Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02372021 2002-02-14
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to elevator doors and, more particularly, to
an elevator door system having a header track with a door track mounted on the
header
track via spring clips for guiding elevator doors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical elevators have a two-part door for opening and closing the
entrance to the elevator cab. The two-part door includes a "fast" door portion
and a
"slow" door portion of equal widths. The "fast" door portion, located at the
leading edge
of the two-leaf door, traverses the entire width of the elevator entrance
while the "slow"
door portion traverses only about half the width of the elevator opening.
Since the "fast"
door portion must travel a greater distance, the õfast" door is required to
move at a speed
greater than that of the "slow" door so that the õfast" door and the õslow"
door reach the
open and closed positions at the same time.
Prior art elevators utilize two separate header tracks: one for guiding the
fast door portion and the other for guiding the slow door portion. The slow
door header
track may be mounted to the entrance of the elevator cab or to the elevator
cab itself; the
fast door header track, on the other hand, is mounted to the slow door header
track. Each
header track is a formed metal section having a door track or a rail for
providing a
running surface for a corresponding door roller.
Manufacture of the header tracks often requires multiple tool setups to
complete the forming operations. The punching of holes for fasteners requires
special
tooling loaded onto machines. Field assembly requires numerous operations:
mounting
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of the slow door header track to the entrance, installation of the door,
installation of the
fast door header track and adjustment of the header tracks and door tracks to
obtain
proper door clearance. Retaining devices must also be assembled for each door
portion,
the header track sections, and the door track sections. In short, the existing
design
requires more parts, special punching and forming to maintain dimensional
tolerances as
well as numerous hours of field assembly to properly install the two header
tracks.
Furthermore, the door track sections are connected via bolt holes on the
header plate. Alignment is not always satisfactory and affects horizontal
stiffness,
thereby allowing deflection and degrading the door rolling performance.
Accordingly there is a need for an elevator door that requires less
manufacturing operations and can be more simply installed.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an elevator door that can
be manufactured at a lower cost and more readily installed than prior art
elevators.
According to an aspect of the invention, a door track for providing a
running surface for door rollers is connected to a header track via S-shaped
spring clips.
According to another aspect of the invention, a single header track is
provided for guiding both the slow and fast door portions. In particular, the
header track
guides the slow door portion and the leading edge of the fast door portion.
According to another aspect of the invention, the trailing edge of the fast
door portion is movably mounted on a rail of a coupling track attached to a
hanger panel
of the slow door portion. Alignment of the door is accomplished by adjusting
the door
roller mounted to the trailing edge of the fast door portion and the profile
of the rail of the
coupling track.
According to still another aspect of the invention, the coupling track on
the slow door portion may also be used to support and retain the fast door
trailing edge.
The slow door hanger panel and the coupling track are held in position by
retainers, and
the fast door trailing edge is movably supported by the coupling track.
An advantage of the inventive elevator door is that field assembly time is
reduced because the fast door portion does not require the mounting of another
full-length
2o header track for the fast door portion. Factory assembly of the coupling
track to the back
of the slow door hanger panel replaces the field work that would have been
required to
install this other full length track. Field adjustment of the door portions is
reduced
because of the positional coupling provided by the coupling track and the
header track.
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Time required to replace an elevator door is also reduced because the door
portions may
be removed without the need to disassemble the header track and the coupling
track.
Furthermore, the aluminum extended door track fits securely on the
formed metal header and is easily assembled and/or removed therefrom. The
spring clips
maintain the original installation position. The aluminum material of the door
track is a
durable surface for a polyurethane roller. Finally, manufacture by the
extrusion process
provides a higher quality level than a roll formed track or a mechanical brake
formed
track and header.
In one embodiment, the elevator door system for an entrance opening to
an elevator cab includes a two-part door having an open position and a closed
position.
The two-part door includes a first door portion for traversing across and
covering a
portion of the entrance opening as the two-part door moves between the open
position
and the closed position of the two-part door. The two-part door also includes
a second
door portion for traversing across and covering another portion of the
entrance opening as
the two-part door moves between the open position and the closed position of
the two-
part door. A header track includes a rail and a door track mounted on the rail
for guiding
movement of the first and the second door portions. The first door portion
includes a first
roller for rolling engagement with the door track so that movement of the
first door
portion is guided by the door track. An arm extends from a region proximate
the leading
edge of the first door portion and toward the door track. A second roller,
rotatably
attached to the arm, is configured for rolling engagement with the door track,
so that a
leading edge of the second door portion is movably guided by the door track. A
coupling
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mechanism movably couples a trailing edge of the second door portion to the
first door
portion.
The door track is mounted on the rail of the header track via an S-shaped
spring clip having a retaining assembly arranged for retaining the spring clip
onto the rail
and for retaining the door track onto the spring clip. The retaining assembly
includes a
first protrusion or barb for engaging an indentation or notch in the header
track for
retaining the spring clip onto the header track. The retaining assembly also
includes a
second protrusion for engaging a profile on the door track for holding the
door track onto
the spring clip. The door track also has a profile to facilitate rolling of
the rollers.
In one aspect the present invention resides in an elevator door system for
an entrance opening to an elevator cab, the system comprising: a door having
an open
position at which the entrance opening is opened and a closed position at
which the
entrance opening is closed, said door comprising a first door portion
operatively arranged
for traversing across and covering at least a portion of the entrance opening
as said door
moves between the open position and the closed position, said first door
portion having a
leading edge and a trailing edge; a header track including a rail and a first
door track
arranged on said rail for guiding movement of said first door portion, said
first door track
being an extruded metal element, and said first door portion including a first
roller for
rolling engagement with said first door track so that movement of said first
door portion
is guided by said first door track; and a plurality of first spring clips
operatively arranged
on said rail of said header track, each of said first spring clips having a
retaining
assembly operatively arranged for retaining said first spring clip onto said
rail of said
header track and for retaining said first door track on said first spring
clip.
In another aspect, the present invention resides in an elevator header and
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door track assembly, comprising: a header having a longitudinally extending
and
upwardly projecting rail; an extruded metal door track mounted on said rail;
and means
for retaining said extruded metal door track onto said rail, wherein said
means for
retaining comprises an S-shaped clip, the S-shaped clip having three
substantially
parallel legs.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent
from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are
designed
solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of
the invention, for
which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further
understood
that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless
otherwise indicated,
they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and
procedures
described herein.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote similar elements:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the elevator door system constructed in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is an end view of a header track with a door track according to the
present invention;
Fig. 4 is a more detailed view of the header track and the door track as
shown in Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the header track according to the
embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4; and
Fig. 6 is an end view similar to the view of Fig. 4 of another embodiment
of a door track and spring clip;.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED
EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 diagranunatically illustrate a
two-speed elevator door system 10 of an embodiment of the present invention.
The
elevator door system 10 includes a two-part elevator door comprising a slow
door portion
12 and a fast door portion 14 of substantially equal widths. The fast door
portion 14 is
configured to travel across and cover a portion (e.g., one-half) of the
entrance opening to
the elevator cab while the slow door portion 12 is configured to travel across
and cover
the remaining portion (e.g., the remaining one-half) of the elevator cab
entrance opening.
The fast and slow door portions 12, 14 are kinematically linked (by, for
example, a
conventional three-member linkage mechanism) and driven such that the fast
door
portion 14 traverses at a speed greater than that of the slow door portion 12.
Each door portion 12, 14 has a leading edge and a trailing edge. As
defmed herein, the leading edge of a door portion is that edge of the door
portion that is
ahead of the opposite edge (i.e., the trailing edge) as the door portion moves
to the closed
position (whereat the elevator entrance is closed). The slow door portion 12
is movably
mounted on a rail 17 of a single header track 16 by one or more rollers while
only the
leading edge 18 of the fast door portion 14 is guided by the header track 16.
The trailing
edge 20 of the fast door portion 14, on the other hand, is movably coupled to
the slow
door portion 12 through a coupling mechanism. So arranged, the door portions
12, 14
move along parallel but separate paths.
The header track 16 is disposed above the elevator entrance (and attached
to either the elevator cab or to the elevator shaft). The header track 16
includes the rail 17
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for guiding both edges of the slow door portion 12 and only the leading edge
18 of the
fast door portion 14, to thereby eliminate the requirement for two header
tracks.
Preferably, a hanger panel 22, mounted to the top of each door portion 12, 14,
is provided
for mounting one or more rollers 23 for engagement with the header track 16.
The fast and slow door portions 12, 14 are movably coupled to each other
by, for example, a roller-track mechanism. In one embodiment, a coupling track
24 is
mounted to the hanger panel 22 of the slow door portion 12 and a roller 25 is
rotatably
attached to a hanger panel 22' of the fast door portion 18 in a region
proximate the
trailing edge 20 of the fast door portion 14. The roller 25 is positioned so
as to roll along
a rail 27 of the coupling track 24, thereby movably coupling the trailing edge
20 of the
fast door portion 14 to the slow door portion 12. Alternatively, the coupling
track 24 may
be mounted to the hanger panel 22' of the fast door portion 18 and the roller
25 is
rotatably attached to the hanger pane122 of the slow door portion 12.
The fast door portion 14 preferably includes an arm 26 extending from the
leading edge 18 of, for example, the hanger panel 22' of the fast door portion
14 and
across the slow door portion 12. The arm 26, preferably constructed of a sheet-
metal
bracket, includes a roller 28 for movable engagement with the rail 17 of the
header track
16, thereby movably coupling the leading edge of the fast door portion 18 to
the header
track 16.
To lessen the alignment requirement for the roller-track mechanism (and
thus the cost of manufacturing and installation of the elevator), a door track
30 may be
arranged along each of the rails 17, 27 of the header track 16 and the
coupling track 24.
The door track 30 not only provides a rolling surface for a corresponding
roller but also
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takes up any misalignment tolerance between the slow and fast door portions
12, 14, and
between the door portions 12, 14 and the header track 16. The door track 30 is
a profiled
extruded metal member preferably made of aluminum.
Fig. 3 is an end view of the header track 16 and door track 30 and Fig. 4 is
an enlarged end view of the door track 30. Figs. 3 and 4 show that the door
track 30 is
retained on the rail 17 of the header track 16 by a spring clip 32 having and
S-shape with
a first leg 40, a first bend 42, a second leg 44, a second bend 46, and a
third leg 48.
Although in the preferred embodiment, the first, second and third legs 40, 44,
48 appear
substantially straight, i.e., linear, these portions of the spring clip 32 may
also have a
varying or uniform radius of curvature, depending on the specific requirements
of the
application. Furthermore, the first, second, and third legs 40, 44, 48 are
shown as having
approximately the same length. However, the legs 40, 44, 48 may have varying
lengths
depending on the requirements of the particular application. For example, the
first and
third legs 40, 48 may be shorter or longer than the second leg 44.
The door track has a channel profile 34 in which an end of the rail 17 of
the header track 16 is received. A retaining portion 36 of the door track 30
inserted
between the first and second legs 40, 44 of the spring clip 32 includes a
retaining profile
38. The spring clip 32 has a retaining assembly for retaining the spring clip
32 onto the
rail 17 and for retaining the door track 30 onto the spring clip. The
retaining assembly
includes a protrusion or barb 50 projecting from the first leg 40 toward the
second leg 44
for engaging the retaining profile 38. The engagement of the barb 50 with the
retaining
profile 38 retains the door track 30 on the spring clip 32. The rail 17 of the
header track
16 is arranged between the second and third legs 44, 48 of the spring clip 32.
Referring
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to Fig. 5, the rail 17 has a cutout 54 in which the second bend 46 of the
spring clip 32 is
inserted so that the top of the rail 17 is received in the channel profile 34.
The retaining
assembly of the spring clip 32 further includes a protrusion or barb 52
arranged on the
third leg 48 and projecting toward the second leg 44 which engages an
indentation 56 or
hole in the rail 17, thereby holding spring clip 32 and the door track 30 onto
the rail 17.
Once installed, the spring clip 32 could be fixedly connected to the header
track 16 and/or
the door rail 30 if required.
Fig. 5 shows the arrangement of the cutouts 54 and indentations on the
header track 16 for receiving a plurality of spring clips 32 arranged at
predetermined
lo intervals along the length of the rail 17. One spring clip 32 arranged at
each end of the
door track 30 is sufficient for holding the door track 30 onto the rail 17.
However, Fig. 5
shows that a plurality of spring clips may be used to hold the door track to
the rail 17 if
required by the installation conditions.
Fig. 6 shows an alternative embodiment in which a retaining portion 36'
of the door track includes protrusion 38' which engages a notch 60, which
could be an
indentation or a hole, on the spring clip 32 for holding the door track 30
onto the spring
clip 32. In the embodiment, the rail 17 includes a protrusion 64 which engages
a notch
62 in the spring clip 32 for holding the spring clip 32 onto the rail 17.
According to the
embodiment of Fig. 5, the spring clip includes notches instead of protrusions
for engaging
the rail and the door track.
The details relating to the door track 30 and rail 17 described with
reference to Figs. 3-6 also apply to the door track 30 mounted on the rail 27
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coupling track 24. Accordingly, both door tracks 30 are respectively connected
via the S-
shaped springs 32 to the rails 17, 27.
Although the door track 30 is depicted as being used on a two-part
elevator door system, the door track and rail 17 may be used to support a one
door design.
In that case, the door track 30 is mounted on a rail such as rail 17 using the
S-shaped
springs 32.
Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out fundamental
novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof,
it will be
understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form
and details
io of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those
skilled in the art
without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is
expressly intended
that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform
substantially
the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results
are within the
scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures
and/or elements
and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed
form or
embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or
described or
suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the
intention,
therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended
hereto.
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