Technical field

The present invention relates to a door operator arrangement for a folding door and a folding door system comprising such a door operator arrangement.

Background

Entrance systems having manual doors, doors with door closers or automatic doors can be found in various buildings today. Such entrance systems allow access to the building for pedestrians or vehicles while also enabling a desirable indoor climate and temperature inside the building.

In some applications folding doors are utilized. Folding doors may be driven by means of motors. A motor driven folding door commonly has a motor in a door operator connected to the folding door via some type of transmission.

Today’s automatic folding doors implement different designs for transmitting the torque from the motor to the door leaf of the folding door:

The door operator may be mounted on the wall above the door’s center. The motor is connected to door leaf via link arms.

The folding door may comprise side-mounted motors, wherein the motor is mounted in a door operator on the wall beside the door leaf. The door operator is connected to the door leaf by means of an arm.

The motor may be mounted in a door operator arranged close to one of the upper comers of the door leaf, whereby the door operator is connected an outermost portion of the door leaf by means of an arm.

The motor may be mounted in a door operator arranged on the door leaf, whereby the door operator is connected to another section of the door leaf via a telescopic arm.

The folding door may include a transmission rail housing a chain connected to sliding carts in turn attached to the sections of the door leaf via arms.

The existing solutions are in many cases quite space consuming due to requiring bulky transmission systems in the form of arms, gear trains, telescopic arms etc. To reduce the space required for the folding door the dimensions of the transmission systems may be reduced. However, this will negatively impact the wind resistance of the folding door.

The present inventors have realized that there is room for improvement in this field.

Summary

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide one or more improvements in the field of folding door systems. According to an aspect, a door operator arrangement for a folding door system is provided. The door operator arrangement comprises a folding door. The folding door has a plurality of pivotably interconnected door leaves foldable relative each other and are movably connected to a folding door rail.

The door operator arrangement comprises a door operator and a curved elongated transmission element. The door operator is configured to be mounted to one of the door leaves of the folding door. The door operator comprises a motor and a driven transmission member driven by the motor.

The driven transmission member is arranged to be in engagement with the curved elongated transmission element. The door operator is movable along the curved elongated transmission element for moving the folding door between a closed unfolded position and an opened folded position along the folding door rail.

According to an aspect, a folding door is provided. The folding door system comprises a folding door. The folding door has a plurality of interconnected door leaves foldable relative each other. The folding door system comprises a folding door rail. The folding door is movably connected to said folding door rail. The folding door system further comprises the door operator arrangement according to the above.

Embodiments of the invention are defined by the appended dependent claims and are further explained in the detailed description section as well as in the drawings.

It should be emphasized that the term “comprises/comprising” when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof. All terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the [element, device, component, means, step, etc.]" are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

Brief description of the drawings Objects, features and advantages of embodiments of the invention will appear from the following detailed description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a schematic view of a folding door according to an embodiment in an opened position. Figure 2 is a schematic view of a folding door according to the same embodiment in a partially opened position.

Figure 3 is a schematic view of a folding door according to the same embodiment in a closed position.

Figure 4 is a schematic view of a door operator arrangement according to an embodiment provided with a housing.

Figure 5 is a schematic view of a door operator arrangement according to the same embodiment without the housing.

Figure 6 is an explosion view of a mounting arrangement for a door operator according to an embodiment. Figure 7 is a schematic view of a curved elongated transmission element according to an embodiment.

Figure 8 is a schematic view of a curved elongated transmission element according to an embodiment. Detailed description of embodiments

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The terminology used in the detailed description of the particular embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements. With reference to Figures 1 to 3, a folding door system is depicted. The folding door system is depicted in an opened, partially opened and closed position.

The folding door system 10 comprises the folding door 30. The folding door 30 has a plurality of pivotably interconnected door leaves. The door leaves 31, 32 are foldable relative each other. The folding door system 10 further comprises the folding door rail 12. The folding door 30 is movably connected to the folding door rail 12.

The folding door system 10 may be a horizontally folding door system, such that the opening opens and closes in a horizontal manner. By horizontal it is meant to convey that when, for example, opening, the door leaves are transported to a side of the opening. The folding door system 10 comprises a door operator arrangement 100. The door operator 130 is configured to be mounted to one of door leaves 31, 32 of the folding door 30.

Further, the door operator 130 comprises a motor 171. The motor 171 may be an electrical motor such as an AC-motor. The door operator 130 also comprises a driven transmission member 175. The driven transmission member 175 is driven by the motor 171. The motor 171 is accordingly connected to the driven transmission member 175 for transferring torque to said driven transmission member 175.

The door operator arrangement 100 further comprises a curved elongated transmission element 160. The curved elongated transmission element 160 may be made of rigid material with a predefined shape. The driven transmission member 175 is arranged to be in engagement with the curved elongated transmission element 160. The door operator 130 is movable along the curved elongated transmission element 160 for moving the folding door 30. The door operator 130 is movable along the curved elongated transmission element 160 for moving the folding door 30 between a closed unfolded position and an opened folded position along the folding door rail 12. This design of the door operator arrangement is considerably less space consuming compared to existing door operator arrangements for folding door systems since the door operator is mounted directly on the door and not taking up space around the opening. Furthermore, the curved elongated transmission element provides support against wind load on the folding door due to the driven transmission member pressing against the elongated transmission element. Thus, the door operator arrangement provides additional wind resistance without the use of large and bulky support arrangements.

The folding door 30 constitutes a plurality of door leaves 31, 32. The door leaves are pivotably interconnected by means of door leaf hinges 33. The door leaf hinges 33 forms pivot axes, whereby the folding door is foldable about said pivot axes. Said pivot axes may extend vertically. The door leaves may be connected at their vertical edges. Thus, the vertical door leaf hinges 33 may be arranged at a vertical edge of the door leaves.

The folding door has a first main door surface and an opposite second main door surface, formed by the interconnected door leaves. Thus, each door leaf 31, 32 of the folding door 30 may have a first and second door surface together forming said first and main door surface, respectively.

In the opened position the door leaves 31, 32 are arranged in contact by the first and second surface of the door leaves abutting. The opened position may thus be considered a folded opened position. In the opened folded position, the door leaves 31, 32 are gathered at one side of the opening in which the folding door system is arranged.

In the closed position, the door leaves 31, 32 are arranged in a straight line in alignment with the folding door rail 12. The closed position may thus be considered a closed unfolded position. The folding door 30 may be pivotably mounted to a door frame of the folding door system. The door frame may be in the form of a frame profile or a wall surrounding the opening in which the folding door system is arranged. The folding door 30 may be pivotably mounted to said door frame by means of a door frame connection 34. The door frame connection 34 may connect an innermost vertical edge of the folding door 30 and the door frame. Accordingly, the folding door 30 may comprise a first door leaf 31 pivotably mounted by means of a door frame connection 34 to the door frame of the folding door system 10. The innermost vertical edge relative said door frame connection may be connected to said door frame connection 34.

In one embodiment, the door frame connection 34 may comprise at least one main hinge arranged between the first door leaf 31 and the door frame.

Further referencing Figure 1 to 3, the folding door 30 may comprise a second door leaf 32. The door operator may be mounted to the second door leaf 32.

Preferably, the first door leaf 31 is an innermost door leaf and the second door leaf 32 is an outermost door leaf of the folding door 30 relative the door frame connection 34. In other words, the first door leaf 31 may be an innermost door leaf of the folding door 30 relative a closing direction of the folding door. Correspondingly, the second door leaf 31 be an outermost door leaf of the folding door 30 relative said closing direction of the folding door 30.

As the skilled person realizes, the folding door 30 may comprise an arbitrary number of interconnected door leaves. Thus, the folding door 30 may in one embodiment have at least one door leaf arranged between the first and second door leaf.

The folding door 30 may comprise three or four door leaves. The first door leaf and second door leaf may be arbitrary positioned among the door blades along the width of the folding door 30. The first door leaf may thus be an intermediate door blade arranged between an innermost and outermost door leaf relative the pivot connection to the door frame. The second door leaf may also be an intermediate door leaf arranged between an innermost and outermost door leaf relative the pivot connection to the door frame.

In one embodiment, the first folding door 31 may be directly pivotably connected to the second door leaf 32. Having the door operator arranged on the outermost door leaf leads to the door operator pulling the folding door to the closed position by the door operator dragging the folding door. Compared to having the door operator arranged on the other door leaves this mitigates the risk for the door leaves folding over themselves at closing and breaking due to door operator exerting a pushing force onto the folding door against the door frame.

The door leaves 31, 32 of the folding door 30 may be provided with guiding arrangements (not shown) in engagement with the folding door rail 12. In one embodiment, the door leaves may be provided with a guiding member attached to a wagon movable within the folding door rail 12.

The curved elongated transmission element may be arranged above the folding door 30. Thus, a less space-consuming folding door system is achieved.

Preferably, the curved elongated transmission element 160 is a curved gear rack. The rigid structure of a gear rack provides additional wind resistance compared to other types of conventional transmission elements applicable. Furthermore, a gear rack is more energy efficient and associated with less energy losses compared no non-rigid transmission elements. In alternative embodiment, the curved elongated transmission element may be a cogged belt or chain arranged to be in engagement with the driven transmission member 175. In Figure 4 and 5, the door operator arrangement 100 is further depicted. As depicted the door operator 130 may be provided with a casing 131. The casing 131 may comprise an aperture 132 for receiving the curved elongated transmission element 160. Accordingly, the curved elongated transmission element 160 may extend through said aperture 132. The curved elongated transmission element 160 may be arranged to be pivotable about a pivot axis P. Thus, the curved elongated transmission element 160 may be pivotably arranged about the pivot axis P. The curved elongated transmission element 160 may extend in a plane. The pivot axis P may extend substantially orthogonally to the plane. As depicted a first end of the curved elongated transmission 160 may be pivotably arranged about the pivot axis P. A second opposite end of the curved elongated transmission element 160 may be a free end.

In an alternative embodiment, the curved elongated transmission element 160 may be fixedly mounted.

The advantage of the pivotably arranged transmission element is that the transmission element is allowed to follow the movement of the door operator. Thus, the transmission element can have smaller dimensions and multiple different shapes adapted to particular installations. Again referencing Figure 4 and 5, the door operator may be attached to a profile

341. The profile 341 being mounted to the folding door 30. The profile 341 may be arranged proximal to a top edge of the folding door 30. The profile 341 may be attached to the door by means of fastening elements such as screws.

Further referencing Figure 4 as well as Figure 5, the curved elongated transmission element may be mounted by means of a mounting arrangement which will be described in further detail with reference to Figure 6.

Figure 5 depicts the door operator arrangement without said casing 131.

Further referencing Figure 5, the door operator arrangement 100 may further comprise at least one guide member 178, 179. The at least one guide member 178, 179 is arranged to be in guiding engagement with the curved elongated transmission element 160 for guiding the driven transmission member 175 along said curved elongated transmission element 160.

Preferably the at least one guide member 174, 75 may comprise a roller. Thus, the at least one guide member may comprise a roller in rolling engagement with the curved elongated transmission element 160.

The driven transmission member 175 may be a driven gear. To save space, the driven gear may be arranged on an output motor shaft 173 of the door operator 130. The output motor shaft is connected to the motor 171.

The driven gear may be arranged to engage a cogged elongated surface of the curved elongated transmission element, i.e. a first elongated surface of the curved elongated transmission element 160. The driven transmission member 175 may be arranged to engage the first elongated surface of the curved elongated transmission element 160. The first elongated surface may extend along the curved elongated transmission element 160. The at least one guide member 178, 179 is arranged to be in guiding engagement with a second elongated surface of the curved elongated transmission element 160 opposite to said first elongated surface. The second elongated surface may extend along the curved elongated transmission element.

Advantageously, the first elongated surface is arranged to face the folding door 30. In such an embodiment, the contact force between the driven transmission member 175 and the curved elongated transmission element 160 will always be directed substantially 90 degrees from the movement direction whereby a more efficient door operator arrangement is achieved.

In the case of the guide member 178 179 comprising a roller, the second elongated surface may be a smooth curved surface. The roller may thus be in rolling engagement with the second elongated surface. The second elongated surface may be curved or straight.

Preferably, the first and second elongated surface may have corresponding curved shapes. The curved shape of the curved elongated transmission element 160 is arranged to be substantially concave relative the folding door 30. The at least one guide member 178, 179 comprises a support flange 174. A third elongated surface of the curved elongated transmission element 160 extending substantially orthogonally to the first and second elongated surface. The third elongated surface of the curved elongated transmission element is arranged to rest on the support flange 174. Figure 6 depicts an explosion view of a mounting arrangement for the curved elongated transmission element. The mounting arrangement is adapted to pivotably receive the curved elongated transmission element, i.e. the first curved elongated transmission element.

The mounting arrangement comprises a mounting portion 192 adapted to be mounted to the door frame, either to a profile or directly to a wall. The mounting arrangement further comprises a pivot arrangement. The pivot arrangement comprising a pivot pin 191 rotatably arranged in a sleeve 193. The sleeve 193 is rotatably arranged in the mounting portion 192.

The mounting arrangement further comprises a support part 194. The support part 194 is attached to the sleeve 193. The support part 194 is attachable to the curved elongated transmission element by means of fastening elements 197 attaching to the curved elongated transmission element 160 and the support part 194.

Figure 7 and 8 depicts embodiments of a curved elongated transmission element.

Referencing Figure 7, the curved elongated transmission element 160 has the shape of a circular arc. The circular arc may be arranged to be concave relative the folding door 30. The circular arc shape is particularly advantageous in cases where there is only a small space available along the door leaf, since the circular arc can be made shorter compared to a transmission element with another curved shape and still provide the desired function. Thus, the circular arc shape is particularly advantageous in cases where side space is limited since it remains within the dimensions of the door relative the available side and depth space.

Referencing Figure 8, the curved elongated transmission element 260 may have the shape of a rounded L-element. The curved elongated transmission element 260 may thus have a first substantially straight portion 261 and a second substantially straight portion 262. The first and second straight portion are interconnected by means of an intermediate bent portion 263.

The L-shape may be arranged to be concave relative the folding door 30. The circular arc shape is particularly advantageous in cases where there is only a small space available along the depth direction of the folding door 30, since the L-shaped transmission element can be dimensioned to not take up much space along said depth direction and still provide the desired function. Thus, the L-shape is particularly advantageous in cases where it is important to not have a large depth protrusion when the door is closed for example when there is cross-traffic with vehicles parallel to the wall in which the door is arranged.

Further, in an alternative embodiment, the curved elongated transmission element has the shape of an elliptical arc. Such a curved elongated transmission element is particularly advantageous in system where the curved elongated transmission element is fix.

The invention has been described above in detail with reference to embodiments thereof. However, as is readily understood by those skilled in the art, other embodiments are equally possible within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.