Technical field

The present disclosure relates to a support member for a torsion spring intended as counterbalance of a sectional door, methods for manufacturing a support member, a support member system for a torsion spring and a method for mounting a support member system. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a support member for a torsion spring intended as counterbalance of a sectional door, methods for manufacturing a support member, a support member system for a torsion spring and a method for mounting a support member system as defined in the introductory parts of the independent claims.

Background art

Sectional doors opening upwards used e.g. for garages or warehouses use torsion springs as counter balance for the door. The torsion spring is positioned in mechanical connection to the mechanism for the opening and closing of the door. The torsion spring is often placed on a shaft, the shaft extending through the torsion spring. Inside the torsion spring support elements are sometimes placed to keep the torsion spring from sagging down touching the shaft. Support elements have a smaller diameter than the torsion spring to allow the variation in inner diameter of the torsion spring depending on the tension applied to the torsion spring. The support element will thus keep the torsion spring from getting in metal contact with the shaft. The torsion spring will thus instead of hanging on the shaft, hang on the top side of the support member.

Torsion springs with support members according the prior art described above will, however, cause an eccentric positioning and movement of the torsion spring in relation to the shaft creating vibrations and wear when the torsion spring is tensioned or released. Further, such torsion springs will create noise on opening and closing the sectional door. Especially on doors close to apartments and on high speed sectional doors such noise is an issue.

There is thus a need in the industry for improved support elements for torsion springs for sectional doors.

Summary

It is an object of the present disclosure to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies and disadvantages in the prior art and solve at least the above mentioned problem. According to a first aspect there is provided a support member for a torsion spring intended as counterbalance of a sectional door, the support member comprising, a central body part extending along a central length axis from a first end to a second end and having a length L, at least one rib element fastened to the central body part extending substantially along the central length axis over at least part of the length of the support member and extending from the central body part to a radial extension equal to the torsion spring inner diameter so that the tip of the rib element of a support member mounted in a torsion spring support the inner wall of the torsion spring, wherein at least a radial periphery portion of the rib element is angled to the radial direction and wherein the rib element is at least partly resilient.

The features of the disclosed support member will support a torsion spring securely by abutting the inner surfaces of the torsion spring with the at least one rib element. The angle to the radial direction of the rib makes it possible to bend the rib when the torsion spring is tensioned. This has the effect that no movement will occur between the filler support member and the spring when the spring is tensioned so that no squeaking sound will occur when the spring is tensioned. The problems of irritating sound from prior art tension springs for e.g. sectional doors are thereby solved.

A further advantage of the disclosed support member is that the movement of the spring will be centric around a possible shaft at the centre of the torsion spring and support element. This is an effect of that the support member supports the torsion spring securely by abutting the inner surfaces of the torsion spring at all times. Vibrations are thereby reduced or avoided leading to less wear and thereby to a higher quality of a product using the torsion spring with the disclosed support element.

According to some embodiments, the support member comprises two or more rib elements and according to some embodiments, the support member comprises three or more rib elements. In that way it is not necessary to have a central shaft that is often used in the centre of the support member to connect the support member to the mechanics or machinery of e.g. a sectional door.

According to some embodiments, the rib element is angled in the direction of the torsion spring twisting direction. An advantage of that is that the ribs then can bend easier in the correct direct to follow the spring movement when the spring is tensioned According to some embodiments, the rib element are fastened along the central body part in a spiral shape. This is a further embodiment with the same effects as the other claims while only requiring one rib since the spiral shape will abut the spring inside surfaces in all angles.

According to some embodiments, the central body part has a central bore along the central length axis. An advantage with this embodiment is that a central shaft may be inserted and supported in the support member.

According to some embodiments, the central body part comprises a male joining portion arranged at the first end adapted to lockingly engage a corresponding female part of a first different support member part, and a female part arranged at the second end adapted to lockingly engage a corresponding male part of a second different support member part.

An advantage with this embodiment is that a short support member can be mounted to any length. Only one length then has to be manufactured. The standard length can then be mounted to any length. A support member that very short relative to the width of a sectional door or relative a support spring makes it a lot easier to transport and store the support member.

According to some embodiments, the male part of the first end and the female part of the second end are adapted to lockingly engage using a click system, a bayonet lock, male threads and female threads, respectively.

According to some embodiments, the rib members are made of a plastic material. This is an advantage since plastic materials are mouldable flexible and elastic. Plastic materials are also cheap to use in mass production.

According to a second aspect there is provided a method for manufacturing a support member according to the first aspect, comprising filling a mould shaped in the form of the support member with a melted material. According to some embodiments, the step of filling the mould involves injection moulding using a plastic material. Such manufacturing methods enable cheap manufacturing in large quantities.

According to a third aspect there is provided a method for manufacturing a support member according to the first aspect, comprising using extrusion moulding and a pattern having the cross-section shape of the support member. Extrusion moulding makes it possible to in a cheap way produce support members in any length. According to a fourth aspect there is provided a support member system for a torsion spring comprising one or multiple support member according to the first aspect, a first end part and a second end part for confining the support members(s) to the inner space of the torsion spring and for securing a first end and a second end, respectively, of a torsion spring to a mechanism of a sectional door. A system with small parts mounted to a complete support member makes transportation easier. It is further possible to build a support member of an arbitrary length using only a few standard parts. In some embodiments it is sufficient to have only one end part for securing the support member to e.g. a sectional door. In other embodiment it is desired to have an end part for securing the support member in each end of the support member.

According to a fifth aspect there is provided a method for mounting a support member system according to the third aspect in a torsion spring of the length LS, comprising the steps of mounting a maximum number of support members according to the fourth aspect to build a joint support member that is longer than LS - L and shorter than LS; inserting the joint support member into the torsion spring; and mounting the first end part and the second end part to the first end and the second end of the torsions spring, respectively. In that way the mounted support member will fit inside the torsion spring as it is always a bit shorter than the torsion spring.

According to some embodiments, the method comprises the step of mounting at least one end part to the torsion spring before the step of inserting the joint support into the torsion spring ; wherein the step includes confining the joint support member to the inner space of the torsion spring using the at least one end part.

Effects and features of the second through fifth aspects are to a large extent analogous to those described above in connection with the first aspect. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the first aspect are largely compatible with the second through fifth aspects.

The present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description given below. The detailed description and specific examples disclose preferred embodiments of the disclosure by way of illustration only. Those skilled in the art understand from guidance in the detailed description that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the disclosure.

Hence, it is to be understood that the herein disclosed disclosure is not limited to the particular component parts of the device described or steps of the methods described since such device and method may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claim, the articles "a", "an", "the", and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements unless the context explicitly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a unit" or "the unit" may include several devices, and the like. Furthermore, the words "comprising", "including", "containing" and similar wordings does not exclude other elements or steps.

Brief of the

The above objects, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of example embodiments of the present disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a single support member according to the disclosure.

Figure 2 shows a cross sectional view of the support member of Figure 1 mounted inside a torsion spring.

Figure 3 shows a cross sectional view of a support member according to one embodiment of the disclosure.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a torsion spring with a number of support members as shown in Figure 1 mounted with end parts and a central rod.

Figure 5 shows an exploded view of the torsion spring of Figure 4. Figure 6 shows a sectional door having a torsion spring.

Figure 7 is a flow chart representing a method of the present disclosure.

Figure 8 is a flow chart representing a further method of the present disclosure.

Detailed description

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred example embodiments of the disclosure are shown. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in other forms and should not be construed as limited to the herein disclosed embodiments. The disclosed embodiments are provided to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to the skilled person.

The first aspect of this disclosure shows a support member 1 for a torsion spring 2 intended as counterbalance of a sectional door, the support member 1 comprising, a central body part 3 extending along a central length axis CL from a first 4 end to a second end 5 and having a length L, at least one rib element 6,60 fastened to the central body part 3 extending substantially along the central length axis CL over at least part of the length of the support member 1 and extending from the central body part 3 to a radial extension equal to the torsion spring inner diameter d so that the tip of the rib element of a support member 1 mounted in a torsion spring support the inner wall of the torsion spring. A radial periphery portion 9 of the rib element 6 is angled to the radial direction and the rib element 6 is at least partly resilient so that it will follow movements of the torsion spring as the torsion spring diameter decreases when the torsion spring is tensioned or increases when tension of the torsion spring is decreased. In that way no movement will occur between the support member and the torsion spring when the torsion spring tension is altered resulting in noiseless operation of the torsion spring.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a single support member 1. The support member 1 comprises six rib elements 6 for supporting the torsion spring. As seen in Figure 1, the rib elements 6 are all angled in the same direction and if inserted correctly into a torsion spring that direction is the same as the torsion spring twisting direction. In that way, the rib elements 6 will easier bend in the correct direct to follow the spring movement when the spring is tensioned.

The central body part 3 of the support member disclosed in Figures 1 has a central bore along the central length axis L to enable the possibility of having a central shaft that penetrates through the middle of the support member. A central shaft can thereby be inserted at the centre of the support member. The central body part 3 comprises a female joining portion 41 in the form of a flange arranged at the first end 4 adapted to lockingly engage a corresponding male joining part 51' of a first different support member part 1'. A male joining part 51 arranged at the second end 5 adapted to lockingly engage a corresponding male joining part 41' of a second different support member part 1". The flange or female joining portion 41 has an inner diameter substantially equal to or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the male joining part of the second end 5, so that two support member 1 parts can be mounted together by inserting the male joining part 51 of the second end 5 of one support member into the female joining part 41 of the first end 4 of another support member. The male joining part 41 and/or the female joining part 51 can be slightly conical to facilitate an easier operation when mounting the parts and a stronger locking friction between the parts.

In some embodiments (not shown) the female part 41 of the first end 4 and the male part 51 of the second end 5 are adapted to lockingly engage using other lock systems as e.g. a click system, a bayonet lock, or male threads and female threads, respectively.

Figure 2 shows a cross sectional view of the support member 1 of Figure 1 mounted inside a torsion spring 2. The support member has six rib elements 6 where each rib is angled clockwise compared to a radial direction to make it easier to bend the, to some extent, resilient rib members 6.

Figure 3 shows a cross sectional view of a support member 100 according to a different embodiment than the one shown in Figures 1 and Figure 2. The rib elements 60 are straight but extending from the central body 30 in a direction different than a radial direction.

In one embodiment (not shown) the rib elements are fastened along the central body part 3 in a spiral shape. The same effects as with the embodiments shown in Figures 1-3 can then be achieved while only requiring one rib element. Also with a spiral shaped support element it is advantageous with it having an angle to the radial direction, at least at the outer peripheral end to facilitate bending when the torsion spring is tensioned and reduced in diameter.

Figure 6 shows a sectional overhead door 20, wherein the door 20 has a number of sections 24 hinged to each other by hinges 23 so that each section may be folded in relation to the next section over a horizontal axis. The sections 24 are arranged so that the door can open and close vertically. The sections 24 of the door 20 are drawn up by a wire, chain, a toothed band or some other device engaging the sections of the door with the shaft 11 that is rotated by the drive unit 1. The sections are further arranged to be moved vertically upwards guided by a first door frame part 21 and at the top of the first door frame part 21 the sections are guided into the second door frame part 22 that is aligned horizontally. That is made possible as the sections 24 are hinged to each other. The 90 degree directional change of the frame from the first door frame part 21 to the second door frame part 22 makes the door frame fit in lower ceiling spaces than would otherwise be possible. To counter balance the weight of the door a torsion spring 2 is arranged on the shaft 11. When the door 20 is lowered, the torsion spring 2 is tensioned so that the spring force will reduce the force needed to open the door upwards. Inside the torsion spring 2 a support member (not shown) according to Any of Figures 1-5 is inserted to support the torsion spring 2.

The second aspect of this disclosure, illustrated by the flow chart of Figure 7, shows a method for manufacturing a support member according to the first aspect, comprising the step of Sl-1 of filling a mould shaped in the form of the support member with a melted material. The step of filling the mould Sl-1 may involve injection moulding Sl-2 using a plastic material.

The third aspect of this disclosure shows a method for manufacturing a support member according to the first aspect, comprising using extrusion moulding and a pattern having the cross-section shape of the support member 1.

The fourth aspect of this disclosure is illustrated in Figure 4 showing a support member system for a torsion spring comprising one or multiple support members according to the first aspect, a first end part 7 and a second end part 8 for confining the support members(s) to the inner space of the torsion spring 2 and for securing a first end 14 and a second end 15, respectively, of a torsion spring 2 to a mechanism of a sectional door. A central shaft 11 is inserted through all parts of the support member system. A system with small parts mounted to a complete support member makes transportation easier. It is further possible to build a support member of an arbitrary length using only a few standard parts. If the support member 1 is manufactured using extrusion moulding, the support member system may comprise of only the two or three parts of the extruded support member of correct length and one or two end parts 7, 8. In one embodiment it is desired to have an end part for in each end of the support member to confine the support member(s) 6 to the space within the torsion spring 2. Figure 5 shows an exploded view of the torsion spring 2 and support member system of Figure 4.

The fifth aspect of this disclosure, illustrated by the flow chart in Figure 8, shows a method for mounting a support member system according to the third aspect in a torsion spring 2 of the length LS, comprising the steps of S2-1 mounting a maximum number of support members 1 according to the fourth aspect to build a joint support member 10 that is longer than LS - L and shorter than LS; S2-3 inserting the joint support member into the torsion spring; and S2-4 mounting the first end part 7 and the second end part 8 to the first end 14 and the second end 15 of the torsion spring 2, respectively. The method comprises the step of S2-2 mounting at least one end part to the torsion spring (2) before the step S2-3 of inserting the joint support into the torsion spring 2; wherein the step S2-4 includes confining the joint support member to the inner space of the torsion spring 2 using the at least one end part 7,8.

The person skilled in the art realizes that the present disclosure is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. The person skilled in the art further realizes that modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the ribs members 6, 60 may have other shapes while still fulfilling the requirements of the claimed scope. The torsion spring may e.g. be tensioned in the opposite direction as is described herein so that a tensioned spring has an increased inner diameter. Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed disclosure, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.