EP1686226A1 - Overhead door structure - Google Patents
Overhead door structure Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1686226A1 EP1686226A1 EP05001914A EP05001914A EP1686226A1 EP 1686226 A1 EP1686226 A1 EP 1686226A1 EP 05001914 A EP05001914 A EP 05001914A EP 05001914 A EP05001914 A EP 05001914A EP 1686226 A1 EP1686226 A1 EP 1686226A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- overhead door
- door
- overhead
- fixed frame
- upper portion
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000010008 shearing Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000006378 damage Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 208000027418 Wounds and injury Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 230000002860 competitive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002131 composite material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000013016 damping Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 208000014674 injury Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 230000007257 malfunction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002441 reversible effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05D—HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS
- E05D15/00—Suspension arrangements for wings
- E05D15/40—Suspension arrangements for wings supported on arms movable in vertical planes
- E05D15/44—Suspension arrangements for wings supported on arms movable in vertical planes with pivoted arms and vertically-sliding guides
- E05D15/445—Suspension arrangements for wings supported on arms movable in vertical planes with pivoted arms and vertically-sliding guides specially adapted for overhead wings
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05D—HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS
- E05D13/00—Accessories for sliding or lifting wings, e.g. pulleys, safety catches
- E05D13/10—Counterbalance devices
- E05D13/14—Counterbalance devices with weights
- E05D13/145—Counterbalance devices with weights specially adapted for overhead wings
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05F—DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION; CHECKS FOR WINGS; WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING
- E05F15/00—Power-operated mechanisms for wings
- E05F15/40—Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05F—DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION; CHECKS FOR WINGS; WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING
- E05F15/00—Power-operated mechanisms for wings
- E05F15/60—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators
- E05F15/603—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors
- E05F15/665—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for vertically-sliding wings
- E05F15/668—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for vertically-sliding wings for overhead wings
- E05F15/681—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for vertically-sliding wings for overhead wings operated by flexible elongated pulling elements, e.g. belts
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
- E05Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF
- E05Y2900/00—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof
- E05Y2900/10—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for buildings or parts thereof
- E05Y2900/106—Application of doors, windows, wings or fittings thereof for buildings or parts thereof for garages
Definitions
- the present invention relates an overhead door structure.
- motorized overhead doors have been known to present a danger to people and/or things.
- a first dangerous situation occurs when a person accidentally laterally insert its arm or hand between the rotation rod and the door being closed, because the rotation rod, being rigid, act as a scissors, eventually shearing the arm or hand.
- a second dangerous situation occurs when people and/or things, especially young children, are in the vicinity of the door while it is being closed because they may be subject to possible injury by the impact of the weight of the door in its downwards travel.
- One type of commercially available safety device provides a sensor, which trigger or interrupt the circuitry which power the door to remove the power and therefore arrest the door in its downwards travel in the event an obstacle, such as people and/or things, is in the path of the door while it is closing.
- the above mentioned solution is not completely satisfactory, a drawback thereof being the delay time between the sensing of the obstacle in the path of the closing door and the cutting off of the power to the drive member, e.g. a motor.
- the drive member e.g. a motor.
- the worst case of a malfunction of the sensor it can happen that the overhead door does not arrest its downwards travel with consequent heavy impact and damages to people and/or things.
- the main object of the present invention is to provide an overhead door structure provided with a safety device such that the overhead door yieldingly abut against a possible obstacle to be found in the path of the door while being closed.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide an overhead door structure that is easy and reliable in operation and can be manufactured at competitive production cost.
- an overhead door structure including a fixed frame to be secured in a door opening, two lateral vertical guides formed in fixed frame, an overhead door slidingly constrained to lateral guides at a lower portion thereof and provided with articulation means to fixed frame at an upper portion thereof, and drive means arranged to actuate the overhead door between a closed position in which said overhead door fully close said door opening and an opening position in which the overhead door clears said door opening and is positioned at an upper portion of, and transversely to, said fixed frame, characterized in that articulation means comprises at least one flexible connecting member having one end thereof secured to said frame and its other end secured to an upper portion of said overhead, whereby said overhead door yieldingly abuts against a possible obstacle to be found in the path of said overhead door while being closed.
- a prior art overhead door structure comprises a fixed frame 10 including two vertical uprights 20 formed with respective fixed vertical guides 30 along which a respective pin or roller 40 secured to a lower portion of an overhead door 50 can slide.
- each vertical upright 20 carries a bracket 60 bearing a rotatable pulley 70 around which a respective cable 80 carrying a respective counterweight 90 can turn.
- the other end of the cable 80 is anchored to an intermediate portion of a respective side of the overhead door 50.
- an articulation rod 110 is provided, having one end thereof pivoted to a pin 120 projecting from an upper portion of the fixed frame 10 and its other end articulated to a pin 130 at an upper portion of the overhead door 50.
- the overhead door 50 at its upper portion is laterally constrained by the articulation rod 110, whereas at its lower portion by means of pin or roller 40 it is slidably movable along fixed vertical guides 30.
- the overhead door 50 can thus be raised to its open overhead position and lowered to its closed position either by an operator acting manually onto the overhead door or by an actuation or drive means, e.g. a reversible electric motor, for the pulleys 70, i.e. for each cable 80 acting at an intermediate side portion of the overhead door 50.
- An overhead door structure 1 as shown in Figures 2 and 3 comprises two vertical uprights 2 having a respective vertical guide 3 along which a pin or roller 4 projecting from a lower portion of an overhead door 5 can slide.
- Each vertical upright 2 carries at the top thereof a bracket 6 on which a pulley 7 is mounted for rotation.
- a cable 8 turns around each pulley 7, one end of each cable carrying a respective weight 9, whereas its other end is secured to an intermediate side portion, e. g. a projecting pin 10, of overhead door 5.
- a flexible connecting member 11, e.g. one or two cables, preferably metal cables, one or two chains, or a linkage system, has one end thereof anchored to an upper portion, e.g.
- the overhead door 5 is constrained by the flexible connecting member 11 at its upper portion, by means of a pin or roller 4 sliding along a respective vertical guide 3 at its lower portion, and by one end of a cable 8 carrying the counterweight 9 at its intermediate portion.
- Figures 2 and 3 show the closing or lowering movement of a motorized overhead door structure according to the invention and the event in which an obstacle O (see Fig. 3) is found in the path of the overhead door 5.
- the overhead door 5 Upon abutting against obstacle O the overhead door 5 can yield backwards and upwards while damping the impact between obstacle O and overhead door 5 by carrying out a composite rotational and displacement movement as illustrated by arrows R and D in Fig. 3, backwards rotational movement (arrow R) being allowed by flexible connecting member 11, whereas upwards displacement movement (arrow D) is carried out by pins or rollers 4 sliding along their respective vertical guides 3.
- the zones B are no longer dangerous, since, in the event an obstacle, e.g. an arm or an hand, is present in zone B, when the overhead door, during its lowering movement, abuts against such an obstacle, the flexible connecting member 11 yields backwards, thereby preventing any shearing effect.
- an obstacle e.g. an arm or an hand
- sensor means e.g. a micro or proximity switch, is provided which is arranged to detect such an upwards movement of the overhead door and stop or preferably invert the rotation of the motor.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Operating, Guiding And Securing Of Roll- Type Closing Members (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates an overhead door structure.
- The use of both manually handled and motorized overhead door, e.g. garage overhead doors, is well known in the art. These overhead doors are laterally guided along vertical guides and are counterweighed by means of lateral cables loaded with a weight or by a spring and turning around a respective pulley. The lifting and lowering (opening and closing) of such doors occurs by means of rigid rotation rods having one end linked to one side of the door and the other end pivoted to a fixed bracket projecting from the lintel of the opening in which the overhead door is mounted, such a bracket also bearing a pulley around which one of the cables turns.
- In particular, motorized overhead doors have been known to present a danger to people and/or things. There are at least two dangerous situations which occur during a downwards or closing travel of a motorized overhead door in the event there is an obstacle in the path of the door being closed. A first dangerous situation occurs when a person accidentally laterally insert its arm or hand between the rotation rod and the door being closed, because the rotation rod, being rigid, act as a scissors, eventually shearing the arm or hand. A second dangerous situation occurs when people and/or things, especially young children, are in the vicinity of the door while it is being closed because they may be subject to possible injury by the impact of the weight of the door in its downwards travel.
- One type of commercially available safety device provides a sensor, which trigger or interrupt the circuitry which power the door to remove the power and therefore arrest the door in its downwards travel in the event an obstacle, such as people and/or things, is in the path of the door while it is closing. The above mentioned solution is not completely satisfactory, a drawback thereof being the delay time between the sensing of the obstacle in the path of the closing door and the cutting off of the power to the drive member, e.g. a motor. Also, it has been found that due to inertia and weight of the door, even if the powering mechanism is de-energized, the door will continue its downwards travel for a short distance. Moreover, in the worst case of a malfunction of the sensor, it can happen that the overhead door does not arrest its downwards travel with consequent heavy impact and damages to people and/or things.
- The main object of the present invention is to provide an overhead door structure provided with a safety device such that the overhead door yieldingly abut against a possible obstacle to be found in the path of the door while being closed.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide an overhead door structure that is easy and reliable in operation and can be manufactured at competitive production cost.
- These and other objects which will better appear below are achieved by an overhead door structure including a fixed frame to be secured in a door opening, two lateral vertical guides formed in fixed frame, an overhead door slidingly constrained to lateral guides at a lower portion thereof and provided with articulation means to fixed frame at an upper portion thereof, and drive means arranged to actuate the overhead door between a closed position in which said overhead door fully close said door opening and an opening position in which the overhead door clears said door opening and is positioned at an upper portion of, and transversely to, said fixed frame, characterized in that articulation means comprises at least one flexible connecting member having one end thereof secured to said frame and its other end secured to an upper portion of said overhead, whereby said overhead door yieldingly abuts against a possible obstacle to be found in the path of said overhead door while being closed.
- Further features and advantages of the overhead door according to the present invention will better appear from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting example of carrying out the invention, with references to the accompanying drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 shows a side view of an embodiment of an overhead door structure according to the prior art;
- Figure 2 illustrates a diagrammatic side view of an overhead door structure according to the present invention during a downwards travel of the door, with a flexible connecting member in its working tight position; and
- Figure 3 illustrates a diagrammatic side view of an overhead door according to the present invention during a downwards travel of the door, with a flexible connecting member in its flexed position.
- In the accompanying drawings the same or similar parts or components are indicated with the same reference numerals. The following description is made with reference to one side only of the door, but it should be understood that the same applies to the other side of the door.
- With reference to Figure 1, a prior art overhead door structure comprises a
fixed frame 10 including twovertical uprights 20 formed with respective fixedvertical guides 30 along which a respective pin orroller 40 secured to a lower portion of anoverhead door 50 can slide. At its top each vertical upright 20 carries abracket 60 bearing arotatable pulley 70 around which arespective cable 80 carrying arespective counterweight 90 can turn. The other end of thecable 80 is anchored to an intermediate portion of a respective side of theoverhead door 50. Moreover, anarticulation rod 110 is provided, having one end thereof pivoted to apin 120 projecting from an upper portion of the fixedframe 10 and its other end articulated to apin 130 at an upper portion of theoverhead door 50. Thus, theoverhead door 50 at its upper portion is laterally constrained by thearticulation rod 110, whereas at its lower portion by means of pin orroller 40 it is slidably movable along fixedvertical guides 30. Theoverhead door 50 can thus be raised to its open overhead position and lowered to its closed position either by an operator acting manually onto the overhead door or by an actuation or drive means, e.g. a reversible electric motor, for thepulleys 70, i.e. for eachcable 80 acting at an intermediate side portion of theoverhead door 50. - With an overhead door structure according to the prior art, should an obstacle, such as a person, accidentally be located in the vicinity of the threshold of the overhead door opening (see zone A) while the overhead door is being closed, i.e. lowered to its closed position, it is liable to be injured by the impact of the
overhead door 50 abutting against it. Moreover, if a person accidentally laterally inserts his/her arm or hand into the space between thearticulation rod 110 and theoverhead door 50 while being closed (see zone B), therigid articulation rod 110 will act as a shearing blade with undesirable consequences. - An
overhead door structure 1 according to the present invention as shown in Figures 2 and 3 comprises twovertical uprights 2 having a respectivevertical guide 3 along which a pin orroller 4 projecting from a lower portion of anoverhead door 5 can slide. Each vertical upright 2 carries at the top thereof abracket 6 on which apulley 7 is mounted for rotation. Acable 8 turns around eachpulley 7, one end of each cable carrying arespective weight 9, whereas its other end is secured to an intermediate side portion, e. g. a projectingpin 10, ofoverhead door 5. A flexible connectingmember 11, e.g. one or two cables, preferably metal cables, one or two chains, or a linkage system, has one end thereof anchored to an upper portion, e.g. apin 12, of thefixed frame 1 and its other end fixed, e.g. by means of a respectivelateral pin 13, to an upper portion of theoverhead door 5. Thus, theoverhead door 5 is constrained by the flexible connectingmember 11 at its upper portion, by means of a pin orroller 4 sliding along a respectivevertical guide 3 at its lower portion, and by one end of acable 8 carrying thecounterweight 9 at its intermediate portion. - Figures 2 and 3 show the closing or lowering movement of a motorized overhead door structure according to the invention and the event in which an obstacle O (see Fig. 3) is found in the path of the
overhead door 5. - Upon abutting against obstacle O the
overhead door 5 can yield backwards and upwards while damping the impact between obstacle O andoverhead door 5 by carrying out a composite rotational and displacement movement as illustrated by arrows R and D in Fig. 3, backwards rotational movement (arrow R) being allowed by flexible connectingmember 11, whereas upwards displacement movement (arrow D) is carried out by pins orrollers 4 sliding along their respectivevertical guides 3. - As shown in the Figures, the zones B are no longer dangerous, since, in the event an obstacle, e.g. an arm or an hand, is present in zone B, when the overhead door, during its lowering movement, abuts against such an obstacle, the flexible connecting
member 11 yields backwards, thereby preventing any shearing effect. - Advantageously, sensor means, e.g. a micro or proximity switch, is provided which is arranged to detect such an upwards movement of the overhead door and stop or preferably invert the rotation of the motor.
- The invention as described above is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations within the scope as defined by the claims.
Claims (5)
- An overhead door structure including a fixed frame (1) to be secured in a door opening, two lateral vertical guides (3) formed in said fixed frame (1), an overhead door (5) slidingly constrained to said lateral guides (3) at a lower portion thereof and provided with articulation means to said fixed frame (1) at an upper portion thereof, and drive means arranged to actuate said overhead door (5) between a closed position in which said overhead door (5) fully close said door opening and an opening position in which said overhead door (5) clears said door opening and is positioned at an upper portion of, and transversely to, said fixed frame (1),
characterized in that said articulation means comprises at least one flexible connecting member (11) having one end (12) thereof secured to said frame (1) and its other end (13) secured to an upper portion of said overhead door (5), whereby said overhead door (5) yieldingly abuts against a possible obstacle (O) to be found in the path of said overhead door (5) while being closed. - An overhead door structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said at least one flexible connecting member (11) comprises at least one metal cable.
- An overhead door structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said at least one flexible connecting member (11) comprises at least one chain.
- An overhead door structure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said flexible connecting member (11) comprises at least one linkage system.
- An overhead door structure as claimed in any previous claim, further comprising actuating means for said sensor means arranged to detect any upwards movement of said overhead door (5) and to control said drive means.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP05001914A EP1686226A1 (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2005-01-31 | Overhead door structure |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP05001914A EP1686226A1 (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2005-01-31 | Overhead door structure |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1686226A1 true EP1686226A1 (en) | 2006-08-02 |
Family
ID=34933518
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP05001914A Withdrawn EP1686226A1 (en) | 2005-01-31 | 2005-01-31 | Overhead door structure |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP1686226A1 (en) |
Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR733460A (en) * | 1932-01-30 | 1932-10-06 | Advanced overhead door system | |
US2929623A (en) * | 1956-06-18 | 1960-03-22 | Dalton Foundries Inc | Door operating mechanism |
-
2005
- 2005-01-31 EP EP05001914A patent/EP1686226A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR733460A (en) * | 1932-01-30 | 1932-10-06 | Advanced overhead door system | |
US2929623A (en) * | 1956-06-18 | 1960-03-22 | Dalton Foundries Inc | Door operating mechanism |
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17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20070130 |
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AKX | Designation fees paid |
Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR |
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Effective date: 20080208 |
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STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
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18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 20080619 |