EP1734214A2

EP1734214A2 - Device and a method for electrical opening and closing of smoke vents, heat vents and skylights

Info

Publication number: EP1734214A2
Application number: EP06012350A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jens Buus Pedersen
Original assignee: Actulux AS
Current assignee: Actulux AS
Priority date: 2005-06-17
Filing date: 2006-06-15
Publication date: 2006-12-20
Also published as: EP1734214A3

Abstract

A device and a method for opening and closing a wing (18) in the form of a smoke-vent, a comfort vent, a skylight or a hatch hingedly attached to a first fastening means (2) including at least one rotational actuator (10) connected to a suspension rod (8) which is connected to a second fastening means (4) and an actuation arm (12) wherein the rotational actuator (10) is mounted between the suspension rod (8) and the actuation arm (12) that is pivotally attached to the wing (18), where the rotational actuator (10) provides a relatively angular displacement of the actuation arm (12) relative to the suspension rod (8) causing rotation of the wing (18).

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electrical device for opening and closing a wing in the form of a smoke vent, a comfort vent, a skylight or a hatch, which wing might be attached to a first fastening means by a hinge, where at least one suspension rod can be connected to a second fastening means, where an actuation arm can be pivotally attached to the wing.

Background of the Invention

Roof hatches are used for many purposes. In case of fire or other dangerous situations smoke vents and comfort vents are often applied to provide ventilation in buildings thus allowing removal of smoke or heat. According to legislation many buildings must have ventilation in case of fire. Therefore fire precautions must include smoke hatches or similar arrangements to provide the necessary ventilation.
Transparent or translucent roof hatches benefit from being able to allow light transmission. They are often made of glass or plastic materials such as acryl glass. These roof hatches arc known as skylights or roof lights.
EP 1 548 220 discloses a roof ventilation device comprising a fixed frame, a roof hatch, such as a roof light, which is hingedly connected to the fixed frame and an actuator assembly for opening the roof hatch, as well as the actuator assembly as such. The actuator assembly comprises a lever arm, which at a first end is pivotally connected to the roof hatch, and drive means are arranged on the fixed frame to displace a second end of the lever arm along a predetermined path substantially in the plane of the fixed frame so as to open the roof hatch. One drawback of this invention is that it does not meet the statutory requirements, which states that the hatch must be able to open up to and more than. 140°.
US 4 090 437 discloses a compact and autonomous device of high power for the opening of a smoke and beat vent placed between the fixed frame and the opening frame of the vent and which is composed of a fixed arm forming the fixed frame and a pivoting arm the opening force being transmitted to the opening frame by means of a hinge fixed on a fitting piece gliding in the pivoting arm, which is retained in a closed position by means of a pivoting hook driven by different pulling means among which a pivoting lever is kept in a retaining position by an electromagnet, all forces and tensions being entirely taken up by the autonomous device and working in vertical and parallel planes, which are very close to one another. One drawback of this invention is that several objects (i.e. a spring and a lever) are hanging under the hatch when it is closed. Another drawback is that the power of the spring and pistons may vary because of the temperature, which causes technical problems and hence introduce well-founded insecurity regarding the proper use of the mechanism.
US 3 516 210 and US 3 728 956 both discloses skylights that are automatically or manually opened by using preloaded torsion springs. A reason for doing this is that it allows for a design of the opening mechanism in such a way that it does not extend downwards beyond the fixed frame of the roof light. One drawback of these inventions is that the closing of the roof lights and preloading of the torsion springs have to be performed manually. These demands may hinder the use of the roof lights both for ordinary ventilation in non-emergency situations and for the required periodic tests in which the feasibility of the opening mechanisms is assessed.

Object of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to specify an electrical device for opening and closing smoke vents, heat vents, skylights and roof hatches in general that is compact and have the ability to open more than 140°.
It is a further object of the present invention to specify a device and a method for opening and closing comfort vents, heat vents, skylights and roof hatches in general which may be opened and closed during periodic tests and non-emergency situations.
Other advantages of the present invention and the specific embodiments thereof will become apparent in the following.

Description of the Invention

The objects of the present invention can be accomplished by means of a device and a method as described in "Field of the Invention", which device is characteristic in that a rotational actuator can be mounted at the suspension rod for providing a relatively angular displacement of the actuation arm relative to the suspension rod.
Hence it is possible that all components necessary for opening the wing are placed just below the surface of the wing both when the wing is opened and closed. This is very important in stores and warehouses, where the volume in the building is to be used just below the ceiling. In situations where parts of the actuation components are placed below the wing, these components will occupy some of the storage volume, however, in situations where the actuation components during opening of the wing are moved downwards, this movement could be blocked by goods stored just below. In an ordinary comfort ventilation situation this could lead to damage of the goods as the actuation components could be partly blocked during operation, however, relatively high forces could be actuated at goods stored just below. However, during fire it may occur that goods placed just below the wing blocks the opening of the wing and this way reduces fire ventilation in the building. According to this invention and by using the rotational actuator a very compact construction is achieved, where all components are placed inside a fixation frame, which is used to support the wing, when the wing is closed. By using a rotating actuator, which can deliver sufficient torque to open and close the wing, it is possible to achieve a highly efficient construction.
According to one possible embodiment of the invention the suspension rod can be adapted to be pivotally connected to the second fastening means (4), and the actuation arm might be pivotally connected to the wing. Hence a relatively flexible construction particularly designed to achieve comfort ventilation with an opening up to 60° is achieved.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the actuation arm is a telescopic arm comprising at least one extendable section. This way the wing has the ability to rotate in a very large angle relative to the closed position, hence legislation demands are met. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the actuation arm is a telescopic arm comprising two extendable sections.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the actuation arm is attached to the rotational part of the rotational actuator. By attaching the activation arm to the rotational part of the rotational actuator it is possible to rotate the actuation arm relative to the suspension arm.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one damping device is attached to the actuation arm and the second fastening means. This way it is achieved that the damping device can accumulate pressure when the wing closes, which can lead to a force acting when the next opening states to overcome an initial momentum for the wing. It is particularly advantageous to apply dampers in order to stabilise and improve the relative motion of the actuation arm relative to the suspension and to serve as an oscillation-absorber.
According to another embodiment of the present invention at least one damping device is attached to the actuation arm and the suspension arm. This offers great freedom of design. Therefore an attachment of the damper to the suspension arm may be preferred in some situations.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention the first fastening means and second fastening means are attached to a fixed frame. This way the device for opening and closing wings can be mounted directly in a new building. However, by being able to choose between both applying and not applying a fixed frame freedom to operate is obtained. In some situations it may be of great value to use the existing frame, whilst in other situations it would be beneficial to mount a device attached in a frame. The possibility to apply a device without a frame could be advantageous in situations in which the mounting of the present invention is carried out in a pre-existing frame.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention the rotational actuator is electrical. Electrical rotational actuators can produce the huge torque required. Furthermore, it is possible to take advantage of a preferable 24 or 48 volt standby emergency power. The present invention must comply with the legal provisions regarding emergency openings for the ventilation in buildings. However, other energy sources could be applied.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention the rotational actuator can be remote-controlled. This is convenient especially when the wing is placed in a roof. A remote control is certainly needed in order to perform tests and non-emergency openings to ventilate the building. A remote control could send IR signals to a receiver which could activate the rotational actuator.
According to a particular preferred embodiment of the present invention the wing has the ability to rotate more than 140° relative to the closed position. This way the opening can serve as an emergency exit. Furthermore, the legislation demands can be meet.
According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention the wing is pivotally attached to a first fastening means, where the axis of rotation is approximately horizontal. This would often be the case i.e. when the invention is used to open and close a smoke vent, a heat vent or a skylight. However, the present invention can also be used in situations in which the wing is pivotally attached to a first fastening means, where the axis of rotation is not horizontally oriented.
The word wing as used in the present application means any smoke vent, heat vent, skylight or hatch.

Description of the Drawing

Figure 1 is a side view of the device in half opened position.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In the following identical or similar elements of different embodiments are designated with the same reference designation.
Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. The device for opening and closing a wing (18) is hingedly attached to a first fastening means (2). The rotational part of the rotational actuator (10) is attached to the actuation arm (12), which is pivotally connected to the wing (18) via mounting hardware (20). The non-rotary part of the rotational actuator (10) is attached to a suspension arm (8), which is connected to a second fastening means (4). The first fastening means (2) is attached to the first side of the fixed frame (5) via a hinge (16) that includes an axle (17) and the first fastening means (2). The second fastening means (4) is attached to the second side of the fixed frame (6). The activation arm includes a basis (13), and first extendable section (14) and a second extendable section (15).
During operation two different embodiments are possible. According to the first embodiment the fastening means 4 are pivotal, and the actuation arm might have a fixed length. According to this embodiment the rotational actuator is able to generate a very high torque, which is necessary for moving the length in relation to the fixation frame 5, 6. According to a second embodiment of the invention the suspension rod 8 is fixed in relation to the fastening means 4 and towards the second side of the fixation means 6 so that the suspension rod 8 is stiff. The actuation arm is formed telescopic leading to that the rotational actuator is placed in a fixed position in relation to the actuation arm. This way the wing 18 can open up to nearly 180°, and the torque generated from the rotational actuator is so high that even complete opening of the wing 18 is possible as well as complete closing of the wing is possible from that position.
A power cord extends along the length of the suspension arm (8) (not shown) in order to supply the rotational actuator (10) with electricity.

Claims

A device for opening and closing a wing (18) in the form of a smoke vent, a comfort vent, a skylight or a hatch, which wing (18) is attached to a first fastening means (2) by at least one hinge(16), where at least one suspension rod (8) is connected to at least one second fastening means (4), where at least one actuation arm (12) is pivotally attached to the wing (18), characterised in that at least one rotational actuator (10) is mounted on at least one suspension rod (8) for providing a relatively angular displacement of the actuation arm (12) relative to the suspension rod (8).
A device according to claim 1, characterised in that the suspension rod (8) is adapted to be pivotally connected to the second fastening means (4) and the actuation arm is pivotally connected to the wing (18).
A device according to claim 1, characterised in that the actuation arm (12) is a telescopic arm including at least one extendable section (14), where the suspension rod is stiffly connected to the fastening means (4).
A device according to any of the claims 1-3, characterised in that the at least one damping device is attached to the actuation arm (12) and the second fastening means (4).
A device according to any of the claims 1-4, characterised in that the first fastening means (2) and second fastening means (4) is attached to a fixed frame (5, 6).
A device according to any of the claims 1-5, characterised in that the rotational actuator (10) is electrical.
A device according to any of the claims 1-6, characterised in that the rotational actuator (10) is remote-controlled.
A device according to any of the claims 1-6, characterised in that the wing (18) have the ability of being rotated up to and more than 140° relative to the closed position.
A method for opening and closing a wing (18) in the form of a smoke vent, a comfort vent, a skylight or a hatch hingedly attached to a first fastening means (2), where a suspension rod (8) is connected to a second fastening means (4), where an actuation arm (12) is mounted to the suspension rod (8), where the actuation arm (12) is pivot ally attached to the wing (18), characterised in that a rotational actuator (10) is placed at the suspension rod and connected to the actuation arm (12) to provide a relatively angular displacement of the actuation arm (12) relative to the suspension rod (8) causing rotation of the wing (18).
A method according to claim 8, characterised in that the arm (12) is extendable.
The use of a rotational actuator (10) for opening and closing a wing (18) in the form of a smoke vent, a comfort vent, a skylight or a hatch, where the rotational actuator (10) is placed at the suspension rod and connected to the actuation arm (12) for providing a relatively angular displacement of the actuation arm (12) relative to the suspension rod (8) causing rotation of the wing (18).