WO2008108725A1

WO2008108725A1 - Door arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2008108725A1
Application number: PCT/SE2008/050235
Authority: WO
Inventors: Esad Celik
Original assignee: Assa Abloy Ip Ab
Priority date: 2007-03-05
Filing date: 2008-03-03
Publication date: 2008-09-12
Also published as: SE530967C2; SE0700545L

Abstract

The present invention relates to an arrangement pertaining to a revolving door for installing in a building (1). The arrangement comprises partly a rotor (10) with a two-winged door arrangement adapted to regulated rotation about a vertical rotation axis (20) in a passage space (30), which rotor has at least one openable portion (11) allowing passage through the wings in an evacuation situation and has at the free end of each wing an arcuate door panel (12) with its external convex surface (13) at a substantially constant radial distance r from the rotation axis (20) of the rotor; and partly two wall sections (40) which delineate said passage space, are arranged at a distance from one another and each extend from their respective side of a first entrance aperture (50) which they jointly delineate to their respective side of a second entrance aperture (50') which they jointly delineate. Openable evacuation portions (41, 41') are further disposed in at least one of the wall sections (40), allowing passage through the passage space (30) in an evacuation situation even if the entrance apertures (50, 50') are closed by the rotor (10), and at least one of said openable evacuation portions (41, 41') is disposed in a portion of the wall section 40 which is rectilinear in horizontal cross-section.

Description

Door arrangement

The present invention relates to an arrangement pertaining to a revolving door for installing in a building. It relates more particularly to a revolving door arrangement comprising partly a two- winged rotor adapted to regulated rotation about a vertical rotation axis in a passage space, which rotor has at least one openable portion allowing passage through the wings in an evacuation situation and, at the free end of each wing, an arcuate door panel with its external convex surface at a substantially constant radial distance r from the rotation axis of the rotor, and partly two wall sections which delineate said passage space, are disposed at a distance from one another and each extend from their respective side of a first entrance aperture which they jointly delineate to their respective side of a second entrance aperture which they jointly delineate.

State of the art Having a so-called revolving door in an entrance to a building is previously known.

One of the often desirable characteristics of this type of door is to combine large flows of people with a minimum amount of air flow between the indoor and outdoor environments, which is desirable in many situations, e.g. in those where there is significant temperature difference, air pollution etc. Such a revolving door in its simplest form is provided with a rotor in the form of four door leaves/wings disposed relative to, and for rotation about, a vertical central axis, with their respective free outer edges sliding along two arcuate wall surfaces which delineate between them a substantially cylindrical passage space. Two opposite apertures between the two arcuate wall surfaces constitute respectively an inner and an outer entrance aperture. Arranging these apertures in such a way that always some of the respective free outer ends of the wings abut and seal against the two arcuate wall surfaces prevents any direct open connection between the indoor and outdoor environments.

Passing through the revolving door entails entering via one of the entrance apertures the passage space between two door leaves, moving with the rotor through the passage space and, upon reaching the opposite entrance aperture, emerging via it.

Also known is the possibility of increasing the capacity of a revolving door by using a rotor with only two wings. To maintain the seal in such a solution, an arcuate door panel is disposed at the free end of each of the two wings in such a way that it completely blocks an entrance aperture at two positions in each revolution of the rotor. These arcuate door panels are thus provided with a radius adapted to the arcuate wall surfaces and with a length adapted to the size of the entrance apertures. The invention there concerned relates to a revolving door of the latter kind with two wings. The rotor, at least in the case of large doors, is motorised to make passing through them easier and is provided with control means to enable it to be halted in a desired position, e.g. for a night state/locked state, which often means a position in which the rotor closes the entrance aperture. In the case of motorised revolving doors, there are several important safety aspects.

One problem is the risk of injury, usually injury caused by being pinched, dragged in or cut. It will be readily appreciated that a person who becomes pinched between the outermost portions of a motorised rotor and a front edge of the arcuate wall delineating an entrance aperture risks injury. To reduce this risk, the motorised rotor is regulated by means of a large number of sensors which are intended to react if a harmful situation occurs or risks occurring and which initiate halting of the rotor. To minimise the retardation distance, expensive electromagnetic brakes are provided. The sensors may be of various types, and combinations of two or more types are usual to cater for the variety of situations and positions in which risk of injury may occur. There are nevertheless positions and situations which are difficult to guard against by means of the sensors used at present. The sensors may be divided into those which are contact-free, e.g. photoelectric cells etc., and those which are contact-activated, e.g. mechanically telescoping or collapsing combinations with circuit-breakers.

Since the rotor in large doors represents a significant mass which has to be retarded to bring the rotor to a halt and prevent any body part from becoming pinched between the rotor and the initial edge of the arcuate wall section, certain safety zones are required. This has been solved in the state of the art by providing the edge portions of the arcuate walls with compressible (often telescopic or elastic) elongations which protrude into said entrance aperture in order to meet said body part before it is pinched against the edge portion of the fixed arcuate wall. The compressible additions thus create space required for a body part during the retardation. These compressible additions are nevertheless often technically complicated and hence expensive structures in that they have to be light and movable for a relatively long distance, i.e. at least corresponding to the retardation distance of the rotor.

Another aspect of significance in doors of this type is ensuring that there are evacuation routes in case such a need should arise. It is particularly important that such evacuation routes may be assured irrespective of the position of the rotor. An example of a known practice in the case of two-winged doors is the provision, in the wings, of openable door panels which in an evacuation situation can be opened and allow free passage through the passage space. However, this entails the arcuate door panels leaving the entrance apertures clear and not being in such a position that they close the entrance apertures. In the latter case not only will persons inside the building be prevented from passing through the passage space (entrance apertures closed) but also the possibility of persons who happen to be in the passage space being shut therein must be prevented.

A known solution to the problem of evacuation routes is to provide traditional evacuation doors at the side of the revolving door, i.e. outside the wall portions which delineate the passage space. This does of course entail the obvious disadvantage of occupying further shop space.

An example of a solution in which the evacuation route through the passage space is assured is described in US 4,557,073, in which openable door leaves in the wings of the rotor are combined with the integration of evacuation doors at opposite sides in the cylindrical wall sections which delineate the cylindrical passage space. Thus even if the rotor halts in a position which closes the entrance apertures, people can make their way through or out from the passage space by opening the doors provided in the arcuate walls if evacuation is necessary during a loss of power, irrespective of the position/state of the rotor.

However, the latter solution involves the problem of significant difficulties in providing openable and tight doors in an arcuate wall section. Moreover arcuate doors are expensive to manufacture and transport and sensitive to handling.

Object of the invention

An object of the present invention is to mitigate or overcome some of the problems or shortcomings indicated above of the state of the art. Summary of the invention

This object is achieved with an arrangement pertaining to a revolving door for installing in a building, as first mentioned above and exhibiting the features defined in claim 1 below.

These and further features and advantages of the invention are indicated in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which serves as an example and is therefore non-limitative for the scope of protection of the invention.

Drawings

To facilitate comprehension, the text refers to the attached drawings, in which equivalent or similar items are given the same reference notations. Figs. 1-3 depict schematically and in a horizontal cross-section a first embodiment of the present invention in alternative operating and evacuation situations.

Figs. 4-5 depict schematically and in a horizontal cross-section an alternative embodiment of the present invention in alternative operating and evacuation situations.

Detailed description of embodiments For the sake of clarity, the following detailed description uses in certain cases expressions and designations for items which form part of the embodiment examples referred to. Those expressions and designations are therefore not to signify limitations in an interpretation of expressions and designations used in the claims for describing the extent of protection of the invention.

Fig. 1 depicts schematically and in horizontal cross-section the principles of a first embodiment of the present invention. A revolving door arrangement is installed in an aperture in a building 1.

A two-winged rotor 10 is adapted to regulated motorised rotation about a vertical rotation axis 20 in a passage space 30. The rotor 10 has in this embodiment two openable portions 11 which can in an emergency situation be opened to allow passage through the wings. Fig. 2 illustrates schematically that these portions are pivoted aside, but they may also be openable in some other way, e.g. by sliding. Such openable portions 1 1 are well known in the state of the art and will therefore not be described in more detail here.

An arcuate door panel 12 with its external convex surface 13 at a substantially constant radial distance r from the rotation axis 20 of the rotor is disposed at the free end of each wing. This type of rotor is well known in the state of the art in a plurality of versions and will not be described in more detail.

The passage space 30 is delineated by two wall sections 40 disposed at a distance from one another. The wall sections 40 in this embodiment also directly adjoin the walls of the building.

Unlike known arcuate wall sections forming cylindrical passage spaces, the two wall sections 40 in this embodiment each substantially comprise a number of portions which are linear in cross-section. The wall sections 40 each extend from their respective side of a first entrance aperture 50 outside the building to their respective side of an opposite second entrance aperture 50' inside the building. In this embodiment, these portions take the form of glass portions 42, 41 , 45, 45', 41 ', 42' set in aluminium frames. Fig. 1 depicts the arrangement with the rotor 10 in a so-called locked state, i.e. a state which is problematic for evacuation. The rotor 10 has halted at a position in which the arcuate door panels 12 block, and therefore prevent evacuation via, the entrance apertures 50 and 50'.

In this situation, evacuation routes are created according to this embodiment by the provision of openable evacuation doors or evacuation portions 41 ' and 41 in the wall sections 40, affording the possibility of access to and passage through the passage space 30 in an emergency situation.

Fig. 2 depicts this embodiment with open evacuation routes, showing the evacuation doors 41 , 41 ' open. The evacuation door 41 ' which is inside the building has in this embodiment a pivot axis 46' which is parallel with the rotation axis of the rotor and situated at a distance from the latter which corresponds to or exceeds the radius r of the rotor plus the extent of the evacuation door 41 ' in the direction from said pivot axis to its free end, the inner evacuation door 41 ' being pivotable inwards, towards the passage space 30, without being hindered by the rotor 10 if the latter happens to be at the evacuation door 41 '.

With reference to Fig. 1 , the initial and final portions of each wall section 40 comprise respective pivotable safety portions 42, 42', each of which is pivotable about an axis 43, 43'. The safety portions are thus so arranged that they cooperate with the respective free ends 44, 44' to delineate one of the entrance apertures 50, 50'.

Each safety portion 42, 42' is pivotable about a pivot axis 43, 43' which is parallel with the rotation axis 20 of the rotor. Each safety portion 42, 42' further has a normal position in which its free end 44, 44' points in towards the rotor 10 and is able to slide against the external convex surfaces 13 of the rotor when they pass it.

To minimise the risk of injury at the entrances, the safety portion 42, 42' is adapted to pivoting away from its normal position when it is subjected to a load force exceeding a specified level. This load is often governed by standards and guidelines concerning the respective use, so a regulating means for the purpose may be added to this embodiment.

In the example here concerned, the safety portion is adapted to pivoting away from its normal position in response to a load force of more than 25 newtons being applied to its free end 44 in a direction parallel with the direction of the tangent to the rotation of the rotor at said free end 44. The safety portion 42, 42' is further provided with sensors which cooperate with the regulating means at the rotor 10 so that pivoting of the safety portion away from its normal position initiates halting of the rotor 10.

The pivot axis 43, 43' of the safety portion in this embodiment is disposed at a radial distance d from the outer convex surface 13 of the rotor 10, which means that the pivot axis 43, 43' is situated at the distance r + d from rotation axis 20 of the rotor.

The distance d is often governed indirectly by standards or machine guidelines, and according to this embodiment such requirements are easy to meet as a result of the possibility of varying the size and mutual angles of the portions which constitute the wall sections. An example which may be cited is the current requirements of the European

Machine Directive for a space of 200-300 mm for a head, depending on direction, and 500 mm for a body.

This embodiment further comprises at the free end 44, 44' of the safety portion 42,

42' a flexible seal means in brush form intended to slide against the outer convex surfaces 13 of the rotor 10 when they pass it and to reduce air leakage/draughts through the arrangement. Similar flexible seal means in the form of brushes 47 are further provided at the inside of the respective wall sections 40 and at the same radial distance from the rotation axis 20 of the rotor in order to slide against the outer convex surfaces 13 of the rotor when they pass it.

Providing these six positions with flexible seal means at 60 degree intervals about the rotation axis 20 and providing the arcuate door panels 12 of the rotor with an extent corresponding to a segment of 60 degrees means that seal means will constantly slide against the two convex surfaces 13 of the rotor and maintain the seal across the revolving door arrangement.

In an alternative embodiment in which a passage space substantially wider than the diameter of the rotor 10 is desired, pivotable side panels similar in construction to that described of the safety panels 42 or 42' may be provided to ensure that no draughts occur via the passage aperture. The pivotable side panels then bear the flexible seal means in the form of brushes 47 at their free end and also serve as safety means by being pivotable relative to the wall sections about a pivot axis parallel with the rotation axis of the rotor. The result is sealing while at the same time the pivotability reduces the risk of injury by pinching. The side panels may further be provided with sensors which indicate such pivoting away and cooperate with the regulating means in order to halt the rotor.

Fig. 3 depicts the embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2 with the rotor in a position only partly blocking the entrance apertures 50, 50', thus allowing evacuation routes which lead from the building via one of the evacuation doors 41 ' and half of the internal entrance opening 50', continue through the openable portions 11 of the rotor 10 and lead out from the passage space via one of the evacuation doors 41 and half of the entrance aperture 50.

Fig. 4 depicts an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the pivotable safety portion 42; 42' points in, at right angles to the tangent to the rotor, making it possible to draw a straight line through the rotation axis 20 of the rotor, the pivot axis 43; 43' of the safety portion and the free end 44; 44' of the safety portion.

Moreover, in this embodiment the pivot axis 43; 43' of the safety portion is firmly connected to the free end of the evacuation portion 41 ; 41 ', with the result that said safety portion 42; 42' will accompany a pivoting aside of the evacuation portion 41 ; 41 ', as illustrated in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows clearly how the evacuation routes become relatively wider when the whole of the narrowing portions of the wall section 40 can be pivoted away.

The openable evacuation portions 41 , like the safety portions 42, are provided with suitable locking means for preventing undesired access to the building when the entrance is intended to be closed and locked. Such means exist in a variety of forms and are well known in the state of the art, so they will not be described in more detail here.

Moreover, like the safety portions 42; 42', the openable evacuation portions 41 ; 41 ' are provided with means which, in an unlocked state, hold them in a normal position until they are acted upon by a force, e.g. in a pinching situation or an evacuation, so that they leave their normal position and pivot away. The retaining means which holds the portions in the normal position may be a spring means which also acts to bring a pivoted-away portion back to the normal position. The retaining means may also be a positioning means which maintains the portion in the normal position until a specified force overcomes the residual force of the positioning means, whereupon the portion readily swivels away without thereafter automatically being brought back to the normal position.

In an operating state, the evacuation portions 41 ; 41 ' are intended to be maintained in the normal position and be pivotable aside by a limited force to an evacuation position without any prior complicated opening of locks.

In the embodiments depicted, the two wall sections 40 are described as symmetrical. Such is not necessarily the case, since there are a plurality of degrees of freedom for alternative detail configurations within the scope of the present invention, e.g. there may be differences between the two wall sections and/or between outer and inner elements of them within the scope of the present invention.

The wall sections in the embodiments described are also indicated as comprising glass portions in aluminium frames. It will be readily appreciated that other materials may be used for these portions, both transparent and non-transparent. The portions may therefore be made of any known material according to desired strength, insulation, design, surface structure, appearance etc.

Claims

Claims:

1. An arrangement pertaining to a revolving door for installing in a building (1 ), comprising partly a rotor (10) with a two-winged door arrangement adapted to regulated rotation about a vertical rotation axis (20) in a passage space (30), which rotor has at least one openable portion (11 ) allowing passage through the wings in an evacuation situation and, at the free end of each wing, an arcuate door panel (12) with its external convex surface (13) at a substantially constant radial distance (r) from the rotation axis (20) of the rotor; and partly two wall sections (40) which delineate said passage space, are disposed at a distance from one another and each extend from their respective side of a first entrance aperture (50) which they jointly delineate to their respective side of a second entrance aperture (50') which they jointly delineate, characterised in that openable evacuation portions (41 , 41 ') are disposed in at least one of the wall sections (40), making passage through the passage space (30) possible in an evacuation situation even when the entrance apertures (50, 50') are closed by the rotor (10) and that at least one of said openable evacuation portions (41 ; 41 ') is disposed in a portion of the wall section (40) which is rectilinear in horizontal cross-section.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 , characterised in that an openable evacuation portion (41 ') which is rectilinear in horizontal cross-section is pivotable about an axis (46') parallel with the rotation axis (20) of the rotor and is capable of being pivoted aside inwards towards the passage space (30).

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the initial and final portions of each wall section (40) each constitute a pivotable safety portion (42; 42') arranged pivotably about an axis (43; 43') which is parallel with the rotation axis (20) of the rotor so that its free end (44; 44') delineates the entrance aperture (50; 50'), that the safety portion (42; 42') has a normal position in which its free end (44; 44') points in towards the rotor (10) and is capable of sliding against the external convex surfaces

(13) of the rotor when they pass it.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, characterised in that the safety portion

(42; 42') is adapted to pivoting away from its normal position when subjected to a sufficient load force at its free end (44; 44') in a direction parallel with the direction of the tangent to the rotation of the rotor at said free end (44; 44'), that a sufficient load force is in the range of 5 to 150 newtons, and that the safety portion (42; 42') is provided with a sensor cooperating with the regulating means of the rotor (10) so that a pivoting away of the safety portion from the normal position is identified by the sensor which initiates the regulating means which halts the rotor.

5. An arrangement according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that the pivot axis (43; 43') of the safety portion (42; 42') is disposed at a radial distance from the rotation axis of the rotor (10) of d + r, where r corresponds to the radius of the rotor, and that d > 200 mm.

6. An arrangement according to claims 3-5, characterised in that the safety portion (42; 42') is rectilinear in cross-section.

7. An arrangement according to claims 3-6, characterised in that a flexible seal means intended to slide against the outer convex surfaces (13) of the rotor (10) when they pass it is disposed at the free end (44; 44') of the safety portion (42; 42').

8. An arrangement according to any one of the above claims, characterised in that the wall sections (40) delineating the passage space (30) comprise portions which are rectilinear in horizontal cross-section.

9. An arrangement according to any one of claims 3-8 above, characterised in that the evacuation portion (41 ; 41 ') and the safety portion (42; 42') are connected by an articulation (43; 43') and can in an evacuation situation be jointly pivoted away as a unit in order further to increase the evacuation capacity.