EP3348779B1 - Verbindungselement für benachbarte lamellen und rollladen damit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of devices for concealing window or door type openings made in the walls of buildings, said devices being more precisely rolling shutters with articulated blades.

These rolling shutters essentially comprise an apron made up of said juxtaposed blades, the apron being able to be driven, manually or motorized, to move from a closed position in which it is unrolled in front of said opening for the purpose of concealing it to a position of the opening in which it is rolled up, for example in a box placed for this purpose generally above the opening. The movement of the apron obviously takes place in both directions, the shutter being able to be stopped in multiple intermediate positions in which it is therefore partially rolled up or unrolled, positions in which it more or less completely closes the opening.

The path followed by a portion of the apron can be rectilinear, when it is in front of the opening, or curvilinear, during winding aimed at “storing” the rolling shutter in the trunk. The juxtaposed slats must therefore be articulated together so as to allow at least one pivot, of amplitude which may be limited but must however be sufficient to allow the apron to be rolled up and unrolled in the shutter box around a cylinder. winding of a few centimeters in diameter.

The articulation of the blades is carried out along their abutting longitudinal edges, in other words along their short longitudinal sides or lateral edges. For this purpose, each blade is provided, along said two longitudinal edges, with hooking means which are different from one edge to the other but complementary so as to allow the assembly of the blades together in a position

juxtaposed, with a view to finally constituting the complete apron.

These hooking means are presented very generally and in principle in the form of hooks configured to each cooperate edge to edge with the hook of the contiguous edge of the adjacent blade, the two hooks having slightly different shapes. More specifically, these may be hooks fitted to at least one of the edges and capable of cooperating with at least one housing on the edge facing the adjacent blade. This or these housings can then be in the form of grooves or grooves intended to receive, for example by nesting, the hook of an adjacent blade. Thus and successively, in all configurations, a blade n receives within its specific groove or hook the hook of a blade n-1 located on one side, while its hook cooperates with the specific groove or hook of a blade n+1 located on the opposite side.

The securing is designed to hold the blades together in a transverse direction, that is to say perpendicular to their longitudinal edges, while ensuring pivoting of the blades between them. Secondarily, in particular for assembly purposes, a possibility of sliding the hooks between them or in the housings/grooves is provided, until the longitudinal ends of the blades are at the same level, in the final assembly position.

In the known configurations, in general, and if we consider the shutter in a vertical position, a longitudinal edge equipped with a hook is positioned upwards, the unciform profile delimited by the hook opening towards the wall in front of which the shutter is placed. The opposite edge equipped for example with the groove is then placed downwards and opens outwards. This relative positioning limits water infiltration into the inter-blade junction zone, simply due to the gravitational flow of water downwards. However, these connection methods never completely eliminate infiltration.

However, in the case of an orientation closer to horizontal, and/or if the shutter has a slight slope, which can occur in the case of openings fitted for example to verandas or roof windows, the flow only takes place partially along the apron and water almost inevitably infiltrates inside the housing formed by the groove. Given the configurations mechanically necessary for the different profiles which cooperate, there is a real risk that infiltrated water will stagnate, particularly but not only in the housings of the inter-blade connections. The condensation which exists structurally in these devices can also play a role in the accumulation of water in the means of connection between blades.

This poses a major problem in the event of low temperatures, that is to say in the event of temperatures below zero degrees Celsius. The freezing that can result from water stagnating in the connections, inside the grooves and hooks, is likely to prevent or at least hinder the relative movements between slats. The consequences are multiple for the slats, ranging from their possible disassembly to the outright bursting of the joint, leading in all cases to deterioration of the shutter apron. Depending on the case, the components of the joint may be affected, in particular by deformation in the case of blades made of metallic material.

In all these hypotheses, it is the entire shutter which is seriously damaged.

The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks, by proposing a configuration totally protected against infiltration while in no way preventing the relative displacements and movements between the blades necessary for the winding/unwinding of the rolling shutter.

The invention applies to a roller shutter apron capable of closing an opening made in a wall, said apron comprising contiguous blades articulated according to a junction element.

The blades each classically have long sides, respectively proximal and distal. of said wall in the shutter closing position, and each blade comprises, along a short side, first hooking means and along the opposite short side, second hooking means capable of pivotally cooperating with the first means hooking the adjacent blade in a junction zone located between said blades. Depending on the terminology used, proximal and distal could also be expressed by referring to the respectively interior and exterior sides of the slats, in relation to the building.

In order to achieve the aforementioned effects, overcoming the defects presented by the previous solutions, the element of the invention is such that it comprises a flexible elastic joint 8 capable of being fixed to one of the adjacent blades 2, comprising a section joining the two long distal sides of two adjacent blades sealingly covering the junction zone 7 on the side of the long distal sides 20 of the blades 2, exerting on this side an action capable of maintaining the first and second hooking means in place cooperative position. It therefore differs from a number of configurations of the prior art, such as for example those described in EP0094345A2 And DE29521701U1 , which are not appropriate to answer the problem posed. So, EP0094345A2 does not have a flexible seal, and there is no overlap, in the configuration shown, on the two adjacent distal sides. No soft joints either in DE29521701U1 , and no further covering of the junction zone. The invention is also distinguished from the configuration described in FR 3 009 839 , in which distinct hooking means are interposed between the longitudinal edges of the blades, said hooking means ensuring the sealing of the connections and therefore preventing the formation of gel. One of the disadvantages of this solution lies in the complexity of the assembly, the assembly of the blades notably involving a sliding operation over the entire length of the blades.

This question of assembly is on the contrary at the heart of the thinking which governed the design of the present invention, in which the use of a covering seal makes it possible to put implementing hooking means which have profiles which can be assembled together in a direction substantially perpendicular to the long sides of the blades, said profiles then being held in the cooperative position by the joint. The blades can therefore be assembled two by two by literally placing the edge profile of one blade in the complementary profile of the adjacent blade initially, which takes a few seconds, the flexible joint subsequently blocking them in contact one from the other without then opposing their relative pivoting. This connection gives, as will be seen below, an additional degree of freedom to the assembly thus obtained, and makes it possible to avoid any breakage of one of the attachment means due to freezing.

More precisely, the joint is a profile comprising a section joining the long distal sides of two adjacent slats, provided with means for fixing to one of the slats located at or near one of the longitudinal edges of said section, of which the The other longitudinal edge is pressed in elastic pressure against the long distal side of the adjacent blade.

The fixing means located on one side of the junction zone are watertight, and the very shape of the side of the joint allowing support under elastic pressure against the exterior face of the adjacent blade ensures watertightness on the other side of the joint. the junction area. In practice, preferably, said panel is curved, the concavity being oriented towards the junction zone, and its longitudinal edge opposite the fixing means, in other words its free edge, is therefore directed towards the surface of the long distal side of the adjacent blade, facilitating pressure support.

According to a first possibility, these fixing means consist of an axial rib 10 protruding from the side 9 and housed in a groove made in the blade 2 near and parallel to a short side 5. Taking into account the flexible and elastic material of the covering joint , the respective shapes of the groove and the rib are designed to allow rapid and firm, immediate fixing since it is enough to push the rib in the direction of the blade.

Alternatively, the fixing means may consist of a pair of longitudinal lips of parallel appearance bordering a U-shaped groove developing towards the inside of the junction zone, a strip of the same orientation, projecting from one of the adjacent strips at the level of a longitudinal edge of the long distal side, inserting into said groove. In this case, they also participate in the functional positioning of the means for attaching the adjacent blades to the extent that they delimit, in the junction zone and in a transverse dimension, the space allocated to said attachment means. This results in particular from the fact that, according to a possible configuration, the strip projects at a longitudinal edge of the long distal side of the blade and develops in the junction zone between two adjacent blades.

To return to the particular shapes of the hooking means discussed previously, the first hooking means consist of a first profile and the second hooking means consist of a second profile, said profiles protruding from the short sides of the blades and being able to cooperate with at least one degree of freedom in rotation along an axis parallel to the longitudinal edges of the blades.

According to a possible configuration, the first profile comprises a section of unciform appearance protruding from a short side in the vicinity of the longitudinal edge joining said short side and the large distal side of the blade, and the second opposite profile has a housing receiving the first profile having an L-shaped section whose barrel forms a bottom of the junction zone extending in the extension of the large proximal side of the adjacent blade and the base forms a low wall oriented substantially perpendicular to said side. It is therefore easy to assemble them by placing the uniform profile in the receiving housing, this functional degree of freedom being preserved in the connection following the coverage of the junction zone by the joint.

Unlike many previous solutions, the two profiles are different and do not have a characteristic common unciform, one only having an end hook while the other is only a canal housing space of the first. There are, according to this configuration, no means of retaining the two profiles in the operating position which result from their design, their maintenance in functional position, that is to say in particular capable of pivoting one in relation to to the other, resulting in fact from the additional action of the seal covering the junction zone.

The use of a flexible joint which maintains the hooking means in their functional position, which therefore does not depend exclusively on the shapes of the profiles, also allows the management of other degrees of freedom in the connection: thus, in a transverse direction with an appearance perpendicular to the short sides of the blades, the dimension of the bottom can be provided greater than that of the first profile, in this case the profile with a unciform section, allowing transverse movement of said first profile in the second profile. This additional degree of freedom in the mechanical connection makes the assembly of the blades easier and gives the connection itself greater reliability by eliminating possible blocking points and rigidity, in certain contexts of relative positioning of the blades or conditions. climatic.

The invention also relates to a rolling shutter which comprises such an apron.

• la figure 1 représente schématiquement une vue en coupe partielle de deux lames, en position déroulée du tablier, assemblées et articulées par l'intermédiaire d'un dispositif de jonction selon l'invention obéissant à une première variante de conception ;
• la figure 2 représente schématiquement une vue en perspective d'une seconde variante de l'invention ; et
• la figure 3 représente une vue similaire à celle de la figure 2, selon une coupe transversale de deux lames, toujours en position déroulée du tablier.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the detailed description which follows of non-limiting embodiments of the invention, with reference to the appended figures, in which:

• there figure 1 schematically represents a partial sectional view of two blades, in the unfolded position of the apron, assembled and articulated via a joining device according to the invention obeying a first design variant;
• there figure 2 schematically represents a perspective view of a second variant of the invention; And
• there Figure 3 represents a view similar to that of the figure 2 , in a cross section of two slats, still in the unfolded position of the apron.

With reference to the figures, the junction element 1 of two blades 2 of rolling shutter apron ensures the fixing of two blades 2 between them, while giving them freedom of movement relative to each other, in particular under the shape of a possibility of relative pivoting allowing the rolling up and unwinding of said apron.

The junction element 1 mainly comprises two different means of hooking the blades 2 together, which develop along the short longitudinal sides 5, 6 of said blades 2. In this case, these are profiles 3, 4 of shaped shapes distinct capable of cooperating in a junction zone 7 visible in the middle of the figures 1 to 3 , located between two assembled adjacent blades 2. This junction zone 7 is covered by a flexible seal 8 which covers it in a watertight manner, and provides several functions within the framework of the invention as will be seen in more detail below.

The profile 4 is unciform, protruding from a short side 6 in the vicinity of the longitudinal edge 26 joining said short side 6 and the large distal side 20 of the blade 2, and its end takes the shape of a hook 14 while the profile 3 has an L-shaped shape with an end wall 13 bordering a flat-shaped bottom 12. The assembly of the blades 2 between them is then greatly facilitated, since it suffices to rest the unciform end 14 of a blades 2 in the receiving housing 3 of the adjacent blade 2, in contact with the bottom walls 12 and the end wall 13, as appears in the junction zone 7 in the center of the figures. We can therefore, during the assembly phase, simply place one of the profiles 4 in the other 3 before finalizing the assembly of the juxtaposed blades 2 by placing the seal 8. The bottom 12 is also wider than the profile 4, facilitating its insertion and allowing additional transverse movement of the blades between them. Conversely, in a number of configurations of the prior art, two very similar unciform profiles or one hook/groove configuration requires them to slide one inside the other over the entire length of the blades 2, which is of course more time-consuming and, secondarily, requires more space for the manipulation necessary for the 'assembly. Not to mention the disadvantages which result from such a mechanical connection during freezing phases.

In the invention, the two profiles 3, 4 are held in the operating position, with in particular a possibility of relative pivoting, by the joint 8. This comprises a section 9 which connects the long distal sides 20 of the blades 2, and means of fixing to one of the blades 2. In the configuration of the figure 1 , the latter comprise a rib 10 intended to be fixed in a groove 30 made in the blade in the vicinity of the longitudinal edge 25 joining the distal face 20 and the short side 5. Assembly is immediate, by simple pressure of the seal 8 on the rib 10 side towards blade 2.

In the variant of figures 2 and 3 , the fixing means comprise lips 11 of parallel appearance bordering a groove in which a strip 15 is inserted. The strip 15, which is connected to the strip 2 at the level of the longitudinal edge 25 of the short side 5 of the strip 2, extends towards the inside of the junction zone 7, towards the bottom 12 of the receiving profile 3.

The seal 8 is made of a flexible material having elastic properties which allow it firstly to ensure the required sealing, but also to perform more mechanical functions relative to the design of the connection between blades 2. Thus , at the level of its longitudinal edge 18, these properties, combined with the slightly curved shape of the panel 9, also ensure pressure support against the long distal side 20 of a blade 2. On the other side of the panel 9, the respective dimensions of the rib 10 and the groove 30 on the one hand, and of the lips 11 and the strip 15 on the other hand, ensure good grip and effective fixing of the seal 8.

The elastic nature of the joint material and the respective shapes given to the elements participating in the connection, for example in the rib 10/groove 30 couple, or in the shape in chicane of the lip 11/slat 15 connection, also make the connection of the joint 8 to the blade 2 perfectly watertight.

The existence and shape of the joint 8 make it possible to design the mechanical connection between the respective profiles 3 and 4 in a much more extensive manner than if the mechanical properties of said connection were only assumed by said profiles 3,4. In the absence of the seal 8, the connection between the slats 2 is not viable in the state shown, because the additional degree of freedom that it allows for example in a direction perpendicular to the general plane of the deck, moreover guarantor of the simplicity of assembly, is not controlled. If the joint 8 were not present, the profile 4 would not remain in contact with the profile 3 because the low wall 13 is not designed to retain the hook 14 in the direction of the joint 8, which therefore becomes necessary for them to remain in place. operational contact.

The joint 8 is also useful in several ways in the organization of the mechanical connection of the inter-blade attachment means such as provided in the invention: the free edge 18 of the panel 9 exerts on the blade 2 an action of which the direction results in pressing the hook 14 against the bottom surface 12 of the receiving profile 3, but that is not all. If necessary, the means for fixing the seal 8 can play a role in delimiting the junction zone 7, as in the second variant: in this case the parallel lips 11 which occupy part of the junction zone 7 prevent too much, undesired, lateral movement of the hook 14 in the receiving profile 3. The figures 2 and 3 show in this regard that the hook 14 can be located towards the lips 11, as results from the figure 2 , or on the contrary towards low wall 13, as appears in Figure 3 , illustrating the reality of this lateral movement.

The mechanical connection between profiles 3 and 4, which is not ensured as such by the nature of said profiles 3, 4, is therefore made functionally viable by the joint 8, both by its shape and by its mechanical properties: thus, the pivoting between the blades 2 is only possible because the pan 9 is flexible and elastic. The organization of the mechanical connection between the adjacent blades 2 is such, according to the invention, that it no longer includes blocking possibilities due to the simple cooperation of hooking means whose shapes could possibly be altered by the gel, at the risk of damaging the connections between slats and therefore the deck.

The connection is sufficiently flexible to prevent the apron slats from dislodging under the action of the gel. Its design also allows, due to the implementation of an additional degree of freedom, to prevent the junction from breaking, always under the effect of freezing. In short, without substantially changing the conventional hooking means, generally consisting of two hooks or a hook/groove assembly which fit together, but by adding a seal 8 of the type described, we end up with to significantly improve the method of fixing the slats 2. Their assembly with a view to constituting a roller shutter apron is, on a functional level, such that it ensures fluid relative inter-slat movement whatever the weather conditions or positions relative blades 2.

The examples described with reference to the figures are not exhaustive of the invention, which on the contrary encompasses variants and modifications of shapes for example of the hooking means or of the joint, to the extent that the functional constraints expressed are met while remaining within the framework of the following claims.

Claims (10)

1. Roller shutter apron suitable for closing an opening in a wall, said apron comprising adjoining slats (2) hinged along a joining element, said slats (2) each having long sides that are respectively proximal (21) and distal (20) to said wall in the shutter closing position, each slat (2) comprising first engagement means along one short side (5, 6) and second engagement means along the opposite short side (6, 5) which are capable of pivotally engaging with the first engagement means of the adjacent slat (2) in a joining area (7) located between said adjacent slats (2), characterized in that the element comprises a flexible, resilient seal (8) capable of being attached to one of the adjacent slats (2), comprising a flange (9) capable of joining the two distal long sides (20) of two adjacent slats (2) capable of covering the joining area (7) in a sealing manner on the side of the distal long sides (20) of the slats (2), and exerting on this side an action capable of holding the first and second engagement means in the engagement position.
2. Roller shutter apron according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and second engagement means have profiles (3, 4) which can be assembled in a direction substantially perpendicular to their long sides (20, 21).
3. Roller shutter apron according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that the seal (8) is a profile provided with means for attachment to one of the slats (2) located at or near one of the longitudinal edges of said flange (9), the other longitudinal edge (18) of which is suitable for being resiliently pressed against the distal long side (20) of the adjacent slat (2).
4. Roller shutter apron according to the preceding claim,
   characterized in that the flange (9) is curved, the concavity being oriented toward the joining area (7).
5. Joining element for adjacent slats (2) constituting a roller shutter apron according to one of claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the attachment means consist of an axial rib (10) protruding from the flange (9) and capable of being housed in a groove made in the slat (2) adjacent to and in parallel with a short side (5).
6. Roller shutter apron according to one of claims 3 and 4,
   characterized in that the attachment means consist of a pair of parallel longitudinal lips bordering a U-shaped groove (11) extending towards the interior of the joining area (7), a lamella (15) of the same orientation, capable of projecting from one of the adjacent slats (2) at a longitudinal edge (25) of the distal long side (20), fitting into said groove (11).
7. Roller shutter apron according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that the first engagement means consist of a first profile (4) and the second engagement means consist of a second profile (3), said profiles (3, 4) protruding from the short sides (5, 6) of the slats (2) and being able to engage with at least one degree of freedom in rotation along an axis parallel to the longitudinal edges of the slats (2).
8. Roller shutter apron according to the preceding claim,
   characterized in that the first profile (4) comprises a hook-shaped section (14) protruding from a short side (6) adjacent to the longitudinal edge (26) joining said short side (6) and the distal long side (20) of the slat (2), and the opposite second profile (3) has a receiving recess for the first profile (4) having an L-shaped section of which the stem forms a bottom (12) of the joining area (7) extending in the extension of the proximal long side (21) of the adjacent slat (2) and the base forms a low wall (13) oriented substantially perpendicularly to said side (21).
9. Roller shutter apron according to the preceding claim, characterized in that, in a transverse direction perpendicular to the short sides (5, 6) of the slats (2), the dimension of the bottom (12) is greater than that of the first profile (4), allowing transverse travel of said first profile (4) in the second profile (3).
10. Roller shutter comprising an apron with adjoining slats according to one of the preceding claims.

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