ELEVATOR LANDING DOOR LEAF

Abstract

The invention refers to an elevator door leaf comprising a door panel and a support structure having at least one profile. The door leaf comprises a vertically extending expansion member which is fixed to the door leaf only at one vertical level, whereby the expansion member consists of a material having a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the material of the door panel and/or of said profile.

Claims

1. Elevator door leaf comprising a door panel and a support structure having at least one profile, whereby the door leaf comprises at least one expansion member consisting of a material having a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the material of the door panel and/or of said profile, which expansion member extends vertically, wherein the expansion member is fixed to the door leaf only at its upper end.

2. Elevator door leaf according to claim 1, wherein the expansion member is configured to expand in such a way that at critical temperatures of e.g. 300 to 500 C. it protrudes via a distance d from the bottom edge of the door leaf as to counteract with a floor or door sill to horizontally fix the corresponding side edge of the door leaf to the door sill.

3. Elevator door leaf according to claim 1, wherein the profile is a vertical extending longitudinal profile, preferably in the area of a side edge of the door leaf, and that the expansion member is located in connection with said profile.

4. Elevator door leaf according to claim 3, wherein the profile is a hollow profile and that the expansion member is located inside the hollow profile.

5. Elevator door leaf according to claim 3, wherein the profile is made of steel and the expansion member is made of aluminium.

6. Elevator door leaf according to claim 2, wherein the profile is located in the area of the leading edge of the door leaf in closing direction of the door leaf.

7. Elevator door leaf according to claim 1, wherein the expansion member is located in the area of a side edge of the door leaf, preferably of the leading edge of the door leaf in its closing direction.

8. Elevator door leaf according to claim 1, wherein the expansion member is fixed only at its upper end to the door leaf.

9. Elevator door leaf according to claim 1, wherein the expansion member is a beam, preferably a massive beam.

10. Elevator door leaf according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the expansion member abuts with the lower end of the profile and/or with a bottom edge of the door leaf at room temperature.

11. Elevator door leaf according to claim 1, wherein the expansion member comprises aluminium, magnesium or a composite structure having FI-Block material.

12. Elevator door arrangement comprising an upper support member carrying at least one landing door leaf according to claim 1 and a door sill at the bottom of the door leaf, wherein the door sill comprises a first structure which is configured to co-act with the lower end of the expansion member.

13. Elevator door arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the first structure comprises at least one recess fixing the lower end of the expansion member in opening/closing direction.

14. Elevator door arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the upper support member carries at least two door leaves moving in opposite directions and wherein the profile and the expansion member of each door leaf is located at that side edge of the door leaf which, when the door is closed, abuts against the side edge of the door leaf moving in opposite direction.

15. Elevator door arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the first structure is located in a guide groove of the door sill.

16. Elevator having at least one door leaf according to claim 1.

17. Elevator door arrangement having at least one door leaf according to claim 12.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The invention is now described via an example in the enclosed schematic drawings.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a horizontal cross-section through an inventive door leaf,

[0030] FIG. 2 shows the side view II from FIG. 1,

[0031] FIG. 3 shows an elevator door arrangement with two door leaves according to FIGS. 1 and 2 moving in opposite directions,

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a detail of the door arrangement of FIG. 3 between door leaf and door sill, and

[0033] FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of the co-action between the lower end of the expansion member and a saw-tooth structure in the guide groove of a door sill.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] The inventive door leaf 10 of an elevator door is now described via FIGS. 1 and 2. The door leaf 10 comprises a frame 12 comprising of a vertical leading profile 14 and a vertical trailing profile 16 (referring to closing movement of the door leaf) and a horizontal upper profile 18 and a horizontal lower profile 20, whereby all profiles 14, 16, 18, 20 are connected at their ends to build a rectangular frame 12. This frame 12 carries a door panel 22 which encompasses the vertical profiles 14, 16 as to provide a decorative surface to the passengers. All profiles 18, 20, 14, 16 are hollow rectangular profiles made of steel-based metal, preferably stainless steel. The door leaf 10 has a vertical leading edge 24 and a vertical trailing edge 26 when the door moves in closing direction. In the profile 14 adjacent to the leading edge 24, a thermal expansion member 28 is accommodated which is fixed at its upper end, via a fixing member, e.g. a bolt 30 to the hollow rectangular leading profile 14 of the leading edge 24. The expansion member may also be fixed to any other part of the door leaf structure by any common connecting technique. At room temperature, the lower end of the thermal expansion member 28 abuts with the bottom edge 32 of the door leaf. But it also may offset a little bit with respect to the bottom edge 32 of the door leaf 10, e.g. by 5 mm. Usually, such a door leaf 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is carried by an upper support member 42 of an elevator door arrangement 40 as it is shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment the bottom edge 32 of the door leaf 10 faces a door sill 44.

[0035] During heating of the door leaf 10, e.g. because of fire in the building or any other heat generating accident, the expansion member 28 which has a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the surrounding hollow leading profile 14 begins to protrude from the bottom edge 32 of the door panel downwards and thus co-acts with the door sill to keep the trailing edge 24 of the door leaf 10 immovable with respect to the door sill 44 in horizontal direction or in opening direction. Via this measure, the forming of an open gap between door leaves 10a, 10b or the door leaf and a door jamb during fire can be effectively prevented.

[0036] FIG. 3 shows an elevator door arrangement 40, e.g. of an elevator car or elevator landing, comprising an upper support member 42 which carries two door leaves 10a, 10b which are movably supported on the upper support member 42 in opposite directions as to be centrally opening. The door leaves 10a, 10b are guided in grooves of a door sill 44 located below the bottom edge 32 of the door leaves 10a, 10b. On this behalf, guide pins 46 of the door leaf 10 protrude from the bottom edge 32 thereof and extend into the corresponding guide groove of the door sill 44. Instead of only two door leaves 10a, 10b, also four or six door leaves can be arranged whereby in this case two or three door leaves move in the same direction with different velocity in a telescopic way. The thermal expansion members 28 are in this case only provided in those door leaves 10a whose leading side edge 24 comes into contact with a leading side edge 24 of a door leaf 10b moving in opposite direction.

[0037] The door leaves 10a, 10b are supported by the upper support member regularly via supporters 48 which extend from the door leaves 10a, 10b to the upper support member 42 and which supporters 48 carry rollers running in a track of the support member 42 (not shown). At least one of the supporters 48 is usually connected with a drive to move the door panel 10a, 10b horizontally with respect to the upper support member 42.

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a detail of the lower end of the door leaf 10b and the door sill in the area of the expansion member 28. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for elements which are identical or have the same function.

[0039] FIG. 4 shows the arrangement of one door leaf 10b and the door sill 44 in case of a heating of the landing door arrangement 40 to about 400. In this case, the expansion member 28 protrudes with its lower end 50 from the bottom edge 32 of the door leaf 10b downwards by a distance d and thus grips into the guide groove 52 of the door sill 44. The guide groove is normally provided for guiding the guide pins 46 of the door leaves 10a, 10b in opening/closing direction h.

[0040] The expansion member 28 may have e.g. a wedge shape at its lower end 50 so that it presses into the guide groove 52 of the door sill 44 with a friction grip which renders the expansion member 28 immovable in opening/closing direction h. Therefore, the corresponding vertical profile 14 of the door leaf 10b at the leading edge 24 is kept immovable in opening/closing direction h and thus no gap can be formed between the facing trailing side edges 24 of both door leaves 10a, 10b. Therefore, also in case of fire or higher temperatures where the upper support member may bend down, the adjacent leading edges 24 of both door leaves 10a, 10b keep in contact with each other so that no gap is formed through which the fire or heat might pass.

[0041] FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of the guide groove 52 and the lower end 50 of the expansion member. In the area of the lower end 50 of the expansion member 28, the surface of the guide groove 52 of the door sill 44 has a first saw-tooth structure 54 which matches with a second saw-tooth structure 56 located at the lower end 50 of the expansion member 28. Therefore, when the expansion member 28 protrudes by a certain distance from the bottom edge 32 of the door leaf 10b, it interacts with the first saw-tooth structure 54 of the guide groove 52 whereby the expansion member 28 is fixed to the door sill 44 in opening/closing direction h.

[0042] Of course, this arrangement is provided also with the other door leaf 10a of the elevator landing door arrangement 40 of FIG. 3.

[0043] The structure to keep the expansion member 28 immovable might differ from the shown saw-tooth structure 54. Other structures may have sinusoidal geometries or even one or more recesses in the guide rail groove 52 which interacts with one pin, preferably cone-shaped pin, at the lower edge 50 of the expansion member 28. The structure may also be provided directly on the floor without any guide groove.

[0044] The invention is not limited to the described embodiments but can be varied within the scope of the appended patent claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0045] 10 door leaf [0046] 10a left door leaf [0047] 10b right door leaf [0048] 12 frame [0049] 14 leading profile [0050] 16 trailing profile [0051] 18 upper profile [0052] 20 lower profile [0053] 22 door panel [0054] 24 leading edge [0055] 26 trailing edge [0056] 28 expansion member [0057] 30 fastening bolt [0058] 32 bottom edge of door leaf [0059] 40 elevator door arrangement [0060] 42 upper support member [0061] 44 door sill [0062] 46 guide pin [0063] 48 supporter [0064] 50 lower end of expansion member [0065] 52 guide groove [0066] 54 first saw-tooth structure of door sill [0067] 56 second saw-tooth structure of expansion member