U.S. patent number 3,819,215 [Application Number 05/239,943] was granted by the patent office on 1974-06-25 for electric door opener.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Fritz Fuss K.G.. Invention is credited to Fritz Fuss.
United States Patent |
3,819,215 |
Fuss |
June 25, 1974 |
ELECTRIC DOOR OPENER
Abstract
In an electric door opener there is provided a housing, a
swinger latch pivotally held in said housing and extending
outwardly therefrom to engage a complemental recess in the door
jamb, a pivotal locking lever spring-urged into a position in which
it locks the swinger latch, a pivotal detent lever spring-urged
into a position in which it immobilizes the locking lever in its
locking position and an electromagnet including a solenoid that has
an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing and
an armature which, when the solenoid is energized, moves the detent
lever into its releasing position.
Inventors: |
Fuss; Fritz (Ebingen,
DT) |
Assignee: |
Fritz Fuss K.G. (Ebingen,
DT)
|
Family
ID: |
5803946 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/239,943 |
Filed: |
March 31, 1972 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S.
Class: |
292/201;
292/341.16 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05B
47/0047 (20130101); Y10T 292/699 (20150401); Y10T
292/1082 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
E05B
47/00 (20060101); E05b 047/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;292/201
;70/279-283 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,026,657 |
|
Mar 1958 |
|
DT |
|
147,288 |
|
Jul 1952 |
|
AU |
|
1,038,624 |
|
Aug 1966 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: McGlynn; Joseph H.
Assistant Examiner: Pate, III; William F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Greigg; Edwin E.
Claims
That which is claimed is:
1. In an electrically operable unlatching device for a door opener
of the type having (a) an elongated housing, (b) a shaft supporting
a swinger latch pivotally held in said housing and projecting
therefrom, said swinger latch adapted to assume a closed position,
(c) a locking lever pivotable at one end and disposed
longitudinally in said housing, said locking lever cooperating with
said swinger latch and adapted to assume a locking position in
which it locks said swinger latch in the closed position thereof,
(d) a detent lever pivotable at one end and disposed in said
housing, said detent lever cooperating with said locking lever and
adapted to assume an operative position in which it immobilizes
said locking lever in its locking position and an inoperative or
releasing position in which it permits said locking lever to move
freely and (e) an electromagnet having an axis disposed in said
housing with its axis extending longitudinally of said housing and
operatively connected with said detent lever for moving the latter,
the improvement comprising
A. a single flat solenoid forming part of said electromagnet
extending parallel to said locking lever, and said electromagnet
being arranged within a compartment of the housing defined by a
portion of the swinger latch, the locking lever and the detent
lever,
B. an armature movably held within and associated with said
solenoid,
C. a magnet core held stationary in the inside of said solenoid at
one end thereof, said magnet core constituting an abutment for said
armature to determine an end position thereof,
D. a return spring interposed between said magnet core and said
armature and
E. an actuating pin secured to said armature, said pin having in
its returned position a spacing from the detent lever and being
oriented towards said detent lever for impact by contacting the
same and moving it away from said solenoid and into its releasing
position upon movement of said armature in response to the
energization of said solenoid.
2. An improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein the locking lever
has a pivoting plane and the actuating pin lies in a plane parallel
to the pivoting plane.
3. An improvement as defined in claim 1, wherein said armature
includes a frontal recess oriented towards said core and receiving
said return spring in its totality when in a compressed state
during engagement of said armature with said core.
4. An improvement as defined in claim 1, including an extension
fixedly attached to said detent lever and extending therefrom, said
extension being disposed in the path of travel of said actuating
pin to be engaged and displaced thereby during the motion of said
armature in response to the energization of said solenoid.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electric door opener which includes
the following three basic components: a locking lever which extends
within and in the longitudinal direction of the housing of the door
opener and is pivotally held at one end to serve for locking a
swinger latch in its closed position; a detent lever pivotable
about one end and operatively connected with the free end of the
locking lever, said detent lever extends in the transversal
direction of said housing and serves for the immobilization of the
locking lever in its locking position and an electromagnet to move
the detent lever into its releasing position.
In known door openers of the aforeoutlined type, the electromagnet
operates by attracting an externally located armature against the
frontal face of the solenoid core. The motion of the armature is
transmitted to the detent lever by means of pivoting bell crank
levers or the like.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a door opener in which
the transmission of the magnetic force to the detent lever is
effected in a manner that requires less space and achieves the same
output with weaker magnetic fields.
Briefly stated, according to the invention, the axis of the
solenoid extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing and
is provided with an armature which, upon energization of the
solenoid, is moved in the direction of the free end of the detent
lever and moves the latter, at least by indirect means, into its
releasing position.
The invention will be better understood, as well as further objects
and advantages become more apparent, from the ensuing detailed
specification of a preferred, although exemplary, embodiment of the
invention taken in conjunction with the drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the electric door opener according to
the invention with the cover removed and showing the detent lever
in its position immobilizing the locking lever;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the same embodiment partially in
section, with the locking lever partially removed;
FIG. 3 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 1 showing the detent
lever in its position allowing movement of the locking lever;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the same embodiment in its position
shown in FIG. 3 and taken -- as in FIG. 2 -- along the longitudinal
axis of the magnet;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line 5--5 of FIG. 1 at an
enlarged scale; and
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view along line 6--6 of FIG. 2 at
an enlarged scale.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a rectangular box-like housing 10 has
a pair of spaced support blocks 12 each provided with threaded
openings 11 for receiving screws to fixedly hold a closure plate or
lid (not shown). Further, the support blocks 12 also carry a shaft
13 for pivotally supporting a swinger latch 14. The cross-sectional
configuration of the conventional swinger latch 14 may be best
observed in FIG. 5. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rear edge portion
of the swinger latch 14 is provided with an integral abutment nose
15 which extends along a small portion of the length of the swinger
latch. By means of the abutment nose 15, the swinger latch 14 is,
under the effect of a cylindrical turning spring 41, urged against
an oblique recess 17 of a pivotal locking lever 18. In the closed
position of the swinger latch 14, a central web portion 42 thereof
forms a continuation with a housing web 43 which also serves as an
abutment for one of the terminal positions of the swinger latch
14.
The locking lever 18 which extends substantially along the entire
length of the housing 10 is pivotally secured at one end by means
of a pivot pin 19 extending normal to the base of the housing 10.
The free end of the locking lever 18 extends beyond the terminus of
the pivotal shaft 13 into an elongated hollow space 20 formed in
the frontal wall portion of the housing 10. The elongated hollow
space 20 is disposed transversely to the longitudinal direction of
the housing 10 and receives a detent lever 21 which itself is
pivotable on a fixed pin 22 disposed in the hollow space 20 and
extending through one end of the detent lever 21. The locking lever
18 is urged into its locking position by means of a compression
spring 23 which, with one end, engages the wall of the housing 10
and with its other end fits into a depression 25 of the locking
lever 18. The detent lever 21 is urged into its locking position by
means of a compression spring 24 which, with one end, engages the
wall of the housing 10 and with its other end fits into a
depression 26 of the detent lever 21. In this locking position a
shoulder 27 of the detent lever 21 hooks behind the sharp edge of
the free end of the locking lever 18. When the detent lever 21 is
moved from its locking position shown in FIG. 1 into its releasing
position shown in FIG. 3 against the return spring 24 in a manner
to be described later, it permits a free motion of the locking
lever 18 which, however, is still maintained in its present
position (in which it locks the swinger latch 14) by the return
spring 24. Due to a pivotal motion of the swinger latch 14 during
the opening of the door and the necessary travel of the swinger
latch past the door locking bolt, the locking lever 18 is, by
virtue of the cooperation between the nose 15 and the oblique
recess 17, pivoted into its position shown in FIG. 3. Immediately
after swinging the door through a small opening angle, the return
spring 23 moves the locking lever 18 and the latter, through the
oblique recess 17 and nose 15, moves the swinger latch 14 into the
locking position shown in FIG. 1. In this position, under the
action of spring 24, the detent lever 21 snaps with its shoulder 27
behind the free end of the locking lever 18 and maintains the
latter in its closed position.
For moving the conventional detent lever 21 against the force of
the return spring 24 there serves an electromagnet 28 which,
according to the invention, is provided with a solenoid 29 having
an axis that extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing
10. The solenoid 29, which takes up a substantial portion of the
length of the housing 10, is wound on a spool 30 made of synthetic
material. With the solenoid 29 there is associated an armature 32
which is movable within the spool 30 against a stationary core 33
situated in the spool 30. The magnet armature 32 centrally holds an
actuating pin 35 extending through the core 33 and an intermediate
wall 34 of the housing 10. When the solenoid 29 is energized, the
armature 32 is, by the magnetic attracting forces, moved towards
the core 33 until it abuts the same. During its motion caused by
magnetic attraction, the actuating pin 35 strikes a pin-like
extension 36 which extends laterally from the underside of the
detent lever 21 and which is disposed in the path of travel of the
actuating pin 35. As a result of the engagement between the
actuator pin 35 and the pin-like extension 36, the detent lever 21
is moved into its releasing position against the return spring 24
as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Between the core 33 and the
armature 32, there is disposed a return spring 37 formed as a
compression spring which engages the base of a frontal recess 38
formed in the armature 32. The frontal recess 38 is so dimensioned
that in case of a firm engagement between the armature 32 and the
core 33, the compressed return spring 37 may be entirely
accommodated therein.
To the frontal side of the housing 10 there is attached a terminal
strip 39 made of insulating material. It supports terminal screws
40 for receiving electric conductors carrying the energizing
current for the solenoid 29.
* * * * *