End plate for attaching to a leading edge of a door hanging

EP4493782A1Active Publication Date: 2025-01-22EFAFLEX INZENIRING D O O LJUBLJANA
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Patent Information

Application Number
EP2023712002
Authority / Receiving Office
EP · EP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2022-03-18
Filing Date
2023-03-15
Publication Date
2025-01-22
Estimated Expiration
2043-03-15

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional end plates for roller shutters with flexible curtains compromise between maximum clear height of the gate opening and rigidity, and require manual calibration of the upper end position, which is time-consuming and costly.

Method used

An end plate with a first end profile of lower height on the side facing the winding shaft and a second end profile of higher height on the opposite side, allowing for maximum clear height utilization and automatic determination of the upper end position, while increasing the rigidity and weight of the curtain.

Benefits of technology

The solution maximizes the usable gate opening height while ensuring sufficient rigidity and weight for the curtain, eliminating the need for manual calibration of the upper end position and enhancing safety features like resistance detection.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The invention relates to an end plate (12) for attaching to a leading edge of a door hanging (16) which is arranged on a winding shaft (14), comprising a first end profile (18), which is arranged on a first face of the door hanging (16) and has a lower end edge, a second end profile (20), which is arranged on a second face of the door hanging (16) and has a lower end edge and an upper end edge (22), and to a roller shutter comprising such an end plate (12). In order to resolve the conflict of interest between a maximum clear height HI of the door opening and an inherent weight which is as high as possible and in order to satisfy the preconditions for automatically determining the upper end position, the first end profile (18) and the second end profile (20) have different heights.
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Description

[0001] Description

[0002] End plate for attachment to a leading edge of a door curtain

[0003] The invention relates to an end plate for attachment to a leading edge of a door curtain with a first end profile which is arranged on a first side of the door curtain and a second end profile which is arranged on a second side of the door curtain, as well as a roller door with such an end plate.

[0004] Such a closure sign is known from DE 87 04 381 Ul.

[0005] For many applications of roller shutters and partitions, a curtain made of a flexible material is now standard. These are suitable, for example, for windproof separation of different building sections. Due to their low weight compared to roller shutters with rigid slats, they are particularly suitable for use in high-speed roller shutters, as the device driving the roller shutter can be designed with lower power and thus be lighter and more cost-effective.

[0006] Such roller doors have a winding shaft onto which the door curtain is wound when opening and unwound again when closing. In this application, the term door curtain is used synonymously for all types of vertically opening and closing, separating protective devices. The side edges of the door curtain are guided in corresponding vertical guides to ensure windtight closure across the entire opening area of ​​the door. A flexible curtain has no inherent rigidity, which is why such roller doors are usually equipped with a rigid end plate on the leading edge of the door curtain. This is usually a relatively flat metal profile that gives the door curtain rigidity transversely to its direction of movement. Due to its own weight, the end plate also ensures that the door curtain is taut between the winding shaft and the end plate across its entire width and in the direction of movement.For this purpose, the end plate can extend into the vertical guides.

[0007] In conventional designs, the door curtain is attached directly to the winding shaft. To open the roller shutter, the drive force from a drive device, such as a motor, is transferred directly to the winding shaft, winding the door curtain onto the winding shaft. To close, the drive operates in the opposite direction. Due to its own weight, the end plate supports the closing process of the roller shutter and also ensures that the door curtain remains taut even during the closing process.

[0008] The aforementioned DE 87 04 381 U1 discloses an end plate for the flexible door leaf of a roller shutter door. This consists of two symmetrical, leg-shaped strips between which the lower edge of the door leaf is held. The principle of such a construction is illustrated schematically in Fig. 1. This shows a sectional view of an end plate 10 known from the prior art. It consists of a first end profile 18 and a second end profile 20, which are arranged on either side of a leading edge of a door curtain 16. This, in turn, is mounted on a winding shaft 14. The winding shaft 14 is set in rotation by a drive device (not shown). If the winding shaft 14 rotates clockwise as shown in Fig. 1, the door curtain 16 lowers and a roller shutter door containing the aforementioned components is closed.A counterclockwise rotation of the winding shaft 14 leads to the door curtain 16 being wound onto the winding shaft 14, thereby opening the roller door. The maximum opening of the roller door is limited in order to avoid a collision between the first end profile 18 and the door curtain 16 already wound onto the winding shaft 14. The lower end edge of the first end profile 18 and the lower end edge of the second end profile 20 are located, in the illustrated, fully wound state of the door curtain 16, below the lowest point of the winding shaft 14 with the wound door curtain 16. A buffering strip made of an elastomeric material is also provided below these two symmetrical, leg-shaped strips. An exemplary embodiment according to the teaching of DE 87 04 381 U1 is shown in Fig. 2. This shows an installation situation of an embodiment of the end plate 10 according to Fig. 1.To protect the winding shaft 14 and the door curtain 16 wound around it, the winding shaft 14 is housed in a winding box 26. The height of the door head Ht is determined by the lower edge of the winding box 26 and corresponds to the distance between that lower edge of the winding box 26 and the base of a door opening, for example the floor. The clear height of the door opening Hl, i.e. the maximum usable height, is determined by the lowest point of a door device when the roller door is fully open. As shown in Fig. 2, in the end plate 10 known from the prior art, the clear height Hl is less than the height of the door head Ht. Thus, the entire available height of the door head Ht cannot be used.

[0009] Such end shields therefore always represent a compromise between the clear height of the door opening and the rigidity of the door curtain.

[0010] The clear height of a door opening is determined by the lowest element of the door curtain or components arranged on it when open. This typically corresponds to the lower edge of the end plate. For this reason, it is advantageous to provide an end plate with the smallest possible vertical extension. This, in turn, reduces the weight of the end plate, which negatively impacts the rigidity of the door curtain.

[0011] A further disadvantage of such an arrangement is that the upper end position must be determined manually if there is no physical attachment point, or a separate device for determining the upper end position must be provided. Both during initial commissioning or after a power failure, as well as during regular maintenance intervals, the calibration of the upper end position must be carried out by (specialist) personnel, which is time-consuming and costly. Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to describe an end plate that avoids the conflict of interest between the maximum clear height of the door opening and the highest possible dead weight and at the same time fulfills the requirements for automatic determination of the upper end position. Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is to describe a roller shutter door with such an end plate.

[0012] The above-mentioned object is achieved by a closure plate according to claim 1 and a roller shutter according to claim 11. Advantageous further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0013] The end plate according to the invention is intended for attachment to the leading edge of a flexible door curtain of a rolling shutter, in particular a high-speed rolling shutter. The door curtain is attached to a winding shaft, which is driven by a drive device to open and close the rolling shutter. The end plate consists of a first end profile, also called the inner (end profile), and a second end profile, also called the outer (end) profile. The first end profile is located on a first side of the door curtain, which faces the winding shaft and is also called the inner side. The second end profile is located on a second side of the door curtain, which faces away from the winding shaft and is also called the outer side. Figuratively speaking, the first end profile and the second end profile clamp the leading edge of the door curtain.

[0014] Surprisingly, it has been found that the disadvantages identified in the prior art can be overcome by selecting different heights for the first end profile and the second end profile. The height of the first end profile, which is located on the side of the door curtain facing the winding shaft, is crucial for the clear height of the door opening. This is because the winding up of the door curtain when the roller door is opened is limited by the potential (and avoidable) collision of the first end profile with the door curtain already wound onto the winding shaft. The lower the height of the first end profile, the further the door curtain can be wound onto the winding shaft, and the less the door opening is obscured by the end plate.

[0015] The second end profile, located on the side of the door curtain facing away from the winding shaft, is designed higher. This increases the dead weight of the end plate, consisting of the first end profile and the second end profile, thereby improving the rigidity of the door curtain. At the same time, the tension acting on the door curtain is increased, particularly when the roller door is closing, and the moment of inertia that comes into play when the roller door is opening is increased.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower edge of the first end profile and the lower edge of the second end profile are at the same height. When the roller shutter door is open, the clear height of the door opening can be maximized, while the end plate has a sufficiently high deadweight to realize the advantages described in the previous paragraph.

[0017] According to a further embodiment, the height of the first end profile is less than the diameter of the winding shaft with the wound-up door curtain, preferably less than half the diameter of the winding shaft of the roller shutter door with the wound-up door curtain. This ensures that the usable door opening is obscured as little as possible by the end plate.

[0018] In contrast, according to a further embodiment, the height of the second end profile is more than half the diameter of the winding shaft of the roller door with the door curtain wound up. This serves in particular to increase the dead weight of the end plate. It is particularly preferred if the height of the second end profile is greater than the diameter of the winding shaft with the door curtain wound up. In door devices with a winding box, the entire height of the winding box can be used. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the height of the second end profile is selected such that the upper end edge of the second end profile comes into contact with an element located directly above the winding shaft, for example an inner wall of a winding box, when the door curtain is fully wound up. This contact can be used as a stop for determining an upper end position.When calibrating a roller shutter door, for example during initial commissioning or after a power failure, the traditionally necessary step of manually determining the upper end position is no longer necessary. It should be noted that the second end profile is only connected to the door curtain in the area opposite the first end profile. This is necessary because otherwise the second end profile, and thus the entire end plate, would be deflected from its vertical orientation when the door curtain is wound up. Not only would the second end profile then not be able to be used to determine the upper end position, but the risk of damage to the door curtain and / or the end plate and / or other components of the roller shutter door would also increase.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the end plate is designed such that, when the roller door is fully open, neither the lower edge of the first end profile nor the lower edge of the second end profile are below the lowest point of the winding shaft with the door curtain wound up. The clear door opening is therefore limited not only by the positioning and design of the end plate, but primarily by the lowest point of the winding shaft with the door curtain wound up.

[0020] A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the end plate is designed as a single piece. Instead of separately mounting the first end profile and the second end profile on the door curtain to form the end plate, the first end profile and the second end profile can be pre-assembled. It is also possible to manufacture the end plate as a single piece, with a section, for example in the form of a groove, being designed for mounting on the leading edge of the door curtain, for example by designing the first end profile and the second end profile as unequal-length legs of a U-shaped end plate, e.g., produced by extrusion.

[0021] As already explained, in roller doors with flexible curtains, the curtain is usually guided in vertical guide rails, for example to create a wind-tight closure in external doors. According to a preferred embodiment, the end plate is also guided in a vertical guide rail on at least one side, preferably on both sides. Due to the different heights of the first end profile and the second end profile, the center of mass of the end plate is not perpendicular to the leading edge of the door curtain. This results in a torque of the end plate around the leading edge of the door curtain, which, if not corrected, would cause the end plate to lose its intended vertical orientation. The lateral guidance of the end plate prevents such twisting and ensures that the end plate is always oriented along the direction of movement of the door curtain.

[0022] For safety reasons, it is advantageous, and for various applications even required, that the invention include a safety edge. This serves to detect resistances, such as people or objects, when the roller door is closing. If the safety edge detects a resistance in the door opening, the closing process of the roller door is immediately interrupted to prevent injury to people or damage to objects. The safety edge is arranged on or integrated into a lower edge of the end plate, as this is the area of ​​the entire door device that first comes into contact with a resistance.

[0023] According to a further embodiment, in addition to or as an alternative to the safety edge, a device for optically detecting resistances is integrated into the end plate. This serves the same purpose as the safety edge, namely preventing personal injury or property damage. Optical detection has the advantage that obstacles or resistances are detected and thus prevented before a collision occurs. Injuries or damage caused even by slight contact can thus be avoided.

[0024] The invention further comprises a roller shutter door with a closure plate according to at least one of the above-described embodiments. The advantages described above with regard to the closure plate can thus be transferred to the roller shutter door.

[0025] A preferred embodiment of the roller shutter according to the invention is characterized in that the lower-height end profile of the end plate is arranged on the side of the door curtain facing the winding shaft, which in practice usually corresponds to the inside of the door. The higher-height end profile is accordingly arranged on the side of the door curtain facing away from the winding shaft, which in practice usually corresponds to the outside of the door.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, in which the roller shutter includes a winding box, the height of the second end profile corresponds to the height of the winding box. The height of the winding box is defined as the distance between the lower edge of the section of the winding box located above the winding shaft and the lower edge of the section of the winding box located below the winding shaft. With this design of the second end profile, it is possible to use the upper end edge of the second end profile as a stop when the roller shutter is fully open, while the lower end edge of the end plate is flush with the lower edge of the winding box.

[0027] The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0028] Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of a prior art end plate mounted on a door curtain completely wound onto a winding shaft; Fig. 2 shows the prior art end plate according to Fig. 1, mounted on the door curtain of a fully opened roller door;

[0029] Fig. 3 shows a first view of an end plate according to the invention which is mounted on a door curtain completely wound onto a winding shaft;

[0030] Fig. 4 shows the end plate according to the invention according to Fig. 3 in a second view;

[0031] Fig. 5 is a sectional side view of an end plate according to the invention, which is mounted on a door curtain completely wound onto a winding shaft;

[0032] Fig. 6 shows an end plate according to the invention, mounted on the door curtain of a fully opened roller door.

[0033] Figs. 3 and 4 show an embodiment of the end plate according to the invention in a state mounted on a door curtain 16 in two different views. As in the known prior art according to Figs. 1 and 2, the door curtain 16 is mounted on a winding shaft 14. The end plate 12 consists of a first end profile 18 and a second end profile 20, between which a leading edge of the door curtain 16 is arranged.

[0034] The first end profile 18 is arranged on a first side of the door curtain 16 facing the winding shaft 14 (in practice, the inside of the door) and has a lower height than the second end profile 20, which is arranged on the side of the door curtain 16 facing away from the winding shaft 14 (in practice, the outside of the door). The second end profile 20 further has an upper end edge 22, which in the illustrated embodiment is provided with a rubber profile 28. A rubber profile 30 is also provided on the lower end edge 24 of the end plate 12, which is formed by the lower end edge of the first end profile 18 and the lower end edge of the second end profile 20. A switching strip and / or a device for optically detecting resistances can be integrated into this.

[0035] Fig. 5 shows a schematic sectional view of an embodiment of the end plate 12 according to the invention. This shows the door curtain 16 completely wound onto a winding shaft 14. On a first side of the leading edge of the door curtain 16 facing the winding shaft 14, a first end profile 18 is arranged, which has a lower height than a second end profile 20, which is arranged on a second side of the leading edge of the door curtain 16 facing away from the winding shaft 14.

[0036] The height of the first end profile 18 is less than half the diameter of the winding shaft 14 with the wound-up door curtain 16. This makes it possible to wind the door curtain 16 onto the winding shaft 14 to such an extent that the lower end edge 24 of the end plate 12 is not below the lowest point of the winding shaft 14 with the wound-up door curtain 16. For door devices without a winding box 26 surrounding the winding shaft 14, the height of the door headroom Ht can thus be optimally utilized.

[0037] In contrast, the height of the second end profile 20 in the embodiment according to Fig. 5 corresponds to the diameter of the winding shaft 14 with wound-up door curtain 16. This increases the dead weight of the end plate 12, whereby the tension acting on the door curtain 16 is advantageously increased.

[0038] Fig. 6 shows the embodiment of the end plate 12 according to the invention according to Figs. 3 and 4 in the installed state in a sectional view. The height of the end plate 12, determined by the height of the second end profile 20, corresponds to the height of the winding box 26. This means, on the one hand, that an upper end position can be determined via the stop of the upper end edge 22 or the rubber profile 28 of the second end profile 20 on the inner wall of the winding box 26. Manual calibration is therefore no longer necessary. Furthermore, this results in the lower end edge 24 or the rubber profile 30 of the end plate 12 being at the same height as the lower edge of the winding box 26. The latter determines the height of the door headroom Ht. As can be seen in Fig. 6, the clear height Hl determined by the end plate 12 corresponds to the height of the door headroom Ht.This allows for optimal utilization of the door opening, while at the same time achieving the highest possible dead weight of the end plate 12.

[0039] List of reference symbols

[0040] 10 End sign

[0041] 12 End plate 14 Winding shaft

[0042] 16 Door curtain

[0043] 18 First / inner final profile

[0044] 20 Second / outer finishing profile

[0045] 22 Upper edge 24 Lower edge

[0046] 26 Changing table

[0047] 28 rubber profile

[0048] 30 rubber profile

[0049] Ht Height of the lintel Hl Clear height

Claims

Claims: End plate (12), which is attached to a leading edge of a flexible gate curtain (16) arranged on a winding shaft (14), comprising a first end profile (18) arranged on a first side of the gate curtain (16) and having a lower end edge, and a second end profile (20) arranged on a second side of the gate curtain (16) and having a lower end edge and an upper end edge (22), characterized in that the height of the first end profile (18) and the height of the second end profile (20) are different from each other. End plate (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower end edge of the first end profile (18) and the lower end edge of the second end profile (20) are at the same height in the assembled state and form a lower end edge (24) of the end plate (12).End plate (12) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the height of the first end profile (18) is less than the diameter of the winding shaft (14) with the wound-up gate curtain (16), preferably less than half the diameter of the winding shaft (14) with the wound-up gate curtain (16). End plate (12) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the height of the second end profile (20) is more than half the diameter of the winding shaft (14) with the wound-up gate curtain (16), preferably more than the diameter of the winding shaft (14) with the wound-up gate curtain (16).

5. End plate (12) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the upper end edge (22) of the second end profile (20) serves as a stop for determining an upper end position.

6. End plate (12) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the lower end edge of the first end profile (18) and the lower end edge of the second end profile (20) in the fully wound state of a roller door are not below a lowest point of the winding shaft (14) with wound door curtain (16).

7. End plate (12) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by a one-piece design.

8. End plate (12) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the end plate (12) is guided on at least one side in a vertical guide rail.

9. Termination shield (12) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by a switching strip for detecting a resistance.

10. End shield (12) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by a device for optical detection of resistances.

11. Rolling gate, characterized by a closing plate (12) according to one of claims 1 to 10.

12. Roller door according to claim 11, characterized in that the end profile (18, 20) of the end plate (12) is arranged with the lower height on the side of the door curtain (16) facing the winding shaft (14).

13. Roller door according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the height of the second end profile (20) corresponds to the height of a winding box (26).