GB2365477A

GB2365477A - Switch arrangement for a roller shutter

Info

Publication number: GB2365477A
Application number: GB0014895A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Frederick George Dover
Original assignee: Dover Roller Shutters Ltd
Current assignee: Dover Roller Shutters Ltd
Priority date: 2000-06-19
Filing date: 2000-06-19
Publication date: 2002-02-20
Also published as: GB0014895D0

Abstract

A roller shutter door 20 comprising interconnected laths connected to a rotatable shaft 12 wherein at least one of the laths in the vicinity of the rotatable shaft 12 includes at least a part of, and may include the entirety of a switching arrangement 13 to control operation of a lighting device. The switching arrangement may comprise a magnetic element 13 and magnetic contact switch 14. The assembly can be used to close off a compartment or locker in a vehicle.

Description

<Desc/Clms Page number 1> ROLLER SHUTTER DOORS This invention relates to improvements in or relating to roller shutter doors and more particularly , although not exclusively to roller shutter doors used to close off storage compartments in vehicles.

Roller shutter doors are commonly used to close off equipment compartments and lockers in emergency service vehicles e.g. fire engines. In order that the contents of the compartment can be seen when the compartment or locker is opened, it is usual for a switching arrangement to be provided which operates to switch on a light disposed in the compartment when the shutter door is opened thereby to illuminate the compartment, When the roller shutter door is closed, the switching arrangement turns off the light.

Conventionally, in such doors the switching arrangement comprises a magnetic element mounted adjacent the bottom of the roller shutter door and a magnetic contact switch provided on the side wall of the compartment, the contact and element being relatively positioned such that when the roller shutter door is in a closed position, the contact and element are aligned and the light is switched off. When the roller shutter door opens, the contact and element move out of alignment and the light is illuminated.

However, a problem arises with this conventional arrangement insofar as the magnetic element is located on a interior surface of the door at the

bottom thereof. This means that the magnetic element and the magnetic contact switch mounted adjacent thereto project inwardly into the compartment and therefore are prone to damage when the door is opened and closed by impact on any equipment or other items in the compartment. Obviously this can cause particular problems where the roller shutter door is mounted on the emergency service vehicle where if the internal light does not operate properly it could be that necessary emergency equipment cannot be located quickly enough which could lead to lives being put at risk.

The present invention is directed to minimising the above mentioned problem.

Thus and in accordance with the present invention therefore there is provided a roller shutter door assembly, said assembly comprising a multiplicity of interconnected laths connected to a rotatable shaft, wherein at least one of said laths in the vicinity of the rotatable shaft includes at least a part of a switching arrangement to control operation of a lighting device.

With this arrangement, because the switching arrangement is provided in the vicinity of the rotatable shaft, it is positioned so as to be unlikely to be damaged on operation of the door.

Preferably the part of a switching arrangement comprises a magnetic element. Most preferably the entire switching arrangement, i.e. magnetic element and magnetic contact switch is positioned in the vicinity of the

rotatable shaft.

Preferably the assembly is used to close off a compartment or locker provided in a*vehicle.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic side representation of a prior art roller shutter door shown in a vehicle; Fig. 2 shows a diagrammatic side representation, in more detail, of the roller shutter door of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a diagrammatic representation of one form of roller shutter door for a vehicle compartment in accordance with the present invention; and Fig. 4 shows a diagrammatic side representation, in more detail, of the roller shutter door of Fig. 3.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a roller shutter door 10 mounted so as to close the opening of an equipment compartment in a vehicle. The roller shutter door 10 comprises a multiplicity of interconnected laths 11 linked to a rotatable shaft 12 mounted adjacent the top of the opening. When the roller shutter door 10 is opened, the laths 11 are moved upwards and wind around the rotatable shaft 12. When the door is closed, the laths 11 are unwound from the rotatable shaft 12. The lower most lath 11 can be adapted so as to be capable of releaseable locking

engagement with a lower part of the opening thereby to secure the roller shutter door in a closed position. An upper most lath (as shown in Fig. 2) is permanently secured to a part of the rotatable shaft 12.

A magnetic element 13 is provided on an internal surface of the lower most lath and is arranged, when the roller shutter is in a closed position, to be aligned with a magnetic contact 14 mounted on a side wall of the opening. The magnetic contact, is linked to a light source (not shown) and operates such that when the door is in the closed position, and the magnetic element 13 and magnetic contact 14 are aligned, the electrical circuit to the light is incomplete and the light is not illuminated. When the magnetic element 13 and magnetic contact 14 are not aligned for example, when the roller shutter door is moved from the closed position towards the open position, the switching circuit is complete and the light illuminates thereby illuminating the interior of the compartment.

However, it will be appreciated that with this conventional arrangement, -with the magnetic element 13 mounted on the interior of the lower most lath, and the magnetic contact 14 switch mounted on the internal wall of the opening, it is possible that the magnetic element 13 could impact upon equipment or other articles which are provided or stored in the compartment particularly if the compartment is full and the equipment extends very close to the opening as the door is closed or opened. Furthermore, the magnetic contact 14 mounted on the interior of the side

wall of the opening can also be damaged by equipment being loaded or unloaded from the compartment. Obviously if the magnetic element 13 or contact 14 were to become damaged in some way whereby the lighting arrangement did not work, this could pose serious risks especially where the roller shutter door is used in an emergency service vehicle since vital lifesaving equipment may not be able to be identified within the compartment for use quickly enough to prevent loss of life.

Referring now to Fig. 3 there is shown a roller shutter door 20 in accordance with the present invention. The roller shutter door is formed in the same way as the roller shutter door of Fig. 1 and is mounted in the same way within the opening.

However, the difference with this form of roller shutter door is that the magnetic element 13 is not mounted on the internal surface of the lower most lath but is contained within one of the laths 11 towards the top of the door. This means that the magnetic element 13 is protected against impact upon any of the contents of the compartment. In this embodiment, the magnetic contact 14 which is connected to the light arrangement is provided on a side wall of the opening adjacent the position of the lath in which the magnetic element 13 is contained when the door is in the closed position. This means that when the door is in the closed position, the magnetic element 13 provided in the lath and the magnetic contact 14 are aligned such that the circuit is broken and the light is not illuminated. As

soon as the door is opened, the magnetic contact and magnetic element are moved out of alignment and the light is illuminated thereby illuminating the compartment. This also means that the magnetic contact 14 is also less susceptible to damage due to its positioning at the top of the compartment than in conventional arrangements.

It will be appreciated that it is the positioning of the magnetic element 13 and magnetic contact 14 which provides the advantages of the present invention. Clearly mounting the magnetic element 13 in the lath 11 toward the upper part of the opening means that the element 13 and the contact switch 14 are unlikely to impact on any of the contents of the compartment and therefore are unlikely to become damaged so as to prevent operation. Clearly this provides considerable advantage in an emergency service vehicle since operation of the light in the compartment can be assured under any conditions.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiments which are described by way of example only.

Claims

CLAIMS 1 . A roller shutter door assembly comprising a multiplicity of interconnected laths connected to a rotatable shaft, wherein at least one of said laths in the vicinity of the rotatable shaft includes at least a part of a switching arrangement to control operation of a fighting device.
2. An assembly according to Claim 1, wherein the part of a switching arrangement comprises a magnetic element.
3. An assembly according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein an entire switching arrangement is positioned in the vicinity of the rotatable shaft.
4. An assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the switching arrangement comprises in combination a magnetic element and a magnetic contact switch.
5. Use of an assembly according to any preceding claim to close off a compartment or locker provided in a vehicle.
6. Use of an assembly according to any preceding claim to close off a compartment or locker in an emergency vehicle.
7. A roller shutter door assembly constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
8. Use of a roller shutter door assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.