Shutter reinforcement device

Abstract

To realize a shutter reinforcing device that can be easily and inexpensively installed on an existing shutter, supports slats from both the front and back sides against strong winds, and suppresses damage.SOLUTION: A shutter reinforcing device includes: an indoor side bar mounting receiver 13 and outdoor side bar mounting receiver 14 fixed on the indoor side and outdoor side, respectively, of a seat plate 11 of the lowest of slats 7; an indoor side bar holder 15 fixed on vertical frames 3 at the left and right sides; an outdoor side bar holder 16 fixed on guide rails 6 at the left and right sides; and an indoor bar 20 and an outdoor bar 21, which are held horizontally on the indoor side and outdoor side of the slats 7, respectively, by the right and left indoor side bar holders 15 and the right and left outdoor side bar holders 16 to support the slats 7 from the indoor side and outdoor side, in which the indoor side bars 20 and the outdoor side bars 21 are mounted on the indoor side bar mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor side bar mounting receiver 14 respectively above the indoor side bar holder 15 and the outdoor side bar holder 16, and are raised and lowered with the seat plate 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shutter reinforcing device, and more specifically to a shutter reinforcing device that prevents slats from bending and being twisted or damaged by strong winds such as those caused by typhoons, tornadoes, snowstorms, etc., in shutters that are installed and opened and closed at the entrances of buildings such as factories, warehouses, stores, garages, etc. for the purposes of fire prevention, preventing intrusion, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as a means for reinforcing the slats of shutters installed at the entrances of buildings such as factories, warehouses, garages, etc., a configuration in which a reinforcing member is provided on one side of the shutter to prevent bending is known (see Patent Documents 1 and 2 for examples).

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a reinforcing structure for an opening / closing body in which a bar guide groove is provided as part of the left and right guide rails that guide the slats, and a stopper is fixed within the bar guide groove, and both ends of a bar placed on a seat plate attached to one side of the slat are guided in the vertical direction by the left and right bar guide grooves, and when lowered, the bar is placed on the stopper, and the bar is placed on one side of the slat, thereby holding down the slat when subjected to wind pressure.

[0004] Patent document 2 describes a reinforcement structure for a shutter curtain in which a reinforcing base material having a screw hole is fixed to one side of the slats of a shutter, and a reinforcing body can be freely attached and detached by screws into the screw hole of the reinforcing base material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3594503 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-296379 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, although it is not clear whether global warming is the cause, there have been many instances of buildings being damaged by strong winds across the country due to abnormal weather such as typhoons and tornadoes. Many shutters have been blown away or broken by the strong winds, and measures to combat this are being urgently needed.

[0007] However, installing reinforcement devices against strong winds, not only for new shutters but also for existing shutters that are already installed and in use, is costly and time-consuming, so measures are not necessarily being implemented. In addition, strong winds and tornadoes caused by abnormal weather not only cause wind pressure but also change wind direction instantaneously, so even installing ordinary reinforcement devices is not necessarily sufficient.

[0008] When selecting a reinforcing device to be attached to a shutter to protect it from strong winds, the following requirements must be taken into consideration: (1) The manufacturing costs of the reinforcement device itself and the cost of attaching it to an existing shutter are low. (2) In particular, in the case of existing shutters, it can be installed with simple work and at low cost. (3) The user of the reinforcement device (such as a building manager) can easily set it to the reinforced state and use it. (4) The reinforcing device provides strong reinforcement against wind pressure from strong winds. It is strong not only against wind pressure from outside, but also against pressure from inside the building.

[0009] In addition, in relation to (4) above, the following is an additional note: During normal strong winds, wind pressure is directed towards the inside of the building against the shutter slats, so the slats only need to be supported from the inside, but when abnormally strong winds occur, such as those caused by typhoons or tornadoes, the direction of the strong winds that were directing wind pressure inwards may suddenly stop or change direction, causing the slats to recoil and move outwards or become loose.

[0010] In such a case, the slat may be rolled outward and damaged, or may be shaken violently inward and outward, causing deformation or damage to the joints of the slat pieces that make up the slat, resulting in damage to the slat.

[0011] Incidentally, the reinforcing structure of the opening / closing body described in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which a bar guide groove portion is provided integrally with a slat guide groove portion, and the bar guide groove portion is provided as part of a guide rail, so that a guide rail with a complex structure completely different from conventional guide rails is required, resulting in high costs.

[0012] Therefore, in order to apply the reinforcing structure of the opening / closing body described in Patent Document 1 to a shutter, it is necessary to use the guide rail described in Patent Document 1 instead of the conventional guide rail, which is likely to require a lot of cost and effort.

[0013] Therefore, applying the reinforcing structure for the opening / closing body described in Patent Document 1 to an existing shutter equipped with a conventional guide rail would be difficult, costly, and practically difficult to implement.

[0014] Furthermore, the reinforcing structure of the opening / closing body described in Patent Document 1 has a bar guide groove portion in the guide rail on only one side of the shutter, and the bar is configured to be positioned only on one side of the shutter, so it cannot be said that the structure is necessarily sufficiently reinforced against the outward movement of the slats that occurs as a reaction when the wind pressure from the outside stops, etc.

[0015] In the reinforcement structure of the shutter curtain described in Patent Document 2, a reinforcing base material with a screw hole must be fixed to one side of the slat, making the slat structure complex. Moreover, the reinforcing body must be detachably attached with multiple screws to the screw holes of multiple reinforcing base materials each time it is needed, requiring tedious installation work each time the shutter curtain is closed.

[0016] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems associated with conventional means for reinforcing shutter slats such as those shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, and its objective is to provide a shutter reinforcement device which has a simple structure, is inexpensive to manufacture and attach to a shutter, and in particular can be easily installed on an existing shutter, and which users can easily set to the reinforced state and use, and which can support the slats from both the front and back sides when the shutter is closed, which are subjected to wind pressure from strong winds, and which can effectively prevent them from being rolled up or damaged. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a shutter reinforcement device which is attached to a shutter having slats that move up and down guided by the guide rails and which is provided with left and right vertical frames that are part of the structure of a building, and left and right guide rails that stand up along the left and right vertical frames, with one of the vertical frames and guide rails provided on the indoor side and the other of the vertical frames and guide rails provided on the outdoor side, and which can support the slats from both the indoor side and the outdoor side, the shutter reinforcement device comprising an indoor side bar mounting receiver and an outdoor side bar mounting receiver fixed respectively to the indoor side and outdoor side of the left and right parts of the seat plate at the bottom of the slats, an indoor side bar that can support the slats on the indoor side, and a bar mounting receiver attached to one of the members provided on the indoor side and which engages both ends of the indoor side bar to hold it horizontally. the outdoor side bar is provided with engaging portions at both ends, the indoor side bar engaging member has a fixed portion attached to the one member and a locking portion for locking the engaging portion of the indoor side bar, the outdoor side bar is provided with engaging portions at both ends, the outdoor side bar engaging member has a fixed portion attached to the other member and a locking portion for locking the engaging portion of the outdoor side bar, and the indoor side bar and the outdoor side bar are provided with engaging portions at both ends, the outdoor side bar engaging member has a fixed portion attached to the other member and a locking portion for locking the engaging portion of the outdoor side bar, and the indoor side bar and the outdoor side bar can be raised and lowered while placed on the indoor side bar mounting receiver and the outdoor side bar mounting receiver only at positions above the indoor side bar engaging member and the outdoor side bar engaging member, respectively.

[0018] As the engaging portion of the indoor side bar, an indoor side engaging piece protruding downward is fixed to each of the left and right ends of the indoor side bar, and as the engaging portion of the outdoor side bar, an outdoor side engaging piece protruding downward is fixed to each of the left and right ends of the outdoor side bar, and as the engaging portion of the indoor side bar engaging member, Indoor side engagement piece The locking hole portion into which the outdoor side latch member is fitted from above is attached to the one of the members via a fixing portion, and the locking portion of the outdoor side latch member is Outdoor side engagement piece It is preferable that a locking hole portion into which the second member is fitted from above and locked is attached to the other member via a fixing portion.

[0019] As the engaging portion of the indoor side latch, an engaging hole portion of the indoor side latch is fixed to each of the left and right ends of the indoor side latch, and as the engaging portion of the outdoor side latch, an engaging hole portion of the outdoor side latch is fixed to each of the left and right ends of the outdoor side latch, and as the engaging portion of the indoor side latch engaging member, an indoor side engaging piece that fits into the engaging hole portion of the indoor side latch from below to engage it is attached to one of the members via a fixing portion, and as the engaging portion of the outdoor side latch engaging member, an outdoor side engaging piece that fits into the engaging hole portion of the outdoor side latch from below to engage it is attached to the other member via a fixing portion.

[0020] It is preferable that the indoor side latch and the outdoor side latch are each connected to the base plate via a fall prevention wire.

[0021] It is preferable that a fall prevention rod is fixed facing upward to the indoor latch mounting receiver and the outdoor latch mounting receiver, and that the indoor latch and the outdoor latch are each formed with a fall prevention hole into which the fall prevention rod fits. Effect of the Invention

[0022] The shutter reinforcing device according to the present invention provides the following effects.

[0023] (1) The shutter reinforcement device of the present invention reliably supports the slats from both the front and back sides, even if strong winds cause wind pressure and other forces to act on the shutter from both the front and back sides, thereby improving the reinforcement strength and more reliably preventing the slats from curling, rattling, or being damaged.

[0024] (2) Since the shutter reinforcement device of the present invention has a simple structure, it is possible to keep parts and installation costs low. In particular, it can be installed on existing shutters with easy installation work and at relatively low cost. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a first embodiment of a shutter reinforcement device according to the present invention, and is a front view of a shutter to which the shutter reinforcement device is attached, as viewed from outside the building. [Diagram 2] 1A is a diagram explaining the parts of the reinforcement device for the above-mentioned Example 1, where (a) is a plan view showing the indoor side bar and outdoor side bar, and the left and right indoor side bar locking members and outdoor side bar locking members fixed to the vertical frame and guide rail, respectively, and (b) is a plan view showing details of key parts showing the relative configuration of the indoor side bar and outdoor side bar (shown by dotted lines) to the left and right indoor side bar locking members and outdoor side bar locking members. [Diagram 3] Regarding the above-mentioned Example 1, (a) is a view taken in the AA direction in Figure 1, (b) is an enlarged view of the main parts of (a), and (c) is an exploded view of the configuration relating to the indoor and outdoor side latch support parts shown in (b). [Figure 4] 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the details of each part of the above-mentioned Example 1, in which (a) is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 3A, (b) is a view in the CC direction in (a), (c) is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 3A, and (d) is a view in the DD direction in (c). [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the state in which the shutter is open in the first embodiment. [Figure 6]5. In the first embodiment, (a) shows a state in which the slats are rising and falling in the direction of the arrow as the shutter opens and closes, and (b) shows a state in which the shutter is open, as viewed in the direction AA in FIG. [Figure 7] Regarding the above-mentioned Example 1, (a) is a front view seen from outside the building, showing the reinforced state in which the shutter is closed and the indoor side latch and outdoor side latch of the reinforcement device are held on the indoor side and outdoor side of the slat by the left and right indoor side latch engaging members and outdoor side latch engaging members, respectively, and (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the indoor side and outdoor side latch fall prevention structure installed in place of the wire to prevent the latch from falling. [Figure 8] 8A shows a state in which the slats are in the middle of descending in the direction in which the shutter is closed, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the shutter is closed, as viewed in the direction AA in FIG. 7, in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a shutter reinforcement device according to the present invention, in which (a) shows an indoor-side locking piece attached to a vertical frame and an engagement hole portion of an indoor-side latch, and (b) is an oblique view showing the state in which the locking piece is fitted into the engagement hole portion. [Figure 10] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining the above-mentioned Example 2, where (a) shows the outdoor-side locking piece attached to the guide rail and the engagement hole portion of the outdoor side latch, and (b) is an oblique view showing the state in which the locking piece is fitted into the engagement hole portion. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THEINVENTION

[0026] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A mode for carrying out a reinforcing device for a shutter according to the present invention (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a "reinforcing device") will be described below with reference to the drawings based on an embodiment. EXAMPLES

[0027] Example 1: A first embodiment of a shutter reinforcement device 1 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figs. 1 to 8. In the present specification and claims, the indoor side of a building where a shutter 2 is installed is defined as the inside, and the outdoor side is defined as the outside. Also, the left and right sides when viewed from the outside and in front are defined as the left and right.

[0028] In addition, there are cases where the shutter 2 is installed indoors (for example, a shutter that separates a corridor or room for fire prevention purposes), in which case one side of the shutter 2 is considered to be the inside and the other side is considered to be the outside.

[0029] (Overall shutter configuration) Generally, the entrance of a building where the shutter 2 is installed is configured in a gate shape with left and right vertical frames 3 (see Fig. 1, Fig. 3(a), etc.) and a horizontal frame (not shown) at the top. The left and right vertical frames 3 are formed, for example, from steel frames, and are part of the building structure, and are not necessarily provided specifically for the reinforcing device 1 according to the present invention.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1, 3(a), etc., the shutter 2 is equipped with left and right guide rails 6, slats 7 that rise and fall guided by the guide rails 6, and a winding drum 8 that winds up the slats 7. The left and right guide rails 6 are installed upright on the floor surface 4 so as to be supported along the outer surfaces of the left and right vertical frames 3, respectively, as shown in Figure 2.

[0031] The present invention can also be applied to an over-sliding door shutter that slides on a rail along an indoor ceiling or the like, rather than on a hoisting drum 8. In the following, the present embodiment 1 will be described using a shutter that uses a hoisting drum 8.

[0032] In the invention described in this specification and the claims, left and right are defined as left and right when viewed from the front from the outdoor side of the building in which the shutter 2 is installed.

[0033] (Characteristic configuration of the present invention) Normally, the shutter 2 has a vertical frame 3 on either the indoor or outdoor side, and a guide rail 6 on the other side. In the present invention, too, when installing the shutter 2, depending on the building structure, there are cases where the left and right vertical frames 3 are provided on the indoor side and the left and right guide rails 6 on the outdoor side, and cases where the left and right guide rails 6 are provided on the indoor side and the left and right vertical frames 3 on the outdoor side. The present invention can be applied to either of the above cases.

[0034] The claims state that "either one of a vertical frame or a guide rail is provided on the indoor side, and the other of the vertical frame or the guide rail is provided on the outdoor side," but in this Example 1, the following explanation will be given of a configuration example in which one of the components provided on the indoor side is a vertical frame 3, and the other component provided on the outdoor side is a guide rail 6.

[0035] As another embodiment of the present invention, there is a configuration in which one component provided on the indoor side is a guide rail 6 and the other component provided on the outdoor side is a vertical frame 3. However, since such another embodiment differs from the configuration of this embodiment 1 only in that the indoor side configuration and the outdoor side configuration are simply swapped with each other, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0036] The reinforcing device 1 attached to the shutter 2 having the above-mentioned configuration includes the following main components as shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

[0037] (1) Left and right indoor latch holders 13 and left and right outdoor latch holders 14 fixed to the bottom base plate 11 of the slat 7 (see Figures 3(a) to (c)). (2) Left and right indoor latch members 15 fixed to the left and right vertical frames 3, respectively, and left and right outdoor latch members 16 fixed to the left and right guide rails 6, respectively. (3) An indoor side latch 20 and an outdoor side latch 21 are held horizontally on the inside and outside of the slat 7 by left and right indoor side latch engaging members 15 and left and right outdoor side latch engaging members 16, respectively, thereby supporting the slat 7 from the inside and outside.

[0038] A base plate 11 (see Figs. 3(a) to (c)) having a ⊥-shaped vertical cross section is provided at the bottom of the slat 7. The indoor latch receiver 13 and the outdoor latch receiver 14 are fixed at a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction of the bottom of the slat 7, and in this embodiment, at left and right positions (see Fig. 1).

[0039] As shown in Figures 3(a) to (c), the indoor bar mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor bar mounting receiver 14 have roughly concave-shaped sides and are fixed to the inner and outer surfaces of the left and right parts of the base plate 11 with bolts 22 so that they protrude horizontally inward and outward so that the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 can be placed on them, respectively.

[0040] The indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21 function as reinforcing members for the shutter 2, supporting the slats 7 from the inside and outside (see Figures 7 and 8(b)) even in strong winds, preventing the slats 7 from bending or rolling up, and are made of a strong material that will not be damaged by wind pressure, such as a square pipe made of iron or the like.

[0041] 1, the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 are each provided to extend horizontally across the entire width of the shutter 2. More specifically, as shown in FIG 2(a), the indoor bar 20 is formed to have approximately the same dimension as the distance between the inner surfaces of the left and right vertical frames 3, and the outdoor side bar 21 is formed to have approximately the same dimension as the distance between the outer surfaces of the left and right guide rails 6.

[0042] As shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), 3(a) and 3(b), 4(a) and 4(b), an indoor side engaging piece 23 is fixed to the left and right end faces of the indoor side bar 20 so as to extend downward as an engaging part. The indoor side engaging piece 23 is formed of, for example, a steel plate.

[0043] As shown in Figures 1, 2(a) and (b), 3(a) and (b), 4(c) and (d), outdoor engagement pieces 24 are fixed to the inner surfaces of the left and right ends of the outdoor side bar 21 so as to extend downward as engagement parts. The outdoor engagement pieces 24 are formed from, for example, an iron plate.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 3(a), the left and right indoor latch members 15 are fixed to opposing surfaces of the left and right vertical frames 3 at a height slightly below the approximate center in the up-down direction. The indoor latch members 15 are made up of a fixing portion 26 and a latch hole portion 27 as shown in Figs. 2(b), 4(a) and (b).

[0045] The fixing portion 26 of the indoor side latch locking member 15 is fixed to the vertical frame 3 by welding, screws, etc., and is made of a material such as an iron plate. The locking hole portion 27 is a portion into which the indoor side engagement piece 23 of the indoor side latch 20 is fitted and locked, and is provided so as to protrude in a frame shape on the opposite left and right surfaces of the fixing portion 26 (see FIG. 2(b)).

[0046] As shown in Fig. 3(a), the left and right outdoor side latch members 16 are fixed to the outer surfaces of the left and right guide rails 6 at the same height as the indoor side latch members 15 by welding, screws, etc. As shown in Figs. 4(c) and (d), the outdoor side latch members 16 are composed of a fixing portion 30 and a latch hole portion 31.

[0047] The fixing part 30 of the outdoor side latch member 16 is fixed to the guide rail 6 by welding, screws, etc., and is made of a material such as an iron plate. The latch hole part 31 is a part into which the outdoor side engagement piece 24 of the outdoor side latch 21 is fitted and latched, and is provided on the outer surface of the fixing part 30 so as to protrude in a frame shape (see FIG. 2(b)).

[0048] As shown in Figures 7 and 8 (not shown in Figures 1, 3 to 6), it is preferable that the indoor side bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 are connected to the inside and outside of the seat board 11 on the left and right sides, respectively, with fall prevention wires 34. The fall prevention wires 34 are made of steel wires or the like made by twisting steel wires together.

[0049] This fall prevention wire 34 is a means for suspending the indoor bar 20 or the outdoor side bar 21 in mid-air to prevent injury to people in the unlikely event that the bar falls from above while the shutter 2 is open. The length of the fall prevention wire 34 must be such that it will stop at a height that will not cause injury to people even if the indoor bar 20 or the outdoor side bar 21 falls.

[0050] As will be described later, while the shutter 2 is closing, the indoor side bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 are stopped above the floor surface 4 by the indoor side bar engaging member 15 and the outdoor side bar engaging member 16, at a height that effectively supports the slats 7 from both the inside and the outside.

[0051] The length of the fall prevention wire 34 connecting the indoor side bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 to the base plate 11 needs to be long enough to suspend the indoor side bar 20 or the outdoor side bar 21 at a height that will not cause injury to people if they fall, but this should be determined taking into consideration the height of the top of the shutter 2, the height of the indoor side bar locking member 15 and the outdoor side bar locking member 16, the height of the people, etc., and if the height of the indoor side bar locking member 15 and the outdoor side bar locking member 16 is, for example, about 1.2 m, a length of about 1.2 m is preferable.

[0052] When the shutter 2 is open, the fall prevention wire 34 hangs downward from an upper position between the base plate 11 and the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21. Therefore, if you do not want to install such a wire because it looks bad or is difficult to store, you can use a bar fall prevention structure 40 as shown in Figure 7(b) instead of the fall prevention wire 34.

[0053] As shown in Figure 7(b), the bar fall prevention structure 40 has an upwardly facing fall prevention rod 41 fixed to the indoor bar mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor bar mounting receiver 14, and the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 each have a fall prevention hole 42 formed in their top wall and bottom wall, into which the fall prevention rod 41 fits from below.

[0054] (action) The operation of the shutter reinforcement device 1 according to the present invention, which is configured as described above, will be described below. Figures 1 and 3(a) show the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor bar 21 placed on the indoor bar mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor bar mounting receiver 14, and engaged with the indoor bar locking member 15 and the outdoor bar locking member 16, stopping their movement.

[0055] Specifically, when the shutter 2 is opened, this state indicates the moment when the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21, which are engaged with the indoor side latch engaging member 15 and the outdoor side latch engaging member 16 and stopped, are placed on the indoor side latch mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor side latch mounting receiver 14 which have risen from below together with the slat 7 and the seat plate 11, and move upward.

[0056] Alternatively, this state also indicates the state at the moment when, when the shutter 2 is closed, the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21 are placed on the indoor side latch mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor side latch mounting receiver 14 and engage with the indoor side latch locking member 15 and the outdoor side latch locking member 16 in the middle of their descent, thereby stopping their descent.

[0057] If the slats 7 are raised to open the shutter 2 from the former state, the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 move upward while still placed on the indoor bar placement receiver 13 and the outdoor side bar placement receiver 14 (see the upward arrow in Fig. 6(a)), and when the shutter 2 opens as shown in Figs. 5 and 6(b), they come to a retracted position where they stop just below the winding drum 8. In other words, this state can be said to be a so-called stored state of the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21.

[0058] When the shutter 2 is closed from an open state, as the slat 7 is lowered, the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21 move downward while remaining placed on the indoor side latch mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor side latch mounting receiver 14 (see the downward arrow in Figure 6 (a)).

[0059] As the indoor side bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 move downward together with the slat 7, they reach the state shown in Figures 1 and 3(a), with the left and right indoor side engagement pieces 23 of the indoor side bar 20 engaging with the engagement hole portions 27 of the indoor side bar locking member 15, and the left and right outdoor side engagement pieces 24 of the outdoor side bar 21 engaging with the locking hole portions 31 of the outdoor side bar locking member 16.

[0060] As a result, the indoor side bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 stop moving downward at the position where they engage with the indoor side bar locking member 15 and the outdoor side bar locking member 16. Then, the indoor side bar locking member 15 and the outdoor side bar locking member 16 move further downward together with the slat 7 and the seat panel 11 (see FIG. 8(a)), leaving the indoor side bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 in the positions shown in FIG. 3(a) and (b), and enter the closed state as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8(b).

[0061] In summary, the indoor side bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 are configured to be able to be raised and lowered while placed on the left and right indoor side bar mounting receivers 13 and the left and right outdoor side bar mounting receivers 14 only above the indoor side bar locking member 15 and the outdoor side bar locking member 16, respectively.

[0062] When the shutter 2 is closed as shown in Figures 7 and 8(b), the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21 are maintained in a horizontal position close to the inside and outside of the slat 7, as the indoor side engaging piece 23 and the outdoor side engaging piece 24 engage with the engaging hole portion 27 of the indoor side latch engaging member 15 and the engaging hole portion 31 of the outdoor side latch engaging member 16, respectively, as described above.

[0063] Therefore, even if the slats 7 are exposed to strong winds and wind pressure acts on them from outside in this state, the indoor side latch 20 will not come off the indoor side latch engaging member 15 and slip off, but will support the slats 7 from inside, suppressing them from being turned inward or being damaged.

[0064] In addition, when the direction of a strong wind that was exerting a wind pressure inward on the slats 7 suddenly stops or changes, the slats 7 may try to move outward in reaction; however, even in such a case, the outdoor side latch 21 supports the slats 7 from the outside without coming off the outdoor side latch engaging member 16 and slipping off, thereby suppressing curling outward or damage.

[0065] In particular, as described above, the shutter reinforcement device 1 of the present invention employs a configuration in which the indoor side engaging piece 23 and the outdoor side engaging piece 24 engage with the engaging hole portion 27 of the indoor side latch engaging member 15 and the engaging hole portion 31 of the outdoor side latch engaging member 16, respectively, and the slat 7 is supported from inside and outside by the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21 which are securely engaged. Therefore, even if the slat 7 is shaken violently inward and outward, it is possible to prevent the slat pieces and their joints, etc. from deforming or breaking, which would cause damage to the entire slat 7.

[0066] When opening the shutter 2 from a closed state (see Figures 7 and 8(b)), as the slat 7 rises, the indoor side bar mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor side bar mounting receiver 14 mount the indoor side bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21, which are stopped in a position engaged with the indoor side bar locking member 15 and the outdoor side bar locking member 16, from below and lift them together with the slat 7 (see the upward arrow in Figure 6(a)), moving them to the open position of the shutter 2 as shown in Figures 5 and 6(b).

[0067] As mentioned above, the indoor latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21 are placed on the indoor latch mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor side latch mounting receiver 14, and therefore are not expected to fall. However, in the unlikely event that the indoor latch 20 or the outdoor side latch 21 falls for some unexpected reason when the shutter 2 is open, it cannot be said that there will be no accidents resulting in injury to people.

[0068] However, if the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21 are connected to the inside and outside of the base panel 11 respectively with a fall prevention wire 34, even if the indoor side latch 20 or outdoor side latch 21 falls, the fallen left or right indoor side latch 20 or outdoor side latch 21 will be suspended in mid-air by the fall prevention wire 34 and stop at a position about 1.2 m below the top of the shutter 2 if the length of the wire 34 is about 1.2 m, for example, so that injury to people will be prevented.

[0069] Furthermore, the fall prevention wire 34 is constructed so as to be easily attached and detached using a hook or the like, and the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21 can be placed on the indoor side latch mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor side latch mounting receiver 14 only during periods when weather forecasts predict the possibility of strong winds, tornadoes, etc., and can be removed at other times, thereby avoiding an unsightly appearance all the time.

[0070] As described above, the shutter reinforcement device 1 of the present invention has only the indoor side bar mounting receiver 13, the outdoor side bar mounting receiver 14, the indoor side bar 20, the outdoor side bar 21, the indoor side bar locking member 15, and the outdoor side bar locking member 16 as its main components, so that its configuration is extremely simple and the cost of the reinforcement device 1 itself is low.

[0071] In addition, the installation work on the shutter 2 is carried out by fixing the indoor bar mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor bar mounting receiver 14 to the lowest seat plate 11 of the slat 7, placing the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor bar 21 on the indoor bar mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor bar mounting receiver 14, respectively, and fixing the indoor bar locking member 15 and the outdoor bar locking member 16 to the left and right vertical frames 3 and guide rails 6, respectively.This makes it possible to install the shutter 2 not only on newly installed shutters 2, but especially on existing shutters 2, with simple operations and at low cost.

[0072] In use, if the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 are placed on the indoor bar mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor side bar mounting receiver 14 when the reinforcing device 1 is installed, there is no need to attach the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 every time the shutter 2 is closed, which is convenient and does not require any effort on the part of the user.

[0073] In addition, if a bar fall prevention structure 40 as shown in Figure 7 (b) is provided instead of the fall prevention wire 34, the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 can be placed on the indoor bar mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor side bar mounting receiver 14 so that the fall prevention rod 41 fits into the fall prevention hole 42 from below, thereby preventing the indoor bar 20 and the outdoor side bar 21 from falling off the indoor bar mounting receiver 13 and the outdoor side bar mounting receiver 14.

[0074] Example 2: A shutter reinforcement device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 9 and 10. The shutter reinforcement device of the second embodiment is the same as the shutter reinforcement device 1 of the first embodiment except for the following different configurations, and therefore the different configurations will be mainly described below. In addition, in the second embodiment, the configurations common to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as the first embodiment.

[0075] In addition, the shutter reinforcement device of Example 2 is designated by the symbol "shutter reinforcement device 51." Although the symbol "51" should be applied to the overall diagram of the shutter reinforcement device 51, since the overall configuration is the same as in Example 1, this is omitted from the illustration. Therefore, the symbol "51" is applied only to the parts of the configuration that differ, as shown in Figures 9(b) and 10(b).

[0076] The shutter reinforcement device 51 of Example 2 differs from the shutter reinforcement device 1 of Example 1 in the following configuration: As shown in Figs. 4(a) to (d), in the shutter reinforcement device 1 of Example 1, the engagement portions of the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21 are the indoor side engagement piece 23 and the outdoor side engagement piece 24, respectively, and the engagement portions of the indoor side latch engagement member 15 and the outdoor side latch engagement member 16 are the engagement hole portion 27 and the engagement hole portion 31, respectively.

[0077] In contrast, in the shutter reinforcement device 51 of Example 2, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the locking portions of the indoor side latch locking member and the outdoor side latch locking member are locking pieces 53 and 54, respectively, and the engagement portions of the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21 are engagement hole portions 55 and 56, respectively.

[0078] In summary, the structure of the engagement portion of the indoor side latch 20 and the outdoor side latch 21, and the engagement portion of the indoor side latch engagement member 15 and the outdoor side latch engagement member 16 is reversed in Example 2 in terms of "holes and pieces that fit into the holes" compared to Example 1.

[0079] Specifically, on the indoor side, as shown in Figure 9(a), indoor side locking pieces 53 are fixed to the opposing surfaces of the left and right vertical frames 3 as indoor side latch locking members, and the indoor side locking pieces 53 have fixing parts 57 and horizontal steps 58, have a crank-shaped vertical cross section, and are fixed to the vertical frames 3 via the fixing parts 57. Engagement hole parts 55 having a rectangular frame shape in plan view are fixed to the left and right end faces of the indoor side latch 20 as engagement parts.

[0080] When setting the indoor side latch 20, as shown in Figure 9(b), the latch piece 53 of the indoor side latch latch member fits into the latch hole portion 55 from below, and the latch hole portion 55 is placed on the horizontal step portion 58 of the latch piece 53, so that the indoor side latch 20 is latched and held horizontally.

[0081] The outdoor side has a similar configuration, and as shown in Fig. 10(a), outdoor locking pieces 54 are fixed to the outdoor faces of the left and right guide rails 6 as outdoor-side latch locking members, and the outdoor locking pieces 54 have fixing parts 59 and horizontal steps 60, have a crank-shaped vertical cross section, and are fixed to the guide rails 6 via the fixing parts 59. Engagement hole parts 56, which are rectangular frame-shaped in plan view, are fixed to the left and right end faces of the outdoor side latch 21 as engagement parts.

[0082] When setting the outdoor side bar 21, as shown in Figure 10(b), the locking piece 54 of the outdoor side bar locking member fits into the locking hole portion 56 from below, and the locking hole portion 56 is placed on the horizontal step portion 60 of the locking piece 54, and the indoor side bar 21 is locked and held horizontally.

[0083] The shutter reinforcement device 1 of Example 1 has the indoor side engagement piece 23 and the outdoor side engagement piece 24 facing downwards, which some users may find to be slightly unsightly, but the shutter reinforcement device 51 of Example 2 does not give this impression because the indoor side locking piece 53 and the outdoor side locking piece 54 face upwards.

[0084] As with Example 1, there is also an example in which one of the components provided on the indoor side is a guide rail 6 and the other component provided on the outdoor side is a vertical frame 3; however, since such an example differs from the configuration of Example 2 in that the indoor side configuration and the outdoor side configuration are simply swapped with each other, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0085] The above describes the form for implementing the shutter reinforcement device of the present invention based on the examples. However, the present invention is not limited to such examples, and it goes without saying that there are various embodiments within the scope of the technical matters described in the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0086] The shutter reinforcement device of the present invention is suitable for attachment to shutters installed at the entrances of various buildings such as factories, warehouses, stores, garages, etc., and is particularly useful as it can be applied simply and inexpensively to existing shutters. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1 Shutter reinforcement device 2. Shutter 3 Vertical Frame 4. Floor 6 Guide rail 7 Slats 8 Winding drum 11 Seat board 13 Indoor latch holder 14 Outdoor side latch holder 15 Indoor latch locking member 16 Outdoor side bar locking member 20 Indoor door latch 21 Outdoor side latch 22 Volts 23 Indoor side engagement piece 24 Outdoor engagement piece 26 Fixing portion of indoor latch locking member 27 Inside the room Locking hole of the bar locking member 30 Fixing portion of outdoor side latch member 31 Locking hole portion of outdoor side latch locking member 34 Fall prevention wire 40 Barrel fall prevention structure 41 Fall prevention rod 42 Fall prevention hole 51 Shutter reinforcement device 53 Indoor side locking piece 54 Outdoor side locking piece 55 Engagement hole of indoor side latch 56 Engagement hole of outdoor side latch 57 Fixing part of the indoor side retaining piece 58 Horizontal step of the indoor side locking piece 59 Fixing part of outdoor side locking piece 60 Horizontal step of outdoor locking piece

Claims

1. A shutter reinforcement device comprising left and right vertical frames which are part of the structural body of a building, and left and right guide rails which stand along the left and right vertical frames, with one of the vertical frames and the guide rails provided on the indoor side and the other of the vertical frame and the guide rails provided on the outdoor side, which is attached to a shutter having slats which move up and down guided by the guide rails, and which can support the slats from both the indoor side and the outdoor side, An indoor side latch holder and an outdoor side latch holder are fixed to the indoor side and the outdoor side of the left and right parts of the bottom plate of the slat, respectively; An indoor latch capable of supporting the slat on the indoor side; an indoor side latch locking member attached to the one member provided on the indoor side and locking both ends of the indoor side latch to hold it horizontally; An exterior side bar capable of supporting the slat on the exterior side; an outdoor side bar locking member attached to the other member provided on the outdoor side and locking both ends of the outdoor side bar to hold it horizontally; The indoor latch has engagement portions at both ends, the indoor side latch locking member includes a fixing portion attached to the one of the members and a locking portion that locks the engaging portion of the indoor side latch; The outdoor side bar has engagement portions at both ends thereof, the outdoor side latch locking member includes a fixing portion attached to the other member and a locking portion that locks the engagement portion of the outdoor side latch; A shutter reinforcement device characterized in that the indoor side bar and the outdoor side bar can be raised and lowered while placed on the indoor side bar mounting receiver and the outdoor side bar mounting receiver only at positions above the indoor side bar engaging member and the outdoor side bar engaging member, respectively.

2. The indoor side latch has an engagement piece fixed to each of the left and right ends of the indoor side latch, the engagement piece protruding downward. The outdoor side bar has an engaging portion, and an outdoor side engaging piece protruding downward is fixed to each of the left and right ends of the outdoor side bar. The locking portion of the indoor side latch member is a locking hole portion into which the indoor side engagement piece is fitted from above to lock the indoor side latching piece, the locking hole portion being attached to the one of the members via a fixing portion; The shutter reinforcement device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the locking portion of the outdoor side latch member is a locking hole portion into which the outdoor side engaging piece is fitted from above to lock, and is attached to the other member via a fixing portion.

3. The engagement holes of the indoor side bar are fixed to the left and right ends of the indoor side bar as engagement portions of the indoor side bar, The outdoor side bar has engagement holes fixed to the left and right ends of the outdoor side bar as engagement portions, As a locking portion of the indoor side latching member, an indoor side latching piece that fits into and latches with the engagement hole of the indoor side latch from below is attached to the one of the members via a fixing portion, The shutter reinforcement device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the outdoor side locking piece, which fits into the engagement hole of the outdoor side latch from below and locks it, is attached to the other member via a fixing portion as the locking portion of the outdoor side latch member.

4. 4. A shutter reinforcement device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the indoor side latch and the outdoor side latch are connected to the base plate via fall prevention wires, respectively.

5. A shutter reinforcement device as described in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that a fall prevention rod is fixed facing upward to the indoor bar mounting receiver and the outdoor bar mounting receiver, and the indoor bar and the outdoor side bar are each formed with a fall prevention hole into which the fall prevention rod fits.

Images