GB1596299A

GB1596299A - Collapsible shutter gates

Info

Publication number: GB1596299A
Application number: GB1818377A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: BOLTEN GATE CO Ltd
Current assignee: BOLTEN GATE CO Ltd
Priority date: 1978-05-02
Filing date: 1978-05-02
Publication date: 1981-08-26

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO COLLAPSIBLE SHUTTER GATES (71) We BOLTON GATE CO. LIMITED a British Company of Turton Street, Bolton BL1 2SP do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us. and the method by which it is to be pertormed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention concerns collapsible shutter doors such as doors used on a lift or hoist.

Automatically operated collapsible shutter doors of the kind used on a lift or hoist comprise basically two collapsible shutters, one on the lift or hoist car and one at each floor level and it is known to arrange for the lift or hoist car door, at each floor level to become temporarily attached to the door at each particular level in order that the mechanism which operates the lift or hoist car door will also operate the level door.

In order to meet fire prevention requirements it is necessary to provide fire-resisting collapsible shutters constructed in such a manner as to prevent the spread of fire from one level to another via the lift or hoist shaft. It is also necessary to provide means to enable the doors to be operative in the event of a fire in a manner such that the doors of both the lift or hoist car and the door at the particular floor level at which the lift or hoist car is present will close even if the mechanism which normally causes this fails to function.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a means independent of the normal operating means automatically and simultaneously to close double fire-resisting collapsible shutter doors, such as those used on a lift or hoist, in the event of a fire and the failure to function of the normal operating means.

The invention provides a sliding door arrangement comprising a sliding door panel, such as a fireproof collapsible shutter, power-operated drive means for moving the panel between open and closed positions in normal operation, a counterweight means for moving the panel to its closed position in the event of fire, and an actuating device operable, in response to a signal indicative of a fire, to disconnect the panel from the drive means and initiate operation of the counterweight means to move the panel to its closed position.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example only, with reference to two practical forms thereof and the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1. is a somewhat diagrammatic part sectional view of a lift cage located at a floor level.

FIG. 2. is an elevation, with parts broken away of a part of a floor level door opening showing one form of counterweight operating system.

FIG. 3. is a plan view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4. is a side elevation of the top of a lift cage door opening, FIG. 5. is a part sectional elevation of the free edge style of a lift cage door, and FIG. 6. is a view similar to FIG. 2. showing an alternative construction.

In the following description and for the sake of simplicity only those known features of a double collapsible shutter door of a lift or hoist relevant for the understanding of the present invention will be referred to in detail.

Thus a lift or hoist shaft 10 is provided at each floor level with a hinged shutter door 11 comprising a plurality of fire-resisting panels 12 arranged to move from a collapsed, open, position as shown in FIG. 1. to an extended, closed position across a door opening 13 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The lift or hoist car 14 is also provided with a similarly constructed door 15 whose panels 16 are also shown in the collapsed position in FIG.

1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 there is provided a drive motor 17 and endless chain drive 18 extending across the door opening of the lift or hoist car 14. A reduction gear and clutch 19 is provided for the motor 17 and on the output side of the clutch is a chain sprocket 20 enwrapped by the chain 18. As shown more particularly in FIG. 4.

the chain 18 passes over a chain tensioner 21, idler sprockets 22 and pulleys 23 arranged such that there is a lower run 1 8a of the chain 18 extending across the full width of a top channel 24 of the hoist car door opening. Within the top channel 24 is a roller track 25 for rollers 26 of the door 15.

Limit switches 27 are located adjacent the ends of the top channel 24 and a striker plate 28 is fixed to the top of the free edge of the hoist car door 15. The lower run 18a of the chain 18 is so positioned that a movable chain contacting toothed segment 29 (see FIG. 5) mounted on the car door 15 can be moved into contact with a number of links of that run of the chain 18 to deform it between a pair of spaced-apart pins 30 carried on a bracket 31 fixed to and located above the door 15 and thus enable the motor 17 when energised to draw the door 15 into an open or closed position. The toothed segment 29 is carried at one end of a slide bar 32 and this is linked to a push rod 33 located within the free edge of the door 15. At the lower end of the push rod 33 is a contactor plate 34 which lies below an electro magnet 35 which is, in normal operating conditions, energised.When the electromagnet 35 is de-energised the push rod 33 slide bar 32 and the segment 29 will move downwardly and disconnect the segment 29 from the chain links. Mounted on the lift or hoist car door 15 in the region of its free edge are spaced-apart pairs of plates 37 which will, as the car 14 approaches a floor level door 11, become positioned one at each side of draw bars 38 which extend from the floor level door 11 (This construction is best seen in FIG. 1). Thus for normal operating purposes the lift or hoist cage door 15 becomes temporarily attached to the floor level door 11 and the two doors will open or close simultaneously when the operating motor 17 of the lift or hoist door 15 is energised.

It will be appreciated that when the electro-magnet is energised it serves to hold the contactor plate 34 in such a position that the slide bar is raised in order that its toothed segment 29 will engage the drive chain 18. Conveniently the electro-magnet 35 is carried by a bracket 39 on the car door 15 and a rubber bush 40 is provided between the electro-magnet 35 and the bracket 39 so that a small amount of movement of the electro-magnet 35 is possible thus to ensure that the contactor plate 34 makes full face contact with the electro magnet 35. It is also convenient to provide a spring 41 around the push rod 33 to assist the downward movement thereof when the solenoid 36 is de-energised. This spring can be omitted if desired.

One means for automatically and simultaneously closing the doors 11 and 15 in the event of a fire and the breakdown of the normal operating system is shown in FIG. 6.

and as can be seen this means includes a cable 41A and counterweight 42 associated with the floor level door 11. The cable 41 has, at one end, a hold-back plate 43 and the other end of the cable 41 is fixed to a bracket 44 which is itself secured to the door frame. As shown the cable 41 extends across the width of the door opening and passes around a pair of pulleys 45 mounted above the top of the door opening. The cable also passes around a pulley 46 mounted in a bracket 47 secured to the counterweight 42.

Mounted adjacent the free edge of the floor level door 11 is a contactor bracket 48 through which the cable 41 passes. Mounted on the floor level door frame is a normally energised electro-magnet 49. The energised electro-magnet 49 serves in normal use to hold the cable 41 and thus the counterweight 42 in an inoperative position as shown.

The two electro-magnets 35 and 49 referred to above are wired in parallel and in series with a smoke or flame detector (not shown).

In an alternative arrangement shown in FIG. 2. there is provided a counterweight 51 carrying a pulley 52 around which passes a cable 53 one end of which is anchored to a bracket 54 carried by the door frame. The cable 53 passes over a pair of pulleys 55, one located at each end of the door frame and through a contactor bracket 56 mounted on the door 11. The cable 53 has a hold-back pellet 57 at its free end and between this pellet and the contactor bracket is a washer 58 through which the pellet 57 cannot pass. Similarly the washer connot pass through the contactor bracket 56.

Mounted on the door frame is a swivel plate 59 having at one end a notch in which, under normal conditions, as shown, serves to hold the cable 53 by virtue of the holdback pellet 57 being unable to pass through the notch. The swivel plate 59 is itself held, under normal conditions, by a second cable 60 which has at its end a pellet 61 which bears against the swivel plate at the end thereof opposite to the notch. As shown the cables 53 and 60 terminate one at each side of the pivot axis 62 of the swivel plate 59.

The cable 60 passes across the top of the door opening and through guide tubes 63 to terminate at the opposite side of the door frame to the swivel plate. At this end of the cable 60 there is provided a light spring 64 which is secured to a quartzoid link bulb housing 65 which is carried by a bracket 66 on the door frame. Also attached to the bulb housing 65 is a detonator 67 provided with a plunger, adapted, when the detonator is exploded, to fracture the quartzoid bulb.

The detonator is wired to a remote actuator (not shown). Mounted on the quartzoid bulb housing 65 is a micro-switch 65a which is wired in sereies with the electro-magnet 39 of the door.

In operation in the event of a fire and assuming that the lift or hoist cage 14 is at a floor level and the normal operating mechanism has, as a result of the fire become inoperative with the gates open, the automatic door closing means, when constructed to include the cable arrangement of FIG. 6. operates in the following manner.

The smoke or flame detector is operated and this serves to de-energise the two electro-magnets 35 and 49 of the door. The electro-magnet 35 on the lift or hoist car door 15 when de-energised, allows the slide bar 32 to move downwardly under its own weight aided by the natural tendency of the deflected chain 18 to straighten thus to disconnect the toothed segment 29 from the chain. Simultaneously the electro-magnet 49 is de-energised and thus the hold-back plate 43 is released. The counterweight 42 falls and the hold back plate now contacts the apertured contactor bracket 48 and thus the counterweight 42 pulls the two doors 11 and 15 which are interconnected by the draw bars 38 and spaced plates 37 into a closed position.Since all of the floor level doors other than that at which the lift or hoist car 14 is situated will be closed the lift or hoist shaft 10 is closed-off from all floors of the building and thus the fire cannot spread. via the lift or hoist shaft from one level to another.

To re-set the doors for normal operation when the electrical current is operative after the fire has been extinguished the counterweight 42 is raised manually until the holdback plate 43 can again be held by the electro-magnet 49 and the push rod 33 is moved until its plate 34 reaches a position in which it is held by its electro-magnet 35 thus holding the slide bar 32 in position for the toothed segment 29 to contact the drive chain 18 in the normal manner.

In practice it is found that the electromagnet 35 on the lift or hoist car door 15 can be mounted within the thickness of the door and can thus be concealed by a cover plate which is secured to the door face. By providing a lifting handle (not shown) on the push rod 33 and extending this handle through the door style all that is necessary, when the automatic door closing mechanism is to be re-set, is to raise the handle. By this construction all that is visible of the mechanism on the outside of the door is the end of the handle. If the handle projects through the side of the door remote from the inside of the car 14 it is not easily accessible to passengers in the car.

When the counterweight and cable arrangement shown in FIG. 2. is used and the doors are to be closed automatically in the case of fire, and assuming that the fire Is sufficiently close to the floor level door to heat the quartzoid bulb to a temperature above, for example 68" C the bulb breaks and the two parts of the housing 65 separate to allow the second cable 60 to slacken, this in turn allows the swivel plate 59 to pivot about its pivot axis 62 and thus the holdback pellet 57 can no longer hold the cable 53 in the notch of the swivel plate. The counterweight 51 thus pulls the cable 53 and its pellet 57 contacts the washer 59 which latter in turn is caused to contact the door bracket 56 to move the door 11 and the connected door 15 into the closed position.

If the fire is remote from the door 11 the quartzoid bulb can be broken by actuating the detonator 67. In both cases the electro-magnet 35 of the door 15 will be de-energised by reason of the fact that separation of the housing 65 serves to open circuit the micro-switch 65a.

To re-set the mechanism after the fire is extinguished a new quartzoid bulb is fitted, the second cable 60 is drawn back to move the swivel plate 59 the position illustrated.

The counterweight is raised and the cable 53 drawn back to allow its end to be located in the notch of the swivel plate and held by the pellet 57.

The apparatus described above in its two basic forms is capable of being modified to provide refinements. For example, all of the electro magnets and/or detonators of the doors can be connected electrically to a plurality of smoke or flame detectors so that regardless of the floor level at which the lift or hoist cage is located a fire at any part of the building will cause the door closure means to operate. It is also possible to provide manually operated over-ride means for the counterweight release mechanism of the doors so that the closure device can be tested from time to time to ensure that it is effective. It is also possible to so connect the electro magnets and/or detonators of the doors to a central control panel that an operator can close the doors in the event of a fire by de-energising the door electro magnets or by firing the detonators.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A sliding door arrangement comprising a sliding door panel, such as a fireproof collapsible shutter, power-operated drive means for moving the panel between open and closed positions in normal operation, a counterweight means for moving the panel to its closed position in the event of fire, and an actuating device operable, in response to a signal indicative of a fire, to disconnect the panel from the drive means and initiate operation of the counterweight means to move the panel to its closed position.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1 in which a weight of the counterweight means is suspended by cable means one end of which is releasably retained by a cable hold

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

39 of the door.

In operation in the event of a fire and assuming that the lift or hoist cage 14 is at a floor level and the normal operating mechanism has, as a result of the fire become inoperative with the gates open, the automatic door closing means, when constructed to include the cable arrangement of FIG. 6. operates in the following manner.

The smoke or flame detector is operated and this serves to de-energise the two electro-magnets 35 and 49 of the door. The electro-magnet 35 on the lift or hoist car door 15 when de-energised, allows the slide bar 32 to move downwardly under its own weight aided by the natural tendency of the deflected chain 18 to straighten thus to disconnect the toothed segment 29 from the chain. Simultaneously the electro-magnet 49 is de-energised and thus the hold-back plate 43 is released. The counterweight 42 falls and the hold back plate now contacts the apertured contactor bracket 48 and thus the counterweight 42 pulls the two doors 11 and 15 which are interconnected by the draw bars 38 and spaced plates 37 into a closed position.Since all of the floor level doors other than that at which the lift or hoist car 14 is situated will be closed the lift or hoist shaft 10 is closed-off from all floors of the building and thus the fire cannot spread. via the lift or hoist shaft from one level to another.

To re-set the doors for normal operation when the electrical current is operative after the fire has been extinguished the counterweight 42 is raised manually until the holdback plate 43 can again be held by the electro-magnet 49 and the push rod 33 is moved until its plate 34 reaches a position in which it is held by its electro-magnet 35 thus holding the slide bar 32 in position for the toothed segment 29 to contact the drive chain 18 in the normal manner.

In practice it is found that the electromagnet 35 on the lift or hoist car door 15 can be mounted within the thickness of the door and can thus be concealed by a cover plate which is secured to the door face. By providing a lifting handle (not shown) on the push rod 33 and extending this handle through the door style all that is necessary, when the automatic door closing mechanism is to be re-set, is to raise the handle. By this construction all that is visible of the mechanism on the outside of the door is the end of the handle. If the handle projects through the side of the door remote from the inside of the car 14 it is not easily accessible to passengers in the car.

When the counterweight and cable arrangement shown in FIG. 2. is used and the doors are to be closed automatically in the case of fire, and assuming that the fire Is sufficiently close to the floor level door to heat the quartzoid bulb to a temperature above, for example 68" C the bulb breaks and the two parts of the housing 65 separate to allow the second cable 60 to slacken, this in turn allows the swivel plate 59 to pivot about its pivot axis 62 and thus the holdback pellet 57 can no longer hold the cable 53 in the notch of the swivel plate. The counterweight 51 thus pulls the cable 53 and its pellet 57 contacts the washer 59 which latter in turn is caused to contact the door bracket 56 to move the door 11 and the connected door 15 into the closed position.

If the fire is remote from the door 11 the quartzoid bulb can be broken by actuating the detonator 67. In both cases the electro-magnet 35 of the door 15 will be de-energised by reason of the fact that separation of the housing 65 serves to open circuit the micro-switch 65a.

To re-set the mechanism after the fire is extinguished a new quartzoid bulb is fitted, the second cable 60 is drawn back to move the swivel plate 59 the position illustrated.

The counterweight is raised and the cable 53 drawn back to allow its end to be located in the notch of the swivel plate and held by the pellet 57.

The apparatus described above in its two basic forms is capable of being modified to provide refinements. For example, all of the electro magnets and/or detonators of the doors can be connected electrically to a plurality of smoke or flame detectors so that regardless of the floor level at which the lift or hoist cage is located a fire at any part of the building will cause the door closure means to operate. It is also possible to provide manually operated over-ride means for the counterweight release mechanism of the doors so that the closure device can be tested from time to time to ensure that it is effective. It is also possible to so connect the electro magnets and/or detonators of the doors to a central control panel that an operator can close the doors in the event of a fire by de-energising the door electro magnets or by firing the detonators.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A sliding door arrangement comprising a sliding door panel, such as a fireproof collapsible shutter, power-operated drive means for moving the panel between open and closed positions in normal operation, a counterweight means for moving the panel to its closed position in the event of fire, and an actuating device operable, in response to a signal indicative of a fire, to disconnect the panel from the drive means and initiate operation of the counterweight means to move the panel to its closed position.
2. A device as claimed in Claim 1 in which a weight of the counterweight means is suspended by cable means one end of which is releasably retained by a cable hold

ing device.
3. A device as claimed in Claim 2 in which the cable holding device is an electro-magnet.
4. A device as claimed in Claim 2 in which the cable holding device includes a swivel plate and quartzoid bulb means, a part of the latter being operatively con nected to the swivel plate.
5. A device as claimed in Claim 1 in which the actuating device is temperature responsive.
6. A device as claimed in Claim 1 in which the actuating device is smoke respon sive.
7. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims when used with the col lapsible shutter doors of a lift or hoist cage and the floor level doors of a lift or hoist cage shaft.
8. A device as claimed in Claim 7 in which the lift or hoist cage door is provided with means whereby the door can be dis connected from its normal driving mechan ism, when at a floor level and connected to a floor level door and in which the floor level door is provided with counterweight means adapted simultaneously to close both doors.
9. A device as claimed in Claim 7 or 8 in which both doors are simultaneously closed when electro-magnet means are de-energised to release the lift or hoist cage door from its normal drive means and elec tro magnet means associated with a coun terweight associated with the floor level door is de-energised.
10. A device as claimed in Claim 7 or 8 in which both doors are simultaneously closed when electro magnet means are de-energised to release the lift or hoist cage door from its normal drive means and a quartzoid bulb associated with a counter weight means for the floor level door is des troyed.
11. A device as claimed in Claim 9 in which the electro-magnets are normally energised by means connected to fire or smoke detector means.
12. A device as claimed in Claim 10 in which the electro-magnet means of the lift or hoist cage door is normally energised the counterweight rneans of the floor level door being held in an an inoperative position by quartzoid bulb device there being a switch means operative by the quartzoid bulb device and electrically connected to the electro-magnet of the lift or hoist cage door.
13. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1.2.4.8.10 or 12 in which the counterweight is carried by a first cable one end of which is secured to a fixed bracket of a floor level door frame, the other end being provided with a hold-back pellet adapted normally to hold the cable in a notch in a normally held swivel plate, said cable passing through a bracket on the free edge of the floor level door and through a means which, when the cable is released. contacts the bracket to allow the counterweight to close the door.
14. A device as claimed in Claim 13 in which the swivel plate is normally held in position to retain the cable in its notch by means of a second cable one end of which is secured to the swivel plate, the other end of the second cable being attached to one part of a quartzoid bulb housing.
15. A device for simultaneously closing two normally automatically operated firep roof collapsible shutter doors substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5 or FIGS. 1 and 3 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.