GB2592840A

GB2592840A - Closure for a loft space

Info

Publication number: GB2592840A
Application number: GB1900219.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Challinor Mike
Original assignee: Manthorpe Building Products Ltd
Current assignee: Manthorpe Building Products Ltd
Priority date: 2019-01-08
Filing date: 2019-01-08
Publication date: 2021-09-15

Abstract

A closure for a loft space comprising a panel, a hinge and retarding means in the form of a hydraulic or friction damping device mounted on the hinge axis for controlling the speed of the opening of the panel, the retarding means configured such that the torque acting against rotation of the hinge varies as the hinge is rotated. Preferably the retarding means is a rotary damper and arranged within the hinge. The torque applied may be low or zero when the panel is nearly open or closed and higher therebetween, and this change may occur at certain angles of the closure. The change may be a discontinuity of torque or it may be continuously varied. The retarding means may also apply a constant torque during the closing movement, which may be zero. By controlling the speed of movement of a loft access panel which are horizontally mounted in the ceiling to an open vertical position reduces the risk of injury e.g. being hit by the swinging panel.

Description

Closure For A Loft Space The present invention relates to a closure, particularly, but not exclusively, for a loft or attic space.

Background of the invention

Conventionally, a closure such as a loft door will be mounted in the ceiling of a dwelling, under a loft space. Further, such closures are generally mounted so that a horizontal, rather than vertical, aperture or opening is provided for access into the loft, attic etc.

Summary of the invention

The present invention seeks to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or provide a useful alternative.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a closure for a loft space, the closure comprising a panel or door, for closing an opening to a loft space, a hinge, configured to rotate between a closed configuration, in which the panel is in an in use closed position in which the closure closes the opening, and an open configuration in which the panel is in an in use open position, and to vary the angle of rotation of the panel between the closed and open positions; and retarding means, for controlling the speed of opening of the panel from the closed to open position; wherein the retarding means is configured so that a torque acting against rotation of the hinge varies as the hinge is rotated from the closed configuration to the open configuration.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a closure in which the speed of opening of the closure is controlled. In this way the likelihood of damage, and/or injury of a user, when opening the closure can be reduced. Further, the likelihood of breakage of the pivot can be reduced by the controlled operation of the hinge and opening of the closure as the speed of opening is reduced so reducing the momentum of the closure during operation and reducing the overall force acting on the hinge. Such a dampened opening can also provide a more premium feel to a closure, and enhance the user's experience thereof.

The retarding means may provide variable torque with relatively lower retarding torque in the region of the closed and open positions of the panel and a relatively higher retarding torque at at least one point there between. In this way the door may open relatively quickly before slowing as the door opens further so that the opening of the door is controlled. At least one discontinuity of torque may be provided between the closed and open positions. The retarding means may provide a first retarding torque acting against rotation of the hinge from the closed configuration to a first intermediate configuration, and a second retarding torque acting against rotation of the hinge between the first intermediate configuration and a second intermediate configuration in which the hinge is further rotated towards the open configuration. The second retarding torque may be larger than the first retarding torque. The first retarding torque may be substantially zero. In this way the door may open quickly when initially released from the closed position, with relatively fast opening, so that it is apparent that the catch has been released, followed by relatively slower movement once the opening has commenced so as to reduce the possibility of injury as the door descends from the ceiling.

The second retarding torque may not be constant, and may vary according to the angle of opening of the panel as the panel opens. In this way, the second retarding torque may provide a substantially constant rotational velocity for the panel when the closed position is substantially horizontal and the open position is below the closed position. The torque may vary continuously as the hinge rotates from the closed to the open configurations. Alternatively there may be a discontinuity of the retarding torque between the closed and fully open configurations of the hinge.

A third retarding torque may be provided against rotation of the hinge from the second intermediate configuration and the open configuration, which third retarding torque may be lower than the second retarding torque. In this way, when the torque caused by the action of gravity on the door reduces as the door approaches hanging vertically below the hinge, the speed can be increased to avoid the opening of the door from taking too long, for example once the door is within an eye line of a user so the risk of injury by impact is reduced.

The second retarding torque may increase and then decrease between the first intermediate configuration and the second intermediate configuration. In this way the velocity of the opening movement may be made constant or varied as desired.

The first intermediate configuration may represent a rotation of between 2 to 10 degrees from the closed configuration. This allows for it to be apparent that the closure has been opened, opening fast when at a height above the height of a user to avoid or reduce the possibility of impact and injury. The second intermediate configuration may represent a rotation of between 70 to 95 degrees from the closed configuration. This may correspond to the height of the end of the door being within the height range of a user, i.e. where the speed of rotation should be controlled so as to reduce the risk of injury. The open configuration may represent a rotation of the hinge of between 95 to 115 degrees from the closed configuration. At such opening angles, the door/panel of the closure is already within the eye line of a user, and the speed has been controlled, so that risk of injury is lowered.

The retarding means may be configured to provide a constant retarding torque when the hinge rotates towards the closed configuration. In this way, the ease of closing the closure may be improved, with a lower force required to close the closure than the retarding torque acting against the weight of the panel. The constant retarding torque when rotating the hinge towards the closed configuration may be substantially zero, to make it as easy as possible to close the closure.

The closure may further comprise a frame, for mounting in an aperture to a loft space, the panel closing an opening in the frame when in the closed position, and allowing access through the frame when in the open position. The retarding means may be arranged in line with the rotary axis of the hinge. The retarding means may be arranged within the hinge. Additionally, or alternatively, the retarding means may be a damper. In this way a compact arrangement may be provided, and also an airtight seal can more easily be provided between the frame and the panel, than between the panel and an edge of an aperture in the loft space. The damper may be a hydraulic or friction damper.

Detailed description of the invention

According to a first embodiment of the invention and as shown in figure 1, there is provided a closure 1 for a loft space, the closure comprising a panel 2, for closing an opening 3 to a loft space, a hinge 4, configured to rotate between a closed configuration, in which the panel 2 is in an in use closed position in which the closure 1 closes the opening 3, and an open configuration in which the panel 2 is in an in use open position, and to vary the angle of rotation of the panel 2 between the closed and open positions; and retarding means 5, for controlling the speed of opening of the panel 2 from the closed to open position; wherein the retarding means 5 is configured so that a torque acting against rotation of the hinge 4 varies as the hinge 4 is rotated from the closed configuration to the open configuration.

The panel, or door, 2 is generally rectangular and fits within a frame 6 when the closure is closed, in which the door 2 is in the same plane as the frame 6 and the closure 1 closes the opening 3. The frame 6 is mounted within an aperture between the main living space of a dwelling and the loft space. The aperture is sized to receive the frame 6 and closure 1. When the frame 6 and door 2 are in the same plane, and the opening 3 is closed, the hinge 4 is in a first configuration, and the panel is in a first position.

The door 2 is held in the closed position by a catch 7, comprising a first part 7a on the door 2 and a second part 7b on the frame. When the door 2 is fully opened away from the frame 6, the door 2 is in a second position relative to the frame 6 and the hinge 4 is in an open configuration. The angle of the open configuration relative to that of the closed configuration is, in the present embodiment 110°, that is the door 2 rotates through 1100 from the closed position to the open position by the hinge 4 similarly rotating through that same rotational angle of 1100.

When the catch 7 is released, gravity causes the door 2 to rotate downwards about the axis of rotation of the hinge 4 from the plane of the frame 6 as it opens. The retarding means 5 provides a torque which acts against the torque generated by the weight of the door 2. The retarding means 5 is in line with the pivot axis of the door 2 about the frame 6. The retarding means 5 in the present embodiment is a rotary damper 5 mounted between the hinge 4 and the door 2. Alternatively, the damper 5 could be mounted between the hinge 4 and the frame 6, or could be mounted in and/or form a part of the hinge 4 itself.

The rotary damper 5 of the present embodiment slows the speed of rotation of the door 2 downwards by providing a counter-torque to the torque generated by the weight of the door 2. The torque provided by the weight of the door is not constant. The torque is greatest as the catch 7 is first disengaged and the door 2 is closed and begins to open. The torque becomes zero when the door 2 is vertical i.e. hanging directly downwards, and there is no gravitational torque. In this way, if a constant retarding torque was provided by the damper 5, the door would open quickly, and then gradually slow, and slow until the last part of the opening would take a long time. Thus the opening would be too fast at the initial opening, while too slow as the door reaches vertical.

In the present embodiment, the torque provided by the damper 5 is variable. As shown in figure 2, initially, the torque provided by the damper is low. In the present embodiment, this first retarding torque is substantially zero, and the damper 5 provides this first retarding torque, acting against rotation of the hinge 4, from the closed configuration at angle 0 to a first intermediate configuration at angle a.

As the door 2 rotates further from the closed position, the hinge 4 rotates further from the closed configuration at angle 0, past the first intermediate configuration at angle a to a second damping angular region between angle a and angle 13, in which a second retarding torque acts against rotation of the hinge between the first intermediate configuration at angle a and a second intermediate configuration at angle p in which the hinge 4 is further rotated towards the open configuration. This second torque, in the present embodiment, varies, although in alternative embodiments, the second torque could be a constant value, which could be larger than the first torque. In the present embodiment, the second retarding torque applied throughout the second angular region between angle a and angle p as the door 2 opens is larger than the first retarding torque.

In the present embodiment, the first intermediate configuration at angle a is a rotation from the closed configuration of the hinge of around 5°. In other embodiments, this may be in a range from 0-15°, 0-10°, 5-10°, etc. In the present embodiment, the second intermediate configuration at an angle p is a rotation from the closed configuration of around 900, and may be in other embodiments from 60-110°, 70-110°, 75-110°, 60-90°, 60-80°, 70-90°, 80-100° etc. In the present embodiment a third retarding torque is provided by the damper as the hinge 4 moves from the second intermediate configuration at angle 13 to the fully open configuration at angle y. The fully open configuration at angle y may be an angle of 110° from the closed configuration, or in alternative embodiments may be between 70120°, 70-110°, 70-100°, 80-110°, 80-100°,100-120°, 105-115° etc. In the present embodiment, the second retarding torque applied throughout the second angular region between angle a and angle p as the door 2 opens is larger than the third retarding torque.

In the present embodiment, the retarding torque as the hinge 2 moves from the first intermediate configuration at angle ato the second intermediate configuration at angle p changes so that the rotational velocity of the door 2 remains substantially constant.

In order for this to be achieved, the retarding torque should be highest when the hinge is at the first intermediate configuration at angle a where the torque caused by the weight of the door 2 is high, and then decrease in a sinusoidal manner to the second intermediate configuration at angle p where the torque caused by the weight of the door is lower. The torque (T) acting on the hinge at an angle to horizontal e due to the weight of the door is determined by the following equation: T= (mg x L_/2) x cos e where m is the mass of the door 2, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and L is the length of the door extending away from the hinge.

As the door 2 is moved back from the open position to the closed position in which it is again in the same plane as the frame 6, and closes the opening, the damper 5, in the present embodiment, does not generate a retarding torque against the movement of the door 2 as it closes. In an alternative embodiment, the damper 5 may generate a constant retarding torque against the closure of the door 2.

In alternative embodiments, the retarding torque of the damper 5 may continuously vary as the door 2 opens, with no discontinuities at the first and/or second intermediate configurations of the hinge 4.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A closure for a loft space, the closure comprising: a panel, for closing an opening to a loft space; a hinge, configured to rotate between a closed configuration, in which the panel is in an in use closed position in which the closure closes the opening, and an open configuration in which the panel is in an in use open position, and to vary the angle of rotation of the panel between the closed and open positions; and retarding means, in the form of a hydraulic or friction damping device, mounted on the hinge axis, for controlling the speed of opening of the panel from the closed to open position, wherein the retarding means is configured so that a torque acting against rotation of the hinge varies as the hinge is rotated from the closed configuration to the open configuration.
2. A closure for a loft space according to claim 1, wherein the retarding means is arranged in line with the rotary axis of the hinge.
3. A closure for a loft space according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the retarding means is a rotary damper and is arranged within the hinge.
4. A closure for a loft space according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the retarding means provides variable torque with relatively lower retarding torque in the region of the closed and open positions of the panel and a relatively higher retarding torque at at least one point there between.
5. A closure for a loft space according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein there is at least one discontinuity of torque between the closed and open positions.
6. A closure for a loft space according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the retarding means provides a first retarding torque acting against rotation of the hinge from the closed configuration to a first intermediate configuration, and a second retarding torque acting against rotation of the hinge between the first intermediate configuration and a second intermediate configuration in which the hinge is further rotated towards the open configuration, and wherein the second retarding torque is larger than the first retarding torque.
7. A closure for a loft space according to claim 6, wherein the first retarding torque is substantially zero.
8. A closure for a loft space according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the second retarding torque is not constant, and varies according to the angle of opening of the panel.
9. A closure for a loft space according to any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising a third retarding torque against rotation of the hinge from the second intermediate configuration and the open configuration, which third retarding torque is lower than the second retarding torque.
10. A closure for a loft space according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the second retarding torque increases and then decreases between the first intermediate configuration and the second intermediate configuration.
11. A closure for a loft space according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the second retarding torque provides a substantially constant rotational velocity for the panel when the closed position is substantially horizontal and the open position is below the closed position.
12. A closure for a loft space according to any one of claims 6 to 11, wherein the first intermediate configuration represents a rotation of between 2 to 10 degrees from the closed configuration.
13. A closure for a loft space according to any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein the second intermediate configuration represents a rotation of between 70 to 95 degrees from the closed configuration.
14. A closure for a loft space according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the open configuration represents a rotation of the hinge of between 95 to 115 degrees from the closed configuration.
15. A closure for a loft space according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the torque varies continuously as the hinge rotates from the closed to the open configuration.
16. A closure for a loft space according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the retarding means is configured to provide a constant retarding torque when rotating towards the closed configuration.
17. A closure for a loft space according to claim 16, wherein the constant retarding torque when rotating the hinge towards the closed configuration is substantially zero.
18. A closure for a loft space according to any one of the preceding claims, the closure further comprising a frame, for mounting in an aperture to a loft space, the panel closing an opening in the frame when in the closed position, and allowing access through the frame when in the open position.