GB2545510A

GB2545510A - A leisure building assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2545510A
Application number: GB1522475.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lewis Jones Bryan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-12-19
Filing date: 2015-12-19
Publication date: 2017-06-21
Also published as: GB201522475D0

Abstract

A leisure building assembly 10 comprising a leisure building 12 and a slewing bearing 14 upon part of which the leisure building 12 is mounted, the slewing bearing comprising an outer ring 38, preferably fixed to the leisure building which rotates relative to an inner ring 36 fixed to the ground such that rotation of the first part relative to the second part causes the leisure building to rotate relative to the ground. The device may further comprise a drive assembly 23 to electro-mechanically rotate the building which engages with internal gear teeth located on the inner ring. The assembly may further comprise a support frame 20 and an upper plate 16 which includes an aperture 65 enabling driving connection between the drive assembly and the inner ring. The leisure building is preferably a summerhouse.

Description

A Leisure Building Assembly

The present invention relates to a leisure building assembly, in particular to a leisure building assembly having a rotatable leisure building.

Leisure buildings such as summerhouses are typically used in gardens of properties to provide additional living space. By virtue of being in the garden, the summerhouse often provides a combined indoor/outdoor living experience. Despite the name, summerhouses are used all year round, and are often constructed with a significant amount of glass frontage to benefit from sunlight which serves to enhance the well being of the occupants by maximising the amount of light entering the inside of the summerhouse, and in colder periods, increasing the inside temperature.

The summerhouse is typically positioned in a fixed orientation in the garden. To gain the most benefit from the sunlight, the summerhouse has to be positioned carefully, often the positioning being restricted by other obstacles in the garden such as trees or buildings. Even if there were no restrictions presented by such obstacles, positioning the summerhouse to benefit from the sunlight will always be a compromise due to the fact that the position of the sun relative to the summerhouse changes during the day, and depending on the time of year. It is therefore not possible to gain the maximum benefit from the sunlight at all times of the day and year once the summerhouse is in position.

In addition, the glass frontage can often be opened up to the outside to increase the living space and to benefit from the outside weather conditions, for example, to allow for a breeze to cool the inside.

Depending on location, the summerhouse can also be positioned to take advantage of the outside view. Again, the glass frontage of the summerhouse will have to be positioned depending on the choice of view.

It will be appreciated that once the summerhouse is in-situ, the orientation of the summerhouse relative to the sun, the view, or the wind direction will be fixed, and therefore the benefits that were the prime motivation to have a summerhouse in the first place will not always be realised. For this reason, the summerhouse orientation will often be a compromise.

An object of the present invention is to provide a leisure building whose orientation can be easily changed.

Thus according to the present invention there is provided a leisure building assembly comprising a leisure building and a slewing bearing upon part of which the leisure building is mounted, the slewing bearing comprising a first part and a second part, the first part being rotatable relative to the second part, the first part being fixed to the leisure building, the second part being fixed to the ground such that rotation of the first part relative to the second part causes the leisure building to rotate relative to the ground.

Advantageously, the leisure building can be rotated relative to the ground to change the orientation as required, for example, towards or away from sun or the wind, or to be able to see a particular view.

The use of a slewing bearing is particularly advantageous as it is a low friction bearing which lowers the power requirement to cause rotation, and provides a smooth motion during rotation. In addition, the use of a slewing bearing is easier to configure for electro-mechanical drive when compared to a castor and rail bearing arrangement since one of the rings of the slewing bearing can be directly or indirectly coupled to a drive unit. A further advantage of a slewing bearing compared to the castor and rail bearing is the lower maintenance requirement due to the non-existence of an open rail where debris such as leaves and other foreign objects can accumulate and interrupt movement of the castor, and therefore the movement of any structure which the castor is mounted on.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a rear view of a summerhouse assembly according to the present invention,

Figure 1A is a front schematic view of part of the summerhouse assembly of Figure 1,

Figure 2 is a front view of part of the summerhouse assembly of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a side view of part of the summerhouse assembly of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a rear view of part of the summerhouse assembly of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a sectional (A-A) front view of part of the summerhouse assembly of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a sectional (B-B) side view of part of the summerhouse assembly of Figure 1,

Figure 7 is a plan view of part of the summerhouse assembly of Figure 1,

Figure 8 is a sectional side view of the slewing bearing of the summerhouse assembly of Figure 1, and

Figure 9 is a plan side view of the slewing bearing of the summerhouse assembly of Figure 1.

In Figures 1 and 1A, a summerhouse assembly 10 includes a summerhouse 12, a slewing bearing 14, an upper frame 20, a lower frame 22, an upper steel rectangular plate 16, a lower steel rectangular plate 18, and a drive assembly 23.

The summerhouse 12 is a conventional summerhouse which comprises four walls 24,26,28,30, a base 32 and a roof 34 which assemble together to form a rigid and weather tight building. One of the walls 28 includes a predominantly glass front area 39 (Figures 2 to 4).

The upper frame 20 is a rectangular steel chassis frame comprising parallel spaced l-sectioned longitudinal beams 17 and parallel spaced l-sectioned lateral beams 19. The longitudinal 17 and lateral 19 beams are joined together, for example by welding, to form a rigid structure (Figures 5 to 7). The beams 17,19 have an l-section with an upper 31 and lower 33 section, the l-section sized, and the beams having lengths to structurally support the loads, both static and dynamic, of the summerhouse 12. The lower section 33 has a lower surface 25 (Figure 1A).

The lower frame 22 is a steel chassis frame comprising two parallel spaced I-sectioned longitudinal beams 29 (Figures 5 to 7). The beams 29 have an I-section which is sized, and lengths which are dimensioned to structurally support the summerhouse 12. The lower frame 22 has an upper section 41 with an upper surface 43 (Figure 1A).

The upper 16 and lower 18 plates have apertures (not shown) drilled therethrough and arranged in a circular pattern to coincide with similarly sized and identically arranged apertures on different parts of the slewing bearing 14 (see below) to enable the different parts of the slewing bearing 14 to be secured to the upper 16 or lower 18 plates. The upper plate 16 includes an aperture 65 which is sized to allow part of the drive assembly 63 and a duct (see below) to pass through. The lower plate 18 includes an aperture 71 which is sized to allow the duct to pass through (Figure 1 A).

In Figures 8 and 9, the slewing bearing 14 comprises two concentric rings, an inner ring 36 and an outer ring 38. The inner ring 36 has an outer surface 40 which includes an annular recess 42. The outer ring 38 has an inner surface 44 which has an annular recess 46. Both recesses 42,46 are arranged such that they form a channel 48 when the inner 36 and outer 38 rings are assembled together to form the slewing bearing 14. The channel 48 houses a plurality of equi-spaced ball bearings 50 which enable relative rotation between the inner 36 and outer 38 rings. The inner ring 36 has internal teeth 54 (not shown in detail), and circumferentially spaced through apertures 56. The outer ring 38 has circumferentially spaced through apertures 58. The apertures 56,58 are arranged to coincide with the apertures (not shown) on the upper 16 and lower 18 plates to enable assembly. The inner 36 and outer 38 rings are arranged relative to each other such that when assembled, an upper surface 37 of the outer ring 38 sits vertically above an upper surface 47 of the inner ring 36.

In Figures 1A and 7, the drive assembly 23 comprises a three-phase electric motor 60, a worm reduction gearbox 62, a connecting gear assembly 73 which is coupled to the gearbox 62, and a power inverter 63 to convert a single-phase electrical input for use with the three-phase electric motor 60. The electric motor 60 is specified based on the power required to rotate the summerhouse 12. It will be appreciated that other electric motors can be used, not necessarily being limited to three-phase.

In Figures 5 to 7, the summerhouse assembly 10 further includes a stainless steel slip ring 41 and a duct 49, both the slip ring 41 and the duct 49 having an internal diameter sufficient to allow the passage of services S such as electrical wiring, water supply/waste and any other services required inside the summerhouse 12 that are provided externally.

The summerhouse assembly 10 is assembled as follows:

The lower frame 22 is securely fixed to the ground G by embedding the frame 22 in a concrete base 64 which is sufficiently sized to prevent the lower frame 22 from moving relative to the ground G either due to the weight of the summerhouse 12 and/or the moment created by rotation of the summerhouse 12. The duct 49 is embedded inside the concrete base 64 to enable connection of the services S (Figure 5). It will be appreciated that the lower frame 22 need not necessarily be mounted in a concrete base, as an alternative, the lower frame can be mounted on posts or pillars which are piled into the ground directly or into smaller concrete areas local to the posts or pillars.

The lower plate 18 is welded to the upper surface 43 of the lower frame 22 to provide a stable platform upon which to mount the inner ring 36 of slewing bearing 14.

The upper plate 16 is welded to the lower surface 25 of the lower section 33 of the upper frame 20.

The inner ring 36 of the slewing bearing 14 is bolted to the lower plate 18 via apertures 58.

The outer ring 38 of the slewing bearing 14 is bolted to the upper plate 16 via apertures 56.

The drive assembly 23 is fixed to the upper plate 16 such that the connecting gear assembly 73 passes through aperture 65 of the upper plate 16 and engages with the internal teeth 54 of the slewing bearing inner ring 36 (Figure 1A).

The duct 49 is secured to the lower plate 18. The slip ring 41 is secured to the upper plate 16 such that it can rotate with the upper plate 16 and relative to the duct 49.

Operation of the summerhouse assembly 10 is as follows:

The electric motor 60 is started via a switch (not shown). The electric motor 60 causes the gearbox 62 to rotate which via the connecting gear assembly 73, engages with the internal teeth 54 of the inner ring 36 of the slewing bearing 14. Since the inner ring 36 is fixed relative to the ground, and the electric motor is mounted on and secured to the outer ring 38 of the slewing bearing 14 via upper plate 16, the electric motor 60 causes the outer ring 38 to rotate relative to the inner ring 36, and thus the summerhouse 12 to rotate relative to the ground G in the direction of arrow R (Figure 7). It will be appreciated that the electric motor can rotate the summerhouse both clockwise and counterclockwise.

During rotation of the summerhouse 12, the services S passing through the duct 49 and slip ring 41 do not move due to the fact that the slip ring 41 rotates with the upper plate 16 and relative to the duct 49 which is fixed to the lower plate 18.

In the embodiment described above, rotation of the summerhouse is powered by a three-phase motor. Alternative means of rotating the summerhouse are envisaged, including different types of motors and non-electrical power, for example manual rotation via an appropriately configured crank and gearing. The advantage of using a slewing bearing is the relatively low resistance between the inner and outer rings when compared to alternative arrangements which would enable the summerhouse to rotate such as a rail and castor system. The low resistance lowers the power required to drive the summerhouse, and enables manual operation if desired.

In the above embodiments, the summerhouse is rotated by rotation of the outer ring upon which the electric motor (60) is secured by virtue of the electric motor engaging with the internal teeth (54) on the inner ring (36). In an alternative embodiment, the electric motor can be mounted so it does not move with the outer ring, instead driving the outer ring directly. In such an embodiment, the outer ring would require gear teeth as opposed to the inner ring.

It will be appreciated that being able to rotate the summerhouse enables it to be orientated according to the requirements of the occupants, and the provision of the slewing bearing enables efficient rotation to the desired orientation.

Whilst the embodiment of Figures 1 to 9 describes a summerhouse, it will be appreciated that other leisure buildings such as garden rooms are envisaged.

Claims

1. A leisure building assembly (10) comprising a leisure building (12) and a slewing bearing (14) upon part of which the leisure building (12) is mounted, the slewing bearing (14) comprising a first part (38) and a second part (36), the first part (38) being rotatable relative to the second part (36), the first part (38) being fixed to the leisure building (12), the second part (36) being fixed to the ground (G) such that rotation of the first part (38) relative to the second part (36) causes the leisure building (12) to rotate relative to the ground (G).

2. A leisure building assembly (10) according to claim 1 in which the first part (38) is an outer ring (38) and the second part (36) is an inner ring (36).

3. A leisure building assembly (10) according to claim 2 in which the outer ring (38) has an upper surface (37) which is positioned vertically above an upper surface (47) of the inner ring (36), the leisure building (12) being mounted on the upper surface (37).

4. A leisure building (10) according to any preceding claim, further comprising a drive assembly (23) to electro-mechanically rotate the leisure building (12).

5. A leisure building assembly according to claim 4 when dependent on claim 2 or 3 in which the inner ring (36) includes internal gear teeth (54) which engage with the drive assembly (23) to rotate the outer ring (38) relative to the inner ring (36).

6. A leisure building assembly (10) according to any preceding claim comprising a support frame (20) having an upper section (31) in which the drive assembly (23) is mounted vertically below the upper section (31) such that the leisure building (12) is mountable on the upper section (31).

7. A leisure building assembly (10) according to claim 6 further comprising an upper plate (16) secured to the support frame (20), in which the outer ring (38) of the slewing bearing (14) is secured to the upper plate (16).

8. A leisure building assembly (10) according to claim 7 in which the drive assembly (23) is mounted on the upper plate (16).

9. A leisure building assembly (10) according to claim 8 in which the upper plate (16) includes an aperture (65) which enables driving connection between the drive assembly (23) and the inner ring (36).

10. A leisure building assembly (10) according to any preceding claim in which the leisure building is a summerhouse (12).