GB2230050A

GB2230050A - Door controller

Info

Publication number: GB2230050A
Application number: GB8825642A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen James Harrison; Peter Edward Brown
Original assignee: Jebron Ltd
Current assignee: Jebron Ltd
Priority date: 1988-07-15
Filing date: 1988-11-02
Publication date: 1990-10-10
Anticipated expiration: 2008-11-02
Also published as: GB2230050B; GB2223796A; GB8816862D0; GB8825642D0

Abstract

The piston of a door control device is assembled from a channel (18) and cups (20, 28) welded on to opposite ends of the channel. A valve assembly (19) is mounted in one of the cups. Rollers (17) extend between opposite sides of the channel and co-operate with teeth (16) on a rotatable member (13) to which a control arm is secured. <IMAGE>

Description

PATENTS ACT 1977 SHLIJF/A5618GB Title:11Door Control Device" Description

of Invention -I- The present invention relates to a door control device comprising a housing, a slide which is slidable along a path in the housing and cl control member mounted for turning relative to the housing about an axis which is transverse to said path, the slide having a row of drive elements which are spaced apart along the path and the control member having a number of drive elements which are arranged around the axis for co-operation with respective ones of the drive elements of the slide to transmit drive between the control member and the slide. In use, the housing is mounted on one of a door and a fixed structure defining a doorway to be closed by the door. The control member is connected by means including a radial arm with the other of the door and the fixed structure so that opening of the door causes turning of the control member relative to the housing and therefore displacement of the slide along its path inside the housing. There is provided inside the housing means which co-operates with the slide to control movement thereof and therefore movement of the door relative to the fixed structure. This means typically includes a spring acting between the slide and the housing and a fluid which is caused to flow through one or more orifices when the slide moves clonq its path in the housing.

In known door control devices of the kind described, the slide is typically formed from a single piece of metal by machining. This is a relatively expensive procedure. In GB 2,110,297, we have disclosed a slide which is fabricated from a tube, a pair of end plugs and a rack. The tube is cut from drawn tubular stock and a part of the tube is cut- away to form windows in the tube, through which the control member con extend. The end plugs are machined and then one end plug is inserted into an end portion of the tube. The rack is formed separately, is inserted into the tube and then the 1 1 1 and other end plug is inserted so that the rack is trapped inside the tube. The end plugs and rack are brazed to the tube. The tube is required to have an external profile which compliments the internal profile of the housing so that the slide will function as a piston in the housinq.

From one aspect, the present invention relates to a door control device having a slide which con be constructed at lower cost than con an equivalent slide constructed in the manner disclosed in the aforesaid published specif ication.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a door control device of the kind described wherein the slide includes a carrier for the drive elements of the slide and the drive elements of the slide (ire individually mounted in the carrier.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door control device of the kind described wherein the slide further includes a valve assembly and the valve assembly is connected with all of the drive elements of the slide by a single carrier.

In a device according to the second aspect of the invention, the valve assembly pref erably has an external profile, as viewed along sold path, which is complementarv to the internal profile of the housinq, also as viewed along the path. In this case, it is unnecessary for the external profile of the carrier, as viewed along the path, to compliment the internal profile of the housing. The profile of the carrier may be narrow, relative to that of the valve assembly.

In a case where the external profile of the carrier is non-circular, the carrier con be engaged by guide elements provided inside the housing and which restrain turning of the carrier relative to the housing about an axis extending along the path of travel of the slide. This is useful in a case where a coiled compression spring acts on the slide, because such a spring tends to exert a torque on the slide and this torque con be resisted by the guide elements of the housing.

An example of a door control device embodying both the first and the second aspects of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:- FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the assembled device, FIGURE 2 shows a cross-section through a valve assembly of the device 61 J FIGURE 3 shows a cross-section of a control member of the the device.

The device illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises an elongated housing 10 which may have c polygonal external profile, as viewed along the housing, for example a square profile. Means (not shown) is provided for mounting the housinq on the face of a door, or on a fixed structure defining a doorway to be closed by the door. This means may include screws extending through holes in the housing into the door or other structure. The housing is hollow and may have at each of its ends respective openings which are closed by plugs. One of these pluqs;s identified in Figure 1 by the reference numeral 11. The plugs may be screwed into the housing and ring seals may be associated with the plugs to prevent leal<aqe of fluid from the inside of the housing.

The device further comprises a slide 12 which is disposed inside the housing 10 for reciprocation relative thereto along a path which extends along the housing. The device also includes a control member 13 which is mounted for rotation relative to the housing about an axis 14 which is perpendicular to the length of the housing and to the path of travel of the slide P. The control member extends across the interior of the housing and opposite portions of 'the control member fie in respective apertures formed in the wall of the housinq. Separately formed bearing elements may be interposed between the control member and the housing in these apertures. Alternatively, the bearing supporting the control member may be constituted by the housinq wall itself. Ring seals are interposed between the housing wall and the control member to prevent leakage of fluid from inside the housing. Conveniently, these seals fie in peripheral grooves formed Tn the control member so that the bearing surfaces of the housing con be entirely cylindrical.

At least one end portion of the control member 13 protrudes to the outside of the housing 10. On this end portion, there is fixed an arm 15 which extends radially from the axis 14. The arm is connected in a known manner with the door or the stationary structure. Typically, the arm is formed with a polygonal opening in which there is received a complementary end portion of the control member and the arm is retained on the control member by a screw (not shown) driven into the end of the control member.

The control member!3 includes an array of drive elements in the form of teeth 16. The teeth 16 are spaced from one another around the axis 14 and 14 fie half-way along the control member. The slide 12 is provided with a row of drive elements 17 for co-operating with respective ones of the teeth 16, the length of the row extending generally along the housing 10. In the example illustrated, the drive elements 17 are formed separately from one another and are individually mounted on a common carrier 18. The carrier is an elongated component disposed inside and arranged with its length extending along the housing.

The slide 12 further comprises a valve assembly 19 which is mounted on the carrier 18 at one end thereof. The carrier 18 connects the valve assembly with each of the drive elements 17 and connects these drive elements with one another.

The valve assembly includes a hollow outer member 20 which has an external profile complementary to the internal prof lie of the housing 10. The member 20 is thus a slidinq fit in the housinq. The outer profile of this member and the internal profile of the housing are preferably circular. The member 20 is conveniently formed as a pressing of metal and the external surface of the member may be ground to achieve a close sliding fit in the housing. The member 20 is formed with a central opening 21 to permit fluid to pass through the member when the slide 12 moves a] ong the i - nterlor of the housing.

Valve means is provTdei for controlling the flow of fluid through the central opening 21 of the member 20 and thereby controlling movement of the slide along the housing. The valve means includes a valve body 22 on which there is fitted a resilient rinq ?3. This ring is engaqeable si'ith a seat provided at the inside of the member 20 to prevent flow of fluid through the central opening 21 and between the valve body 22 and the side wall of the member 20. The valve body is trapped in the member 20 by a retaining ring 24 which is a force fit in the member 20. The retaininq ring overlaps with surfaces of the valve body facing along the housing and is so positioned in the member 20 that there is freedom for limited movement of the valve body relative to the member 20 between an open position, in which the ring 23 is spaced from its seat in the member 20 and a closed position in which the ring 21 is in fluTd-tight contact with that seat. The valve body is free to move relative to the member ?0 under the action of pressure in fluid inside the housing. Accordinqly, the valve body functions as a non-return valve and automatically moves to its closed position when the slide is driven in one direction along the housing, for example a direction corresponding to closing 4 1 of the door controlled by the device. Opening of the door is then not impeded significantly by pressure in fluid inside the housing, because that pressure moves the valve body 22 to the open position and fluid is able to flow relatively freely between the valve body and the member ?0.

There is formed in the valve body 22 a central passage, through which fluid can flow when the valve body is in the closed position relative to the member 20. Means, which may be know per se, is provided for controlling the flow of fluid through this passage according to the required operating characteristics of the device. By way of example, there is represented in Figure 1, a tube 25 which is a sliding fit in the passage of the valve body 22 and which is mounted in a carrier in the end plug 11. Suitable adjustable arrangements for controlling the flow of fluid through the tube 25 are disclosed in GB 2,158, 148 and GB 2,116,25 1.

As shown in Fiqure 2, there may also be formed in the valve body 22 a valve orifice containing a spring-loaded closure element 26 which opens to relieve any excessive pressure which may be established within the housing 10 at one side of the valve assembly. It will be appreciated that other known valve arrangements may be mounted in the member 20.

The device also includes a coiled compression spring 27 for storing energy when the controlled door is opened and for driving the slide 12 along the housing 10 to cause the door to close. The spring is mounted in an end portion of the housing and acts between the slide 12 and a part fixed with respect to the housinq, for example an end plug fitted in the housinq at the end thereof opposite to the pluq 11. One end of the spring seats on the slide 12 and the slide may be provided with a member 28 identical with the member 20 to receive an end portion of the spring. The members 20 and 28 have the form of cups and are conveniently welded onto opposite end faces of the carrier 18. These end faces may be flat and there may be formed on each of the members 20 and 28 a respective rib which faces towards the carrier and provides convenient sites for spot- welding of these members to the carrier. The rib and the spot welds are nearer to the circumference of the member 20 than is the seat with which the valve ring 23 engages.

The carrier 18 comprises two, substantially flat support portions 29 and 30 which are mutually parallel and which are spaced apart by c gap in which the teeth 16 are received. These support portions are united by a bridqe portion 31 of the carrier. The carrier is preferably formed as a pressing of metal. It will be noted that the overall width of the carrier, as measured in a it -6 direction from the support portion 29 to the support portion 30, is smell, as compared with the diameter of the valve assembly 19. The overall dimension of the carrier which extends from the bridge portion to the remote edges of the support portions may be almost as great as the diameter of the valve assembly but there are clearances between the bridge portion end those edges of the carrier, on the one hand, and the internal surfaces of the housing 10 on the other hand. The control member 13 extends through the windows cut in the support portions 29 and 30 of the carrier.

Each of the driving elements 17 of the slide 12 is elongated and has opposite end portions disposed in respective apertures formed in the support portions 29 and 30. The elements 17 are preferably formed as rollers and may be free to turn about their -own axes relative to the carrier. Each element 17 is preferably cylindrical throughout its entire length.

Retaining elements are provided for retaining the drive elements 17 in the support portions 29 and 30 of the carrier. Each retaininq element is - of plate-like form and is mounted on a corresponding one of the support portions to cover the ends of the elements 17. One of the retaining elements is identified in Figure 1 by the reference numeral 32. The retaining element is attached to the carrier by lugs formed on opposite end portions of the retaining element which snap into respective apertures formed in the support portion 29. The other retaining element is identical with the element 32 and is mounted on the support portion 30 in a corresponding manner but is omitted from Figure 1 for clarity of illustration of other parts.

Guide elements are provirled inside the housing 10 for engaging in slidinq contact with the retaining elements on the carrier. The guide element which enciages the retaining plate 32 is indicated in Fiqure 1 at 31. The guide elements may be annular and may surround respective portions of the control member 13, being mounted in the apertures in the housing 10 through which the control member extends. The guide elements restrain turning of the slide 12 relative to the housing 10 about a longitudinal axis of the housing.

The control member 13 comprises an elongated, rectilinear core 34, on opposite ends of which are mounted respective end pieces 15 and 36 of the control member. There is trapped on the core between these end pieces a central piece 37 which incorporates the teeth 16. All of the teeth 16 are preferably formed integrally with one another. The central piece 37 may he machined from a single piece of metal. Alternatively, the central piece 37 may have a laminated structure, each layer being stamped from sheet metal.

1 4 The central piece, or each layer thereof is a force-fit on the core 34. Typically, the core is formed with longitudinal ribs or splines and the piece 37 is formed with in circular opening through which the core is forced to deform the boundary of that opening somewhat and establish a keyed relation between the core and the central piece 37.

Each of the end pieces 35 and 36 is machined from a single piece of metal, into which is drilled a cylindrical bore to receive a corresponding part of the core 34. ARthen the end pieces are forced onto the core, the core deforms the bores of the end pieces somewhat to establish a keyed relation between the end pieces and the core. The end pieces 35 ari'd 36 may he identical with each other, each having at one end a threaded bore to receive a screw for securing the arm 15 on the end piece. The several components of the control member 13 are held in assembled relation with one another simply by interference between those components. We have found that it is unnecessary to unite these components by fusion.

Certain of the drive elements 17 of the slide may be positioned nearer to the longitudinal centreline of the housinq 10 than are others of the drive elements. The row of drive elements may be non-recti linear. Preferably, a part of the row is rectilinear and is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing. The position of the teeth 16 relative to the axis 14 is selected according to the spacing of the corresponding elements 17 from the longitudinal centreline of the housing. Accordingly, some of the teeth 16 extend further from the axis 14 then do others of these teeth. In consequence of this, the torque exerted on the arm 15 in consequence of application to the slide of a predetermined force depends upon which of the teeth 16 is engaged with the correspondinq drive element 17. The spacing of the drive elements 17 from the longitudinal axis of the housing con be selected to ensure that, when the sprinq 27 is almost fully extended, the torque exerted on the arm 15 does not have a minimum value but is sufficiently great to ensure latchinq of the door controlled by the device.

It will be noted that the carrier 18 is a unitary component and that the slide 12 comprises only the carrier, the members 20 and 28 on the ends of the carrier, the drive elements 17 and the retaining means for the drive elements. Grindinin of the external surfaces of the members 20 and 28 is the only machining of the slide which is required, during manufacture.

The slide hereinbef ore described may be modified by substitution of the individual drive elements 17 by a unitary rack having a row of teeth for co- -8 operation with the teeth 16. Alternatively, the teeth of the slide may he formed on the carrier 18, rather than on a separate component or separate components.

The device hereinbefore described may also be modified by interposing an adjustable seat for the spring 27 between the spring and that end plug which is fitted in the housing at the end thereof opposite to the plug 11. The sect may have a threaded stem which co-operates with a screw thread in a bore formed in the adjacent end plug, an end portion of the stem being accessible from the outside of the housing, in order that torque con be applied to the stem to adjust the position of the seat along the housing and thereby vary the degree of compression of the spring.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

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Claims

CLAIMS:-

1. A door control device comprising a housing, a slide which is slidable along a path in the housing and a control member mounted for turning relative to the housing about an axis which is transverse to said path, wherein the slide has a row of drive elements which are spaced apart along said path, the control member has a number of drive elements arranged around said axis for co-operation with respective ones of the drive elements of the slide to transmit drive between the control member and the slide, wherein the slide includes a carrier for the drive elements of the slide and wherein the drive elements of the slide are individually mounted in the carrier.

2. A door control device comprisinq a housinq, a slide which is slidable along a path in the housing and a control member for turning relative to the housing about an axis which is transverse to said path, wherein the slide has a row of drive elements which are spaced apart along said path, the control member has a number of drive elements arranged around sold axis for cooperation with respective ones of the drive elements of the slide to transmit drive between the control member and the slide, wherein the slide further includes a valve assembly and wherein the valve assembly is connected with all of the drive elements of the slide by a sinqte carrier.

3. A device accordiriq to Claim 2 wherein the valve assembly has an external profile, as viewed alonq said path, which is complementary to the internal profile of the housing, also as viewed along the path, and wherein the external profile of the carrier, as viewed along the path, is narrow, relative to that of the valve assembly.

4. A device according to Claim 3 wherein the housina has internal guide elements which slidably enqage the carrier to restrain turning of the carrier relative to the housing about an axis extendinq along said path.

5. A device according to any one of Claims 2, 3 and 4 wherein the drive elements of the slide are individually mounted in the carrier.

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6. A device according to Claim 1 wherein the slide includes a valve assembly mounted on an end face of the carrier.

7. A device according to Claim 6 wherein the valve assembly includes on outer member having an external profile, as viewed along said path, which is complementary to the internal profile of the housing, also as viewed along the path.

8. A device according to Claim 7 wherein the carrier, as viewed along said path, is narrow, relative to the outer member of the valve housing.

9. A device according to Claim 7 or Claim 8 wherein the outer member of the valve assembly is secured on the end face of the carrier.

10. A device according to any one of Claims 1 and 5 to 9 wherein each drive element of the slide has spaced portions co-operating with respective support portions of the carrier and an intermediate portion which co-operates with a corresponding drive element of the control member.

11. A device accordinq to Claim 10 wherein the support portions of the carrier are spaced apart by a gap in which the drive elements of the control member are received and wherein the carrier further comprises a bridge portion which bridges the gap and connects the support portions toqether.

12. A device according to Claim 10 or Claim 11 wherein said spaced portions of the drive elements of the slide lie in respective apertures formed in the support portions of the carrier and the slide further comprises retainers on the support portions of the carrier to retain the drive elements therein.

11. A device according to Claim 12 wherein the retainers are of platelike form, cover ends of the drive elements and slide on internal guide elements of the housing.

14. A device according to any preceding Claim wherein the carrier is a pressing of metal.

15. A device according to Claim 7 wherein the outer member of the valve assembly is hollow and provides an internal valve seat, a valve body is disposed in the hollow outer member, means is provided for retaining the valve body in the hollow outer member and the valve body is movable relative to the hollow outer member on to and from the sect thereof.

16. A device according to Claim 15 wherein the valve body defines an aperture in which a fluid control element is received.

17. A door control device having a slide substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

18. Any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein or in the accompanying drawings.

Pued 1990 atThePauntOffice.State Ha^0871 R4h Holborn,LondonWC1R4TP. Further opplemay be obodfrom ThePatentottice ages Br&=h, St MLry Cray. orp=4ton. Xent BR5 3RD. PrInted by MultIplex techwques it& St Mary Cray, Kent, Con. 1187