a power failure to the motor, for example in the event of a power cut. Opening the door by hand may be somewhat more difficult than with conventional manually operated doors, but contrasts markedly to conventional automatic door opening mechanisms where it is usually not possible to open the garage door in the event of a power failure unless the mechanism is disconnected or disengaged.

A further advantage of the door opening mechanism according to the present invention is that the components that are not mounted on the door itself are all mounted on or in the region of the door frame. This contrasts with conventional automatic door opening mechanisms which are positioned in the garage roof.

As an alternative to an electrical motor arranged in a housing and rotating the bar by way of an intermediate gear, the bar may form the armature of the electrical motor. Such an arrangement has the advantage of fewer components and is therefore more economical to manufacture.

However, the rotational speed of the motor must be chosen so as to be sufficiently slow. As a further alternative, the bar may be driven by way of an epicyclic gear arrangement.

It is not necessary to employ a spur gear and rack assembly for lifting and lowering the door and other lifting and lowering mechanisms, such as chain mechanisms, can be used.

Claims

1. A tracked canopy door which is pivotable during opening and closing of the door about a generally horizontal axis substantially in the plane of the door and intermediate the top and bottom thereof, the axis being able to rise and fall substantially in the plane of the closed door as the door is opened or closed, the door incorporating an opening and closing mechanism comprising: door lifting and lowering means connected to the door substantially at the horizontal pivotable axis thereof for lifting or lowering the door; and door opening and closing means for applying a force substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door for opening and closing the door.

2. A tracked canopy door as claimed in claim 1, wherein the door lifting and lowering means comprises a spur gear mounted at each side of the door and engaged with an upright rack mounted adjacent to the door, such that rotation of the spur gear results in lifting or lowering of the door.

3. A tracked canopy door as claimed in claim 2, wherein each spur gear has provided on that side thereof remote from the door a guide wheel, which guide wheel is received in an upright channel mounted adjacent to the rack.

4. A tracked canopy door as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the spur gears are mounted at opposite ends of a rotatable bar which extends transversely of the door.

5. A tracked canopy door as claimed in claim 4, wherein the bar is mounted in bearings provided in the side regions of the door.

6. A tracked canopy door as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the bar is rotated by means of an electrical motor, for example by way of an intermediate gear or by providing the armature of the motor on the bar.

7. A tracked canopy door as claimed in claim 6, wherein the electrical motor is connected to the door at a point offset from the horizontal axis so as to apply to the door the force substantially perpendicular to the plane of the door for opening and closing the door.

8. A tracked canopy door as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electrical motor is connected to the door by way of a resilient member such as a spring.

9. A tracked canopy door as claimed in claim 8, wherein rotary movement of the motor relative to the door, as permitted by the resilient member, is additionally employed to unlock and/or lock the door.

10. A tracked canopy door substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.