Patent Application
20100154174
The invention relates to a carriage with a drive device and to a separation device with such a carriage, which is guided in a rail and is connected to at least one separation element, such as a sliding door.
In order to separate or form areas or to close off room or window openings, separation elements are often used such as sliding doors, which are fixed to carriages, which can be displaced along a rail and are possibly mounted so as to be rotatable. Such sliding doors are for example made from transparent glass, wood or metal.
A generic carriage is known from [1], EP 1 916 370 A1, which is used to drive a separation element, which can be displaced linearly and around curves and is optionally rotatable and parkable. This carriage, which is guided by means of two running wheels on a running surface of a rail, comprises a drive shaft driven by means of an electric motor and a gearing, which drive shaft has a cog wheel, which engages in a cog belt connected to the rail and rolls on said cog belt, thereby displacing the carriage along the rail. The separation element is preferably held by the carriage so as to be rotatable by means of a load shaft, thereby also allowing curved displacement.
It is shown in [2], WO 97/49885 that guide rails divided into two are used for the displacement of sliding doors into a parking area, which guide rails comprise a branch in the station area, from which branch a straight and a curved rail element are continued. The sliding doors are thereby each hung on two carriages guided in the rail, one of these carriages travelling into the straight rail element and the other into the curved rail element. The sliding doors are thereby rotated by 90° and stacked lying against each other for example against a wall. A particular rail system is thus required for the rotation of the sliding doors, which rail system is optionally to be adapted individually to the local conditions.
A fitting for folding sliding shutters is known from [3], product catalogue of HAWA A G, “Baubeschläge für Faltschiebeläden” [“Structural fittings for folding sliding shutters”], 2006, page 36, which fitting has an even or uneven number of wings, which are installed for example on a window front or on the outer side of a balcony. The wing elements of the folding assemblies are connected in a rotatable way to each other by means of hinges. Such a folding assembly can be pushed laterally against a wall or used free standing as a light shield or wind shield. The displacement, opening or folding of the folding assembly, is realised without an additional rail element through manual intervention. The wing elements are thereby normally rotated at unequal speeds with the result that irregular folding processes arise in dependence upon the manual intervention.
It is thus an object of the present invention to create a carriage with a drive device and a separation device with such a carriage, by means of which separation elements can be moved more advantageously.
The carriage shall require little space such that said carriage, in the same way as already known carriages, can be mounted so as to be displaceable within a rail or requires reduced space.
Separation elements connected to the carriage shall advantageously be movable into desired positions, for example into a stacked arrangement.
It shall further be possible to use the carriage universally for any desired separation devices, especially for individual separation elements, sliding stacking walls and folding sliding walls, which are to be moved more advantageously.
This object is achieved with a carriage and a separation device, which comprise the features defined in claims 1 and 9. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined in further claims.
The carriage provided for a separation device comprises a carriage body used to hold a separation element, which carriage body holds at least two running wheels, which can move on a rail, and also comprises a drive device comprising at least an electric motor and a gearing, which drive device is coupled to a first drive element, by means of which force can be directly or indirectly transferred to the rail and the carriage can be driven.
According to the invention the drive device is coupled to at least a second drive element, by means of which the rotatably held separation element can be driven, in particular rotated.
The drive device thus allows on the one hand the driving of the carriage within the rail and on the other hand the driving of the separation element with only one motor and only one gearing. The inventive carriage thus allows at least one separation element to be displaced optionally along a rail. At the same time the carriage allows the separation element to be optionally rotated. As only one motor is used with only one gearing, the carriage can be fully integrated into the rail and does not require more space than known carriages.
By means of the inventive carriage, separation elements can optionally be displaced and rotated without manual intervention or a corresponding rail system being required. A separation element can thus optionally be used as a sliding door and/or as a swivel door. Separation elements equipped according to the invention can for example be moved out of a parking area and joined together to form a separating wall without requiring an expensive rail system. Furthermore, the separation elements can be stacked at any desired position, for example in the parking area or also in the middle area of the rail. For this purpose a first separation element is moved to a parking position and rotated there into a position perpendicular to the rail. The rotation process can thereby already be started upon approaching the parking position, thus allowing a plurality of separation elements to quickly approach one another.
It is particularly advantageous to use the inventive carriage for folding sliding walls, in which a plurality of separation elements are connected to one another in a jointed way. In order to ensure that the processes for opening and closing the folding sliding wall run optimally, the drive devices of the individual carriages are correspondingly programmed or controlled. Wireless or wire-bound transmission of control signals is possible for example via the power supply lines, as described in [4], EP 1 657 393 A1. Optical, electrical and mechanical sensors and switches can thereby also be used, of which the signals are considered by an associated control program, in order to avoid collisions for example.
It is particularly advantageous that inventive carriages can also be used for separation elements which are provided with solar cells. These separation elements can be displaced along a rail and rotated in order to follow the progression of the sun and to constantly achieve an optimal angle of incident radiation. The electrical energy output by solar cells is preferably stored in an accumulator, which is provided within the inventive carriage. The inclusion of an accumulator is also particularly advantageous in conventional carriages.
A planet gear is preferably used as a gearing, whereby said planet gear comprises an input shaft coupled to the electric motor, an output shaft and a gearing housing coupled to the input shaft and to the output shaft. According to the invention the input shaft, the output shaft and the gearing housing are mounted so as to be rotatable in the carriage, whereby one of the drive elements is coupled to the gearing housing and the other drive element is coupled to the output shaft. It is in principle also possible to couple one of said drive elements or a further drive element to the input shaft. This is the case in particular when a further gearing is integrated within the motor.
The main structure of a planet gear is shown and described for example at http://de.wikepedia.org/wiki/Planetengetriebe. Planet gears typically comprise a planet carrier rotatable about an axis of rotation, having at least one toothed planet wheel arranged on the planet carrier, said planet wheel being coupled on the one hand to a centrally arranged, toothed sun wheel and on the other hand to a hollow wheel having an inner toothing. The planet wheels rotate around the sun wheel and thereby roll on the inner toothing of the hollow wheel. If the hollow wheel is held stationary, a certain number of rotations of the planet wheels and thus a corresponding number of rotations of the sun wheel arise with each rotation of the planet carrier. If the output shaft is held stationary with the sun wheel, the hollow wheel rotates on the other hand.
According to the invention the planet gear is installed and mounted such that all parts are mounted so that they can rotate. The hollow wheel and the output shaft are thus driven by the drive motor and the input shaft and are each equipped with a preferably toothed first or second drive element.
The input shaft or the output shaft can thereby be coupled to the planet wheels or the carrier thereof or to the sun wheel. The hollow wheel is fixedly connected to the housing of the planet gear, which thus rotates at the same angular speed as the hollow wheel. The rotation axes of the input shaft, the output shaft and the gearing housing preferably extend coaxially with each other, meaning that the drive device can have an extraordinarily compact structure.
The drive device is preferably incorporated into the carriage such that the rotation axes of the output shaft and of the gearing housing are perpendicular to the main axis of the rail and preferably perpendicular or parallel to the rotation axes of the running wheels. The drive device can therefore be integrated into the carriage in a horizontal, longitudinal, transverse or vertical position. The drive elements can thereby effect in varied ways, directly or indirectly, the displacement and rotation of the separation element or the drive of the carriage.
Two conductor rails are preferably provided within the rail, which are contacted by electrical contacts provided laterally on the carriage or on top of the carriage. Furthermore the drive device can also be supplied by an accumulator integrated into the carriage.
In a further preferred embodiment a mounting shaft serving to hold a separation element is mounted so as to be rotatable in the carriage body and arranged parallel to the output shaft, said mounting shaft being coupled via a preferably toothed connection element to the second drive element. The mounting of the separation element is thus decoupled from the drive device, which merely causes the rotation of the separation element via the second drive element. However, it is also possible for the separation element to be connected to the output shaft in a direct, rotatable or fixed way.
If the separation element is fixedly connected to the output shaft, it is rotated together with the output shaft. If the separation element is connected in a rotatable way to the output shaft, said separation element is driven via further cog wheels.
However, the use of a separate mounting shaft, by means of which the separation element is held, has the advantage that the mounting shaft can be connected to a cog wheel or to a segment of a cog wheel, which is driven by the second drive element with the desired transmission ratio. Heavier separation elements are thereby also successfully rotated.
The separation elements of a sliding stacking wall can be moved into a parking area and rotated together or sequentially. It is thereby particularly advantageous for the separation elements, already after a relatively limited rotation, to be moved so far against one another until the carriages connect to one another. The opening of a folding sliding wall is therefore no longer limited by the previously usual travel speed into a parking area, but can instead be realised at a speed which is many times higher. The inventive solution can be used particularly advantageously in systems with separation elements made of glass, in which a minimal rotation is already sufficient to move separation elements against each other. The separation elements which have traveled towards one another form a stack, which can then be rotated in its entirety until the stack lies parallel against a wall.
The first drive elements provided for the displacement of the separation element can drive the carriage in various ways. The first drive element is preferably coupled to a coupling belt extending in parallel along the rail and connected thereto. The first drive element is in this case a cog wheel, which engages in the cog belt held stationary in the rail and thereby drives the carriage.
Alternatively, the first drive element can also be coupled directly or indirectly to the running wheels of the carriage, whereby the carriage is moved by the driving of the running wheels.
The carriage preferably comprises a local control unit, which controls the drive motor. In order to ensure that the desired drive element is moved in each case, at least one detent unit is preferably provided, which can lock the output shaft or the gearing housing. If the separation element is to be displaced but not rotated, the second drive element, which is preferably connected to the output shaft, is locked. If, on the other hand, no displacement and instead only a rotation of the separation element is desired, the first drive element, which is preferably connected to the gearing housing, is locked. In the first case (locking of the second drive element), the separation element is functionally a sliding element, e.g. a sliding door. In the second case (locking of the first drive element), the separation element is functionally a rotation element, e.g. a rotating door. By correspondingly controlling the at least one detent unit, the functions of the separation element can thus be changed as desired, whereby a combination of both functions is also possible.
When using the inventive carriages in a folding sliding wall, it is preferable for every second one of the separation elements, which are pivotally connected to one another, to be connected on the front side to an inventive carriage. The drive speed of each carriage is preferably set so that the opening angles between each two of the separation elements change at least approximately at the same speed during opening and closing of the folding sliding wall. If for example a folding sliding wall is provided with four separation elements and two inventive carriages, the drive motor of the first carriage, which covers twice the distance, rotates twice as quickly as the drive motor of the second carriage. The carriages are driven by the first drive elements at a corresponding speed in the rail, while the second drive elements bring about the rotation of the separation elements.
The separation elements can thereby be connected to each other by conventional hinge devices, as known from [3] and shown in
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, therefore, each two of the separation elements of the folding sliding wall are connected to each other via a hinge device, whereby these hinge devices form a first rotation axis provided for the first separation element and a second rotation axis provided for the second separation element, said axes extending at a distance from each other and in parallel. Complete rotation of the end faces of the separation elements towards each other is thus avoided. In order to completely eliminate risks of injury and to avoid interference-causing gaps between the individual separation elements, hollow round profile segments are preferably provided on the end faces of the separation elements orientated against each other. Said round profile segments can be rotated towards each other at an at least approximately constant distance during opening and closing of the folding sliding wall. A hazardous pliers movement is thus avoided.
In a preferred embodiment of the inventive hinge device, preferably C-shaped mounting profiles are provided on the end faces of the separation elements orientated against each other, whereby on the lower sides and upper sides of said C-shaped mounting profiles two mounting blocks of a first or second hinge unit are mounted. Said mounting blocks are held so as to be rotatable by means of a connecting plate coaxially with the associated rotation axis. The mounting blocks preferably comprise pinion segments engaging in each other, through which it is ensured that the two separation elements are rotated by the same amount. It is particularly advantageous for the mounting blocks to be assembled by means of sliding blocks, which are introduced into the C-shaped mounting profiles and tightened.
The separation elements are preferably held on their upper side, preferably close to an end face, so that rotation takes place about an end face, which remains constantly below the rail. The separation element can be guided on the lower side in a guide rail incorporated for example into the base. In preferred embodiments the separation element is held on the lower side and on the upper side by an inventive carriage and moved by a drive device. The carriages are synchronously displaced in the rails so that they constantly remain vertically. For this purpose the local control units of the carriages can preferably communicate with one another. Alternatively, only one local control unit is used for two carriages connected to a separation element. Communication lines and/or control lines are laid preferably on the end faces of the separation elements, preferably in the hollow profile segments. By using two inventive carriages, separation elements, which can generally be made of any desired materials such as glass, metal or wood, can be rotated more easily.
The invention is explained in greater detail below by reference to the drawings, in which:
a an inventive folding sliding wall 60 with two separation elements 6A, 6B;
b an inventive folding sliding wall 60 with four separation elements 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D; and
c an inventive a folding sliding wall 60 with six separation elements 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E, 6F.
The carriage 1 comprises a carriage body 102, on both sides of which two running wheels 21 and one guide wheel 22 are mounted so as to be rotatable. Furthermore a mounting shaft 16 is mounted so as to be rotatable in a bearing block 1021 in the carriage body 102 (see
As described so far, the carriage 1 can be inserted with the carriage body 102, the running wheels 21, the guide wheels 22 and the mounting shaft 16 into the rail 5 shown in
According to the invention the carriage 1 additionally comprises a drive device 10, by means of which a first drive element 13, namely a cog wheel, is driven. Said cog wheel can engage in a cog belt 130 installed in the rail 5 and drive the carriage 1 along the rail 5, as shown in
Furthermore, the drive device 10 drives a second drive element 14, likewise a cog wheel, which engages in a toothed connection element 15, a segment of a cog wheel, connected to the mounting shaft 16, and can rotate it about the rotation axis xm of the mounting shaft 16.
For the purpose of mounting the drive device 10, the carriage 1 is provided with an additional module 101, which is rigidly connected to the carriage body 102 via connection elements 103. The additional module 103, in which the drive device 10 is held on one side, also contains the elements of the electrical system, including the control unit 8, which can be programmed by means of a switch bank 81, and sliding contacts 18A, 18B, by means of which conductor rails 180A, 180B laid in the rail 5 can be contacted (see
The drive device 10, which is shown in an exploded view in
It can be seen from
It is understood that other drive devices with other motors and otherwise constructed differential and planet gears can also be used, which can be operated with any desired movement sequence, including kinematic reversal. For example the output shaft can also be connected to a sun wheel. Furthermore, multi-stage gearing, e.g. with a plurality of planet carriers and sun wheels, can be used. It is merely necessary that from the gearing, which is used, two torques can be transferred to a first and to a second drive element 13, 14.
In the embodiment shown, the first drive element 13, a cog wheel engaging in the cog belt 130, is connected to the gearing housing 125 by means of mounting screws 131. The second drive element 14 is connected to the output shaft 126 of the planet gear 12 and is coupled to a toothed connection element 15, which is a quarter segment of a cog wheel in the embodiment shown. The connection element 15 is connected or connectable to a separation element 6A (see
An accumulator 82, possibly a capacitor with a high capacity, is preferably integrated into the carriage 1, preferably into the additional module 101, particularly in case of separation elements 6, of which the carriages 1 are supplied by solar cells 800S. Autonomous operation of the carriage 1 is thereby guaranteed. Furthermore, mixed operation is possible, wherein the external power supply unit 800 is only used if necessary, for example in order to initialise the separation elements 6 or to move them into a position provided for energy consumption.
Systems with a plurality of separation elements 6, which are equipped with solar cells 800S, can be used to extract energy and feed it back into the public power supply network. For this, a current regulating unit 8000 is used, which converts a direct current into an alternating current that can be supplied to the public alternating current network. Devices of this type are known for example from [6], DE 196 38 880 C1. It is thereby possible, particularly in the case of façade installations, to generate a considerable share of the energy required in a building through the separation elements 6 or solar cells 800S installed on the façades.
In a preferred embodiment the conductor rails 180A, 180B are used to transfer the current which is output by the mobile or stationary solar cells 800S. A direct current generated by the solar cells 800S, or an alternating current derived from it, is preferably transferred via the conductor rails 180A, 180B to the current regulating unit 8000 or to further consumers, possibly drive devices. If solar cells 800S (or a solar panel) are fixedly installed on a façade of a building, the conductor rails 180A, 180B provided for the separation elements 6 are simultaneously used as a bus bar for the collection and transfer of the solar energy for feedback into the alternating current network and/or for driving the separation elements 6. It is thereby possible to separate the extraction and feedback of solar energy, which takes place via the conductor rails 180A, 180B, completely from the power supply of the separation elements 6. Alternatively, the solar energy can be connected if the necessary requirements can be covered.
The transfer of the solar energy preferably takes place at intervals, in which the separation elements 6 are not being driven. It is also possible for a direct current to be supplied to the conductor rails 180A, 180B from the solar cells, while for the drive of the separation elements 6 an alternating voltage is supplied to the conductor rails 180A, 180B by the power supply unit 800. Said alternating voltage is superimposed on the direct voltage output by the solar cells 800S.
On the other hand direct voltages preferably of equal magnitude are supplied from both the power supply unit 800 and from the solar cells 8005 to the conductor rails 180A, 180B. It is then checked through the local control unit and central control unit 8 and 80 respectively whether the solar energy is sufficient for the supply of the separation elements 6.
One or more threshold values can thereby be monitored by the local control unit and central control unit 8 and 80 respectively. If the voltage output by the mobile and/or stationary solar cells 800S exceeds for example a first threshold value, the power supply unit 800 is switched off and the system continues to be operated only with solar energy. If the voltage output by the mobile or stationary solar cells 8005 exceeds a second threshold value, the current regulating unit 8000 additionally feeds energy back into the alternating current network. A communication is preferably provided between the central control unit and the local control units 8, 80 for switching the power supply unit 8000 and the solar cells 8005 on and off. If solar cells 800S are installed in a stationary way, they are preferably provided with a local control unit 8′, for example a single chip processor. For the connection of stationary solar cells 800S, the conductor rails 180A, 180B preferably comprise connections 18′ equipped with plug connectors (shown schematically in
The transmission of control signals can be realised in any desired way. For example, control signals are transmitted by radio, optically or by means of radio waves, or cable-bound via electric cables, in particular the conductor rails 180A, 180B, as described in [4]. Signals can thereby be transmitted for example according to the time multiplexing method or the frequency multiplexing method or through switching on and off of the direct voltage.
The transmission of solar power via the conductor rails 180A, 180B is realised particularly advantageously in systems in which the inventive carriage 1 is used, but can also be advantageously used when using other carriages and drive systems. As mentioned, the solar power can be fed into an alternating current network and/or be provided for the driving of further carriages or separation elements, which do not receive adequate solar energy, for example on account of disadvantageous solar radiation.
It is further shown in
In
The conductor rails 180A, 180B can alternatively also be arranged on the side elements 51 of the rail 5. It is likewise possible to arrange the cog belt 130 on the middle element 52 of the rail 5. This can be useful if the drive axis ax of the drive devices 10 is orientated parallel to the rotation axis lx of the running wheels 21. In this case it is also possible to couple the input shaft 111, the output shaft 126 or the rotatably mounted gearing housing 125 via cog wheels or cog belts to one of the running wheels 21 and to drive it. In this case the mounting of a cog belt 130 is unnecessary, which can be advantageous particularly in façade construction.
The individual separation elements 6A, 6B, . . . , can in this connection be provided with hinge devices 7′, as shown in [3], page 36, and below in
According to the invention a hinge device 7 is used, which is shown by way of example in
In the preferred embodiment of the hinge device of
a, 8b and 8c show inventive folding sliding walls 60 with two, four and six separation elements 6A, 6B; 6C, 6D; 6E, 6F, which are connected to one another by means of inventive hinge devices 7 and are held and driven by means of one, two or three inventive carriages 1X; 1Y; 1Z, which can be moved along a rail 5 between a first and a second wall 94, 95. In case of each folding sliding wall 60, beginning with the first separation element 6A, which is provided on the front side with a carriage 1X, every further second separation element 6C and 6E is also provided on the front side with a further inventive carriage 1Y; 1Z.
The switch bank 81X; 81Y; 81Z of each carriage 1X; 1Y; 1Z is also shown, by means of which the travel speeds can be individually adjusted. It can thereby be seen that in the case of the switch bank 81X of the first carriage 1X both switches are set to “1”, which is why the carriage 1X travels at maximum speed upon actuation. In
In the embodiments of
As mentioned, two drive devices 10, 10′ can also be integrated into the carriage 1, of which the first serves for the driving of the carriage 1 within the rail 5 and the second for the driving or the rotation of the separation element 6. In this case both drive devices 10, 10′ are correspondingly controlled by the control unit, meaning that the detent devices 83 and 84 can be omitted.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08 172 651.5 | Dec 2008 | EP | regional |
