Bottom-loading folding door device and gap seal structure with bottom sash

Abstract

To provide a folding door device in which a rotary seal body which can fill a gap between itself and a lower crosspiece when being elongated is pivotally supported so as to rotate, in the folding door device mounted on a frame body.SOLUTION: A folding door 1 includes a door roller 6 at a lower end of a main joint 5, and rolls and moves on a movement surface 18 provided at a lower crosspiece 8, and by providing a slider 7 at an upper end, it can move along a guide groove of an upper crosspiece 9. The folding door includes a rotary seal body 11 which can fill a gap formed between itself and the lower crosspiece 8 when elongated, in a rotatable manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a folding door device in which the upper surface of the lower rail that constitutes the frame on which the folding door is mounted is formed as a flat surface, and to a sealing structure that closes the gap between the lower rail and the folding device. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Folding doors or folding doors, which are made up of multiple doors (panels) connected in a foldable manner, are widely used as devices for opening and closing entrances. Among the joints of a folding door, a hoist is attached to the upper end of the main joint, which does not protrude from the rail during folding operation, and is suspended from the rail of the upper rail, and a slider protrudes from the lower end and can move along a guide groove provided in the lower rail.When the door is extended to close the opening, a locking rod protrudes and fits into the guide groove, locking the folding door so that it cannot be opened.

[0003] The upper and lower rails of the frame on which the folding door is attached are provided with a seal body with a sealing material along it, so that the inner surface of the closed folding door can abut against the seal body, ensuring airtightness and watertightness through the sealing material. For this reason, the top surface of the lower sash of the frame is not flat, and the seal body stands up on the inside (inside the room) so that the inner surface of the folding door can abut against it when it is extended to close the opening. This has traditionally been adopted as a necessary configuration to maintain airtightness and watertightness between the folding door and the lower sash.

[0004] Figure 7 shows a vertical cross section of a folding door (A) suspended by a hoist (B). The hoist (B) rests on the upper crosspiece (C) to suspend the folding door (A). The hoist (B) is attached to the upper end of the main joint (D) that connects the doors (panels), and a slider (E) is attached to the lower end of the main joint (D), which fits into a guide groove (G) on the lower crosspiece (F).

[0005] As shown in the figure, a rotating seal is attached to the lower sash (F), and when the rotating seal rotates and stands up, the sealing material (H) abuts against the surface of the folding door (A), so that rain and wind cannot enter from the outside. In this way, conventional folding doors are suspended from a hoist (B) on an upper rail (C) installed on the ceiling, so the height of the upper rail (C) is used as a reference for positioning the folding door (A). Therefore, as shown in Figure (b), if the ceiling becomes higher and the position of the upper sash (C) becomes higher by H, if the height dimension of the folding door remains the same, the sealing material (H) of the rotating seal body installed on the floor side will not be able to abut against the surface of the folding door (A), and as a result, it will not be sealed and wind and rain will enter from outside.

[0006] If a hoist (B) is provided at the top end of the folding door (A), the upper sash (C) is used as the reference for installation, but if a roller is provided at the bottom end of the folding door (A), the floor surface is used as the reference. Figure 8 shows a folding door (I) with a roller (R) attached to its bottom end, and the roller (R) can move on a lower rail (Ju) laid on the floor surface. Therefore, the sealing material (H) attached to the step surface on the floor surface can abut against the surface of the folding door (I) to seal it. In this way, if the folding door (I) is installed based on the floor surface, it is possible to seal the floor side no matter what the floor height is.

[0007] However, in recent years, flat floors that allow wheelchairs to move freely without steps have become popular, referred to as barrier-free. This concept is no exception for folding door devices that are used as partitions between the interior and exterior of a room. For example, by making the floor of a room flush with the balcony surface, wheelchairs can move freely onto the balcony. In this case, if a lower rail with a step is installed at the boundary between the room and the balcony, wheelchair movement will be hindered. However, if the lower rail is flat, there will be no step, and as a result, it will be impossible to install sealant, allowing rainwater to enter from outside and compromising the airtightness from the outside air.

[0008] Figure 8(b) above shows a folding door (A) with rollers installed on a flat floor. If the floor is flat like this, it is not possible to install a sealing material (H), and wind and rain will pass through the gap formed between the folding door (A) and the floor, making it impossible to ensure airtightness and watertightness inside the room. This problem is also present in the case of a top-hung folding door (A) with a hoist (B). In the "folding door device" disclosed in JP 2006-037424 A, the upper surface of the lower rail of the frame to which the folding door is attached is formed as a flat surface. This is a top-hung folding door device equipped with a rotating seal body to close the gap formed at the bottom end.

[0009] In other words, the upper surface of the lower rail is flat and a continuous groove space is provided in the longitudinal direction, and a rotatably attached rotating seal body is housed in the groove space.When the rod attached to the folding door is lowered, the rotating seal body rotates and stands up in conjunction with the descent of the lock rod, thereby abutting against the bottom frame of the folding door. When the folding door is folded and the opening is open, the lower sash is flat, allowing a wheelchair user to pass through freely. When the folding door is extended and the opening is closed, the rotating seal rotates and stands up, abutting against the lower sash, sealing the gap and preventing rainwater from entering from outside while maintaining airtightness. In this way, in the case of a folding door with a hoist at the upper end, a rotary seal body can be provided that can close the gap formed between the door and the floor surface. [Patent Document 1] "Folding door device" according to JP 2006-037424 A DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] In the case of a folding door with a hoist at the top, when the door is extended to close the opening, the gap formed at the bottom is closed by the rotary seal, and conversely, when the door is folded to open the opening, the rotary seal rotates to make the floor surface flat. However, when a folding door is suspended by a hoist, a problem occurs in that the rotary seal does not function properly depending on the height of the upper rail along which the hoist moves. The problem that this invention aims to solve is this problem, and it is aimed at bottom-loading folding doors equipped with door rollers, and provides a folding door device that can close the gap that forms between the door and a flat floor surface, and a gap seal structure with the lower sash. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The folding door device of the present invention is configured by attaching a folding door to a frame body, and while the basic structure is the same as conventional devices, it has a bottom-loading structure in which door rollers are provided at the bottom end of the folding door. The upper surface of the lower rail of the frame is formed as a flat surface, so there is no step between the lower rail and the floor surface. A guide groove is provided along the lower rail, and a door roller attached to the bottom end of the folding door rolls in the guide groove, allowing the folding door to extend and retract.

[0012] In order to close the gap that forms between the folding door and the lower rail when the folding door is extended, a rotating seal body is supported on the lower rail and is designed to rotate and stand up as needed. In other words, when the folding door is extended and closed, the rotating seal body rotates and stands up, making contact with the lower surface of the folding door, thereby closing the gap and maintaining airtightness and watertightness. Conversely, if the rotating seal body were to fall over, it would fit into a storage groove in the lower rail and its upper surface would become flat, and when it falls over, its upper surface would be flat and flush with the floor.

[0013] The rotating seal is a long piece of material with a specified cross section, one side of which is supported by a lower rail so that it can rotate and swing, and the tip side is fitted with a sealing material such as rubber that can be compressed and deformed. When the folding door is extended to close the opening, a rod attached to the auxiliary joint that protrudes outward from the upper and lower rails for locking descends to lock the door from opening. Therefore, a standing means is provided that allows the rotating seal body to rotate and stand up when the descending rod is used. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The folding door of the present invention has a rotary seal pivotally supported at its lower end, and the rotary seal rotates by pushing down on the rod, sealing the gap between the door and the lower rail. Furthermore, by being pushed down by the rod and rotating, the rotary seal stands up almost vertically and can abut against the surface of the folding door. Therefore, the gap between the folding door and the lower rail is completely sealed, ensuring airtightness and watertightness within the room.

[0015] An elastically deformable seal material is provided at the tip of the rotary seal body, and the seal material can close the gap by coming into contact with the surface of the folding door. The folding door device of the present invention is a bottom-loading type in which the folding door is supported by door rollers, and therefore the rotary seal body provided on the floor side can rotate and stand up to abut against the surface of the folding door to seal. In other words, the rotating and standing rotary seal body abuts against the surface of the lower end of the folding door to seal. If the rotary seal body falls over, it becomes flush with the floor and flat, allowing wheelchair users to pass through freely. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a specific example showing a folding door device according to the present invention, where (a) shows the folding door extended to close the opening, and (b) shows the folding door folded to open the opening. [Figure 2] 1 is a specific example showing a rotating seal body. [Figure 3] When the rotating seal is attached to the bottom end, (a) shows the rotating seal lying down and housed in the housing groove, and (b) shows the rotating seal standing up and closing the gap. [Figure 4] 10 is an explanatory diagram comparing the operation of the rotary seal member provided in the folding door device according to the present invention with that of a rotary seal member of a conventional top-hung folding door device. FIG. [Figure 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view of a door roller portion of a folding door device equipped with a rotary seal body different from that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view of a rod portion of a folding door device equipped with a rotary seal body different from that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. [Figure 7] When a folding door is hung from the upper sash using a hoist, in (a) the seal attached to the lower sash comes into contact with the surface of the folding door, and in (b) the height of the upper sash is increased by H, so the seal attached to the lower sash cannot come into contact with the surface of the folding door. [Figure 8] This is the case when a door roller is attached to the bottom end of a folding door, and in (a) the sealing material attached to the bottom sash abuts against the surface of the folding door, and in (b) the sealing material cannot be attached to the bottom sash, leaving a gap between the folding door and the bottom sash. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] FIG. 1 shows an external view of a folding door device according to the present invention, where (a) shows the folding door 1 extended and the opening 2 closed, and (b) shows the folding door 1 folded and the opening 2 open. The folding door device has a folding door 1 attached to a rectangular frame 3, and when it is extended, the opening is closed, and when it is folded, the opening 2 can be opened.

[0018] The folding door 1 is made up of multiple panels 4, 4... connected via joints, which include main joints 5, 5... and sub-joints 10, 10.... Door rollers 6, 6... are attached to the lower ends of the main joints 5, 5..., and the door rollers 6, 6... move on lower rails 8 that make up the frame body 3, and the folding door 1 is supported via the multiple door rollers 6, 6.... Sliders 7, 7... protrude upward from the upper ends of the main joints 5, 5..., and the sliders 7, 7... can move along guide grooves provided in upper rails 9 that make up the frame body 3.

[0019] Here, the auxiliary joints 10, 10, connecting the panels 4, 4, . . . can protrude outward from the lower rail 8 and the upper rail 9 of the frame body 3 when the folding door 1 is folded. A rotary seal is provided on the upper surface of the lower sash 8 of the present invention, and the rotary seal rotates and stands up, extending to close the gap formed between the lower end of the folding door 1 that has closed the opening 2 and the lower sash 8.

[0020] Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a rotating seal member 11. The rotating seal member 11 shown in the figure is a long, cylindrical member with a flat top surface 12, a smoothly curved outer surface 13, and a flat bottom surface parallel to the top surface. Attached to the outside of the top surface 12 is a thin, elongated seal member 14 made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber. The upper surface 12 has a bearing portion 15 on the inside thereof, which fits onto a shaft portion provided on the lower rail 8 and can rotate and swing.

[0021] Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the lower end of the folding device, showing an embodiment in which the rotating seal body 11 is attached to the lower rail 8. (a) shows the rotating seal body 11 in a lying position, and (b) shows the rotating seal body 11 in an upright position. A door roller 6 is provided at the lower end of the folding door 1, and the door roller 6 is attached to the lower end of the main joint 5 that connects the panels 4, 4.... The door roller 6 can move by rolling on the moving surface 18 of the guide groove 16 formed in the lower rail 8.

[0022] A storage groove 17 is provided next to the guide groove 16 in which the door roller 6 rolls, and the rotary seal body 11 is stored in this storage groove 17. The rotary seal body 11 shown in (a) is in a laid-down state, with the flat upper surface 12 being flush with the floor surface, and the bottom surface abutting against the bottom of the storage groove 17. Therefore, when the folding door 1 is folded, the floor surface is continuous with the flat upper surface 12 of the rotary seal body 11, allowing the wheelchair to move freely.

[0023] (b) in the figure shows the rotating seal body 11 in a rotated and standing state when the folding door 1 is extended to close the opening 2, and the rotating seal body 11 rotates and stands up, making contact with the surface of the folding door 1. The sealing material 14 provided on the surface of the rotating seal body 11 adheres tightly to the surface of the folding door 1 without any gaps, so that wind and rain do not get in from the outside, maintaining airtightness and watertightness.

[0024] The rotary seal body 11 is configured so as to be able to collapse when the opening 2 is open, and to stand up when the folding door 1 is extended to close the opening 2. The present invention is not limited to a specific means for rotating and erecting the rotary seal body 11. For example, the folding door 1 is locked so that it cannot be opened, but the rotary seal body 11 can be made to rotate and erect by operating and lowering a rod provided in the auxiliary joint 10. Then, if the erecting means is released, the erected rotary seal body 11 will fall under its own weight and be accommodated in the accommodation groove 17.

[0025] FIG. 4 shows the effect of a folding door device (in the case of a lower door roller) equipped with a door roller according to the present invention, in comparison with a folding door device hung from above (in the case of a top-hanging type). [In the case of overhead suspension] The folding door 1 is suspended by a hoist that moves along the upper rail 9, so the gap 20 between the upper rail 9 and the lower rail 8 changes. a. The amount of protrusion of the rod that raises the rotary seal body 11 needs to be adjusted depending on the height dimension of the opening 2. b. If the height dimension of the opening 2 increases, the amount of rise of the rotary seal body 11 will decrease unless the rod is adjusted, and the sealing performance between the folding door 1 and the rotary seal body 11 will deteriorate, resulting in a loss of airtightness and watertightness. 1(b) shows a case where the height dimension of the opening 2 is large, and the rotary seal body 11 cannot stand up completely even when the rod 21 descends, and does not come into contact with the surface of the folding door 1.

[0026] [For lower door rollers] The folding door 1 is supported by the door roller 6 which moves in the guide groove 16 of the lower sash 8, so that the gap 20 between the door roller 6 and the lower sash 8 remains constant and does not change depending on the height dimension of the opening 2. a) The gap 20 between the lower rail 8 is constant, so there is no need to adjust the amount of rod extension. b. Since the distance between the folding door 1 and the lower rail 8 is constant, the amount of standing of the rotary seal material 11 can be stabilized, ensuring airtightness and watertightness.

[0027] Figures 5 and 6 show a case where a rotating seal body 11 of a different form from that shown in Figures 2 and 3 is attached to the lower rail 8, with Figure 5 showing a cross section of the area where the door roller 6 is installed and Figure 6 showing a cross section of the area where the rod 21 is attached. The rotary seal body 11 shown in (a) and (b) has an outer circumferential surface 22 that forms a smooth arc surface, and the bearing portion 15 is journaled on a shaft portion 19 provided on the lower rail 8. The rotary seal body 11 shown in (c) and (d) has a generally L-shaped cross section, and the bearing portion 15 is supported by a shaft portion 19 provided on the lower rail 8.

[0028] The door roller 6 is fitted into the guide groove 16 and placed on the moving surface, and has horizontal wheels 23. The horizontal wheels 23 are loosely fitted into the guide groove 16 and guide the door roller 6 so that it does not deviate from the predetermined moving surface. Therefore, the folding door 1 is supported by the plurality of door rollers 6, 6... and is guided by the horizontal wheels 23, 23..., thereby enabling smooth extension and retraction movements.

[0029] Incidentally, when the folding door 1 is extended, the opening 2 is closed, and when the rod 21 attached to the sub-joint 10 descends, the folding door is locked so that it cannot be opened. A slit groove 24 is provided at the lower end of the rod 21, and a partition plate 25 can be fitted into the slit groove 24 of the descending rod 21. Therefore, the rod 21 is restrained and the sub-joint 10 is fixed to the lower rail 8, making it impossible to open the opening 2 by folding the folding door 1.

[0030] As the rod 21 descends, the rotary seal body 11 can stand up, and the sealing material 14 attached to the standing rotary seal body 11 abuts against the surface of the folding door 1, thereby sealing the gap 20 formed between the folding door 1 and the lower rail 8. The rotary seal body 11 has a pressing piece 26 extending from the bearing portion 15, and when the rotary seal body 11 is tilted and fitted into the accommodation groove 27, the pressing piece 26 extends almost horizontally toward the partition plate 25 side. When the rod 21 descends, the horizontal pressing piece 26 is pushed down and rotated to face vertically downward, causing the rotary seal body 11 to rotate counterclockwise and the seal material 14 to abut against the surface of the folding door 1.

[0031] The operation accompanying the descent of the rod 21 is the same in the case of the rotary seal body 11 having a smooth outer peripheral surface 22 shown in Figures 6(a) and (b) and the roughly L-shaped rotary seal body 11 shown in Figures 6(c) and (d). As the rod 21 descends, the pressing piece 26 is pushed down and rotated, and is fixed by being sandwiched between the shaft 19 and the upright plate 28 at the upper end in a state facing vertically downward. Therefore, the rotating seal body 11 does not rotate in the reverse direction (clockwise) and the sealing material 14 does not separate from the folding door 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 folding door 2 Frontage 3 Frame 4 Panels 5 Main joint 6 Door Rollers 7 Slider 8 Lower rail 9 Upper rail 10 Secondary joint 11 Rotating seal body 12 Top side 13 External surface 14 Sealing material 15 Bearing section 16 Guide groove 17 Storage groove 18 Moving Surface 19 Shaft 20 Gap 21 Rod 22 Outer surface 23 horizontal wheels 24 Slit groove 25 Partition 26 Presser foot 27 Storage groove 28 Standing board

Claims

1. A folding door device comprising a folding door attached to a frame, the folding door having a roller at the lower end of the main joint that rolls on the moving surface of a guide groove provided in the lower rail, and a slider at the upper end that allows it to move along the guide groove in the upper rail, the folding door device further comprising a rotatable rotary seal body that can close the gap formed between the lower rail and the folding door when extended, the rotary seal body being journalled on a shaft provided in the lower rail, when the rotary seal body is collapsed it is accommodated in the accommodation groove in the lower rail so that its flat upper surface is flush with the floor, when it is raised it abuts against the surface of the extended folding door to close the gap, and when the raising means is released it is collapsed by the action of its own weight and accommodated in the accommodation groove.

2. 2. A folding door device according to claim 1, wherein a rod provided in the auxiliary joint is used as the means for raising the rotary seal body, and the rotary seal body is rotated and raised by lowering the rod.

3. A gap seal structure in which a folding door attached to a frame body has a door roller at the lower end of the main joint that rolls on the moving surface of a guide groove provided in the lower sash, and a slider at the upper end that can move along the guide groove in the upper sash, and a rotating seal body that can rotatably seal the gap that forms between the folding door and the lower sash when the folding door is extended, the rotating seal body is journaled on a shaft provided in the lower sash, and when the rotating seal body is tilted, it is accommodated in the accommodation groove of the lower sash so that its flat upper surface is flush with the floor, and when it is raised, it abuts against the surface of the extended folding door to seal the gap.

4. The gap seal structure described in claim 3, wherein the rotating seal body is cylindrical, has a flat upper surface that is flush with the floor when tilted, a bottom surface that abuts against the bottom of the accommodating groove, and an outer surface that has a smoothly curved surface.

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