EP2631416A1 - Device for locking and unlocking the apron of a curtain, roller shutter or sectional door - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has a left slide (3) and a right slide that are fixed at a joint delimiting a window, and a striking plate provided with an upper part (7a) or a branch and arranged in a retractable manner. The striking plate engages a working position in which the upper part is blocked to inhibit raising of an apron, and a rest position in which the upper part of the striking plate is retracted for allowing raising of the apron. A mobile bolt (5) is slipped to a bottom and towards back of the plate through its lowering movement for contacting a back face of the upper part of the striking plate.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device for automatically locking and unlocking the apron of a curtain, metallic or transparent, a shutter or a sectional door, said device being advantageously moreover advantageously associated with an unlocking device Mechanically exploitable especially when the automatic device is down.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It has been known for a long time to use automatic locking and unlocking devices for the curtain or roller blind which, in the deployed position, protects access to the opening of a room, from a storefront, a door, a window or the like.

Such curtains or shutters are essentially formed by an apron winding around (and conversely departing from) a shaft housed in a box disposed at the upper part of the opening to be protected and actuated by an electrically controlled motor. .

To be able to be wrapped around the tree which overhangs it, the apron of the curtain or shutter consists of blades which are arranged one above the other and which can be articulated in pairs around axes bringing together the upper horizontal edge of a blade at the lower horizontal edge of the blade immediately above.

The first automatic locking and unlocking devices of such an apron have been associated with the shaft around which said apron wraps.

These devices were therefore very complex because they used either curved irons conforming to the shape of the upper blades, or compasses whose end of one of the branches was integral with the tree and whose end of the other branch was secured to the upper end of the apron.

Such automatic devices are known for example French patents published under the numbers 808192 , 2317469 , 2415714 , 2565285 , 2775314 and 2789437 .

Subsequently, it has been developed automatic locking and unlocking devices aprons which were arranged at the final blade of the deck, that is to say the extreme low blade, and which, for their control, used the fact that the blades located above said final blade deviated or came closer to each other depending on the winding and the progress of the deck.

The French patent published under number 2520432 is a first example of this new device, and it is certainly the example of the prior art closest to the present invention.

It provides a set of operating rods that move along the inner face of the final blade and which are connected to a vertical control lever automatically actuated according to the spacing of the different blades. One of the rods is provided with a bolt cooperating with a strike integral with the inner face of the slide in which slide the lateral ends of the blades.

The French patent published under number 2849893 is another example of such an automatic device placed at the bottom of the deck. Such a device this time comprises two elbow bolts S-shaped, integral with the final blade of the apron, bolts which are actuated both by an actuator mounted on one of the last-to-last deck blades and whose length varies according to the spacing of the blades. The S angled bolts are rotatably mounted in their supports and, depending on their position, they cooperate or do not cooperate with locking stops placed at the bottom of the side rails that frame the deck.

These last two devices have the disadvantage of being however mechanically maneuverable from control members placed in the lower part of the deck.

It is the same for all rudimentary systems that provide an apron closure with padlock closing on the rings welded to the deck and hooks sealed in the ground.

All these purely mechanical systems force the user to be closer to the ground when he wants to unlock or lock the deck, a position that is hardly convenient for the elderly and which does not facilitate the maneuvering means of closure when it is dark and the deck is poorly lit.

The present invention aims to overcome all the aforementioned drawbacks and, for this purpose, it proposes a device for locking and unlocking the apron automatically involving no effort on the part of the user since it is sufficient for the latter to electrically control the automatic unlocking followed by the raising of the apron via a key switch, via a simple on / off button, or via a remote control, and electrically control, via the same member, the descent of the apron, the automatic locking said apron, when it has reached its extreme low position, being made only mechanically.

In the preferred example which will be described, the raising and lowering of the apron is carried out using a selector to key equipped with a delay device acting on an electromagnet. The user operates only the key selector and does not intervene on the delay.

Thus, for the rise of the apron, the user makes a single gesture, that of placing the key of the key switch in the upward position of the apron and he maintains his gesture until the end of the winding apron. The key selector sends the information to the timer, which first gives the order to go down to the electromagnet then, after about two seconds, the order of rise of the apron and finally, after a few seconds , the order to stop feeding the electromagnet while continuing to raise the deck.

For the descent of the apron, the user makes a single gesture, that of placing the key of the key switch in the down position of the deck and he maintains his gesture until the end of the descent of the deck. In this case, there is no delay and no action on the electromagnet, that is to say that the key selector gives directly and only the order to go down to the deck.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention therefore relates to a device for automatically locking and unlocking the apron of a curtain, metallic or transparent, a shutter or a sectional door, said apron being framed by two vertical rails attached to the joinery defining the window, the storefront, the door or the window that the curtain, the shutter or the sectional door must protect after locking, each vertical side edge of said sliding apron in one of the slides of this frame, said device being the known type consisting of two latches respectively disposed in the lower part of each of the two rails and in the lower part of each of the two side edges of the deck, each latch comprising a bolt movable in horizontal translation, integral with the deck, and a keeper arranged in the slide vertical, facing said bolt when the deck is fully lowered, so in place for its locking, open ture of this striker being adapted to receive said bolt to achieve the locking of the apron in the slides, said device being characterized in that the upper part of the striker is retractable, said striker can thus occupy two positions, one said work in which its upper part is blocked, thus preventing the raising of the apron, and the other said rest in which said upper part of the striker is retracted, thus allowing the apron to be raised, the passage of the blocking position from the upper part of the striker to its position allowing its retraction being achieved thanks to the displacement of a user-controlled electromagnet, in that there are provided elastic means automatically reducing the upper part of the striker from its retracted position towards its blocking position, in that the mobile bolt is adapted to occupy two positions, one said work in which its front end, or the projection thereof, overlaps the upper part of the striker, when the latter is in the working position, and the other said rest in which said bolt, or projection thereof, is entirely clear backwards relative to the upper part of the striker occupying the aforementioned position, and in that the front face of the bolt and / or the rear face of the upper part the striker is inclined from top to bottom, from front to rear, so that at the end of the descent of the deck, when the front end of the bolt comes into contact with the rear end of the upper part the latch, the bolt can slide down and back throughout its downward movement in contact with the rear face of the top of the striker.

Thus, the device according to the invention is remarkable in that it allows an easy unlocking of the deck, by electrically feeding the electromagnet, which has the effect of controlling its movement and put immediately, and for as long as necessary, the upper part of the striker in a retracted position, the proper rise and the descent of the deck being obtained also electrically, using conventional means, while the deck lock, when it has resumed its extreme low position , is performed automatically, using exclusively mechanical means.

According to a preferred embodiment, the upper part of the striker is formed by the first branch of a locking bracket pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis, perpendicular to the plane of the deck, the second branch of this bracket, when the latch is in the working position, being locked in rotation by movable means whose movement, in order to release said second branch of the locking bracket, is controlled by the electromagnet.

Thus, by electrically supplying the electromagnet, its movement is controlled and thus the immobilization of the second branch of the bracket is stopped, which has the consequence of allowing the bracket to be freely pivoted and, consequently, the retraction of the upper part of the striker.

According to a particularly advantageous construction, the movable means ensuring the locking in rotation of the second leg of the locking bracket are constituted by a cleat pivotally mounted about an axis parallel to the axis of the bracket, the rotation of said cleat. being itself controlled by the rise or fall of the electromagnet so that, when the electromagnet is in the working position, raised (in this working position, the electromagnet is not electrically powered), the cleat is opposite said second branch of the bracket and blocks its rotation and that, when the electromagnet is in the rest position, lowered (in its rest position, the electromagnet is thus electrically powered), the cleat is no longer vis-à-vis the second branch of the bracket, allowing the free pivoting of the square and, consequently, the raising of the deck.

It is advantageously provided that the elastic means automatically returning the upper part of the striker from its retracted position to its locking position act on the locking bracket.

As an example of such an embodiment, the pivot axis of the locking bracket is provided with a torsion spring whose one of the tabs is fixedly held by a fixed stop of the housing of the automatic device while the other leg is supported on the upper face of the first branch of the square.

It has been seen that, at the end of descent of the apron, to ensure the mechanical locking of the automatic device according to the invention, it is necessary to provide that either the face before the bolt, the rear face of the upper part of the striker, or the two aforementioned faces, are inclined from top to bottom, from front to rear. Such a construction makes it possible for the bolt to slide against the upper part of the striker. However, in a simplified construction, chosen preferentially, which respects the traditional forms of an electric lock, only the front face of the bolt is inclined from top to bottom, from front to rear, this inclined front face being adapted to come into contact with the rear end of the first branch of the locking bracket and thus slide downwardly and rearwardly against this end when said bracket has returned to its working position.

According to yet another preferred embodiment, the bolt is pierced with several longitudinal lumens, at least three of which each cooperate with means for guiding the displacement in horizontal translation of the bolt, and at least one of which is provided with elastic means continuously tending to returning said bolt from its rest position to its working position.

In order to overcome any failure of the automatic electrical release device of the deck, it is advantageously provided to be able to associate, as a backup, a mechanical unlocking device secured to the deck, manually controlled. To this end, the mobile bolt of the automatic locking device, which therefore also allows the mechanical unlocking of the deck, is provided with a tooth forming an outgrowth on its upper edge and it is further provided, above said bolt, an arm having a return facing the bolt and adapted to bear against the front face of the tooth, thus preventing the bolt from passing from its rest position to its working position, said arm being pivotally mounted around an axis perpendicular to the plane of the deck.

Ideally, the aforementioned mechanical unlocking device may also comprise a rocker pivotally mounted about the pivot axis of the arm provided with the return, said rocker being provided with elastic means tending to move its rear branch of the bolt, and the arm provided with the return being provided with elastic means tending to bring it closer to the rear branch of the rocker.

In this latter construction, it will be advantageous to provide that the front branch of the rocker bears against the upper face of the first branch of the locking bracket when the deck is locked, and likewise when the deck is at the end of the race before locking or at the start of the race for recovery.

As an example of construction, the manual control means for unlocking the mechanical device is a cylinder, preferably of the European type, whose rotor is provided at its periphery with teeth which cooperate with two racks each provided in the body which controls the displacement in horizontal translation of each bolt.

According to another variant ensuring better safety and better ergonomics, the barrel rotor can rotate only 3/4 of a turn, thus allowing the exit of the key which causes the rotation of the barrel rotor in only one position , that is to say the one in which the members controlling the horizontal translation movements of the bolts are in the working position.

In the case where the apron equipped with the automatic device according to the invention is that of a curtain or that of a roller shutter, the mechanical locking and unlocking device associated with it is housed in a housing integral with the extreme blade. base of the apron, in the vicinity of the lateral edge of said blade.

According to two variants, the extreme low blade of the apron can then be hollow, in which case the housing is embedded in said blade, or shaped to form a longitudinal boss adapted to receive said housing.

In an equally advantageous embodiment, the low extreme blade of the deck has two cutouts, each formed in the lower lateral portion of said blade.

Finally, in the case where the deck equipped with the automatic device according to the invention is that of a sectional door, the mechanical locking and unlocking device associated with it is housed in a housing attached to the rear of the bottom end panel apron, in the vicinity of the lateral edge of said panel.

The detailed specifications of the invention are given in the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that these drawings have no other purpose than that of illustrating the text of the description and that they therefore in no way constitute a limitation of the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

• The Figure 1 is a front view of the apron of a curtain or a shutter equipped with the automatic locking and unlocking device according to the invention.
• The Figure 2 is a view from the back of the apron of the Figure 1 .
• The Figure 3 is a simplified view of the automatic locking and unlocking device according to the invention, the covers of the protective housings of said device being removed and the device being shown in the locking position, that is to say in the working position.
• The Figure 4 is a view of the automatic device shown in Figure 3 completed with a mechanical locking and unlocking device, the apron being here also in the locking position.
• The Figure 5 illustrates the unlocking of the automatic device represented in FIG. Figure 4 .
• The Figures 6 to 8 show different stages of the progressive raising of the apron equipped with the automatic device represented in Figure 5 .
• The Figure 9 illustrates the beginning of the locking of the automatic device represented in Figures 5 to 8 .
• The Figure 10 illustrates the first phase of unlocking the mechanical device.
• The Figures 11 to 14 illustrate the operation of the mechanical device as and when the apron rise that said mechanical device team.
• The Figure 15 is a bottom view of the automatic locking and unlocking device shown in FIGS. Figures 3 to 14 .
• The Figure 16 is a rear view of the locking and unlocking device shown in FIGS. Figures 3 to 15 , the protective housings of said device being provided with their lids.
• The Figure 17 is a view, protective cover removed, the housing enclosing the control means of the mechanical unlocking device.
• The Figure 18 represents a traditional key selector.
• The Figure 19 represents in perspective an alternative embodiment of the extreme low deck leaf, obtained by profiling a sheet and thus having a longitudinal boss in which can be embedded and fixed the mechanical part of the automatic device according to the invention and, s' it is advantageously provided, the auxiliary mechanical device for unlocking the deck in case of failure of the electric unlocking device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The automatic locking and unlocking device according to the invention may be suitable for different aprons, that of a curtain, metallic or transparent, that of a shutter or that of a sectional door.

In the accompanying drawings, it has been chosen to represent such an automatic device in its application to curtains or shutters, that is to say in its application to closure means in which the deck, when raised , is wound at its upper part around a drum, the two lateral edges of said apron moving slidably in two vertical side rails during the rise and during the descent of the deck. In these constructions, the apron consists of a plurality of blades of low height arranged horizontally one above the other, and pivotable at an angle relative to each other, said blades being either metal, in which case there is no visibility through the apron, or transparent, in which case the room or objects placed behind the deck remain exposed to the view of potential customers.

It is clear, however, that the automatic device according to the invention is also applicable to sectional doors, that is to say the doors constituted by the superposition of several panels of greater height articulated in pairs, the lateral edges of these panels, usually provided with both wheels, sliding in two vertical side rails, as regards the panel or lower panels when the deck is lowered, and sliding in two horizontal side rails, for which is the upper panel or panels when the deck is raised. Since, in the locking position of the apron, it is then perfectly vertically over its entire height, as is a curtain or roller shutter, it will suffice, in this application to sectional doors, to provide the side edges of the lower panel of the two mechanical locking devices according to the invention and to embedding in the two vertical slides the automatic means of complementary locking of such mechanical devices, placing them in said slides at the same level as the mechanical devices when the deck has reached its extreme low position corresponding to its locking position.

Of course, the automatic locking and unlocking device according to the invention can also be applied to metal curtains, shutters and sectional doors called "guillotine", that is to say to all the closure systems whose apron in its totality remains vertical in its movements of rise and descent instead of wrapping around a drum (in the case of curtains and shutters) or to switch for the most part from its vertical slides to its horizontal slides ( case of sectional doors). In fact, such guillotine systems are found in certain buildings of very great height, the opening to be protected being generally located on the ground floor, the aprons of such systems being thus able to move in vertical rails which extend to the level of the first floor.

In its illustrated application, the apron 1 thus comprises a final or low extreme blade 2, the two lateral ends of this blade 2, as well as the two lateral ends of all the blades which superimpose it, sliding in two vertical lateral slides fixed to the carpentry which delimit the window, the storefront, the door or the window to be protected, namely, in view of the outside, a left slide 3 and a straight slide 4, as it is visible at Figures 1 and 2 . In all views 3 to 14 which follow, the slides will be schematized by lines in broken lines.

Whether the apron of the curtain consists of metal blades or transparent blades, the final blade 2, for security reasons, is always metallic and is preferably hollow. It is then largely inside this hollow blade that will be placed and therefore hidden the mechanical part of the automatic device according to the invention. However, alternatively, the final blade 2 may also be made from a profiled metal sheet, as shown in FIG. Figure 19 , and, in this variant of construction, there is then provided in the lower extreme part a boss 2a which extends longitudinally from one side edge to the other of the blade 2, said boss being of a height such that one can embed and fix all the mechanical part of the automatic device according to the invention.

The automatic device represented at Figure 3 essentially comprises a mechanical component, namely a bolt 5 integral with the bottom 6a of a U-shaped casing 6, itself embedded and fixed in the end plate 2 by conventional means such as screws 6b, and an electrical component embedded in each slide 3 and 4, in the lower extreme part and in the bottom 3a, 4a thereof.

• d'une équerre de verrouillage 7 montée pivotante autour d'un axe horizontal 8 perpendiculaire au plan du tablier, la première branche 7a de l'équerre 7 constituant, lorsque le dispositif est en position de travail, la partie supérieure de la gâche dans laquelle vient s'insérer l'extrémité du pêne 5,
• d'un doigt fixe 9 parallèle à l'axe 8, constituant la partie inférieure de ladite gâche, lequel doigt permet de limiter volontairement la course du pêne 5 vers le fond de la coulisse,
• d'un électroaimant qui est noyé dans un boîtier 10 et qui commande la montée ou la descente d'une biellette 11 pourvue à sa partie supérieure de deux axes latéraux 12, cet électroaimant étant alimenté en basse tension par un circuit électrique relié au local à protéger ainsi qu'au moyen (en général un sélecteur à clé) commandant les déplacements de montée et de descente du tablier. Il est prévu à cette fin, en partie basse du boîtier 19 enfermant tout le dispositif automatique, une ouverture 49 pour le passage des câbles électriques.
• d'un taquet 13 monté pivotant autour d'un axe 14 parallèle à l'axe 8, ledit taquet formant à son extrémité une fourche dont les deux ailes sont dotées chacune d'une lumière 15 apte chacune à recevoir un axe 12 de la biellette 11.

The electrical component of such an automatic device consists of:

• a locking bracket 7 pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis 8 perpendicular to the plane of the deck, the first branch 7a of the bracket 7 constituting, when the device is in the working position, the upper part of the striker in which the end of the bolt 5 is inserted,
• a fixed finger 9 parallel to the axis 8, constituting the lower part of said striker, which finger can deliberately limit the stroke of the bolt 5 towards the bottom of the slide,
• an electromagnet which is embedded in a housing 10 and which controls the raising or lowering of a rod 11 provided at its upper part with two lateral axes 12, this electromagnet being supplied with low voltage by an electrical circuit connected to the local to protect as well as by means (usually a key selector) controlling the upward and downward movements of the deck. It is provided for this purpose, in the lower part of the housing 19 enclosing the entire automatic device, an opening 49 for the passage of electrical cables.
• a cleat 13 pivotally mounted about an axis 14 parallel to the axis 8, said cleat forming at its end a fork whose two wings each have a light 15 each adapted to receive an axis 12 of the rod 11.

When this automatic device is in working position, that is to say locked, the electromagnet is also in working position, raised, the link 11 is also raised to the maximum, the second branch 7b of the square 7 is essentially vertical and the active end 16 of the catch 13 is vis-à-vis said second branch 7b, so that the bracket 7 can not rotate and that its branch 7a, then substantially horizontal, thus forms the part fixed top of the strike in which the bolt penetrates 5.

For a good understanding of the description which follows, and for the sake of simplification, the striker 7a-9, whether or not in the locked position, will also be defined throughout this description by the reference 50 corresponding to its opening.

To unlock the automatic device just described, the electromagnet is electrically powered in a manner to be described later, and the electromagnet goes down and thus leaves its working position to move to its rest position, lowered.

Referring to the Figure 5 it can be seen that the lowering of the electromagnet has the effect of causing the rod 11 to descend, and this lowering of the rod itself causes the pivoting down of the catch 13 due to the cooperation of the two shafts 12 and two lights 15.

Thus, the cleat 13 is no longer opposite the second branch 7b of the bracket 7 and the latter is now free to pivot about its axis 8.

The power supply of the electromagnet is ensured by means of a key selector 52 (see Figure 18 ) arranged in the frame of the curtain or shutter, or by means of a simple on / off button, or by means of a remote control. In the example of the key switch, it is controlled, in the direction of the rise indicated by the indicator 53, the start of the drive motor of the upper drum of the apron of said curtain or said shutter and it is ordered simultaneously the descent of the electromagnet. The upper part of the striker thus passes from its locking position to its position allowing its retraction. It is understood that the bolt 5, driven upwards at the same time as the apron 1, then causes the pivoting of the bracket 7 since it tends to raise the first branch 7a of said bracket (see Figure 6 ).

As the apron 1 is raised, the tilting of the square 7 continues (cf. Figure 7 ) until the end of the bolt 5 is fully disengaged from the first branch 7a of said bracket (see Figure 8 ) and the deck can now be fully reassembled since, from now on, there is no room in the side rails 3 and 4 which is likely to hinder the further vertical movement of the bolt 5.

Ideally, the power supply of the electromagnet will be ensured only a tiny time, to control its descent and also allow the bolt 5 to disengage completely upwards relative to the locking bracket. For that, he a time delay of a few seconds of the action of the electromagnet will be provided, the time that, under the control of said selector 52 (or of the on / off button), the apron has thus been raised by a height such that the bolt 5 is then at a level higher than that of the first branch 7a of the bracket 7. Thus, the delay member will prioritize orders: it controls the descent of the electromagnet, then the start of the rise of the deck on a few centimeters, then the automatic lift of the electromagnet which immediately resumes its working position while the apron continues its upward movement as long as the user holds the key facing the indicator 53.

The automatic locking of the deck 1 is however obtained using exclusively mechanical means.

It is advantageously provided that a torsion spring 17, whose core consists of a few turns, is mounted on the axis 8 of the bracket 7, one of the legs 17b of this spring 17 being locked behind a stop 18 placed on the lateral faces of the housing 19 enclosing all the electrically controlled component of the automatic device, while the other leg 17a of the spring 17 bears on the upper face of the first leg 7a of the bracket 7; in addition, the bolt 5 is then mounted mobile in horizontal translation while being permanently recalled towards the front (in this connection, throughout the following description, the term "before" an element is reserved for the part the closest bottom 3a, 4a of each slide 3 and 4 while the term "rear" is reserved for the part closest to the vertical longitudinal axis of the deck 1); to this end, the bolt 5 is pierced with several longitudinal slots of which at least three (the lights 20) each cooperate with fixed guide means 21 secured to the bottom 6a of the housing 6 which receives the bolt 5 and at least one (the 22) is provided with elastic means continuously tending to return said bolt from its rear position, or rest position, to its forward position, or working position; for this, a traction spring 23 is provided, one end of which is fixed on a lug 24 which is welded into the bottom 6a of the casing 6 and which emerges in the slot 22 and whose other end is fixed to a lug 25 which is welded on the bolt, behind the light 22. Each housing 19 is fixed by its bottom to one of the wings of the slides 3 and 4, for example by means of screws 19a, one of which can elsewhere constitute the stop 18 of the torsion spring 17, and each housing 10 enclosing the electromagnet is itself fixed by means such as screws 10a in the bottom of a housing 19.

The automatic locking of the deck 1 is evidently obtained in the following manner, without the need this time to provide any time delay, or any action on the part of the electromagnet.

The apron 1, then fully wrapped around its drum placed in the upper part of the opening to be protected, begins its descent, the latter having been controlled by the lateral key selector 52, turning the key 54 in the opposite direction to that clockwise, towards the indicator 55, or by the on / off button or by the remote control.

The locking bracket 7 is then in its working position, that is to say that, being constantly recalled by its torsion spring 17, the second branch 7b of the bracket is essentially vertical and the first branch 7a the square is essentially horizontal; the vertical projection of the bolt 5 then overlaps the first branch 7a of the bracket 7; in addition, if the device according to the invention is associated with a delay member, its action to engage the unlocking process of the deck 1 has ceased for a long time, which caused the electromagnet to go up and drive the link 11 in the same climb movement. Thus, the cleat has pivoted and its active end 16 is in vis-à-vis the second branch 7b of the locking bracket 7.

In other words, all the elements of the electrical component of the device according to the invention embedded in a slide 3, 4 have returned to their working position, namely that they occupied before unlocking the deck.

When, at the end of its descent, the bolt 5 abuts against said first branch 7a, it slides back and forth in order to pass along the active face 7c of said branch 7a and then, after crossing the first branch 7a , the bolt 5 is automatically biased forward under the effect of the tension spring 23 and it enters the opening 50 of the striker consisting of said first branch 7a and the fixed finger 9.

In order to facilitate the sliding of the bolt 5 along the active face 7c of the first branch 7a of the bracket, the front face 5a of said bolt is advantageously inclined from top to bottom, from front to rear.

As long as the electromagnet will not be controlled again in its downward movement, the locking bracket 7 will remain fixed, so that the striker 7a, 9, and the apron 1 can not be reassembled.

It is noted that said apron has automatically locked itself, and that this lock has been obtained by exclusively mechanical means.

A failure of the automatic unlocking device according to the invention can always occur, it has been expected to associate with the aforementioned device a mechanical emergency device that will ensure by itself the unlocking of the deck, and which can also ensure a new lock as long as the failure persists.

Such a mechanical device, as it has been shown in Figure 17 , first comprises a barrel 26, preferably of European type, that is to say manoeuvrable from the outside and from inside the premises to be protected by means of the key appropriate. For the sake of simplification, this key will be the same as the key 54 used to operate the selector 52.

To improve the safety in the use of the mechanical unlocking device, the European barrel may be of the type sold by the company PREFER, that is to say a barrel whose rotor, under the control of the key 54, can rotate only 3/4 turn, which has the effect of making it impossible to exit the key in a position that would be other than that of the introduction of said key.

The rotor 27 of this European barrel is provided at its periphery with teeth 28 which cooperate with two racks, respectively 29 high and 30 low, each provided at the end of the member 31 which controls the displacement in horizontal translation of each bolt 5 To this end, the other end 32 of the control member 31 ideally comprises one of the three fixed guide means 21 which cooperate with the longitudinal slots. Each member 31 may advantageously be in the form of an elongate plate whose two ends are partially cut away, thus forming a projecting part, one of which has a rack and the other of which carries a fixed guide means 21. member 31 may also be in the form of several sub-members, for example several plates, or a set of linkages, provided that the ends of these sets comprise, on the one hand, a rack and on the other hand a means 21 for guiding the bolt 5.

The bolt 5, always biased forward, from its rest position to its working position, by the tension spring 23, is provided on its upper edge with a protrusion in the form of a tooth 33. Optionally, a recess 34 is provided between the tooth 33 and the front end of the bolt 5.

An arm 35, extended by a return 36 oriented towards the bolt 5 and whose end is provided in a shape advantageously complementary to the tooth 33, is pivotally mounted about an axis 37 perpendicular to the plane of the apron 1. The arm 35 overhangs the bolt 5 and is turned towards the rear, its pivot axis 37 being located approximately one-third of the distance separating the apex of the tooth 33 from the end of the bolt 5 counted from the top of said tooth.

On the axis 37, it is also pivotally mounted a latch 38 having the general shape of a S with two very elongated branches. The rear branch 38a of the rocker 38 is provided with elastic means 39, for example a spring working in traction, a spring whose one end is engaged in a notch 40 cut near the end of the branch 38a and the other end 41 is fixed the upper horizontal return, or upper wing, of the housing 6, which return can itself be advantageously surmounted by a T-shaped plate 42 which overlaps the housing 6 (the plate 42 T, if it is present in covering said housing, will have the advantage of providing an anti-tearing function which will be described later).

Elastic means 43, for example a tension spring, are provided between the arm 35 and the rear branch 38a of the lever 38. The latter spring 43 is hooked between two notches cut respectively in the upper face of the arm 35 and in the lower face of the branch 38a of the rocker.

Thus, the rear branch of the rocker 38 has a constant tendency to move away from the bolt 5 and the arm 35 has a constant tendency to move closer to the rear branch 38a of said latch 38, thus to move closer to the bolt 5. The front branch 38b of the rocker 38 projects slightly forward the bolt and is provided at its end with a return 44 oriented downwards, a return which bears against the upper face of the first branch 7a of the square of lock 7 when the apron is locked and also when the apron is at the end of stroke before locking or at the start of the race for its recovery. A stop 51 provided on the return 36 of the arm 35, approximately 1/4 of the height of said arm, limits the approach between the first leg 38a of the rocker 38 and the arm 35 so that, in the locked position, such that represented in the Figure 4 the elements 35 and 38a are substantially parallel and horizontal.

The operation of the mechanical unlocking device, operable when the automatic electrical unlocking device can not be put into service, is as follows.

To illustrate this, we will refer in particular to the Figure 4 , on which the curtain is locked, and to Figures 10 to 14 which show the unlocking using the mechanical device and the progressive raising of the apron.

First, the user (or the repairer) unlocks the mechanical device by rotating the rotor 27 of the barrel 26 with its specific key. Rotation of the rotor causes the two members 31 to move back and forth, thus to move the bolts 5 back and forth, in order to bring the tooth 33 of each bolt behind the end of the back 36 extending the arm 35 (see Figure 10 ). To cross the tooth 33, the arm 35 has gradually raised by pivoting about the axis 37, when its return has come into contact with the rear face of the tooth 33, and said arm 35 has suddenly tilted down, under the effect of the spring 43, after crossing by the return 36 of the top of said tooth.

The user then re-locks the barrel 26 with the aid of his key, which has the effect of moving the members 31 from the rear to the front, but not the bolts 5 which only advance a distance tiny since they remain stuck in their forward motion by the 36 back extending each arm 35, their tooth 33 then being in bearing against said return 36 (see Figure 11 ).

In this locking position towards the front of each bolt 5, the latter occupies its rest position, that is to say that it is entirely released relative to the first branch 7a of the locking bracket 7, which on the other hand is in the working position since the automatic unlocking device has failed.

The user or the repairer removes the key from the barrel and introduces it into the corresponding orifice of the selector 52. No obstacle can at this time prevent the bearing of the apron 1, the user or the repairer controls this bearing, in turning the key in the retrograde direction, in the direction of the indicator 53, in view, for the second, to access the automatic device out of order to be able to put it back into operation or, for the first, to gain access to the interior from his local.

In this movement of ascent whose start is illustrated in the Figure 12 , the latch 38, which until now had its two arms 38a and 38b parallel to the bolt 5 because of the support of the return 44 of its front branch 38b on the first branch 7a of the square, has indeed a tendency to rotate clockwise (on the Figure 12 ) since said rocker is, by its rear part, constantly recalled in this sense by the spring 39.

By swinging in the clockwise direction, the rocker 38 simultaneously has the effect of pivoting the arm 35 upwards, since the latter is constantly recalled by the spring 43.

Thus, while the end of the bolt 5 is now facing the active end 7c of the first branch 7a of the locking bracket 7, due to the slight raising of the deck, the return 36 of the arm 35 is gradually released. from tooth 33, until suddenly release in its movement forward bolt 5 while the latter is no longer likely to engage in the striker 50 (see Figure 13 ).

The rise of the apron 1 electrically controlled continues, even as the bolt 5 resumes its working position in which its vertical projection overlaps the first branch 7a of the locking bracket 7 (see Figure 14 ).

If the user (or the repairer if it has not yet completed its repair mission) needs to lock the apron again, it is sufficient to control the descent by pointing the key 54 to the indicator 55 and maintaining said key in this position as long as the descent is to be made.

The bolt 5 being free of any rearward movement, it will gradually move back as the deck goes down as soon as its front face 5a comes into contact with the first branch 7a of the square 7 and slide along of the latter, then, when the apron is in the extreme low position, the mechanical locking will occur automatically when the bolt 5 is next to the opening 50 of the striker and it will engage in said opening because it is constantly biased forward by the tension spring 23.

It should be noted that the mechanical unlocking device can also be used in the case where it would be the drive motor of the drum around which the apron winds up which would have failed. In this case, the ascent and descent of the deck will be done manually or, if it exists, using the emergency system of the curtain itself.

In order to secure the entire automatic device described above, it is possible to provide an anti-tearing system. For example, it is possible to provide a total cover of the housing 6 and a partial or total covering of the housing 19, a plate 42 T whose core extends over and over the entire length of the housing 6, said core of the T overflowing the housing 6 so as to extend to near the bottom 3a, 4a of the corresponding slide 3.4.

The housing 19 has in this example an upper cutout 45 on each of its two lateral faces and the flanges 42a of the T-plate 42, perpendicular to its core, extend above the cuts 45 (FIG. Figure 16 ) and thus come closer to the inner face of the lateral wings 46 of each slide 3, 4, which are traditionally U-shaped, the two lateral wings 46 of these U-profiles each having a double return 47, 48 The housing 6 of the mechanical device can thus be partially embedded between the last returns 48 ( Figure 15 ).

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the only preferred embodiments described above.

On the contrary, it embraces all the possible variants of embodiment, provided that these do not go beyond the scope defined by the appended claims which define the present invention.

Thus, the hollow portions (or, according to the profiled parts) of the final blades 2 may be of equal length or, alternatively, of a length less than that of the blades which surmount the final blade 2. In the example illustrated on the Figures 3 to 14 , the final blade 2 thus has two cutouts 56 each made at the lower lateral portion of said blade.

For another example, the T-plate 42 may be longer or shorter and thus cover a portion of the housing 19 enclosing the automatic device. We can see well on the Figure 16 that the T-plate 42 is longer than that shown on the Figures 3 to 14 and that thus the wings 42a of such a plate 42 are closer to the vertical rear edge of the cutout 45.

Claims (16)

Automatic locking and unlocking device for the apron (1) of a curtain, metallic or transparent, a shutter or a sectional door, said apron being framed by two vertical rails (3, 4) fixed to the carpentry defining the window, the storefront, the door or the window that the curtain, the shutter or the sectional door must protect after locking, each vertical lateral edge of said sliding apron in one of the slides (3, 4) of this frame , said device being of the known type consisting of two latches respectively arranged in the lower part of each of the two rails and in the lower part of each of the two side edges of the deck, each latch comprising a bolt (5) movable in horizontal translation, integral with the deck , and a keeper arranged in the vertical slide, facing said bolt when the apron is fully lowered, so in place for its locking, the opening (50) d e said striker being adapted to receive said bolt (5) in order to perform the locking of the apron in the slides, said device being characterized in that the upper part (7a) of the striker is retractable, said striker thus being able to occupy two positions, one said work in which its upper part (7a) is blocked, thus preventing the raising of the deck, and the other said rest in which said upper portion (7a) of the striker is retracted, thus allowing the deck of it can be raised, the passage from the locking position of the upper part (7a) of the striker to its position allowing its retraction being achieved by the movement of a user-controlled electromagnet, in that provision is made for elastic means automatically returning the upper part (7a) of the striker from its retracted position to its locking position, in that the movable bolt (5) is adapted to occupy two positions, one said work in which its front end, or the projection thereof, overlaps the upper part (7a) of the striker, when the latter is in the working position, and the other said rest in which said bolt (5), or the projection thereof, is entirely clear backwards relative to the upper part (7a) of the striker occupying the aforementioned position, and in that the front face (5a) of the bolt (5) and / or the rear face of the upper part (7a) of the striker is inclined from top to bottom, from front to rear, so that at the end of the descent of the deck, when the front end of the bolt comes into contact with the rear end of the upper part (7a) of the striker, the bolt (5) can slide downwards and backwards throughout its downward movement on contact with the rear face of the upper part (7a) of the striker. Automatic device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper part (7a) of the striker is constituted by the first leg of a locking bracket (7) pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis (8), perpendicular to the plane of the apron (1), the second branch (7b) of this bracket, when the striker is in the working position, being locked in rotation by movable means whose displacement, in order to release said second branch (7b) of the locking bracket (7), is controlled by the electromassage. Automatic device according to claim 2, characterized in that the movable means for locking in rotation of the second leg (7b) of the locking bracket (7) are constituted by a catch (13) pivotally mounted about an axis (14) parallel to the axis (8) of the bracket (7), the rotation of said latch being itself controlled by the rise or fall of the electromagnet so that when the electromagnet is in the position of job, raised, the cleat is vis-à-vis said second branch of the bracket and blocks its rotation and that, when the electromagnet is in the rest position, lowered, the cleat is no longer vis-à-vis the second branch of the bracket, allowing the free pivoting of the bracket (7) and, consequently, the raising of the deck (1). Automatic device according to any one of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the elastic means automatically returning the upper part (7a) of the striker from its retracted position to its locking position act on the locking bracket (7) . Automatic device according to claim 4, characterized in that the axis (8) for pivoting the locking bracket (7) is provided with a torsion spring (17), one of whose lugs (17b) is maintained fixed by a stop (18) secured to the housing (19) of the automatic device while the other leg (17a) is supported on the upper face of the first leg (7a) of the bracket (7). Automatic device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that only the front face (5a) of the bolt (5) is inclined from top to bottom, from front to rear, this inclined front face being adapted to come into contact with the rear end (7c) of the first leg (7a) of the locking bracket (7) and thus slide downwardly and rearwardly against this rear end (7c) when said square (7) has returned to its working position. Automatic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the bolt (5) is pierced with a plurality of longitudinal slots (20, 22) of which at least three (20) cooperate each with means (21) of guiding the displacement in horizontal translation of the bolt, and of which at least one (22) is provided with elastic means (23) continuously tending to return said bolt from its rest position to its working position. Automatic device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it further comprises a mechanical unlocking device integral with the apron (1), the bolt (5) then having a tooth (33) forming protrusion on its upper edge and in that there is provided, above said bolt, an arm (35) with a return (36) facing the bolt and adapted to bear against the front face of the tooth (33), thus preventing the bolt from moving from its rest position to its working position, said arm (35) being pivotally mounted about an axis (37) perpendicular to the plane of the deck (1). Automatic device according to claim 8, characterized in that it also comprises a rocker (38) pivotally mounted about the axis (37) of pivoting arm (35) provided with the return (36), said rocker being provided with means elastic members (39) tending to move its rear branch (38a) away from the bolt (5), and the arm (35) provided with the return being provided with resilient means (43) tending to bring it closer to the rear branch (38a) of the rocker (38). Automatic device according to claim 9, characterized in that the front branch (38b) of the rocker (38) bears against the upper face of the first branch (7a) of the locking bracket (7) when the deck ( 1) is locked, and also when the apron is at the end of the race before locking or at the beginning of the race for its recovery. Automatic device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the unlocking means of the mechanical device is a cylinder (26), preferably of European type, the rotor (27) is provided at its periphery teeth (28) which cooperate with two racks (29, 30) each provided in the member (31) which controls the displacement in horizontal translation of each bolt (5). Automatic device according to claim 11, characterized in that the rotor of the barrel (26) can rotate only 3/4 of a turn, thus allowing the exit of the key which causes the rotation of the barrel rotor only in one position, namely that in which the bodies controlling the displacement in horizontal translation of the bolts are in the working position. Automatic device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the mechanical locking and unlocking device is housed in a housing (6) integral with the extreme low blade (2) of the apron (1), in the vicinity the side edge of said blade, in the case where the deck equipped with said automatic device is that of a curtain or that of a roller shutter. Automatic device according to claim 13, characterized in that the low extreme blade (2) of the apron (1) is either hollow, in which case the housing (6) is embedded in said blade (2), or profiled to form a boss longitudinal member adapted to receive said housing (6). Automatic device according to any one of claims 13 and 14, characterized in that the extreme low blade (2) of the apron (1) has two cutouts, each formed in the lower lateral portion of said blade. Automatic device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the mechanical locking and unlocking device is housed in a housing (6) fixed to the rear of the bottom end panel of the apron (1), in the vicinity the side edge of said panel, in the case where the deck equipped with said automatic device is that of a sectional door.

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