Door panel suspension structure
The suspension structure for a door panel, featuring a capture unit with a ball shaft and lock mechanism, addresses the challenge of inconsistent height positioning by allowing easy and consistent suspension, ensuring proper alignment without manual adjustment.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2021098043
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-06-11
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-09
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-06-11
AI Technical Summary
Conventional sliding door hanging devices face challenges in consistently hanging the door panel at an appropriate height due to variations in the vertical meshing position of the connecting screw shaft and the inner screw member, leading to instability and difficulty in alignment.
The suspension structure incorporates a capture unit with a ball shaft, a socket portion, a lock arm, and a lock spring, allowing the door panel to be easily suspended by sliding the runner shaft into a suspended position, which is then held by the lock portion, ensuring consistent height positioning.
This solution allows for easy and consistent suspension of the door panel at a predetermined height, eliminating the need for manual adjustment and ensuring proper alignment, even when the door panel is pushed up with varying force.
Smart Images

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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a hanging structure for a door panel supported by a hoist-type runner. [Background technology]
[0002] This type of suspension structure is disclosed, for example, in the sliding door suspension device of Patent Document 1. The sliding door suspension device of Patent Document 1 is composed of a pair of hanger connectors attached to the left and right sides of the upper surface of the door panel (sliding door), a runner (hang roller) guided for opening and closing by a guide rail, and a connecting screw shaft provided on the lower surface of the runner. The hanger connector is composed of a cylindrical housing embedded and fixed to the upper surface of the door panel, a pair of left and right internal screw members arranged inside the housing and supported so as to be able to swing open and close, and a spring that biases the internal screw members to swing in a direction approaching each other. An internal screw surface that meshes with the connecting screw shaft is formed on the opposing surfaces of the pair of internal screw members.
[0003] In Patent Document 1, when hanging a door panel on a runner, the door panel is pushed up toward the guide rail with the hanger connector of the upright supported door panel positioned below the connecting screw shaft of the runner. At this time, the pair of internal thread members are pushed by the connecting screw shaft and swing open in a V-shape, and then the internal thread surface of the internal thread members meshes with the connecting screw shaft, and the door panel is supported in a suspended state by the runner. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-19229 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] In the sliding door suspension device of Patent Document 1, the door panel is pushed up toward the guide rail with the hanger connector on the door panel positioned below the connecting screw shaft on the runner side, and the inner screw member is engaged with the connecting screw shaft of the runner, so that the door panel can be supported in a suspended state. However, the vertical engagement position of the connecting screw shaft on the runner side and the inner screw member on the hanger connector side varies depending on the amount of pushing up of the door panel and is not necessarily constant, so the height of the door panel in the suspended state varies. In addition, when the left and right sides of the door panel are suspended by a pair of runners, the left and right height positions of the door panel are likely to be misaligned. Thus, with the conventional sliding door suspension device, it is not easy to hang the door panel in the correct position, and there is room for improvement in this respect.
[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the problems associated with conventional hanging structures as described above, and aims to provide a door panel hanging structure that can more easily hang a door panel in the correct position. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The hanging structure of the door panel according to the present invention includes a guide rail 3 installed on the upper part of the opening frame 2 and running in the left-right direction, a runner 4 guided by the guide rail 3, and a capture unit 12 fixed to the upper part of the door panel 1 and suspended by the runner shaft 7 of the runner 4. A spherical shaft 8 is provided on the lower part of the runner shaft 7, which is captured by the capture unit 12. The capture unit 12 includes a capture case 15 attached to the door panel 1, a lock arm 22 that can swing up and down around a swing shaft 30 between a lock standby position where the free end is located at the top and an unlocked position where the free end is located at the bottom, and a lock spring 23 that pushes the lock arm 22 up toward the lock standby position. A socket part 21 is formed at the upper end of the capture case 15 to receive the upper half of the spherical shaft 8 of the runner shaft 7 from above. The runner shaft 7 is configured to be slidable in the left-right direction relative to the socket portion 21 between a hanging position in which the upper half of the spherical shaft 8 is received by the socket portion 21 and the capturing unit 12 is captured via the socket portion 21, and an open position in which the engagement between the spherical shaft 8 and the socket portion 21 is released. A lock portion 32 is formed on the upper surface of the free end of the lock arm 22 to hold the runner shaft 7 in the hanging position. .B By pushing up the door panel 1 with the lock arm 22 in the lock standby position positioned below the ball axis 8, the lock arm 22 is swung downward against the biasing force of the lock spring 23, and then the runner shaft 7 moves toward the socket part 21 and displaces to a suspended position, and the suspended position is maintained by the lock part 32 of the lock arm 22 which is biased upward by the lock spring 23, so that the door panel 1 is suspended from the runner 4. A stopper 55 for holding the lock arm 22 in the lock standby position is provided, and the stopper 55 is composed of an arm end 22a of the lock arm 22 and a vertical wall 21a continuing to the socket portion 21.
[0008] Within the capture unit 12, the socket portion 21, the lock arm 22, and the swing shaft 30 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction in the order listed, and a passive portion 33 is formed on the left-right side of the swing shaft 30 above the lock portion 32 on the upper surface of the free end of the lock arm 22, which is received by the underside of the spherical shaft 8 when the door panel 1 is pushed up.
[0009] An unlocking portion 36 is provided on the upper portion of the locking arm 22, and when the locking arm 22 is in a locked position that maintains the suspended posture of the runner shaft 7, the unlocking portion 36 protrudes upward from the upper opening of the capture case 15.
[0010] The spherical axis 8 is formed in a hemispherical shape, and a flat operation surface 19 is provided on its underside, which abuts against a passive portion 33 of the lock arm 22. The socket portion 21 is formed as a partially concave spherical surface that closely contacts the circumferential surface of the spherical axis 8. The lock portion 32 is formed of a regulating surface 34 that is received by the operation surface 19 of the spherical axis 8, and a partially concave spherical lock wall 35 that closely contacts the lower portion of the circumferential surface of the spherical axis 8.
[0011] A stopper portion 28 that is received by the operating surface 19 of the spherical axis 8 is formed on the underside of the socket portion 21, and by receiving the stopper portion 28 on the operating surface 19 of the spherical axis 8, the floating of the socket portion 21 relative to the runner axis 7 after the runner axis 7 moves toward the socket portion 21 is restricted.
[0012] At the upper opening of the capture case 15, there are formed a shaft groove 24 for receiving the round shaft portion 7a of the runner shaft 7, and a spherical shaft hole 25 for allowing the spherical shaft 8 to move in and out.
[0014] A unit case 13 is embedded and fixed in the door panel 1, and a capture case 15 is supported so as to be movable only up and down in a lift recess 14 provided in the unit case 13. A vertical adjustment structure is provided between the unit case 13 and the capture case 15 to adjust the vertical height of the door panel 1. Effect of the Invention
[0015] In the hanging structure of the present invention, a spherical shaft 8 that is captured by a capturing unit 12 is provided at the lower part of the runner shaft 7, and a capture case 15 having a socket portion 21 that receives the upper half of the spherical shaft 8 of the runner shaft 7 from above the capture unit 12, a lock arm 22 that can swing up and down around a swing axis 30 between a lock standby position and an unlocked position, and a lock spring 23 that urges the lock arm 22 upward toward the lock standby position. By pushing up the door panel 1 with the lock arm 22 in the lock standby position positioned below the spherical shaft 8, the lock arm 22 is swung downward against the urging force of the lock spring 23, and then the runner shaft 7 is displaced to a hanging position, and the hanging position is maintained by the lock portion 32 of the lock arm 22 that is urged upward by the lock spring 23, so that the door panel 1 is suspended from the runner 4. According to the hanging structure configured as above, the capture unit 12 fixed to the door panel 1 can be hung on the runner shaft 7 of the runner 4 simply by pushing up the door panel 1, so the door panel 1 can be hung easily. In addition, the height position of the door panel 1 hung on the runner shaft 7 is uniquely determined based on the height position of the spherical shaft 8, so even if there is a difference in the amount of pushing up the door panel 1, the hanging height of the door panel 1 relative to the runner 4 when hung on the runner shaft 7 can always be constant. In addition, when the door panel 1 is hung by the runner shaft 7 of a pair of left and right runners 4 and the capture unit 12, it is easy to align the left and right height positions of the door panel 1 and hang the door panel 1 horizontally, so that the door panel 1 can be hung in the correct position more easily.
[0016] A passive part 33 is formed on the swing shaft 30 side in the left-right direction above the lock part 32 on the top surface of the free end of the lock arm 22, which is received by the underside of the spherical shaft 8 when the door panel 1 is pushed up. According to this, when the door panel 1 is pushed up with the passive part 33 of the lock arm 22 in the lock standby position positioned below the spherical shaft 8, the lock arm 22 swings around the swing shaft 30 toward the unlocked position where the free end is lowered, and at the same time, the passive part 33 is displaced to an inclined posture. When the passive part 33 is displaced to an inclined posture in this way, a lateral component force can be applied to the spherical shaft 8 away from the swing shaft 30 toward the socket part 21, so that the runner 4 can be moved left-right by this component force, and the runner shaft 7 can be slid toward the socket part 21, so that the runner shaft 7 can be put into a suspended posture, and in addition, the runner shaft 7 in the suspended posture can be held by the lock part 32. As described above, the runner shaft 7 can be automatically displaced to the hanging position simply by pushing up the door panel 1, so there is no need to slide the runner 4 or the runner shaft 7, and the door panel 1 can be hung in the correct position with less effort.
[0017] If an unlocking part 36 is provided on the upper part of the lock arm 22, and when the lock arm 22 is in the locked position, the unlocking part 36 protrudes upward from the upper opening of the capture case 15. By pushing down the unlocking part 36 protruding upward from the capture case 15 while supporting the weight of the door panel 1, the connection between the door panel 1 and the runner shaft 7 can be released, and the door panel 1 can be separated from the runner shaft 7. This makes it easy to separate the door panel 1. In addition, after the connection between the door panel 1 and the runner shaft 7 is released, the door panel 1 can be slowly lowered to the floor while being supported, so that even if the door panel 1 is heavy, a single worker can safely and easily remove the door panel 1 from the runner 4.
[0018] When the spherical axis 8 is formed in a hemispherical shape and a flat operation surface 19 that contacts the passive part 33 of the lock arm 22 is provided on its lower surface, the area of the operation surface 19 can be made larger than when the spherical axis 8 is formed in a spherical shape, so that even if there is a slight misalignment between the position of the passive part 33 of the lock arm 22 and the position of the operation surface 19, the passive part 33 can be more reliably placed on the operation surface 19, and the hanging operation of the door panel 1 can be performed reliably and easily. When the socket part 21 is formed of a partially concave spherical surface that is in close contact with the circumferential surface of the spherical axis 8 and the lock part 32 is formed of a regulating surface 34 that receives the operation surface 19 of the spherical axis 8 and a partially concave spherical lock wall 35 that is in close contact with the lower part of the circumferential surface of the spherical axis 8, the spherical axis 8 can be reliably held by the regulating surface 34 and the lock part 32, so that the runner axis 7 can be prevented from being inadvertently displaced from the hanging position to the release position.
[0019] A configuration can be adopted in which a stopper portion 28 is formed on the underside of the socket portion 21, which is received by the operation surface 19 of the spherical shaft 8 after the runner shaft 7 slides into the socket portion 21. With this, the stopper portion 28 is received by the operation surface 19 of the spherical shaft 8, which restricts the upward movement limit of the socket portion 21 relative to the runner shaft 7 after the runner shaft 7 slides into the socket portion 21, thereby preventing the door panel 1 from being unnecessarily pushed up. Therefore, the work of hanging the door panel 1 can be performed more easily and quickly.
[0020] If the upper opening of the capture case 15 is formed with an axis groove 24 for receiving the round axis portion 7a of the runner axis 7 and a spherical axis hole 25 for allowing the spherical axis 8 to move in and out, when the door panel 1 is hung, the spherical axis 8 and the spherical axis hole 25 guide each other, and the passive part 33 can be accurately placed on the operation surface 19. In addition, when the spherical axis 8 is locked and held by the socket part 21 and the lock part 32, the round axis portion 7a of the runner axis 7 is received by the axis groove 24, and the runner axis 7 can be restricted from tilting back and forth.
[0021] When the stopper 55 that holds the lock arm 22 in the lock standby position is composed of the arm end 22a of the lock arm 22 and the vertical wall 21a continuing from the socket portion 21, the structure can be simplified and this contributes to cost reduction of the capture unit 12 compared to when the stopper 55 is composed of a pair of separate members that abut or engage with each other.
[0022] The lifting recess 14 of the unit case 13, which is embedded and fixed in the door panel 1, supports the capture case 15 so that it can only move up and down, and a vertical adjustment structure is provided between the unit case 13 and the capture case 15 to adjust the vertical height of the door panel 1. With such a vertical adjustment structure provided, the hanging height of the door panel 1 can be adjusted, so that the gap between the guide rail 3 and the door panel 1, or the gap between the floor surface and the door panel 1 can be easily and accurately adjusted as needed.
[0023] The up-down adjustment structure is composed of a pair of front and rear slide plates 38, a connecting block 39 that connects the slide plates 38, a cam pin 40 and an inclined cam 41 formed on the capture case 15 and the slide plate 38, and an adjustment mechanism 42 that moves the connecting block 39 and the slide plate 38 left and right. According to this, by moving the connecting block 39 and the slide plate 38 with the adjustment mechanism 42, the engagement height of the cam pin 40 and the inclined cam 41 can be adjusted to change the height of the capture case 15 relative to the unit case 13, and the hanging height of the door panel 1 can be adjusted. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view showing the door panel suspension structure according to the embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state in which the runner shaft is in a suspension position. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the door panel and guide rail. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5]11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a state in which a ball shaft is locked and held by a socket portion and a lock portion. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 4 is a vertical sectional front view showing the socket portion, the vertical wall, and the stopper portion. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view of the up / down adjustment structure. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 8. [Figure 11] 13(a) to 13(c) are explanatory diagrams showing the hanging operation of the door panel. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the door panel is separated from the runner shaft. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a front view showing another embodiment of a door panel hanging structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] An embodiment of the door panel suspension structure according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 12. As shown in Fig. 2, this embodiment shows an example in which the door panel suspension structure is applied to a "sliding door" that opens and closes the entrance of a walk-in closet or a storage room facing the interior of a room with a single door panel 1. In this embodiment, the front, back, left, right, and up and down refer to the crossed arrows shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 and the indications of front, back, left, right, and up and down written near each arrow.
[0026] In FIG. 2, a guide rail 3 that runs in the left-right direction and guides the door panel 1 to open and close is fixed to the upper part of the opening frame 2 installed at the entrance, and a pair of left and right runners 4 that suspend the door panel 1 are arranged inside the guide rail 3. The runner 4 includes a runner body 5, four rollers 6 arranged on the left and right of the front and rear surfaces of the runner body 5, and a runner shaft 7 supported by the runner body 5. The runner shaft 7 is integrally equipped with a round shaft portion 7a, a flange portion 7b formed on the upper end of the round shaft portion 7a, and a hemispherical spherical shaft 8 formed on the lower end of the round shaft portion 7a, and the round shaft portion 7a and the flange portion 7b are supported by the runner body 5 so that they can rotate freely but cannot move up and down. As shown in FIG. 3, the runner body 5 is formed by dividing it into a front body 5a and a rear body 5b, and a shaft recess 9 that receives the round shaft portion 7a and the flange portion 7b is formed on the joint surface of the front and rear bodies 5a and 5b. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1a denotes a handle, and 10 denotes a vibration-proof pin fixed to the floor surface.
[0027] The capture unit 12 suspended by each runner shaft 7 is embedded and fixed to the upper left and right sides of the door panel 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the capture unit 12 includes a horizontally long unit case 13 embedded and fixed to the door panel 1, a horizontally long capture case 15 supported by a lift recess 14 of the unit case 13 so that it can move up and down, and a vertical adjustment structure arranged adjacent to the capture case 15. The unit case 13 is divided into an upper case 13a and a lower case 13b made of plastic molding, and both cases 13a and 13b are fitted into a case recess 17 formed in the door panel 1 and fastened and fixed by vertical case screws 18 screwed into the door panel 1 from both ends. In this state, the upper surface of the unit case 13 is flush with the upper surface of the door panel 1. A flat operation surface 19 is formed on the lower surface of the hemispherical spherical shaft 8, and when the door panel 1 is suspended, the operation surface 19 presses down and operates a lock arm 22, which will be described later. In addition, Figure 1 and other figures show the runner 4 and capture unit 12 located on the left side of the door panel 1, and these will be used to explain the hanging structure, but it should be noted that the runner 4 and capture unit 12 located on the right side of the door panel 1 have the same structure. It should also be noted that the dimensions of each part, such as the length dimension of the runner shaft 7 of the runner 4, are set to be the same on the left and right.
[0028] As shown in Fig. 4, the capture case 15 is divided into a front case 15a and a rear case 15b made of plastic molding, and a socket part 21 for capturing the spherical shaft 8 of the runner shaft 7, a lock arm 22, and a lock spring 23 for pushing up and biasing the lock arm 22 are assembled between the two cases 15a and 15b. As shown in Fig. 7, the socket part 21 is formed in a partially concave spherical shape that closely contacts roughly the left half of the circumferential surface of the spherical shaft 8, and is provided at the left end of the upper part of the inner surface of the capture case 15. A stopper part 28 that is received by the operation surface 19 of the spherical shaft 8 is formed on the lower side of the socket part 21. The upper opening of the capture case 15 that houses the lock arm 22 is formed with a shaft groove 24 that receives the round shaft part 7a of the runner shaft 7 and a spherical shaft hole 25 that allows the spherical shaft 8 to move in and out (see Fig. 6). A spring receiving hole 26 for accommodating a lock spring 23 made of a compression coil spring is formed at the bottom of the joint between the front and rear cases 15a and 15b. The front and rear cases 15a and 15b are integrated together by four side case screws 27 that are screwed into the front case 15a.
[0029] In Fig. 4, a swing shaft 30 is integrally formed on the front and rear of the right end of the lock arm 22, which is elongated from left to right and made of a plastic molded product, and the swing shaft 30 is supported by a support hole 31 formed in the front and rear cases 15a and 15b, so that the lock arm 22 is supported so as to be swingable up and down between an upper lock standby position (a state shown in Fig. 11(a)) and a lower unlocked position (a state shown in Fig. 12). On the upper surface of the free end of the lock arm 22, a lock part 32 for holding the runner shaft 7 in a suspended position (described later) and a passive part 33 that is received by the lower surface of the spherical shaft 8 when the door panel 1 is pushed up are formed. The passive part 33 is formed above the lock part 32 and is formed on the swing shaft 30 side (right side) of the lock part 32, and the passive part 33 and the lock part 32 form the upper surface of the free end of the lock arm 22 in a downward stepped shape toward the left. When the socket portion 21, the lock arm 22, and the oscillating shaft 30 are viewed from the front inside the capture case 15, they are arranged side by side from left to right in the order shown: socket portion 21, lock arm 22, and oscillating shaft 30 (see Figure 1, etc.).
[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, the locking portion 32 is formed of a flat regulating surface 34 that is in close contact with the operating surface 19 of the spherical shaft 8, and a locking wall 35 that is in close contact with the lower peripheral surface of the spherical shaft 8 and has a partially concave spherical shape. An unlocking portion 36 is protruded from the middle of the upper surface of the locking arm 22 (see FIG. 1). When the locking arm 22 is in the locking position (the state shown in FIG. 1), the unlocking portion 36 protrudes upward from the upper opening of the capture case 15, and when the locking arm 22 is in the locking standby position, the unlocking portion 36 protrudes further upward from the upper opening of the capture case 15. When the locking arm 22 is in the locking standby position, the upward swing of the locking arm 22 is restricted by a stopper 55 provided between the capture case 15 and the locking arm 22. In this embodiment, the arm end 22a of the locking arm 22, which is pushed upward by the locking spring 23, abuts against the vertical wall 21a that is continuous with the socket portion 21, so that the locking arm 22 is held in the locking standby position. That is, the stopper 55 is formed by the arm end 22 a of the lock arm 22 and a vertical wall 21 a continuing to the socket portion 21 .
[0031] In the suspension structure configured as described above, the runner shaft 7 is configured to be able to slide relatively in the left-right direction with respect to the socket portion 21 between a suspension position (Figure 1) in which the upper half of the spherical shaft 8 is received in an engaged state by the socket portion 21 and captures the capture unit 12 via the socket portion 21, and an open position (Figure 11(b)) in which the engagement between the spherical shaft 8 and the socket portion 21 is released.
[0032] 4, 8, 9, and 10, the vertical adjustment structure includes a pair of front and rear slide plates 38, 38 arranged between the front and rear surfaces of the capture case 15 and the lift recess 14, a connecting block 39 arranged between the right ends of the two slide plates 38 to connect the two slide plates 38 so that they can move together, a cam pin 40 and an inclined cam 41 formed on the front and rear surfaces of the capture case 15 and both slide plates 38, and an adjustment mechanism 42 provided between the unit case 13 and the connecting block 39 to move the connecting block 39 and both slide plates 38 left and right. In this embodiment, the inclined cam 41 is formed on each slide plate 38 formed of a stainless steel thin plate, and the cam pin 40 is protruding from the front and rear surfaces of the capture case 15. The connecting block 39 is made of a rectangular plastic molded product, and has long connecting ribs 43 protruding from its front and rear surfaces, and an engagement hole 44 for engaging an adjustment screw shaft 47 described later is formed in the center of the block in an upwardly opening state. Further, an engagement groove 45 for engaging with the connecting rib 43 is formed near the right end of the slide plate 38 .
[0033] In FIG. 1, the adjustment mechanism 42 includes an adjustment screw shaft 47 connected to the connecting block 39, an adjustment nut 48 supported by the unit case 13 so as to be rotatable only and meshed with the adjustment screw shaft 47, a pair of bevel gears 49 and 50 assembled in the unit case 13 to rotate the adjustment nut 48, and an adjustment shaft 51 integrally provided with the bevel gear 49 on the operating side and protruding from the upper surface of the unit case 13. In this embodiment, the adjustment nut 48 and the driven bevel gear 50 are integrally formed, and the adjustment nut 48 and the bevel gear 50 are housed in a nut recess 52 formed between the upper and lower cases 13a and 13b. The adjustment screw shaft 47 is formed in the shape of a hexagonal bolt, and its operating head is non-rotatably engaged with the engagement hole 44 of the connecting block 39. The adjustment shaft 51 formed integrally with the bevel gear 49 on the operating side is formed in the shape of a hexagonal shaft, and the opposing sides of the protruding base end are sandwiched and held by a pair of front and rear elastic walls 53 (see FIG. 9). The elastic wall 53 is formed as a part of the upper case 13a, and functions as a detent that restricts the adjustment shaft 51 from rotating freely and also receives the opposing side of the adjustment shaft 51 that has been rotated and adjusted.
[0034] The method of hanging the door panel 1 in the hanging structure configured as above will be described with reference to Figures 11(a)-(c) and Figure 1. Note that in Figures 11 and 1, the method of hanging the capture unit 12 installed on the left side of the door panel 1 from the runner shaft 7 of the left runner 4 will be described, but the same applies to the capture unit 12 and runner 4 installed on the right side of the door panel 1.
[0035] First, as shown in FIG. 11(a), the door panel 1 is raised and the passive part 33 of the lock arm 22 is positioned directly below the runner shaft 7. At this time, the lock arm 22 is in the lock standby position and protrudes largely from the upper opening of the capture case 15, so by adjusting the position of the door panel 1 using the vertical wall continuing to the passive part 33 as a guide, the passive part 33 can be positioned almost directly below the operation surface 19 of the spherical shaft 8. Next, when the door panel 1 is pushed up toward the guide rail 3, the operation surface 19 comes into contact with the passive part 33, and the runner 4 rises together with the door panel 1. As shown in FIG. 11(b), when the door panel 1 is further pushed up from the state in which the roller 6 of the runner 4 is received by the upper wall of the guide rail 3, the passive part 33 received by the operation surface 19 is displaced downward relative to the operation surface 19, and as a result, the lock arm 22 is tilted in the counterclockwise direction around the swing shaft 30 while resisting the urging force of the lock spring 23. When the lock arm 22 tilts until the passive part 33 is inclined downward toward the socket part 21, a lateral (leftward) component force toward the socket part 21 as shown by the white arrow acts on the operation surface 19 of the spherical axle 8, causing the runner 4 to move laterally in the direction of the white arrow (leftward), and as a result, as shown in Figure 11(c), the runner axle 7 slides to enter the shaft groove 24 of the socket part 21 through the spherical axle hole 25. Also, as shown in Figure 11(c), when the runner axle 7 slides toward the socket part 21, the stopper part 28 is received by the operation surface 19 of the spherical axle 8, restricting the upward movement limit of the socket part 21 and the door panel 1.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 11(c), when the pushing-up force of the door panel 1 is released from the state in which the runner shaft 7 has been slid into the socket portion 21, the door panel 1 descends under its own weight, so that the upper half of the spherical shaft 8 is received by the socket portion 21 in an engaged state as shown in FIG. 1, and the runner shaft 7 assumes a suspended position to capture the capture unit 12 through the socket portion 21. When the door panel 1 descends under its own weight, a rightward component force acts on the spherical shaft 8, but this component force is received by the lock portion 32 (lock wall 35) of the lock arm 22, which is pushed up by the lock spring 23, so the runner shaft 7 does not slide in the direction of coming out of the socket portion 21 to the right, and the runner shaft 7 is held in a suspended position by the lock arm 22. In addition, the round shaft portion 7a of the runner shaft 7 is received by the shaft groove 24, so that the runner shaft 7 is restricted from tilting forward and backward. In this manner, in the suspension structure of this embodiment, by simply pushing up the door panel 1 with the passive part 33 of the lock arm 22 positioned below the spherical axis 8, the runner shaft 7 slides toward the socket part 21, and then the pushing-up force of the door panel 1 is released to place the runner shaft 7 in a suspension position. The suspension position is maintained by the lock part 32 of the lock arm 22, which is in the locked position and biased upward by the lock spring 23.
[0037] When the door panel 1 is suspended from the runner shaft 7 of the left and right runners 4 in the above procedure, the suspension height of the door panel 1 by the left and right ball shafts 8 is the same, so the door panel 1 can be suspended horizontally. In other words, the door panel 1 can be suspended correctly horizontally just by connecting the socket parts 21 of the left and right capture units 12 to the ball shaft 8, and there is no need to adjust the height (to make the door panel 1 horizontal) after the door panel 1 is suspended. In addition, the gap between the door panel 1 suspended by the runners 4 and the guide rail 3 does not become unnecessarily large. However, if the gap between the floor surface and the door panel 1, or between the door panel 1 and the guide rail 3 is large, the adjustment shaft 51, which is the operating element of the vertical adjustment mechanism that adjusts the vertical height of the door panel 1, can be rotated with a wrench or the like to easily adjust and optimize the gap.
[0038] When maintenance of the runner 4 or capture unit 12 is required, all that is required is to insert a tool such as a screwdriver between the unlocking portion 36 of the locking arm 22 and the guide rail 3, and push down the locking arm 22 to the unlocking position as shown in Fig. 12, thereby separating the locking portion 32 from the spherical axis 8. At this time, the weight of the door panel 1 acts on the socket portion 21, so the socket portion 21 tries to slide down along the circumferential surface of the spherical axis 8. Therefore, by simply slowly lowering the bottom corner of the door panel 1 to the floor, the socket portion 21 can be separated from the spherical axis 8, and the connection between the capture unit 12 and the runner 4 can be released.
[0039] As described above, according to the hanging structure of this embodiment, the door panel 1 can be hung on the runner shaft 7 of the runner 4 simply by pushing up the door panel 1, so the door panel 1 can be hung easily. In addition, since the height position of the door panel 1 hung on the runner shaft 7 is uniquely determined based on the height position of the spherical shaft 8, by setting the length dimensions of the runner shafts 7 of the left and right runners 4 to the same dimension, the left and right height positions of the door panel 1 can be aligned, the door panel 1 can be hung horizontally, and the door panel 1 can be hung in the correct position more easily.
[0040] A passive part 33 that is received by the underside of the spherical axis 8 when the door panel 1 is pushed up is formed on the side of the swing shaft 30 in the left-right direction above the lock part 32 on the top surface of the free end of the lock arm 22. When the door panel 1 is pushed up with the passive part 33 of the lock arm 22 in the lock standby position positioned below the spherical axis 8, the lock arm 22 is swung toward the unlocked position where the free end is lowered, and at the same time, the passive part 33 can be displaced to an inclined posture. When the passive part 33 is displaced to an inclined posture in this way, a lateral component force can be applied to the spherical axis 8 away from the swing shaft 30 toward the socket part 21. This component force can move the runner 4 in the left-right direction, slide the runner shaft 7 toward the socket part 21, and place the runner shaft 7 in a suspended posture. In addition, the runner shaft 7 in the suspended posture can be held by the lock part 32. As described above, according to the door panel hanging structure of this embodiment, the runner axis 7 can be automatically displaced into the hanging position simply by pushing up the door panel 1, eliminating the need for sliding displacement of the runner 4 or runner axis 7, and allowing the door panel 1 to be hung in the correct position with less effort.
[0041] When the lock arm 22 is in the locked position, the unlocking part 36 protrudes upward from the upper opening of the capture case 15, so that by pushing down the unlocking part 36 while supporting the weight of the door panel 1, the connection between the door panel 1 and the runner shaft 7 can be released and the door panel 1 can be separated from the runner shaft 7. This makes it easy to separate the door panel 1. In addition, after the connection between the door panel 1 and the runner shaft 7 is released, the door panel 1 can be slowly lowered to the floor while being supported, so that even if the door panel 1 is heavy, a single worker can safely and easily remove the door panel 1 from the runner 4.
[0042] The spherical shaft 8 is formed in a hemispherical shape, and a flat operation surface 19 that contacts the passive part 33 of the lock arm 22 is provided on its lower surface, so that the area of the operation surface 19 can be made larger than when the spherical shaft 8 is formed in a spherical shape. According to this, even if there is some misalignment between the position of the passive part 33 of the lock arm 22 and the position of the operation surface 19, the passive part 33 can be more reliably applied to the operation surface 19, so that the hanging operation of the door panel 1 can be performed reliably and easily. The socket part 21 is formed of a partially concave spherical surface that is in close contact with the circumferential surface of the spherical shaft 8, and the lock part 32 is formed of a regulating surface 34 that receives the operation surface 19 of the spherical shaft 8 and a partially concave spherical lock wall 35 that is in close contact with the lower part of the circumferential surface of the spherical shaft 8, so that the spherical shaft 8 can be reliably held by the regulating surface 34 and the lock part 32. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the runner shaft 7 from being inadvertently displaced from the hanging position to the release position.
[0043] Since a stopper portion 28 is formed on the underside of the socket portion 21, which is received by the operating surface 19 of the ball shaft 8 after the runner shaft 7 slides into the socket portion 21, it is possible to regulate the upward movement limit of the socket portion 21 relative to the runner shaft 7 after the runner shaft 7 slides into the socket portion 21. This prevents the door panel 1 from being pushed up unnecessarily, making it easier and faster to hang the door panel 1.
[0044] The upper opening of the capture case 15 is formed with a shaft groove 24 for receiving the round shaft portion 7a of the runner shaft 7 and a spherical shaft hole 25 for allowing the spherical shaft 8 to move in and out, so that when the door panel 1 is hung, the spherical shaft 8 and the spherical shaft hole 25 guide each other, allowing the passive part 33 to be accurately placed on the operating surface 19. In addition, when the spherical shaft 8 is locked and held by the socket part 21 and the lock part 32, the round shaft portion 7a of the runner shaft 7 is received by the shaft groove 24, and the runner shaft 7 can be restricted from tilting back and forth.
[0045] The stopper 55, which holds the lock arm 22 in the lock standby position, is composed of the arm end 22a of the lock arm 22 and the vertical wall 21a continuing from the socket portion 21. This simplifies the structure and contributes to cost reduction of the capturing unit 12 compared to a case in which the stopper 55 is composed of a pair of separate members that abut or engage with each other.
[0046] The lifting recess 14 of the unit case 13 embedded and fixed in the door panel 1 supports the capture case 15 so that it can only move up and down, and an up and down adjustment structure is provided between the unit case 13 and the capture case 15 to adjust the up and down height of the door panel 1, so that the gap between the guide rail 3 and the door panel 1, or the gap between the floor surface and the door panel 1, can be easily and accurately adjusted as needed.
[0047] The adjustment mechanism 42 is composed of an adjustment screw shaft 47, an adjustment nut 48 that meshes with the shaft 47, a pair of bevel gears 49 and 50 that rotate the adjustment nut 48, and an adjustment shaft 51 that protrudes from the upper surface of the unit case 13, so that the hanging height of the door panel 1 can be easily adjusted by rotating the adjustment shaft 51 while the door panel 1 is suspended by the runner 4. In addition, the rotational movement of the adjustment shaft 51 is converted by the pair of bevel gears 49 and 50, and the bevel gear 50 and the adjustment nut 48 are rotated to move the adjustment screw shaft 47 laterally, so that the adjustment screw shaft 47 is prevented from moving laterally due to external forces or impact forces acting on the door panel 1, and the hanging height can be prevented from changing when the door panel 1 is opened or closed.
[0048] The protruding base end of the hexagonal adjustment shaft 51 is sandwiched and held by a pair of elastic walls 53 provided on the unit case 13, so that when the adjustment shaft 51 is rotated, the elastic walls 53 elastically deform to allow the adjustment shaft 51 to rotate, and the opposing sides of the adjustment shaft 51 after rotation adjustment are sandwiched and held by the pair of elastic walls 53 to restrict the rotation of the adjustment shaft 51. This prevents the adjustment shaft 51 from being rotated and displaced by external forces or impact forces acting on the door panel 1, and more reliably prevents the suspension height from changing when the door panel 1 is opened or closed.
[0049] The unit case 13 is divided into an upper case 13a and a lower case 13b, and both ends of the cases 13a and 13b are fastened to the door panel 1 with vertical case screws 18. Between the joint surfaces of the upper case 13a and the lower case 13b, the adjustment screw shaft 47, the adjustment nut 48, a pair of bevel gears 49 and 50, and the connecting block 39 are arranged, so that the movable parts from the bevel gear 49 operated by the adjustment shaft 51 to the adjustment screw shaft 47 are accommodated between the upper case 13a and the lower case 13b, preventing foreign matter from getting caught in the movable parts and dust from adhering to them, and the height adjustment of the door panel 1 by the adjustment mechanism 42 can always be performed in a stable state. In addition, the movable parts from the bevel gear 49 to the adjustment screw shaft 47 can be quickly and easily assembled to the unit case 13.
[0050] Fig. 13 shows another embodiment of the hanging structure of the door panel. In the hanging structure of Fig. 13, the door panel 1 is hung by a pair of runners 4 on the left and right, and the runner shaft 7 of the runner 4 on the closed end side of the door panel 1 hangs the capture case 15 embedded in the door panel 1. The open end side of the door panel 1 is hung by a conventionally known hanging structure, and the runner base 58 assembled to the runner shaft 7 of the runner 4 is attached to a runner holder 59 fixed to the door panel 1 to hang the door panel 1. The runner holder 59 is buried and fixed in the upper corner of the open end side of the door panel 1, and the runner base 58 is attached by sliding and engaging with the runner holder 59 sideways, and is fixed and held by a lock structure provided between them. Between the capture case 15 and the closed end of the door panel 1, a rod 61 is provided to lock and hold the door panel 1 in the closed position, and a rod receiver (not shown) to which the rod 61 is engaged is fixed to the closed end of the guide rail 3. With the door panel 1 closed, the rod 61 can be engaged with and disengaged from the rod receiver by operating the rod 61 up and down with a rod operating tool (not shown). Since the other structures are the same as those of the previous embodiment, the same members are given the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted.
[0051] When hanging the door panel 1, the door panel 1 is raised and the open end of the door panel 1 is raised and supported, and the runner base 58 attached to the runner shaft 7 of the runner 4 on the open end side is engaged and attached to the runner holder 59. Next, the door panel 1 is supported against vibration with the vibration-proof pin 10, and then the capture case 15 is positioned directly below the runner shaft 7 on the closed end side of the door panel 1. Finally, the door panel 1 is pushed up toward the guide rail 3, whereby the ball shaft 8 is locked and held by the socket part 21 and the lock part 32 of the lock arm 22.
[0052] As described above, in the hanging structure according to another embodiment, the capture unit 12 provided on one side of the top surface of the door panel 1 is hung by the ball shaft 8 of one runner shaft 7, and the runner stand 58 attached to the other runner shaft 7 is attached to the runner holder 59 provided on the door panel 1 to hang the door panel 1. In this way, the hanging structure of the present invention may be implemented in a form in which the door panel 1 is supported in combination with a conventionally known hanging structure.
[0053] In addition to the above, the spherical axis 8 does not have to be hemispherical, and may be formed into a circular sphere or even an elliptical sphere. The stopper 55 can be composed of the arm end 22a of the lock arm 22 and a horizontal step formed on the vertical wall 21a continuing to the socket part 21. An inclined cam 41 may be formed on the capture case 15, and a cam pin 40 may be provided on the slide plate 38. The adjustment shaft 51 may be exposed on the front and rear surfaces of the door panel 1, perpendicular to the adjustment screw shaft 47. [Explanation of symbols]
[0054] 1 Door Panel 3 Guide rail 4Runner 7 Runner axis 8 Ball axis 12 Acquisition Unit 13 Unit Case 14 Lifting recess 15 Capture Case 19 Operation surface 21 Socket section 22 Lock Arm 23 Lock spring 28 Stopper part 32 Rock Club 33 Passive Part 34 Regulatory aspects 35 Rock Wall 36 Unlocking section 38 Slide plate 39 Connecting Blocks 40 Campin 41 Inclined Cam 42 Adjustment mechanism 47 Adjustment screw shaft 48 Adjustment nut 49·50 Bevel gear 51 Adjustment axis
Claims
1. A suspension structure for a door panel includes a guide rail (3) that is installed on the upper part of an opening frame (2) and runs in the left-right direction, a runner (4) that is guided for opening and closing by the guide rail (3), and a capture unit (12) that is fixed to the upper part of the door panel (1) and suspended by a runner shaft (7) of the runner (4), A ball shaft (8) is provided at the lower part of the runner shaft (7) and is captured by a capture unit (12). The capture unit (12) includes a capture case (15) attached to the door panel (1), a lock arm (22) that can swing up and down around a swing shaft (30) between a lock standby position where its free end is located upward and an unlocked position where its free end is located downward, and a lock spring (23) that pushes up and biases the lock arm (22) toward the lock standby position, A socket portion (21) is formed at the upper end of the capture case (15) to receive the upper half of the ball shaft (8) of the runner shaft (7) from above. The runner shaft (7) is configured to be slidable in the left-right direction relative to the socket portion (21) between a hanging position in which the upper half of the spherical shaft (8) is received in the socket portion (21) and the runner shaft (7) captures the capture unit (12) via the socket portion (21) and an open position in which the engagement between the spherical shaft (8) and the socket portion (21) is released. A lock portion (32) for holding the runner shaft (7) in a suspended position is formed on the upper surface of the free end of the lock arm (22). By pushing up the door panel (1) with the lock arm (22) in the lock standby position positioned below the spherical axis (8), the lock arm (22) is swung downward against the biasing force of the lock spring (23), and then the runner axis (7) slides toward the socket portion (21) and displaces into a suspended position. The suspended position is maintained by the lock portion (32) of the lock arm (22) which is biased upward by the lock spring (23), so that the door panel (1) is suspended from the runner (4). A stopper (55) is provided for holding the lock arm (22) in a lock standby position, A door panel suspension structure characterized in that the stopper (55) is composed of an arm end (22a) of the lock arm (22) and a vertical wall (21a) continuing to the socket portion (21).
2. In the capture unit (12), a socket portion (21), a lock arm (22), and a swing shaft (30) are arranged in the left-right direction in the order shown.
2. The door panel suspension structure according to claim 1, wherein a passive portion (33) is formed on the left-right side of the swing shaft (30) above the lock portion (32) on the upper surface of the free end of the lock arm (22), which is received by the underside of the spherical shaft (8) when the door panel (1) is pushed up.
3. An unlocking portion (36) is provided on the upper portion of the lock arm (22), 3. A door panel suspension structure as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein when the lock arm (22) is in a locked position that maintains the suspension posture of the runner shaft (7), the lock release portion (36) protrudes upward from the upper opening of the capture case (15).
4. The spherical axis (8) is formed in a hemispherical shape, and a flat operating surface (19) that comes into contact with the passive portion (33) of the lock arm (22) is provided on its lower surface. The socket portion (21) is formed of a partially concave spherical surface that is in close contact with the circumferential surface of the spherical shaft (8), 3. The door panel suspension structure according to claim 2, wherein the locking portion (32) is formed of a regulating surface (34) that receives the operating surface (19) of the spherical axis (8) and a locking wall (35) having a partially concave spherical shape that fits closely to the lower peripheral surface of the spherical axis (8).
5. 5. A door panel suspension structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein a stopper portion (28) is formed on the underside of the socket portion (21) to be received by the operating surface (19) of the ball shaft (8) after the runner shaft (7) slides into the socket portion (21).
6. A door panel suspension structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an axis groove (24) for receiving the round axis portion (7a) of the runner axis (7) and a spherical axis hole (25) for allowing the spherical axis (8) to enter and exit are formed at the upper opening of the capture case (15).
7. A unit case (13) is embedded and fixed in a door panel (1), and a capture case (15) is supported so as to be movable only up and down in a lift recess (14) provided in the unit case (13), 7. A door panel suspension structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a vertical adjustment structure for adjusting the vertical height of the door panel (1) between the unit case (13) and the capture case (15).
Citation Information
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