The invention concerns an apparatus for smoke evacuation to be used for the scavenging of smoke and heating from rooms of a building in case of fire.
It is known that the present safety rules prescribe that the building must be provided of a suitable apparatus for smoke and heating evacuation which in case of fire automatically starts so to convey outside, the products of combustion avoiding that these could expand inside the building.
Such apparatus for smoke evacuation consists substantially of a cover that through one or more hinges is connected to a base which defines an opening made in the building structure, that connect one or more rooms with the external environment.
The cover is mechanically connected with moving means suited to opening and closing it by rotation around said one or more hinges that connect it to the frame. In particular said moving means consist of a linkwork and of a pneumatic cylinder that is fed by an inert gas, preferably CO2, when proper sensors detect an increase of temperature over the prefixed limit or the presence of smokes in the environment.
Said safety rules define even that the apparatus for smoke evacuation has to be provided with hooking elements that lock the cover in a firm way when it arrives at the maximum opening position, to avoid that it could be accidentally closed again.
DE-U-83.02.361 discloses an apparatus belonging to the known technique, which is provided with mechanical means that prevent the closure of the cover acting on the pneumatic cylinder. Such executive systems, even if are subtancially of effective functioning, are not, by the way, approved by the present rules which at all exclude that safety means, such the one avoiding the accidental closure of the cover, act on the pneumatic cylinder responsible of the functioning of the system. Consequently such apparatus for smoke evacuation, having such devices, are not to be considered within the rules.
Other apparatus are provided with mechanical means which firmly block the cover when is at the maximum opening position, constraining it to the base or to the building structure.
Such apparatus for smoke evacuation results according to law because the possibility of an accidental closure of the cover is excluded being necessary that an operator physically intervenes to close it, as to remove the mechanical means that block it.
It is evident that, according to what it has been said, the apparatus for smoke evacuation belonging to the known technique not being opened and closed in an easy and rapid way by a remote control, cannot be used as aerator.
In order that an apparatus for smoke evacuation can be remote opened and closed, it is mandatory that it has to be provided of suitable means that before the starting of the closure of the cover, provide of remote removal of the mechanical lock that block the cover in the maximum opening position.
The purpose of the present invention is to realize an apparatus for smoke evacuation which is provided of devices for the remote removal of the mechanical lock which avoid the accidental closure of the cover when it is at the maximum opening position.
Said purpose is obtained with the realization of an apparatus for smoke evacuation which according to the main claim comprises:
According to a preferred embodiment, the cover of the apparatus consists of a metallic frame, jointed to a counter-frame secured to said base, which supports a small transparent cupola suited to allow the radiance inside the room.
The release device and the means for the movement of the cover are both remote acting by control means.
Advantageously, as the mechanical lock of the cover in the maximum opening position is remote removable, the apparatus can be used even as aerator to provide the air changes.
The mentioned purposes and advantages will be better evidenced during the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention given as an indication but not as a restriction and represented in the enclosed drawings wherein:
As it can be observed in fig. 1 the apparatus for smoke evacuation according to the invention, indicated as a whole with 1, comprises:
Concerning the movement for the opening and closing of said cover 4, the moving means, indicated as a whole with 6, comprise an articulate joint 160 composed by a plurality of pair of rods placed side by side, two by two and a pneumatic actuator, indicated as a whole with 260, where said articulate joint and said pneumatic actuator are connected one another and are located between said counter-frame 120, said base 2 an said cover 4. Particularly as it can be observed in figs from 2 to 5, said articulate joint 160 comprises:
As it can be observed in fig. 2, when the cover is closed, it is locked on the base 2 through the already mentioned hooking means 7 which, as it can be observed in figs 12, 13 and 14, comprise a pair of beaks 71 connected to the extremities of a rod 72 positioned in transversal way on the cover 4, each of them hooks a reference striker 78 which belongs to the counter-frame 140. The rod 72 is supported by a pair of supports having extremity 73 and is provided of a protruding element 74 displaced in a substantially central position. Said protruding element 74, through a tie rod 75, is connected with a lever 76 having a fulcrum connection with a support 77 secured to the crosspiece 42 of the cover and also is connected with the extremity 262 of the stem 263 of the actuator 260.
Concerning the pneumatic cylinder 260, by observing fig. 1 and 8 it can be noticed that the feeding way 461 of its positive chamber is connected through a first piping 269 to a first manifold 264 while the feeding way 561 of its negative chamber is connected through a second piping 369 to a second manifold 364. Said manifolds 264 and 364 through fast connections, respectively 268 and 368 are connected to a distribution center, not represented in the drawings, that through first distribution means, which are not represented in the drawings is fed with CO2 under pressure.
In case of fire, special sensors displaced in the rooms intervene on said distribution means to permit the CO2 flow in the first distributor 269 that through said first piping 264 and through the way 461, feed the positive chamber of the pneumatic cylinder 260 causing the exit of the stem 263 and so the opening of the cover 4. In fact, as soon as the stem begin moving, its end 262 through the lever 76, the tie rod 75 and the rod 72, release the beaks 71 from the reference striker 78 and begins the lifting of the cover 4 supported by the thrust of the articulate joint 160.
The thrust of the pneumatic cylinder and the anti-clockwise rotation 161 of the articulate joint 160, brings the cover to assume all the positions represented in figs 2, 3 and 4 till reaching the maximum opening position, represented in fig. 5, where the mechanical lock intervenes, as indicated as a whole with 8, which blocks the cover in the reached position.
In particular, it can be observed in figs 7, 8 and 9 that such a mechanical lock 8 comprises a rod 81 having a connection fulcrum in correspondence to the extremity 83 with the crosspiece 42 of the cover through a pin 82. The opposite extremity 84 of the rod 81, on the contrary, is free and when the cover is in the total opening position, as it can be observed in fig. 7, it goes in contrast by dropping against a stopping element 85 secured to the base 2. More precisely, said stopping element is the fork 85 to which it is secured the extremity 91 of a shock absorber 9 which opposite extremity 92 has a fulcrum connection with said first rods 360 through a pin 93.
It is to be understood that the mechanical lock 8 avoids the cover rotation 4 around the hinges 5 and so it avoids its accidental closing as foreseen by the safety rules.
In order to be able to open and close repeatedly the apparatus from a remote side with the aim to use it as common aerator, it is necessary that the mechanic lock 8 can be remote removed and the pneumatic cylinder 260 can be even fed by compressed air as well as CO2.
For such purpose the same distribution system to which said manifolds 264 and 364 are connected through second distribution means not represented in the drawings, is fed even by a distribution system of compressed air.
The extremity 84 of the rod 81 presents an appendix 86, having a L shape and visible with more details in figs 8, 9 and 10, against which at least one locking device 150 co-operates and which comprises an actuator 100, secured to the base 2, provided of a stem 101 which co-operates with said appendix 86. More precisely said actuator 100, as it can be observed, is fed by a piping 102 derived by a manifold 364 which feeds the actuator 260.
When an operator wants to open the cover of the apparatus, he acts on a control device, for example a switch, which is turned off. In such a way he acts said second distribution means which feed with compressed air the feeding circuit of the pneumatic cylinder 260 allowing the exit of the stem 263 which causes the cover opening 4.
Therefore, the operator carries out, through a manual remote control and using pressurized air, the same opening control of the cover which in the case of fire is performed automatically feeding the pneumatic cylinder 260 with CO2. For the closure of the cover 4, the operator turn on the switch which is the control device and in this way the first manifold 264 is in discharge position and in the same time the second manifold 364 is fed with pressurized air. The compressed air which flows in the second manifold 364, feeds first the actuator 100 because it is disposed in a position very near to the manifold 364. Furthermore, as said actuator 100 presents a very lower volume than the actuator 260 which moves the cover, the compressed air, before feeding the negative chamber of the pneumatic cylinder 260, instantaneously fills the cylinder 100 and this causes the coming out of the stem 101. The last one contrasts against the appendix 86 of the lever 81 and, as it can be observed in fig 10, turn it round a pin 82 so to release it from the contrasting mean 85 before the pneumatic cylinder 260 begins the closing action of the cover 4. Therefore, the compressed air feeds the pneumatic cylinder 260 and begins the driving action on the stem 263 causing the clockwise rotation 162 of the cover 4, supported by the action of the articulate joint 160, till to a total closing of the cover which returns in the position, visible in fig. 2, with the beaks 71 hooking the reference striker 78. During the closing, the rotation of the cover is slowed down by the shock absorber 9.
Considering what has been said, it is easy to understand that the apparatus of the invention reaches the prefixed purpose.
It has been examined in particular that the mechanical lock which blocks the cover in the maximum opening position can be removed by a manual remote control under the action of an operator. With a similar remote control, the same cover can be even opened again and such operations can be repeatedly performed.
Therefore such manual operations of opening and closing are supplementary to the peculiar capacities of the apparatus, as to say, to open automatically the cover in case of fire and so the apparatus according to the invention can be also used as aerator in addition to the use as an apparatus for smoke and heat evacuation in case of fire. Advantageously, the possibility of using the apparatus even as an aerator and so opening and closing it frequently, allows to discover irregular functioning. In this way, it is possible to avoid that hidden breaking, not revealable unless the cover is opened and closed, prevent the opening of the cover when it should request the automatic opening in case of fire.
Advantageously a transparent cupola 45 which allows the entrance of the light in the room is applied to the frame 140 of the cover 4. It can be observed that the articulate joint 160, differently from the articulate joints present in the known apparatus which substantially consist of an articulate triangle, consists of a plurality of rods connected among them which are co-opering among the cover, the frame and the base to which they are connected. This enables to realize on the cover more powerful actions than those of known apparatus having equal dimensions.
It is evident that during the manufacturing the apparatus according to the invention can be realized with whichever shape and dimension and can be even equipped with transparent cupola having whichever form.
A further embodiment could consist of the cover being provided with a flat and not transparent closing surface.
In different embodiments the apparatus for smoke evacuation can present more than one actuator which perform the opening and closing of the cover or it can be provided with moving means of the cover which even realizing the same constructive geometry consist of a different number of rods.
Furthermore, in different embodiments, different hinges and hooking means which block the cover in a closing position can be variously performed.
Concerning the pneumatic circuit and so the piping, the unions and in general all the connections of the pneumatic cylinder to the CO2 system and to the compressed air system, belonging to the known technique, will be performed according to ideas and shapes different from the ones described.
Even the mechanical lock which blocks the cover in the maximum opening position can be realized in a different way from the one described.