This application is based on and claims priority to European Patent Application No. 08 161 917.3.
The invention relates to a device with a carriage for holding panels, in particular glass panels; a carriage; a rail for such a device; and also a separation element provided with this device and a panel.
In order to separate or to close a room or a window opening, separation elements are often used such as sliding doors which are fixed to carriages which can be moved along a rail and may be rotatable.
A generic device with a carriage for holding a separation element is known for example from [1], EP 1 916 370 A1. In this device, the carriage comprises two carriage parts, which are anchored on both sides of the separation element and are each provided with at least one or a plurality of wheels which are guided on feet provided on the two side parts of a symmetrically designed rail. As the separation element projects into the cross-section of the rail and is held in a displaceable manner by parts of the carriage not far below the rail, the device parts are not visually disruptive, meaning that larger covering devices or bezels are not needed.
It is an object of the present invention to further improve the device known from [1], in particular the carriage and the rail.
A device shall be created that requires less space. Furthermore the device should allow the separation element to be mounted closer to a wall so that requires less space and is incorporated aesthetically into a room. Furthermore the operating properties of the device, in particular the running properties of the carriage shall be further improved, in order to produce advantages in relation to smooth running and lifespan.
The inventive device should allow to thermally and acoustically insulating an area in an improved way in order to avoid thermal or acoustic bridges which prevent separation elements from being installed at locations with thermally or acoustically critical conditions.
In addition it should be possible to produce and mount the device with reduced resources.
This object is achieved with a device, a carriage, a rail and a separation element coupled to the device. Preferred embodiments of the invention are herein described.
The inventive device, which serves for holding and guiding a separation element, in particular a glass panel, comprises a mounting element and a carriage comprising a carriage body with at least one wheel that is guided on a track of a rail. For the installation of the device first the mounting element is connected to the separation element. Then the carriage is coupled to the mounting element.
According to the invention the mounting element which is mounted laterally on an upper edge of the separation element comprises a guide profile that is located on the side opposite to the separation element. The guide profile, which is provided with a first guide surface, holds a lower and an upper flange element of the carriage body, which are inserted into the guide profile. The carriage body can be displaced along a first guide surface in the guide profile and locked by means of locking elements in an appropriate position.
The inventive device has numerous advantages.
The mounting element lies laterally at the upper end for example on a glass panel and overlaps the glass panel in a preferred embodiment only with a thin flange element. The mounting element thus only requires little space in the region of the upper edge of the glass panel for the guide profile. The guide profile, which preferably corresponds at least approximately to a C-shaped profile, comprises a lower profile end element and an upper profile end element which form receiving grooves open towards each other serving to receive the flange elements of the carriage body.
The flange elements preferably form a flange plate joined integrally to the carriage body. Further it is possible to produce at least one of the flange elements or the whole flange plate separately and to connect it to the carriage body. In order to allow the dimensions of the carriage body and the manufacturing resources to be kept low, a guiding groove is preferably incorporated into the upper side of the carriage body, through which the upper flange element of the carriage body is exposed.
As the guide profile of the mounting element requires little space, only minimal dimensions are required for the mounting element in its entirety. It should further be noted that the guide profile receives a part of the carriage body. Hence, the corresponding space is used by the carriage. By pushing the carriage into the guide profile it is also ensured that the incorporated and locked carriage is also held at the level of the end region of the glass panel. Consequently, together with the carriage, the upper end region of the glass panel is also received within the rail. Hence, the device can be designed in such a way that all device parts lie within the rail and are not visible from the outside. Due to the small dimensions of the device parts and the use of a rail with only one track the dimensions of the rail can also be kept small, whereby the rail comprises a rail middle part which can preferably be connected to the ceiling. The rail middle part is connected on one side to a first rail side part, which can preferably be connected to a wall. On the other side the rail middle part is fixed or releasably connected to a second rail side part comprising said track on a lower end part, which projects into the at least approximately rectangular cross-section which is formed by the rail middle part and the rail side parts.
The separation element that is held on one side can thus be arranged with the other side at a minimal distance to a wall, on which the rail is also normally fixed.
Due to the fact that the upper region of the glass panel projects far into the rail, clearly improved insulation properties result without additional resources. Insulation gaps of existing rail systems which have to date been regarded as unavoidable can be avoided almost completely. The separation element thus serves as an acoustically and thermally effective room separator not only in the visible region but also within the rail. According to the invention it is possible with simple measures to close the area between the separation element and the rail middle part practically completely. In this respect an insulation element can additionally be provided on the separation element which cooperates with the rail middle part, possibly engaging in an insulating groove provided therein. In a further embodiment the separation element engages in such an insulating groove. The new rail technology thus opens up new fields of applications. Separation elements held by inventive devices can advantageously be used also in outside areas with thermally unfavourable conditions or for conference rooms, in which optimum sound insulation is an important factor.
In a further preferred embodiment the inventive device allows the height of the glass panel to be easily adjusted in that the mounting element is displaced in relation to the carriage that is held at a constant height in the rail. In a further embodiment a mounting element is used with a guide surface that is inclined by a first angle (a) of more than 0° in relation to the upper edge of the glass panel. As the upper flange element of the carriage body abuts against this guide surface, the displacement of the mounting element relative to the carriage thus results in a desired height displacement of the carriage relative to the separation element. The height of the separation element can thus optimally be adjusted in order to compensate for manufacturing and assembly tolerances and in particular in order to allow optimum cooperation of a preferably provided insulation element with the rail middle part, that possibly comprises an insulating groove.
In a preferred embodiment the guide profile comprises a C-shaped profile tapering in height from one end to the other, with an upper profile end element holding the upper flange element and a lower profile end element holding the lower flange element of the carriage body. The carriage thus comprises in this embodiment at least one second guide surface corresponding to the first guide surface, which second guide surface encloses together with the lower flange element a second angle b which is preferably identical to the first angle a. In this case the carriage body preferably forms as a whole a wedge element with an upper side inclined relative to the upper edge of the glass panel and a lower side which is arranged parallel to the upper edge of the glass panel. A height displacement of the glass panel relates therefore to a parallel displacement of the upper edge of the glass panel to the lower side of the carriage body.
In a basic embodiment the carriage body can be provided with wheel axles holding wheels. In a preferred embodiment the carriage is provided with a pivotally mounted wheel support. For this purpose, preferably a shaft is inserted into the carriage body which rotatably holds for example a bar-shaped support element that is provided on each side of the shaft with a wheel axle and a wheel.
The carriage can thus be divided basically into three parts, namely the carriage body, the preferably wedge-shaped flange plate, which is connected integrally or releasably on one side of the carriage body, and the wheel support preferably mounted so as to be rotatable by means of the shaft. The carriage body is dimensioned in such a way that it can firmly hold the flange plate and the shaft, which is preferably arranged perpendicular thereto, under the load of the glass panel. The dimensions of the simply constructed carriage body are thus primarily dependent upon the load to be carried, which is why the carriage body and thus the whole carriage can be realised with minimum dimensions.
In a further preferred embodiment the mounting element and the carriage body are dimensioned in such a way that the at least one wheel, but at least the wheel axle thereof, which is preferably perpendicular to a plane formed by the separation element, is positioned below the upper edge of the separation element irrespectively of the position of the carriage body within the guide profile. The wheels thus lie preferably in the upper end region of the glass panel, but do not project beyond it or only project slightly beyond it, meaning that the upper edge of the separation element can be positioned close to the middle part of the rail.
In order to allow the carriage to be fixed in a selected height adjustment the lower profile end element preferably comprises a securing bar with at least one threaded bore designed for receiving a threaded bolt, which preferably comprises an annular cutting edge can on its front side. Hence, the threaded bolt can be rotated against the carriage body, which has been inserted into the guide profile, in such a way that the first and second guide surfaces are pressed against each other. The threaded bolts of the installed mounting element are preferably arranged vertically and can therefore be tightened from below with a few hand grips.
The device parts can be made from different materials. The mounting element and the carriage body can advantageously be made from aluminium. Elements made of steel can be used for the wheel support.
The invention is explained in greater detail below by reference to the drawings, in which:
a a schematic illustration of the mounting element 3 which comprises a guide profile 30 with a first guide surface 333, along which the carriage body 11 can be displaced;
b a front view of the carriage 1 of
c the rail 2 which can be mounted on a wall in a sectional illustration with a rail middle part 22 which is connected on one side to a first rail side part 21 and on the other side to a second rail side part 23 comprising on the lower side a track 231 provided for guiding the wheels 124; 125, and supporting a buffer device 5 additionally held by a retaining rib 232;
d the buffer device 5 shown in
a a side view of the mounting element 3 and the carriage 1 of
b the introduction of the carriage 1 into the mounting element 3;
c the height adjustment of the carriage 1, which has been introduced into the mounting element 3, relative to the upper edge 62 of the separation element 6 that has been connected to the mounting element 3;
a a rail 2 connected to the ceiling, in which rail 2 a separation element 6 is held and guided by means of the carriage 1 and the mounting element 3 of
b the rail 2 and the separation element 6 of
a a two-part rail 2 connected to a wall 7, in which a separation element 6 is held and guided by means of the carriage 1 and the mounting element 3 of
b in a spatial view, the two-part rail 2 shown in
a a rail 2, which can be connected to a wall 7 or to a ceiling 8, possibly encased in concrete, in a preferred embodiment;
b the rail 2 of
c the rail 2 of
The mounting element 3 shown schematically in
In this preferred embodiment the mounting element 3 can thus be displaced relative to the carriage 1, whereby the height of the separation element 6, i.e. the glass panel can be set. However, if the first guide surface 333 is not provided with an inclination, then the height adjustment is not possible.
The mounting element 3 further comprises an angular element 32 which encloses with the rear side of the guide profile 30 or with the profile middle element 31 an angle of 90° and which partially covers the upper side of the separation element 6. The mounting element 3 can thus be easily laid on the separation element 6 and mounted, as described in greater detail below by reference to
Flange elements 114, 115 provided on the carriage body 11 can be inserted into the receiving opening 36 of the guide profile 30, whereby said flange elements 114, 115 preferably form an end-to-end flange plate 13 with the wedge-shaped front side portion forming a blade element corresponding to the receiving opening 36 of the guide profile 30.
In this preferred embodiment, the front side portion 111 of the carriage body 11 also has a wedge shape. The rear side portion 112 of the carriage body 11, in which the lower and upper flange elements 114, 115 extend in parallel, has on the other hand the form of a cuboid. In order to allow the dimensions of the carriage 1 to be kept small, the upper flange element 114 does not project over the carriage body 11 but is instead dissected by a guiding groove 113 provided in the carriage body 11. The upper side of the upper flange element 114 which forms a second guide surface 1141 corresponding to the first guide surface 333 provided on the mounting element 3 thus extends at the same height as the carriage body 11, of which the dimensions could be reduced even further with additional resources.
Furthermore a shaft 122 is provided in a bore 118 in the carriage body 11, by means of which shaft 122 a rotor 121 is rotatably held, which is provided on both sides with wheel axles 1241, 1251 and wheels 124, 125. The rotor 121 further comprises at one end a retaining bolt 126 which can be grasped and held by the buffer device 5 shown in
It can be seen from
It is further shown in
After adjustment of the device the carriage body 11, particularly the flange plate 13 is pressed by means of two threaded bolts 92 against the upper profile end element 33 of the mounting element 3. The two threaded bolts 92 are in threaded bores 351 which are arranged in a securing bar 350 which is formed on the lower profile end element 35 of the mounting element 3.
c further show the rail 2 which comprises a rail middle part 22 which is connected on one side to a first rail side part 21 and on the other side to a second rail side part 23. On the lower side of the second rail side part 23 a foot element 230 is provided with a track 231 serving for guiding the wheels 124, 125. The second rail side part 23 is further provided with a retaining rib 232 which can engage in a retaining strip 511 provided in the body 51 of the buffer device 5 shown in
The buffer device 5 shown in a spatial illustration in
a shows a side view of the mounting element 3 and the carriage 1 of
b shows the introduction of the carriage 1, i.e. the flange plate 13, into the guide profile 30 of the mounting element 3. In order to simplify this process the front side end of the upper profile end element 33 which forms a flange is divided into an inclined first flange part 331 and an unshortened second flange part 332 which is inserted, upon introduction of the carriage 1, into the guiding groove 113 adjacent to the upper flange element 114. It is shown that the guiding groove 113 extends deeply in such a way that the flange parts 331, 332 of the upper profile end element 33 can be completely received therein. It would also be possible on the other hand to provide a third guide surface 1131 in the guiding groove 113.
c shows the height adjustment of the carriage 1 coupled to the mounting element 3 relative to the upper edge 62 of the separation element 6, on which the mounting element 3 is mounted. By a lateral displacement of the carriage 1 relative to the mounting element 3, the position thereof is also displaced in height. A lateral displacement x of the mounting element 3 relative to the carriage 1 thus leads to a height displacement y of the separation element 6 connected to the mounting element 3.
The first guide surface 333 of the mounting element 3 and the second guide surface 1141 of the carriage 1 abut against each other. While the upper flange element 114 lies in the receiving groove 361 of the upper profile end element 33 on the first guide surface 333 the lower flange element 115 of the carriage body 11 is held laterally only within the receiving groove 362 of the lower profile end element 35. The lower flange element 115 of the carriage body 11 thereby serves to absorb forces acting perpendicular to the separation element 6.
After the height adjustment of the separation element 6, threaded bolts 92 which are arranged in a securing bar 350 provided on the lower profile end element 35 are turned towards the carriage body 11. The threaded bolts 92 are preferably provided on the front side with annular cutting edges which can penetrate in a shape-locking way and fix the carriage body 11. In this way not only a force-locking but also a shape-locking connection results which guarantees that the carriage 1 is held so that it cannot be displaced.
In
a shows a rail 2 connected to the ceiling 8 by means of a mounting screw 91. Within the rail 2 a separation element 6 is held and guided by means of the carriage 1 and the mounting element 3 of
In a preferred embodiment an insulating element 63 is additionally arranged on the separation element 6 which closes off the area between the upper edge 62 of the separation element 6 and the rail middle part 22. For example, as the insulating element 63, a brush can be placed on the separation element 6. The arrangement of a rigid or flexible insulating spring as the insulating element 63 which can engage in an insulating groove 226 provided in the rail middle part 22 is particularly advantageous. After a room opening has been closed by the separation element 6, air is thereby prevented from passing through the rail 2 from one side to the other side of the separation element 6. The air transfer and thus heat transfer through the insulating groove 226 is thereby negligible in practical terms. Furthermore, improved sound insulation is produced. Still further, there are no disruptive noises or mechanical resistance during the displacement of the insulating spring as the insulating element 63 in the insulating groove 226. The production of a rail 2 with an insulating groove 226 does not result in any additional costs either.
a also shows a cover profile 4B which is arranged on the lower side of the rail 2. The cover profile 4B is fixed by means of detent parts 47 to a holding element 234 which is formed on the track 231.
b shows the rail 2 and the separation element 6 of
a shows a two-part rail 2 connected to a wall 7, in which rail 2 a separation element 6 is held and guided by means of the carriage 1 and the mounting element 3 of
b shows the two-part rail 2, which is shown in a sectional illustration in
a shows a rail 2 which can be mounted on a wall 7 or a ceiling 8 or can be encased in concrete according to a first preferred embodiment, in which the free-lying parts of the rail 2 can be provided with a first or second cover profile 4A; 4B depending upon the type of mounting. As the rail middle part 22 and the first rail side part 21 normally abut against the wall 7 and the ceiling 8, merely the second rail side part 23 provided with the track 231 needs to be covered below and/or to the side by means of the cover profile 4A or 4B. In order to allow the cover profile 4A or 4B to be fixed the second rail side part 23 is provided on its upper side with a first and on its lower side with further holding elements 233, 234, 235.
a shows a first cover profile 4A with an angular profile consisting of two cover parts 41, 43, which angular profile comprises a mounting hook 411 on the upper side and a detent element 42 further below. As shown in
It is further shown in
b shows the rail 2 of
c shows the rail 2 of
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