US1795390A - Automatic control mechanism for rolling doors - Google Patents

Description

March '10, 1931. w. GRAYSTONE TIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ROLLING DOORS Filed Oct. 4, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet l \AUTOMA March 10, 1931 w. GRAYSTONE AUTOMATIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ROLLING DOORS Filed Oct. 4, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 10, 1931. w. GRAYSTONE AUTOMATIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ROLLING DOORS Filed Oct. 4, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 CDC) gwuento'o If red araysi'one,

March 10, 1931. w, GRAYSTONE 1,795,390

AUTOMATIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ROLLING DOORS Filed Oct. 4, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 TVZ gfred Grays-forte W/r/vsssss:-

March 10, 1931- w. GRAYSTONE AUTOMATIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ROLLING DOORS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 4, 1927 WIIIIIIIIIIII 'orfixed drop lever, hasbeen experienced,

Patented Mar. 10, 1931 WILFRED GRAYSTONE, OF PRESTON, OHTARIO, CANADA; ASSEGNOR TO'EAS'IERNSTEEL PRODUCTS LIIsEITED, OF PRESTON, CANADA, A CORPORATION OF CANADA AUTOMATIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ROLLING DOORS Application filed October 4,

lhis invention relates to rolling doors of the type made of steel, copper, bronze or the like and which operate with a curtain action under normal conditions ofuse and which are adapted to be automatically operated in an emergency such as the occurrence of afire.

A primary object of the invention isto provide a novel automatic control mechanlsm for closing the door or compelling downward movement of the curtainto meet the existing emergency. In that connection, it is proposed to provide a construction which may be readily manipulated and set at the time of the original installation or subsequently re- 1 set after it has performed in an emergency.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel construction for causing the unwinding of the curtain to close the opening or doorway in the event of fire. That is to say, it is proposed to provide a novel closing unit including a centrifugal clutch construction which when released for action will positively and quickly start the unwinding of the curtain in an uncoiling direction to force the same downwardly without manual attention.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel restraining unit including a drop lever and means for positively forcing or compelling the drop lever to function under emergency conditions, thereby avoiding failure and providing a device which isreliable and eflicient under all conditions of use. In that connection, it is also a distinctive feature of the restraining unit that the same may be set in position, that is held in a suspended or operative position, by a chain including fusible links, and'yet permit the adjusting or tensioning of the spring retaining wheel to be accomplished with ease and facility. Heretofore, in connection with the standard considerable difliculty one man usually being required to adjust the tension and another being required to manipulate the lever, but

1927. Serial No. 224,000.

' with the type of construction provided herein one man can do all of the setting and adjusting without endangering his hands or breaking castings as frequently happens under the present practice. f

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which t Figure 1' is a side elevation of the righthand end of aroller curtain equipped with the present automatic control device. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the opposite end of the housing and illustrates the means for tensioning the curtain countenbalancing or service spring.

Figure 3 is a detail vertical sectional View of the spring housing barrel.

F ignre 4 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional View taken on the line 4-i of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a detail edge view of the cen trifugal clutch wheel.

Figure 6 is a detail elevation of the ball retaining lever, the same being taken .at right angles to Figure 1 and illustrating the manner in which the drop lever is initially thrust downwardly.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail cross-sectional view of the housing and curtain and illustrates the manner in which the curtain is affixed to the roller drum.

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view of the bottom bar of the curtain.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of a portion of the curtain illustrating the manner in which the sections interlocked. V

Figure 10 is a detail front elevation of a portion of the curtain showing the endlocks connected to'the end of slats to avoid lateral movement;

Figure 11 is a detail horizontalcross sectional view taken on the line 1111 of Fig. 1.

Figure 12 is a side elevation illustrating the application of the novel restraining unit to a modified construction.

S milar refe ence characters designate cordoorway or responding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The present invention includes in its organization a suitable housing designated gen erally as H adapted to be mounted above the other opening and receiving therein the fieiz'ble metallic curtain C which is wound or reeled about a drum D mounted in any suitable manner on a spring housing barrel or tube E.

Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates the novel automatic controlling means arranged at the right-hand end of the housing H and Figure 2 illustrates the mean for adjusting the counter-balancing or service spring for the curtain located at the left-hand end of the housing. In order to arrive at a more complete understanding of the automatic control unit and its functions, reference will first be made to 3 of the drawings which shows the spring barrel assembly including the service spring designated generally as S and an auxiliary spring S operating in conjunction with the automatic closing mechan ism to force the curtain downwardly in an emergency. lhe spring barrel B is rotatably mounted on a main shaft 1 and an auxiliary shaft 2 which are adapted to operate inde pendently of each other, the said shafts supporting the barrel through the medium of the end plugs 3 and 4 and the intermediate idler bearing 5. The portion of the shaft 1 which projects beyond the plug 3 rests in a suitable bearing 3 formed in supporting bracket and carries therewith at its outer end a service-spring tensioning wheel 6 which is keyed to the shaft as indicated at 7 This wheel 6 is provided with a plurality of radial sockets 8 which, in installing the device, are adapted to receive a suitable lever to assist in rotating the shaft and then after the desired tension has been placed on the spring S, one of said sockets is adapted to receive a lug 9 passing through an eye 9 caston the housing ll thereby to anchor the servicespring tensioning wheel 6 in its adjusted position. When the service spring has been adjusted, the shaft 1 is fixed by the wheel 6 being locked and is therefore stationary for all future purposes of the operation of the device, its primary function being to assist in tensioning the service spring to counter balance the weight of the curtain on the barrel. and to permit of the normal operation of the curtain.

RBZEGIT Ag further to the service spring S it will be observed that the end 10 thereof (Fig. 3) is fastened. in a block 11 which is keyed to the shaft 1 as indicated at 12 while the opposite end 13 of the spring is secured by a suitable fastening 1 to an anchoring collar 15 which in turn is secured to the barrel by the fastenings 16. It will thus be apparent that by rotating the spring retaining wheel 6, that he shaft 1 will cause the spring S to be coiled to balance the weight of the curtain imposed on the barrel.

T he main or service spring shaft 1 projects through the intermediate bearing 5 and has an auxiliary spring socket member 17 secured thereto by means of the key 18. This socket member receives the end of the auxiliary spring shaft 2 providing an inner beaii therefor, an. at the same time con L stitutes a point of ancho age for the end 19 of the auxiliary spring S. The opposite end of this spring is fitted in a block 20 which is keyed to the shaft 2 as indicated at 21 so that the auxiliary shaft 2 may be operated independently of the shaft 1 to tension the spring S.

The end plug .t which receives the shaft 2 is so ured to the barrel B by the fastenings a .d is provided with an Xtension or sleeve which is formed with a shoulder 23 adaptto cooperate with a thrust bearing construction designated generally as 24 and mounted in the bracket 4;". The auxiliary shaft 2 passes through the extension or sleeve portion 22 of the plug 4 and has mounted on its outer end an auxiliary spring retaining and tensioning wheel 25 which is, like the wheel 6, provided with a plurality of radial sockets 26, and is made fast on the shaft 2 by the key 27. This spring tensioning wheel is adapted to cooperate with a centrifugal clutch dish 28 that is loosely mounted on the shaft 2 between the end of the sleeve 22 and the wheel 25. The outer face of the disk 28 is provided with the laterally ofiset perforated cars 29 adapted to receive retaining pins or lugs 30 which enter the sockets 26 thereby to lock the spring tensioning wheel 25 and the centrifugal clutch disk together after the said wheel has been rotated to cause the shaft 2 to properly wind up the auxiliary spring S.

The inside face of the centrifugal clutch disk 28 is provided with a pawl 31 which is pittally supported as indicated at 32 within a pawl housing 33 (Figs. 5 and 11) thereby to provide a strong and substantial mounting for the pawl which will not only insure accuracy of operation but also prevent accidental breakage. T his pawl normally hangs in an idle or inoperative position as shown in Fig. 1 so that it will clear the inside knurled or equivalent portion 3 1 of a so-called impetus drum 35 which is keyed as indi ated at 36 to the hub portion of the extenson or sleeve 22 of the endplug 4. It will thus be apparent that the said impetus drum is rigidly keyed or affixed to the plug 1 which in turn is secured to the barrel so that when the pawl 31 carried by the centrifugal clutch disk couples the unit consisting of the spring tensioning wheel 25 and clutch disk 28 with the drum, the force of the auxiliary spring S may be imparted directly to the barrel B to cause the curtain to. be unwound or let down tensioning the auxiliary spring S through the medium of the auxiliary shaft 2 so that after the wheel has completed its spring tensio-ning function it may be locked with the centrifugal clutch dlsk thereby to make the wheels 25 and 28, in effect, a unitary construction. It is essential, however, to have the clutch disk 28 normally free or loose on the shaft 2 until after the spring tensioning wheel has wound up the auxiliary spring S". They may then be connected, so that upon the occurrence of an emergency, the clutch disk 28 may be released to force the pawl 31 quick ly into engagement with the drum 35 and cause the drum to unroll the curtain C.

A distinctive feature of the invention resides in the provision of novel means for restraining the centrifugal clutch disk 28 after it has been locked with the tensioning wheel 25, and to that end, in the form'of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 4 for example, the periphery of the wheel 28 is provided with the radially projecting stop lugs or abutments 37 and 38. These lugs are adapted to cooperate" with a retaining pawl or detent 39 which is pivotally supported as indicated at 40 in a drop lever 41. This drop lever is mounted on a bolt or equivalent support 42 fitted to one end of the housing H so that it may readily swing downward to carry the detent 39 out of the path of lugs 37 and 38 when an emergency arises to release the unit comprising the wheel 25 and disk 28. i

The forward end 43 of the drop lever 41 is adapted to be engaged and supported by a novel ball retaining lever designated generally as 44 (see Fig. 6); This lever is pivotally supported as shown at 45 in a bracket 46 carried by the housing H and is provided radially to the axis of the pivot 45 with a cam projection 47 which over-hangs or overlies the upper side of the portion 43 of the drop lever, and is also provided with an inclined arm portion 48 which engages beneath and supports the beveled underside of the front end of the drop lever 41. Thus, the end 43 of the drop lever is substantially embraced on opposite sides by portions of the ball retaining lever 44.

Referring further to the ball retaining lever, it will be observed that the same is provided with a socket 49 for receiving an arm 50 adapted to carry a ball weight 51. This ball weight is held normally suspended through the mediumof achain or its equivalent 52 which is provided with fusible link portions 53 adapted to be melied'and part under a predetermined degree of heat to re lease the ball weight and thus permit the lever 44 to drop and positively force the drop lever 43 downwardly through the medium of the cam 47.

The provision of the cam 47 for positively forcing the drop lever 41 downwardly, is an importantfeature of theinvention since it guards against the drop lever being stuck or held by paint, rust, corrosion or other conditions which if not offset or guarded against would cause the failure of the device to function in the emergency for which it was intended to be responsive. I r

Another feature of the restraining means which includes the drop lever 41 and the ball lever 44 just referred to, resides in c011 nection with the pivoted detent 39 which permits of adjusting the tension of spring S through the cooperation of the lugs or abutnients 37 and 38 without lowering the drop lever when it is heldsuspended by the chain 52 during the resetting operation. That is to say, in this type of construction the abutment 37 is intended for holding the centrifugal clutch disk 28 in its charged or tensioned position while the stop or abutment 38 is intended. for resetting purposes only.

When the automatic releasing mechanism has moved the curtain downwardly and it is desired to reset the same, the drop lever 41 and the ball retaining lever 44 are resetwith a new chain containing fusible links. The curtain C whlch is'then down is raised from the floor to the lintel rapidly, taking care that during this operation the curtain has no backward action whatever. During this operation the pawl 31 on the disk 28 is in contact withv the drum 35 and it necessarily follows that since these two parts are in effect one unit, and the spring plug or block 17 is attached to the service spring shaft 1 which is stationary, the raising of the door to the lintel will rewind the auxiliary spring S with the asistance of the detent 39 on the drop lever 41 which permits the abutments on the disk 28 to pass. When the door has reached the lintel the abutment 38 is held in contact with the pivoted detent 39. This therefore holds the pawl 31 at an angle of 22 degrees and it is then ready for the coiling action of the door. Then to set the door at normal it is necessary to pull down the curtain about a I spring tensioning wheel is designated as 55 and is provided with a plurality of radial sockets 56 alternating with peripherally off set abutments or ratchet lugs 57, which are adapted to engage with the pivoted detent 58 by the drop lever 59. This drop pivotally supported as at 60 and is held in its normal set position by the ballweighted lever 61 carryin the weight (32. The action and operation of the lever 61 and drop lever 59 is the same as described in connection with the drop lever ll and its retaini ever is, the weighted end 62 of the lever 61 being held in its normal set position by a chain containing fusible links which are adapted to melt and part under abnormal heat conditions. The advantage that the lever has over a standard or fixed lever is that the 'tvity operated detent or rocker 58 is s is holding the wheel 55 in normal carried lever is nown position, and tension can be put on the spring by inserting a rod or toggle in any of the cored holes or sockets 56 pulling the wheel 55 in an anti-clockwise direction wherex upon the projections 51 will merely trail over the gravity detent 58 with a ratchet action. "When the toggle is removed from the wheel the tooth or projection which on goment with the nose of the pawl 58 NLJ hold the entire wheel in its proper set position.

Another advantage is that tension can be released very easily by inserting a rod or toggle in one of the sockets 56 and moving the wheel anti-clockwise just far enough to release the pressure of the teeth 5'? on the end of the detent 58, and then the operator can place his finger on the tail of the detent and move the same to the dotted line posit-ion, thereby permitting the desired number of teeth to pass the detent while it is (lQQTGSSQQl. When sufficient tension has been released, the detent 58 may also be released and caused to engage one of the teeth 57.

The foregoing has the advantage of per mittin g the entire restraining means to be set and then the tension wheel operated by one man without endangering his person or without danger of breaking any of the mechanical parts. This arrangei nt therefore provides construction which is not only safe for the operator but safe for the mechanism.

From the foregoin description it will be apparent that the novel and distinctive features of the present invention reside in the provision of the centrifugal clutch disk 28 having the pawl 31 operating conjunction with the drum 35 which provides, when desired, means for adjusting other operating connections such as a chain or an electrical drive, thereby adapting the present construction to a wide range of use. Another feature resides in the provision of the pivoted detent on the lever which has the advantages heretofore pointed out.

Without further description is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit ofthe invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. An automatic releasing mechanism for rolling doors including a balanced door supporting member, a shaft journaled in said member, a spring for tensioning said shaft, adrum keyed to the door supporting memher, a centrifugal clutch disk loose on the shaft and carrying a pawl adapted to engage with said drum, a spring tensioning and retaining wheel keyed to the shaft and adapted to be locked to the centrifugal clutch disk, and restraining means for releasably engaging the said disk.

2. An automatic releasing mechanism for rolling doors including a balanced door supporting member, a drum having an interior pawl engaging surface and carried by the door supporting member, a shaft journaled the balanced door supporting member, a L .ring for tensioning said shaft, a centrifuclutch disk loosely mounted on the shaft, pawl carried by said disk and adapted to engage the inside pawl face of the drum, a spring tensioning wheel keyed to the shaft and having peripheral tool engaging portions, means for coupling the centrifugal clutch disk to the spring tensioning wheel,

an abutment on the centrifugal clutch disk,

and restraining means releasably engaging said abutment.

3. An automatic releasing mechanism for rolling doors including a balanced door supporting member, a shaft journaled in said member, a drum keyed to rotate with said member, a centrifugal clutch disk loosely mounted on the shaft and carrying a clutch pawl adapted to engage with said drum, perfora-ted ears projecting from a face of the said clutch disk, a spring tensioning wheel keyed to the shaft, and having a plurality of radially disposed socket members, fastenings for coupling said perforated ears of the clutch disk to the registering socket members on the spring retaining wheel, an abutment carried by the clutch disk, and restraining means for releasably engaging said abutment.

l. An automatic releasing mechanism for rolling doors including a balanced door supporting member, a shaft journaled in said member, a spring for tensioning said shaft, a spring tensioning and retaining wheel keyed to the shaft, and a clutch device between said wheel and the balanced door supporting member, said clutch device comprisa clutch disc loose on the shaft and adapted to be connected with said wheel, and a drum carried by the balanced door supporting member and adapted to be operatively engaged with said clutch disc.

5. An automatic releasing mechanism for rolling doors including a balanced door supporting member, a shaft journaled in said member,a spring for tensioning said shaft, a

spring tensioning and retaining Wheel keyed to the shaft, and a clutch device between said Wheel and the balanced door supporting member, said clutch device comprising a clutch disc loosely mounted on the shaft and carrying a pawl on one face thereof, means for connecting said clutch disc With said Wheel, a drum carriedby the door supporting member and having an interior surface :1 adapted to be engaged by said pawl on the clutch disc, and means for restraining the operation of said Wheel.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affiX my signature.

2r WILFRED GRAYSTONE:

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