Sliding door assist device

Abstract

To always normally perform an assisting operation by properly engaging a trigger body with a trigger switching device regardless of the relative position of the door panel in the vertical direction with respect to an opening frame, in an assisting device applied to a bottom-loaded door panel. [Solution] The closer body 18 of the closer 11, which exerts the operating force to move the door panel 1 in the assist operation, is guided by a guide part 13 provided on the underside of the upper frame 2A so as to extend in the left-right direction, and comprises left and right guide bodies 46, 47 that guide the upper part of the door panel 1 as it travels, and a trigger body 34 that is arranged between the two guide bodies 46, 47 and engages with the trigger switch 10 to operate the closer body 18. The closer body 18 is supported so that it can slide up and down relative to the door panel 1 but cannot move in the front-to-rear direction, and is urged towards the guide part 13 by the urging force of a urging body 20 provided between the door panel 1 and the closer body 18.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an assist device for a sliding door that assists the movement of a door panel toward the stroke end in the opening and closing direction. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1, for example, is an example of a conventional assist device applied to sliding doors. The assist device in Patent Document 1 includes a closer mechanism (closer) installed on the top of the sliding door body (door panel) and a trigger (trigger switch) protruding downward from the lintel (opening frame). The closer mechanism includes a pull spring that stores operating force to assist the sliding door body in moving, a damper that controls the moving speed of the sliding door body, and a catch body (trigger body) that engages with the trigger to activate the pull spring. The assist device starts assisting operation when the catch body engages with the trigger just before the stroke end of the sliding door body's opening or closing movement. When the assisting operation starts, the sliding door body is moved toward the stroke end by the operating force of the pull spring while its moving speed is controlled by the damper. Once the sliding door body reaches the stroke end, it is held at the stroke end by the tensile force of the pull spring.

[0003] An assist device with a similar structure and operating mode is also disclosed in Patent Document 2. The assist device in Patent Document 2 comprises a closing shock absorber (closer) provided on the top of the sliding door (door panel) and a trigger device (trigger switch) protruding downward from the lintel (opening frame). The closing shock absorber comprises a spring that stores the operating force that assists the sliding door's movement, an air cylinder that controls the movement speed of the sliding door, and a cam plate (trigger body) that engages with the trigger device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-80292 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-163704 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In bottom-loading door panels that open and close opening frames, a vertical adjustment mechanism is provided on the door rollers that guide the door panel to adjust the gap between the top surface of the door panel and the opening frame, and the gap between the bottom surface of the door panel and the floor. In the assist devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the trigger body of the closer engages with the trigger switch, starting the assist operation of the door panel by the assist device. However, when the vertical adjustment mechanism changes the relative vertical position of the door panel to the opening frame, the vertical positional relationship between the trigger switch and the trigger body also changes, which can lead to improper engagement between the two and the assist operation not starting. Furthermore, when unevenness occurs on the floor or opening frame of a wooden building over time, the relative position of the door panel to be opened and closed relative to the opening frame inevitably changes vertically. In this case, the two may not be properly engaged and the assist operation may not start.

[0006] The present invention aims to ensure that the assisting operation is always performed normally by properly engaging the trigger body with the trigger switching device regardless of the relative vertical position of the door panel to the opening frame in an assisting device applied to a bottom-loading door panel whose relative position to the opening frame can be changed by a door roller vertical adjustment mechanism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to an assist device for a sliding door that assists the movement of a bottom-loaded door panel 1, which is guided by a door roller 3 equipped with a vertical adjustment mechanism 5 and opens and closes an opening frame 2, toward the left-right stroke end. The assist device for a sliding door comprises a trigger switch 10 provided on the upper frame 2A of the opening frame 2, and a closer 11 provided on the upper part of the door panel 1, which performs an assist operation to move the door panel 1 from the assist start end to the stroke end when engaged with the trigger switch 10. The closer 11 has a closer body 18 that exerts an operating force to move the door panel 1 in the assist operation. The closer body 18 is guided by a guide portion 13 provided on the underside of the upper frame 2A so as to extend in the left-right direction, and includes left and right guide bodies 46 and 47 that guide the movement of the upper part of the door panel 1, and a trigger body 34 disposed between the guide bodies 46 and 47 that engages with the trigger switch 10 to operate the closer body 18. The closer body 18 is supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction relative to the door panel 1 but not movable in the front-rear direction, and is biased toward the guide part 13 by the biasing force of a biasing body 20 provided between the door panel 1 and the closer body 18.

[0008] The closer 11 is provided with a casing 19 that supports the closer body 18 so that it can slide up and down but cannot move back and forth, and is fixed to the door panel 1. A biasing body 20 is provided between the closer body 18 and the casing 19.

[0009] The casing 19 has a bottom frame 27 disposed below the closer body 18, and left and right frames 30 and 31 disposed upward from the left and right ends of the bottom frame 27 and disposed on the left and right sides of the closer body 18. The biasing body 20 is disposed between the bottom surface of the closer body 18 and the upper surface of the bottom frame 27 of the casing 19 in a state in which a biasing force acts in the vertical direction. Stoppers 57 that define the upper limit of sliding of the closer body 18 relative to the casing 19 are provided between the left side surface of the closer body 18 and the left frame 30, and between the right side surface of the closer body 18 and the right frame 31.

[0010] The guide portion 13 is configured as a guide groove that is a recessed groove formed in the left-right direction on the lower surface of the upper frame 2A of the opening frame 2. Each of the guide bodies 46 and 47 is configured as a roller that rolls in the guide groove 13.

[0011] The trigger switch 10 is provided inside the guide groove 13 .

[0012] The trigger switch 10 has a switching protrusion 15 that protrudes downward, and a trigger recess 62 that engages with and disengages from the switching protrusion 15 is formed as a downward recess in the upper part of the trigger body 34. When the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switch 10, the opposing side surfaces of the trigger switch 10 and the trigger body 34 come into contact with each other, causing the trigger recess 62 to engage with the switching protrusion 15. If the contact surfaces of the switching protrusion 15 and the trigger recess 62 are defined as a receiving surface 15A and a contacting surface 62A, respectively, the receiving surface 15A of the switching protrusion 15 is formed as an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the contacting surface 62A, and the contacting surface 62A of the trigger recess 62 is formed as an inclined surface that overhangs toward the receiving surface 15A.

[0013] The biasing body 20 is composed of a compression coil spring arranged so that one end abuts against the bottom surface of the closer main body 18 and the other end abuts against the upper surface of the bottom frame 27 of the casing 19.

[0014] The closer 11 is provided at the upper end of the door panel 1 on the downstream side in the assist direction. The biasing body 20 is composed of a cylinder 76 and a linear damper that biases a rod 77, which is provided so that it can be extended and retracted relative to the cylinder 76, toward the advanced position. The linear damper is arranged so that one of the cylinder 76 or the rod 77 abuts against the bottom surface of the closer main body 18, and the other abuts against the top surface of the bottom frame 27 of the casing 19.

[0015] A fixed engagement body 70 is provided on the closer body 18, and a movable engagement body 72 is provided on the casing 19. The closer body 18 and the casing 19 are configured to be relatively slidable in the left-right direction between a separated position in which the engagement bodies 70 and 72 are separated to allow the closer body 18 and the casing 19 to move relative to each other in the vertical direction, and an engaged position in which the engagement bodies 70 and 72 are engaged to restrict the relative movement of the closer body 18 and the casing 19 in the vertical direction. In a normal state, the casing 19 and the closer body 18 are held in the separated position by the elastic force of a retainer 32 provided between the two bodies 19 and 18. If the moving speed of the door panel 1 when the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switcher 10 exceeds a preset speed, the closer body 18 and the casing 19 will move against the retainer 32 and switch to the engaged position.

[0016] The holding body 32 is made of a compression coil spring whose central axis is disposed in the left-right direction and which biases the closer main body 18 and the casing 19 in the directions in which they are separated from each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] In the assist device for the sliding door according to the present invention, the closer body 18, which includes left and right guide bodies 46, 47 that are guided by guide parts 13 provided on the underside of the upper frame 2A of the opening frame 2 and that guide the upper part of the door panel 1 to travel, and a trigger body 34 that is arranged between the guide bodies 46, 47 and engages with the trigger switch device 10 to operate the closer body 18, is supported so as to be slidable up and down relative to the door panel 1 but immovable in the front-to-rear direction, and is configured to be urged towards the guide parts 13 by the urging force of the urging body 20 provided between the door panel 1 and the closer body 18. With this, even if the vertical position of the door panel 1 relative to the upper frame 2A is displaced in the approaching or separating direction by the vertical adjustment mechanism 5 of the door roller 3, the urging body 20 absorbs these displacements, and the vertical positional relationship between the upper frame 2A and the closer body 18, i.e., the vertical positional relationship between the trigger switch device 10 and the trigger body 34, can always be kept constant. 1A、2A、3A、3B、4A、4B、5A、5B、6A、6B、7A、7B、8A、8B、9A、9B、10A、11B、12B、13B、14B、15B、16B、17B、18B、18C、18C、19B、19C、20C、21C、22C、23C、24C、25C、26C、27C、28C、29C、30C、31C、32C、33C、34C、34C、34C、34C、34C、34C、34C、34C、34C、34C、34C、34C、34C、34C, ...

[0018] The closer 11 supports the closer body 18 so that it can slide up and down but cannot move back and forth, and is equipped with a casing 19 that is fixed to the door panel 1. If a biasing body 20 is provided between the closer body 18 and the casing 19, then simply by fixing the casing 19 to the door panel 1, the closer body 18 can be supported so that it can slide up and down relative to the door panel 1, making it easy to assemble the closer 11 to the door panel 1.

[0019] The casing 19 has a bottom frame 27 arranged below the closer body 18, and left and right frames 30 and 31 arranged upward from the left and right ends of the bottom frame 27 and arranged on the left and right sides of the closer body 18, and the biasing body 20 is arranged between the bottom surface of the closer body 18 and the upper surface of the bottom frame 27 of the casing 19 in a state in which the biasing force acts in the vertical direction, so that the biasing force of the biasing body 20 acts along the vertical direction in which the closer body 18 slides and displaces, thereby accurately pressing the closer body 18 against the guide portion 13. Furthermore, if stoppers 57 are provided between the left side surface of the closer body 18 and the left frame 30, and between the right side surface of the closer body 18 and the right frame 31, respectively, to define the upper limit position of the closer body 18 relative to the casing 19, the stoppers 57 will prevent the casing 19 from separating from the closer body 18, allowing the three components of the closer body 18, casing 19, and biasing body 20 to be handled as a single unit. Therefore, when the closer 11 alone or the door panel 1 is removed from the opening frame 2, it is possible to prevent the closer body 18 and biasing body 20 from unintentionally separating from the casing 19. Furthermore, by arranging the biasing body 20 below the closer body 18 and the stoppers 57 on the left and right sides of the same, each component can be distributed below and to the left and right of the closer body 18, eliminating the complexity of the closer 11 caused by components being concentrated on either side.

[0020] The guide portion 13 is composed of a guide groove consisting of a recessed groove formed in the left-right direction on the underside of the upper frame 2A of the opening frame 2, and when each guide body 46, 47 is composed of a roller that rolls in the guide groove 13, the running resistance during the opening and closing operation of the door panel 1 can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the guide portion and the guide body slide against each other to guide the running, so the opening and closing movement operation of the door panel 1 and the assisting operation by the assist device 9 can be performed smoothly. In particular, since the closer body 18 of the present invention is pressed against the guide groove 13 by the biasing body 20, reducing the running resistance during the opening and closing operation of the door panel 1 is useful for smooth opening and closing operation of the door panel 1.

[0021] When the trigger switch 10 is provided inside the guide groove 13, the trigger switch 10 is hidden by the guide groove 13 and the trigger switch 10 does not protrude from the lower surface of the upper frame 2A, improving the appearance of the opening frame 2 and giving the sliding door a neat and tidy impression as a whole.

[0022] If the contact surfaces of the switching protrusion 15 and the trigger recess 62, which come into contact when the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switch 10, are defined as the receiving surface 15A and the abutting surface 62A, respectively, the receiving surface 15A of the switching protrusion 15 is formed as an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the abutting surface 62A, and the abutting surface 62A of the trigger recess 62 is formed as an inclined surface that overhangs toward the receiving surface 15A. Thus, when the trigger recess 62 comes into contact with the switching protrusion 15, the abutting surface 62A hooks onto the receiving surface 15A, holding the trigger body 34 with the trigger switch 10, and preventing the trigger body 34 from slipping downward when the two (the switching protrusion 15 and the trigger recess 62) are engaged. Therefore, the trigger body 34 is prevented from displacing downward when engaging with the trigger switch 10, preventing the trigger body 34 from slipping under the trigger switch 10, ensuring reliable engagement between the two (the trigger switch 10 and the trigger body 34).

[0023] If the biasing body 20 is composed of a compression coil spring arranged so that one end abuts the bottom surface of the closer body 18 and the other end abuts the top surface of the bottom frame 27 of the casing 19, the compression coil spring is lower cost and more durable than other biasing bodies such as leaf springs, and can be installed simply by placing it in a compressed state between a pair of abutting portions, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the closer 11 and improving the assembly of the closer 11. Another advantage is that by selecting a compression coil spring with a different spring constant even if the free length is the same, the biasing force acting on the closer body 18, i.e., the biasing force pressing the closer body 18 against the upper frame 2A, can be easily changed.

[0024] For example, when the door panel 1 is operated to move to the left and the assist device 9 is activated just before the left stroke end, the upper part of the door panel 1 is decelerated by the assist device 9, but the lower part of the door panel 1 tries to move to the left at the same speed due to inertial force. Therefore, if the door panel 1 is operated to move at a relatively high speed just before the assist device 9 is activated, a moment is generated in the door panel 1 that tries to tilt it to the right (clockwise) with the trigger switch device 10 as the fulcrum, and this moment may cause the left side of the door panel 1 to bounce up. If the door panel 1 bounces up, noise will be generated when the door roller 3 lands, and there is also a risk that the door roller 3 will come off the track. Therefore, as in the present invention, the closer 11 is provided at the upper end of the door panel 1 on the downstream side in the assist direction, and the linear damper that constitutes the biasing body 20 is arranged so that either the cylinder 76 or the rod 77 abuts against the bottom surface of the closer main body 18, and the other abuts against the top surface of the bottom frame 27 of the casing 19. When the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switching device 10, the door panel 1 bounces up, which occurs when the damping force exerted by the biasing body 20 made of the linear damper is used to suppress this, preventing noise and the door roller 3 from coming off due to the door panel 1 bouncing up.

[0025] The closer main body 18 provided with the fixed engaging body 70 and the casing 19 provided with the movable engaging body 72 are configured to be able to slide relative to each other in the left-right direction between a separated position where the two engaging bodies 70, 72 are separated to allow the closer main body 18 and the casing 19 to move relative to each other in the up-down direction, and an engaged position where the two engaging bodies 70, 72 are engaged to restrict the relative movement in the up-down direction between the closer main body 18 and the casing 19. In addition, in the normal state, the casing 19 and the closer main body 18 are held in the separated position by the elastic force of the retaining body 32 provided between them 19, 18, and are configured so that the closer main body 18 and the casing 19 will switch to the engaged position against the retaining body 32 if the moving speed of the door panel 1 when the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switching device 10 exceeds a preset speed. With this configuration, by switching the closer body 18 and the casing 19 to the engaged position, the relative movement of the casing 19 in the vertical direction with respect to the closer body 18 can be restricted, so that the jumping up of the door panel 1 caused by the moment generated in the door panel 1 due to the deceleration of the movement speed as described above can be received and suppressed by the upper frame 2A of the opening frame 2 via the casing 19 and the closer body 18. On the other hand, when the movement speed of the door panel 1 when the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switcher 10 is below a predetermined speed, the closer body 18 and the casing 19 are maintained in the separated position, so there is no relative movement between the closer body 18 and the casing 19 and the assist device 9 can smoothly start assisting the door panel 1. Note that in the normal state, the two engagement bodies 70 and 72 are separated and do not affect the movement of the closer body 18 relative to the upper frame 2A.

[0026] If the retaining body 32 is configured with a compression coil spring whose central axis is arranged in the left-right direction and which urges the closer body 18 and the casing 19 toward the separated position, the closer body 18 and the casing 19 that have switched to the engaged position can be automatically returned to the separated position by the urging force of the compression coil spring. Also, by selecting a compression coil spring with a different spring constant, the movement speed of the door panel 1 when the closer body 18 and the casing 19 switch to the engaged position can be easily changed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of an assist device for a sliding door according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the entire assist device with a trigger body in a standby position. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of a sliding door to which the assist device is applied. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of a sliding door to which the assist device is applied. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a closer that constitutes the assist device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a closer body constituting the closer of the assist device. [Figure 6] 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the assist device, showing the assist device in a state in which the trigger body is in the actuated position and the assist operation is completed. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a closer that constitutes the assist device. [Figure 9] 10 is a partial vertical cross-sectional front view showing the door panel end side of the assist device when the trigger body is in a standby position. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a partial vertical sectional front view showing the center side of the door panel of the assist device when the trigger body is in a standby position. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a partial vertical sectional front view showing a state in which the door panel has been moved leftward from the position in FIG. 9 and the trigger body has been switched to an operating position. [Figure 12]FIG. 10 is a partial vertical sectional front view of the assist device showing a modified example of the biasing body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] (Embodiment) Figures 1 to 11 show an embodiment of a sliding door assist device according to the present invention. In this embodiment, front, back, left, right, and up and down refer to the crossed arrows shown in Figures 2, 3, and 8, and the indications written near each arrow. In Figure 2, the sliding door opens and closes an opening frame 2, which serves as an entrance to an adjacent room, etc., with a single door panel 1. The opening frame 2 is made up of an upper frame 2A that defines the upper side of the frame 2, and a pair of side frames 2B that define the left and right sides of the frame 2. The right half of the opening frame 2 is closed by a wall material 2C that is fixed to the upper frame 2A, the right side frame 2B, and the floor, and the remaining left half of the opening frame 2 is opened and closed with the door panel 1. When the door panel 1 is moved to the left stroke end, which is the closing side, the opening frame 2 is closed by the door panel 1 and the wall material 2C, and when the door panel 1 is moved to the right stroke end, which is the opening side, the door panel 1 and the wall material 2C are positioned front to back, and the left half of the opening frame 2 is opened.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the door panel 1 is made of a wooden panel body, and door rollers 3 are attached to both the left and right ends of the lower part of the door panel 1. Both door rollers 3 are guided along a lower rail 4 fixed to the floor surface over the entire length between the left and right side frames 2B. In other words, the door panel 1 of this embodiment is configured as a bottom-loading door panel 1, whose weight is supported by the lower rail 4 extending in the left and right direction via the door rollers 3. The door roller 3 is equipped with a vertical adjustment mechanism 5 and a front-to-back adjustment mechanism configured integrally with the same mechanism. The vertical adjustment mechanism 5 changes the relative position of the door panel 1 and the opening frame 2 in the vertical direction, thereby adjusting the gap between the top surface of the door panel 1 and the upper frame 2A, and the gap between the bottom surface of the door panel 1 and the floor. In addition, the front-to-back adjustment mechanism can change the relative position of the door panel 1 and the opening frame 2 in the front-to-back direction. The vertical adjustment mechanism 5 and the front-rear adjustment mechanism are well-known structures (for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-37951 (JP Patent Publication No. 2011-174264) filed by the present applicant), so detailed explanations will be omitted. In Figure 2, reference numeral 6 denotes a pull tab recessed into the left front surface of the door panel 1.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, the sliding door is provided with a closing-side assist device 9A (9) that assists the movement of the door panel 1 to the left near the stroke end on the closing side (left side) toward the stroke end, and an opening-side assist device 9B (9) that assists the movement of the door panel 1 to the right near the stroke end on the opening side (right side). Each assist device 9 (9A, 9B) consists of a trigger switch 10 provided on the upper frame 2A of the opening frame 2, and a closer 11 that performs an assist operation to move the door panel 1 from the assist start end to the stroke end when it engages with the trigger switch 10.

[0031] The closing-side assist device 9A(9) and the opening-side assist device 9B(9) are devices of the same structure that are assembled to the door panel 1 with the left and right directions reversed, and the closer 11 of the closing-side assist device 9A(9) is fixed to the upper left edge of the door panel 1, and the corresponding trigger switch device 10 is fixed near the left edge of the upper frame 2A. Also, the closer 11 of the opening-side assist device 9B(9) is fixed to the upper right edge of the door panel 1, and the corresponding trigger switch device 10 is fixed near the right edge of the upper frame 2A. The closers 11 of each assist device 9 are embedded and fixed in mounting grooves 1A that are respectively carved into the upper corners of the door panel 1. Below, the closing-side assist device 9A(9) will be explained in detail, and a detailed explanation of the opening-side assist device 9B(9) will be omitted.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a hat-shaped rail 12 is embedded and fixed in the underside of the top frame 2A, spanning the entire length between the left and right side frames 2B. This rail 12 forms an upwardly recessed guide groove (guide portion) 13, which is a concave groove extending in the left-right direction, on the underside of the top frame 2A. The trigger switch 10 is mounted inside the guide groove 13. More specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the trigger switch 10 comprises a switch base 14 that is elongated from side to side and that is in close contact with the bottom of the guide groove 13, and a switch protrusion 15, which is a square protrusion that protrudes downward from the center of the switch base 14 in the left-right direction. The trigger switch 10 is fastened to the bottom of the guide groove 13 by screwing a trigger screw 16 into the top frame 2A through a screw hole formed in the switch protrusion 15 that penetrates vertically. The front-to-rear width of the trigger switch 10 is set to be the same as the front-to-rear width of the guide groove 13 (see Figure 3). In addition, the vertical height dimension of the trigger switching device 10 is set smaller than the longitudinal depth dimension of the guide groove 13, and the trigger switching device 10 fastened and fixed inside the guide groove 13 is entirely housed in the guide groove 13.

[0033] As shown in Figure 1, the closer 11 comprises a closer body 18 that exerts an operating force to move the door panel 1 during the assist operation, a casing 19 that supports the closer body 18 so that it can slide up and down and left and right but cannot move back and forth, and a pair of left and right biasing bodies 20 that are arranged between the closer body 18 and the casing 19 and are made of compression coil springs that exert a biasing force in the up and down direction. The casing 19 supports the closer body 18 and also serves to fix the closer 11 to the mounting groove 1A of the door panel 1. As shown in Figure 4, the casing 19 is made up of a horizontally elongated center case 21 formed in the shape of a hollow box with openings on the top and left and right, a left case 22 formed in the shape of a hollow box with openings on the top and right and fixed to the left end of the center case 21, and a right case 23 formed in the shape of a hollow box with openings on the top and left and fixed to the right end of the center case 21.

[0034] The center case 21 and the left case 22 are integrated by engaging a pair of upper and lower notches 24 formed in the left end of the front wall of the center case 21 with a pair of upper and lower protrusions 25 formed in the right end of the front wall of the left case 22, and then fastening the left end of the bottom wall of the center case 21 to the right end of the bottom wall of the left case 22 with rivets 26. Similarly, the center case 21 and the right case 23 are integrated by engaging a pair of upper and lower notches 24 formed in the right end of the front wall of the center case 21 with a pair of upper and lower protrusions 25 formed in the left end of the front wall of the right case 23, and then fastening the right end of the bottom wall of the center case 21 to the left end of the bottom wall of the right case 23 with rivets 26.

[0035] When the center case 21 and the left and right cases 22 and 23 are integrated, the bottom wall of the center case 21 and the bottom walls of the left and right cases 22 and 23 form a bottom frame 27 of the casing 19, the front wall of the center case 21 and the front walls of the left and right cases 22 and 23 form a front frame 28 of the casing 19, and the rear wall of the center case 21 and the rear walls of the left and right cases 22 and 23 form a rear frame 29 of the casing 19. Furthermore, the left wall of the left case 22 forms a left frame 30 of the casing 19, and the right wall of the right case 23 forms a right frame 31 of the casing 19. The entire casing 19 is formed by these frames 27 to 31 into the shape of a horizontally elongated rectangular box that is flat from front to back and has an opening at the top, and the closer main body 18 is supported while being housed within the casing 19.

[0036] As shown in Figure 7, the closer body 18 supported by the casing 19 is received by the front frame 28 and the rear frame 29, and is supported so as to be able to slide up and down and left and right while its movement in the front-to-rear direction is restricted. Also, as shown in Figure 8, a retainer 32 made of a compression coil spring is provided between the right frame 31 and the closer body 18, which urges the closer body 18 leftward relative to the casing 19, in other words, urges the casing 19 rightward relative to the closer body 18. When the casing 19 is used as a reference, the closer body 18 in its normal state is pressed against the left frame 30 by the urging force of the retainer 32, and its sliding movement in the left and right directions relative to the casing 19 is restricted.

[0037] As shown in Figure 5, the closer body 18 includes a trigger body 34 that, when engaged with the trigger switch 10, causes the closer body 18 to initiate an assist operation of moving the door panel 1 from the assist start end to the stroke end; a slider 35 that supports the trigger body 34 so that its position can be changed; a force storage spring 36 that stores the operating force of the door panel 1 during the assist operation; a damper 37 that controls the movement speed of the door panel 1 during the assist operation; and a frame 38 that serves as a base on which these components 34 to 37 are assembled. The force storage spring 36 is a tension spring with hooks on the left and right. The damper 37 is a linear damper that includes a hollow cylindrical cylinder filled with a viscous fluid and a rod that is retractable relative to the cylinder and biased in the forward direction.

[0038] The frame 38 is composed of a center frame 39 formed in the shape of a channel that opens forward, a left frame 40 fixed to the left end of the center frame 39, and a right frame 41 fixed to the right end of the center frame 39. The center frame 39 and the left frame 40 are fixed together by fastening the left end of the bottom wall of the center frame 39 to the right end of the left frame 40 with screws 42. Similarly, the center frame 39 and the right frame 41 are fixed together by fastening the right end of the bottom wall of the center frame 39 to the left end of the right frame 41 with screws 42.

[0039] 4 and 7, the center frame 39 has a sliding seat 43 made of a horizontal wall bent and formed in the middle of the left half in the vertical direction, and this sliding seat 43 supports the slider 35 so that it can slide in the left-right direction. The force storage spring 36 and damper 37 are arranged in parallel, one above the other, between the slider 35 and the right frame 41. Specifically, the force storage spring 36 is bridged between the slider 35 and the right frame 41, with the left hook portion of the spring 36 engaged with the slider 35 and the right hook portion of the spring 36 engaged with the right frame 41. The damper 37 is arranged between the slider 35 and the right frame 41, with its cylinder received on the right surface of a damper receiver 44 formed to protrude downward from the slider 35, and the tip of its rod received on the left surface of the right frame 41.

[0040] As shown in Figure 4, the closer body 18 is equipped with left and right rollers (guide bodies) 46, 47 at its left and right ends that are guided by the guide groove 13 as the door panel 1 travels and guide the upper part of the door panel 1, and the trigger body 34 that engages with the trigger switch 10 is disposed between these rollers 46, 47. As shown in Figure 5, the left roller 46 is rotatably supported by a roller frame 48 with a horizontal shaft and is housed in an upwardly opening roller pocket 49 provided in the left frame 40. The right roller 47 is rotatably supported by a roller shaft 54 ​​made of a horizontal shaft supported by the right frame 41 so that it can slide forward and backward, and is housed in an upwardly opening roller pocket 55 provided in the right frame 41. The front and rear end portions of the outer periphery of the left roller 46 are in contact with the groove edges of the opening of the guide groove 13 to guide its travel. In addition, the right roller 47 is formed of a disk-shaped vibration-preventing portion 47A whose thickness is slightly thinner than the groove width dimension in the front-to-rear direction of the guide groove 13, and front and rear running portions 47B which are formed by bulging out from the front and rear surfaces of the vibration-preventing portion 47A.When the vibration-preventing portion 47A is inserted into the guide groove 13, the running portion 47B comes into contact with the groove edge of the opening portion of the guide groove 13 and is guided to run (see Figures 9 and 10).

[0041] As shown in Figure 8, the roller frame 48 is supported within the roller pocket 49 by a frame shaft 50 consisting of a horizontal shaft so that it can slide back and forth, and the position of the roller frame 48 in the front and back direction relative to the left frame 40 (frame 38) can be adjusted and fixed by rotating an adjustment dial 51 connected to the roller frame 48. The adjustment dial 51 is exposed on the left side of the closer 11 through an outlet window 52 in the left frame 40 of the frame 38 and an operation window 53 formed through the left and right direction in the left frame 30 of the casing 19, and can be operated from the end grain surface on the left side of the door panel 1. The outlet window 52 is formed as a long hole that is long in the vertical direction, so that the closer body 18 can slide up and down relative to the casing 19 without any hindrance.

[0042] Figure 8 shows the state in which the left roller 46 has been adjusted to the rear of the closer main body 18 using the adjustment dial 51, and in this state the door panel 1 is displaced to the front of the opening frame 2 relative to the door panel 1 (see imaginary lines in Figure 8) which is located in the front-to-back center of the opening frame 2. Since both rollers 46 and 47 are guided by the same guide groove 13, when the front-to-back position of the left roller 46 relative to the door panel 1 is changed using the adjustment dial 51, the right roller 47, which can slide in the front-to-back direction, follows the left roller 46 and automatically changes its position in the front-to-back direction relative to the door panel 1.

[0043] 9 and 10, the aforementioned biasing bodies 20 are disposed between the bottom surface of the closer main body 18 and the upper surface of the bottom frame 27 of the casing 19 with a biasing force acting in the vertical direction. Specifically, the left biasing body 20 is disposed so that its lower end (one end) abuts against the lower surface of the left frame 40 and its upper end (the other end) abuts against the upper surface of the lower wall of the left case 22 with the central axis of the compression coil spring oriented in the vertical direction. Similarly, the right biasing body 20 is disposed so that its lower end (one end) abuts against the lower surface of the right frame 41 and its upper end (the other end) abuts against the upper surface of the lower wall of the right case 23 with the central axis of the compression coil spring oriented in the vertical direction. In this way, when the closer body 18 is urged towards the guide groove 13 by the urging force of the urging body 20, the left and right rollers 46, 47 are always pressed against the guide groove 13, regardless of whether the door panel 1 is stopped, when the door panel 1 is being opened or closed, or when the assist device 9 is assisting. As a result, the relative position of the closer body 18 in the up and down direction with respect to the upper frame 2A of the opening frame 2 is always constant.

[0044] To prevent the closer body 18 from separating from the casing 19 due to the upward biasing force of the biasing body 20, a stopper 57 is provided that defines an upper limit of sliding of the closer body 18 relative to the casing 19. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 , the stopper 57 comprises a slide recess 58 recessed into the closer body 18 and a restricting protrusion 59 protruding from the casing 19 and inserted into the slide recess 58, and is provided between the left side surface of the closer body 18 and the left frame 30 and between the right side surface of the closer body 18 and the right frame 31. In the left stopper 57, the slide recess 58 is recessed into the rear end of the left side surface of the left frame 40, and the restricting protrusion 59 is protruding rightward from the rear end of the right side surface of the left frame 30. Meanwhile, in the right stopper 57, the slide recess 58 is recessed into the rear end of the right side surface of the right frame 41, and the restricting protrusion 59 is protruding leftward from the rear end of the left side surface of the right frame 31. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the vertical height dimension of the slide recess 58 is formed to be sufficiently large compared to the vertical height dimension of the regulating protrusion 59, and the lower surface of the slide recess 58 abuts against the lower surface of the regulating protrusion 59, thereby determining the upper limit of sliding of the closer main body 18 relative to the casing 19.

[0045] As shown in Figure 9, the trigger body 34 has a downwardly recessed trigger recess 62 formed in its upper part for engaging and disengaging with the switching projection 15, and a locking claw 63 protruding downward from the lower left end thereof, with the trigger body 34 pivotally supported on the slider 35 by a support shaft 64 which is an entirely horizontal shaft. A return spring 65 made of a compression coil spring is provided between the trigger body 34 and the slider 35, and the trigger body 34 is biased counterclockwise around the support shaft 64 relative to the slider 35. The left end of the sliding seat 43 forms a locking portion 66 with which the locking claw 63 engages and disengages, and the trigger body 34 is rotatably supported by the slider 35 so as to be able to change its position between a standby position (see Figure 9) in which the trigger body 34 is disengaged from the trigger switching device 10 and the locking claw 63 engages with the locking portion 66, and an operating position (see Figure 11) in which the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switching device 10 and the locking claw 63 disengages from the locking portion 66. In addition, the upper part of the trigger body 34, including the trigger recess 62, protrudes upward from the top surface of the closer body 18, and the upper half of this protruding part enters the guide groove 13 from below. The assisting operation of the door panel 1 by the assist device 9 starts when the position of the trigger body 34 switches from the standby position to the operating position.

[0046] When the trigger body 34 is in the standby position, the trigger recess 62 is not engaged with the switching protrusion 15 (the trigger body 34 is not engaged with the trigger switch device 10), and the door panel 1 can be freely opened and closed in the left and right directions, or stopped at any position. When the trigger body 34 is in the standby position, the force storage spring 36 is extended, storing the operating force of the door panel 1, and the damper 37 is also held in an extended state (see Figure 1). When the door panel 1 is moved from the position shown in Figure 9 to the closing side (left side), the trigger body 34 is rotated clockwise by the trigger switch device 10, and the trigger recess 62 engages with the switching protrusion 15, and at the same time the lock claw 63 disengages from the lock portion 66, and the trigger body 34 changes position from the standby position shown in Figure 9 to the operating position shown in Figure 11, and the assist operation begins.

[0047] When the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switch 10, the opposing side surfaces of the trigger switch 10 and the trigger body 34 come into contact with each other, thereby engaging the trigger recess 62 with the switching protrusion 15. Specifically, the right side surface of the trigger recess 62 comes into contact with the right side surface of the switching protrusion 15, and the trigger body 34 is rotated clockwise, thereby engaging the trigger recess 62 with the switching protrusion 15. If the right side surface of the switching protrusion 15 and the right side surface of the trigger recess 62 are defined as the receiving surface 15A and the contacting surface 62A, respectively, as shown in Figure 11, the receiving surface 15A of the switching protrusion 15 is formed as an inclined surface that slopes down toward the contacting surface 62A, and the contacting surface 62A of the trigger recess 62 is formed as an inclined surface that overhangs toward the receiving surface 15A. With the receiving surface 15A and the contact surface 62A consisting of the inclined surfaces as described above, when the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switching device 10, the contact surface 62A is hooked onto the receiving surface 15A, holding the trigger body 34, and preventing the trigger body 34 from shifting downward when the two (the switching protrusion 15 and the trigger recess 62) are engaged.

[0048] When the trigger body 34 is in the operating position, the trigger recess 62 engages with the switching protrusion 15, so the slider 35 does not move left or right relative to the top frame 2A (opening frame 2), but the frame 38, casing 19, and ultimately the door panel 1 can move left or right relatively. When the trigger body 34 switches from the standby position to the operating position and the assist operation begins, the operating force stored in the energy storage spring 36 pulls the frame 38 leftward relative to the slider 35, and the frame 38 pushes the left frame 30 of the casing 19 leftward, automatically moving the door panel 1 to the end of its stroke on the closing side (left side) and stopping it at the position shown in Figure 6. During this assist operation, the door panel 1's movement speed is slowed by the damping force exerted when the damper 37 contracts, and it slowly moves toward the end of its stroke on the closing side. Once the door panel 1 reaches the end of its stroke, it is pressed against the left side frame 2B by the force of the energy storage spring 36 and held in position.

[0049] In Figure 6, when a finger is hooked on the handle of the door panel 1 at the end of the stroke on the closing side and the door panel 1 is moved to the opening side (right side), the left frame 30 of the casing 19 pushes the frame 38 to the right, causing the energy storage spring 36 to expand and storing operating force. At this time, the damper 37 also expands. When the door panel 1 is further moved to the opening side, the left end of the sliding seat 43 comes out to the right of the locking claw 63, and the trigger body 34 is rotated leftward (counterclockwise) by the biasing force of the return spring 65. This rotation of the trigger body 34 engages the locking claw 63 with the locking portion 66 and disengages the trigger recess 62 from the switching protrusion 15, switching the position of the trigger body 34 from the operating position to the standby position, allowing the door panel 1 to be freely opened and closed in the left and right directions (see Figure 9).

[0050] When the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switch 10 to initiate the assist operation and the moving speed of the door panel 1 is braked by the damper 37, the upper part of the door panel 1 is decelerated, but the lower part of the door panel 1 attempts to move toward the closing side (left side) at the same speed due to inertial force, so a moment is generated in the door panel 1 that tends to tilt clockwise around the trigger switch 10 as a fulcrum. For example, if the moving speed of the door panel 1 toward the closing side when the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switch 10 is relatively high, the left side of the door panel 1 may bounce upward due to the moment. If this kind of bouncing occurs in the door panel 1, noise will be generated when the door roller 3 lands after bouncing, and there is also a risk that the door roller 3 will deviate from the lower rail 4. In order to prevent this phenomenon of the door panel 1 bouncing up, the assist device 9 is equipped with a suppression structure that suppresses the bouncing of the door panel 1.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 11 , the suppression structure is composed of a fixed engagement body 70 consisting of multiple fixed-side protrusions 69 provided on the closer body 18, a movable engagement body 72 consisting of multiple movable-side protrusions 71 provided on the casing 19, and a retainer 32 that presses the closer body 18 against the left frame 30 of the casing 19. Each fixed-side protrusion 69 is a triangular protrusion that protrudes to the right and is aligned vertically. Each movable-side protrusion 71 is a triangular protrusion that protrudes to the left and is aligned vertically. The closer body 18 and the casing 19 are supported so that they can slide relative to each other in the left-right direction. In a normal state, the closer body 18 is biased toward the left frame 30 of the casing 19 by the retainer 32, so that the fixed engagement body 70 and the movable engagement body 72 face each other in the left-right direction while separated from each other (see FIG. 9 ). This state is the separated position of the closer body 18 and the casing 19, and the closer body 18 and the casing 19 are allowed to move relative to each other in the up-down direction. From this state, the fixed engagement body 70 and the movable engagement body 72 engage in the left-right direction, and the posture in which the relative movement between the closer main body 18 and the casing 19 in the vertical direction is restricted is defined as the engagement posture of the closer main body 18 and the casing 19.

[0052] When the door panel 1 is operated to move toward the closing side and the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switch 10 to start the assist operation, the relative positions of the upper frame 2A and the closer body 18 in the left-right direction do not change, but the door panel 1 including the casing 19 tries to move leftward against the biasing force of the retaining body 32. At this time, if the moving speed of the door panel 1 exceeds the set speed controlled by the spring constant (elastic force) of the retaining body 32, the pressing force of the casing 19 pressed against the closer body 18 exceeds the biasing force of the retaining body 32, and the casing 19 moves leftward relative to the closer body 18. Due to this movement, the fixed side protrusion 69 and the movable side protrusion 71 of the closer body 18 engage with each other, and the closer body 18 and the casing 19 switch to an engaged position shown in Figure 11 in which the fixed engagement body 70 and the movable engagement body 72 engage with each other.

[0053] As described above, when the two engaging bodies 70 and 72 engage, the relative movement in the vertical direction between the closer body 18 and the casing 19 is restricted, so that the door panel 1 that is about to bounce up is received by the upper frame 2A via the casing 19 and the closer body 18, preventing the door panel 1 from bouncing up. After switching to the engaged position, the closer body 18 and the casing 19 automatically return to the separated position by the biasing force of the retainer 32 as the movement speed of the door panel 1 is braked and slowed by the damper 37 while the assisting operation by the assist device 9 continues. In addition, with the fixed engaging body 70 consisting of multiple fixed-side protrusions 69 and the movable engaging body 72 consisting of multiple movable-side protrusions 71, the two engaging bodies 70 and 72 can engage with each other even when the relative position of the closer body 18 and the casing 19 in the vertical direction is changed, so the restraining structure can function regardless of the adjustment of the door panel 1 by the vertical adjustment mechanism 5.

[0054] As described above, in the assist device for the sliding door according to this embodiment, the closer body 18, which includes the left and right guide bodies (rollers) 46, 47 that guide the travel of the upper part of the door panel 1, and the trigger body 34 that is disposed between the guide bodies 46, 47 and engages with the trigger switch device 10 to operate the closer body 18, is supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction relative to the door panel 1, and is configured to be urged towards the guide part 13 by the urging force of the urging body 20 provided between the door panel 1 and the closer body 18. With this, even if the vertical position of the door panel 1 relative to the upper frame 2A is displaced in the approaching or separating direction by the vertical adjustment mechanism 5 of the door roller 3, the urging body 20 absorbs these displacements, and the vertical positional relationship between the upper frame 2A and the closer body 18, i.e., the vertical positional relationship between the trigger switch device 10 and the trigger body 34, can always be kept constant. 1A、2A、3A、3B、4A、4B、5A、5B、6A、6B、7A、7B、8A、8B、9A、9B、10A、11B、12B、13B、14B、15B、16B、17B、18B、18C、18C、19B、20C、21B、22B、23B、24B、25B、26C、27B、28C、29B、29C、29C、30C、29C、31C、29C、32C、29C、33C、29C、34C、29C、34C、29C、31C、29C、32C、29C、33C、29C、34C、29C、34C、29C、31C、29C、32C、29C、33C、29C、34C、29C、31C、29C、32C、29C、33C、29C、34C、29C、31C、29C、29C、31C、29C、29C、32C、29C、33C、29C、34C,29C,31C,32C,41 ...

[0055] In addition, with the above configuration, there is no need to provide a separate structure for adjusting the vertical position of the trigger switching device 10 or the closer main body 18 in order to adjust the vertical positional relationship between the trigger switching device 10 and the trigger body 34 when engaged, which prevents the configuration of the trigger switching device 10 or the closer 11 from becoming complicated, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs and the effort required for assembly of the assist device 9. Furthermore, when attaching the door panel 1 to the opening frame 2 and when adjusting the door panel 1 with the vertical adjustment mechanism 5, there is no need to adjust the positional relationship between the trigger switching device 10 and the closer 11, so the sliding door can be constructed easily and with little effort.

[0056] Since a biasing body 20 is provided between the closer body 18 and the casing 19, simply by fixing the casing 19 to the door panel 1, it is possible to support the closer body 18 so that it can slide up and down relative to the door panel 1, and the closer 11 can be easily assembled to the door panel 1.

[0057] Since the biasing body 20 is provided between the bottom surface of the closer body 18 and the upper surface of the bottom frame 27 of the casing 19 with a biasing force acting in the vertical direction, the biasing force of the biasing body 20 acts in the vertical direction of the sliding displacement of the closer body 18, thereby accurately pressing the closer body 18 against the guide portion 13. Furthermore, stoppers 57 that define the upper limit position of the closer body 18 relative to the casing 19 are provided between the left side surface of the closer body 18 and the left frame 30, and between the right side surface of the closer body 18 and the right frame 31, respectively. The stoppers 57 prevent the casing 19 and the closer body 18 from separating, and the three components of the closer body 18, the casing 19, and the biasing body 20 can be handled as a single unit. Therefore, when the closer 11 alone or the door panel 1 is removed from the opening frame 2, the closer body 18 and the biasing body 20 can be prevented from unintentionally separating from the casing 19. Furthermore, by arranging the biasing body 20 on the underside of the closer main body 18 and the stoppers 57 on the left and right sides of the same, each component can be distributed below and to the left and right of the closer main body 18, eliminating the complexity of the closer 11 caused by components being concentrated on either side.

[0058] The guide body, which is made up of rollers 46 and 47 that roll in the guide groove 13, which is a recessed groove formed in the left-right direction on the underside of the upper frame 2A of the opening frame 2, can reduce the running resistance when the door panel 1 is opened and closed compared to a configuration in which the guide part and the guide body slide against each other to guide the running, so the opening and closing movement operation of the door panel 1 and the assisting operation by the assist device 9 can be performed smoothly. In particular, since the closer main body 18 of this embodiment is pressed against the guide groove 13 by the biasing body 20, reducing the running resistance when the door panel 1 is opened and closed is useful for smooth opening and closing operations of the door panel 1.

[0059] The right roller 47 is formed by a disk-shaped vibration-preventing portion 47A whose thickness is slightly thinner than the groove width dimension in the front-rear direction of the guide groove 13, and front and rear running portions 47B formed by bulging out from the front and rear surfaces of the vibration-preventing portion 47A, so that it is possible to guide the running of the right roller 47 with the vibration-preventing portion 47A inserted into the guide groove 13, and it is possible to prevent the right roller 47 from coming off the guide groove 13.

[0060] Since the trigger switch 10 is provided inside the guide groove 13, the trigger switch 10 is hidden by the guide groove 13, and it is possible to prevent the trigger switch 10 from protruding from the lower surface of the upper frame 2A, improving the appearance of the opening frame 2 and giving the sliding door a neat and tidy impression as a whole.

[0061] The receiving surface 15A of the switching protrusion 15, which comes into contact when the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switch 10, is formed as an inclined surface sloping downward toward the contact surface 62A, and the contact surface 62A of the trigger recess 62 is formed as an inclined surface overhanging toward the receiving surface 15A, so that when the trigger recess 62 comes into contact with the switching protrusion 15, the contact surface 62A hooks onto the receiving surface 15A, allowing the trigger body 34 to be held by the trigger switch 10, and the trigger body 34 can be prevented from shifting downward when the two (the switching protrusion 15 and the trigger recess 62) are engaged. Therefore, the trigger body 34 is prevented from displacing downward when engaging with the trigger switch 10, preventing the trigger body 34 from slipping under the trigger switch 10, ensuring reliable engagement between the two (the trigger switch 10 and the trigger body 34).

[0062] In this embodiment, the biasing body 20 is constituted by a compression coil spring arranged so that one end abuts against the bottom surface of the closer body 18 and the other end abuts against the top surface of the bottom frame 27 of the casing 19. A compression coil spring is less expensive and more durable than other biasing bodies such as leaf springs, and can be installed simply by placing it in a compressed state between a pair of abutment portions, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the closer 11 and improving the assembly of the closer 11. Another advantage is that by selecting a compression coil spring with a different spring constant even if the free length is the same, the biasing force acting on the closer body 18, i.e., the biasing force pressing the closer body 18 against the upper frame 2A, can be easily changed.

[0063] In addition, with the assist device 9 in which the biasing body 20 is made up of a compression coil spring and the closer 11 is provided at the upper end of the door panel 1 on the downstream side in the assist direction, the biasing force of the biasing body 20 suppresses the bouncing of the door panel 1 caused by the moment generated in the door panel 1 due to the slowdown in the moving speed, thereby preventing noise generation and the door roller 3 from coming off the track due to the door panel 1 bouncing up.

[0064]

[0023] If the moving speed of the door panel 1 when the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switch 10 exceeds a predetermined speed, the closer body 18 and the casing 19 are configured to switch from the separated position to the engaged position against the retainer 32, so that the closer body 18 and the casing 19 switching to the engaged position restricts the relative movement of the casing 19 in the vertical direction with respect to the closer body 18. Therefore, the jumping up of the door panel 1 caused by the moment generated in the door panel 1 due to the deceleration of the moving speed as described above can be received and suppressed by the upper frame 2A of the opening frame 2 via the casing 19 and the closer body 18. On the other hand, if the moving speed of the door panel 1 when the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switch 10 is below a predetermined speed, the closer body 18 and the casing 19 are maintained in the separated position, so the closer body 18 and the casing 19 do not move relative to each other, and the assist device 9 smoothly starts assisting the door panel 1. In the normal state, the two engaging bodies 70 and 72 are separated and do not affect the movement of the closer body 18 in relation to the upper frame 2A.

[0065] The retaining body 32 is configured with a compression coil spring whose central axis is disposed in the left-right direction and which urges the closer body 18 and the casing 19 toward the separated position, so that the closer body 18 and the casing 19, which have switched to the engaged position, can be automatically returned to the separated position by the urging force of the compression coil spring. Also, by selecting a compression coil spring with a different spring constant, the movement speed of the door panel 1 when the closer body 18 and the casing 19 switch to the engaged position can be easily changed.

[0066] FIG. 12 shows a modified example of the biasing body 20, which can be configured with a linear damper instead of a compression coil spring. The linear damper includes a hollow cylindrical cylinder 76 and a rod 77 that is retractable relative to the cylinder 76. The rod 77 is biased in the forward direction, and when it retracts into the cylinder 76, it does so while being subjected to resistance from the viscous fluid filled in the cylinder 76. The biasing body 20, which is a linear damper, is arranged so that the cylinder 76 abuts against the bottom surface of the closer main body 18 and the rod 77 abuts against the top surface of the bottom frame 27 of the casing 19, with the rod 77 extending and retracting in the vertical direction. According to the configuration of this modified example, the springing up of the door panel 1 that occurs when the trigger body 34 engages with the trigger switch 10 is suppressed by the damping force exerted by the biasing body 20, which is a linear damper, preventing noise and the door roller 3 from running off due to the springing up of the door panel 1. The vertical direction of the linear damper may be reversed.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the closer 11 of the closing-side assist device 9A(9) and the closer 11 of the opening-side assist device 9B(9) are fixed to the left and right upper ends of the door panel 1, respectively. However, both closers 11 can also be fixed adjacent to one end. Also, only one of the closing-side assist device 9A(9) and the opening-side assist device 9B(9) may be provided. In these cases, a guide roller having a roller biased upward by a spring or the like is provided at the upper end of the door panel 1 opposite the assist device 9, and the assist device 9 and the guide roller guide the movement of the upper part of the door panel 1. The sliding door assist device 9 of the present invention can also be applied to sliding doors in which the wall material 2C closing the right half of the opening frame 2 is eliminated and the opening frame 2 is opened and closed using two door panels 1 arranged at the front and rear. The energy storage spring 36 can be composed of a tension spring or a compression coil spring with constricted portions at both ends where the coil diameter is reduced. The retainer 32 may be a rubber block. The guide portion 13 can be configured as a ridge that protrudes downward from the underside of the upper frame 2A, and in this case, the trigger switching device 10 is fixed to the front or rear side of the ridge-shaped guide portion 13. The guide portion 13 and both guide bodies 46, 47 can be configured as slide rails and slide blocks. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1 door panel 2 Opening frame 2A Upper frame 3 Door Roller 5 Vertical adjustment mechanism 9 (9A·9B) Assist device 10 Trigger switch 11 Closer 13 Guide section (guide groove) 15 Switching protrusion 15A receiving surface 18 Closer body 19 Casing 20 biasing element 27 Bottom frame 30 Left Frame 31 Right frame 32 Holding body 34 Trigger Body 46 Left guide body (left roller) 47 Right guide body (right roller) 57 Stopper 62 Trigger recess 62A Contact surface 70 Fixed engagement body 72 Movable engaging body 76 cylinders 77 Rod

Claims

1. An assisting device for a sliding door assists the movement of a bottom-loaded door panel (1) that is guided by a door roller (3) equipped with a vertical adjustment mechanism (5) to open and close an opening frame (2) toward the stroke end in the left-right direction, The trigger switch (10) is provided on the upper frame (2A) of the opening frame (2), and the closer (11) is provided on the upper part of the door panel (1) and performs an assist operation to move the door panel (1) from the assist start end to the stroke end when the trigger switch (10) is engaged with the door panel. The closer (11) has a closer body (18) that exerts an operating force to move the door panel (1) in the assist operation, The closer body (18) is guided by a guide portion (13) provided on the underside of the upper frame (2A) so as to extend in the left-right direction, and includes left and right guide bodies (46, 47) that guide the upper part of the door panel (1) as it travels, and a trigger body (34) that is disposed between the two guide bodies (46, 47) and engages with the trigger switch (10) to activate the closer body (18). This assist device for a sliding door is characterized in that the closer body (18) is supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction relative to the door panel (1) but not movable in the front-rear direction, and is biased toward the guide part (13) by the biasing force of a biasing body (20) provided between the door panel (1) and the closer body (18).

2. The closer (11) supports the closer body (18) so that it can slide up and down and cannot move back and forth, and includes a casing (19) fixed to the door panel (1); 2. The assist device for a sliding door according to claim 1, wherein a biasing body (20) is provided between the closer body (18) and the casing (19).

3. The casing (19) has a bottom frame (27) disposed below the closer body (18), and left and right frames (30, 31) provided upward from the left and right ends of the bottom frame (27) and disposed on the left and right sides of the closer body (18), The biasing body (20) is provided between the bottom surface of the closer body (18) and the upper surface of the bottom frame (27) of the casing (19) in a state in which a biasing force acts in the vertical direction, 3. A sliding door assist device as described in claim 2, wherein stoppers (57) are provided between the left side surface of the closer body (18) and the left frame (30), and between the right side surface of the closer body (18) and the right frame (31) to define the upper limit of sliding of the closer body (18) relative to the casing (19).

4. The guide portion (13) is configured as a guide groove that is a recessed groove formed in the lower surface of the upper frame (2A) of the opening frame (2) in the left-right direction, 2. The assist device for a sliding door according to claim 1, wherein each of the guide bodies (46, 47) is composed of a roller that rolls in the guide groove (13).

5. 5. The assist device for a sliding door according to claim 4, wherein the trigger switch (10) is provided inside the guide groove (13).

6. The trigger switch (10) has a switch protrusion (15) that protrudes downward, A trigger recess (62) that engages with and disengages from the switching protrusion (15) is formed downward in the upper part of the trigger body (34), When the trigger body (34) engages with the trigger switching device (10), the opposing side surfaces of the trigger switching device (10) and the trigger body (34) come into contact with each other, so that the trigger recess (62) engages with the switching protrusion (15), 2. The assist device for a sliding door according to claim 1, wherein when the contact surfaces of the switching protrusion (15) and the trigger recess (62) are defined as a receiving surface (15A) and a contact surface (62A), respectively, the receiving surface (15A) of the switching protrusion (15) is formed as an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the contact surface (62A), and the contact surface (62A) of the trigger recess (62) is formed as an inclined surface that overhangs toward the receiving surface (15A).

7. 3. The assist device for a sliding door according to claim 2, wherein the biasing body (20) is composed of a compression coil spring arranged so that one end abuts against the bottom surface of the closer body (18) and the other end abuts against the upper surface of the bottom frame (27) of the casing (19).

8. The closer (11) is provided at the upper end of the door panel (1) on the downstream side in the assist direction, The biasing body (20) is composed of a cylinder (76) and a linear damper in which a rod (77) provided so as to be retractable relative to the cylinder (76) is biased toward an advanced position, 3. The assist device for a sliding door according to claim 2, wherein the linear damper is arranged so that either the cylinder (76) or the rod (77) abuts against the bottom surface of the closer body (18) and the other abuts against the top surface of the bottom frame (27) of the casing (19).

9. A fixed engagement body (70) is provided on the closer body (18), and a movable engagement body (72) is provided on the casing (19), The closer body (18) and the casing (19) are configured to be relatively slidable in the left-right direction between a separated position in which both engaging bodies (70, 72) are separated and allow the closer body (18) and the casing (19) to move relative to each other in the up-down direction, and an engaged position in which both engaging bodies (70, 72) are engaged and restrict the relative movement in the up-down direction between the closer body (18) and the casing (19), In a normal state, the casing (19) and the closer body (18) are held in a separated position by the elastic force of a holder (32) provided between the two (19, 18).

3. The assist device for a sliding door according to claim 2, wherein the closer body (18) and the casing (19) are configured to switch to the engaged position against the retaining body (32) when the moving speed of the door panel (1) when the trigger body (34) engages with the trigger switching device (10) exceeds a preset speed.

10. 10. The assist device for a sliding door according to claim 9, wherein the retaining body (32) is a compression coil spring whose central axis is arranged in the left-right direction and which urges the closer body (18) and the casing (19) toward their separated positions.

Images