Door with roll-up curtain and improved uprights

Abstract

Door comprising two uprights (3) and a curtain (2) which can be rolled up or unrolled to open or close a door opening and which can slide along the uprights (3), wherein each upright (3) comprises a rail (4) to guide the sliding of the curtain (2), wherein a sliding element (6) is joined to each one of the side edges (2a) of the curtain (2) to slide in a groove (7) included in each rail (4), wherein each rail (4) comprises a slot (9) which is substantially parallel to the groove (7) and is open both towards the curtain (2) and towards the groove (7) of the rail (4), wherein the thickness (T9) of the slot (9) is less than the thickness of the sliding element (6), wherein the slot (9) of the rail (4) of at least one of the two uprights (3) comprises a narrowing (11) which is substantially parallel to the rest of the slot (9) and is open both towards the curtain (2) and towards the rest of the slot (9), wherein the thickness (T11) of the narrowing (11) is less than the thickness (T9) of the rest of the slot (9), wherein the rail (4) comprises at least one wall (4a) that extends longitudinally along the rail (4), faces towards the narrowing (11) and comprises a surface configured to come into contact with a portion of the side edge (2a) of the curtain (2) or with an element (8) applied to this portion.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present description relates to a door which comprises a roll-up curtain in a crossbar arranged on improved uprights, in particular to create a high-speed door for industrial use.Background of the description

[0002] Document EP 3885525 A2 describes a high-speed door for industrial use, which comprises two uprights and a curtain which can be rolled up or unrolled to open or close a door opening and which can slide along the uprights, wherein a plurality of sliding elements is joined to the side edges of the curtain to slide in a groove of a rail included in each upright. One or two gaskets are arranged along the side edges of the curtain and are in contact with external surfaces of the rail to prevent the passage of air through a slot which connects the groove with the outside and allows the passage of a flexible strip which connects the sliding elements to the curtain.

[0003] However, these gaskets increase the manufacturing costs of the door and the wear of the curtain, due to the friction between the gaskets and the rail during the movement of the curtain, resulting in a reduction in the life and reliability of the door.

[0004] Document FR 3048014 A1 describes a door according to the preamble of claim 1. This door comprises rails provided with a slot with a narrowing which is open towards the rest of the slot and towards the groove, so that the rest of the slot is open towards the curtain, widening towards it and thus preventing contact of the rail with a portion of the side edge of the curtain or with the flexible strip applied to this portion.Summary of the description

[0005] The object of this description is therefore to provide a door that solves these problems. This object is achieved with a door, the main characteristics of which are specified in the attached claims, to be considered an integral part of this description.

[0006] Thanks to the particular narrowing of the slot and to the particular wall of the rail facing this narrowing, in the door according to the present description a surface of this wall can come into contact with a portion of the side edge of the curtain, or with an element applied to this portion, even in the presence of a minimal difference in pressure between the two surfaces of the curtain. With this arrangement, the difference in pressure generally present in a high-speed door for industrial use, which is usually used to connect a closed environment with the outside, can be exploited to close the slot and prevent the passage of air without having to use the gaskets of said known door.

[0007] The door preferably comprises a flexible rib which is applied longitudinally to the curtain next to a flexible strip sewn, heat-sealed or glued to the side edge of the curtain, so as to space the coils of the curtain when it is rolled up and prevent the curtain from curling and therefore wearing out due to the thickness of the sliding elements.

[0008] Furthermore, the air tightness of the door can be improved if portions of the side edge of the curtain are placed in the narrowing, preferably along its entire width and even better also along a portion of the rest of the slot.

[0009] Particular conformations and dimensions of the narrowing and / or of the surfaces facing the narrowing allow both to further improve the air tightness of the door and to reduce wear of the curtain due to possible contacts between the rail and the curtain during the sliding of the curtain, especially if the rail is made of a single piece of HDPE polyethylene or PE-UHMW polyethylene.

[0010] A pad may be arranged on one side of the rail opposite a side facing the curtain in order to allow for or compensate for small expansions or movements of the rail, thus further reducing wear of the curtain or elements attached to it, such as the sliding elements or the flexible strip.Brief description of the drawings

[0011] Further advantages and features of the door according to the present description will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of some embodiments, to be considered non-limiting examples of the claims, with reference to the attached drawings in which: figure 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the door; figure 2 is the enlarged section II-II of figure 1; figure 3 is the enlarged detail III of figure 2; figure 4 shows an enlarged axonometric view of a portion of the door curtain of figure 1. Exemplary embodiments

[0012] Figures 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the door, which includes a crossbar 1 that is configured to be placed above a door opening and is provided with a roller (not visible in the figures) that is connected to a curtain 2 and can rotate about its longitudinal axis, i.e. about a substantially horizontal axis when the door is installed, to roll the curtain 2 into the crossbar 1 or unroll the curtain 2 outside the crossbar 1, upwards or downwards, respectively, as shown by the arrows in figure 1, to open or close the door opening. The door also includes two uprights 3 arranged beneath the crossbar 1, in which the side edges of the curtain 2 can slide. Once the door has been installed, the crossbar 1, the uprights 3, and a floor arranged beneath the crossbar 1 between the uprights 3 delimit the door opening. One or both uprights 3 comprise one or more walls, in particular shaped and / or folded metal sheets. Each upright 3 comprises a rail 4 to guide the sliding of the curtain 2. The rail 4 is preferably arranged in a seat which is obtained in the upright 3 and is open towards the curtain 2. One or more sensors 5, in particular movement or passage sensors, can be arranged in a further cavity obtained in the upright 3. The rail 4 is preferably made of a single piece of plastic material, in particular HDPE (High-Density Poly- Ethylene) polyethylene or PE-UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight PolyEthylene) polyethylene. The curtain 2 is preferably made of PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride).

[0013] Referring also to figure 3, at least one of the two uprights 3 comprises a sliding element 6 which is joined to a side edge 2a of the curtain 2 and can slide in a groove 7 of the rail 4. The rail 4 therefore has a cross-section having a substantially C-shaped shape open towards the curtain 2. The cross-sections of the sliding element 6 and the groove 7 have substantially the same shape but slightly different dimensions, so as to allow the sliding element 6 to slide in the groove 7. The sliding element 6 can be joined to the curtain 2 by means of a flexible strip 8 which is sewn, heat-sealed or glued to the side edge 2a of the curtain 2.

[0014] The rail 4 comprises a slot 9 which is substantially parallel to the groove 7 and is open both towards the curtain 2 and towards the groove 7 of the rail 4. The thickness T9 of the slot 9 is less than the thickness of the sliding element 6, so that the sliding element 6 cannot pass through the slot 9, thus preventing a separation of the curtain 2 from the rail 4 in a transverse direction, i.e. substantially horizontal, with respect to the sliding direction. The sliding element 6 may comprise an extension 10 which is arranged in the slot 9 and has a thickness less than the thickness T9 of the slot 9, so that the extension 10 can slide in the slot 9.

[0015] The slot 9 of the rail 4 comprises a narrowing 11 which is substantially parallel to the rest of the slot 9 and is open both towards the curtain 2 and towards the rest of the slot 9. Thus, the rest of the slot 9 is arranged between the narrowing 11 and the groove 7, as it is clearly visible in the figures. The rail 4 comprises a wall 4a which extends longitudinally, i.e. vertically, along the rail 4 and faces the narrowing 11. The wall 4a comprises a surface configured to come into contact with a portion of the side edge 2a of the curtain 2, or with an element applied to this portion, in particular with a portion of the flexible strip 8, if the curtain 2 is pushed towards this wall 4a, in particular in the presence of a pressure difference greater than 10 Pa between the two surfaces of the curtain 2, i.e. between the two sides of the door opening. The rail 4 preferably comprises two walls 4a with two respective opposite surfaces which are flat and continuous, wherein the narrowing 11 is arranged between these two surfaces. These two walls 4a are parallel to each other and to the adjacent walls of the rest of the slot 9, as it is clearly visible in the figures. The thickness T11 of the narrowing 11 is less than the thickness T9 of the rest of the slot 9 and / or the thickness of the extension 10. Portions of the side edge 2a of the curtain 2 and of the flexible strip 8 are preferably arranged in the narrowing 11, in particular along the entire width of the narrowing 11, more particularly also along at least one portion of the rest of the slot 9. Preferably, the thickness T11 of the narrowing 11 is 2-6 mm and / or the width W11 of the narrowing 11 is 2-15 mm.

[0016] A pad 12 is preferably arranged between the rail 4 and the upright 3 on one side of the rail 4 opposite a side facing the curtain 2. The thickness T12 of the pad 12 is greater than or substantially equal to the thickness of the rail 4. Preferably, the thickness T12 of the pad 12 is 10-30 mm and / or the width W12 of the pad 12 is 1-10 mm. The pad 12 is preferably a strip having a cross-section with a substantially rectangular profile. The pad 12 is preferably made of a material selected from PVC, EPDM (Ethylene-Propylene Diene Monomer) rubber, or an expanded elastomeric material, in particular with closed cells, for example a flexible elastomeric foam (FEF).

[0017] Referring also to figure 4, a plurality of sliding elements 6 arranged in series can be joined to the curtain 2 through the flexible strip 8. The sliding elements 6 and the flexible strip 8 may consist of one half of a zipper without a slider. A flexible rib 13 is preferably applied longitudinally, i.e. in a substantially vertical direction, to the curtain 2 next to the flexible strip 8.

[0018] Variations or additions may be made by those skilled in the art to the embodiments described and illustrated herein, while remaining within the scope of the following claims. In particular, further embodiments may comprise the technical characteristics of one of the following claims with the addition of one or more technical characteristics described in the text or illustrated in the drawings, taken individually or in any mutual combination and comprising their equivalent characteristics.

[0019] Furthermore, the terms used in the specification and / or drawings are to be understood as "open" terms, unless otherwise specified, so that for example the terms "comprising", "including one" and "having two" mean respectively "comprising, but not limited to", "including at least one" and "having two or more".

[0020] Angles, proportions and values quoted in the text and / or shown in the drawings include a tolerance of at least 5%, unless otherwise specified.

Claims

1. Door comprising two uprights (3) and a curtain (2) which can be rolled up or unrolled to open or close a door opening and which can slide along the uprights (3), wherein each upright (3) comprises a rail (4) to guide the sliding of the curtain (2), wherein a sliding element (6) is attached to each side edge (2a) of the curtain (2) to slide in a groove (7) comprised in each rail (4), wherein each rail (4) comprises a slot (9) which is substantially parallel to the groove (7) and is open both towards the curtain (2) and towards the groove (7) of the rail (4), wherein the thickness (T9) of the slot (9) is less than the thickness of the sliding element (6), wherein the slot (9) of the rail (4) of at least one of the two uprights (3) comprises a narrowing (11) which is substantially parallel to the rest of the slot (9), wherein the thickness (T11) of the narrowing (11) is less than the thickness (T9) of the rest of the slot (9), wherein the rail (4) comprises at least one wall (4a) which extends longitudinally along the rail (4) and faces the narrowing (11), characterized in that the narrowing (11) is open both towards the curtain (2) and towards the rest of the slot (9), so that the rest of the slot (9) is arranged between the narrowing (11) and the groove (7), wherein the wall (4a) of the rail (4) which faces the narrowing (11) comprises a surface configured to come into contact with a portion of the side edge (2a) of the curtain (2) or with an element (8) applied to this portion.

2. Door according to the previous claim, wherein the sliding element (6) is joined to the curtain (2) through a flexible strip (8) which is sewn, heat-sealed or glued to the side edge (2a) of the curtain (2), wherein said element (8) applied to the portion of the side edge (2a) of the curtain (2) is a portion of this flexible strip (8).

3. Door according to the previous claim, wherein a flexible rib (13) is applied longitudinally to the curtain (2) beside the flexible strip (8).

4. Door according to one of the previous claims, wherein the wall (4a) of the rail (4) which faces the narrowing (11) contacts a portion of the flexible strip (8) or of the side edge (2a) of the curtain (2) in the presence of a pressure difference greater than 10 Pa between the two surfaces of the curtain (2).

5. Door according to one of the previous claims, wherein portions of the side edge (2a) of the curtain (2) are arranged in the narrowing (11), in particular along the entire width of the narrowing (11), more particularly also along at least one portion of the rest of the slot (9).

6. Door according to one of the previous claims, wherein the rail (4) comprises two walls (4a) with two respective opposite surfaces which are flat and continuous, wherein the narrowing (11) is arranged between these two surfaces, wherein these two walls (4a) are parallel to each other and to the adjacent walls of the rest of the slot (9).

7. Door according to one of the previous claims, wherein the thickness (T11) of the narrowing (11) is 2-6 mm and / or the width (W11) of the narrowing (11) is 2-15 mm.

8. Door according to one of the previous claims, wherein the rail (4) is made in a single piece of HDPE polyethylene or PE-UHMW polyethylene.

9. Door according to one of the previous claims, wherein a pad (12) is arranged on one side of the rail (4) opposite to a side of the rail (4) facing the curtain (2).

10. Door according to the previous claim, wherein the thickness (T12) of the pad (12) is greater than or substantially equal to the thickness of the rail (4).

11. Door according to one of the previous claims, wherein the sliding element (6) comprises an extension (10) which is arranged in the rest of the slot (9) and has a thickness less than the thickness (T9) of the rest of the slot (9), wherein the thickness (T11) of the narrowing (11) is less than the thickness of the extension (10).

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