Assisting device for sliding door

Abstract

To reduce the cost for replacing triggers in assisting devices for sliding doors, and to prevent the plate for pulling the trigger out of a door pocket from being deformed as a result of damage even if a damaging or deforming impact acts on the trigger.SOLUTION: A plate 33 is configured to be capable of shifting between a captured posture in which an engaged state with a trigger 27 is established and a non-captured posture in which the engaged state with the trigger 27 is not established. In a normal state, the plate 33 is placed in the non-captured posture and inserted into a rail 4, thereby clamping and fixing the trigger 27 with a stopper 32. During maintenance work, the plate 33 is placed in the captured posture and the engaged state with the trigger 27 is established, and the plate 33 is then pulled out of a door pocket 3, thereby allowing the trigger 27 to be pulled out of the door pocket 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an assist device for a sliding door that pulls a door panel into a door pocket. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1, for example, is an example of a conventional assist device applied to a sliding door with a door pocket. The assist device (sliding door closer set) of Patent Document 1 includes a rail partly arranged inside the door pocket, a closer on which the sliding door is suspended and which is movable on the rail, and a trigger arranged inside the door pocket. The trigger is arranged inside the door pocket in the form of a trigger-integrated plate formed by integrally connecting a long plate and the trigger. A guide portion for guiding the trigger-integrated plate is formed on the rail, and the trigger-integrated plate is inserted into the rail and drawn out of the rail along this guide portion. The end of the plate constituting the trigger-integrated plate on the opening frame side is attached to the rail outside the door pocket, and the position of the trigger can be adjusted from outside the door pocket by adjusting the mounting position of the trigger-integrated plate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2015 / 129494 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, in the assist device of Patent Document 1, the trigger is disposed in the door pocket in the form of a trigger-integrated plate integrally joined with the plate, so when the trigger needs to be replaced due to damage or deformation, the entire trigger-integrated plate needs to be replaced, which inevitably increases the cost of replacing the trigger. In addition, since the trigger and the plate are integrally joined, if the plate is damaged and deformed by an impact that damages or deforms the trigger, the trigger-integrated plate cannot be pulled out from inside the door pocket, which may result in difficulty in replacing the trigger.

[0005] The present invention aims to reduce the cost required for replacing a trigger in an assist device for a sliding door, which is configured so that a trigger arranged inside a door pocket can be pulled out by a plate that reaches the outside of the door end, and to prevent the plate from being damaged and deformed even if an impact that could break or deform the trigger is applied to the trigger. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is directed to an assist device for pulling a door panel 1, which closes an opening frame 2, into a door case 3 formed adjacent to the left-right opening end of the opening frame 2. The assist device includes a rail 4 fixed to each of the upper part of the opening frame 2 and the upper part of the door case 3, a trigger 27 movably arranged within the rail 4 located within the door case 3, a stopper 32 fixed to the left-right opening end side of the trigger 27 within the door case 3 and defining the movement limit of the trigger 27 within the rail 4 toward the opening end, a closer 6 configured to be movable along the rail 4 and exerting a moving operation force to pull the door panel 1 into the door case 3 when engaged with the trigger 27, and a plate 33 inserted into the rail 4 located within the door case 3 and clamping and fixing the trigger 27 between the plate 33 and the stopper 32. The plate 33 is configured to be displaceable between a capture position in which an engagement state with the trigger 27 is established and a non-capture position in which an engagement state with the trigger 27 is not established. When the trigger 27 is normally clamped and fixed between the plate 33 and the stopper 32, the plate 33 is in a non-capturing position and is fixed to the opening frame 2 with a portion of it protruding toward the opening frame 2 beyond the closed end of the door pocket 3.When maintenance work is performed to pull the trigger 27 out of the door pocket 3, the plate 33 is in a capturing position, an engaged state with the trigger 27 is established, and the plate 33 is pulled out of the door pocket 3, allowing the trigger 27 to be pulled out of the door pocket 3.

[0007] The plate 33 includes a plate body 46, a catch portion 47 formed at one end of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction, and an uncatch portion 48 formed at the other end of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction. The trigger 27 includes a trigger body 38 and a captured portion 39 formed on the closed end side of the trigger body 38 and capable of engaging with the catch portion 47 of the plate 33 but not with the uncatch portion 48. In a normal state, the plate 33 is inserted into the rail 4 in a non-capturing position where the uncatch portion 48 faces the captured portion 39 of the trigger 27, and during maintenance work, the plate 33 is inserted into the rail 4 in a capturing position where the catch portion 47 faces the captured portion 39 of the trigger 27, and an engagement state with the captured portion 39 is established.

[0008] The captured part 39 includes a connecting piece 43 protruding from the trigger body 38 toward the closed end, and a pair of front and rear elastic arms 44 protruding from the connecting piece 43 toward the closed end. The catch part 47 includes a pair of front and rear support arms 50 protruding from one end of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction, a groove 51 formed in the center of the support arms 50 in the front-back direction to receive the elastic arms 44 of the captured part 39, and a guide surface 52 formed at the tip of each support arm 50 and gradually decreasing in opposing dimension toward the groove 51. The uncatch part 48 includes a pair of front and rear support arms 53 protruding from the other end of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction, and a groove 54 formed in the center of the support arms 53 in the front-back direction to receive the elastic arms 44 of the captured part 39. When the catch portion 47 is brought closer to the captured portion 39, the elastic arm 44 flexes and deforms in the contracting direction along the guide surface 52, and then the elastic arm 44 returns to its natural state at the inner end of the groove portion 51, thereby establishing an engaged state between the catch portion 47 and the captured portion 39.When the uncatch portion 48 is brought closer to the captured portion 39, the elastic arm 44 maintains its natural state and enters the groove portion 54.

[0009] A cutting area 40 that can be partially or completely detached is formed in the trigger 27, and by detaching a part or all of the cutting area 40, the length dimension of the trigger 27 in the left-right direction can be changed.

[0010] In the cutting region 40, multiple easy-to-break lines 42 running in the front-to-rear direction are arranged side by side in the left-to-right direction, and by cutting the cutting region 40 along these easy-to-break lines 42, the left-to-right length dimension of the trigger 27 can be changed. Effect of the Invention

[0011] In the sliding door assist device according to the present invention, the plate 33 is configured to be displaceable between a capturing position where an engagement state with the trigger 27 is established and a non-capturing position where an engagement state with the trigger 27 is not established, so that in a normal state, the plate 33 is inserted into the rail 4 in the non-capturing position to clamp and fix the trigger 27 between the plate 33 and the stopper 32, and during maintenance work, the plate 33 is placed in the capturing position to establish an engagement state with the trigger 27, and then the plate 33 is pulled out from the door case 3 to perform maintenance work such as replacing the trigger 27. As described above, in the present invention, the plate 33 and the trigger 27 are separate, so that when the trigger 27 is damaged or deformed, only the trigger 27 needs to be replaced, and the cost required for replacing the trigger 27 can be reduced compared to the conventional configuration in which the trigger 27 and the plate 33 are integrally joined. Furthermore, in the normal state, plate 33 is in a non-capturing position in which an engagement state with trigger 27 is not established, and the relationship between plate 33 and trigger 27 can be severed. Therefore, even if an impact that could damage or deform trigger 27 is applied to trigger 27, the impact can be prevented from acting on plate 33, preventing plate 33 from being damaged and deformed.

[0012] If the plate 33 includes a plate body 46, a catch portion 47 formed at one end of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction, and an uncatch portion 48 formed at the other end of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction, and the trigger 27 includes a trigger body 38 and a captured portion 39 formed on the closed end side of the trigger body 38 and capable of engaging with the catch portion 47 of the plate 33 but not capable of engaging with the uncatch portion 48, then the plate 33 can be displaced between the non-capturing position and the capturing position simply by inverting the position of the plate 33 in the left-right direction. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the plate 33 can be switched between the capturing position and the non-capturing position by a mechanism built into the plate 33, for example, the switching configuration is simpler, and the cost of the assist device can be reduced.

[0013] The captured portion 39 is provided with a pair of elastic arms 44 at the front and rear. When the catch portion 47 is brought close to the captured portion 39, the elastic arms 44 flex and deform in the contracting direction along the guide surface 52, and then return to their natural state at the inner end of the groove portion 51, thereby establishing an engaged state between the catch portion 47 and the captured portion 39. When the uncatch portion 48 is brought close to the captured portion 39, the elastic arm 44 maintains its natural state while entering the groove portion 54. With this simple configuration, the catch portion 47 and the captured portion 39 can be engaged, and the uncatch portion 48 and the captured portion 39 can be disengaged, thereby reducing the cost of the assist device.

[0014] A cutting area 40 that can be partially or completely detached is formed in the trigger 27, and by detaching part or all of the cutting area 40, the left-right length dimension of the trigger 27 can be changed. By simply detaching the cutting area 40, the position of the trigger 27 within the rail 4 can be changed or adjusted.

[0015] In the cutting area 40, multiple easy-to-break lines 42 running in the front-to-rear direction are arranged side by side in the left-to-right direction, and the cutting area 40 is configured so that the left-to-right length dimension of the trigger 27 can be changed by cutting the cutting area 40 along the easy-to-break lines 42. This makes it easier to change the left-to-right length dimension of the trigger 27, making it easier to change and adjust the position of the trigger 27 within the rail 4. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1A is a longitudinal front view of the main parts of a sliding door assist device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1A, with both FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B showing the plate in a non-capturing position. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of a sliding door to which the assist device is applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of a main part of the assist device. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a closer constituting the assist device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the assist device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a main part of the assist device. [Figure 8] 11(a) to 11(e) are diagrams illustrating the maintenance work of the assist device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] (Embodiment) An embodiment of the assist device for a sliding door according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 8. In this embodiment, front, back, left, right, and up and down refer to the crossed arrows shown in the drawings and the indications of front, back, left, right, and up and down written near each arrow. As shown in Fig. 2, the sliding door according to this embodiment opens and closes an opening frame 2, which is an entrance to a walk-in closet or a storage room facing the interior, with one door panel 1. When the door panel 1 is moved to the left side, which is the closed end side, the opening frame 2 is closed, and when the door panel 1 is moved to the right side, which is the open end side, the opening frame 2 is opened. On the right side of the opening frame 2, a door pocket 3 is provided to accommodate the door panel 1 moved to the open end side.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, guide rails (rails) 4 for guiding the door panel 1 to open and close are fixed to the upper part of the opening frame 2 and the upper part of the door pocket 3. In Fig. 2, the symbol 4A indicates the first rail fixed to the upper part of the opening frame 2, and the symbol 4B indicates the second rail fixed to the upper part of the door pocket 3. The left end of the second rail 4B protrudes leftward from the door pocket 3, and the connecting part 4C of both rails 4A and 4B is located at the upper part of the opening frame 2. Inside the guide rail 4 (4A and 4B), a pair of left and right runners 5 for supporting the door panel 1 and a closer 6 for exerting a moving operation force to move the door panel 1 to the closing end side (left side) or the opening end side (right side) are housed. The runners 5 are connected to a runner base 8 attached to the upper corner of the door panel 1 via a vertical runner shaft 7 (see Fig. 3). A handle 9 is recessed into the door panel 1.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 5, the guide rails 4 (4A, 4B) are made of aluminum strip material with a C-shaped cross section that has an opening facing downward. Rail walls 10, 10 for guiding the runner 5 are formed to protrude from the lower ends of the front and rear side walls of the guide rails 4 (4A, 4B). An auxiliary rail 11 is provided on the inner surface of the upper wall of the guide rail 4 (4A, 4B) for slidably supporting a trigger 27, a plate 33, etc., which will be described later. Reference numeral 11A denotes the rail wall that constitutes the auxiliary rail 11.

[0020] As shown in Figure 3, each runner 5 is composed of a runner block 13 that is long in the left-right direction, a total of four rollers 14 arranged on the left and right sides of the front and rear faces of the block 13, and a roller shaft 15 that connects the front and rear rollers 14 together. The runners 5 support the closed end side (left side) and the open end side (right side) of the door panel 1. The casing 20 of the closer 6 is connected to the connecting seat 16 of the runner 5 on the closed end side (left side) with a bolt 17.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 4, the closer 6 is composed of a casing 20 that opens upward, a cylindrical damper 21 arranged inside the casing 20, two energy storage springs 22 / 22, two trigger bodies 23 / 23, a pair of sliders 24 / 24 joined to one end and the other end of the damper 21, two guide shafts 25 / 25 that slide and guide each slider 24, and triggers 26 / 27 (see Figs. 2 and 3) that switch the trigger body 23 between a standby position and an actuated position, and assists the closing action of the door panel 1 toward the closing end side (left side) and the opening action of the door panel 1 toward the opening end side (right side) (the action of pulling the door panel 1 into the door pocket 3). End blocks 28 / 29 are fixed to both ends of the casing 20, and energy storage springs 22 / 22 made of compression springs are arranged between the two blocks 28 / 29 and each slider 24. Reference numeral 30 denotes an axis block that supports adjacent ends of the two guide shafts 25 and is fixed to the center inside the casing 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the trigger 26 located on the closed end side (left side) is fixed to the upper part of the opening frame 2, and the trigger 27 located on the open end side (right side) is disposed in the door pocket 3. The specific operation of the closer 6 is as described in the applicant's Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-26437 (JP Patent Publication No. 2021-130959), and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0022] The assist device for pulling the door panel 1 into the door pocket 3 includes the second rail 4 (4B), a trigger 27 movably arranged in the auxiliary rail 11 of the second rail 4B located in the door pocket 3, a stopper 32 fixed to the right side of the trigger 27 and defining the movement limit of the trigger 27 in the opening end direction (rightward) in the second rail 4B, a closer 6 configured to be movable along the guide rail 4 and exerting a moving operation force to pull the door panel 1 into the door pocket 3 when it engages with the trigger 27, and a plate 33 inserted into the second rail 4B and clamping and fixing the trigger 27 between it and the stopper 32 (see Figures 4 and 5). The stopper 32 is a molded product in the shape of a flat square block having a pair of through holes 35, 35 on the left and right, and is fixed to a predetermined position on the upper part of the door pocket 3 via the second rail 4B by screws 36 inserted into each through hole 35.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5, the trigger 27 arranged in the door pocket 3 is a resin molded product integrally formed with a square block-shaped trigger body 38 for switching the trigger body 23 (see Figs. 3 and 4), a captured part 39 formed on the closed end side (left side) of the trigger body 38, a cut area 40 formed on the open end side (right side) of the trigger body 38, and guide pieces 41, 41 formed to protrude from the front and rear of the trigger body 38 and guided and supported by the rail wall 11A of the auxiliary rail 11, and the trigger 27 is inserted into the auxiliary rail 11 of the second rail 4B with the captured part 39 facing the closed end side (left side). A plurality of easy-to-break lines 42 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction in the cut area 40. Each of the easy-to-break lines 42 is formed with a recess in the front-to-rear direction, and the length dimension of the trigger 27 in the left-right direction can be changed by cutting off a part or all of the cut area 40 along any of the easy-to-break lines 42 using a tool such as scissors. 1 and 5 show the state before the cutting region 40 is cut off, and Fig. 7 shows the state after it is cut off. As shown in Fig. 7, the captured part 39 has a connecting piece 43 protruding leftward from the trigger body 38, and a pair of front and rear elastic arms 44, 44 protruding leftward from the connecting piece 43. Note that the trigger 26 (see Fig. 2) fixed to the upper part of the opening frame 2 is formed in a square block shape, unlike the trigger 27.

[0024] As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the plate 33 is made of a resin molded product including a plate body 46 long in the left-right direction, a catch portion 47 formed at one end of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction, and an uncatch portion 48 formed at the other end of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction, and these are integrally formed. Two adjustment holes 49, 49 are opened in the left-right direction at one end (the left end in Fig. 5) of the plate body 46. Each adjustment hole 49 is formed as an elongated hole long in the left-right direction, and the plate 33 can be fixed by screwing a screw 55 into the second rail 4B through this adjustment hole 49. The catch portion 47 includes a pair of front and rear support arms 50, 50 protruding from one end (the left end in Fig. 5) of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction, a groove portion 51 formed in the center of each support arm 50 in the front-back direction to receive the elastic arm 44 of the captured portion 39, and a guide surface 52 formed at the tip of each support arm 50, the opposing dimension of which gradually decreases toward the groove portion 51. As shown in Figure 7, the uncatch portion 48 comprises a pair of front and rear support arms 53, 53 protruding from the other left-right end (the right end in Figure 5) of the plate main body 46, and a straight groove portion 54 which is uniform in width in the front-to-rear direction and is formed in the front-to-rear center of the support arms 53 to receive the elastic arm 44 of the captured portion.

[0025] The plate 33 can be inserted into the auxiliary rail 11 of the second rail 4B with either the end of the catch portion 47 or the uncatch portion 48 at the front. That is, the plate 33 is configured to be insertable into the auxiliary rail 11 of the second rail 4B in either the non-capturing position (see Figs. 1 and 7) in which the plate 33 is inserted into the second rail 4B with the uncatch portion 48 at the front, or the capturing position (see Fig. 8(d)) in which the plate 33 is inserted into the second rail 4B with the catch portion 47 at the front. As shown in Figs. 1 and 7, in the non-capturing position, the uncatch portion 48 faces the captured portion 39 of the trigger 27, but an engagement state is not established between the uncatch portion 48 and the captured portion 39. Specifically, in the non-capturing position, when the uncatch portion 48 is brought close to the captured portion 39, the elastic arm 44 of the captured portion 39 enters the groove portion 54 while maintaining its natural state, so that an engagement state is not established between the two (the uncatch portion 48 and the captured portion 39). Therefore, even if the plate 33 is moved leftward from the state shown in Figs. 1 and 7, the trigger 27 is not moved together with the plate 33. On the other hand, in the capturing position, as shown in Fig. 8(d), an engagement state is established between the catch portion 47 and the captured portion 39. Specifically, in the capturing position, when the catch portion 47 is brought close to the captured portion 39, the elastic arm 44 is bent and deformed in the contracting direction along the guide surface 52, and then the elastic arm 44 returns to its natural state at the inner end of the groove portion 51, so that an engagement state is established between the two (the catch portion 47 and the captured portion 39). Therefore, when plate 33 is moved leftward from the state shown in FIG. 8(d), trigger 27 moves together with plate 33 and is pulled out from second rail 4B.

[0026] The construction procedure of the assist device having the above-mentioned configuration will be described. First, the second rail 4B is attached to the upper part of the frame related to the formation area of ​​the door pocket 3. Next, the stopper 32 is fixed to a predetermined position of the second rail 4B, and then the door pocket 3 is constructed. Next, the trigger 27 and the plate 33 are sent into the auxiliary rail 11 of the second rail 4B. Specifically, the trigger 27 is sent into the auxiliary rail 11 of the second rail 4B in a state in which the captured part 39 is directed to the left, and then the trigger 27 is pushed toward the open end side (right side) using the plate 33 in a non-capturing position until it abuts against the stopper 32. Next, the plate 33 is fixed to the second rail 4B using the adjustment hole 49 and the screw 55. At this time, a part of the plate 33 protrudes toward the opening frame 2 side from the left end of the door pocket 3, and in this state, the plate 33 is fixed to the opening frame 2. Next, the runner 5 supporting the door panel 1 is sent into the second rail 4B together with the closer 6, and the door panel 1 is hung on the runner 5 via the runner stand 8. Finally, the first rail 4A is attached to the opening frame 2, and the trigger 26 is fixed to a predetermined position on the first rail 4A. This completes the construction of the assist device for the opening frame 2 and the door pocket 3. Once again, when the assist device is constructed in this manner and is in a normal state in which it is in operation, the plate 33 is in a non-capturing position.

[0027] In the assist device configured as above, when the door panel 1 is moved toward the open end, the action of the closer 6 working in cooperation with the trigger 27 moves the door panel 1 slowly from the open end toward the fully open position, which is the open end within the door pocket 3. Figure 2 shows the state in which the door panel 1 is in the fully open position, and in this state, almost the entire door panel 1 is stored within the door pocket 3, except for the left end where the handle 9 is formed. Also, when the door panel 1 is moved toward the closed end, the action of the closer 6 working in cooperation with the trigger 26 moves the door panel 1 slowly from the closed end to the closed position.

[0028] When the trigger 27 arranged in the door pocket 3 is damaged or deformed as a result of using the assist device for many years, and the trigger 27 needs to be replaced, a maintenance work is performed to replace the trigger 27. In such a maintenance work, first, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the trigger 26 and the first rail 4A are removed from the opening frame 2 with the door panel 1 stored in the door pocket 3, and the left end of the second rail 4B is opened. Next, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the door panel 1 is pulled out from the second rail 4B together with the runner 5 and the closer 6, and the door panel 1 is removed from the second rail 4B. Next, as shown in FIG. 8(c), the screw 55 is removed, the second rail 4B and the plate 33 are separated, and the plate 33 is pulled out from the second rail 4B. Next, the left and right direction of the plate 33 is reversed to place the plate 33 in a capturing position, and the plate 33 is inserted into the second rail 4B from the side of the catch portion 47. 8(d), the catch portion 47 of the plate 33 and the captured portion 39 of the trigger 27 are engaged with each other to establish an engaged state between the two (the catch portion 47 and the captured portion 39). By moving the plate 33 leftward from this state and pulling the plate 33 out of the second rail 4B, the trigger 27 can be pulled out from the door pocket 3 together with the plate 33.

[0029] If only the replacement of the trigger 27 is required, a new trigger 27 is sent into the second rail 4B with the captured portion 39 facing leftward. On the other hand, if the position of the trigger 27 needs to be adjusted, a tool such as scissors is used to cut a part or all of the cutting area 40 along the easy-to-break line 42 to change the length dimension of the trigger 27 in the left-right direction. The subsequent procedures are the same as those in the initial construction of the assist device. Specifically, the trigger 27 is pushed in until it abuts against the stopper 32 by the plate 33 in the non-capturing position, and then the plate 33 is fixed to the second rail 4B using the adjustment hole 49 and the screw 55. Next, the runner 5 supporting the door panel 1 is sent into the second rail 4B together with the closer 6, and then the door panel 1 is hung, the first rail 4A is attached to the opening frame 2, and the trigger 26 is fixed to the specified position of the first rail 4A. With the above, the maintenance work is completed, and the assist device can be reconstructed in the opening frame 2 and the door pocket 3. The position adjustment of the trigger 27 accompanying the cutting of the cutting region 40 as described above can also be performed when the assist device is first constructed. When the trigger 27 needs to be removed from the door pocket 3 many times for adjustment to cut the cutting region 40, the trigger 27 may be pushed in by the plate 33 in the capturing position during the adjustment, and when the adjustment is completed and the position of the trigger 27 is determined, the trigger 27 may be pushed in by the plate 33 in the non-capturing position. The fixed position of the plate 33 accompanying a change in the left-right length of the trigger 27 can be adjusted by sliding the plate 33 left-right within the range of the left-right length of the adjustment hole 49.

[0030] As described above, in the assist device according to this embodiment, the plate 33 is configured to be displaceable between a capturing position where an engagement state with the trigger 27 is established and a non-capturing position where an engagement state with the trigger 27 is not established, so that in a normal state, the plate 33 can be inserted into the second rail 4B in the non-capturing position to clamp and fix the trigger 27 between the plate 33 and the stopper 32, and during maintenance work, the plate 33 can be placed in the capturing position to establish an engagement state with the trigger 27, and then the plate 33 can be pulled out from the door case 3 to perform maintenance work such as replacing the trigger 27. As described above, in the assist device according to this embodiment, the plate 33 and the trigger 27 are separate, so that when the trigger 27 is damaged or deformed, only the trigger 27 needs to be replaced, and the cost required for replacing the trigger 27 can be reduced compared to a conventional configuration in which the trigger 27 and the plate 33 are integrally joined. Furthermore, in the normal state, plate 33 is in a non-capturing position in which an engagement state with trigger 27 is not established, and the relationship between plate 33 and trigger 27 can be severed. Therefore, even if an impact that could damage or deform trigger 27 is applied to trigger 27, the impact can be prevented from acting on plate 33, preventing plate 33 from being damaged and deformed.

[0031] Since the plate 33 includes a plate body 46, a catch portion 47 formed at one end of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction, and an uncatch portion 48 formed at the other end of the plate body 46 in the left-right direction, and the trigger 27 includes a trigger body 38 and a captured portion 39 formed on the closed end side of the trigger body 38, which can engage with the catch portion 47 of the plate 33 but cannot engage with the uncatch portion 48, the plate 33 can be displaced between the non-capturing position and the capturing position simply by reversing the position of the plate 33 in the left-right direction. Therefore, compared with a configuration in which the capturing position and the non-capturing position can be switched by a mechanism built into the plate 33, for example, the switching configuration is simpler, and the cost of the assist device can be reduced.

[0032] The captured portion 39 is equipped with a pair of elastic arms 44 at the front and rear. When the catch portion 47 is brought close to the captured portion 39, the elastic arms 44 bend and deform in the contracting direction along the guide surface 52, and then return to their natural state at the inner end of the groove portion 51, thereby establishing an engaged state between the catch portion 47 and the captured portion 39. When the uncatch portion 48 is brought close to the captured portion 39, the elastic arm 44 maintains its natural state while entering the groove portion 54. This makes it possible to engage the catch portion 47 and the captured portion 39 with a simple configuration, and to disengage the uncatch portion 48 from the captured portion 39, thereby reducing the cost of the assist device.

[0033] A cutting area 40 that can be partially or completely detached is formed in the trigger 27, and the left-right length dimension of the trigger 27 can be changed by detaching part or all of the cutting area 40. Therefore, the position of the trigger 27 within the guide rail 4 can be changed and adjusted simply by detaching the cutting area 40.

[0034] Specifically, multiple easy-to-break lines 42 running in the front-to-back direction are arranged in parallel in the left-to-right direction in the cutting area 40, and the cutting area 40 is cut along the easy-to-break lines 42, so that the left-to-right length dimension of the trigger 27 can be changed. This makes it easier to change the left-to-right length dimension of the trigger 27, and makes it easier to change and adjust the position of the trigger 27 within the guide rail 4.

[0035] The configuration of the closer 6 is not limited to that shown in the above embodiment. The configuration of the captured portion 39 of the trigger 27, or the configuration of the catch portion 47 and the uncatch portion 48 of the plate 33 are not limited to that shown in the above embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 Door Panel 2 Opening frame 3 Door pocket 4 Rail (Guide Rail) 4A 1st rail 4B 2nd rail 6. Closer 27 Trigger 32 Stopper 33 Plate 38 Trigger body 39 Captured part 40 cutting area 42 Easy-to-break line 43 Connecting piece 44 Elastic Arm 46 Plate body 47 Catch part 48 Uncatch Department 50 Support Arm 51 Groove 52 Guide surface 53 Support Arm 54 Groove

Claims

1. An assist device for pulling a door panel (1) that closes an opening frame (2) into a door pocket (3) formed adjacent to the left and right open ends of the opening frame (2), a rail (4) fixed to the upper part of the opening frame (2) and the upper part of the door pocket (3); A trigger (27) movably disposed within a rail (4) located within a door pocket (3); a stopper (32) fixed to the trigger (27) in the door pocket (3) on the left-right opening end side and defining the movement limit of the trigger (27) in the opening end direction within the rail (4); a closer (6) configured to be movable along a rail (4) and exerting a moving operation force to pull the door panel (1) into the door pocket (3) when it engages with a trigger (27); a plate (33) that is inserted into a rail (4) located in the door pocket (3) and clamps and fixes the trigger (27) between itself and a stopper (32); The plate (33) is configured to be displaceable between a capture position in which an engagement state with the trigger (27) is established and a non-capture position in which an engagement state with the trigger (27) is not established, When the trigger (27) is normally clamped and fixed between the stopper (32) and the plate (33), the plate (33) is in a non-capturing position and is fixed to the opening frame (2) with a portion of the plate (33) protruding toward the opening frame (2) beyond the closed end side of the door pocket (3). This sliding door assist device is characterized in that during maintenance work to pull out the trigger (27) from the door pocket (3), the plate (33) is placed in a capture position to establish an engagement state with the trigger (27), and then the plate (33) is pulled out of the door pocket (3), thereby allowing the trigger (27) to be pulled out of the door pocket (3).

2. The plate (33) includes a plate body (46), a catch portion (47) formed at one end of the plate body (46) in the left-right direction, and an uncatch portion (48) formed at the other end of the plate body (46) in the left-right direction, The trigger (27) includes a trigger body (38) and a captured portion (39) formed on the closed end side of the trigger body (38) and capable of engaging with a catch portion (47) of the plate (33) but not capable of engaging with an uncatch portion (48); In a normal state, the plate (33) is in a non-capturing position in which the uncatch portion (48) faces the captured portion (39) of the trigger (27), and is inserted into the rail (4).

2. The sliding door assist device according to claim 1, wherein during maintenance work, the plate (33) is inserted into the rail (4) with the catch portion (47) in a capturing position facing the captured portion (39) of the trigger (27), and an engagement state with the captured portion (39) is established.

3. The captured portion (39) includes a connecting piece (43) protruding from the trigger body (38) toward the closed end, and a pair of front and rear elastic arms (44) protruding from the connecting piece (43) toward the closed end, The catch portion (47) comprises a pair of front and rear support arms (50) protruding from one left-right end of the plate body (46), a groove portion (51) formed in the center of the support arms (50) in the front-rear direction for receiving the elastic arm (44) of the captured portion (39), and a guide surface (52) formed at the tip of each support arm (50) and having a facing dimension that gradually decreases toward the groove portion (51); The uncatch portion (48) comprises a pair of front and rear support arms (53) protruding from the other left-right end of the plate body (46), and a groove portion (54) formed in the center of the support arms (53) in the front-rear direction for receiving the elastic arm (44) of the captured portion (39); When the catch portion (47) is brought close to the captured portion (39), the elastic arm (44) is bent and deformed in the contracting direction along the guide surface (52), and then the elastic arm (44) returns to its natural state at the inner end of the groove portion (51), thereby establishing an engaged state between the catch portion (47) and the captured portion (39); The assist device for a sliding door as described in claim 2, wherein when the uncatch portion (48) is brought close to the captured portion (39), the elastic arm (44) enters the groove portion (54) while maintaining its natural state.

4. The trigger (27) is formed with a cutting area (40) that can be partially or completely cut off, 2. The assist device for a sliding door according to claim 1, wherein the length of the trigger (27) in the left-right direction can be changed by cutting off a part or the whole of the cutting region (40).

5. In the cutting region (40), a plurality of easy-to-break lines (42) running in the front-rear direction are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, 5. The assist device for a sliding door according to claim 4, wherein the length dimension of the trigger (27) in the left-right direction can be changed by cutting the cutting area (40) along the easy-to-break line (42).

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