DE20108860U1 - Security blocking means for a ceiling door - Google Patents

Abstract

The top end of the wire (7) is connected to loading springs and the bottom end passes through a hole in a closure cap (10). A spring (9) presses against the inside of this cap. It pushes down on a fitting (8) accommodating a thickened portion on the end of the wire. The lower end of the fitting may bear on the end of the sliding bolt (12) there is a lever (13) extending downward from a pivot (14) near the bolt.

Description

Safety blocking device for a ceiling-mounted door

The invention relates to a safety blocking means for a ceiling-mounted door according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such overhead doors are well known. They are used in particular as garage doors. These overhead doors can be operated manually or by means of an electric drive. Even if the overhead door is operated by means of an electric drive, the electric drive can be removed so that the overhead door can be operated manually in the event of a power failure, for example.

When a ceiling-mounted door moves in a guide rail, the weight force with which the ceiling-mounted door pulls downwards depends first of all on how far the ceiling-mounted door is

VAT ID No. DE 81 21 16 997

United Volksbanken Saarbrücken/St. Ingbert (bank code 591 901 00) No. 11 39 78 00 07 Deutsche Bank Saar (bank code 590 700 70) No. 0 742 700

Cooperation with / cooperation with / cooperation avec: Cabinet

VlEL Patent Attorney Firm

Conseil en propriete industrial Dr. rer. nat. Dipl.-Biol. Ulrike Rudolph

F-57520 Grosblifidersir.o/f D-69198 Schriesheim/Heidelberg

Patent Attorney's Office VIEL & VIEL* *..' * . "WeJnBergweg. 1S j European Patent and Trademark AttbrdeyS ' I Di66119iiaaiibrü£ken http://www.saarpatent.de ** ' *Tel"*++49-(0)681 -*58 59 59 kanzlei@saarpatent.de Fax: ++49-(0)681 - 58 59 81 25 May 2001

01074 ACHENBACH

is pulled up. The overhead door pulls downwards with the weight of the panels in the vertical guide rail. If the overhead door is in its lowest position, the overhead door pulls downwards with the greatest weight. If the overhead door is in its highest position, the overhead door practically does not pull downwards at all. The weight with which the overhead door pulls downwards changes evenly between these two values depending on the position of the overhead door.

In order to achieve a uniform pull, it is therefore known to attach one or more guide cables to the overhead door, which can be subjected to a spring force. This should at least almost compensate for the changes that result from the different weight forces with which the overhead door pulls downwards depending on its position by means of a corresponding spring force. In total, the spring forces in the uppermost position of the overhead door compared to the lowermost position of the overhead door should be such that they at least roughly correspond to the weight force with which the overhead door pulls downwards in its lowest position.

The problem underlying the present invention is to largely prevent unwanted and uncontrolled movement of the overhead door even in the event of a malfunction. In particular, a downward movement of the overhead door should at least be blocked if the overhead door is accelerated downwards with a force above a limit value.

This is achieved according to the invention by a safety blocking means for a ceiling-mounted door, which has a safety unit, wherein the safety unit in the safety state causes a blocking in the guide of the ceiling-mounted door, in that the safety unit then comes to rest or engage on the guide rail, and wherein the safety blocking means together with the safety unit in the functional state is movable along the guide rail of the ceiling-mounted door, wherein the safety blocking means is connected to the guide cable or the guide chain of the ceiling-mounted door, wherein

Patent law firm VIEL & VIEL* .. | · . * W<jfrfoergy7(?g 1£ 01074

European Patent and Trademark &Agr;&iacgr;&idiagr;&oacgr;&phgr;&egr;&phgr;^# I Q-66*l:19 Saarbrücken ACHENBACH

http://www.saarpatent.de TeL ^v ++49-(0)68Y*58 59 59

kanzlei@saarpatent.de Fax: ++49-(0)68i - 58 59 81

25 May 2001 3

a mechanical pre-tension of the guide rope or the guide chain means that the safety unit is in the functional state, whereby the safety unit changes to the safety state when the guide rope or the guide chain loses the connection to the safety blocking device and/or is no longer subjected to a mechanical pre-tension.

This can advantageously ensure that the overhead door is blocked by the safety unit if the guide cable or guide chain breaks completely or loses its mechanical pre-tension. This can advantageously prevent an uncontrolled downward movement of the overhead door in this situation. This applies to mechanically operated overhead doors.

With electrically operated overhead doors, the position of the overhead door is determined by the position specified by the electric motor. As long as the overhead door is mechanically driven by the electric motor, this also acts as a brake or blocking device in the event that one or both guide cables break.

The advantage of the present invention is that even with an electrically operated overhead door, safety is improved in the above sense when the electric drive has been disconnected, which can be the case in the event of a power failure, for example, so that the overhead door can then be moved by hand. In this case, the use of the present invention blocks the overhead door if one or both guide cables break under these circumstances.

In the embodiment according to claim 2, the safety blocking means has at least one spring which is under mechanical tension when the guide cable connected to the safety blocking means or the guide chain connected to the safety blocking means is mechanically pre-tensioned, wherein the safety unit changes into the safety state by mechanical relaxation of the spring.

Patent Attorney's Office VIEL & VlEi! ';; \ * ; "tyejn^ergweg; IS*. 01074 European Patent and Trademark A#)orHeye '·&Sgr;&udigr;661^9 Saafbrücken ACHENBACH http://www.saarpatent.de Tel.: ++49-(0)68&Idigr;*-*58 59 59 kanzlei@saarpatent.de Fax: ++49-(0)68l - 58 59 81 25 May 2001 4

This advantageously means that the safety unit is held in the functional state directly by the mechanical tension of the guide cable. However, since this mechanical tension has the direct effect of preventing the overhead door from falling down in an uncontrolled manner, this design advantageously ensures that the safety unit changes from the functional state to the safety state precisely when the force that prevents the overhead door from lowering uncontrolled is removed.

In the embodiment according to claim 3, the securing unit consists of an elastic material which is held in an at least substantially elongated shape under mechanical tension when the securing unit is in the functional state and which is extended in the horizontal direction when the securing unit is in the securing state.

This material can be a rubber-like plastic, for example. As long as at least one spring of the safety blocking device is tensioned by the mechanical tension of the guide cable, the material is stretched lengthwise. If the spring of the safety blocking device loses its mechanical tension, a corresponding pressure can be exerted on the material so that the material expands in width. As the material then presses against the guide rail, the resulting frictional forces can block the overhead door.

In the embodiment according to claim 4, the safety unit consists of a movable part which has no contact with the guide rail when the safety unit is in the functional state and which rests on the guide rail in the sense of a friction connection or a locking connection when the safety unit is in the secured state.

Patent Attorney's Office VIEL & VlPL * J · * * H

European Patent and Trademark A|{qmey« * '.P^öfti? Saafbrifcken http://www.saarpatent.de Tel.: ++49-(0)681 - 58 59 59 kanzlei@saarpatent.de Fax: ++49-(0)68i - 58 59 81 May 25, 2001

01074 ACHENBACH

In contrast to claim 3, the securing state is not achieved by a material deformation but by a change in the position or location of the movable part.

In the embodiment according to claim 5, the movable part is designed as a folding lever which, in the functional state, is folded in such a way that it is at least substantially flush with the surface of the safety blocking means, and which, in the safety state, is folded in such a way that the folding lever protrudes laterally from the safety blocking means and comes to rest against the guide rail.

This means that the folding lever does not hinder the movement of the overhead door when in operation. In the secured state, the clamping or locking effect is then advantageously achieved by rotating the folding lever around its axis of rotation. This can be achieved by an element exerting a corresponding torque on the folding lever.

In the embodiment according to claim 6, locking means are provided with which the safety unit can be locked in the functional state, even if no mechanical tension is transmitted to the safety blocking means by the guide cable or the guide chain.

This advantageously simplifies the installation of the overhead door. The overhead door can then be inserted into the guide rail using a corresponding locking device. The guide cable is usually not yet attached. Without the locking device, the overhead door would be blocked in the guide rail. The locking device can therefore advantageously make installation easier.

In the embodiment according to claim 7, the safety blocking means forms the stop of the guide cable or the guide chain on the curtain of the overhead door.

Patent Attorney's Office VIEL & VIEL * J: * * ; *W4t&erg\yeg, IS; 01074 European Patent and Trademark Aflftragye * *JP*-§§J·^ Saarbrücken Achenbach http://www.saarpatent.de Tel.: ++49-(0)681 - 58 59 59 kanzlei@saarpatent.de Fax: ++49-(0)681.58 59 81 25. May 2001 6

This design can advantageously save installation space by using the stop at the same time as a safety blocking device.

An embodiment of the present invention is shown in the drawing. It shows:

Fig. 1: an embodiment of a safety blocking device and

Fig. 2: an embodiment of a safety blocking device in combination with a guide rope which is subjected to a mechanical pre-tension.

Figure 1 shows a safety blocking device 1. The side boundaries of a guide rail of a ceiling-mounted door can also be seen, of which the lowest slat 4 is shown. Rollers 5 and 6 are also attached to the safety blocking device 1, via whose axes the safety blocking device 1 is also connected to the lowest slat 4 of the curtain of the ceiling-mounted door. The safety blocking device 1 and the curtain of the ceiling-mounted door can be moved in the guide rail via these rollers.

A guide cable 7 can also be seen, which can be hooked into a receiving part 8 of the safety blocking means 1. This receiving part 8 is supported by a spring 9 on the upper end 10 of the safety blocking means 1. The receiving part 8 can also slide along in the safety blocking means 1. The spring 9 can be compressed by the hanging means 11 of the guide cable 7, which acts as an abutment on the upper end of the receiving part 8, via a mechanical pre-tension of the guide cable 7.

If the guide cable 7 has no mechanical pre-tension, the receiving part 8 is pressed downwards by the relaxing spring 9. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 1, this downward movement is limited by a locking means 12.

Patent Attorneys VIEL &VlBL*; J * *

European Patent and Trademark A${o,r"\e^*s ^? ».0-66^19 Saarbrücken http://www.saarpatent.de Tel.: ++49-(0)681 - 58 59 59 kanzlei @saarpatent.de Fax: ++49-(0)681 -58 59 81 May 25, 2001

01074 ACHENBACH

This locking means 12 is designed as a screw which can be screwed laterally into the safety blocking means 1.

Furthermore, a safety unit designed as a folding lever 13 can be seen, which is designed to be rotatable about a rotation axis 14. In the illustration shown in Figure 1, the folding lever 13 is shown in a position corresponding to the functional state.

In the illustration shown in Figure 1, the locking means 12 presses on the head of the folding lever 13 so that it remains in the position corresponding to the functional state. In this position, the folding lever 13 is at a certain distance from the side wall 2 of the guide rail. As this locking means 12 clamps the folding lever 13 in the position corresponding to the functional state, the safety blocking means 1 is also movable in the guide rail when the guide cable 7 is not yet hooked in or has no mechanical pre-tension. The downward movement of the receiving means 8 is limited by the locking means 12.

If the locking means 12 is removed after assembly by unscrewing the screw, the receiving means 8 can then exert a torque on the head of the folding lever 13 when the receiving means 8 is pressed downwards as a result of the force of the spring 9. This is the case when the guide cable 7 breaks off or loses its mechanical pre-tension, which keeps the spring 9 pressed together.

This torque causes the folding lever 13 to rotate outwards around the axis of rotation 14, so that the folding lever 13 rests against the side wall 2 of the guide rail. This can build up such a frictional force that the safety blocking device and thus also the overhead door connected to the safety blocking device come to a stop. To build up a corresponding frictional force, the folding lever 13 can be made of a corresponding material or can be coated. This material can be rubber, for example. However, it is also possible to design the side wall 2 in such a way that the folding lever 13 engages in defined positions in the side wall 2 when the folding lever 13 is moved outwards.

Patent Attorney's Office VIEL & VlBf · ; [[ ; ^^pjjergyeg IS; 01074 European Patent and Trademark Affome}« * '* .0-66 _# 1&Idigr;1 § Saarbrücken Achenbach http://www.saarpatent.de Tel.: ++49-(0)681-58 59 59 kanzlei@saarpatent.de Fax: ++49-(0)68l - 58 59 81 25 May 2001

is folded. The overhead door comes to a stop when the folding lever 13 reaches the next defined locking position during the downward movement of the overhead door.

In the illustration shown in Figure 1, the folding lever 13 emerges from a lateral opening in the safety blocking means 1. It is also possible to attach the folding lever 13 in such a way that it emerges from the underside of the safety blocking means 1.

In deviation from the illustration in Figure 1, a differently designed safety unit can also be used instead of the folding lever 13. For example, a rubber-like elastic mass can be attached between the underside of the receiving part 8 and a lower end of the safety blocking means. If the receiving part is then pressed downwards due to the spring force 9 when the guide cable has broken off, this mass expands laterally and clamps the safety blocking means 1 in the guide rail.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a safety blocking means 1 in combination with a guide cable 7, which is subjected to a mechanical pre-tension. The same parts as in Figure 1 are provided with the same reference numerals.

Figure 2 shows that the guide cable 7 then runs over deflection pulleys. The deflection pulley 201 is mounted in the upper area of the overhead door. The corresponding mounting means 202 can be seen. The guide cable 7 is also fixed in place at its upper end 203. The guide cable 7 then runs over a deflection pulley 204, which is fixed in place in the floor area in the manner of a pulley by means of several parallel springs 205.

These springs 205 are pre-tensioned in such a way that the guide cable 7 is always under such a pre-tension that the spring 9 of the safety blocking means 1 is compressed when the guide cable 7 is hooked into the receiving means 8. Since these spring forces of the springs 205 are at their lowest when the overhead door is in its uppermost position, these springs must be pre-tensioned in such a way that the spring force of the

Patent Attorney's Office VIEL & VIEL*:: * * : * tycyib'ergjveg I^ European Patent and Trademark .^&iacgr;&iacgr;&ogr;&eegr;;^* \p-§6jf\§ Saarbrücken http://www.saarpatent.de Tel: ++49-(0)681 - 58 59 59 kanzlei@saarpatent.de Fax: ++49-(0)681 - 58 59 81 25 May 2001

01074 ACHENBACH

Springs 205 are also so large in this position that the spring 9 of the safety blocking means 1 is compressed.

Advantageously, several springs 205 are mounted in parallel so that there are still remaining spring forces if one of the springs should break. Furthermore, Figure 2 shows a number of other mounting means, such as a cover 206 for the springs 205, as well as rollers 207 that can be attached to the curtain of the overhead door so that this curtain can be moved in the guide rail.

Claims (7)

1. Safety blocking means ( 1 ) for a ceiling-mounted door, characterized in that the safety blocking means ( 1 ) has a safety unit ( 13 ), wherein the safety unit ( 13 ) in the safety state causes a blocking in the guide of the ceiling-mounted door, in that the safety unit ( 13 ) then comes to rest or engage on the guide rail ( 2 ), and wherein the safety blocking means ( 1 ) together with the safety unit ( 13 ) in the functional state is movable along the guide rail ( 2 , 3 ) of the ceiling-mounted door, wherein the safety blocking means ( 1 ) is connected to the guide cable ( 7 ) or the guide chain of the ceiling-mounted door ( 8 ), wherein the safety unit ( 13 ) is in the functional state by a mechanical pre-tension ( 205 ) of the guide cable ( 7 ) or the guide chain, wherein the Safety unit ( 13 ) goes into the safety state when the guide shaft ( 7 ) or the guide chain loses the connection to the safety blocking means ( 1 ) and/or is no longer subjected to a mechanical pre-tension ( 205 ). 2. Safety blocking means ( 1 ) according to claim 1, characterized in that the safety blocking means ( 1 ) has at least one spring ( 9 ) which is under mechanical tension when the guide shaft ( 7 ) connected to the safety blocking means ( 1 ) or the guide chain connected to the safety blocking means is mechanically pre-tensioned ( 205 ), wherein the safety unit ( 13 ) changes into the safety state by mechanically relaxing the spring ( 9 ). 3. Safety blocking means ( 1 ) according to claim 2, characterized in that the safety unit ( 13 ) consists of an elastic material which is held under mechanical tension in an at least substantially elongated shape when the safety unit ( 13 ) is in the functional state and which is extended in the horizontal direction when the safety unit ( 13 ) is in the safety state. 4. Safety blocking means ( 1 ) according to claim 2, characterized in that the safety unit ( 13 ) consists of a movable part which has no contact with the guide rail ( 2 ) when the safety unit ( 13 ) is in the functional state and which rests on the guide rail ( 2 ) in the sense of a friction connection or a locking connection when the safety unit ( 13 ) is in the safety state. 5. Safety blocking means ( 1 ) according to claim 4, characterized in that the movable part is designed as a folding lever ( 13 ) which, in the functional state, is folded so that it is at least substantially flush with the surface of the safety blocking means ( 1 ), and which, in the safety state, is folded so that the folding lever ( 13 ) protrudes laterally from the safety blocking means ( 1 ) and comes to rest on the guide rail ( 2 ). 6. Safety blocking means ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that locking means ( 12 ) are provided with which the safety unit ( 13 ) can be locked in the functional state, even if no mechanical tension is transmitted to the safety blocking means ( 1 ) by the guide cable ( 7 ) or the guide chain. 7. Safety blocking means ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the safety blocking means ( 1 ) forms the stop of the guide cable ( 7 ) or the guide chain on the curtain of the overhead door ( 4 ).