Roller door system

Abstract

A roller door system (100) particularly for opening and closing a doorway (120) defined in the wall of a lightweight structure (110) such as a marquee, hangar, field hospital, emergency shelter and the like. The door system comprises a rollable door (150) secured, in use, along one edge of the doorway (152); a roller (140) for rolling and unrolling the rollable door about the roller; an opening mechanism and a closing mechanism for controlling the deployment of the rollable door by translating the roller across the doorway; and reusable sealing means (135, 136, 155, 156) for sealing between the lateral margins of the rollable door and the doorway; characterized in that the rollable door comprises a plurality of collapsible hoses (165, 166) connected to a pressurized fluid power system (160, 161, 163) such that in use a positive pressure applied to the fluid power system causes the rollable door to unroll from the roller and controls the deployment of the rollable door.

Claims

1. A roller door system, for opening and closing a doorway defined in the wall of a structure, comprising a rollable door (a) having a bottom portion and (b) secured, in use, along a top side of the doorway; a roller attached to the bottom portion of the rollable door for rolling and unrolling the rollable door about the roller; a door opening means and a door closing means for controlling the deployment of the rollable door by translating the roller across the doorway; and reusable sealing means for sealing between the lateral margins of the rollable door and the doorway; and wherein the door closing means comprises a pressurised fluid power system comprising a plurality of collapsible hoses associated with the rollable door and configured to cause the rollable door to unroll from the roller when expanded by fluid.

2. A roller door system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pressurised fluid power system is a hydraulic system comprising hydraulic fluid.

3. A roller door system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the hydraulic fluid comprises water.

4. A roller door system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pressurised fluid power system comprises a manually operated pump.

5. A roller door system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rollable door overlaps the lateral margins of the doorway and wherein the reusable sealing means are provided between the overlapping lateral margins of the rollable door and the doorway.

6. A roller door system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reusable sealing means comprise flexible magnetic strips.

7. A roller door system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the door opening means comprises at least one spring biased to roll the rollable door about the roller.

8. A roller door system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the rollable door comprises a plurality of rolled ribbons of spring material.

9. A roller door system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the roller comprises a tether and toggle at each of its ends.

10. A roller door system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the toggle is designed to cooperate with a guide channel provided in the wall of the structure parallel to the lateral sides of the doorway.

11. A roller door system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the toggle is attached to or acts as the slider of an interlocking fastener.

12. A tent comprising the roller door system of claim 1, wherein the doorway is defined in a flexible wall of the tent.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a roller door system according to a first embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a roller door system according to a second embodiment of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a plan view of the second embodiment of the invention; The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not to scale.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a roller door system in the doorway of a tent;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows a wall of a temporary emergency shelter including a roller door system 100. The temporary emergency shelter has a wall 110 made from a flexible plastic sheet material having an opening with a left side 111, a top side 112, and a right side 113 which together define a doorway 120 through the plastic sheet wall 110. The plastic sheet wall 110 as shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from outside of the shelter.

(7) The roller door system 100 comprises a rollable door 150 and a roller 140, the roller 140 being attached to the bottom portion of the rollable door 150. A top portion 152 of the rollable door 150 is permanently attached to the plastic sheet wall 110 along the top side 112 of the doorway 120. The rollable door 150 is wider than the doorway 120 and is arranged to overlap the left and right sides 111 and 113 of the doorway 120 on the outer surface of plastic sheet wall 110.

(8) The roller 140 is aligned horizontally across the doorway 120, and is used for rolling and unrolling the rollable door 150 about the roller 140 to respectively open and close the doorway 120. Since the top portion 152 of the rollable door is permanently or semi-permanently attached to the plastic sheet wall 110 along the top side 112 of the doorway 120, rolling and unrolling the roller 140 causes it to be translated up and down the doorway 120 respectively.

(9) The roller door system 100 further comprises left and right side magnetic strips 135 and 136 that are aligned along the left and right sides 111 and 113 of the doorway 120 respectively and that are mounted on the plastic sheet wall 110. Corresponding left and right side magnetic strips 155 and 156 are aligned and mounted along left and right sides of the rollable door 150. As the rollable door 150 is unrolled from the roller 140, the magnetic strips 155 and 156 mounted on the rollable door 150 are attracted to and make an air-tight seal with the magnetic strips 135 and 136 mounted on the plastic sheet 110.

(10) The roller 140 is provided with a magnetic strip (not shown) extending along its length. The magnetic strip on the roller 140 makes an air-tight seal with a threshold magnetic strip 138 when the rollable door 150 is fully unrolled. The threshold magnetic strip 138 is connected to the plastic sheet wall 110 and extends horizontally across the bottom of the doorway 120.

(11) The roller door system 100 is further provided with a hydraulic power system which comprises left and right side collapsible hoses 165 and 166 mounted on the external surface of the rollable door 150 and aligned adjacent the left and right side magnetic strips of spring steel 155 and 156. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, these strips of spring steel 155 or 156 (see FIG. 1), or strips 255 or 256 of spring steel (see FIG. 2), may be rollable ribbons, functioning at least in part as springs. The left and right side collapsible hoses 165 and 166 are connected to a hydraulic pumping station 160 via a master hose 161 and a splitter 163. The pumping station 160 includes a hydraulic fluid reservoir and a pump. In this embodiment the hydraulic fluid is water.

(12) A rolled ribbon of spring steel (not shown), such that the spring is relaxed when it is fully rolled up, is inserted in each of collapsible hoses 165 and 166. The balance between the magnetic force exerted by the magnetic strips and the spring constant of the spring steel is carefully designed to ensure that the equilibrium state of the rollable door 150 is its rolled up, raised configuration, however, for safety reasons it is important to ensure that the rollable door 150 does not rewind too quickly when released from its unrolled, lowered configuration. Therefore, in the absence of any other forces acting upon the rollable door 150, the left and right side ribbons of spring steel will cause the rollable door 150 to roll up around the roller 140 moving the roller 140 to its raised position adjacent the top side 112 of the doorway 120, thereby maintaining an open doorway 120.

(13) FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show an alternative embodiment of a roller door system 200. Wall 210 made from a flexible plastic sheet material has an opening with a left side 211, a top side 212, and a right side 213 which together define a doorway 220. FIG. 2 also shows the external view of the roller door system.

(14) The roller door system 200 comprises a rollable door 250 and a roller 240, the roller 240 being attached to the bottom portion of the rollable door 250. A top portion 252 of the rollable door 250 is permanently or semi-permanently attached to the plastic sheet wall 210 along the top side 212 of the doorway 220. The rollable door 250 is wider than the doorway 220 and is arranged to overlap the left and right sides 211 and 213 of the doorway 220 on the outer surface of plastic sheet wall 210.

(15) The roller 240 is aligned horizontally across the doorway 220, and is used for rolling and unrolling the rollable door 250 about the roller 240 to respectively open and close the doorway 220. Since the top portion 252 of the rollable door is permanently attached to the plastic sheet wall 210 along the top side 212 of the doorway 220, rolling and unrolling the roller 240 causes it to be translated up and down the doorway 220 respectively.

(16) The roller door system 200 further comprises left and right side magnetic strips 235 and 236 that are aligned along the left and right sides 211 and 213 of the doorway 220 respectively and that are mounted on the plastic sheet wall 210. Corresponding left and right side magnetic strips 255 and 256 are aligned and mounted along left and right sides of the rollable door 250. As the rollable door 250 is unrolled from the roller 240, the magnetic strips 255 and 256 mounted on the rollable door 250 are attracted to and make an air-tight seal with the magnetic strips 235 and 236 mounted on the plastic sheet 210.

(17) The roller 240 is provided with a magnetic strip (not shown) extending along its length. The magnetic strip on the roller 240 makes an air-tight seal with a threshold magnetic strip 238 when the rollable door 250 is fully unrolled. The threshold magnetic strip 238 is connected to the plastic sheet wall 210 and extends horizontally across the bottom of the doorway 220.

(18) The roller door system 200 is further provided with a hydraulic power system which comprises left and right side collapsible hoses 265 and 266 mounted on the external surface of the rollable door 250 and aligned adjacent the left and right side magnetic strips of spring steel 255 and 256. The left and right side collapsible hoses 265 and 266 are connected to a hydraulic pumping station 260 via a master hose 261 and a splitter 263. The pumping station 260 includes a hydraulic fluid reservoir and a pump. In this embodiment the hydraulic fluid is water.

(19) A rolled ribbon of spring steel (not shown), such that the spring is relaxed when it is fully rolled up, is inserted in each of collapsible hoses 265 and 266. The balance between the magnetic force exerted by the magnetic strips and the spring constant of the spring steel is carefully designed to ensure that the equilibrium state of the rollable door 250 is its rolled up, raised configuration, however, for safety reasons it is important to ensure that the rollable door 250 does not rewind too quickly when released from its unrolled, lowered configuration. Therefore, in the absence of any other forces acting upon the rollable door 250, the left and right side ribbons of spring steel will cause the rollable door 250 to roll up around the roller 240 moving the roller 240 to its raised position adjacent the top side 212 of the doorway 220, thereby maintaining an open doorway 220.

(20) The roller 240 is provided with a tether such as an extension shaft 295, 296 and a toggle such as a roller bearing 285, 286 at each of its ends. The roller bearings 285, 286 are designed to cooperate with guide channels 275, 276 provided in the wall 210 parallel to the sides of the doorway. Roller bearings 285, 286 slide freely within the guide channels 275, 276 as the roller 240 moves up and down the doorway. This ensures that the door 250 remains correctly aligned with respect to the magnetic strips 235, 236 at all times. Furthermore, this tether system provides additional support and strength to the roller door which is particularly advantageous in situations in which an overpressure is maintained within the structure.

(21) FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the roller door system of the second embodiment (the pressurised fluid system not being shown).

(22) In use the rolling and unrolling of the door is controlled by how much water the pumping station 160, 260 pumps into the collapsible hoses 165, 265 and 166, 266. Pumping water into the collapsible hoses 165, 265 and 166, 266 overcomes the bias of the spring steel causing the rollable door 150, 250 to unroll and move the roller 140, 240 in a downwards direction across the doorway 120, 220. As the rollable door 150, 250 is unrolled from roller 140, 240 the magnetic strips 155, 255 and 156, 256 mounted on the rollable door 150, 250 are attracted to and make an air-tight seal with the magnetic strips 135, 235 and 136, 236 mounted on the flexible shelter wall 110, 210.

(23) The hydraulic pressure in the collapsible hoses can be maintained by means of a valve (not shown) in the hydraulic system. This means that the pump does not have to operate continuously once the door is closed. The valve is opened, thereby releasing the hydraulic pressure, when the door is about to be opened.

(24) When the pumping station 160, 260 pumps water out of the collapsible hoses 165, 265 and 166, 266 the bias of the spring steel causes the rollable door 150, 250 to roll up around the roller 140, 240, thereby separating the magnetic strips 135, 136 or 235, 236 and corresponding magnetic strips 155, 156 or 255, 256 from one another breaking the magnetic seals as it does so, and moving the roller 140, 240 to its raised position adjacent the top side 112, 212 of the doorway 120, 220, thereby opening the doorway 120, 220.

(25) When the doorway 120, 220 is closed by the rollable door 150, 250 and a person requires a fast exit from the shelter, the person may push against the rollable door 150, 250 to separate the magnetic strips 135, 136 or 235, 236 and corresponding magnetic strips 155, 156 or 255, 256 from one another, to open the doorway without raising the roller.

(26) Further embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims will also be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example although the door system has been described in relation to a temporary emergency shelter, the door system may also find use in other applications such as tent 500.