NO335162B1 - Safety blind with light control. - Google Patents

Abstract

A light control safety blind (100) has several elongated slats (110) that can be raised, lowered and rotated about a longitudinal axis of rotation to control the amount of light through a building opening (200) in the same way as a blind. The slats are slidably fixed in vertical guides (210) fixed in the building opening (200). The shutter (100) has a locked position where the slats (110) engage each other and in a lower rail (140). An upper rail (150) in this position raises the slats (110) with a force (F), thereby supporting each slat (110) over its entire longitudinal horizontal edges and greater resistance to deflection of the shutter (100) in directions perpendicular to building opening.

Description

BACKGROUND

Technical field

[0001] This invention relates to an improved safety blind with light regulation.

Known and related art

[0002] Blinds with a number of elongated slats are generally known. Such blinds are typically mounted in a window opening, and can be moved between an upper position where the slats form a dense stack at the top of the window, and a lower position where the slats are distributed over the window surface. When the blind is in its lower position, each slat can be rotated about a horizontal axis that runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slat. When the slats are in a vertical position, the slats overlap so that the blind shields from view and light from outside. The slats can be turned to a horizontal position where light is admitted between the slats. The blind is raised and lowered with the slats in a horizontal position. Blinds of this type are suitable for regulating visibility and light that enters through the window, but are not designed to prevent access through the window.

[0003] Safety shutters where a number of slats are hinged together to form an articulated, elongated surface are also generally known. Such safety blinds are typically placed in a door or window opening, hereinafter "building opening", and attached to a drum above the opening. When the drum is rotated, the slats slide in guides on either side of the building opening. Safety blinds of this type can be lowered to prevent access through the building opening, but they cannot regulate the light entering through the opening.

[0004] Known technology in the area can be found, among other things, in NO 155016 B, US 5566734 and WO 2007/122506 A2.

[0005] EP 1092832 A2 describes a safety blind with rotatable slats, where the slats can be raised, lowered and rotated like the slats in the blind described above, and are additionally slidably stored in guides or rails on each side of a building opening. A problem with the device in EP 1092832 A2 is that the slats can relatively easily slide apart when they are subjected to a force perpendicular to the building opening. This device consequently provides relatively weak protection against unauthorized access.

[0006] The task sought to be solved with the present invention is to produce an improved security shutter with light control which solves at least one of the problems above, and which particularly improves protection against unauthorized access.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] This is solved according to claim 1 with a safety blind with light regulation comprising several elongated slats connected to a controllable motor through a lifting mechanism, where the motor and the lifting mechanism are adapted to, during operation, raise each slat to an area near the top of a building opening and to need to lower the slat to a predetermined height in the building opening. Each lamella is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis which runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the lamella between a mainly horizontal position and a mainly vertical position where the upper and/or lower longitudinal edge of the lamella overlaps a longitudinal edge of a neighboring lamella. Each slat is raised and lowered in the building opening while in its horizontal position. During operation, each slat end is slidably fixed in vertical guides fixed in the building opening. The invention is characterized by a lower rail adapted to be fixed in the bottom of the building opening parallel to the slats, where the lower rail and each slat's upper longitudinal edge have a bent part adapted to engage in a corresponding groove in the lower edge of the adjacent slat when the slats are turned to their vertical score. The lifting mechanism comprises an upper rail with a groove adapted to the bent part along the upper edge of the upper lamella. The bent parts and grooves are, seen in the longitudinal direction of the slats, shaped like hooks engaging with each other when the slats are in their vertical position. The motor has a locked position where the upper rail is pulled up until the bent parts and the tracks are in firm engagement with each other.

[0008] The safety shutter can thereby be raised and lowered, and the slats can be turned to regulate light that is let in through the building opening in the same way as a known blind. When the blinds are to prevent unauthorized access, the slats are turned to their vertical position, where the bent parts and tracks are aligned opposite each other. The motor then raises the upper rail, which thus engages firmly with the upper edge of the top lamella. The upper lamella's lower edge correspondingly engages firmly with the neighboring lamella's upper edge, etc., and the bottom lamella's lower edge engages firmly with the lower rail, which in operation is attached to the bottom of the building opening. In this position, the safety shutter is fixed at the top, bottom and on each side of the building opening, and bent sections and grooves at the upper and lower edges of the slats abut each other so that each slat is supported along its entire length at both its upper edge and its lower edge. A force acting perpendicular to the building opening on one lamella must therefore be large enough to deform the lamella itself and the bent parts and/or grooves of the neighboring lamellas before the lamella gives way and bends. This provides improved security against unauthorized access.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the invention appear from the independent patent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The invention is described in more detail in the following by means of an example of a preferred embodiment and with reference to the attached drawings, where:

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-section through a safety shutter in the locked position,

Fig. 2 shows the safety shutter in Fig. 1 in a position used for light regulation

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-section through a lower rail with attachment for the blind,

Fig. 4 is a cross-section through a vertical guide for attaching the blinds,

Fig. 5 shows part of the safety shutter in Fig. 1 seen perpendicular to the building opening,

Fig. 6 is a section through a lamella with bracing seen in the longitudinal direction,

Fig. 7 is a section through an alternative lamella with bracing seen in the longitudinal direction, and Fig. 8 is a section as in Fig. 4 with the lamella in a vertical locked position and additional securing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The figures are principle sketches. They are not necessarily to scale and a number of details well known to those skilled in the art have been omitted for clarity.

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic section through a safety shutter 100 according to the invention shown in a locked position. Figure 2 shows the blinds in Figure 1 with inclined slats 110 in a position that is used for light regulation.

[0013] The shutter 100 comprises several elongated slats 110, and the longitudinal direction of the slats is perpendicular to the paper plane in Figure 1. The slats 110 are connected to a controllable motor 120 through a lifting mechanism 130. For the present invention, it is necessary and sufficient that the material resists a predetermined force perpendicular to depending on the application area. All materials that resist such a predetermined force can in principle be used, so price and formability will play a significant role when choosing a material for a specific application. Aluminum alloys and steel are commonly used materials for such applications, but the invention is not limited with regard to material selection. The invention makes it possible to use less expensive materials, e.g. thinner plates and/or less expensive material qualities, than materials that would otherwise be chosen to satisfy a given norm.

[0014] The motor 120 is shown schematically, and it should be understood that any suitable assembly of a motor, for example an electric or hydraulic motor, with associated gear and/or chain transmission can be used with the invention. The location of the motor is also less important in this context, so it should be understood that the motor can be located anywhere along a drum at the top of the blind or on the side. The motor is preferably equipped with a brake or lock which prevents the lifting mechanism 130 from being moved downwards when the shutter is in a locked position which is described in more detail below.

[0015] The lifting mechanism 130 is also shown schematically, and it should be understood accordingly that any known mechanism with cords, chains or stays suitable for raising and lowering the slats can be used with the invention.

[0016] The motor 120 and the lifting mechanism 130 work together to raise each slat 110 to an area near the top of a building opening 200, ie a door or window opening. The lamellae 110 then form a dense stack (not shown). If necessary, each slat 110 is lowered to a predetermined height in the building opening 200, e.g. as shown in figures 1 and 2. Each slat 110 is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis which runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slat. This turning is illustrated by arrow 101 in Figure 2, and is used to regulate the passage of light through the building opening. Means for turning the slats as shown in Figure 2, for example cord or struts in lift arms on the slats, rack/gear couplings, etc., are well known to the person skilled in the art, and are not shown in the figures for the sake of simplicity. The slats 110 can be rotated between a mainly horizontal position and a mainly vertical position. The slats can be raised to the top of the building opening 200 while in their horizontal position. The aforementioned stack of slats thus consists of mainly horizontal slats. In the substantially vertical position, each lamella's upper longitudinal edge 111 and/or lower longitudinal edge 112 overlaps a longitudinal edge of a neighboring lamella. The longitudinal edges 111, 112 extend in the longitudinal direction of the slats, i.e. perpendicular to the plane of the paper in figures 1 and 2.

[0017] During operation, each slat end 113 is slidably fixed in vertical guides 210 fixed in the building opening 200. In Figure 2, the vertical guide 210 is illustrated as a vertical rail with a longitudinal groove. The longitudinal track is not shown in Figure 1 for reasons of clarity. Figure 4 is a section through the vertical guide 210 seen from above. In Figure 4, the sliding support is illustrated in that a roller 115 is placed in a guide 210 shaped as a hollow profile. A shaft 114 extends through the longitudinal groove between the roller 115 and one end 113 of a slat 110. The purpose of this type of sliding attachment is to make it more difficult to bend a slat when attempting to break in. This is achieved by the fact that it is difficult to pull the roller 115 out of the hollow profile 210. Alternative sliding fixings with a similar effect are known to professionals in the field, and can also be used with the present invention. The longitudinal edges 111,112 of the lamella are also shown in Figure 4.

[0018] A lower rail 140 is shown in Figures 1-3 attached to the bottom 220 of the building opening parallel to the longitudinal direction of the slats 110. The lower rail 140 has a groove 141 which, seen in the longitudinal direction of the rail and slats, is bent or shaped like a hook and adapted to a corresponding bend or hook at the lower end 112 of the lower lamella 110. Each lamella's upper longitudinal edge 111 has a permanent bent portion adapted to engage a corresponding groove in the adjacent lamella's lower edge 112 when the lamellas are rotated to their vertical position.

[0019] The lifting mechanism 130 comprises an upper rail 150 with a groove 151 adapted to the bent part along the upper edge 111 of the top slat 110. In figure 2 it is clearly seen that the bent parts and the grooves are, seen in the longitudinal direction of the slats, shaped like hooks. When the slats 110 are turned to their vertical position as in Figure 1, these hooks engage with each other. In figure 1, the blind is in a locked position, where the slats are first turned so that the hooks are placed opposite each other. Next, the upper rail 150 is pulled up until the bent parts and the tracks are in fixed engagement with each other. The upward force which keeps the lamellas 110 in fixed engagement with each other is illustrated by arrow F in Figure 1. Each lamella 110 has a surface at the upper edge 111 which rests against a corresponding surface on the lower edge 112 of the neighboring lamella along the entire length of the lamellas. This reinforces the safety shutter 100 by preventing the slats from being bent.

[0020] Fig 3 is a schematic diagram of the lower rail 140 which is attached to the bottom 220 of the building opening. The "hook" 141 is only meant to illustrate an element that grips the bottom slat 100 when the safety shutter is to be locked by pulling the slats together as shown in figure 1.1 a practical embodiment, the element 141 can be designed as a slot in the rail 140 for the same purpose, and the upper edge of the rail 140 can be laid flush with the bottom 220 of the building opening. The purpose of such a practical design is to avoid edges and the like, especially in doorways where a raised edge can prevent traffic through the opening, be easy to trip over, etc. It should be understood that corresponding tracks can replace "hooks" on the slats in figures 1 and 2. In the patent claims, it shall be understood that "braces" and "tracks" include any suitable connection between slats 110, lower rail 140 and upper rail 150 which provides a connection between two longitudinal surfaces so that deflection of the slats 110 in a direction perpendicular to the building opening made more difficult.

[0021] Figure 5 shows the left part of the safety shutter 100 placed in a building opening 200 and in the locked position as in Figure 1. The vertical guide 210 at the left edge of the building opening 200 has no open surface that is visible in Figure 5, but the slats 110 are slidably stored in the guide 210, for example as illustrated in Figure 4. The edges 111 and 112 engage each other as described above along the entire width of the building opening, i.e. to the right in Figure 5, to a second vertical guide (not shown) of the same type as the guide 210, when the motor (not shown in Figure 5) pulls the slats 110 upwards with a force F. Any combination of motor 120 with transmission and/or brake that can provide such a function can be used in the invention. The lower rail 140 is located in Figure 5 on top of the bottom 220 of the building opening for consistency with Figures 1-3, but can, as mentioned, be designed as a track in a floor.

[0022] Figure 6 shows a lamella 110 with an upper end 111 and a lower end 112 seen in the longitudinal axis of the lamella. The "hooks" at each edge 111, 112 are only intended to illustrate the principle, and can, as mentioned, be designed in other ways. In Figure 6, a shaft 114 is attached to the lamella 110 to provide extra rigidity against bending. It should be understood that the term "axis" in the patent claims does not presuppose a physical shaft 114, but only a mathematical axis of rotation through the center of rotary bearings that hold the lamella 110.

[0023] If desired, the lamella 110 can be equipped with other stiffening elements in addition to or instead of the shaft 114. Figure 7 shows a lamella 110 with two stiffening beads 116 which can optionally be stiffened by the lamella 110 instead of or in addition to the shaft 114 in figure 6. The beads 116 can be designed by extrusion or rolling in a known manner. Alternatively, the lamella 110 can be equipped with ribs or thickenings (not shown) to increase rigidity. It is left to the expert to find a price-wise favorable combination of material, plate thickness and any bracing elements.

[0024] Figure 8 is a horizontal section through the guide 210, and shows the roller 115 and the lamella 110 as in Figure 4. An additional, optional, securing element 215 secures in this embodiment one end of the lamella 110 when the lamella 110 is in its vertical position. When the safety shutter 100 is in the locked position, as in figure 8, the vertical securing element 215 provides additional protection against deflection of the slat 110. The slat 110 is shown in cross-section in figure 8 to illustrate that the slat in figure 8, unlike in figure 4 , is in its vertical position. The securing element 215 must of course be removed by translation or rotation before the lamella 110 can be turned to the position shown in figure 4.

[0025] Figure 8 also shows the axis of rotation 117 about which the slat 110 can be turned to regulate the light that is let in through the building opening. The axis 117 illustrates the difference between the mathematical axis of rotation 117 and the shaft 114, which in Figure 8 only extends out of the guide 210 to the end of the lamella 110.

Claims (5)

1. Safety shutter (100) with light control comprising several elongated slats (110) connected to a controllable motor (120) through a lifting mechanism (130), where the motor (120) and the lifting mechanism (130) are adapted to raise each slat during operation ( 110) to an area near the top of a building opening (200) and to, if necessary, lower the slat (110) to a predetermined height in the building opening (200), where each slat (110) is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis that runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the lamella between a mainly horizontal position and a mainly vertical position where the upper (111) and/or lower (112) longitudinal edge of the lamella overlaps a longitudinal edge of a neighboring lamella, where each lamella is raised and lowered in the building opening while in its horizontal position and where each slat end (113) during operation is slidably fixed in vertical guides (210) fixed in the building opening (200), characterized by a lower rail (140) adapted to be fixed in the bottom of the building opening parallel to the slats (110), where the lower rail (140) and each slat's upper longitudinal edge (111) have a bent portion adapted to engage in a corresponding groove in the neighboring slat lower edge (112) when the slats are turned to their vertical position, where the lifting mechanism (130) comprises an upper rail (150) with a groove (151) adapted to the bent portion along the upper edge (111) of the uppermost lamella, where the bent portions and the grooves are, seen in the longitudinal direction of the slats, shaped like hooks in engagement with each other when the slats are in their vertical position, and where the motor (120) has a locked position where the upper rail (150) is pulled up to the bent parts and the grooves are in fixed engagement with each other. 2. Safety blinds according to claim 1, where the motor (120) has a braking mechanism which is activated in the locked position of the motor. 3. Safety blinds according to claim 1 or 2, where the axis of rotation of the slat is produced through a longitudinal shaft (114) adapted to further increase the slat's stiffness and resistance to deflection. 4. Safety blinds according to one of the preceding claims, where the slat 110 is equipped with further stiffening elements (116). 5. Safety blinds according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a vertical securing element (215) adapted to run along an outside of the guide 210 and to cover a part near the ends of the slats when the slats 110 are in a vertical, locked position.