Overhead door

Abstract

To provide an overhead door capable of easily dealing with various shapes of guide rails of a door panel.SOLUTION: An overhead door 1 in which a door panel 2 having a plurality of panels 21 connected so as to be bendable is raised / lowered to be opened / closed comprises: a winding shaft 5 to which a wire winding drum 4 for winding a wire 3 connected to the door panel 2 is secured; a sprocket 6 secured to the winding shaft 5; a driven sprocket 7 disposed below the sprocket 6 and rotatable; and a rotatable chain 8 stretched to the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7. A plurality of bendable weights 9 for applying a pressing force of a winding direction of the wire 3 to the winding shaft 5 are attached to the chain 8, and as the door panel 2 is raised / lowered, the weights 9 pass through the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7 to change the pressing force.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an overhead door that opens and closes by raising and lowering a door panel, which is made up of a plurality of panels connected in a flexible manner. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional overhead doors have a door panel made of multiple panels connected in a flexibly manner, which can be raised and lowered between the closed and open states, and the effective weight of the door panel gradually becomes lighter as it rises from the closed state to the open state, and gradually becomes heavier as it descends from the open state to the closed state.Some overhead doors are equipped with a weight chain that imparts an upward biasing force to the door panel, and as the door panel rises toward the open state, the entire weight chain is lowered to lighten the effective weight, and as it descends toward the closed state, the entire weight chain is raised to heavier the effective weight (see, for example, Patent Document 1). There is also a mechanism provided in an opening / closing body device which opens and closes a door panel by moving along a pair of left and right guide rails having vertical and horizontal rail portions, which is provided with a balance mechanism that generates a tensile force to resist the descent due to the weight of the door panel body, and a weight which generates this tensile force in response to a vertical load, and which lowers the entire weight along the weight guide rails in response to the opening and closing movement of the door panel body to reduce the vertical load, and raises it to increase the vertical load (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-140556 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2005-163468 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, the entire weight is lowered or raised to change the biasing force acting vertically upward on the door panel, which has the problem that it is difficult to accommodate various shapes of guide rails that guide the door panel. In the technology of Patent Document 1, the effective weight of the door panel is changed by raising and lowering the entire weight chain as a weight, so if the guide rail has a portion where the door panel rises and falls vertically, the effective weight of the door panel will change at that portion. In addition, in the technology of Patent Document 2, the entire weight as a weight is raised and lowered along the weight guide rail in response to the opening and closing of the door panel body to change the vertical load, so if the shape of the guide rail of the door panel is changed, the shape of the weight guide rail must also be changed accordingly.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to solve such problems and to provide an overhead door that can easily accommodate various shapes of guide rails for door panels. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides an overhead door in which a door panel, which is made up of multiple panels connected in a flexibly manner, is raised and lowered to open and close, the door panel comprising: a rotating shaft to which a drum is fixed for winding a wire connected to the door panel; a first sprocket fixed to the rotating shaft; a second sprocket arranged below the first sprocket and rotatable; and a rotatable chain stretched between the first sprocket and the second sprocket, the chain having a plurality of bendable weights attached thereto that apply a biasing force in a direction to wind up the wire relative to the rotating shaft, the weights passing through the first sprocket or the second sprocket as the door panel is raised and lowered, changing the biasing force. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The present invention thus has the advantage of being easily adaptable to various shapes of door panel guide rails. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an overhead door according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an overhead door in a closed state in an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an overhead door during ascent in an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an overhead door in an open state in an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the position of the weight in a modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the positions of a door panel and a weight in an embodiment. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram of an overhead door moving up and down in a substantially vertical direction. [Figure 8] Diagram of the guide rail shape DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an overhead door according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. EXAMPLES

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an overhead door according to an embodiment. In Figure 1, overhead door 1 is a door panel made up of multiple panels connected in a flexible manner that can be raised and lowered to open and close, and has a door panel 2, wire 3 (3a, 3b), wire winding drum 4 (4a, 4b), winding shaft 5, sprocket 6, driven sprocket 7, chain 8, weight 9, residual weight 10, and guide rails 11 (11a, 11b).

[0011] The door panel 2 is made up of a plurality of panels 21, which are substantially rectangular plate-like members, connected vertically and flexibly by connecting parts 22, such as hinges. The door panel 2 has rotatable rollers 23 attached to both sides of each panel 21 via connecting members, such as hinges, and is configured to be movable along guide rails 11 (11a, 11b) in the vertical direction indicated by arrow A and in the direction indicated by arrow B (for example, horizontally), and is opened by ascending and closed by descending. When the door panel 2 is closed, its entirety is positioned below the wall P, blocking the gap between the wall P and the installation surface, and when the door panel 2 is open, its lower end is positioned at approximately the same position as the lower end of the wall P, opening the gap between the wall P and the installation surface.

[0012] One end of the wire 3 (3a, 3b) is connected to a predetermined portion near the lower end of the door panel 2 via a connecting member, and the other end is connected to wire take-up drums 4 (4a, 4b). The wires 3 (3a, 3b) are disposed at both the left and right ends of the door panel 2, with the wire 3a connected to the wire take-up drum 4a and the wire 3b connected to the wire take-up drum 4b. When the door panel 2 moves upward, the wire 3 (3a, 3b) is wound by the wire winding drum 4 (4a, 4b). When the door panel 2 moves downward, the wire 3 (3a, 3b) that was wound by the wire winding drum 4 (4a, 4b) is let out.

[0013] The wire winding drums 4 (4a, 4b) are disposed so as to correspond to both left and right ends of the door panel 2, and wind up the wires 3 (3a, 3b) disposed at both left and right ends of the door panel 2. The wire winding drums 4 (4a, 4b) are, for example, cylindrical.

[0014] The wire winding drums 4 (4a, 4b) are fixed to the winding shaft 5, which serves as the rotation shaft of the wire winding drums 4 (4a, 4b). Therefore, the winding shaft 5 rotates together with the wire winding drums 4 (4a, 4b).

[0015] The sprocket 6 serving as the first sprocket is fixedly attached to one end of the winding shaft 5 and rotates together with the wire winding drum 4 (4a, 4b) and the winding shaft 5. The sprocket 6 transmits the rotation of the winding shaft 5 to the chain 8 and also transmits the tensile force of the chain 8 to the winding shaft 5.

[0016] The driven sprocket 7 as the second sprocket is disposed below the sprocket 6 and is provided so as to be freely rotatable, and rotates in response to the movement of the chain 8 with which it is engaged.

[0017] The chain 8 is, for example, a roller chain, stretched so as to engage with the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7, and is rotatable and endless. The chain 8 rotates and moves due to the winding shaft 5 and the sprocket 6, which rotate in conjunction with the movement caused by the opening and closing operation of the door panel 2. The chain 8 is fitted with a plurality of bendable weights 9 that apply a biasing force in the direction of winding up the wire 3 to the winding shaft 5 as a rotating shaft.

[0018] The weight 9 as the first weight is a weight attached to a part of the chain 8, and generates a biasing force by a vertical load when the door panel 2 is opened or closed. The weight 9 is attached so that multiple weights are continuous on both sides of the chain 8 in the rotation direction. Since the weight 9 is attached to both sides of the chain 8 in this way, even the part of the chain 8 to which the weight 9 is attached can engage with the driven sprocket 7. In addition, since the weight 9 is composed of multiple separate bendable weights, it is possible for the weight 9 to change shape in accordance with the movement of the chain 8. In this embodiment, the weight 9 as a whole is able to pass through the driven sprocket 7 while changing shape. In this embodiment, the shape of each weight of the weights 9 is cylindrical, but this is not limited to this and may be cubic, rectangular, or spherical, etc., as long as it does not impede the rotation of the chain 8.

[0019] The residual weight 10 as the second weight is attached to the chain 8 at a portion different from the portion to which the weight 9 is attached, and serves as a weight to assist the weight 9. The residual weight 10 moves up and down between the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7, and is attached to a portion of the chain 8 that does not engage with the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7 when the door panel 2 is raised or lowered. Since the residual weight 10 does not pass through the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7, it may be a bendable weight, but it may also be configured as a non-bendable weight. In this embodiment, to simplify the configuration, the residual weight 10 will be described as being configured as a non-bendable weight. Furthermore, the residual weight 10 is adapted not to interfere with the engagement of the portion of the chain 8 to which the weight 9 is attached with the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7.

[0020] The guide rails 11 (11a, 11b) have a generally C-shaped cross section with an opening on the inside, and guide the door panel 2. The guide rails 11 are arranged as a pair of guide rails 11a and 11b corresponding to the left and right sides of the door panel 2, and grooves in the guide rails 11a and 11b engage with rotatable rollers 23 attached to both sides of the door panel 2 to movably support the door panel 2 and guide the door panel 2 as it moves. In addition, the guide rail 11 (11a, 11b) has a first guide rail 111 (111a, 111b) that guides the door panel 2 in the vertical direction, and a second guide rail 112 (112a, 112b) that extends at a predetermined angle with respect to the extension line of the first guide rail 111 (111a, 111b) and guides the door panel 2, and the first guide rail 111 (111a, 111b) and the second guide rail 112 (112a, 112b) are continuous with R portions 113 (113a, 113b) as curved portions.

[0021] Therefore, the door panel 2 is guided by the first guide rail 111 (111a, 111b) and the second guide rail 112 (112a, 112b) to rise and enter an open state, and is guided by the second guide rail 112 (112a, 112b) and the first guide rail 111 (111a, 111b) to fall and enter a closed state. In Figure 1, the angle formed by the extension line of the first guide rail 111 (111a, 111b) and the extension line of the second guide rail 112 (112a, 112b) is described as an angle slightly smaller than 90 degrees, but this is not limited to this and may be 90 degrees, or it may be less than 90 degrees or more than 90 degrees, and guide rails 11 (11a, 11b) of various shapes are possible.

[0022] In this manner, in the overhead door 1 of this embodiment, a sprocket 6 is fixed to the winding shaft 5, a driven sprocket 7 is rotatably arranged below the sprocket 6, and an endless chain 8 with a weight 9 attached is rotatably stretched between the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7.

[0023] Here, weight 9 will be explained. 1, the weight 9 is provided so that multiple weights are connected in a row to the chain 8. The positional relationship between the weight 9 and the door panel 2 is such that, assuming that the distance between the roller 23 at the upper end of the door panel 2 and the start point of the second guide rail 112 (112a) (the midpoint of the R portion 113 (113a)) is D1 and the distance between the lower end of the weight 9 and the lowest part of the driven sprocket 7 is D2, D1 and D2 are approximately equal.

[0024] By doing this, when the door panel 2 in the closed state is raised until its upper end reaches the starting point of the second guide rail 112 (112a, 112b), all of the weights 9 descend in the rotational direction indicated by arrow C in the figure, and the lower ends (tips) of the weights 9 are never positioned above the bottommost part of the driven sprocket 7. Therefore, the biasing force acting vertically upward on the door panel 2 does not change until the upper end of the door panel 2 reaches the starting point of the second guide rail 112 (112a, 112b).

[0025] As the door panel 2 is further raised, the tip of the weight 9 in the rotation direction indicated by the arrow C in the figure changes from downward to upward and is positioned above the lowest part of the driven sprocket 7. As a result, the biasing force acting vertically upward on the door panel 2 gradually decreases. The distances D1 and D2 can be appropriately set in accordance with the shape of the guide rail 11.

[0026] Next, the weights of the weight 9 and the residual weight 10 will be described. If the weight in the vertical direction (along the first guide rail 111) when the door panel 2 is in the closed state is W1, and the weight in the vertical direction (along the first guide rail 111) when the door panel 2 is in the open state is W2, then the total weight MW of the weight 9 is (W1-W2) / 2. Furthermore, if the distance that the door panel 2 moves on the second guide rail 112 from the midpoint of the R portion 113 is L and the distance (spacing) between each weight of the weights 9 is Pt, then the number of weights of the weights 9 is L / Pt and the weight of each weight of the weights 9 is basically ((W1-W2) / 2)÷(L / Pt). It is better to set the individual weight of the weights 9 appropriately depending on the weight relationship with the panel 21.

[0027] Moreover, the weight SW of the residual weight 10 is the weight MW of the entire weight 9 plus W2, which is (W1+W2) / 2. As a result, when the door panel 2 is in the open state, the residual weight 10 can apply a biasing force corresponding to the weight W2 in the vertical upward direction to the door panel 2, thereby making it possible to maintain the door panel 2 in the open state. The weights of the weight 9 and the residual weight 10 can be appropriately set in accordance with the weight of the door panel 2 and the shape of the guide rail 11.

[0028] The operation of the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the overhead door in a closed state in the embodiment, Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the overhead door when raised in the embodiment, and Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the overhead door in an open state in the embodiment. Note that Figs. 2(a), 3(a), and 4(a) are schematic side views of the door panel and guide rails, etc., and Figs. 2(b), 3(b), and 4(b) are schematic side views of the chain, weights, etc.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 2(a), when the door panel 2 is in the closed state, the entire door panel 2 is guided by the first guide rail 111 of the guide rail 11 so that it is vertical to the horizontal installation surface, with the lower end of the door panel 2 being placed on the installation surface and the upper end being placed in approximately the same position as the lower end of the wall part P. At this time, as shown in Fig. 2(b), all of the weights 9 and residual weights 10 are placed between the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7, and the weights of all of the weights 9 and residual weights 10 act on the chain 8 as a vertical load in the rotational direction of the chain 8 as indicated by the arrow C in the figure.

[0030] The vertical load acting on the chain 8 acts as a vertically upward urging force, indicated by arrow A in the figure, that lifts the door panel 2 via the sprocket 6, the winding shaft 5, the wire winding drum 4, and the wire 3. Therefore, when the door panel 2 is lifted to transition from a closed state to an open state (during the opening operation of the door panel 2), the door panel 2 can be lifted with a slight force. In this manner, when the door panel 2 is in the closed state, the weight 9 and the residual weight 10 apply a biasing force to the winding shaft 5 in a direction to wind up the wire 3.

[0031] Next, when the door panel 2 is raised, the roller 23 at the upper end of the door panel 2 reaches the start point of the second guide rail 112 (the midpoint of the R portion 113) as shown in Fig. 3(a). At this time, the lower end (the tip end in the rotation direction of the chain 8) of the weight 9 moving in the rotation direction of the chain 8 indicated by the arrow C in the figure is positioned at the bottom of the driven sprocket 7 as shown in Fig. 3(b). Therefore, until the roller 23 at the upper end of the door panel 2 reaches the starting point of the second guide rail 112 (the midpoint of the R portion 113), the weight of the weight 9 and the remaining weight 10 all act as a vertical upward biasing force indicated by arrow A in the figure to lift the door panel 2.

[0032] When the door panel 2 is further raised, the roller 23 at the upper end of the door panel 2 passes the starting point of the second guide rail 112 (the midpoint of the R portion 113), and the tip (lower end) of the weight 9 in the rotational direction of the chain 8 passes the bottom of the driven sprocket 7 and changes from descending to ascending, and in the rotational direction of the chain 8 indicated by arrow C in the figure, part of the weight 9 is raised and positioned between the bottom of the driven sprocket 7 and sprocket 6. At this time, in the rotation direction of chain 8 indicated by arrow C in the figure, the weights of weight 9 and residual weight 10 arranged between sprocket 6 and the bottom of driven sprocket 7 act on chain 8 as a vertical load in the rotation direction of chain 8 indicated by arrow C. On the other hand, in the rotation direction of chain 8 indicated by arrow C in the figure, the weight of weight 9 arranged between the bottom of driven sprocket 7 and sprocket 6 acts on chain 8 as a vertical load in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of chain 8 indicated by arrow C in the figure.

[0033] Therefore, after the roller 23 at the upper end of the door panel 2 reaches the starting point of the second guide rail 112 (the midpoint of the R portion 113), not all of the weight of the weight 9 and the residual weight 10, but only a portion of the weight 9 and the weight of the residual weight 10 act as a vertically upward biasing force indicated by arrow A in the figure to lift the door panel 2. Furthermore, as the door panel 2 rises, the amount of weights 9 positioned between the bottom of the driven sprocket 7 and sprocket 6 in the rotational direction of the chain 8 indicated by arrow C in the figure increases, and the vertically upward biasing force indicated by arrow A in the figure that lifts the door panel 2 decreases. In this way, when the door panel 2 transitions from a closed state to an open state, the weight 9 passes through the lowest part of the driven sprocket 7 and changes from descending to ascending, thereby reducing the biasing force in the direction of winding up the wire 3 relative to the winding shaft 5.

[0034] Next, when the door panel 2 is raised and opened, as shown in Fig. 4(a), the lower end of the door panel 2 is positioned substantially at the same position as the lower end of the wall portion P. At this time, as shown in Fig. 4(b), in the rotational direction of the chain 8 indicated by the arrow C in the figure, the entire weight 9 passes through the driven sprocket 7 and changes from descending to ascending, being positioned between the bottom of the driven sprocket 7 and sprocket 6, and the remaining weight 10 is positioned between sprocket 6 and the bottom of the driven sprocket 7 without passing through the driven sprocket 7. Therefore, the difference between the weight MW of the weight 9 and the weight SW of the residual weight 10 becomes the force acting on the chain 8. In this way, when the door panel 2 is in the open position, the weight 9 that has passed the lowest part of the driven sprocket 7 and the remaining weight 10 that has not passed the lowest part of the driven sprocket 7 apply a biasing force to the winding shaft 5 in the direction of winding up the wire 3.

[0035] In this embodiment, as described above, the weight MW of the weight 9 is set to (W1-W2) / 2 and the weight SW of the residual weight 10 is set to (W1+W2) / 2, so that a biasing force corresponding to the weight W2 can be applied vertically upward to the door panel 2, thereby maintaining the door panel 2 in the open state. In this manner, in this embodiment, as the door panel 2 rises, the weight 9 passes through the driven sprocket 7 and changes from descending to ascending, so that the vertically upward biasing force, indicated by the arrow A in the figure, which raises the door panel 2, can be changed so as to gradually decrease.

[0036] 2 (during the closing operation of the door panel 2), the action is opposite to that when the door panel 2 is raised, and as the door panel 2 lowers, the weight 9 passes through the driven sprocket 7 and changes from lowering to rising, so that the urging force in the vertical upward direction, indicated by the arrow A in the figure, which raises the door panel 2, can be changed so as to gradually increase. The rotation direction of the chain 8 is opposite to that when the door panel 2 is raised.

[0037] A modification of this embodiment will now be described. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the position of the weight in the modified example. 5, when the door panel 2 is in the closed state, an auxiliary weight 9a may be disposed near the top of the sprocket 6, between the bottom of the driven sprocket 7 and the sprocket 6 in the rotational direction of the chain 8 indicated by the arrow C in the figure. This auxiliary weight 9a will be part of the weight 9 shown in FIG. As a result, when the door panel 2 is in a closed state, the urging force in the vertical upward direction, indicated by the arrow A in the figure, which lifts the door panel 2, is weakened, making it possible to maintain the door panel 2 in a closed state.

[0038] In addition, when the door panel 2 is moved to the open state, the auxiliary weight 9a, which is part of the weight 9, passes the top of the sprocket 6 and changes from rising to falling, becoming positioned between the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7 in the rotational direction of the chain 8. Therefore, the total weight of the weight 9 including the auxiliary weight 9a and the remaining weight 10 acts as a vertically upward urging force as indicated by the arrow A in the figure, which lifts the door panel 2.

[0039] Next, an embodiment in which the shape of the guide rail 11 is modified will be described. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the positions of the door panel and the weight in the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, in the case of a guide rail 11 in which the distance between the roller 23 at the upper end of the door panel 2 and the starting point of the second guide rail 112 (the midpoint of the R portion 113) is small, the distance between the lower end of the weight 9 and the lowest part of the driven sprocket 7 may be made small. As a result, the roller 23 at the upper end of the door panel 2 passes the starting point of the second guide rail 112 (the midpoint of the R portion 113), and the tip (lower end) of the weight 9 in the rotational direction of the chain 8 passes through the bottom of the driven sprocket 7 and changes from descending to ascending, and in the rotational direction of the chain 8 indicated by arrow C in the figure, part of the weight 9 is positioned between the bottom of the driven sprocket 7 and sprocket 6.

[0040] Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram when the overhead door moves up and down in a substantially vertical direction, and is an explanatory diagram when the angle between the extension line of the first guide rail 111 and the second guide rail 112 is set to approximately 0 degree. Fig. 7(a) shows the closed state of the door panel 2 and the positional relationship of the weight and the residual weight in that state, and Fig. 7(b) shows the open state of the door panel 2 and the positional relationship of the weight and the residual weight in that state.

[0041] When the overhead door moves up and down in an approximately vertical direction, as shown in Figure 7(a), when the door panel 2 is in the closed position, the residual weight 10 is positioned between the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7 in the rotation direction of the chain 8 indicated by the arrow C in the figure, weight 9a is positioned at the top of the sprocket 6, and weight 9b is positioned between the driven sprocket 7 and the sprocket 6 in the rotation direction of the chain 8 indicated by the arrow C in the figure. In addition, if the vertical weight when the door panel 2 is in the closed state and the vertical weight when the door panel 2 is in the open state are W1, the weight of the residual weight 10 is WS, the weight of weight 9a is Wa, and the weight of weight 9b is Wb, then W1 = WS + Wa - Wb.

[0042] When the door panel 2 is raised, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the weight 9a, which moves in the rotational direction of the chain 8 indicated by the arrow C in the figure, passes the top of the sprocket 6 and is positioned below the top. Therefore, the weight of "weight WS of remaining weight 10 + weight Wa of weight 9a - weight Wb of weight 9b" acts as a vertical upward biasing force indicated by arrow A in the figure to lift door panel 2.

[0043] Furthermore, when the door panel 2 is raised and moved to the open state as shown in Figure 7(b), the residual weight 10 and weight 9a are positioned between the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7 in the rotational direction of the chain 8 as indicated by the arrow C in the figure, and weight 9b, as part of the weight, passes the top of the sprocket 6 and changes from rising to descending, and is positioned between the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7 in the rotational direction of the chain 8. At this time, the weight of "WS of the remaining weight 10 + Wa of the weight 9a + Wb of the weight 9b" acts as a vertical upward biasing force indicated by arrow A in the figure to lift the door panel 2. Therefore, the door panel 2 can be maintained in the open state.

[0044] In this manner, in this embodiment, as the door panel 2 moves up and down, the weight 9b passes through the sprocket 6, making it possible to change the biasing force in the vertically upward direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure.

[0045] Here, if the balance between the weight of the door panel 2 and the weight of the weight that applies the vertically upward biasing force can be at any position, the operating force for lifting the door panel 2 can be reduced, but the door panel 2 can also stop at any position between the closed state and the open state, which can be inconvenient to use. For example, if a tall vehicle passes while the door panel 2 is stopped before opening, this can lead to damage to the door panel 2. Therefore, it is desirable to increase the vertically upward biasing force when the door panel 2 is opened and maintain the completely open state.

[0046] Therefore, as described above, when the door panel 2 is transitioned to the open state, the weight 9b passes through the top of the sprocket 6 and changes from rising to falling, and is positioned between the sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7 in the rotational direction of the chain 8. This increases the vertically upward biasing force when the door panel 2 is opened, making it possible to maintain a completely open state. Although FIG. 7 shows an example in which the door panel 2 is made up of a plurality of bendable panels, the door panel 2 does not bend in this rail shape, so it may be made up of a single panel.

[0047] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the shape of the guide rail. As shown in FIG. 8, the guide rail 11 may be formed in various shapes depending on the space (position of the ceiling T) in which the overhead door is installed.

[0048] 8(a) shows the case of guide rail 11 in which the distance between roller 23 at the upper end of door panel 2 and the start point of second guide rail 112 (midpoint of R portion 113) is small, as shown in Fig. 6. In this case, weight 9 is positioned so as to reduce the distance between the lower end of weight 9 and the lowest part of driven sprocket 7, thereby easily adapting to the shape of guide rail 11.

[0049] 8(b) shows the case of guide rail 11 in which the distance between roller 23 at the upper end of door panel 2 and the start point of second guide rail 112 (midpoint of R portion 113) is large as shown in Figs. 2 to 4. In this case, weight 9 is arranged so that the distance between roller 23 at the upper end of door panel 2 and the start point of second guide rail 112 (midpoint of R portion 113) and the distance between the lower end of weight 9 and the lowest part of driven sprocket 7 are equal, thereby easily adapting to the shape of guide rail 11.

[0050] 8(a), when the movement distance of the door panel 2 on the second guide rail 112 is longer and the movement distance in the vertical direction is shorter than in FIG. 8(b), the stroke, which is the movement range of the weight 9, may be insufficient. In this case, the stroke of the weight 9 can be reduced by making the diameter of the sprocket 6 smaller than the diameter of the winding drum 4 shown in FIG.

[0051] 8(c) shows the case where the door panel 2 moves up and down in a substantially vertical direction as shown in FIG 7, and the angle between the extension line of the first guide rail 111 and the second guide rail 112 is set to substantially 0 degrees. In this case, by arranging the weights 9a, 9b, and the residual weight 10 as described above, it is possible to easily accommodate the shape of the guide rail 11. The weights of the weight 9, the weight 9a, the weight 9b and the residual weight 10 in the cases of Figs. 8(a) to 8(c) are as described above.

[0052] 8(d) shows a case where the angle between the extension line of the first guide rail 111 and the second guide rail 112 is approximately 30 degrees. In this case as well, as described above, if the weight in the vertical direction (direction along the first guide rail 111) when the door panel 2 is closed is W1, and the weight in the vertical direction (direction along the first guide rail 111) when the door panel 2 is open is W2, then the weight MW of the entire weight 9 is (W1-W2) / 2. The weight SW of the remaining weight 10 is the weight of the entire weight 9 plus W2, which is (W1+W2) / 2. Furthermore, as explained in FIG. 8( a ), by disposing weights 9 on chain 8 , it is possible to easily accommodate the shape of guide rail 11 .

[0053] As shown in FIG. 1, some door panels 2 have special functions such as windows, and their weights may vary. In this embodiment, a weight 9 having multiple bendable weights is attached to the chain 8, so that it is possible to easily accommodate various door panels 2 by increasing or decreasing the weight of the weight 9 at a position corresponding to the weight of the individual door panel 2. For example, a door panel 2 with a window tends to be heavier than a door panel 2 without a window. By increasing the weight of the weight 9 at a position corresponding to the door panel 2 with a window in accordance with the weight of the door panel 2 with a window, a well-balanced overhead door 1 can be achieved.

[0054] As described above, in this embodiment, a number of bendable weights 9 are attached to the chain 8 to apply a biasing force in the direction of winding up the wire 3 onto the winding shaft 5, and as the door panel 2 rises and falls, the weights 9 pass through the sprocket 6 or the driven sprocket 7, changing the biasing force. This has the effect of making it possible to easily accommodate various shapes of guide rails 11 of the door panel 2. In addition, there is an effect that the urging force on the door panel 2 does not change when the door panel 2 moves vertically upward along the first guide rail 111, and the urging force on the door panel 2 can be reduced when the door panel 2 moves along the second guide rail 112. Therefore, there is an effect that the door panel 2 can easily be adapted to various shapes of the guide rail 11.

[0055] Furthermore, by connecting the chain 8 in a ring shape and winding it around the two sprockets, one above and one below, it is possible to prevent the chain 8 from shifting or coming off even without a tension weight or the like that applies tension to the chain 8. In addition, it is possible to fold back the weight 9 with a simple structure, which is an effect of saving space. Furthermore, because the weight 9, which is about half the weight of the door panel 2, is changed in direction from downward to upward by the driven sprocket 7, the force acting due to the inertia of the weight 9 is small, and there is no need to strengthen the structure, making it possible to achieve a simple structure. In addition, there are effects that noise can be reduced and operability can be improved.

[0056] In this embodiment, the overhead door 1 is described as one in which the door panel 2 is raised and lowered by manual operation, but the overhead door 1 may be one in which the door panel 2 is raised and lowered by the power of an electric motor. In this case, low power consumption and high durability can be achieved. In addition, in this embodiment, the sprocket 6, driven sprocket 7, chain 8, weight 9, etc. are described as being arranged on one side, but when using a wide door panel 2 or a heavy door panel 2, the sprocket 6, driven sprocket 7, chain 8, weight 9, etc. may be arranged on both the left and right sides of the door panel 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 overhead door 2 Door Panel 3 Wire 4(4a, 4b) Wire winding drum 5 Winding shaft 6 sprockets 7 Driven sprocket 8. Chain 9 Weight 10 Residual weight 11(11a, 11b) Guide rail 111 (111a, 111b) First guide rail 112 (112a, 112b) Second guide rail

Claims

1. In an overhead door, a door panel, which is made up of multiple panels connected in a flexible manner, is raised and lowered to open and close, a rotating shaft to which a drum for winding a wire connected to the door panel is fixed; a first sprocket fixed to the rotating shaft; a second sprocket disposed below the first sprocket and rotatable therein; and a rotatable chain stretched between the first sprocket and the second sprocket; Equipped with The chain is provided with a plurality of bendable weights that apply a biasing force in a direction to wind up the wire relative to the rotary shaft, The overhead door is characterized in that, as the door panel rises and falls, the weight passes through the first sprocket or the second sprocket, thereby changing the biasing force.

2. 2. The overhead door of claim 1, a first guide rail for guiding the door panel in a vertical direction; a second guide rail that is continuous with the first guide rail and is formed to form a predetermined angle with the first guide rail, and guides the door panel; Equipped with When the tip of the door panel reaches the start point of the second guide rail during the opening operation of the door panel, the tip of the weight passes through the bottom of the second sprocket and changes from descending to ascending.

3. 3. The overhead door of claim 2, The chain is attached with a first weight having a plurality of bendable weights in succession and a second weight that does not bend, the entirety of the first weight can pass through a lowest part of the second sprocket; The second weight moves up and down between the first sprocket and the second sprocket without passing through a lowermost portion of the second sprocket.

4. 4. The overhead door of claim 3, When the door panel is in a closed state, the first weight and the second weight apply a biasing force in a direction to wind up the wire relative to the rotation shaft, When the door panel transitions from a closed state to an open state, the first weight passes through the lowest part of the second sprocket and changes from descending to ascending, thereby reducing the biasing force in the direction of winding up the wire relative to the rotating shaft, When the door panel is in an open state, the first weight that has passed the bottom of the second sprocket and the second weight that has not passed the bottom of the second sprocket apply a force in a direction to wind up the wire against the rotating shaft.

5. 2. The overhead door of claim 1, a first guide rail for guiding the door panel in a vertical direction; a second guide rail that is continuous with the first guide rail and is formed to form a predetermined angle with the first guide rail, and guides the door panel; Equipped with When the door panel moves to an open state, a part of the weight passes through a top of the first sprocket and changes from rising to falling.

Images