EP0530168B1 - Automatic locking device for roller shuttery - Google Patents

Abstract

Automatic locking device for mechanical shutters comprising a winding shaft (1) on which the screen (3) of the shutter which consists of slats (31) of the shutter is wound by means of a driving mechanism; characterised in that it comprises: - at least one spring element (5) designed in such a way as to push the screen (3) of the shutter outwards with respect to the winding shaft (1) during the unwinding of the said shutter; - at least one stop element (11) consisting of a series of teeth-shaped projections (13) arranged at at least one lateral end of the screen (3) and opposite one of the upper slats (31) of the screen (3) when the shutter is completely unwound; - and in that at least one of the upper slats (31) of the screen (3) consists of a tubular profile (33) having, at at least one lateral end, a blocking end-piece (35) capable of being blocked in the corresponding stop element (11), when it is attempted to raise the screen (3) of the unwound shutter from the outside. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a safety device for mechanical shutters (or also called roller shutters) which automatically blocks them so that they cannot be opened from the outside, in particular in the event of a break-in.

Description of the state of the art

There are many mechanical shutter protection systems which act by means of a lock or bolt. By way of example, it is possible to obtain a locking of a shutter by using one or more lateral latches. It is understood that such a closing system is not automatic, and there is therefore a risk of forgetting to engage said latch when the shutter is opened.

Document FR-A-2 609 095 describes an automatic locking device for roller shutters. In a metal box are housed the apron and the winding shaft of the shutter. The locking device essentially consists of a first series of sawtooth projections arranged vertically on the internal face of the box substantially facing at least one of the last two slats of the apron when the latter is in the fully lowered position and a second series of projections also sawtooth disposed on the outer face of the last two slats of the deck.

These series of projections arranged on the slats have the main drawback that they are wound with the apron, which makes the winding less compact and risks causing wear or deterioration during the successive operations of winding and unwinding the apron. .

A second drawback lies in the fact that the two series of projections must be positioned with precision so that they interpenetrate when the shutter is unrolled.

Finally a last drawback lies in the fact that either a large box is required, or the lower series of projections arranged on the slats of the shutter is visible from the outside. In the latter case, the locking device is less effective because it is visible, which makes it possible to know how to force it.

Document BE-A-332 413 also describes an automatic locking device for a rolling shutter which comprises a locking element provided with teeth and mounted on the side walls of the opening. The teeth are directed outward relative to the winding axis and therefore the slats of the flap must be pushed inward to obtain a blocking of the upper slat in said teeth.

In addition, for this locking device, the upper slat or slat of the deck is directly connected to the winding shaft by an elastic band.

Document DE-A-25 18 356 describes a locking device for mechanical shutters comprising an elastic rod perpendicular to the roller for winding the shutter and which will lock against a movable stop integral with the apron when an attempt is made to reassemble the shutter from the outside.

Document EP-A-0 242 317 describes a locking device for shutters comprising a stop element which is fixed on the upright in which the slats of the shutter apron slide and a movable protruding element situated on one of the slats so that it fits into the stop element thus locking the shutter when trying to reassemble it from the outside.

The document CH-A-657 663 describes an automatic lock for closing a rolling shutter. This lock consists of a movable blocking element mounted on a hinge carried by the upper lamella of the roller shutter. When the shutter is closed, this blocking element engages under hooks present on the sliding amount of the shutter apron.

These last two locking systems have the disadvantage of having to be particularly well adjusted and only work if the shutter is fully extended. In addition, they are very complex and have the additional disadvantage of being visible at least from the inside.

Aim of the present invention

The object of the present invention is to propose an automatic locking device for mechanical shutters which is particularly simple and which avoids the drawbacks of the state of the art.

Main characteristic features of the invention

• au moins un élément ressort configuré de manière à repousser le tablier du volet vers l'extérieur par rapport à l'arbre d'enroullement, lors du déroulement dudit volet, et
• au moins un élément d'arrêt composé d'une série de saillies sous forme de dents disposé à au moins une extrémité latérale du tablier et en vis-à-vis avec une des lamelles supérieures du tablier lorsque le volet est complètement déroulé;
     caractérisé en ce qu'au moins une des lamelles supérieures du tablier est constituée d'un profil tubulaire présentant à au moins une extrémité latérale un embout de blocage apte à se bloquer dans l'élément d'arrêt correspondant lorsqu'on tente de remonter de l'extérieur le tablier du volet déroulé.

The present invention relates to an automatic locking device for mechanical shutters comprising a winding shaft on which the shutter deck which is made up of strips is wound using a drive mechanism comprising:

• at least one spring element configured so as to push the shutter curtain outward relative to the winding shaft, during the unwinding of said shutter, and
• at least one stop element made up of a series of projections in the form of teeth arranged at at least one lateral end of the apron and facing one of the upper slats of the apron when the shutter is fully unwound;
  characterized in that at least one of the upper lamellae of the apron consists of a tubular profile having at least one lateral end a locking end piece capable of being blocked in the corresponding stop element when an attempt is made to go up from outside the curtain of the rolled up shutter.

Other characteristics and additional advantages of the present invention will appear in the description which follows.

Brief description of the figures

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C represent perspective views of the automatic locking device according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention for three different situations.

Figures 2A, 2B and 2C show perspective views of an automatic locking device according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention for three different situations.

FIG. 3 represents a front view of the various constituent elements of a shutter according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 shows more particularly a spring element according to a particular embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 5A and 5B show a perspective view in section of a tubular profile of an apron according to the present invention.

It is understood that in the following description, the same reference numerals are used to designate identical elements or having the same function, in the different figures.

Detailed description of two particular embodiments of the present invention

According to the two particular embodiments of the invention shown respectively in FIGS. 1A to 1C and in FIGS. 2A to 2C, a winding shaft 1 makes it possible to wind the deck 3 of a shutter using a drive mechanism (not shown). Spring elements 5 constitute the connection between the winding shaft 1 and the deck 3 made up of strips 31.

According to a first essential characteristic of the present invention, the spring elements 5 are configured so as to push the upper slats 31 of the deck 3 outwards relative to the winding shaft 1.

According to a second essential characteristic of the present invention, one of the upper strips 31 of the deck 3 is in the form of a tubular profile 33 provided at at least one lateral end and preferably at its two ends with a locking end piece 41 .

According to a third essential characteristic of the locking device according to the present invention, at least one stop element 11 and preferably two stop elements 11 are arranged on either side at the ends sides of the deck 3 and opposite with at least one of the upper strips 31 of the deck 3, and more particularly with the strip which is in the form of a tubular profile 33.

This stop element 11 consists of a series of projections in the form of teeth 13 which are themselves directed downwards and in the direction of the winding shaft 1.

It should be noted that these stop elements 11 can be arranged on the internal longitudinal faces of a box 7 which contains the entire winding mechanism of the shutter.

These stop elements 11 may be according to another embodiment arranged directly against the wall or the wall which runs along the upper strips 31 of the unrolled deck 3.

According to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, shown in Figures 1A to 1C, the spring elements 5 are simple flexible rods which directly connect the winding shaft 1 to one of the upper strips 31 of the deck 3 and preferably with the strip having the tubular profile 33 with the locking end pieces.

According to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, shown in Figures 2A to 2C, and more particularly in Figures 3 and 4, the spring elements 5 are flexible rods which on the one hand are directly connected to a strip or slat 35 itself fixed to the winding shaft 1, and on the other hand slide at the other end in a stirrup 37 fixed on a strip or lower batten 36.

These slats or strips 35 or 36 which are integral with the spring element 5 or which are adjacent to the spring element 5 are advantageously of short length in order to save material. It can of course be envisaged that the spring elements 5 are arranged on entire strips, that is to say that they slide directly on the upper part of the deck.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show more particularly the tubular profile 33 which is integral with one of the upper strips 31 of the deck 3 and which has at each of its two ends a nozzle 41 which is housed in a central opening 47 at the end of the profile 33 and which is held in this opening using a washer 43 and a fastener 45.

The operating mechanism of the automatic locking device for mechanical shutters according to the present invention will be described more precisely in the following 3 situations:

Situation 1 (shown in Figures 1A and 2A) :

• in this situation the apron 3 of the shutter is completely unwound;
• the spring elements 5 push the upper slats 31 of the deck 3 outwards relative to the winding shaft 1;
• the locking end piece 41 is in a pre-locking situation, that is to say in front of the stop element 11 but without being engaged between the different teeth 13 of the stop element 11 .

Situation 2 (shown in Figures 1B and 2B) :

• the deck 3 which is in the unrolled position is subjected to an upward movement executed from the outside (for example when an attempt is made to open this shutter from the outside in the event of a break-in);
• the locking end piece 41 is positioned between the teeth 13 of the stop element 11;
• the apron 3 of the shutter is in this case blocked and can no longer be lifted.

Situation 3 (shown in Figures 1C and 2C):

• the drive mechanism is engaged in order to wind the deck 3 around the winding shaft 1;
• the spring elements 5 induce an inward movement relative to the winding shaft 1 to the locking end pieces 41 so as to dislodge them from the corresponding stop elements 11;
• the apron 3 can be rolled up and the shutter can operate normally.

The device according to the present invention works just as well for conventional spring elements as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C as for spring elements connecting different lamellae as shown in FIGS. 2.

Advantageously according to the present invention, it is not necessary to provide a housing for the winding shaft and the deck; indeed the stop elements can be positioned directly against the wall as shown in Figures 2. Similarly, it is not necessary to provide side walls (in the form of bays) to accommodate the stop elements .

It is understood that the automatic locking device according to the present invention can also be arranged on grids for closing the shop, for example.

According to the various preferred embodiments shown in the appended figures, there is provided a single stop element on either side at the lateral ends of the deck and which each comprises three teeth; it is understood that various modifications obvious to those skilled in the art can be envisaged: for example two stop elements can be placed one below the other or else the number of teeth can be increased so that it is no longer necessary to perform precise positioning when placing said stop elements.

Claims (3)

1. An automatic locking device for mechanical shutters comprising a rolling up shaft (1) on which the apron (3) of the shutter which is built up of the slats (31) is rolled up by a driving mechanism which comprises:

   - at least one spring component (5) whose configuration is such that it pushes the apron (3) of the shutter outward relative to the rolling up shaft (1) when the aforesaid shutter is unrolled; and

   - at least one stop component (11) comprising a series of tooth shaped protrusions (13) set at least at one lateral end of the apron (3) and vis-à-vis one of the top slats of the apron (3) when the shutter is fully unrolled;
      characterized by the fact that at least one of the top slats (31) of the apron (3) is a tubular section (33) with, at one lateral end at least, a jamming rod (41) able to be wedged in the corresponding stop component (11) when an attempt is made to pull up from the outside the apron (3) of the unrolled shutter.
2. An automatic locking device for mechanical shutters according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the spring component (5) is a flexible rod which links directly one of the top slats (31) of apron (3) to the rolling up shaft (1).
3. An automatic locking device for mechanical shutters according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the spring component (5) is made of a flexible rod which on the one hand is linked to a top lath or slot (35) and which on the other hand slides in a brace (37) which in turn is linked to a lower lath or slat (36) integral with the apron (3), while the top lath or slat (35) is directly linked to the rolling up shaft (1).

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