Rotating structure

Abstract

Rotatable structure (1) which rotates about a vertical axis (2), with supply (3) and disposal facilities (4) for the energy and / or material supply, for the disposal of waste water and waste and / or the establishment of communication or data connections, characterized in that the supply (3) and disposal facilities (4) for the material supply and disposal have endless rotary unions (7) with rotationally symmetrical connecting parts (32, 33) which rotate in a sealing manner relative to one another.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a rotatable structure, in particular to the supply facility for energy and material supply, for the disposal of waste water and waste and / or the establishment of communication and data connections.

[0002] Rotatable houses are already known from EP 1 165 898 A1. The structure rotates around a vertical axis that runs through a fixed central column, which stands on a cellar or basement, or on a connected foundation. The house's supply and disposal lines are bundled via the cellar in the center of the central column and from there routed or transferred to the rotating part of the structure. For this purpose, the supply and disposal lines have flexible or rotatable sections, allowing the building to rotate.

[0003] Supply and disposal lines are required in particular for drinking water, the flow and return of water or brine to the heat pump, for wastewater, e.g. for bathing water, for wastewater from the kitchen area that may contain small solids, for flushing toilets, wastewater containing faeces, but also for coaxial cables for television reception, for telephone lines, for electricity, for fiber optic connections and the like.

[0004] The disadvantage of these known rotating houses is that a random rotation, i.e., a continuous rotation, has not yet been satisfactorily realized. Instead, due to the connections between the fixed supply and disposal lines routed in the center of the central column and the connecting lines rotating with the structure, a reverse rotation was necessary after a rotation of approximately 350 degrees. This is perceived as disturbing by the residents of a rotating house and contradicts the idea of ​​a constantly rotating house that reflects the daily routine.

[0005] Based on this, the invention is based on the object of enabling continuous rotation of the house using simple means and with a long service life of the required parts.

[0006] To achieve the object, the invention provides that the coupling between the rotatable structure and the fixed central column for the gaseous and / or liquid media, for the electrical, digital and / or optical signal connections takes place in planes spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction, wherein the supply devices for the material supply and disposal have endless rotary unions with sealing, rotationally symmetrical connecting parts that rotate relative to one another.

[0007] This allows the revolving house to rotate continuously in both directions without any restrictions. This completely and comprehensively integrates the building's exterior into the overall complex, giving residents the feeling that their daily routine is being retraced.

[0008] This creates a maximum spatial effect, as new moving images of the outside area are continually created for the residents inside the house, like in a film sequence, but also constantly new lighting situations and reflections in the interior, and this is endless and timeless.

[0009] The rotatability of the building also allows for a high degree of flexibility in use, for example for solar thermal elements arranged on the roof and / or facade of the rotating house.

[0010] The invention also offers the advantage of being able to rotate the house in any position, for example, in the opposite direction to the course of the sun, in order to be able to observe or supervise a specific situation outside the house, such as children in the pool or in the garden.

[0011] In a first embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the coupling between supply and disposal lines in the case of gaseous and / or liquid media is carried out via multi-channel rotary unions.

[0012] The channels for the gaseous and / or fluid media are formed by corresponding recesses in a cylinder tube section that is stationary with respect to the non-rotating part of the building and in a ring part that rotates with the building and surrounds the cylinder tube section on the circumference, wherein the recesses that complement the respective ring channel are sealed against each other and to the outside in a leak-free manner, for example by contact seals.

[0013] For the basic structure of rotary unions, reference can be made, for example, to DE 20 2012 012 688 U1.

[0014] The rotary unions or channels for the gaseous and / or fluid media are arranged one above the other at a distance from each other so that no interface problems occur between the individual components, for example, mixing of process water and wastewater containing faeces is avoided.

[0015] The channels, at least for the liquid media, have corner-free, preferably circular flow cross-sections, so that deposits in the channels and thus disruption of the flow are practically avoided.

[0016] According to the invention, it is also provided that a comminution device or a cutting device is inserted into the disposal lines leading away from the rotating structure, in particular for sanitary wastewater containing faeces, before being introduced into the associated annular channel in order to enable a reduction of the particle size in the sanitary wastewater and a good flow from the rotating devices into the corresponding stationary disposal lines in the stationary supply pipe.

[0017] In addition, the closable annular channels can be provided with flushing openings to prevent the channels from becoming blocked by flushing in the event that deposits form, for example in the case of wastewater containing faeces.

[0018] According to an alternative embodiment, the rotating unions are pipe connection parts that rotate coaxially within themselves and / or face each other. For example, the supply of drinking water or other liquids can also be introduced into the rotating structure from above. This offers the advantage of decoupling the supplied or discharged media on two levels, either above or below, within the structure.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the invention, the drain for disposal, which rotates with the structure, can be arranged eccentrically to the rotation axis and merges into a funnel-shaped connecting part, the neck of which rotates on or around the tubular, stationary connecting and supply part. This significantly increases the degree of freedom for disposal. Under certain circumstances, a shredding device can even be dispensed with for wastewater containing faeces.

[0020] This creates space in the center of the rotating structure, allowing convenient installation and maintenance work on its functional components. This design is particularly recommended for draining rainwater from the roof, as odor nuisance is of secondary importance and maintenance effort is also minimal.

[0021] It is also conceivable for the rotating waste disposal outlet to be positioned eccentrically to the structure's rotational axis, with its tubular, rotating connecting section merging into the now funnel-shaped, stationary connecting section. This design is particularly suitable for draining rainwater, which often results in no unpleasant odors and requires little maintenance. This design also offers the advantage of a footprint in the center of the building.

[0022] The transmission of electrical current, electrical and / or digital signals takes place via electrical rotary unions, in particular slip rings and associated sliding contacts, which, when installed, are located above the interface for the supply and disposal lines of the gaseous and / or fluid media, thus avoiding the risk of electrical short circuits. An electrical rotary joint is described, for example, in WO 2012 / 136646 A1.

[0023] According to a particular concept of the invention, it is provided that the electrical rotary feedthroughs are held on a holder arranged at the upper vertical end of the supply pipe, which holder has assembly and service openings for the electrical plug connections and the like below the electrical rotary feedthrough.

[0024] For safety reasons, the electrical rotating union is housed in a housing that is electrically insulated from the outside and rotates with the structure. The housing is provided with feedthroughs for power lines and lines for the electrical signals to the rotating structure.

[0025] The invention also includes the provision of an optical rotary joint for transmitting optical signals from the stationary building section to the rotating structure. The optical joint is mounted above the electrical rotary joints, thus achieving separation, for example, between power transmission and fiber optic signal transmission. An optical rotary joint is described, for example, in WO 2012 / 136645 A1.

[0026] The stationary optical component of the rotary joint can be attached to the holder of the electrical rotary transmission, for example, via a carrier located within a cap that rotates with the structure, on which the other optical component of the rotary joint is arranged. The other optical component of the rotary joint rotates with the structure and interacts with the stationary optical component. By arranging the optical rotary joint within a housing, preferably a metal one, the rotary joint is encapsulated, preventing any interference with signal transmission.

[0027] By using mechanical rotary unions for the fluid and / or gaseous media and / or electrical rotary unions for the electrical power supply and / or electrical signals and / or optical rotary transformers for the transmission of optical signals, an endless rotation of the structure relative to a stationary foundation, cellar or sub-floor is possible.

[0028] Of course, the non-rotating component can be stored or mounted on a mobile, transportable base.

[0029] Further objects, advantages, and possible applications of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawings. All described and / or illustrated features form the subject matter of the present invention, regardless of the claims or their dependence.

[0030] They show: Fig. 1 a sectional view of a rotating building with supply and disposal facilities, Fig. 2 a perspective view of a possible embodiment of a supply and disposal facility for a rotating building, Fig. 3 the supply and disposal facility in accordance with Fig. 2 in a side view, Fig. 4 a cross-section through the supply and disposal facility according to Fig. 3 along the section line AA according to Fig. 3, Fig. 5 a cross-section of the supply and disposal facility according to Fig. 3 along the section line BB, Fig. 6 shows a further embodiment of a supply device for drinking water in a rotating building, Fig. 7 shows a further embodiment of a disposal facility, Fig. 8 a different arrangement of a disposal facility, Fig. 9 another variant of supply and disposal facilities in a rotating building, Fig. 10 shows a further embodiment for supply and disposal facilities in a rotating structure and Fig. 10a a cross-sectional view of the supply and disposal facility according to Fig. 10.

[0031] In Fig. Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a building 1 that can rotate about a vertical axis of rotation 2. Located in the ground is a supply shaft 5 with supply facilities 3, shown in more detail in the following figures, for energy and / or material supply, for the disposal of wastewater and waste, and for establishing communication and data connections.

[0032] In the example chosen here, support rollers 6 are located near the edge of the building, running along the top of a foundation wall. The drive for rotating the structure 1 is provided by a gear motor (not shown).

[0033] The supply device 3 provides the connection between the rotating structure 1 and the stationary building part or the supply shaft 5.

[0034] In the exemplary embodiment chosen here, the supply device 3 is formed by a rotary union 7, by means of which the material supply and the disposal of waste water and waste takes place, an electrical rotary union 18 for supplying the rotatable building 1 with electrical energy and an optical rotary transmitter 26 for the transmission of optical signals.

[0035] The rotary union for the fluid and / or gaseous media is formed by a stationary cylindrical tube section 8, which surrounds a supply pipe 17, in which the supply lines for the rotary joints 7, 18, 26 and, if applicable, the wastewater lines are routed. The cylindrical tube section 8 can also be part of the supply pipe 17.

[0036] This cylinder tube section 8 is circumferentially surrounded by a preferably also cylindrical housing part 9, which rotates with the structure 1. For the rotary connection, a rotation transmission rod 29 is provided, which is connected to the rotatable building 1 and engages the outer housing part(s) 9.

[0037] The cylinder tube section 8 and the housing part 9 have corresponding recesses 10a, 10b, which complement each other to form annular channels and lie on top of each other in a sealed manner. Connections 11 to 16 for the supply and disposal lines from the rotating structure to the stationary lines are connected to these channels.

[0038] The individual ring channels are arranged one above the other at an axial distance, with their connections 11 to 16 being offset from one another in the circumferential direction to allow easier assembly and disassembly ( Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5).

[0039] To prevent deposits from forming in the ring channels, they are designed to have a circular flow cross-section.

[0040] A shredding and / or cutting device (not shown) is installed in the building's disposal line, i.e. the one for sanitary wastewater containing faeces, in order to reduce the particle size in the wastewater and thus prevent blockages.

[0041] The electrical rotary feedthrough 18, which has slip rings (not shown) and associated sliding contacts, is arranged on a holder 21 at the upper end of the stationary supply pipe 17. In the exemplary embodiment chosen here, the holder 21, which is fixed relative to the non-rotating building 5, has two plates 23 held vertically spaced from one another by spacers 22. The spacers 22 are designed as rods, creating assembly and service openings for the electrical plug connections 24 and the optical plug connections 25 of the optical rotary transformer 26.

[0042] The electrical rotary feedthrough 18 is accommodated in a housing 27 which is electrically insulated to the outside and rotates with the structure 1 and is provided with feedthroughs for the electrical signal lines 19 to the structure 1 ( Fig. 2).

[0043] The stationary optical component of the rotary joint 26 is also fixed to the holder 21 and interacts with the second optical component 20, which rotates with the structure 1, so that optical signals are transmitted via fiber optic technology from the stationary building part 5 to the rotating structure 1. The stationary optical component 26 is arranged within a cap 30, which rotates with the housing 27 of the electrical rotary joint 18 and supports the rotating optical component 26.

[0044] For the rotary movement of the housing 27 and the cap 30, a coupling rod 31 is provided to the rotary transmission rod 29 acting on the housing part 9 of the rotary union 7 for the gas and / or liquid media.

[0045] The supply devices for the material supply 3 and disposal 4 by means of endless rotary feedthroughs 7 with sealingly rotating, rotationally symmetrical connecting parts 32, 33 can also be made in such a way that the feedthroughs 7 are coaxially rotating and / or end-to-end rotating pipe connections 32, 33. For example, the supply of drinking water 37 takes place in Fig. 6 from above via corresponding rotary joints 32, 33; however, the position of the feed from above or below is not important.

[0046] A rotary union 7 with pipe connections 32, 33 rotating on the front side is shown in Fig. 10, Fig. 10a, for example for the supply 38 and discharge 39 of the heating medium for a heat pump as well as the centrally arranged waste water pipe 40 to the sewer.

[0047] For the disposal of faeces or other liquids, a design according to Fig. 7 can be selected, whereby the rotary feedthrough 7 for faeces or other liquids is effected via coaxially rotating and / or end-to-end rotating pipe connecting parts 32, 33.

[0048] The drain 34 for disposal, which rotates with the structure 1, can also, as can be seen from Fig. 8, be arranged offset from the rotation axis 2 of the structure 1 and merge into a funnel-shaped connecting part 35, the neck 36 of which rotates on, in, or on the tubular, fixed connecting part 32. Odor sealing is then provided between the neck 36 of the funnel-shaped connecting part 35 and the tubular connecting part 32 leading to the sewer.

[0049] Of course, it is also conceivable that the rotating outlet 34 for disposal is arranged eccentrically to the axis of rotation 2 of the structure 1, wherein the tubular connecting part 33 of the outlet 34 opens into the funnel-shaped fixed connecting part 32, as shown in Fig. 9. However, an odor trap should be created with an appropriate water level in the funnel-shaped, fixed connecting part 32.

[0050] Another embodiment of the rotary joint is shown in Fig. 10, Fig. 10a shown with coaxially arranged supply devices 3 and disposal devices 4. The rotary unions 7, as shown in Fig. 2, are formed in coaxially arranged annular channels with pipe connections 32, 33 rotating on the end faces. The sewage channel is located in the center. In the embodiment chosen here, this channel is surrounded by the supply for the heat pump, while the radially outer channel serves as the discharge from the heat pump. The upper part of the supply device rotates relative to the lower, fixed connecting part. List of reference symbols 1 rotating structure 2 vertical rotation axis 3 material supply facility 4 material disposal facility 5 Supply shaft, non-rotating building part 6 support roller 7 Rotary union 8 Cylinder tube section 9 Housing part 10a recess 10b Recess 11 Connection 12 connection 13 Connection 14 Connection 15 Connection 16 Wastewater connection 17 Supply pipe 18 electrical rotary union 19 electrical signal line 20 optical component 21 holders 22 spacers 23 plate 24 electrical connectors 25 optical connectors 26 optical rotary transformers 27 housings 29 Rotary transmission rod 30 cap 31 Coupling rod 32 connecting part 33 Connecting part 34 Process 35 funnel-shaped connecting part 36 neck 37 Drinking water 38 Heat medium supply 39 Heat medium removal 40 sewage contaminated with faeces QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 1 165 898 A1

[0002] DE 20 2012 012 688 U1

[0013] WO 2012 / 136646 A1

[0022] WO 2012 / 136645 A1

[0025]

Claims

[1] Rotatable structure (1) which rotates around a vertical axis (2), with supply (3) and disposal facilities (4) for energy and / or material supply, for the disposal of waste water and waste and / or the establishment of communication or data connections, characterized by that the supply (3) and disposal devices (4) for the material supply and disposal have endless rotary unions (7) with rotationally symmetrical connecting parts (32, 33) which rotate sealingly relative to one another. [2] Structure (1) according to claim 1, characterized byin that the rotary unions for the fluid and / or gaseous media are designed as multi-channel rotary unions (7), with a cylinder tube section (8) which is stationary with respect to the non-rotating building part (5) and a housing part (9) which rotates with the building (1) and surrounds the cylinder tube section (8) on the circumference, wherein the cylinder tube section (8) and the housing part (9) have mutually corresponding recesses (10a, 10b) which each complement each other to form annular channels and which slide on one another in a sealing manner, wherein the recesses or channels have connections (11-16) for the supply lines of the fluid and / or gaseous media on the side of the rotating building and the non-rotating building part. [3] Structure (1) according to claim 2, characterized bythat the cylinder tube section (8) is arranged on a stationary supply pipe or is part of the supply pipe in which the supply and disposal lines of the supply device (3, 4) are guided. [4] Structure (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the ring channels are arranged one above the other at an axial distance. [5] Structure (1) according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized by that the connections (11-15) to the annular channels are arranged offset from one another in the circumferential direction. [6] Structure (1) according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized by that the ring channels have corner-free, preferably circular flow cross-sections. [7] Structure (1) according to claim 1, characterized by that the rotary unions (7) are pipe connecting parts (32, 33) which rotate coaxially with one another and / or rotate on the end faces. [8] Structure (1) according to claim 1 or 7, characterized bythat the drain (34) for disposal, which rotates with the structure (1), is arranged eccentrically to the axis of rotation (2) and merges into a funnel-shaped connecting part (35), the neck (36) of which rotates on, in or on the tubular fixed connecting part (32). [9] Structure (1) according to one of claims 1, 7 or 8, characterized by that the rotating outlet (34) for disposal is arranged eccentrically to the axis of rotation (2) of the structure, the tubular connecting part (33) of which opens into the funnel-shaped fixed connecting part (32). [10] Structure (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a comminution and / or cutting device for reducing the particle size in the waste water is installed in the construction-side disposal line (14), in particular that for sanitary waste water containing faeces. [11] Structure (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat for the transmission of electrical current or similar electrical signals, the supply device (3) above the rotary feedthrough (7) for the gaseous and / or fluid media has an electrical rotary feedthrough (18) with slip rings and associated sliding contacts. [12] Structure (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the electrical rotary feedthrough (18) is arranged on a holder (21) arranged at the upper end of the stationary supply pipe (17), which holder is provided with assembly and service openings at least for the electrical plug connections (24). [13] Structure (1) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized by that the electrical rotary feedthrough (18) is accommodated in a housing (27) which is electrically insulated from the outside and rotates with the structure (1) and is provided with a feedthrough for the electrical signal lines (19) to the structure (1). [14] Structure (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that an optical rotary transmitter (26) for transmitting optical signals from the stationary part of the building to the rotating structure (1) is provided on the holder (21) above the electrical rotary feedthrough (18). [15] Structure (1) according to claim 14, characterized by that the stationary optical component of the rotary transformer (26) is arranged on the holder (21) and interacts with the optical component (20) of the rotary transformer (26) rotating with the structure (1). [16] Structure (1) according to claim 15, characterized by that the stationary optical component (20) is arranged within a cap (30) which is preferably seated on the housing of the electrical rotary feedthrough.

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