DE20303183U1 - Fire safety curtain/screen deploys from falling spool - Google Patents

Abstract

A fire screen (5) is fabricated from a web of fire-retardant material wound on a spool. Upper end (4) of the screen is fixed to the building while the spool forms a moving weight which falls when released to deploy the screen. Also claimed is a commensurate spool with winding motor.

Description

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WG-1901-DE

CURTAIN AND WINDING CORE FOR THIS

The innovation relates to a curtain with at least one web made of a temperature-resistant material, which can be unrolled from a roll on a roll core under the effect of a weight. Such a curtain is known, for example, from US-A-5,862,851. The innovation also relates to a roll core for such a curtain.

Curtains with a panel made of temperature-resistant material serve as smoke and/or fire protection. This task means that large openings often have to be covered, such as when dividing up sales areas, airport hangars, etc. This makes the rolls quite long and heavy, and one of the problems is keeping these wide panels as taut as possible, because creases or uneven winding can lead to malfunctions.

On the other hand, such curtains are increasingly replacing the heavy and expensive roller shutters that were previously used, because it must be understood that the costs of fire protection are primarily reflected on the negative side of the balance sheet. Therefore, there is always the danger that savings will be made on such protection due to a misguided sense of cost.

The innovation is therefore based on the task of improving a curtain of the type mentioned at the beginning and making it more cost-effective. According to the innovation, this is done with a surprisingly large number of advantages in that the winding core itself forms the weight at a lower end of at least one curtain track, under which it unwinds the curtain itself while changing its height, whereas the other end of the curtain track is essentially fixed in place. 30

This measure sounds simple, but it has a number of advantages:

- While with the known curtain, space-consuming and expensive housings had to be installed and maintained on the top of the opening to be closed or the room to be divided, this is no longer necessary, since at most the fastening of the upper end of the curtain would have to be covered, whereas the wrap basically does not require one;

- while with the conventional curtain a drop rod had to be provided and mounted, this is no longer necessary since the winding core itself forms the weight;

- the curtain track is no longer stressed by the previously necessary bearings and by guides in the housing and therefore has a longer service life; - even if the top of an opening to be covered is limited by sloping edges, this does not matter because the upper end of the curtain track can be attached in any way and this slope has no influence on the unwinding.

These advantages are even more pronounced when the winding drive, preferably a tubular motor housed inside the winding core, forms the weight with the winding and accordingly changes its height when the curtain track is wound. The power supply - in the case of an electric drive - can be provided by sliding contacts or by flexible and movable cables.

One problem with the latter design may be that a reaction moment in the sense of a torque will arise when winding or unwinding. The size of this moment will of course also depend on the width of the curtain and can therefore be negligible. However, particularly for the purpose mentioned above as a smoke or fire protection curtain with the large masses to be moved, it is advantageous if a torque support is assigned to the winding drive. Torque supports are known in many different designs in technology. However, it is advantageous if, in accordance with a further development of the innovation, the torque support comprises a traction device attached at both ends in the winding direction of the web, on which a support part connected to the winding drive is supported. Traction devices can be ropes, metal cables, toothed belts, etc., particularly also made of a temperature-resistant material.

As mentioned, the innovation also relates to a winding core, which is now assigned a torque support. Of course, this was not previously provided for winding cores that were not equipped with a drive or were fixed in a housing at the top of the curtain.

Further details of the innovation can be found in the following description of embodiments shown schematically in the drawing. They show:

Fig. 1 a room equipped with smoke or fire curtains;

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Fig. 2 is a side view in the direction of the arrows �I-�P of Fig. 1 running in the longitudinal direction of a mobile winding housing; and

Fig. 3 is an axonometric view of an alternative embodiment.

Fig. 1 shows the interior of a building with at least two floors, which is typical for a cash desk or shopping center. To allow light to enter, a glass structure (no longer visible in Fig. 1) rests on the top of columns 1, which is provided with a smoke extraction flap in accordance with fire regulations. In this way, the columns support the vaulting for a kind of domed hall, while the adjacent corridors 2 each have a single-story ceiling 3. A separate smoke extraction system (not shown here) is provided for these corridors 2.

In the event of a fire - regardless of whether the fire breaks out in the area of the front dome hall or in the area of the corridors surrounding this hall or in adjacent rooms - the first commandment is to prevent the smoke from spreading from corridors 2 into the dome hall, sinking to the floor as it cools down and thus threatening the breathing of the people there. It is more important to ensure that the smoke is discharged via the shortest possible route. At the same time, however, the large rooms must be divided up to protect against the spread of flames.

For this purpose, the upper ends 4 of a smoke and/or fire protection curtain 5 are attached in any desired manner between the columns 1 in the border area between the corridors 2 and the domed hall in front of them. The attachment can be made, for example, with pins penetrating the curtain track 5 at intervals, or better with a clamp bracket (more even distribution of force).

At the lower end of the curtain 5, for example in a box-shaped housing 6, a roll 12 of the associated smoke protection curtain 5 is provided, which can be lowered from an uppermost position, close to a wall edge 7, if necessary. In this uppermost position, the roll 12 can be held in place by means known per se. For example, it is known from GB-A-2,108,839 to secure a retaining hook or a similar release element in a holding position during normal operation by means of an electromagnet that is under current; however, the roll is released as soon as the current is interrupted - e.g. due to a fire. It is also possible to hold the roll 12 in the uppermost position by means of a melting or dissolving element caused by extinguishing water (for example in a system with sprinklers).

The holding device can be used to secure the winding 12, for example by means of alginate threads, which are known to dissolve in slightly alkaline water. Furthermore, the windings 12 could - as is preferred - be provided with an electric motor, for example with the tubular winding core as an external rotor ("tubular motor"), whereby the motor in normal operation consumes just enough current to hold the winding 12 at the edge 7.

It is also conceivable to use the triggering principle proposed for battery-operated cinema cameras in a similar way, but for a different purpose (EUMIG/Vockenhuber & Hauser patent), in which a capacitor is charged in the idle state in order to provide a strong current when triggered. In a similar way, a capacitor could be charged in curtains during normal operation (e.g. a power capacitor from Montena, Matran, Switzerland), which is switched by a bistable switching element in the event of a power failure or when the power is switched off by a fire alarm in such a way that it discharges against a triggering magnet. This latter triggering option represents an independent invention, regardless of which end of the curtain (top or bottom) the winding core is attached to.

The housings 6 are simpler than was previously the case with housings that supported the rolls above and do not require any special assembly work. When unwinding into their more or less lowered working position shown, they serve as a tightening weight, just like the roll 12 on its winding core explained with reference to Fig. 2. Practice shows that with such an arrangement, a more even tightening of the curtain web 5 can be achieved than with the previous upper arrangement of the winding core, during the winding movement of which folds could easily form that prevented even tension.

Although a wide variety of drives can be used for the up and down movement of the roll 12, it is preferred if such a drive is provided directly on the roll 12 and its core, not least because this also results in an advantageous weight load for the curtain 5 and the arrangement is more compact. It is preferred to accommodate a stator of a driving electric motor inside the roll tube or core (tubular motor), although it would also be possible to attach the stator to a projecting end of a roll core on the outside. The power can then be supplied both by sliding contacts and by flexible and transportable cables. The drive can be provided on one side or on both sides, for example depending on the width of the curtain, in which case the two drives can be synchronized with each other if necessary.

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If such a drive is provided on a roll 12 that can be moved up and down, then it must be taken into account that a reaction force will arise during the drive. As is also described in detail with reference to Fig. 2, this can best be achieved with the aid of a traction device such as a rope (e.g. made of temperature-resistant material such as glass fibers, ceramic fibers) or a metal cable 10. In Fig. 1 it can be seen that these cables 10 extend downwards through an opening 6a in the housing 6 and are anchored, for example, in the floor, in an opening 13. The upper end of the respective cable 10 is fastened near the upper end of the curtain 4 in a manner not shown, for example hooked in with a loop. It is understood that in the case of a drive acting on both sides of the roll 12, such a cable can be attached to each side of the roll 12 or the curtain 5 if necessary.

In order to remove smoke, it is not absolutely necessary to lower the curtains all the way down, because the hot smoke will travel along the ceiling and will be drawn off in the corridors 2 in the direction of arrow 8, whereas in the domed hall, for example, it will travel upwards along arrow 9. Therefore, the partially lowered position of the coils 12 shown may already be sufficient to protect against smoke.

According to Fig. 2 and a particularly preferred embodiment of the innovation, the roll 12 is located on an at least partially metallic roll core 11 in the mobile housing 6. The roll 12 together with the roll core 11 can actually be mounted floatingly within the housing 6, i.e. no special mounting is provided in the housing 6, but it is preferred if at least one end of the roll core 11 is held stationary with respect to the housing 6, e.g. by means of a bearing pin. The housing 6 also does not need to extend over the entire width of the roll 12, as shown in Fig. 1, but rather it can be just large enough to cover the roller arrangement provided at the end of the roll, shown in Fig. 2, with rollers 14 extending in axial width (perpendicular to the plane of the drawing), whereas the roll 12 would remain without a housing.

These rollers 14 are part of a torque support which is attached to a stator 15 arranged within the metal part of the winding core 11 (external rotor of a tubular motor) by means of pins or screws 16 together with a plate arrangement 17 which holds the rollers 14 and essentially forms the torque support. These pins or rivets 16 are shown in dashed lines in Fig. 2 because it is preferred if the plate arrangement 17 is formed from two plates 17a which are parallel to one another.

which enclose the rollers 14 on both sides and thus support their axes 18 on both sides, whereby the inner board 17a, i.e. the one facing the winding 12 and covered by the outer one (and therefore not visible), is attached to the stator 15 via the pins 16. Advantageously, both boards 17a are cut or punched out as parts connected by a web connecting them.

It is understood that instead of a stator of a tubular motor being inserted into the interior of the winding core 11, the stator can also be placed outside around the metal of the winding core 11, although this is less preferred. The drive could also be designed in another way that is familiar to the expert. If a motor carried along with the winding is used, the power supply can either be via sliding contacts housed in a lateral guide rail for the curtain, or a cable drum for a trailing cable is provided inside the housing 6, for example, if this is not to be left hanging loose.

In the present case, however, when electrical energy is supplied to the motor 11, 15, a clockwise torque is generated in the winding core 11, which may be equipped with permanent magnetic poles, for example, in order to wind the winding 12 upwards from a lower position (e.g. the position shown in Fig. 1). This creates a reaction force in the opposite direction, which acts on the stator 15. In order to compensate for this counterforce, the torque support is provided, which comprises the cable 10, on which the two rollers 14 are supported from two sides. In principle, any design of these support parts would be possible, i.e. they could also be designed as pins or blocks or other support extensions extending parallel to the axis of the winding 12, but of course the use of rollers 14 reduces friction.

It is also understood that no care needs to be taken with the tension of the cable because it tensions itself through the reaction force mentioned. Therefore, the installation of the cable 10 is completely problem-free. The cable also ensures lateral guidance, so that this system is extremely tolerant of alignment deviations. An additional advantage is that the winding 12 or its winding core does not have to be designed to be rigid, since it is supported by the curtain track 5; however, as already mentioned, this also results in only a small load on the curtain track 5. As Fig. 2 shows, the cable 10 lies in the rollers 14, i.e. the rollers 14 are advantageously provided with a central guide groove 19 or with edge disks in order to ensure secure guidance of the cable 10.

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Instead of a cable 10, another design of the traction device would also be possible, for example the use of a toothed belt which forms a "positive-locking climbing rope", which can provide additional stability in the event of a fire (no lifting of the roll 12 under pressure on the curtain track 5). Additional lateral sealing could be achieved, for example, by a zipper arrangement that opens or closes with the up and down movement of the roll 12, a Velcro fastener arrangement or another fastener arrangement, such as a clamp. It would also be possible to accommodate the lateral ends of the winding core, and possibly also the cable 10, in approximately U-shaped guide rails.

However, the innovation is by no means limited to this advantageous design of a torque support. For example, it would be conceivable to omit the cable 10 and to provide a stop instead of the rollers 14 (or at least one of them) to work together with a counter-stop of the housing 6. If the housing 6 is long and heavy, it will only pivot slightly from the vertical position shown under the reaction torque acting on the stator 15. Even if it had a tendency to rotate with the stator 15, it would come to a standstill at the latest when the lower boundary wall 6b struck the curtain track 5. With such a design, however, the edge of this wall 6b can be provided with rollers.

Fig. 3 shows a simplified embodiment. The curtain web 5 is rolled up as a roll 12a on a roll core 11a, which lies in a holding loop of traction means 20. Here, the traction means 20, preferably in the form of a band, can optionally be fastened with their upper end to a releasable hook or other fastening means in order to fall down in the event of a fire, for example due to the signal from a fire alarm, and allow the roll 12a to unwind downwards. Another possibility is to roll up or unroll the upper ends of the traction means 20 via drive rollers or a winding axis. As can be seen, deflection rollers 21 are advantageously provided for the traction means or bands 20 on a ceiling or a projecting wall (cf. edge 7 in Fig. 1). Their ends 22 can also be fastened to the same wall. Just as in the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, the roll moves in a vertical direction when it is unrolled or rolled up, thus changing its height.

Even in this simplified embodiment, the following advantages are achieved compared to the state of the art with stationary windings at the top:

- The manufacture and assembly of a complex housing with bearings on the upper side (in the area of the fixed end 4 of the curtain track) is no longer necessary.

- a separate drop rod is no longer required and the reel itself forms the weight for unrolling the curtain track 5; - the curtain track is no longer stressed by the previously necessary bearings and by guides in the housing and therefore has a longer service life;

- even if the top of an opening to be covered is limited by slanted edges, this does not matter because the upper end of the curtain panel can be attached in any way and this slant has no influence on the unwinding; - the curtain panel 5 is always kept evenly taut, and the formation of folds is effectively prevented.

In comparison, a preferred embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2 offers the following additional advantages:

- The weight is increased by the attached or built-in winding drive 11,15 or the housing 6, so that the curtain can be lowered more quickly and safely;

- this makes the curtain tighter and more stable against drafts;

- traction means 20 which press on the roll and thus load it are eliminated; - the roll does not need to be as rigid as the even traction force of the open curtain web 5 acts on it.

List of reference symbols

1 columns 3 Ceiling v. 2 5 Curtain track 7 Wall edge 9 smoke 11 Winding core 13 Floor opening 15 stator 17 Board layout 19 Groove 21 Pulleys

2 courses

4 upper curtain end

6 mobile housing

8 Smoke

10 metal cables

12 wraps

14 rolls

16 pins or screws

18 axes v.

20 traction device, belt

22 End of BC

Claims (15)

1. Curtain ( 5 ) with at least one web made of a temperature-resistant material, which can be unrolled from a reel ( 12 ; 12a ) on a reel core ( 11 ; 11a ) under the effect of a weight, characterized in that the reel core ( 11 ; 11a ) itself forms the weight at a lower end of the at least one curtain web ( 5 ), under which it unwinds the curtain ( 5 ) itself while changing its height, whereas the other end ( 4 ) of the curtain web ( 5 ) is essentially fixed in place. 2. Curtain according to claim 1, with a winding drive ( 11 , 15 ) connected to the winding ( 12 ; 12a ), characterized in that the winding drive ( 11 , 15 ), preferably a tubular motor accommodated in the interior of the winding core ( 11 ), forms the weight with the winding ( 12 ) and accordingly changes its height when winding the curtain web ( 5 ). 3. Curtain according to claim 2, characterized in that a torque support ( 17 ) is associated with the winding drive ( 11 , 15 ). 4. Curtain according to claim 3, characterized in that the torque support ( 17 ) comprises a traction means ( 10 ) fastened at both ends in the winding direction of the web, on which a support part ( 14 , 17a ) connected to the winding drive is supported. 5. Curtain according to claim 4, characterized in that the winding drive comprises a motor which consists at least of the rotatable winding core ( 11 ) and an associated stator ( 15 ), and that the support part ( 14 , 17a ) is fastened to the stator ( 15 ) and has at least one support extension ( 14 ) engaging with the traction means ( 10 ). 6. Curtain according to claim 5, characterized in that the at least one support extension is formed by at least one roller ( 14 ) rolling on the traction means ( 10 ). 7. Curtain according to claim 6, characterized in that two rollers ( 14 ) are provided which roll on opposite sides of the traction means ( 10 ). 8. Curtain according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the at least one roller ( 14 ) has a guide groove ( 19 ) for the traction means ( 10 ) which receives the traction means ( 10 ). 9. Curtain according to one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that at least the support extension or the at least one roller ( 14 ) are accommodated in a housing ( 6 ). 10. Winding core for a curtain according to one of the preceding claims, with an attached winding drive, characterized in that the winding drive ( 11 , 15 ) is assigned a torque support ( 17 ) with a support part ( 14 , 17a ). 11. Winding core according to claim 10, characterized in that the winding drive comprises a motor which consists at least of the rotatable winding core ( 11 ) and an associated stator ( 15 ), and that the support part ( 14 , 17a ) is fastened to the stator ( 15 ) and has at least one support extension ( 14 ) which can be brought into engagement with a traction means ( 10 ). 12. Winding core according to claim 11, characterized in that the at least one support extension is formed by at least one roller ( 14 ) which can be unrolled on the traction means ( 10 ). 13. Winding core according to claim 12, characterized in that two rollers ( 14 ) are provided which are arranged such that they can be rolled on opposite sides of the traction means ( 10 ). 14. Winding core according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the at least one roller ( 14 ) has a guide groove ( 19 ) for the traction means ( 10 ) which receives the traction means ( 10 ). 15. Winding core according to one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that a housing ( 6 ) is provided at least for the support extension or the at least one roller ( 14 ).