Hold-open system

Abstract

Hold-open system for an escape and / or fire protection door or hatch, comprising at least one electromechanical drive component such as a door closer or door drive, a control unit for controlling the drive component and an electronic assembly connected to the control unit via radio, namely a manual release button (11) which is to be mounted at a mounting location (13) and is protected against sabotage by removal from the mounting location (13) by means of a protective device (25), wherein an acceleration sensor (27) is provided which is arranged in relation to the electronic assembly (11) such that a movement of the electronic assembly (11) relative to the mounting location (13) is accompanied by a movement of the acceleration sensor (27), and wherein the protective device (25) is designed to generate a sabotage signal when the acceleration sensor (27) detects a movement.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a hold-open system for an escape and / or fire protection door or hatch, comprising at least one electromechanical drive component such as a door closer or door drive, a control unit for controlling the drive component and an electronic assembly connected to the control unit via radio, namely a manual release button which is to be mounted at an installation location and is protected against sabotage by removal from the installation location by means of a protective device.

[0002] If an electronic assembly is mounted in an accessible location, such as on an interior wall, there is a risk that removing the assembly could sabotage the associated system, which is particularly problematic for security and monitoring systems. Protective devices of this type are designed to detect such acts of sabotage so that countermeasures can be initiated. For example, a hold-open device for an emergency exit door or fire door may have a manual release button mounted on the wall near the door or hatch. This button allows for the manual activation of the relevant safety function in an emergency, such as manually closing a fire door in the event of a fire.

[0003] With existing wiring, the connection between the electronic assembly and the control unit can be monitored by measuring resistance. However, this is not possible if the electronic assembly and the control unit are connected exclusively wirelessly. A tamper switch in the form of a push button could also be provided, which is pressed by a spring when the electronic assembly is mounted. However, the spring must be precisely adapted to the specific design and configuration of the electronic assembly and its surroundings, such as the size and shape of the mounting box, resulting in a wide variety of types.

[0004] DE 100 05 443 A1 discloses an anti-theft system with an object detector that is permanently assigned to the object to be secured, is equipped with theft sensors and / or sabotage sensors and can communicate with a radio station.

[0005] In DE 202 06 498 U1, an anti-theft system is disclosed which includes a sensor that detects a change in the position of the object to be secured.

[0006] US Patent 5,878,530 A discloses a remote-controlled door drive with an electric motor and a drive linkage, wherein the shaft of the electric motor can be decoupled from the drive linkage.

[0007] It is an object of the invention to provide a holding system with a protective device of the type mentioned above, which is independent of a cable connection and is particularly flexible in its application.

[0008] The problem is solved by a locking system with the features of claim 1.

[0009] According to the invention, an acceleration sensor is provided which is arranged in relation to the electronic assembly in such a way that a movement of the electronic assembly relative to the installation location is accompanied by a movement of the acceleration sensor.

[0010] According to the invention, the protective device is configured to generate a sabotage signal, in particular an electrical or electromagnetic signal, when the acceleration sensor detects movement. The control unit or a separate receiving unit can then initiate security measures, for example, trigger an alarm. In particular, evaluation electronics of the protective device connected to the acceleration sensor can be configured to generate the sabotage signal.

[0011] The accelerometer does not require a spring adapted to the specific application, so that a protective device according to the invention can be used for many different systems. For example, a protective device according to the invention can be used for manual release buttons in shallow device boxes as well as for manual release buttons in deep device boxes. Furthermore, the functionality of the accelerometer can be provided regardless of whether additional cables are installed in the device box in question or not. It also makes no difference whether the device box is a flush-mounted box or a cavity box.

[0012] The electronics assembly can be connected to the control unit exclusively via radio, enabling quick, easy and flexible installation.

[0013] To increase the protective effect, the protective device can also include several acceleration sensors, each arranged in relation to the electronic assembly in such a way that a movement of the electronic assembly relative to the installation location is accompanied by a movement of the respective acceleration sensor.

[0014] Preferably, the acceleration sensor is arranged relative to the electronic assembly such that it remains at rest when the electronic assembly is installed. As soon as the electronic assembly is moved, for example during unauthorized disassembly, the acceleration sensor is triggered.

[0015] The acceleration sensor can be attached to the electronic assembly or to a component of the housing containing the electronic assembly, so that it generally moves along with the electronic assembly or component. It is not necessary to provide a separate housing for the protective device and connect it to the housing of the electronic assembly.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, the accelerometer comprises a microelectromechanical system (MEMS). Such accelerometers are compact and cost-effective.

[0017] Another embodiment of the invention provides that the accelerometer includes a gyroscope in order to achieve particularly high precision in acceleration measurement.

[0018] The protective device can be configured to generate a sabotage signal when an acceleration detected by the accelerometer exceeds a threshold. As soon as any discernible movement of the electronic assembly occurs, sabotage is reported. By selecting a suitable threshold, it is possible to ensure sufficient sensitivity for sabotage detection while simultaneously minimizing the risk of false alarms.

[0019] Preferably, the protective device is designed to transmit the generated sabotage signal to the control unit via a radio transmitter of the electronic assembly. In this case, it is not necessary to provide a separate radio transmitter for outputting the sabotage signal. Alternatively, it is also possible to transmit the generated sabotage signal via cable.

[0020] Preferably, the protective device is designed to query the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor at predetermined time intervals. The acceleration sensor is therefore preferably read cyclically rather than continuously.

[0021] The protective device can be designed to put the accelerometer and / or the associated evaluation electronics into an energy-saving mode between two successive query processes in order to minimize power consumption.

[0022] Further developments of the invention can also be found in the dependent claims, the description and the accompanying drawings.

[0023] The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the drawing. Fig. Figure 1 schematically shows a manual release button of a hold-open system, which is mounted on a wall and is protected against sabotage by removal from the wall by a protective device designed according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0024] The in Fig.The manual release button 11 shown in Figure 1 is part of a hold-open system for a fire door (not shown) and serves to enable manual closing of the fire door. The manual release button 11 is mounted on a wall 13. A housing 15 with a first housing component 17 and a second housing component 19 is provided to house the manual release button 11. In the mounted state of the manual release button 11 shown, the first housing component 17 and the second housing component 19 are screwed or otherwise connected to each other. The first housing component 17 can be a standardized device box for flush or cavity mounting, in particular a device box designed according to DIN 49073. Alternatively, the first housing component 17 could be a component associated with the manual release button 11, which is inserted into a separate device box.The second housing component 19 can be a carrier component for a control element (not shown) as well as for electronic components of the manual release button 11. According to an embodiment (not shown), the control element and the electronic components are housed in separate enclosures.

[0025] The manual release button 11 comprises control electronics 21 with a radio signal transmitter 23. The radio signal transmitter 23 can signal to a control unit (not shown) of the hold-open system that the operating element has been activated. The control electronics 21 with the radio signal transmitter 23 is arranged on or in an insert 20, which is fixedly connected to the second housing part 19.

[0026] If the manual release button 11 is removed from the wall 13, for example by dismantling or knocking it off, the fire protection function cannot be manually triggered, which is undesirable and may violate official regulations. To detect such acts of sabotage, a protective device 25 in the form of a tamper contact is provided for the manual release button 11. The protective device 25 includes an accelerometer 27, which, depending on the application, may comprise a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) or a gyroscope. Evaluation electronics 29 of the protective device 25, which are arranged on or in the insert 20, are connected to the accelerometer 27. The evaluation electronics 29 are also connected to the radio signal transmitter 23.

[0027] As shown, the accelerometer 27 is attached to the second housing component 19. When the manual release button 11 is mounted on the wall 13, both housing components 17 and 19, and consequently the accelerometer 27, are at rest. When the second housing component 19 is moved, the accelerometer 27 also moves and is triggered.

[0028] The evaluation electronics 29 are configured to monitor the acceleration detected by the accelerometer 27. This monitoring is preferably carried out such that the acceleration is not continuously queried, but only at predetermined time intervals. Between the queries, the accelerometer 27 and the evaluation electronics 29 are put into an energy-saving mode.

[0029] If the evaluation electronics 29 detect that an acceleration exceeding a predetermined threshold has occurred, it generates an alarm signal in the form of a tamper signal and transmits it to the radio signal transmitter 23. The radio signal transmitter 23 sends a corresponding radio message to the control unit. Therefore, should an act of tampering occur in which the second housing component 19 is moved, or both housing components 17 and 19 are moved together—as happens when the second housing component 19, including the insert 20, is removed from the first housing component 17, or when the entire housing 15 is removed from the wall 13—this is detected by the acceleration sensor 27 and reported to the control unit of the hold-open system. The control unit can then switch to an alarm state. The operator of the hold-open system consequently has the opportunity to arrange for the repair or replacement of the sabotaged manual release button 11.

[0030] The accelerometer 27 could also be arranged on the insert 20, on the first housing component 17, or on another component of the manual release button 11 such that it moves along with the manual release button 11 when the latter is moved. Alternatively, the accelerometer 27 could be mounted on the outside of the housing 15.

[0031] The described protective device 25 can be used not only to protect manual release buttons 11, but also to protect motion detectors, emergency switches and other electronic assemblies that are wirelessly connected to a control unit. Reference symbol list: 11 manual release buttons 13 Wall 15 cases 17 first housing component 19 second housing component 20 deployment 21 Control electronics 23 radio signal transmitters 25 Protective device 27 Accelerometer 29 Evaluation electronics

Claims

[1] Hold-open system for an escape and / or fire door or hatch, comprising at least one electromechanical drive component such as a door closer or door drive, a control unit for controlling the drive component and an electronic assembly connected to the control unit via radio, namely a manual release button (11) which is to be mounted at a mounting location (13) and is protected against sabotage by removal from the mounting location (13) by means of a protective device (25), wherein an acceleration sensor (27) is provided which is arranged in relation to the electronic assembly (11) such that a movement of the electronic assembly (11) relative to the mounting location (13) is accompanied by a movement of the acceleration sensor (27), and wherein the protective device (25) is designed to generate a sabotage signal when the acceleration sensor (27) detects a movement. [2] Hold-open device according to claim 1, characterized by, that the acceleration sensor (27) is arranged in relation to the electronic assembly (11) such that it is at rest when the electronic assembly (11) is mounted at the installation location (13). [3] Hold-open device according to claim 2, characterized by , that the acceleration sensor (27) is attached to the electronic assembly (11) or to a component (17, 19) of a housing (15) that accommodates the electronic assembly (11). [4] Hold-open device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the accelerometer (27) comprises a microelectromechanical system (MEMS). [5] Hold-open device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the accelerometer (27) includes a gyroscope. [6] Hold-open device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the protective device (25) is designed to generate an electrical or electromagnetic sabotage signal when the acceleration sensor (27) detects the movement. [7] Hold-open device according to claim 6, characterized by , that the protective device (25) is designed to generate the sabotage signal when an acceleration detected by the accelerometer (27) exceeds a threshold value. [8] Hold-open device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized by , that the protective device (25) is designed to transmit the generated sabotage signal to the control unit by means of a radio signal transmitter (23) of the electronic assembly (11). [9] Hold-open device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the protective device (25) is designed to query the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor (27) at predetermined time intervals. [10] Hold-open device according to claim 9, characterized by, that the protective device (25) is designed to put the acceleration sensor (27) and / or an evaluation electronics (29) connected to it into an energy-saving mode between two successive query processes.

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