REINFORCED ROLLER SHUTTER DOOR WITH HORIZONTAL REINFORCEMENT BARS.

Abstract

In a lift-up curtain door according to the main patent, reinforced by horizontal reinforcing bars whose ends slide in vertical guides, the bars are sufficiently flexible to extend from the guides under the effect of an abnormal transverse force without undergoing permanent deformation that could subsequently impede operation. The ends of the bars are equipped with springs, or equivalent devices, to allow the bars to automatically re-insert themselves into the guides if they have extended.

Description

The main patent relates to a lift-up door comprising a curtain A retractable curtain that can be gathered at the top by rolling or folding, the curtain being horizontally reinforced by bars whose ends slide in two vertical tracks having a guide wall on either side of the curtain plane, formed in lateral uprights arranged on each side of the door, characterized in that the bars have, at least over a part of their length, sufficient flexibility to allow a bar to come out of at least one vertical track, in the event of an abnormal transverse force on the bar, without permanent deformation of the bar. The bars can exhibit overall flexibility. The bars can also have deformable or flexible ends or center. If the center is flexible, the bar can bend without permanent deformation. It then easily comes out of its guides. If the ends are deformable, the bar can be released from the guide by bending one end. Once the bar is out of the guide, the end that has deformed, it elastically realigns itself with the axis of the bar. These provisions are primarily intended to allow the door to disengage from its tracks without damage in the event of abnormal force. Secondarily, they are intended to allow the door, when disengaged from its tracks under abnormal force, to return to them manually, or preferably automatically, solely due to the normal upward and downward movement. without any human intervention other than the normal operation of the door. To facilitate reinsertion, the main patent provides, in one embodiment of the invention, that the side uprights have, on the outside of the track, protective walls (25, 26) forming a continuity with the walls (22, 23) of the track and forming an acute angle with them, measured on the outer faces of the track walls (see surfaces 25, 26 in Figure 6). This arrangement facilitates the reinsertion into the tracks of the protruding ends of the curtain reinforcement bars during retraction. Another arrangement may be added to this: namely, the track may have a gap through which the edges of the guide bars can pass to be reinserted into the track. Guide walls may also be provided, either upwards or downwards, to reinsert the ends. bars during the raising, or during the lowering of the curtain. In fact, it has been shown in practice that an interruption in the track, even a partial one, presents drawbacks. Indeed, even when the edges of the curtain are properly tucked into the top section after being raised, and the curtain is rolled up or folded at the top of the door, the edges of the curtain can slip out of the tracks during the descent if there is even the slightest breeze or a 2 2656648 any push when the bottom of the curtain crosses the area where it is not guided, to the interruption of the slides. The present invention relates to means for enabling a curtain according to claim 1 of the main patent to re-insert itself into the tracks, even when the tracks are uninterrupted. In a first embodiment of the invention, at least one horizontal reinforcement bar of the curtain has springs at both ends. The springs, made of helically wound steel wire (coil springs), can form the ends of the bar and be flexible, sliding in the tracks, optionally with a tip at the end of the spring. The springs can also be housed inside the bar and exert outward pressure on a piston which itself slides within the slide. In another embodiment of the invention, the track comprises at least one movable wall element capable of elastically deforming inwards. For example, the movable wall element is a section of a track wall, parallel to the plane of the curtain, and moves inwards between the two walls defining the normal sliding path of the ends of the reinforcement bars. Alternatively, on at least one of said protective walls, a section is mounted so as to be able to elastically depress towards the bottom of the track, along with a corresponding portion of the track wall, in order to temporarily open a window in the track, with an access ramp, under the pressure of the end of a curtain reinforcement bar, extending from the track, when the curtain is pulled upwards. It may also be provided that one of said protective walls is fitted with a guide projecting from said wall.and generally oriented upwards and towards the slide, this guide extending over the entire width of said wall, up to the edge of the slide wall, so as to bring back into the slide the end of a bar which, would have come out, deforming it to shorten the bar by bending or contraction. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the The following description, given as a non-limiting example, is in relation to the drawings. joints, and which will make it easier to understand how the invention can be implemented. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a horizontal plane of the end of a horizontal reinforcing bar of a lift-up curtain door and the track adjacent to that end; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 for a variant; Figure 3 is a front view of a track according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along line IV-IV of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along line VI-VI of Figure 5. Figure 1 shows a cross-section of a horizontal reinforcement bar for a flexible curtain handling door that can be raised by folding or rolling. The ends of the bars are guided in two lateral slides 21, an example of which is shown in cross-section in Figure 4. The horizontal reinforcement bar 1 consists of a tube 2, in the end of which a mandrel 3 is fixed, onto which a spring 4 is engaged. The dimensions of the mandrel and the spring are chosen so that the parts can be held together by any means other than a press fit. It is indeed preferable, but obviously not essential, to avoid riveting, welding, etc. Alternatively, the spring could be engaged in the tube 2. Similarly, an end cap 5 is fixed to the end of the spring. For reasons of material wear and to reduce operating noise,It is preferable that the spring not rub directly against the track 21. It will be easily understood that under the effect of a sufficiently strong push on the bar, the end, i.e. the tip 5, can be dislodged from the track by deformation of the end of the bar, i.e., bending without damage to the spring 4. Conversely, the end of the bar, once out of the track, can easily be reinserted, for example by an adequate push or by manually folding down the tip 5 to make it go into the track. This can also be done automatically by pulling the curtain upwards as it is raised, possibly with the assistance of a guide rail or equivalent. Once the curtain has been raised to the top of the door, and the unrolled or unfolded part has been retracted into the tracks, it can no longer come out by descending because the track is not interrupted. Indeed,The force of the wind is not sufficient to dislodge the end caps from the tracks; this requires an abnormal force, such as the impact of a trolley on a door that is not raised. or not completely raised. In the example in Figure 2, which also represents the end of a bar 10, the spring is not external to the tube 2. A sleeve 7 is mounted on the end of the tube 2, either by press fitting or by means of a pin 8 which simultaneously serves to secure the inner end of a spring 9, which forces outwards a piston 11 whose role is equivalent to that of the tip 5. Unlike the previous example, the end of the bar 10 is not flexible. To allow the bar to come out of the guides under the effect of an abnormal force, this bar must have overall flexibility or include a particularly flexible zone, for example, a central one. But when such a bar has come out of the guide, it is clear that it can be pushed back in by pushing the piston 11 inside the sleeve 7, for example manually or during the raising of the curtain thanks to the presence of a ramp. guidance, in which the piston is guided during the raising of the curtain (see below) (After) During the upward movement of the bar, piston 11 is pushed by the action of said ramp into tube 2 and is guided to the edge of the slide. At this moment, spring 9 relaxes and the piston engages in the slide. It can no longer be removed. during the subsequent descent. Figures 3 and 4 show, in front view in Figure 3, and in cross-section along line IV-IV of Figure 3 in Figure 4, a track 21 as described and claimed in the main patent. The track 21 is essentially defined by two parallel flat walls 22, 23 on either side of the plane of the curtain, which delimit an interstitial space in which the ends of the horizontal reinforcing bars of the curtain door move, these ends being guided by the walls 22, 23. The bottom of the track can be closed by a wall 24, improving rigidity and protecting the interior from dust and other foreign matter. According to a feature of the main patent, the tracks are externally lined with oblique faces 25, 26 (protective walls) which facilitate the retraction of the ends of the bars that have been extended into the tracks. The track generally includes other walls 27,28 lateral members and a base 29 to form a rigid assembly. In one embodiment of the main patent, to facilitate the reinsertion of the bar ends that have come out of the tracks, the track is limited in height and its highest point 30 is located below the entrance 31 of the curtain storage mechanism (rolling or folding), thus leaving an opening 32 (right side) through which the bar ends can be reinserted into the track. Inclined guides 33 facilitate this operation. With these arrangements, the need to manually reinsert the bar ends into the tracks is eliminated. However, the interruption 32 in the track presents a drawback. When the curtain is lowered, it can come out of a track, precisely through the reinsertion opening, under the effect of a force such as wind or a draft. The present addition provides several means for, eliminate this inconvenience. In the embodiment partially shown in schematic perspective in Figure 5, the track 21 has no interruption. A reinsertion ramp 35 is provided, preferably at the top of the door. When a bar is extended from the track 21 during the raising of the curtain, the end of the bar rubs against the surface 25 or the surface 27 of the profile surrounding the track. Upon reaching the ramp 35, the end of the bar is engaged on it by the tension due to the 2656648 The curtain rises, on the one hand, and by the effect of the inclined guide 33 on the other hand. The end of the bar rises the ramp 35, which forces the bar to shorten. This can be done by bending the bar, or, if it is made in accordance with one of Figures 1 or 2 of this addition, by contraction or deformation of a spring. The end of the bar is guided to the end 35 A of the ramp, and at this point, it extends to enter the track 21. During the descent of the curtain, the track being uninterrupted, the The bars will not be able to come out of the track, even if a strong wind forces the curtain. In Figure 5, the guide ramp is shown slightly recessed relative to the surface plane. This is not at all necessary. The ramp can consist solely of the protruding edge 33 A of the reinsert guide. In this case, The guide can be fixed, movable, or removable. In an alternative embodiment, to facilitate the reinsertion of the bars, with simpler structural bars, the ramp 35 can be recessed to temporarily open a window in the wall 23 of the slide. The ramp can, for example, be hinged around the lower edge 36, and a section 38 of the wall 23 can be recessed along the arrow 37. In Figure 6, which is a cross-sectional view along the VIVI line of Figure 5, the normal position of the ramp is shown at 35, and the recessed position at '. The extent of the slide's recess can be defined according to the nature of the bars and their ability to flex or shorten. In practice, this local mobility can be achieved by a cut made in the wall of the upright. In another embodiment of the invention, to prevent the bars from coming out of the track during the curtain's descent, the reinsertion window 32 (right part of Figure 3) can be closed by a deformable or articulated panel 40 (left part of Figure 3) which, in its rest position, is forced to remain in a plane parallel to the curtain and which can move to position 40' by deforming towards the inside of the track under the pressure of a bar end pulled by the curtain as it is being raised. Once the curtain is gathered at the top of the door, the panel 40 returns to its position in the plane of the track wall 22 and the curtain can descend without risk of coming out of the slide. The 40mm pan can be a flexible metal blade fixed at one end by rivets. It can, if necessary, be formed by a simple cutout in the wall of the slide. depending on the elastic nature of the material from which the slide is made. 6 2656648

Claims

Claims:

1. A lift-up curtain door, by folding or rolling at the top of the door, comprising a flexible sheet reinforced by horizontal bars (1) whose ends slide in vertical guides (21) formed in lateral uprights arranged on each side of the door, according to claim 1 of the main patent, the reinforcing bars having at least some flexibility to allow a bar to come out of at least one vertical guide in the event of an abnormal transverse force on the bar without undergoing permanent deformation that could subsequently hinder the operation of the curtain, characterized in that the bar (1, ) includes a spring ( 4, 9) made of steel wire wound in a helix at each end.

2. Door according to claim 1, characterized in that the bar comprises a tube (2), the spring (4) extending the bar beyond the tube and being flexible.

3. Door according to claim 2, characterized in that a sliding pad (5) is fixed to the end of the spring to slide in the slide (21).

4. Door according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring (9) is housed inside the bar, or an extension of the bar, and exerts an outward force at the end of the bar a piston (11) which slides in the slide (21).

5. A roll-up curtain door, operated by folding or rolling at the top of the door, comprising a flexible sheet reinforced by horizontal bars (1) whose ends slide in vertical guides (21) formed in lateral uprights arranged on each side of the door, according to claim 1 of the main patent, the reinforcing bars having, at least in part, sufficient flexibility to allow a bar to exit at least one vertical guide in the event of an abnormal transverse force on the bar without undergoing permanent deformation that could subsequently impede the operation of the curtain, characterized in that the guide comprises at least one movable wall element (40, 35) capable of elastically deforming inwards towards the guide so as to form an opening allowing a bar end to pass from the outside to the inside of the slide, but not in the opposite direction.

6. Door according to claim 5, characterized in that the movable wall element is a section (40) of a wall of the track, parallel to the plane of the curtain, and moves towards the interior of the track between the two walls (22, 23) delimiting the normal sliding path (21) of the ends of the reinforcing bars.

7. Door according to claim 5, wherein the side uprights comprise, on the outside of the slide, protective walls (25, 26) forming a continuity with the walls (22, 23) of the slide and forming an acute angle with them, 7 2656648 measured on the outer faces of the slide walls, characterized in that, on at least one of said protective walls (25, 26), a panel (35) is mounted so as to be able to be elastically pushed towards the bottom of the slide, with a corresponding portion (38) of the slide wall, so as to temporarily open a window in the slide, with an access ramp, under the pressure of the end of a bar Reinforcement of the curtain, exit from the track, when the curtain is pulled upwards.

8. A lift-up curtain door, by folding or rolling at the top of the door, comprising a flexible sheet reinforced by horizontal bars (1) whose ends slide in vertical guides (21) formed in lateral uprights arranged on each side of the door, according to claim 1 of the main patent, the reinforcing bars having at least some flexibility to allow a bar to come out of at least one vertical guide in the event of an abnormal transverse force on the bar without undergoing permanent deformation that could subsequently hinder the operation of the curtain, wherein the lateral uprights have, on the outside of the guide, protective walls (25, 26) forming a continuity with the walls (22, 23) of the guide and forming an acute angle with them, measured on the outer faces of the walls of the guides, characterized in that at least one of said protective walls (25,26) is provided with a guide (33) projecting from said wall, and generally oriented upwards and towards the slide, this guide extending over the entire width of said wall, up to the edge (35 A) of the wall (23) of the slide, so as to bring back into the slide the end of a bar which would be, exit, by deforming it to shorten the bar by bending or contraction.