TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND ART.

The present invention relates to a door with automatic actuation of the wings, with operating mechanism below the sliding plane of the wings.

Doors with automatic actuation of the wings are known, in particular for lifts and elevators, in which the mechanism for operating the wings is situated above the sliding plane of the wings.

Also known are doors in which said mechanism is positioned below the sliding plane of the wings. This finds particular application in panoramic lifts or lifts that are exposed to water and whose wings bear on an actuating carriage underlying them.

Such doors provide, in correspondence both with the floor door and with the cabin door, for the presence of a slot into which is inserted an element for connecting the wing to the carriage, as illustrated in Figure 1 which shows in a vertical section a floor door (to the right of the drawing) and a cabin door.

However, this solution has the drawback of exposing the underlying mechanism to contamination from dust and dirt in general which penetrates through the slot.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION.

The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks making available a door in which the mechanism for operating the wings is protected from dust and dirt infiltration.

A further aim is to obtain this in an extremely simple and economical way.

Said aims are fully achieved by the door of the present invention, which is characterised by the content of the claims set out below and in particular in that in a door comprising :

-at least a sliding wing; -an apparatus for actuating the at least one wing positioned under the sliding plane of said at least one wing; -means for connecting the at least one wing to the actuating apparatus, the connecting means are positioned and slide in a slot located in an area that is external relative both to the sliding path of the at least one wing and to the sliding path of the actuating apparatus.

Said slot is preferably the slot present between the floor door and the cabin door of a lift or elevator.

The connecting means preferably comprise a contoured element anchored at one end to the at least one wing and at the other end to the actuating apparatus. The contoured element comprises a first portion that projects externally relative to the wing whereto it is anchored and penetrates in the slot, and a second portion which is inserted, through a lateral opening, in a compartment for containing the actuating apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.

This and other features shall become more readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated, purely by way of non limiting example, in the accompanying drawing tables, in which: -Figure 1 shows a section of a floor door and a cabin door according to the prior art; -Figure 2 shows a vertical section of a floor door and a cabin door of a lift or elevator according to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION.

With reference to the figures, the numbers 1 and 2 globally indicate respectively a floor door and a cabin door of a lift or elevator, which comprise at least a floor wing 3 and a cabin wing 4.

The reference number 5 schematically indicates a cabin of the lift or elevator whereto is anchored an apparatus 6 for actuating the cabin wing or wings 4, which is positioned below a sliding plane 7 of the cabin wings 4.

The actuating apparatus 6 is substantially known and comprises a carriage for actuating the wings operatively connected with the wings themselves by connecting means.

Originally according to the present invention said connecting means comprise a contoured element 8 which is inserted into a slot 9 present between the floor door and the cabin door and has an upper end anchored to the wing 4 and a lower end anchored to the actuating apparatus 6.

More specifically the contoured element 8 comprises a first portion 8a which projects externally relative to the wing whereto it is anchored and penetrates into the slot 9 and a second portion 8b which is inserted, through a lateral opening 10, into a compartment 11 for containing the actuating apparatus 6.

Instead of the three traditional slots, i. e. the slot below the floor door, the slot below the cabin door and the slot between floor door and cabin door, typical of the prior art illustrated in Figure 1, in the present invention only the slot between floor door and cabin door remains, the floor immediately underneath the wings being completely closed and free of slots.

This allows for a considerable degree of protection of the actuating apparatuses against dust, dirt and any accidental spillage of liquids or detergent during cleaning operations of the landings or when the lift is in use.

The contoured element 8 for the cabin door has been described, but the above also applies for the floor door 1 and for the wings 3 of the floor door which, as shown in Figure 2, are also provided with contoured element 8 connecting to the underlying actuating apparatus 6.