EP1593809B1 - Locking device for a slat of a roller shutter and slat having such a blocking device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a locking device for rolling shutter deck blade whose ends are caused to move in lateral slides.

The invention also relates to a rolling shutter deck blade comprising such a locking device.

The present invention will find application in the field of carpentry of the building and particularly in the shutters type roller shutter.

In this regard, such a roller shutter usually comprises a winding shaft which unfolds an apron composed of a juxtaposition of blades interconnected by means of hinge means.

During deployment or folding of the apron, the blades are guided in their movement at their ends with side slides.

In the document of the state of the art EP-0.690.200, it was noted that these blades, especially when they are PVC-type synthetic material, have a certain flexibility so that under the impetus of a force exerted perpendicularly on the deck in the deployed position, it is deformed forming a belly. However, for aprons of relatively large width and under the influence of a more or less powerful wind, the deformations printed on the blades may be such that their ends are likely to disengage from their slide. The same result is obtained under the influence of a voluntary thrust exerted on this apron during an attempted break-in.

To reduce this risk, a first solution has been to increase the depth of the slides and, consequently, the engagement length of the blades in the latter. However, such a solution is not acceptable insofar as it does not respond to the problem of the deformation of the deck. In addition, it requires the use of slides whose depth is adapted to that of the roller shutter, imposing a heavy management of manufacturing and storage of these slides. In any case, very deep scenes are considered unsightly, besides they can have a grip on the glass surface of a window.

DE-A-40 20 129 discloses a rolling shutter equipped with safety means intended to prevent the blades of an apron from being unhooked under the effect of a pressure exerted perpendicularly on the latter. According to this prior document, at least a portion of the blades of the roller shutter is equipped, at their end edges, a safety part having portions which protrude from the inner and outer face of said blade. These protruding parts are located at the rear of a shoulder that comprise, internally, the lateral slides, at a distance corresponding to at least half the depth of the groove defined by such a slide.

As for the document EP-0.690.200, it describes more particularly a locking device in the form of a locking member equipping each end of one or more blades of the deck. Such a locking member comprises a retaining lug protruding from the outer wall and / or inner of a blade so as to cooperate with retaining means associated with the lateral slides. Such a retaining pin is also subjected to elastic return means in the projecting position to allow its deletion in the thickness of a blade in the winding phase of the deck.

It is understood, in fact, that during the folding of the deck, it comes to describe turns around the winding tube. Also, if the projecting portion of these retaining lugs could not fade in the thickness of the blades, it would result in an apron which, once wound, would have an increased section, requiring the use of a box dimensions more important.

In fact, such a protruding lug on the inner or outer face of a blade, even if it is provided retractable, may hinder the winding of the apron around the winding tube in that the turns described by this apron can hang between them when operating the shutter.

Another blocking device is known from DE 2933154. This includes the features of the preamble of claim 1.

Thus, in the context of a first inventive step, it has been imagined that the ends of the blades are hooked with respect to the wings under the impulse of a deformation printed on such a blade.

In short, it has been imagined that the end of such a blade could define a hook by the very fact of the deformation that borrows this blade under the effect of a pressure which is exerted perpendicularly to its plane. This hook is designed to cooperate, under these conditions, with a retaining rim that includes a slide. In this regard, the outer and inner walls of such a slide comprise, usually, at their free end and the inner side, T-shaped grooves for receiving a seal and defining the aforementioned retaining flanges.

Thus, the invention relates to a locking device for roller shutter deck blade whose lateral ends are caused to move in slides, which is in the form of a fitting provided adapted to be secured to a lateral end of a blade so as to define, in the extension thereof and with respect to at least one of the outer or inner walls of this blade, a sliding ramp extending from said outer or inner wall towards the opposite inner or outer wall, characterized by the said ramp terminates in an abutment flange designed adapted to cooperate with a slide to prevent said lateral end of the blade from disengaging from the latter under the effect of a pressure exerted perpendicularly on the deck.

According to one embodiment, the nozzle is designed capable of defining, in the extension of a lateral end of a blade and with respect to each of the outer and inner walls, such a sliding ramp.

According to another embodiment, the locking device also comprises at least one locking member provided with a locking pin designed to be repelled, under the impulse of elastic return means, in projecting position relative to the one of the outer and / or inner walls of a blade.

Advantageously, the tip corresponding to the locking device is designed to be inserted into the end of a blade, between the outer and inner wall of the latter. More particularly, this tip can be crimped into this end of the blade by deformation thereof.

In this regard, according to another feature of the invention, the deformation for crimping the end of the blade defines the extension of the sliding ramp or ramps of a tip, at the level, as appropriate, of the wall external and / or internal of this blade.

The advantages that flow from the present invention consist, essentially, in that the locking device is likely to equip more easily, the end of a deck blade of a roller shutter.

In particular, the establishment of such a locking device is facilitated in the case where such a blade comprises, internally, an expanded synthetic material contributing, in particular, to a better sound and thermal insulation of these blades.

In addition, such a locking device is able to play its role of retaining a blade in a slide, regardless of the direction of deformation imparted to said blade.

The invention also relates to a rolling shutter deck blade comprising such a locking device.

The present invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, referring to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématisée partielle et en perspective d'un volet roulant susceptible d'être équipé d'un dispositif de blocage conforme à l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une représentation schématisée et partielle d'un côté d'une extrémité de lame équipée d'un dispositif de blocage selon l'invention et conforme à un premier mode de réalisation;
• la figure 3 illustre cette même extrémité de lame visible dans la figure 2, vue du côté opposé ;
• les figures 4 et 5 correspondent, respectivement, à des coupes selon IV-IV et V-V de la figure 2 ;
• la figure 6 représente une vue en coupe similaire à la figure 4, illustrant un dispositif de blocage selon un autre mode de réalisation;
• les figures 7, 8, 9 et 10 sont des vues similaires aux figures, respectivement 2 à 5 précédentes illustrant un dispositif de blocage selon un troisième mode de réalisation ;
• les figures 11 et 12 correspondent à des vues en coupe d'une coulisse, montrant l'interaction d'un dispositif de blocage selon l'invention en fonction de la direction de déformation communiquée à une lame.

The understanding of this description will be facilitated by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a partial schematic view in perspective of a roller shutter capable of being equipped with a locking device according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a schematic and partial representation of a side of a blade end equipped with a locking device according to the invention and according to a first embodiment;
• Figure 3 illustrates the same blade end visible in Figure 2, seen from the opposite side;
• Figures 4 and 5 correspond respectively to sections along IV-IV and VV of Figure 2;
• Figure 6 shows a sectional view similar to Figure 4, illustrating a locking device according to another embodiment;
• Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 are views similar to the figures, respectively 2 to 5 preceding illustrating a locking device according to a third embodiment;
• Figures 11 and 12 correspond to sectional views of a slide, showing the interaction of a locking device according to the invention as a function of the direction of deformation imparted to a blade.

As shown in Figure 1, the present invention relates to the field of shutters.

Thus, a roller shutter 1 usually comprises a winding shaft 2 which can be rotated by means of manual or motorized maneuvering means.

From this winding shaft 2, is deployed an apron 3 consisting of a juxtaposition of blades 4 interconnected by means of hinge means 6. Especially, during the deployment maneuvers and folding apron 3 these blades 4 are guided at their lateral ends 7, 8 by slides 9, 10.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 2 to 12.

The present invention relates to a blocking device 11 for a shutter blade 4, blocking device 11 whose function, when the deck 3 is deployed, is to limit its deformations under the influence of a thrust applied to it in accordance with a direction perpendicular to its plane. Such a thrust exerted, for example by a relatively violent or even by a person attempting to break into a dwelling, leads to the deflection of the blades 4 and in some cases, the release of the lateral ends 7, 8 of one or the other of the latter slides 9, 10.

This locking device 11 comprises a tip 12 provided adapted to be secured to a lateral end 7, 8 of a blade 4 so as to define, in the extension of the latter and with respect to at least one of the outer walls 13 and internal 14 of this blade 4, a sliding ramp 15 extending from said outer wall 13 or inner 14 towards the opposite inner wall 14 or outer 13. This sliding ramp 15 is further terminated by a stop flange 16 which is designed adapted to cooperate with a slide 9, 10 to prevent the lateral clearance of said blade 4 of the latter.

It will be observed that such an abutment flange 16 can be extended, at its free end, by a return, as can be seen in FIGS. 7 and 9.

FIG. 6 shows a locking device 11 in the form of a nozzle 12 defining, at the end of a blade 4, with respect to each of the outer 13 and inner 14 walls of the latter, such a ramp of FIG. sliding 15, 15A ending in a stop flange 16, 16A. These sliding ramps 15, 15A are in opposition, that is to say that one is oriented towards the inner wall 14, while the other towards the outer wall 13, knowing that the abutment flanges 16, 16A are also oriented in opposite directions.

Thus, when a blade 4 is deformed as shown in FIG. 11, this blade 4 deviates from the plane of the slide 9. Under these conditions, the end 7 of this blade 4 forms a angle α.

Insofar as such slides 9, U-shaped structures, usually have at the edge and the inner side of their outer walls 17 and inner 18, a flange 19 in which is formed a T-shaped groove 20 for receiving a seal 21, such a flange 19 prevents, in cooperation with the stop flange 16 of the nozzle 12, that said end 7 of the blade 4 is disengaged from this slide 9.

More precisely, under the impulse of the thrust 22 exerted, for example, on the outer wall 13 of a blade 4, it comes to the height of its ends 7, 8, resting on the flanges 19 of the outer wall 17 of the slides 9, 10. Under the influence of the transverse component displacement printed to said blade 4 resulting from its deformation, this flange 19 of the outer wall 17 of the slide 9 evolves along the sliding ramp 15 of the tip 12, this until meet the abutment flange 16. The blade 4 can then deform further.

Advantageously, the tip 12 is extended by a tip body 23 designed to be inserted into the end 7, 8 of a blade 4, between the outer 13 and inner walls 14 of the latter. It is more particularly immobilized by crimping.

Thus, it is visible in FIGS. 2 and 7, a cutout 24 made in one of these outer or inner walls 13, at a lateral end 7, 8 of a blade 4, so as to define one or more parts tongue 25 able to be pushed towards the inside of said blade 4 to cooperate with the tip body 23 and thus secure it by crimping the corresponding end 7, 8 of this blade 4.
In particular, at the right of said cutout 24 it can be practiced in the nozzle body 23 an opening for receiving the crimping tab or tongues 25.

If, in the embodiment corresponding to FIGS. 2 to 6, the sliding ramp 15 comes into prolongation of the wall, as the case may be, external 13 or internal 14 of a blade 4, this beyond a rim of junction 26 that includes the nozzle 12, in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 7 to 9, the sliding ramp 15 at the end of this nozzle 12 is extended at the outer wall 13 or inner 14 of the blade 4 by a junction ramp 27 resulting from the deformation of this outer wall 13 or internal 14 at the end 7, 8 of the blade 4.

Such deformation designing the junction ramp 27 contributes, advantageously, to secure the locking device 11 to a blade 4. More particularly, it improves the resistance to tearing. One can still imagine that it is through this deformation of the outer or outer walls 13 and 14 that is ensured the crimping of a tip 12 on the end 7, 8 of a blade 4.

Advantageously, such a locking device 11 can receive, in combination, a locking member 28 comprising a retaining lug 29 pushed, through elastic return means 30, in a projecting position, relative to the plane corresponding to the outer wall 13 or inner 14 at the end 7, 8 of a blade 4.

More particularly, this locking member 28 is in the form of an elastically foldable tongue secured at one end to the endpiece 12, in particular to the end body 23, and the opposite end 32 is designed for extend beyond the end 7, 8 of a blade 4 receiving the locking device 11 according to the invention.

This protruding end 32 of the tongue 31 carries the retaining pin 29. It is more particularly folded at right angles so as to form this retaining pin 29 extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the blade 4.

The tongue 31, through its elasticity, is said elastic return means 30 to push the retaining pin 29 in its projecting position.

Thus, during the winding of the apron around the winding shaft 2, these retaining lugs 29 can be pushed, elastically, in an erased position relative to the outer wall 13 or the inner wall, as the case may be. 14 of a blade 4 under the effect of the superposition of the turns described by said apron 3.

If, as illustrated in the various figures, such a locking member 28 can act in a direction opposite to a sliding ramp 15 and its abutment flange 16, one can still imagine that they act in combination when a deformation printed in a given direction to a blade 4.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 10 differs from that corresponding to FIGS. 2 to 5, in that the locking device 11 comprises two locking members 28 arranged on either side and acting in opposition to one another. sliding ramp 15 and its abutment flange 16.

More specifically, the latter intervene, in this case, when it is exerted a thrust on the outer wall 13 of a blade 4, the locking members 28 limiting the deformation of the blade 4 when it is printed a thrust in the direction opposite.

In the embodiment corresponding to FIGS. 2 to 5, an opposite situation is illustrated, the ramp 15 and its abutment flange 16 occurring when the blade 4 is thrust at its inner wall 14.

Advantageously, the tip 12, more particularly the abutment flange 16, 16A is designed convex on its side 33 oriented toward the bottom 34 of a slide 9, 10, so as not to define a sharp edge that could oppose the displacement of the end 7, 8 of a blade 4 in such a slide 9, 10.

Very particularly and as can be seen in FIG. 7, the locking device 11 defines, at the end 7, 8 of a blade 4, a tip of convex shape, facilitating the progression of the latter along a slide 9, 10.

Claims (11)

1. Blocking device for a slat (4) of an apron (3) of a roller shutter (1) whose side ends (7, 8) are movable in side guides (9, 10) that are in the form of a ferrule (12) capable of being made integral with a side end (7, 8) of a slat (4) so as to define, in the extension of the latter and with respect to at least one of the external (13) or internal (14) walls of said slat (4), a sliding ramp (15) extending from said external (13) or internal (14) wall in the direction of the opposite internal (14) or external (13) wall, characterized in that said ramp (15) ends with a stop edge (16) designed to be able to co-operate with a side guide (9, 10) for preventing said side end (7, 8) of the slat (4) from freeing itself from the latter under the effect of a pressure exerted perpendicularly on the apron (3).
2. Blocking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ferrule (12) is designed to be able to define, in the extension of a side end (7, 8) of a slat (4) and with respect to each of the external (13) and internal (14) walls, such a sliding ramp (15, 15A) ending with a stop edge (16, 16A).
3. Blocking device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ferrule (12) is extended by a ferrule body (23) designed to be able to be inserted in the end (7, 8) of a slat (4), between the external (13) and internal (14) walls of the latter.
4. Blocking device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ferrule (12) is designed to be able to be made integral by means of crimping in the side end (7, 8) of a slat (4).
5. Blocking device according to claim 3 and 4, characterized in that the ferrule body (23) includes an opening designed to be able to receive one or more crimping tongues (25) cut in the external (13) or internal (14) wall at the side end (7, 8) of a slat (4).
6. Blocking device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes, in combination, a blocking organ (28) including a retaining catch (29) designed to be able to be pushed, through elastic return means (30), in a protruding position, with respect to the plane corresponding to the external (13) or internal (14) wall, at the end (7, 8) of a slat (4).
7. Blocking device according to claim 6, characterized in that the blocking organ (28) is in the form of an elastically foldable tongue whose one end is made integral with the ferrule (12) and whose opposite end (32) is designed extending beyond the end (7, 8) of a slat (4) receiving the blocking device (11), said end (32) carrying the retaining organ (29).
8. Blocking device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stop edge (16, 16A) is designed convex on its side (33) oriented in the direction of the bottom (34) of a side guide (9, 10).
9. Blocking device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is designed to be able to define, at the end (7, 8) of a slat (4), a convex ferrule.
10. Slat of an apron of a roller shutter including a blocking device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes, at one side end (7, 8), the deformation defining an extension of the sliding ramp or ramps (15, 15A) of a ferrule (12), at the level of the external (13) and/or internal (14) wall of said slat (4).
11. Slat of an apron of a roller shutter according to claim 10, characterized in that it includes, at a side end (7, 8), a cut (24) made in one of its external (13) or internal (14) walls, so as to define one or more tongue portions (25) capable of being pushed inwardly of said slat (4) for co-operating with a ferrule body (23) of said blocking device (11) in view of the crimping of the latter on said corresponding end (7, 8).

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