LOW-WEAR FITTING ARRANGEMENT FOR LIFTING A LIFT-SLIDING ELEMENT

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a fitting arrangement for a lift-and-slide element, such as a lift-and-slide door or a lift-and-slide window, which comprises a frame and a sash which can be displaced relative to the frame along a track in a direction of displacement, the fitting arrangement comprising at least one base part which is designed for attachment to the sash; at least one carriage with a carriage frame and at least two rollers mounted on the carriage frame; a lifting mechanism for lifting the sash relative to the carriage frame from a lowered position to a raised position, the lifting mechanism having an inclined guide by means of which the carriage frame is guided displaceably on the base part in a direction running obliquely to the direction of displacement;and a coupling lever having a first end coupled to the carriage frame and a second end opposite the first end, which is coupled to a bell crank pivoted on the base part, via which the lifting mechanism can be actuated by means of a drive rod;

[0002] Such a fitting arrangement is essentially derived from DE 10 2018 124 778 A1 or FR 2 300 879 A1 and is used to raise or lower lift-and-slide elements, which are becoming increasingly popular in the form of large patio doors or windows. The sliding direction is horizontal when the lift-and-slide element is installed. Often, such lift-and-slide elements have several carriages arranged on the underside of the sash, with the rollers rolling directly on a lower track. In principle, one or more carriages could also be arranged on the top side of the sash, with the rollers being suspended from and rolling in a suspension rail. A lower track can be provided in such a design as a support surface. It can also be provided that the underside of the sash rests on the track in the lowered position.By operating the lifting mechanism, the sash can be lifted relative to the carriage frame, creating an air gap between the track and the carriage frame so that the sash can be moved using the rollers.

[0003] The carriage frame can be any support for supporting the rollers. The carriage frame does not necessarily have to be frame-like in the sense that it has a closed shape; rather, the carriage frame can be formed, for example, by two spaced-apart flat bars connected by spacers or by the axles of the rollers themselves.

[0004] The inclined guide of the lifting mechanism converts a horizontal adjustment movement of the carriage, which is achieved, for example, via a connecting rod arrangement and a bell crank, into a lifting or lowering movement of the sash. It should be noted here that the term "inclined guide" does not necessarily refer to a guide with a straight, inclined path. Rather, an inclined guide refers to a guide whose path is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the direction of displacement. The inclined guide can therefore also be curved overall, as long as infinitesimal sections of the respective guide track run at an angle to the direction of displacement.

[0005] In practice, when raising and lowering the sash, unfavorable forces can be exerted on the carriage. In particular, uneven loading can occur on the two rollers. For example, due to a vertical force component transferred to the carriage frame, the roller closer to the coupling lever, also referred to here as the front roller, can be relieved of load and consequently the other roller, also referred to here as the rear roller, can be additionally loaded. This can cause uneven wear and tear on the rollers, which, above a certain extent, can lead to a noticeably changed sliding behavior of the lift and slide element. This, in turn, can result in the carriage having to be replaced, which is a costly affair for the end user.

[0006] The invention is therefore based on the object of creating a fitting arrangement for a lift-and-slide element which is designed to be as wear-resistant as possible in order to reduce maintenance costs.

[0007] This object is achieved according to the invention with a fitting arrangement which is characterized by the features of claim 1.

[0008] According to the invention, it is thus provided in particular that the first end of the coupling lever is coupled to the carriage frame via a joint which allows or enables a relative movement in a direction transverse to the direction of displacement between the first end of the coupling lever and the carriage frame.

[0009] Compared to a purely rotatable or articulated connection between the coupling lever and the carriage frame, an additional degree of freedom, in particular a degree of displacement, is introduced, which enables the carriage frame to compensate for any inclination it experiences due to a possible vertical force component via the coupling lever during raising or lowering of the sash. For example, if the front end of the carriage frame experiences lifting forces via the coupling lever during raising of the sash, this tendency can be counteracted because the joint between the coupling lever and the carriage frame allows a relative movement between the first end of the coupling lever and the carriage frame in a direction transverse to the displacement direction due to the additional degree of displacement freedom introduced into the joint.

[0010] Therefore, if the front end of the carriage frame tends to be raised by a certain amount, the additional degree of freedom introduced between the carriage frame and the coupling lever allows the front end of the carriage frame to lower again by the same amount during the lifting process. This prevents excessive tilting of the carriage frame during the raising or lowering of the sash, and consequently, the rollers of the carriage are not subjected to uneven loading. An undesirable tilting of the carriage frame can thus be compensated for by allowing the carriage frame to lower again at its front end by approximately the same amount by which it is raised at its front end during the raising of the sash.

[0011] Corresponding considerations can be made for any inclination of the carriage frame during the lowering of the sash, so that there can be no uneven loading of the rollers of the carriage during the lowering movement.

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be discussed below. Further embodiments may emerge from the dependent claims, the description of the figures, and the drawings themselves.

[0013] According to the invention, the joint is formed by an elongated hole formed in the carriage frame and a pin at the first end of the coupling lever, the pin being slidably guided in the elongated hole.

[0014] Alternatively, the joint may be formed by an elongated hole formed in the first end of the coupling lever and a pin on the carriage frame, the pin being slidably guided in the elongated hole.

[0015] By guiding the pin in the elongated hole, a compensating link is formed, allowing the first end of the coupling lever to move vertically relative to the front end of the carriage frame. Compared to a conventional swivel joint, an additional degree of freedom of movement in the vertical direction is introduced, allowing the front end of the carriage frame to move vertically relative to the first end of the coupling lever. This compensates for any undesirable tilt of the carriage frame during raising or lowering of the sash, as described above.

[0016] According to a further embodiment, the coupling lever can be provided with a tab at its first end, in which the elongated hole is formed. The tab has a greater width than at its second end. The coupling lever can thus be designed to be relatively delicate despite the dimensions required for the formation of the elongated hole.

[0017] According to a further embodiment, the inclined guide can comprise a guide slot in the base part that runs at an angle to the direction of displacement, and a pin guided in the guide slot, which is located on the carriage frame between the two rollers. An inclined guide designed in this way is not only capable of reliably transferring the weight of the sash to the carriage frame; rather, the pin, which is slidably guided in the guide slot, forms a joint around which the sash can gradually rotate or tilt during raising or lowering. In other words, the pin guided in the guide slot allows the carriage frame to gradually rotate relative to the sash or the base part during raising or lowering of the sash, in order to compensate for or even out any undesired inclination of the carriage frame.

[0018] The invention also relates to a lift-and-slide element, in particular a lift-and-slide door or a lift-and-slide window with a frame, a sash that can be moved along a track in a direction of displacement relative to the frame, and a fitting arrangement that is designed according to the above embodiments. .

[0019] The invention will now be described purely by way of example with reference to the drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of a fitting arrangement according to the invention in a lowered initial state; Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of the fitting arrangement of the Fig. 1 in the lowered initial position; Fig. 3 shows the fitting arrangement of the Fig. 2 in a partially raised state; and Fig. 4 shows the fitting arrangement of the Fig. 2 and 3 in the fully raised state.

[0020] The Fig. 1 to 4show part of a fitting arrangement 11 according to the invention, which comprises a base part 13. The base part 13 is designed for attachment to a leaf (not shown) of a lift-and-slide door. In the illustrated embodiment, the base part 13 is at least substantially L-shaped and thus serves for direct attachment to a lower corner region of the leaf, although this configuration is not mandatory. In principle, the base part 13 could also be designed for indirect attachment to the leaf. In order to be able to move the leaf in a horizontal displacement direction V, the fitting arrangement 11 comprises a carriage 17, which comprises a carriage frame 25 and two rollers 26, 27 rotatably mounted on the carriage frame 25, namely a front roller 26 and a rear roller 27. When the leaf is moved, the rollers 26, 27 roll on a track arranged below the leaf, which is not shown here, however.The fitting assembly 11 can, in a generally known manner, have one or more additional carriages to form a coupled carriage assembly, although this is not shown in the figures. The displacement direction V runs parallel to the longitudinal extension of a mounting surface 28 of the base part 13, which is associated with the underside of the sash.

[0021] To raise and lower the sash, the fitting assembly 11 comprises a lifting mechanism 30, which can be actuated by a drive rod 33 and, depending on the direction of movement of the drive rod 33, raises or lowers the base part 13 relative to the carriage frame 25. The drive rod 33 is coupled to the carriage 17, and in particular to its carriage frame 25, via a reversing lever 34 and a coupling lever 31. For this purpose, the drive rod 33 is articulated to the reversing lever 34, which in turn is articulated to the front end of the base part 13. The coupling lever 31 in turn couples the deflection lever 34 to the carriage frame 25, for which purpose the first end 21 of the coupling lever 31 is coupled to the carriage frame 25 via a joint 19 to be described in more detail below, which allows a relative movement in a direction transverse to the displacement direction V between the first end 21 of the coupling lever 31 and the carriage frame 25.In contrast, the second end 23 opposite the first end of the coupling lever 31 is coupled or articulated to the reversing lever 34 in a purely rotatable manner.

[0022] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism 30 comprises an inclined guide 35 for converting a horizontal movement of the carriage 17 caused by the drive rod movement into a vertical movement of the base part 13. The inclined guide 35 comprises for this purpose a guide slot 38 formed on or in the base part 13, running obliquely to the direction of displacement V and a support element in the form of a pin 36 which is guided in this and arranged on the carriage frame 25. The pin 36 is located between the front roller 26 and the rear roller 27. If the drive rod 33 is now actuated, its movement is converted via the deflection lever 34 into a substantially horizontally oriented movement of the coupling lever 31, which has the result that the carriage frame 25 and thus the pin 36 moves in the guide slot 38, whereby the carriage frame 25 is raised or lowered relative to the base part 13.

[0023] If we now consider in particular the process in which the wing is moved according to the transition from the Fig. 2 about the Fig. 3 to Fig. 4 is raised, it can be seen that the articulation point of the second end 23 of the coupling lever 31 on the bell crank 34 moves successively upwards relative to the pin 40, by which the first end 21 of the coupling lever 31 is secured to the carriage frame 25. This results in a tensile force F exerted by the coupling lever 31 on the carriage frame 25 containing a vertical force component F v, see detail "C" of the Fig. 4. In the case of a purely articulated connection of the first end 21 of the coupling lever 31 to the carriage frame 25, this vertical force component F v would result in the front end of the carriage frame 25 experiencing a lifting force during the lifting of the wing, which would result in a relief of the front roller 26 and accordingly an additional load on the rear roller 27, which could under certain circumstances even lead to the front roller 26 lifting off the track.

[0024] Since this results in uneven stress and uneven wear of the rollers 26, 27, it is therefore desirable to ensure that both rollers 26, 27 are always subjected to as equal a load as possible.

[0025] According to the invention, a vertical degree of freedom of movement is therefore introduced at the connection point or joint 19 between the first end 21 of the coupling lever 31 and the carriage frame 25, which allows a relative movement of the front end of the carriage frame 25 in a direction running transversely to the displacement direction V relative to the first end 21 of the coupling lever 31. For this purpose, the illustrated embodiment provides for a substantially vertically oriented elongated hole 42 to be formed in the first end 21 of the coupling lever 31, in which elongated hole the pin 40 provided at the front end of the carriage frame 25, which connects the carriage frame 25 to the coupling lever 31, is displaceably guided. Alternatively, it would also be possible to provide a substantially vertically oriented elongated hole in the front end of the carriage frame 25, in which elongated hole a pin fastened to the first end 21 of the coupling lever 31 is displaceably guided in the vertical direction.

[0026] Therefore, if the wing is now moved according to the transition from the Fig. 2 about the Fig. 3 to Fig. 4 raised, the compensating link formed by the elongated hole 42 and the pin 40 allows the front end of the carriage frame 25 to lower again during the lifting of the sash by approximately the same amount as it would otherwise be raised during the lifting of the sash due to the vertical force component F v exerted on the carriage frame 25. The carriage frame 25 can thus rotate freely around the pin 36 guided in the inclined guide 35 during the lifting and lowering, whereby an undesirable inclination of the carriage frame 25 during the lifting and lowering of the sash and thus an undesirable uneven load on the two rollers 26, 27 can be counteracted.

[0027] In order to accommodate the elongated hole 42 in the coupling lever 31, the illustrated embodiment provides that the coupling lever 31 forms a tab 44 at its first end 21. The tab 44 thus provides sufficient space for the formation of the elongated hole 42, allowing the coupling lever 31 to be designed to be relatively delicate. List of reference symbols

[0028] 11 Fitting arrangement 13 Base part 17 Carriage 19 Joint 21 First end 23 Second end 25 Carriage frame 26 Front roller 27 Rear roller 28 Mounting surface 30 Lifting mechanism 31 Coupling lever 33 Drive rod 34 Deflection lever 35 Inclined guide 36 Pin in 35 38 Guide slot 40 Pin 42 Slotted hole 44 Tab VDisplacement direction FTensile force F v Force component

Claims

1. A fitting arrangement (11) for a lift and slide element such as a lift and slide door or a lift and slide window, said lift and slide element comprising a frame and a leaf displaceable along a track in a displacement direction (V) relative to the frame, wherein the fitting arrangement (11) comprises: at least one base part (13) which is configured for fastening to the leaf; at least one carriage (17) comprising a carriage frame (25) and at least two rollers (26, 27) supported at the carriage frame (25); a lifting mechanism (30) for raising the leaf relative to the carriage frame (25) from a lowered position into a raised position, wherein the lifting mechanism (30) comprises an inclined guide (35) by means of which the carriage frame (25) is displaceably guided at the base part (13) in a direction extending obliquely to the displacement direction; and a coupling lever (31) having a first end (21), which is coupled to the carriage frame (25), and a second end (23) which is connected in an articulated manner to a deflection lever (34) which is connected in an articulated manner to the base part (13) and via which the lifting mechanism (30) can be actuated by means of a connecting rod, wherein the first end (21) of the coupling lever (31) is coupled to the carriage frame (25) via a joint which permits a relative movement between the first end (21) of the coupling lever (31) and the carriage frame (25) in a direction extending transversely to the displacement direction, characterized in that the joint (19) is formed by an elongated hole formed in the carriage frame (25) and by a pin at the first end (21) of the coupling lever (31), with the pin being displaceably guided in the elongated hole; or in that the joint (19) is formed by an elongated hole (42) formed in the first end (21) of the coupling lever (31) and by a pin (40) at the carriage frame (25), with the pin (40) being displaceably guided in the elongated hole (42).

2. A fitting arrangement (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the coupling lever (31) forms a tab (44) at a first end (21), in which tab (44) the elongated hole (42) is formed.

3. A fitting arrangement (11) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inclined guide (35) comprises a guide contour (38) extending obliquely to the displacement direction (V) in the base part (13) and a pin (36) which is guided in the guide contour (38) and which is located at the carriage frame (25) between the two rollers (26, 27).

4. A lift and slide element, in particular a lift and slide door or a lift and slide window, comprising a frame, a leaf displaceable along a track in a displacement direction relative to the frame, and a fitting arrangement (11) comprising: at least one base part (13) fastened to the leaf; at least one carriage (17) comprising a carriage frame (25) and at least two rollers (26, 27) supported at the carriage frame (25); a lifting mechanism (30) for raising the leaf relative to the carriage frame (25) from a lowered position into a raised position, wherein the lifting mechanism (30) comprises an inclined guide (35) by means of which the carriage frame (25) is displaceably guided at the base part (13) in a direction extending obliquely to the displacement direction; and a coupling lever (31) having a first end (21), which is coupled to the carriage frame (25), and a second end (23) which is connected in an articulated manner to a deflection lever (34) which is connected in an articulated manner to the base part (13) and via which the lifting mechanism (30) can be actuated by means of a connecting rod, wherein the first end (21) of the coupling lever (31) is coupled to the carriage frame (25) via a joint which permits a relative movement between the first end (21) of the coupling lever (31) and the carriage frame (25) in a direction extending transversely to the displacement direction, characterized in that the joint (19) is formed by an elongated hole formed in the carriage frame (25) and by a pin at the first end (21) of the coupling lever (31), with the pin being displaceably guided in the elongated hole; or in that the joint (19) is formed by an elongated hole (42) formed in the first end (21) of the coupling lever (31) and by a pin (40) at the carriage frame (25), with the pin (40) being displaceably guided in the elongated hole (42).