Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1 The present invention relates to a roller
chain drive apparatus or more in particular to a
roller chain drive apparatus suitable for use with a
garage door operating device for operating
the door by use of a roller chaln.
Generally, a garage door operating device
comprises a body containing a drive mechanism, a rail
connected with the body, and a trolley guided by this
rail. The trolley is connected with the garage door,
so that the garage door is opened or closed by driving
the trolley through the drive~mechanism. The driving
mechanism includes a threaded rod and~an endless chain
driven by a motor. In a garage door operating device
using a roller chain2 for`example, the roller chain is
; 15 mounted endlessly along the direction of the rail ~or
door operation, and by rotating this roller chain, the
garage door is~driven along the rail. (For example
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reference is made to U.S. Patent No. 3625328 to Alvin
J. Carll.) Such a garage door operating device,
20~ however, has the disadvantages as discussed below.
`(1) Since the roller chain~is used endlessly, the
length o~ the roller chain twice the actual moving
range is required.
(2) A support mechanism ~or returning the roller
chain while supportlng the roller chain is required at
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1 a position opposed to the driving source.
(3) When a loosened condition of the chain
occu:rs between the drive source and the support
mechanism, chain parts collide with each other, thus
generating noises.
An object of the present invention is to
provide a roller chain drive apparatus in which the
trolley is movable over a wide range with a compara-
tively short roller chain.
Another object of the invention is to
provide a compact accommodator for housing a roller
chain having opposite ends, which is suitable for use
with a garage door operating device.
The roller chain drive apparatus according
to the present invention comprises a guide rail for
supplying and guiding the roller chain having
opposite ends in a specific direction, means (such as
a sprocket) for reciprocating the roller chain along
the guide rail, and an accommodating section for
accommodating the taken-up roller chain spirally.
The sprocket rotationally driven causes the
roller chain to be reciprocated along the guide rail.
In other words, the roller chain in the guide rail is
kept immovable toward either side thereof. Therefore,
not only in taking up the roller chain by the sprocket
but also in supplying it to the guide rail by the
sprocket, the turning effort of the sprocket is
transmitted to the roller chain without fail, thus
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1 per~itting the roller chain to move along the guide
rail while transmitting the compressive force. In view
of the fact that the roller chain has opposite ends and
is reciprocated, the end portion of the roller chain
taken up by the sprocket requires an accommodation
space in the body. According to the present invention,
however, the end portion of the roller chain taken up
by the sprocket is spirally guided and contained in the
chain accommodating section in the drive apparatus.
The above and other objects, features and
advantages will be made apparent by the detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a side view showing a garage door
operating device to which the present invention is
applied;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal side view
of the essential parts thereof;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the
line III-III in Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the
line IV-I~ in ~ig. l;
Fig. 5A is a perspective view showing the
chain accommodating case;
Fig 5B is a partial longitudinal sectional
view showing the chain accommodating case containing
the chain;
Fig. 6 is a control circuit diagram;
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1 Fig. 7A is a partially cut away perspectlve
view showing another embodiment of the chain accommoda-
ting case; and
Fig. 7B is a partial longitudinal sectional
view showing the chain contained in the accommodating
case shown in Fig. 7A.
Embodiments of the present invention will
be explained below with reference to Figs. 1 to 6.
A roller chain drive device according to the present
invention which is applied to a garage door operating
device is shown in Fig. 1. A body 21 containing a
drive mechanism and a control device is fixed on a
garage ceiling 23 by a fixing rod 22. A rail 25 making
up guide means for guiding a roller chain 24 as its
sectional view is shown in Fig. 4 has guide protrusions
38a and 38b for guiding and supporting the rolls of
the roller chain 24, thus keeping always the roller
chain 24 in linear condition. me rail 25 also has
slots 39a and 39b along which flanges 26a and 26b of
a trolley 26 may be travel. One of the opposite ends
of the rail 25 is connected to the body 21, with the
other end being fixed on a garage wall 28 through a
mounting metal 27. The roller chain 24 having opposite
~ ends is movably arranged in the rail 25. The trolley
26 i8 connected to a part of the roller chain 24 on
the one hand and connected to a garage door 30 khrough
a connecting rod 29 on the other hand. The respective
side ends of the garage door 30 are engaged with door
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1 rails 90 through rollers. The roller chain 24 is enga
engaged with a drive sprocket 31 provided on the body
21. The drive sprocket 31 is fixed on a rotary shaft
of a large pulley 32 to which torque is imparted
through a rubber belt 35 from a small pulley 34 fixed
on an outpu~ shaft of a motor 33. The drive sprocket
31 is surrounded by fixed guides 36a and 36b secured
to a body plate 41 for preventing the roller chain 24
from being disengaged from the sprocket 31. A chain
accommodating case 40 ln which the guide protrusions
37a and 37b for guiding and supporting the roller
chain 24 are spirally formed is provided above the
body plate 41 as shown in Figs. 5a and 5b. The chain
inlet and outlet of the chain accommodating case 40
are lntroduced into the chain guide space formed
between the fixed guides 36a and 36b.
When the motor 33 is energized by the control
device contained in the body 21, the driving force of
the motor is transmitted to the roller chaln 24 through
the~small pulley 34j the rubber belt 35, the large
pulley 32, and the drlve sprocket 31. Part of the
roller chain 2~ arranged in the rail 25 is guided by
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the guide protrusions 38a and 38b of the rail 25 and
therefore linearly reciprocated. The trolley 26 is
connected to part of the roller chain 24 and is
slidable along the slots 39a and 39b of the rail 25,
so that the trolley 26 is also linearly reciprocated
in similar fashion to the roller chain 24. This
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1 linear drive is transmitted through the connecting rod
29 i;o the garage door 30, thus opening or closing the
garage door 30. The part of the roller chain 24 which
is located within the chain accommodating case 40, on
the other hand, is supplied or taken up along the
guide protrusions 37a and 37b depending on the rota-
tional direction of the drive sprocket 31. Reference
numeral 14 designates a string or a chain for pulling
a pin (not shown) which engages the trolley 26 with
the roller-chain 24 so that the trolley 26 is free
from the roller chain 24 to thereby allow the door
30 to be manually operated.
Next, an embodiment of the control circuit
for controlling the opening closing operation of the
garage door 30 will be described below with reference
to Fig. 6.
In Fig. 6 showing an embodiment of the
control device, reference numeral 43 shows a door open
command switch, and numeral 44 a door close command
switch. Numeral 45 shows a door open command input
circuit composed of resistors 47 and 48 a capacitor
49 and an inverter 50. Numeral 46 shows a door close
command input circuit composed of resistors 51 and 52,
a capacitor 53 and an inverter 54. Numeral 55 shows
a flip-flop, and numeral 56 another flip-flop.
Numeral 58 shows a door open relay, and numeral 57
a drive circuit for driving the relay 58. Numeral 60
shows a door close relay, and numeral 59 a drive
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circuit for driving the relay 60. Numerals 61 and
62 show diodes connected in parallel to the relays
58 and 60 respectively, numeral 33 a motor, numeral
65 a phase-splitting capacitor, numeral 63 the contact
of a door open relay 58, and numeral 64 the contact of
the door close relay 60. Numeral 66 shows a reed
switch for detecting the door upper limit, and numer~l
68 an input circuit including resistors 69 and 70, a
capacitor 71, and a buffer 72. Numeral 67 shows a
reed switch for detecting the door lower limit, numeral
73 an input circuit having resistors 74 and 75, a
capacitor 76, and a buffer 77.
The operation of this circuit will be
explained below. Upon depression of the door open
command switch 4 3, a door open command is applied to
the control circuit 45, the output of which is in turn
applied to the flip-flop 55. The input signal is
stored in the flip-flop 55, the output signal of which
actuates the drive circuit 57. Thus the open relay
20 ~58;1s energized, so that the relay contact 63 is
closed~and the motor 33 is driven in forward direction,
thus moving the door 30 of Fig. l upward to open.
When the door 30 is opened to its upper limit, the
upper limit detecting reed switch 66 is actuated to
25 close, so that the stored signal in the flip-flop 55
is cleared, and the relay contact 6 3 is opened, thus
stopping the drive motor 33. In closing the door,
the door of Fig. l moves downward by the operation of
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1 the door close command switch 44, the input circuit 46,
the flip-flop element 56, the drive circuit 59, the
closed relay 60 and the closed relay contact 64 in
the similar manner to the door opening operation.
When the door is closed to the lower limit, the lower
limit reed switch 67 is actuated to close, so that the
flip-flop element 56 is cleared of the stored signal,
the relay contact 64 is opened and the drive motor 33
stops.
According to the embodiment of the present
invention, the roller chain for power transmission is
guided and contained spirally and therefore the roller
chain is prevented from colliding or undesirably
engaging each other while moving, thus assuring smooth
feed of the roller chain. Since the space for contain-
ing the roller chain is flat in form, the accommodating
` case itself may be made compact, and also at low cost
lf made by plastics molding.
A chain accommodating case 80 according to
20~ another embodiment of the inventlon is shown in Figs.
7A and 7B. This embodiment ls dlfferent from that of
Flgs. 5A and 5B in that in the embodiment under
; consideration there is provided in the chain accom-
modating case roller guides 81a and 81b for supporting
25; on both sides and guiding spirally the rolls of the
roller chain 24. In this embodiment, the rolls of the
roller chain 24 are guided with the result that there
is Iess sliding resistance of the roller chain 24 in
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1 the chain accommodating case 80, thus assuring smooth
containment of the chain.
It will thus be seen that according to the
present invention there is provided a roller chain
drive apparatus having guide means and using a roller
chain having opposite ends, which comprises an
effective roller chain accommodating means occupying
very small space, thus realizing a compact roller
chain drive apparatus capable of smooth roller chain
drive.
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