ROLLER SHUTTER ARRANGEMENT WITHOUT POLYGONAL EFFECT

Abstract

A roller shutter arrangement (1) includes a door leaf (2) including door leaf elements connected together to be angled and guided by guide rollers (23a, 23b) in lateral guides. The lateral guides each include an end portion accommodating the door leaf (2) in a closed position and a storage portion accommodating the door leaf (2) in an open position. The end portion and the storage portion are angled with respect to each other and are connected via a transition portion (42). The transition portion (42) includes guide paths on guide rollers on which predetermined guide rollers roll with a guide length between guide rollers corresponding substantially to a partition defined by a breadth of the door leaf element or to an integer multiple thereof. The so-called polygonal effect is avoided and higher movement speeds of the door leaf (2) are enabled while the service life is simultaneously increased.

Claims

1. A roller shutter arrangement comprising: a door leaf comprising a casing of door leaf elements which are connected with each other allowing the door leaf elements to be angled relative to each other; guide rollers; lateral guides, the leaf elements each being guided in the lateral guides by means of the guide rollers, wherein the door leaf is motor-driven by a drive and is movable to and fro between an open position and a closed position, wherein the lateral guides each comprise an end portion in which the door leaf is accommodated in the closed position for closing a door opening, a transition portion and a storage portion in which the door leaf is accommodated in the open position, and wherein the end portion and the storage portion are angled with respect to each other and are connected with each other via the transition portion, wherein the transition portion provides at least two respective guide paths along which predetermined guide rollers of said guide rollers roll, so that a guide length between two guide rollers corresponds substantially to a partition defined by a breadth of a door leaf element or to an integer multiple thereof.

2. The roller shutter arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the transition portion of the lateral guides comprises at least two respective guideways arranged to be staggered laterally with respect to each other, wherein predetermined guide rollers at the door leaf elements are correspondingly staggered axially with respect to each other and engage in an assigned guideway.

3. The roller arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the transition portion comprises a guide roller guideway and another guideway, the door leaf elements comprise hinges and additional guide rollers which are adapted to be angled by means of the hinges with respect to adjacent said guide rollers of the door leaf element and the additional guide rollers roll, in the transition portion, on the another guideway, which another guideway is different than the guide roller guideway for the adjacent guide rollers.

4. The roller arrangement according to claim 1, wherein one of the guide paths in the transition portion of the guides follows a constant transition radius between the end portion and the storage portion of the guides.

5. The roller arrangement according to claim 1, wherein one of the guide paths is, in the transition portion of the lateral guides, radially outside of a constant transition radius between the end portion and the storage portion of the lateral guides.

6. The roller arrangement according to claim 1, wherein one of the guide paths is, in the transition portion of the lateral guides, radially inside of a constant transition radius between the end portion and the storage portion of the lateral guides.

7. The roller arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the storage portion of the lateral guides is configured to be rectilinear.

8. The roller arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the drive transmits the drive force to the door leaf in the region of a door leaf element.

9. The roller arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the drive transmits the drive force to the door leaf at a bottom-side door leaf element.

10. The roller arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the roller arrangement is configured as a lifting door.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In the drawings:

[0029] FIG. 1 is a side view of a roller shutter arrangement in accordance with the invention;

[0030] FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the illustration in FIG. 1 from which the transition portion of the guides results;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the illustration pursuant to FIG. 2;

[0032] FIG. 4 is a front view of a door leaf of the roller shutter arrangement in accordance with the invention;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a detail from the view according to FIG. 4;

[0034] FIG. 6 is a side view of the detail from FIG. 5;

[0035] FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of the movement path of a door leaf of a conventional roller shutter arrangement;

[0036] FIG. 8 is a diagram with a comparison of the movement speeds with and without polygonal effect;

[0037] FIG. 9 is a diagram with a comparison of the accelerations with and without polygonal effect;

[0038] FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of the movement path of a door leaf in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

[0039] FIG. 11 is a schematic representation of the movement path of a door leaf in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;

[0040] FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of the movement path of a door leaf in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention; and

[0041] FIG. 13 is a schematic representation of the movement path of a door leaf in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0042] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a sectional side view of a roller shutter arrangement 1 in accordance with the invention. It comprises a door leaf 2 which is guided on both sides in the region of a frame 3 in a guide 4. The door leaf 2 is motor-driven by a drive 5.

[0043] The guide 4 comprises an end portion 41 which is oriented vertically in the illustrated embodiment and accommodates the door leaf 2 being in its closed position. A transition portion 42 ending in a storage portion 43 follows this end portion 41. The storage portion 43 extends horizontally rectilinearly below the ceiling of a building which is not illustrated here. A guide of mirror-inverted design is also arranged at the opposite side of the door at a frame of corresponding design. The two guides thus accommodate the lateral ends of the door leaf 2 between themselves and guide same.

[0044] For opening the roller shutter arrangement 1 the door leaf 2 is moved from the end portion 41 via the transition portion 42 to the storage portion 43 where it remains in the open position.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of the illustration in FIG. 1 which illustrates the transition portion 42 of the guide 4 more clearly. The door leaf 2 is, however, omitted here so as to ensure better overview.

[0046] The transition portion 42 comprises an inner guide element 421 and an outer guide element 422. They offer two respective guideways at the lateral ends of the door leaf 2 to the guide rollers which will be explained later, so that a part of the guide rollers rolls on the one guideway and the other part rolls on the other guideway.

[0047] At the inner guide element 421 this is the first inner guideway 421a which is concealed in the instant side view and is therefore shown in dashes, and the second inner guideway 421b. At the outer guide element 422 this is the first outer guideway 422a and the second outer guideway 422b. As may be seen from the illustration, the second inner guideway 421b and the second outer guideway 422b each extend radially outside of the assigned first guideway 421a and 422a. The cooperating of these guideways with the sections 21 of the door leaf 2 will be explained in detail later.

[0048] FIG. 2 further shows a motor 51 of the drive 5 and a drive shaft 52 by means of which the motor power is transmitted in a per se known manner from one side of the door to the other one.

[0049] A perspective view of the illustration pursuant to FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 3.

[0050] Especially the guideways 421a, 421b, 422a, and 422b can be seen more clearly here. Moreover, further details of the door leaf 2 may be seen.

[0051] It comprises a plurality of sections 21 which are adapted to be angled with respect to each other and which extend transversely across the door opening and are connected with each other on both sides in the end region by means of a strap hinge 22. In the hinge region guide rollers 23a and 23b are arranged which roll on rotation axes 24a and 24b. The rotation axes 24a and 24b are extensions of the hinge studs.

[0052] The construction of the door leaf 2 results in more detail from FIG. 4 which represents a front view thereof. From this, and from the detail pursuant to FIG. 5, it is clearly revealed that the guide rollers 23a are mounted on longer rotating axes 24a that the guide rollers 23b on the shorter rotating axes 24b. The guide rollers 23a are thus axially staggered from the guide rollers 23b in the region of the guide 4. In the effective diameter, however, the guide rollers 23a are identical to the guide rollers 23b, as can be seen from the side view pursuant to FIG. 6.

[0053] FIG. 4 further shows two engaging pieces 25 which are fastened on both sides on the door leaf at a bottom-side section 21. These engaging pieces 25 cooperate with the drive 5 such that the drive force is in this position transmitted to the door leaf 2 on both sides synchronously. For operation of the door leaf 2 the majority of the sections 21 is thus pushed into the storage portion 43 during opening. When closing the door leaf 2, however, it is pulled out of the storage portion 43 into the closed position in the end portion 41.

[0054] For illustrating the essence of the instant invention, basic aspects will be introduced in the following first of all by means of a schematic representation of the movement path of a door leaf of a conventional roller shutter arrangement in FIG. 7:

[0055] FIG. 7 shows schematically a conventional door leaf TB of a plurality of sections S which are connected with each other in a manner adapted to be angled. The effective breadth of a section S defines the partition T of the door leaf 2 which is equivalent to the distance of two hinges which connect the sections S pivotally and/or the distance of two guide rollers LR.

[0056] This door leaf TB is guided laterally by means of the guide rollers LR in a guide which is not illustrated here and which is divided into vertical guide VF, transition guide UF, and horizontal guide HF. The vertical guide VF and the horizontal guide HF are of rectilinear design. The transition guide UF comprises a constant radius R and connects the vertical guide VF with the horizontal guide HF.

[0057] FIG. 7 further shows the guide path FL of this conventional door leaf TB, which is illustrated with dots and dashes. As may be recognized, an effective guide length L, which is illustrated with dots here, between two guide rollers LR is longer in the region of the transition guide UF than in the linear regions of the vertical guide VF and the horizontal guide HF, since it is not linear, but runs over a circular arc. The effective guide length L is therefore larger than the partition T.

[0058] The consequence of this is that a nominal speed vnom of, for instance, constantly 2 m/s in the instant embodiment, which is introduced via a section S is transferred, due to thrust, to the further sections S and appears at the other end of the door leaf, due to the polygonal effect, not equally, but is subject to substantial oscillation as a resulting speed vR . This is illustrated in the diagram pursuant to FIG. 8 which demonstrates the speed relative to the time.

[0059] FIG. 9 shows the associated diagram of the effective accelerations relative to the time, which act on the sections S of the door leaf TB. Without the influence of a polygonal effect a nominal acceleration in the movement direction a.sub.nom of 0 m/s.sup.2 would be given. Due to the polygonal effect, however, accelerations and decelerations occur which are reflected in the diagram in the resulting acceleration a.sub.R.

[0060] The instant invention provides a different kind of guide in the region of the transition portion 42. As was especially illustrated by means of FIGS. 2 and 3 already, the transition portion 42 comprises the inner guide element 421 and the outer guide element 422 which provide, due to the design of their guideways, two guide paths 423 and 424. In FIG. 10 this is shown schematically in a side view. The first guide path 423 corresponds in the illustrated first embodiment to a conventional guide path in a transition guide with a constant radius, as it may be seen in FIG. 7, while, in accordance with the invention, the second guide path 424 is added which is available radially outside thereof. In the instant embodiment the second guide path 424 moreover does not only extend to the transition portion 42, but extends by the magnitude of the partition T into the end portion 41 and the storage portion 43.

[0061] This reveals that the guide rollers 23a and 23b are guided in the region of the transition portion 42 alternately on the first guide path 423 and the second guide path 424. The guide rollers 23a follow the first guide path 423 and the guide rollers 23b follow the second guide path 424. In other words, the sections 21 here kink extraordinarily against each other reciprocally in a predetermined manner, so that a guide length 425 (which is illustrated with dots here) of two consecutive guide rollers 23a on a guide path 423 has a magnitude corresponding to twice the partition T.

[0062] Thus, the sections 21 of the door leaf 2 are, even in the transition portion 42, not subject to an efficient extension of their movement path, so that the polygonal effect can be suppressed and/or prevented here. Oscillations of speed and/or acceleration, as they are illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 for the state of the art, can thus be avoided.

[0063] A modified second embodiment of the instant invention is shown in FIG. 11. It differs from the embodiment pursuant to FIG. 10 only in that a second guide path 424 is available radially inside of the first guide path 423. The further details of this arrangement correspond to that of the first embodiment, which is why the same reference numbers are used for the corresponding elements.

[0064] Here, too, the sections 21 kink extraordinarily against each other reciprocally in a predetermined manner, so that the guide length 425 (which is illustrated with dots here again) of two consecutive guide rollers 23a on a guide path 423 has a magnitude corresponding to twice the partition T. The polygonal effect can likewise be suppressed here.

[0065] In FIG. 12 a third embodiment of the invention is shown. Here, the sections 21 comprise, in addition to their edge-side guide rollers 23a and 23b, an additional guide roller 23c positioned therebetween and coupled to a hinge which is not illustrated here in detail. It is spaced apart from the guide roller 23a by a predetermined magnitude mt. In this manner a section 21 may, within its per se determined breadth, additionally be angled in a predetermined manner, so that a smaller section breadth becomes effective in the transition portion 42. The additional guide roller 23c runs on a second guide path 424. The latter may then get even closer to the first guide path 423, but is positioned radially outside thereof.

[0066] The effective guide length 425 between two guide rollers 23a and 23b, which is drawn in dots, thus corresponds to the partition T. Also in this manner the polygonal effect may be suppressed.

[0067] FIG. 13 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention. The sections 21 comprise, in addition to their edge-side guide rollers 23a and 23b, an additional guide roller 23c which is positioned therebetween preferably in the middle and with a magnitude mt=T/2 and is coupled to a hinge which is not illustrated in detail, such that both edge-side guide rollers 23a and 23b are adapted to be pivoted relative thereto. A remaining pivot axis 26 between two adjacent sections 21, which continues to connect the sections 21 directly, then forms in the transition portion 42, together with two additional guide rollers 23c and a guide roller 23a or 23b, a shape in accordance with an articulated quadrangle.

[0068] In this manner a section 21 can again be angled within its per se fixed breadth, so that a smaller section width becomes effective in the transition portion 42. The additional guide roller 23c runs on the first guide path 423 while the guide rollers 23a and 23b run on a second guide path 424. The latter is radially inside of the first guide path 423. The pivot axes 26 in turn run on a further guide path 426 radially outside of the first guide path 423.

[0069] The effective guide length 425 between two guide rollers 23c, which is again drawn in dots, then corresponds to the partition T. Also in this manner the polygonal effect may be suppressed.

[0070] In all of these embodiments the guide rollers are guided in the region of the end portion 41 and of the storage portion 43 in the conventional manner on a joint guideway.

[0071] In addition to the embodiments illustrated, the invention permits further design approaches.

[0072] Thus, it is also possible that more than two guideways which are laterally staggered with respect to each other are formed at the transition portion. For this purpose the guide rollers 23a or 23b may, for instance, also be configured as double rollers, wherein the individual rollers are spaced apart from each other, but on a joint rotating axis, and thus each cooperate with guideways which encompass the other guideway of the respectively other guide rollers on both sides. This makes it possible to achieve higher running smoothness. Furthermore, it is basically also possible to design three or more separate guideways.

[0073] In the illustrated embodiment one of the guide paths followed, in the transition portion of the guides, a constant transition radius between the end portion and the storage portion of the guides. This is, however, not mandatorily necessary. It is also possible to provide one of the guideways radially outside thereof, and the other one radially inside thereof. In the end, the guideways may be configured more or less arbitrarily with respect to a transition path predetermined by the transition radius. The design of the guide paths is then calculated from the transition path and the partition T.

[0074] Furthermore, the bearing portion of the guides need not necessarily be formed rectilinear, either. It is, for instance, also possible to provide an elongate or circular reel for accommodating the door leaf, as they are known from DE 40 15 215 A1 and from WO 00/60208 A1. Bearing portions with other forms or variations of radii are also possible.

[0075] The drive force of the drive 5 need not necessarily be transmitted to the door leaf at the lower, bottom-side door leaf element. The introduction of force may also take place at the upper end of the door leaf or in some other suitable place with the suitable means.

[0076] The roller shutter arrangement in accordance with the invention is not restricted to be designed as a quickly moving lifting door. It may also be used in other situations of installations as long as the end portion 41 and the storage portion 43 are positioned at any angle relative to each other. Moreover, it is also possible to seal production areas, processing centers, etc. within factory halls or the like from the environment.

[0077] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.