ROLLING DOOR GUIDE AREA HEATING METHOD AND SYSTEM

Abstract

A system for heating a door guide area includes: a first and second conduit for channeling a flow of heated air; a heater fluidly connected to the first conduit and configured to provide air to the first and second conduits; first and second openings providing fluid communication between the first and second conduits to allow the air to circulate through the first and second conduits; a heat transfer wall part of the second conduit, to transfer heat from the flow of heated air in the second direction to a space outside of the second conduit that is defined, in part, by the heat transfer wall; and two side supports connected to the heat transfer wall, the side supports located opposing each other and dimensioned and located along with the heat transfer wall to form three sides to encompass a portion of a roll-up door.

Claims

1-20. (canceled)

21. A method for heating a door guide area comprising: channeling a flow of heated air through heat transfer fins, wherein all of the heat transfer fins are disposed on one side of a heat transfer wall; configuring the heat transfer wall to transfer heat from the flow of heated air to a space located on an opposite side of the heat transfer wall than the side where the heat transfer fins are located; and connecting two opposing side supports comprising a thermally insulating material directly to the heat transfer wall, the side supports dimensioned and located along with the heat transfer wall to form three sides defining the space to encompass a first side, an edge, and a second side of a side portion of a roll-up door, wherein no fins extend from the heat transfer wall into the space.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein all heat transfer fins terminate at the heat transfer wall.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising disposing the fins on a base coupled to the heat transfer wall, wherein the fins extend perpendicular to and longitudinally along a surface of the base.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising attaching the base to the heat transfer wall with a fastener.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising placing heat transfer paste between the fins and the heat transfer wall.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the fins are removable from the heat transfer wall.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising directing the flow of heated air from a heater across a first conduit into a second conduit, wherein the heat transfer fins are disposed in the second conduit.

28. A method for heating a door guide area comprising: channeling heated air in a first direction in a first conduit in a frame member; channeling the heated air in a second direction opposite the first direction in a second conduit in the frame member, the heated air being supplied to the second conduit by a heater disposed on a side of the first conduit opposite the second conduit by routing the heated air laterally across a longitudinal axis of the first conduit, wherein first and second openings are formed in a wall separating the first conduit from the second conduit and the first and second openings allow the heated air provided by the heater to circulate through the first and second conduits; and transferring heat with a heat transfer wall defining part of the second conduit from the heated air in the second conduit to a chamber in a door guide and outside of the second conduit, wherein two side supports are connected to the heat transfer wall, the side supports opposing each other to form, with the heat transfer wall, three sides of the chamber.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein substantially all heat transferred from the heated air to the chamber is transferred directly into the chamber from the heat transfer wall.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising channeling the heated air from the first conduit back to the heater after the heated air has moved through the first and second conduits.

31. A system for heating a door guide area comprising: a heater; a first conduit in fluid communication with the heater for receiving heated air from the heater and channeling the heated air in a first direction; a second conduit in fluid communication with the heater for channeling the heated air in a second direction; a heat transfer wall defining part of the second conduit, the heat transfer wall comprising heat transfer fins configured to transfer heat from the heated air in the second conduit to a chamber outside of the second conduit, wherein all of the heat transfer fins are disposed on one side of a heat transfer wall; and two side supports comprising a thermally insulating material connected directly to the heat transfer wall, the side supports dimensioned and located along with the heat transfer wall to form three sides defining a space to encompass a first side, an edge, and a second side of a side portion of a roll-up door, wherein no heat transfer fins extend from the heat transfer wall into the space.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein all of the heat transfer fins terminate at the heat transfer wall.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the heat transfer fins are disposed on a base coupled to the heat transfer wall, wherein the heat transfer fins extend perpendicular to and longitudinally along a surface of the base.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the base is attached to the heat transfer wall with a fastener.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein a heat transfer paste is disposed between the fins and the heat transfer wall.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the fins are removable from the heat transfer wall.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the fins are integrally formed with the heat transfer wall.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, are incorporated in, and constitute a part of, this specification, illustrate aspects of the disclosure and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. No attempt is made to show structural details of the disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings:

[0013] FIG. 1 is front view of a warehouse building have a roll-up door with side support columns in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a roll-up door residing in a support column in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 3 is a top view of a side support column in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a partial side view of a support column in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The aspects of the disclosure and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting aspects and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one aspect may be employed with other aspects as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the aspects of the disclosure. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the disclosure may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, the examples and aspects herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a front view of a building or warehouse 7. The building 7 has a door 33 which provides assess through a wall 8. The wall 8 may be an interior or external wall 8. The door 33 sits on the floor 9. To guide the door 33 in its up and down travel, the door 33 has side columns 10. The side columns 10 include a frame 12 and side supports 28. When it is desired to distinguish one side column 10 from the other, the left-hand side column is noted as 10A and the right-hand side column is noted as 10B. In some embodiments, columns 10A and 10B are mirror images of each other. When referring to the side columns generally, but not specifically, they are referred to as side columns or column 10.

[0019] The door 33 may be used to separate a cold space from an uncooled space, for example, in a warehouse having a room cooled to keep frozen foods. The door 33 rolls up and down to provide access to people and/or vehicles to the cold space.

[0020] A desirable trait for roll-up doors separating a cold space from a not cold space is that they can open and close quickly to reduce the amount of warm air that enters the cold space and reduce the amount of cold air that escapes from the cold space into the not cold space when the door is opened or closed. As such, these types of rollup doors tend to be relatively light weight and not rigid.

[0021] One of the purposes of the support columns 10 is to guide the door 33 as it moves up and down and, in some instances provide a seal (although the seal may still allow some air to still flow) around the door 33 to reduce an amount cold air from leaving the cold space and reduce the amount of warm air from leaking into the cold space. In some instances, frost and/or ice build-up on the door 33 and/or the support columns 10 can interfere with the guiding functions. To mitigate frost and/or ice, the support columns 10 are heated.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a side view of a door 33 located in the side column 10. The side column 10B is removed from the FIG. 2 for clarity. The door 33 is attached to a roller 31. When the door 33 is in an open position, the door 33 is rolled around the roller 31. As shown in FIG. 2., the door 33 has a bottom end 36.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a top end view of the side column 10. The side column 10 has a frame 12 with a heater 14 connected to the frame 12. The frame 12 has a first air flow chamber or conduit 16 and a second air flow chamber or conduit 18 for circulating air warmed by the heater 14.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, heat fins 20 are attached to the heated wall 22 with a fastener 26 or fasteners 26. The heat fins 20 may be made of metal, such as steel or aluminum alloys or any other suitable good thermal conducting material. The heated wall 22 is also made of steel, aluminum alloy, or any other good thermal conducting material. A thermal paste is applied between the heat fins 20 and the heated 22 wall to facilitate good heat transfer from the heat fins 20 to the heated wall 22. The heat fins 20 extend into the second air flow chamber 18 and transfer the heat harvested from the air flow in the second air flow chamber 18 to the heated wall 22.

[0025] The side column 10 defines a chamber, space, or area 24 in a door guide outside the air flow chambers 16 and 18 to be heated. The chamber 24 is bordered, at least in part, by the heated wall 22, plastic and/or fiberglass side supports 28 and the plastic angles 30. Other embodiments may use any suitable poor thermal conducting materials for the side supports 28 and/or angles 30. No fins 20 extend into the space 24 to be heated. The side supports 28 contain insulation 29. As a result, neither the side supports 28 nor plastic angles 30 transfer heat to the heated chamber 24. Rather, the heated chamber 24 receives heat from the heated wall 22 (also referred to as the heat transfer wall 22) via the heated wall's 22 contact with the warmed air in the second flow chamber 18 and from the heat fins 20. In fact, all, or nearly all, of the heat that is transferred from the heated air in the second conduit or channel 18 to the space 24 is transferred through the heat transfer wall 22.

[0026] The heat transferred from the warm air flow in the second conduit 18 transfers into the fins 20 then through the thermal paste and into the heated wall 22. The heat is transferred from the heated wall 22 into the chamber 24. Normally, sufficient heat is transferred from the heated wall 22 to the chamber 24 to maintain the air temperature in the chamber 24 above freezing (and in some instances, well above freezing). As a result, frost and/or ice is less likely to develop or persist on portions of the door 33 residing in the heated chamber 24.

[0027] FIG. 3 is shown without the door 33 present to avoid crowding the drawings. The door 33 is normally present between the flexible air flow inhibiters 32. The flexible air flow inhibiters 32 help to reduce air flow between the warm and cold sides of the door 33. As described above, the chamber 24 is heated to reduce frost build up on a door 33. Frost build up can, over time, cause operational malfunctions and even damage to the door assembly and/or guiding assembly.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows a partial side view of the side column 10 with the heater 14. Air is warmed in the heater 14 and circulated out of the heater 14 and through the first 16 and second 18 air flow chambers as indicated by the arrows. The first 16 and second 18 air flow chambers are in fluid communication with each other to allow air to circulate from the heater 14 and through both air flow chambers 16, 18.

[0029] For example, there are openings 17a and 17b between the first 16 and second 18 air flow chambers at the top and bottom of the first and second air flow chambers 16 and 18, Air flows through the openings 17a and 17b as indicated at arrows 19a and 19b. Air exits the heater 14 as a result of an internal fan in the heater 14 and flows across the first air flow chamber 16 and into the second air flow chamber 18 as shown by arrow 19c. It will be understood that other air flow patterns may be used in other embodiments and still be accordance with the present disclosure.

[0030] In accordance with the present disclosure, the openings 17a and 17b, along with other features of the air flow chambers 16 and 18 direct air flow thereby allowing the air to circulate through the fins 20 (see FIG. 3). Air circulation through the fins 20 promotes good heat transfer from the air to the fins 20 along the length of the fins 20. For example, the air flow pattern described herein allows the warmed air in the second air flow channel 18 to flow through the fins 20 and distribute the heat along the length of the fins 20. In contrast, if the openings 17a and 17b where not present or not appropriately sized to promote good air flow and circulation through the first and second air flow channels 16 and 18, much of the heat in the heated air may be transmitting to a portion of the fins 20 located proximate to where the warmed air flows into the second chamber 18 but not well distributed on the length of the fins 20 in the second chamber 18.

[0031] If the air did not have a good pattern of circulation, heat transfer from the air to the fins 20 would be not as effective and would result in less heat being transferred from the fins 20 to the space 24 to be heated. In turn, this would result in less heat in the chamber or space 24 to be heated and possibly frost or ice build-up on the door 33 or columns 10.

[0032] The heater 14 may be typical resistance heater that draws in ambient air and/or air from the support column 10 and heats the air and circulates it with an internal fan. Other types of heaters 14 may also be used.

[0033] While the disclosure has been described in terms of exemplary aspects, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, aspects, applications or modifications of the disclosure.