Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUXILIARY OPERATING DEVICE
FOR
NORMALLY MOTOR-DRIVEN CLOSURE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the
operation of a closure normally operated by a motor
and, more particularly, to an auxiliary device for
allowing manual operation of the closure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known in the art of closures
operated by way of electric motors to provide each
system with an auxiliary operating device to permit
manual operation of the closure in the event, for
instance, of a failure of the electric motor.
Canadian Patent Application No. 2,112,350
filed on December 23, 1993 in the name of Manaras et
al. and laid-open on June 24, 1995 discloses such an
auxiliary closure operating device which is mounted
on a motor driving an output shaft adapted to open
and close a closure, such as a garage door. The
auxiliary operating device comprises a shaft mounted
for rotational and axial movements within an
elongated surrounding sleeve supported on the motor.
A first gear is mounted at a first end of the shaft
for rotation therewith. In its idle position, the
first gear is engaged by a locking finger in order to
prevent rotational movement of the shaft. A pulley is
mounted for free rotation at the opposed end of the
shaft and is engaged with a manual chain. A disc is
mounted to the hub of the pulley for engaging a cam
member fixedly mounted to the shaft adjacent the
pulley. The initial rotational movement induced to
the pulley via the manual operation of the chain
causes the disc to displace along the cam member so
as to push the latter away from the pulley, thereby
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causing the shaft, which is locked against rotation
due to the engagement of the locking finger with the
first gear, to slide axially within the sleeve. At
one point, the first gear will disengage from the
locking finger and will mesh with a second gear
secured to the output shaft, thereby allowing the
shaft to rotate with the cam member in order to drive
the output shaft. At the same time, the disc will
engage a stopper on the cam member such that further
rotation of the pulley will be transmitted as a
torque to the cam member, thereby causing the
rotation of the shaft and of the first gear and,
thus, of the second gear and of the motor's output
shaft.
Although the auxiliary closure operating
device described in the above mentioned Patent
Application is effective, it has been found that
there is a need for a new auxiliary closure operating
device which is more compact and which involves fewer
or simpler interacting parts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an aim of the present
invention to provide a new closure operating device
which can be manually operated to displace a closure
which is normally driven by a motor.
It is also an aim of the present invention
to provide a closure operating device which is
relatively compact.
It is a further aim of the present
invention to provide a closure operating device which
is relatively simple and economical to manufacture.
It is a still further aim of the present
invention to provide a limit switch mechanism having
an access door which is adapted to stay open and
close by itself.
It is a still further aim of the present
invention to provide a closure door operator casing
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which is configured to facilitate access to the
components housed therein.
Therefore, in accordance with the present
invention, there is provided an auxiliary operating
device for manually operating a closure operating
shaft normally driven by a motor in order to displace
a closure between open and closed positions,
comprising a manual actuator, and a driving member
adapted to be freely mounted on the closure operating
shaft, said manual actuator being operational to
axially displace said driving member along the shaft
between a first axial position in which said driving
member and the closure operating shaft are
independently rotatable relative to one another,
thereby allowing the shaft to be driven by the motor
to displace the door between said open and closed
positions thereof, and a second axial position in
which said driving member is engageable with the
closure operating shaft so that continuous operation
of said manual actuator results in a torque being
transmitted from said manual actuator to the closure
operating shaft, thereby allowing the closure to be
manually displaced between the open and closed
positions thereof by operation of said manual
actuator.
In accordance with a further general aspect
of the present invention, there is provided a limit
switch mechanism for controlling the operation of a
motor over a selected range of movement, comprising a
casing, a motor driven threaded shaft journaled to
the casing, at least one switch actuator threadably
engaged on the threaded shaft and adjustably
positionable thereon, a limit switch mounted to the
casing adjacent the threaded shaft so as to be
actuated by the switch actuator when the same reaches
a predetermined position on the threaded shaft, an
access plate pivotally mounted to the casing for
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movement between closed and open positions, wherein
in the closed position the access plate is engaged
with the switch actuator to prevent rotation of the
switch actuator while allowing axial movement thereof
along the threaded shaft as a result of the threaded
shaft, and biasing means connected to the access
plate adapted to urge the access plate towards the
closed position when the access plate is within a
first range of positions and towards the open
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position when the access plate is within a second
range of positions distinct from the first range.
In accordance with a further general aspect
of the present invention there is provided a casing
for housing components of a closure operating device,
comprising a back wall adapted to be mounted on a
mounting surface, outer wall means extending
forwardly from the back wall to define an interior
space therewith, the outer wall means having at least
a forward portion thereof which extends at an obtuse
angle with respect to the back wall. The forward
portion has an inner surface on which various
components can be mounted, whereby accessibility to
the components mounted to the inner surface is
facilitated due to the orientation of the forward
portion with respect to the back wall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the nature
of the invention, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration
a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a schematic elevational view of a
mechanically operated overhead door having an
auxiliary operating device which can be used to
manually open and close the overhead door in
accordance with a first embodiment of the present
invention.
Figs. 2 to 5 are enlarged front elevational
views, partly in cross-section, of the auxiliary
operating device illustrating the sequential
movements imparted to a driving component of the
auxiliary operating device by an actuator thereof;
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional
view of the auxiliary operating device;
Fig. 7 is a transversal cross-sectional
view of the auxiliary operating device taken along
line 7-7 in Fig. 2;
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Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the
auxiliary operating device;
Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the auxiliary
operating device;
Figs. 10 and 11 are longitudinal cross-
sectional views of an auxiliary operating device in
accordance with a second embodiment of the present
invention, the device being shown at rest in Fig. 10
and in a functional position in Fig. 11; and
Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken
along line 12-12 in Fig. 10.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In accordance with a first embodiment of
the present invention, Figs. 1 to 7 illustrate a
compact auxiliary operating device 10 directly
mounted on an intermediate shaft 12, which is
normally driven by an electric motor M (see Fig. 1),
for allowing the same to be manually operated via a
single actuating mechanism in order to open and close
a closure, such as a garage door D (see Fig. 1),
operatively connected to the intermediate shaft 12
via an output shaft S, a pair of sprockets 11 fixedly
mounted on the intermediate and output shafts 12 and
S, and a chain 15 engaged to both sprockets 11.
As seen in Fig. l, the intermediate shaft
12 and the output shaft S are journaled to a casing
13 adapted to be mounted onto a wall adjacent an
opening defined therein and in which the garage door
D is displaceable to selectively close or open the
opening.
As seen in Figs. 2 to 7, the auxiliary
operating device 10 generally comprises a single
actuator 14 adapted to be manually operated to first
operatively engage a driving member 16 with the
intermediate shaft 12 and then cause the driving
member 16 to rotate therewith in order to transmit a
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torque from the actuator 14 to the intermediate shaft
12.
As seen in Fig. 6, the actuator 14 includes
an endless chain 18 extending over a pulley 20
mounted for free rotation around the intermediate
shaft 12. The chain 18 extends downwardly on both
sides of the pulley 20 through a chain guide 22
freely hanging from the intermediate shaft 12. As
seen in Fig. 6, an elongated cylindrical sleeve 24
extends from the chain guide 22 about the
intermediate shaft 12. The cylindrical sleeve 24 is
mounted on a pair of bushings 26 and 28 disposed in
an end-to-end relationship on the intermediate shaft
12 to allow the latter to rotate freely relative to
the cylindrical sleeve 24 and, thus, the chain guide
22. The pulley 20 has a hub 30 which is mounted on a
bushing 32 fitted over the cylindrical sleeve 24,
thereby allowing the pulley 20 to freely rotate
relative to the intermediate shaft 12 and the sleeve
24. The hub 30 extends transversally outwardly of the
pulley 20 and a small disc or roller 34 is mounted on
a fixed idle axle 36 extending radially outwardly
from a distal end of the hub 30.
The driving member 16 includes a cam member
38 freely mounted on the intermediate shaft 12 to
interact with the roller 34. The cam member 38 has a
first cylindrical tubular portion 40 extending from a
bottom annular wall 42 towards the pulley 20 and a
second cylindrical tubular portion 44 extending from
the bottom annular wall 42 in a direction opposite to
the first cylindrical tubular portion 40. The bottom
annular wall 42 is engaged on the bushing 28 and is
axially and rotatably movable thereon. The first
cylindrical tubular portion 40 has a distal end
defining a cam surface 46 which abuts the roller 34
mounted at the distal end of the hub 30 of the pulley
20. The cam surface 46 symmetrically extends from a
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shallow recess 48 axially outwardly away from the
bottom annular wall 42 to a peak formation 50 which
is diametrically opposite the recess 48.
A spring 52 is mounted about the
intermediate shaft 12 in compression between a spring
pin 54 extending from the intermediate shaft 12 and a
shoulder 56 formed at the junction of the bottom
annular wall 42 and an axially extending recess 58
defined by the second cylindrical tubular portion 44
of the cam member 38. The spring 52 is effective to
normally urge the cam member 38 towards the pulley 20
with the roller 34 resting in the shallow recess 48
defined in the cam surface 46 of the cam member 38.
A pin 60 extends axially from the distal
end of the second cylindrical tubular portion 44 for
engaging the spring pin 54 in order to transmit a
torque from the pulley 20 to the intermediate shaft
12 once the cam member 38 has been displaced axially
away from the pulley 20 to a functional position
thereof in response of the movement of the roller 34
on the cam surface 46 of the cam member 38, as will
be explained hereinafter.
As best seen in Figs. 2, 6 and 7, a stopper
62 extends at right angles from the bottom annular
wall 42 of the cam member 38 within the first
cylindrical tubular portion 40 thereof to engage one
of a pair of circumferentially spaced-apart
triangular protrusions 64 extending from the distal
end of the elongated cylindrical sleeve 24.
As seen in Figs. 2 to 5 and 9, a lever 66
is pivotally mounted at a proximal end thereof to a
bracket (not shown) secured to the casing 13. A
roller 70 is mounted at the distal end of the lever
66 and is adapted to be engaged by the outer surface
of the bottom annular wall 42 of the cam member 38 in
order to pivot the lever 66 against a switch 72
adapted, when triggered, to interrupt power to the
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electric motor M, as will be described in details
hereinbelow.
As illustrated in Fig. 6, a conventional
collar 74 is secured to the intermediate shaft 12
outwardly of the chain guide 22 to prevent axial
removal of the pulley 20, the driving member 16 and
the chain guide 22 from the intermediate shaft 12.
The retaining ring 74 also allows to properly set the
position of the pulley 20 relative to the driving
member 16 on the intermediate shaft 12.
When it is desired to manually operate the
garage door D, one has simply and solely to pull on
the chain 18, as indicated by arrow 76 in Figs. 2 to
5. This pulling action will cause the pulley 20 to
freely rotate on the intermediate shaft 12. If the
stopper 62 is not already engaged with one of the
triangular protrusions 64, as seen in Fig. 2, the cam
member 38 will rotate jointly with the pulley 20 due
to the engagement of the roller 34 within the shallow
recess 48. However, as soon as the stopper 62 engages
one of the triangular protrusions 64, as seen in Fig.
3, the cam member 38 will be blocked against further
rotation and the roller 34 will move out of the
shallow recess 48 and then along the cam surface 46
towards the peak formation 50 thereof, thereby
causing the cam member 38 to slide along the bushing
28 in a direction away from the pulley 20 and against
spring 52, as depicted by arrow 78 in Figs. 3 and 4.
At one point during this axial displacement
of the cam member 38, the stopper 62 will move out of
engagement from the associated triangular protrusion
64, thereby allowing the cam member 38 to rotate.
However, the cam member 38 will only start to rotate
when the roller 34 has reached the peak formation 50,
as seen in Fig. 5. Indeed, at this particular point,
the roller 34 and the peak formation 50 will
cooperate to ensure conjoint rotation of the pulley
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20 and the cam member 38. Approximately at the same
time or slightly before the roller 34 reaches the
peak formation 50, the pin 60 will engage the spring
pin 54, which extend radially outwardly from the
intermediate shaft 12, to act as a pair of torque
transmission members, thereby automatically coupling
the cam member 38 to the intermediate shaft 12.
Accordingly, further rotation of the pulley 20 by way
of the manual operation of the chain 18 will cause
the intermediate shaft 12 to rotate jointly with the
cam member 38 and the pulley 20, thereby allowing the
garage door D to be manually operated.
The axial displacement of the cam member 38
away from the pulley 20, asides from producing the
engagement of the pin 60 with the spring pins 54,
causes the lever 66 to pivot so as to trigger the
switch 72 for cutting all the power to the electric
motor M. This safely prevents the motor M from
operating while the garage door D is being manually
opened or closed.
A slight reverse displacement of the chain
18 and the pulley 20 allows the roller 34 to roll on
the cam surface 46 from the peak formation 50 to the
shallow recess 48 where it rests. The spring 52
biases the cam member 38 back towards the pulley 20.
As seen Figs. 2 to 5, 8 and 9, a sprocket
wheel 80 is fixedly mounted on the output shaft S for
rotation therewith. The sprocket wheel 80 is engaged
with an endless chain 82 extending over a second
sprocket wheel 84 secured to a threaded shaft 86
journaled to an upper portion of the casing 13. A
pair of switch actuators 88 are threadably engaged on
the threaded shaft 86 at axially spaced-apart
locations thereon for triggering respective limit
switches 90 in order to shut down the electric motor
M when the garage door D has been displaced to a
fully open or closed position thereof.
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Access to the switch actuators 88 is
provided via an access plate 92 (best seen in Figs. 8
and 9) pivotally mounted at one end thereof in a pair
of slotted holes 94 defined in opposed sides of the
casing 13. The plate 92 has an elongated cut 96 (see
Fig. 9) defined therein along an axis parallel to the
pivot axis of the access plate 92 with the portion
thereof adjacent to the cut 96 being folded inwardly
along a fold line, which is also parallel to the
pivot axis of the access plate 92, in order to form
an anti-rotation member 98. The anti-rotation member
98 is adapted, when the access plate 92 is displaced
to a closed position thereof, to engage the
peripheral slots of both switch actuators 88 to
prevent rotational movement thereof on the threaded
shaft 86, thereby enabling the same to be axially
displaced therealong in response of the rotation of
the threaded shaft 86. It is understood that the
position of the switch actuators 88 can be manually
adjusted on the threaded shaft 86 to ensure that the
triggering of the limit switches 90 by the switch
actuators 88 will be coordinated with the opening and
closing of the garage door D.
A pair of springs 100 are connected at
respective first ends thereof to opposed sides of the
access plate 92 and at respective second ends to the
casing 13. The springs 100 are adapted to bias the
access plate 92 in either one of the open and closed
positions thereof. Indeed, depending whether the
springs 100 extend on the right or left side of the
plane 102 defined by their points of connection with
the casing 13 and the pivot points of the plate 92
(see Fig. 8), the springs 100 will urge the plate 92
in the open or closed position thereof. For instance,
in the position illustrated in Fig. 8, the springs
100 extend on the left side of the plane 102 and,
thus, they bias the access plate 92 to its closed
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position. However, if the access plate 92 is pivoted
to the right hand side of Fig. 8 towards its open
position, the springs 100 will begin to urge the
access plate 92 to its fully open position as soon as
their respective points of connection with the plate
92 will be located on the right side of the plane
102. This advantageously allows the operator to set
the positions of the switch actuators 88 without
having to hold the access plate 92 in its open
position.
As best seen in Fig. 9, the casing 13
includes a back wall 107 from the periphery of which
a pair of opposed back side panels 105 extend. A pair
of front side panels 104 flare outwardly from the
back side panels 105 to provide a more easily
accessible and visible mounting surface 106 for the
various electronic components (not shown) of the
closure operator. Indeed, the front side panels 104
extend at an obtuse angle with respect to the back
wall 107, thereby facilitating access to the mounting
surface 106 (not shown) from the forward open end of
the casing 13.
Figs. 10 to 12 illustrate a second
embodiment of the present invention. In the following
description which pertains to the second closure
operating device 10', components which are identical
in function and identical or similar in structure to
corresponding components of the first auxiliary
operating device 10 bear the same reference numeral
as in Figs. 1 to 9 but are tagged with the suffix
" "' , whereas components which are new to the device
10' of Figs. 10 to 12 are identified by new reference
numerals in the two hundreds.
The second closure operating device 10'
essentially differs from the first one in that the
roller 34 has been replaced by a pair of balls 34'
and in that the triangular protrusions 64 and the
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stopper 62 have been replaced by a torsion spring 202
extending over the cam member 38' and having opposed
ends thereof engaged with opposed sides of a blade
204 extending from the casing 13' in parallel to the
intermediate shaft 12'.
More particularly, the hub 30' of the
pulley 20' defines an axially extending recess 206
having a bottom annular wall 208 in which a pair of
circumferentially spaced-apart semi-spherical
recesses 210 are defined to accommodate the balls
34'.
The balls 34' are engaged with the cam
surface 46' of the cam member 38' which is sized and
configured to extend within the recess 206. The cam
surface 46' extends circumferentially to a pair of
diametrically opposed protrusions 50', as seen in
Fig. 12.
The cam member 38' defines a
circumferentially extending slot 211 on an outer
surface thereof to receive the torsion spring 202.
When it is desired to manually drive the
intermediate shaft 12' to operate a closure connected
therewith, one has solely to pull on the chain 18',
thereby causing the pulley 20' to rotate. The
rotational movement imparted to the pulley 20' causes
the balls 34' to move along the cam surface 46'
towards the protrusions 50'. This movement forces the
cam member 38', which is prevented from rotating by
the friction forces exerted thereon by the torsion
spring 202, to move away from the pulley 20' with the
opposed ends of the torsion spring 202 sliding on
opposed sides of the blade 204 extending from the
casing 13'. At one point during the axial
displacement of the cam member 38', the distal end of
the cam member 38' opposite the cam surface 46'
thereof engages the spring pin 54' extending from the
output shaft 12', thereby coupling the cam member 38'
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to the intermediate shaft 12'. Further rotation of
the pulley 20' will cause the balls 34' to push on
the protrusions 50' so as to transmit a torque from
the pulley 20' to the cam member 38' and to the
intermediate shaft 12'. It is understood that the
torque transmitted to the cam member 38' by the
pulley 20' has to be greater than the friction forces
between the cam member 38' and the torsion spring 202
in order to cause the cam member 38' to rotate and,
thus, drive the intermediate shaft 12'.
The remaining features of the second
auxiliary device 10' are similar to those of the
device 10 illustrated in Figs. 1 to 9 and, thus,
their duplicate description will be omitted.
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