Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
TTTLE
GUIDE BAR FOR AN ELEVATOR DOOR
BACKGROUND OF TtIE INVENTION
The,present invention relates generally to elevator door
mechanisms and, in particular, to a guide bar fox maintaining
a lower end of a sliding elevator door in a track.
U.S. Patent No. 3,523,390 shows a sliding door fox an
elevator, which door is guided at the lower end by a roller
guide attached at the center of the door and engaged in a
predetermined sliding track. An indicator shaft ,of the
roller extends into a groove mortised in the doox sill, which
groove determines the sliding track. A beam located at the
lower end of the door has rectangular openings formed therein
arranged lengthwise and transversely to the beam, which
openings are provided fox receiving the end of the shaft and
the shaft fastening means. The openings in the beam make it
possible to compensate far deviations between the door and
the groove in the sill during the assembly of the rollex
guide, by inserting the roller guide into a suitable one of
the openings which are staggered with respect to each other.
The disadvantages of this known arrangement are that the
sliding door cannot meet the present day requirements for
close tolerances with regard to the equalization of
structural deviations between the door and the sill. It is
here that the present invention can assist. The guide bar
according to the present invention solves the problem of
I
providing a sliding door in which the equalization of
structural deviations is improved during and after assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An elevator door has mounted at its lower end a guide
'bar for engaging a przdetermined track thereby determining a
path for sliding movement of the door. The guide bar
includes a supporting beam with at least one opening or
attachment aperture for the installation fox a fastening
means for a guiding means which engages the track. The
attachment aperture is selected at the time of installation
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from a plurality of such apertures arranged in a staggered
manner which provide numerous adjustment possibilities for
the guiding means.
Accordingly, in one of its aspects, the present
invention relates to an improvement in a guide bar for an
elevator door including a beam adapted to be attached to an
elevator sliding door, a guiding means for engaging a
groove and fastener means for attaching the guiding means
to the beam, the improvement comprising: a beam having a
web and a sliding axis, a predetermined number of
attachment apertures formed in said web and arranged i.n a
staggered pattern, said attachment apertures each being
formed from a plurality of overlapping recesses and a
center point of each of said recesses being staggered with
respect to each other one of said center points of said
recesses in a direction transverse to the sliding axis of
said beam by at least one of a predetermined step width
equal to one quarter c>f_ a longest one of all straight line
distances between a1:1 pairs of said center points of one of
said attachment apertures whereby each of said recesses is
adapted to cooperate with a fastening means to provide a
different point of attachment of a guiding means to said
beam.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides a
guide bar for an elevator door comprising: a beam adapted
to be attached to an elevator sliding door, said beam
having a web and a sliding axis, a plurality of attachment
apertures formed in said web in two spaced apart groups,
each of said attachment: apertures being formed from three
generally circular overlapping recesses having center
points defining all in.t:ersections of three sides of an
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2a
isosceles triangle and one of said center points being
located along a straight line extending perpendicular to a
straight line between the other two center points a
distance one half of t:he distance between the other two
center points, and each of said center points being
staggered with respect: to all other ones of said center
points associated in one of said groups in a direction
transverse of the sliding axis of said beam by at least one
of a predetermined step width equal to one quarter of the
straight line distance between said two center points; a
guide means for extending into a guide track; and fastener
means for attaching said guide means to said beam in
cooperation with a se~.ected one of said attachment
apertures in each of raid groups.
In a still further aspect, the present invention
provides, in a guide bar for an elevator door including a
beam adapted to be attached to an elevator sliding door, a
guiding means for engaging a groove and fastener means for
attaching the guiding means to the beam, the beam
comprising: a first generally horizontally extending web
having two groups of ~;ix attachment apertures each formed
therein, said groups being spaced apart along a sliding
axis of said beam, said attachment apertures each being
formed from three overlapping recesses and a center point
of each of said reces~;es being staggered with respect to
said center points of all of the other ones of said
recesses associated in one of said groups in a direction
transverse to the sliding axis of said beam by at least one
of a predetermined step width equal to one quarter of a
longest one of all straight line distances between all
pairs of said center points of one of said attachment
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2b
apertures, said three center points of each of said
recesses defining all intersections of three sides of an
isosceles triangle and one of said center points being
located along a straight line extending perpendicular to a
straight line between the other two center points a
distance one half of t:he distance between the other two
center points; and a second generally vertically extending
web having mounting apertures formed therein for attachment
to an elevator door, said second web extending at right
angles to and attached to said first web.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a guide
strip for a lift door and consisting of a carrier with a
first limb and a second limb as well as of a guide, which
is fastenable at the f=first limb, wherein several openings,
which are arranged to be displaced one from the other, for
the creation of possibilities of adjustment for the guide
and tooth for the emergency locking of the lift door are
provided at the first limb, characterised thereby, that
each opening is providE:d with three partially intersecting
recesses the centres IA, B, C) of which form isosceles
triangles (A, B, C).
An advantage achieved by the present invention is that
precisely aligned sl:icling doors require smaller
displacement forces fc>r opening and closing which is
especially crucial in the selection of the motor size o:f
the associated motorized door drives. A further advantage
lies in the fact that changes or shifts in the building
structure occurring in the course of time can be
accommodated by the maintenance service personnel by me<~ns
of the precision adju~,tment provided by the sliding door
guide bar according to the present invention.
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2c
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above, as wel:L as other advantages of the present
invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in
the art from the following detailed description of a
preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the
accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspf=ctive exploded view of an elevator
guide bar according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of one of the
fastener attachment apertures of the guide bar of Fig. 1;
Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar to Fig. 2 and show a
fastener inserted in t:he aperture; and
Fig. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of one of they
groups of attachment apertures formed in the guide bar of
Fig. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Shown in F.ig. 1 i.s a guide bar 1 utilized in the
aligning of sliding elevator doors. The guide bar 1
includes an elongated, generally L-shaped cross section
beam 2 attached to a guiding means in the form of a sliding
guide 3, the beam 2 and the sliding guide 3 each extending
longitudinally :in the direction of travel of an elevator
2~3~~~
3 1-9066
door. The beam 2 can be manufactured from a commercial cold-
rolled quality steel and formed with a first generally
horizonta'l1y extending web 4 attached to a second generally
vertically extending web 5 in a right-angled configuration.
The surfaces of the beam 2 can be protected against
corrosion
by means of a cadmium layer or coating. For the attachment
of the beam 2 to an elevator door (not shown), a plurality
of
fastener receiving mounting apertures 6 are formed in
the
second web 5. Two groups of attachment apertures 7 are
formed in the first web 4 to accept suitable fastening
means
such as bolts 8 and nuts 9, which fastening means connect
the
sliding guide 3 with the first web 4. The sliding guide
3
can be molded of a durable nylon material and extends
downwardly into a groove (not shown) mortised into the
elevator door sill, whereby the elevator door is guided
in a
predetermined sliding track defined by the groove. In
an
alternate embodiment, roller guiding means (not shown)
could
I be provided in place of the sliding guide 3.
In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, six apertures 7 are
provided in each of the two groups on the first web
~ for the
accommodation of any structural deviations in the elevator
door structure. Each opening 7 is formed from three
intersecting circular recesses 10 as shown in Figs.
2 through
5. The fastening means axe inserted, depending on the
necessary correction for any structural deviation, into
the
corresponding opening 7 and one of the associated recesses
10. Center points A, B and C of the three circular recesses
10 define the intersections of the three sides of an
- isosceles triangle, wherein a straight dashed line drawn
fram
,, the point C is perpendicular to a straight dashed line
drawn
between the points A and B. The distance between the
pois~t C
and the straight line between the points A and point
B is one
half of the distance between the points A and B as shown
in
Fig. 2. This relationship assures that a head 8.1 of
the
bolt 8 is supported on at least two thirds of its
circumference by the first web 4 as shown in Figs. 3
and b.
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Designated with D in Fig. 5 is the smallest step width
possible for accommodating a deviation in a direction
transvexse to the sliding axis of the first web ~., The step
width D corresponds to one quarter of the distance between
the points A and g. The openings 7, as shown in Fig. 5, are
arranged in a pattern such that the central points A, B and C
of the recesses 10 are displaced alternatingly by the step
width D whereby eighteen possible points of attachment are
- provided in comparison to the possibility of six points of
attachment provided by six conventional circular apertures.
Teeth 11 are formed on each end of the first web 4.
Depending on the attached position of the sliding guide 3 on
I
the beam 2, one of the teeth 11 is selected and bent
downwardly to extend into but not touch the walls of the
i 15 guiding groove (not shown) for the sliding guide 3. For
example, in case the sliding guide 3 is destroyed by fire,
the elevator door can be kept blocked since the bent teeth 11
will engage the groove.
In summary, a guide bar for an elevator door includes a
beam adapted to be attached to an elevator sliding door, a
guiding means for engaging a groove and fastener means for
attaching the guiding means to the beam. The beam has a
generally horizontally extending web and a plurality of
attachment apertures formed in the web, the attachment
apertures being arranged in a staggered pattern providing at
least as many possible points of attachment of the guiding
means to the beam as the number of attachment apertures. The
attachment apertures are each formed from three generally
circular recesses having center points defining the
intersections of the sides of an isosceles triangle and one
of the center points being located along a straight line
extending perpendicular to a straight line between the other
two center points a distance one half of the distance between
the other two center points.
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In accordance with the provisions of the patent
statutes, the present invention has been described in what is
considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However,
it should be noted that the invention can be practiced
S otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described
without departing from its spirit or scope.
