SLIDING DOOR SYSTEM FOR INSTALLING INTO A BUILDING WALL, AND METHOD FOR SERVICING A SLIDING DOOR SYSTEM

Abstract

A sliding door system includes a sliding door having a first door leaf, a second door leaf and a pivoting mechanism, and a housing for installing into a building wall. The sliding door mounted in the housing is displaceable beyond opposed first and second door openings of the housing. The pivoting mechanism converts a displacement movement of the sliding door into a pivoting movement of the first and second door leaves so that the first and second door leaves expose the first and second door openings respectively in a first position of the sliding door and close the openings in a second position of the sliding door. Deactivating the pivoting mechanism allows the sliding door to be moved beyond the door openings into a third position to service a component of the sliding door and/or to remove the sliding door the first and/or second door opening.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A sliding door system for installing into a building wall, the sliding door system comprising: a sliding door including a first door leaf, a second door leaf, and a pivoting mechanism pivotally mounting the first and second door leaves; a housing adapted to be installed into the building wall, the housing having a first door opening and a second door opening opposite the first door opening; wherein the sliding door is mounted in the housing and is displaceable beyond the first and second door openings on both sides thereof; wherein the pivoting mechanism converts a displacement movement of the sliding door into a pivoting movement of the first and second door leaves whereby the first door leaf exposes the first door opening and the second door leaf exposes the second door opening in a first position of the sliding door and the first and second door leaves close the first and second door openings respectively in a second position of the sliding door; and wherein when the pivoting mechanism is deactivated the sliding door is displaceable beyond the first and second door openings into a third position in which at least one component of the sliding door system is accessible from outside the housing via the first door opening and/or the second door opening, and/or in the third position the sliding door can be removed from the housing via the first door opening and/or the second door opening.

17. The sliding door system according to claim 16 wherein when the sliding door is in the first position the first and second door leaves are arranged at least partially in a first housing portion of the housing located next to a side of the first and second door openings, when the sliding door is in the second position the first and second door leaves are arranged at least partially between the first and second door openings, and when the sliding door is in the third position the first and second door leaves are arranged at least partially in a second housing portion of the housing located next to another side of the first and second door openings opposite the first housing portion.

18. The sliding door system according to claim 17 wherein the sliding door is mounted in the housing by a linear guide device and the sliding door is displaceable beyond the first and second door openings on both of the sides, and wherein the linear guide device is arranged at least partially in the first housing portion.

19. The sliding door system according to claim 17 wherein the sliding door is mounted in the housing by a linear guide device and the sliding door is displaceable beyond the first and second door openings on both of the sides, and wherein the linear guide device is arranged at least partially between the first and second housing portions.

20. The sliding door system according to claim 16 wherein the first door leaf and the second door leaf are spaced apart, transversely to a displacement axis of the sliding door, by a first distance in the first position, by a second distance in the second position and by a third distance in the third position, the second distance being greater than the first distance and greater than the third distance.

21. The sliding door system according to claim 16 where the at least one component is arranged on the sliding door.

22. The sliding door system according to claim 16 including an electrical drive device generating the displacement movement of the sliding door and wherein the at least one component is a component of the electric drive device.

23. The sliding door system according to claim 16 wherein the pivoting mechanism is at least partially accessible via the first door opening and/or the second door opening from outside the housing when the sliding door is in an intermediate position between the first position and the second position.

24. The sliding door system according to claim 16 wherein the housing includes a first door frame that at least partially frames the first door opening, the first door leaf being at least partially recessed in the first door frame when the sliding door is in the second position.

25. The sliding door system according to claim 24 wherein the housing includes a second door frame that at least partially frames the second door opening, the second door leaf being at least partially recessed in the second door frame when the sliding door is in the second position.

26. The sliding door system according to claim 16 wherein the pivoting mechanism converts the displacement movement of the sliding door into the pivoting movement such that, in the second position, an outer surface of the first door leaf together with an outer surface of the housing adjoining the first door opening form a first flat surface and/or an outer surface of the second door leaf together with an outer surface of the housing adjoining the second door opening form a second flat surface.

27. A method for servicing the sliding door system according to claim 16, the method comprising the steps of: deactivating the pivoting mechanism to allow displacement of the sliding door beyond the first and second door openings to the third position; and displacing the sliding door beyond the first and second door openings into the third position to allow access to the at least one component via the first door opening and/or the second door opening from outside the housing, and/or to allow removing the sliding door from the housing via the first door opening and/or the second door opening.

28. The method according to claim 27 including removing the sliding door from the housing via the first door opening and/or the second door opening when the sliding door is in the third position.

29. The method according to claim 28 wherein the removing includes displacing the sliding door from the third position towards the first position and turning the sliding door into the first door opening and/or the second door opening.

30. The method according to claim 28 including inserting the removed sliding door into the housing via the first door opening and/or the second door opening, bringing the sliding door into the third position, and activating the pivoting mechanism.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an installed sliding door system according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention in the open state.

[0054] FIG. 2 shows the sliding door system from FIG. 1 in the closed state.

[0055] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the sliding door system from FIG. 1 in a servicing state.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a side view of the sliding door system from FIG. 3.

[0057] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a sliding door system according to an embodiment of the invention with a sliding door pivoted out.

[0058] FIG. 6 shows the sliding door system from FIG. 5 with a sliding door pivoted out further.

[0059] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the sliding door system from FIG. 6.

[0060] The drawings are merely schematic, and not to scale. In the different figures, identical reference signs denote identical or similar features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] FIG. 1 shows a sliding door system 100 with a sliding door 102 and a housing 104 installed in a building wall 106. The housing 104 has a first door opening 108 and a second door opening 110 which is opposite the first door opening 108. In this example, the sliding door 102 is mounted in the housing 104 so as to be displaceable along a horizontal displacement axis 112 beyond both door openings 108, 110 on both sides, in this case both to the left and to the right from a reference position in front of the second door opening 110.

[0062] The sliding door 102 comprises a first door leaf 114 for closing the first door opening 108 and a second door leaf 116 for closing the second door opening 110. The two door leaves 114, 116 are opposite one another in a direction transverse to the displacement axis 112. The two door leaves 114, 116 can be moved in the same direction and synchronized with one another along the displacement axis 112 relative to the door openings 108, 110. The sliding door 102 further comprises a pivoting mechanism 118 which is designed to convert a displacement movement of the sliding door 102, which can be caused, for example, by means of an electric drive device 120 when a corresponding door switch is actuated, into a pivoting movement of the two door leaves 114, 116 (indicated by two arrows), so that the door openings 108, 110 are either closed or opened depending on the direction of displacement of the sliding door 102.

[0063] The door leaves 114, 116 can, for example, be pivoted in or out via a parallelogram guide and a link control coupled to the respective parallelogram guide. However, any other embodiments of the pivoting mechanism 118 are also possible.

[0064] In addition, the sliding door system 100 comprises a first door frame 122, which at least partially frames the first door opening 108, and a second door frame 124, which at least partially frames the second door opening 110. A suitable door seal for sealing the respective door leaf 114, 116 against the housing 104 and/or the building wall 106 can be integrated into at least one of the two door frames 122, 124.

[0065] FIG. 1 shows the sliding door 102, by way of example, in the open state, in which, in this case, the two door leaves 114, 116 are arranged completely in a left (or first) housing portion 126, which is located on the left next to the two door openings 108, 110, and thus completely expose the two door openings 108, 110.

[0066] Starting from this first position, the sliding door 102 can be moved into a second position, as shown in FIG. 2. The second position corresponds to a closed state of the sliding door 102, in which the first door opening 108 is completely closed by the first door leaf 114 and the second door opening 110 is completely closed by the second door leaf 116.

[0067] It is possible that, when the sliding door 102 is moved into the second position, the two door leaves 114, 116 are both partially recessed in the corresponding door frame 122 or 124 by corresponding pivoting by means of the pivoting mechanism 118, in order to seal the sliding door 102 in a suitable manner and/or to cause the building wall 106 to appear as flat as possible in the closed state of the sliding door 102, i.e., when the sliding door 102 is closed, there is as far as possible no step between a respective outer surface of the door leaves 114, 116 and a corresponding outer surface of the building wall 106. An outer surface of one of the door leaves 114, 116 can in this case be flush with an outer surface of the door frame 122, 124 accommodating the door leaf 114, 116.

[0068] In order to service, repair and/or remove the sliding door 102, the sliding door 102 is further displaceable into a third position, as shown by way of example in FIG. 3.

[0069] For this purpose, the sliding door 102 can initially be unlocked, for example, and, starting from the second position, can be displaced slightly in the direction of the first position. This may be done manually or by means of the electric drive device 120, so that the door leaves 114, 116 are withdrawn from the respective door opening 108 or 110 by means of the pivoting mechanism 118. In doing so, the mutual distance of the door leaves is reduced transversely to the displacement axis 112.

[0070] The pivoting mechanism 118 can now be deactivated in a suitable manner, for example, by releasing a control lever from the link control. If the sliding door 102 is now displaced again in the opposite direction, i.e., in the direction of the second position, the door leaves 114, 116 remain in their previous, pivoted-in state due to the deactivated pivoting mechanism 118, so that the sliding door 102 or at least a front part thereof can be pushed beyond the two door openings 108, 110 into a, in this case, right (or second) housing portion 300, which is located on the right next to the two door openings 108, 110. This enables access to at least a rear part of the sliding door 102, in which rear part, for example, the electric drive device 120 or other components of the sliding door system 100 in need of servicing can be arranged, via at least one of the two door openings 108, 110 from outside the housing 104 (indicated by two arrows in FIG. 3).

[0071] Furthermore, in this third position, the sliding door 102 as a whole can be removed from the housing 104 in a very simple manner, i.e., without having to be dismantled further into its individual parts, as shown by way of example in FIG. 5 to FIG. 7. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sliding door system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention with the sliding door 102 pivoted out. FIG. 6 shows the sliding door system 100 from FIG. 5 with the sliding door 102 pivoted out further. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the sliding door system 100 from FIG. 6.

[0072] In the side view of the sliding door system 100 shown in FIG. 4, a portion of a door leaf support 400 can be seen, on which the two door leaves 114, 116 can be pivotably mounted by means of the pivoting mechanism 118 (not shown here). For example, components to be serviced, such as a drive motor 402, a drive controller 404 or a ring transformer 406, which can be parts of the electric drive device 120, or other mechanically movable electrical and/or electronic components, can be attached to the rear part of the door leaf support 400. This rear part is easily accessible from the outside in the third position of the sliding door 102, as shown here, via the two door openings 108, 110.

[0073] Furthermore, a bottom guide 408 and an top guide 410 arranged offset thereto are shown, which guide the sliding door 102, more precisely the door leaf support 400, during displacement along the displacement axis 112.

[0074] FIG. 4 shows, by way of example, the bottom guide 408 arranged in the left housing section 126 and the top guide 410 between the left housing section 126 and the right housing section 300. However, it is also possible for at least one of the two guides 408, 410 to be arranged at least partially in the right housing section 300.

[0075] In order to remove the sliding door 102 from the housing 104, it can, for example, be displaced a distance back in the direction of the first position starting from the third position and can thereby be pivoted out of the housing 104 in a suitable manner, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7.

[0076] The sliding door 102 can be inserted into the housing 104 analogously to the removal in reverse order.

[0077] For better clarity, the building wall 106 has been omitted in FIGS. 2 to 7.

[0078] It is noted that the applicant has submitted two further patent applications with the present patent application, which also refer to sliding doors. Embodiments of the sliding doors and their operating principles described therein can optionally also be used in the same or similar manner in embodiments of the invention described herein. The content of the two further patent applications, WO 2022/243037 A1 (EP21173990.9) and WO 2022/243039 A1 (EP21173993.3), is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.

[0079] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as comprising, having, etc. do not exclude other elements or steps, and terms such as a or an do not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be noted that features or steps that have been described with reference to one of the above embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above.

[0080] In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.