Emergency Opening Device for a Lifting Door, Lifting Door and Method for Opening a Lifting Door with an Emergency Opening Device

Abstract

An emergency opening device for a lifting door as well as a lifting door with such an emergency opening device and a method for operating such an emergency opening device are provided. The emergency opening device has a driver, a movement element, an elongate drive member and a locking element. The driver is rotatably mountable on a rotationally fixed inner shaft of a drive device of the lifting door and is configured to be selectively connected to the drive device. The elongate drive member is connected to the movement element and is configured to transmit a movement caused by the movement element to the driver. The movement element is, for example, an elastic element which is pretensioned in a standby position and is configured to relax and to drive the elongate drive member by the released tension energy when the locking element is released.

Claims

1. An emergency opening device for a lifting gate, comprising: a driver; a movement element; an elongate drive member; and a locking element; wherein the driver is rotatably mountable on a rotationally fixed inner shaft of a drive device of the lifting door; wherein the driver is configured to be selectively connected to the drive device; wherein the elongate drive member is connected to the movement element and is configured to transmit a movement caused by the movement element to the driver.

2. The emergency opening device according to claim 1, wherein the movement element is an elastic element; wherein the elastic element is biased in a standby position; and wherein the elastic element is configured to relax and drive the elongate drive member by the tension energy thus released when the locking element is released.

3. The emergency opening device according to claim 2, wherein the elastic element is a spring.

4. The emergency opening device according to claim 1, wherein the movement element is an electric motor having a motor shaft; wherein the electric motor is connected to a battery and can be supplied with electrical energy by the battery; and whereby the electric motor is activated and the motor shaft winds up the elongate drive member if the locking element is released.

5. The emergency opening device according to claim 1, wherein the driver has at least one releasable connecting element.

6. The emergency opening device according to claim 5, wherein the releasable connecting element is a bolt which is displaceable through an opening of the driver in such a way that the bolt, in an engaged position, engages with a recess of the drive device.

7. The emergency opening device according to claim 1, wherein the elongate drive member is a belt extending around the driver.

8. The emergency opening device according to claim 1, wherein the locking element is a pawl which, in an engaged position, blocks rotation of the driver about the rotationally fixed inner shaft and which, in a disengaged position, releases rotation of the driver about the rotationally fixed inner shaft.

9. The emergency opening device according to claim 1, further comprising an emergency lever for mechanically actuating the emergency opening device.

10. The emergency opening device according to claim 9, wherein the emergency lever has at least four successive latching positions; wherein, in the first of the four latching positions, the emergency opening device is in a rest position in which the locking element is locked and in which the driver is released from the drive device; wherein, in the second of the four latching positions, the driver is connected to the drive device; wherein, in the third of the four latching positions, further the locking element is released; and wherein, in the fourth of the four latching positions, further a brake of the drive device is released.

11. A lifting gate, comprising: a drive device with a rotationally fixed inner shaft and a brake; a door leaf; two door frames; and an emergency opening device according to claim 1; whereby the door leaf is guided in the door frames; wherein the drive device is configured to raise and lower the door leaf using electrical energy; wherein the driver of the emergency opening device is rotatably mounted on the rotationally fixed inner shaft; wherein the drive device is configured to be connected to the driver; and wherein the emergency opening device is configured to be actuated purely mechanically in order to open the lifting door in the event of a power failure.

12. A method of operating the emergency opening device of the lifting door according to claim 11, comprising the steps of: connecting the driver to the drive device in a rotationally fixed manner; releasing the locking element, thereby enabling a rotational movement of the driver relative to the rotationally fixed inner shaft; releasing the brake of the drive device and thereby opening of the lifting door by the tension energy stored in the elastic element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0047] In the following, the enclosed figures are used to describe embodiments in more detail. The illustrations are schematic and not to scale. Identical reference signs refer to identical or similar elements. The figures show:

[0048] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an emergency opening device on a lifting door with a drive device with a fixed inner shaft in a standby state according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the emergency opening device from FIG. 1 in an open position according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method for operating the emergency opening device of the lifting door of FIG. 2 according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The present disclosure relates to emergency opening devices for lifting doors. Such an emergency opening device is generally understood herein to be an opening device for a lifting door, which can be used in exceptional circumstances to open the lifting door. For example, such an emergency opening can take place if the drive device of the lifting door, which is normally used to open the gate, is not operational due to a power failure or a technical defect. However, it is also conceivable that the emergency opening device can be used as a panic opening, even if the drive device is still operational. For example, in situations, in which a user has problems operating the drive device to open the door normally but wants to leave the room that is separated by the lifting door and therefore panics. In such a case, a user is therefore provided with a simple and intuitive option for opening the lifting door, for example with an emergency lever 17, as described below.

[0052] FIG. 1 shows an emergency opening device 10 in a closed lifting door 100 in a standby state according to an exemplary embodiment. The right-hand side of FIG. 1 shows a frontal view of the left-hand side of the lifting door 100. The left-hand side of FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of the emergency opening device 10. Components of the drive device 110 of the lifting door 100 are not shown on the left-hand side of FIG. 1.

[0053] The lifting door 100 has a drive device 110 and an emergency opening device 10.

[0054] The drive device 110 has a fixed inner shaft 111 and a hollow shaft 113 that rotates around the outside and is arranged concentrically to the inner shaft. The hollow shaft 113 is rotatably mounted on the inner shaft 111 and, together with the inner shaft 111, forms an external rotor motor. Specific drive components of this external rotor motor, such as magnetic coils in a stator or rotor, are not shown for the sake of clarity. However, inside the hollow shaft 113, a stator can be connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the inner shaft 111 and is surrounded by a rotor, which in turn is connected to the hollow shaft 113 in a rotationally fixed manner. As a result, the external rotor motor formed in this way drives the hollow shaft 113, whereas the inner shaft 111 is fixed relative to the lifting gate. A toothed pulley 114 is also rotatably mounted on the inner shaft 111 and is fixedly connected to the hollow shaft 113. A toothed belt 115 is attached to the toothed pulley 114, which runs over a deflection pulley on the underside of a door frame 130 and is attached to a lowermost segment of a segmented door leaf 120. When the drive device 110 is put into operation, the hollow shaft is set into a rotary motion. As a result, the toothed pulley 114 is driven and the door leaf 120 is raised or lowered.

[0055] The emergency opening device 10 has a driver 11, a movement element 12, an elongate drive element 14, a deflection pulley 18 and a locking element 15.

[0056] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the driver 11 is designed as a toothed pulley. A radially inner section of the driver 11 is fixedly connected to the inner shaft 111. A radially outer section of the driver 11 is rotatably mounted on the radially inner section. The driver 11 also has two openings 16 designed as through-holes. A releasable connecting element 13, which is designed as a bolt in FIG. 1, is fitted in each of these openings 16. These bolts are linearly displaceable along the respective through hole in the driver 11, as indicated by the two double arrows. In addition, two recesses 112 corresponding to the bolts are provided in the toothed pulley 114 of the drive device 110, which in FIG. 1 are designed as holes into which the bolts can be inserted. Thus, the driver 11 is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the drive device 110 or to the toothed pulley 114 of the drive device 110 when the bolts are inserted into the recesses 112.

[0057] In FIG. 1, the movement element 12 is designed as an elastic element 12 (as a spiral spring). The elongate drive element 14 is designed as a toothed belt, runs over the driver 11 and over the deflection pulley 18, and is connected to the spiral spring at one end (at the end facing away from the driver 11 in vertical alignment from the deflection pulley 18). The toothed belt is connected to the driver 11 at the other end and is wound several times around the driver 11. The locking element 15 is designed as a pawl in FIG. 1. This pawl is pivotably connected at one end to the inner section of the driver 11. The pawl can be pivoted radially outwards into a corresponding notch in the outer section of the driver 11. The locking pawl is shown in FIG. 1 in this locked state and therefore prevents the outer section of the driver 11, and thus the entire driver 11, from rotating about the inner shaft 111. Although shown in FIG. 1 with an elastic element 12 as movement element 12, it should be noted that any other suitable movement element 12 can also be used. For example, as described above, a battery-powered electric motor 18 with a motor shaft configured to wind and unwind the elongate drive member 14 from the driver 11 may be used instead of the pulley 18. In this case, the elastic element 12 is omitted. However, a combination of elastic elements 12 and electric motors 18 is also conceivable.

[0058] FIG. 1 shows the emergency opening device 10 in a standby state. In this state, the elastic element 12 is pre-tensioned, i.e. the spiral spring is stretched and thus stores tension energy. Since the locking element 15 is locked and thus prevents the driver 11 from rotating, and since the elongate drive member 14 (toothed belt) runs over the driver 11 and is connected to the elastic element 12 (spring), the spring cannot relax and is held in the tensioned state. Since the releasable connecting elements 13 (bolts) in FIG. 1 are also in the disengaged position, the driver 11 is uncoupled from the drive device 110. The drive device 110 can therefore be operated freely with electrical energy without being influenced or hindered by the emergency opening device 10.

[0059] FIG. 2 shows the emergency opening device 10 and the lifting door 100 from FIG. 1 in a position after the emergency opening device 10 has been triggered. This may be a situation following a power failure or a technical effect of the drive device 110, for example, as a result of which the lifting door 100 can no longer be opened electrically by the drive device 110.

[0060] In this position, the releasable connecting elements 13 (bolts) are pushed in and the driver 11 is thus coupled to the drive device 110. In addition, in FIG. 2, the locking element 15 (pawl) is pivoted into a position which allows the outer section of the driver 11 to rotate about the inner section of the driver 11, i.e. in which the driver 11 is not locked and can therefore rotate about the inner shaft 111.

[0061] Thereby, the releasable connecting elements 13 were driven into the recesses 112 in the toothed pulley 114 before the pawl was released in order to couple the driver with the drive device 110 so that a rotary movement of the driver 11 can be transmitted to the drive device 110. After the releasable connecting elements 13 were driven in, the locking element 15 was moved into the released position. This allows the elastic element 12 (spring) to relax and release the previously stored tensioning energy. In doing so, the spring drives the toothed belt 14 and thus rotates the driver 11 around the inner shaft 111. Since the driver 11 was previously coupled to the drive device 110, this rotational movement is transferred to the inoperative drive device 110, which raises the door leaf 110 and opens the lifting door 100. When a battery-operated electric motor 18 is used instead of the deflection pulley 18 and the elastic element 12, the electric motor 18 is electrically connected to the battery via a mechanical switch at the same time the locking element 15 is released and the electric motor 18 is thus activated. As a result, the electric motor 18 winds the elongate drive member 14 onto its motor shaft and simultaneously off the driver 11, whereby the driver 11 is driven.

[0062] Although a lifting door 100 with a fixed segmented gate leaf 120 has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, it should be recognized that the emergency opening device 10 can also be used in a lifting door 100 that is equipped with a foil-like curtain as the gate leaf 120. In such a lifting door 100, the toothed pulley 114 can be omitted. The driver 11 is then located directly next to the lateral bearing (the lateral walls) of the hollow shaft 111 and can be connected directly to it, for example by providing the recesses 112 within these lateral bearings. It should also be noted that, although only one emergency opening device 10 is shown and described in FIGS. 1 and 2, a second emergency opening device 10 may also be used in a lifting door 100 on the opposite side of the drive device 110, for example to increase the speed of the opening. Such a second emergency opening device can be actuated both separately and together with the first emergency opening device.

[0063] The emergency opening device 10 can be actuated, for example, with an emergency lever 17, as described above. This emergency lever 17 can, for example, be connected to the releasable connecting elements 13 and the locking element 15 via cable pulls. Furthermore, it can also be provided that the emergency lever 17 mechanically releases a brake integrated in the drive device 110 before the lifting door finally opens. In addition, the emergency lever can have various successive actuating positions, with the sequence of the actuating positions corresponding to the intended sequence of steps for opening the lifting door 100 with the emergency opening device 10. In particular, the releasable connecting elements 13 can therefore be extended in a first actuation position (and thus the driver 11 can be uncoupled from the drive device 110) and the locking element can be locked. In the subsequent second actuating position, the releasable connecting elements 13 can first be driven in and thus the driver 11 can be coupled to the drive device 110. In the third position, the locking element 15 can then be released/disengaged and in a fourth position, a brake of the drive device 110 can be released and thus the lifting door 100 can be opened. In the case of lifting doors 100 whose drive device 110 does not have a brake, opening already takes place after the third actuation position of the emergency lever 17.

[0064] In all of the above cases, the lifting door 100 can be opened purely mechanically by a user via the emergency lever 17 in the event of a power failure or defect, without the need for electrical power.

[0065] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method 200 for opening a lifting door 100 with an emergency opening device 10 previously described in FIGS. 1 and 2. The method 200 begins at step 201 with connecting the driver 11 to the drive device 110 in a rotationally fixed manner. For this purpose, for example, the detachable connecting elements 13 (bolts) are pushed into the recesses 112.

[0066] At step 202, the locking element 15 is then moved to the released position to allow rotation of the driver via the tensioning energy of the elastic element 12 (or via the drive power of the electric motor 18 in corresponding embodiments). In embodiments of the lifting door 100 in which the drive device 110 does not comprise an internal brake, the procedure ends here and the lifting door 100 opens.

[0067] In embodiments of the lifting door 100 in which the drive device 110 comprises an internal brake, this brake is released mechanically in step 203, for example, as described above, via corresponding cable pulls, which are actuated with the corresponding actuation position of the emergency lever 17.

[0068] After the emergency opening device 10 has been triggered, the emergency opening device 10 can be put back into the standby state by the drive device 110 as soon as the drive device 110 is operational again. To do this, the drive device 110 simply has to be operated in the opposite direction until the elastic element is pretensioned again. The locking element 15 is then locked again and the driver 11 is uncoupled again from the drive device 110 by pulling the detachable connecting elements 13 out of the recesses 112.

[0069] The above description of embodiments based on the drawings only describes exemplary embodiments. All of the features disclosed herein can also be implemented in the described and illustrated lifting gates 100 and emergency opening devices 10.