Locking device for a roller shutter

Abstract

 A locking device for a roller shutter comprises at least an expandable weather strip (32, 52) and inflation means (42) adapted to expand the weather strip (32, 52) in order to bring it into contact with a portion of the surface of the roller shutter (10) and to eliminate a play located between the roller shutter (10) and at least a slit (20, 26) of an opening (18) with respect to which the roller shutter (10) is slidably mounted. The roller shutter (10) is slidably mounted along a pair of guide rails (22) arranged at the flanks of said opening (18), each guide rail (22) being provided with at least a respective main inflatable weather strip (32) which communicates with said inflation means (42), and being susceptible to come into contact with an end portion of each of the slates (12) of the roller shutter (10) which faces said opening (18), in the expanded condition of said main weather strip (32).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a locking device for a roller shutter, of the type defined in the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Such a device is known from DE-196 521 66, and is associated with a box arranged above an opening which is formed in a wall, into which the roller shutter can be wound. The device includes an air compressor adapted to inflate an expandible tubular weather strip which extends parallel to the slates of the roller shutter and is received in an elongated recess arranged close to a lower slit of the box. The weather strip, in its expanded condition, interferes with the slates of the roller shutter by pushing one of them against a resilient weather strip arranged at the opposite side of the roller shutter so as to eliminate any play between the slate and the slit, in order to avoid that thermal dispersions between the box and the outside environment may occur and to reduce noises which could penetrate in the room provided with the roller shutter through the box.

[0003] The main object of the invention is to provide an improved locking device for a roller shutter, which allows to accomplish an highly effective protection toward external agents.

[0004] According to the invention, this object is reached by a locking device having the features set forth in claim 1.

[0005] By virtue of these features, the locking device of the invention allows that the seal of a roller shutter is considerably increased with respect to the external agents, in order to avoid the slates thereof may rattle in the guide rails, to guarantee an optimal seal with respect to bad weather and to appreciably limit thermal escapes and passage of external noises through the lateral edges of the roller shutter. Moreover, the device can be connected with an antitheft system in order to carry out an anti-intrusion alarm function.

[0006] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will turn out to be more clear by reading the following detailed description, which has been provided uniquely as a non-limitative example and is referred to the appended drawings, in which:

• figure 1 a schematic, perspective view of a locking device for a roller shutter according to the invention;
• figure 2 is an elevational view sectioned along line II-II of figure 1;
• figure 3 is a perspective view of the section shown in figure 2;
• figure 4 is a schematic elevational sectional view of the roller shutter of figure 1, from arrow IV;
• figure 5 is a schematic side elevational view sectioned along line V-V of figure 1;
• figures 6 and 7 are perspective views similar to figure 3, showing two operational conditions of a modification of the invention; and
• figures 8 and 9 are entire schematic perspective views showing possible configurations of the tubular weather strips of the device of the invention.

[0007] With initial reference to figures 1 to 5, a roller shutter or shuttering provided with a locking device according to the invention, is indicated in general by reference numeral 10.

[0008] The roller shutter 10, in a per-se known manner, comprises a plurality of transverse slates 12 articulated to each other, and a revolving drum 14 arranged above an opening 18 of a wall to which the roller shutter 10 is associated, in order to allow the roller shutter 10 to be wound in a control space 16 bounded by a so-called "box".

[0009] The roller shutter 10 can be moved in the plane of the opening 18 as a result of the rotation of the drum 14, preferably by means of an electrically controlled driving unit (not shown in the drawings). The movement of the roller shutter 10 takes place, in a per se known manner, through a top slit 20 formed close to a crosspiece 21 and interposed between the opening 18 and the control space 16 and, in the movement thereof, the roller shutter 10 is guided along a pair of lateral and parallel guide rails 22, arranged sideways with respect to the opening 18.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, each rail 22 is made by a substantially rigid profiled upright 24a, for example of metallic or plastic material, whose section defines an elongated lateral seat 26 limited by two opposed arms 28 and 29, inner and outer, respectively, in which the end portions of the slates 12 are slidably received with play.

[0011] The inner arm 28 is so shaped as to define a longitudinal groove 30 facing the slates 12 and in which an inflatable weather strip 32 is arranged, which faces a portion of the slates 12.

[0012] The weather strip 32 can be made by extruding an elastically deformable material, for example an elastomer, by fixing it in the groove 30 by fastening or bond joining, or, in the case in which the upright 24a is of plastic material, by making the weather strip 32 in a single piece with the upright 24a during a coextrusion moulding process.

[0013] In the back portion of the arm 28, at the groove 30, at least a through hole 36 is formed, in which a respective pipe 38 for feeding compressed air is inserted, which is connected through a feeding line 40 with inflation means consisting of a compressor unit 42, preferably arranged in a zone close to the control space 16, for access convenience. The compressor unit 42 may act during the inflation step of the weather strips 32 only, or may also contribute to the deflation thereof, in which case it will be driven in an manner opposite to the inflation step.

[0014] The outer arm 29 has a substantial rectilinear section and carries a complementary weather strip 44 shaped as a flat strip which is made by an elastically deformable material, and which is arranged in a position facing the slates 12 on the side opposite to the groove 30 and to the weather strip 32.

[0015] End-of-stroke sensors 46 are associated, for example, to the lower base of the opening 18, in order to sense when the fully closed position of the roller shutter 10 is reached. A rotation sensor 49 is associated to the drum 14 in order to sense its stationary condition. Both the end-of-stroke sensors 46 and the rotation sensor 49 are electrically connected with the compressor 42 and with an alarm system through a control unit of the roller shutter (not shown in the figures), as it will better clarified in the following of the description.

[0016] The device of the invention comprises also an auxiliary locking system for locking the top slit 20. With specific reference to figure 5 of the drawings, the auxiliary system comprises a profiled crosspiece 48 parallel to the slates 12 and fixed, for example, at the lower portion of the control space 16. The section of the crosspiece 48 is so shaped as to define a longitudinal groove 50 parallel to the slates 12, arranged in a position adjacent to the upper slit 20.

[0017] An auxiliary, inflatable, tubular weather strip 52 is arranged in the groove 50, said weather strip 52 being made in a manner analogous to that described above with reference to the weather strip 32, and communicating with the compressed air feeding line 40, and therefore with the compressor 42, through a respective pipe 30 inserted in a back hole 36 of the crosspiece 48.

[0018] In a position opposed to the crosspiece 48, still adjacent to the top slit 20, an elongated plate 54 is mounted, on which a complementary flat weather strip 56 of elastically deformable material is fixed, which is analogous to the weather strip 44 of the uprights 24a, so that it faces the groove 50, and therefore the weather strip 52.

[0019] Each of the inflatable weather strips 32 and 52 may be made by an independent rectilinear tubular element, so as to allow the selective inflation/deflation thereof by means of the compressor 42, or they may be made by a single weather strip consisting of a portal-shaped tubular element.

[0020] In operation of the device, feeding of electric power to the compressor unit 42 through the control unit of the roller shutter 10, allows to inflate the weather strips 32 and 52 in order that the respective expanded conditions shown by dashed lines in figures 2, 4 and 5 are reached, so that such weather strips are brought into contact with the surface of the roller shutter 10 facing thereof. In particular, the weather strips 32, in the expanded condition, come into contact with the surface of a plurality of end portions of the slates 12, while the inflation of the weather strip 52 brings it into contact with the surface of one slate 12 or two adjacent slates 12, according to the position of the roller shutter 10 with respect to the groove 50.

[0021] As a result of the inflation of the weather strips 32 and 52, corresponding portions of the surface of the slates 12.which face the outside of the roller shutter 10, come into contact with the respective elastic weather strips 44 and 56, so that the play which is usually located between the slates 12 and the guide rails 22 or the slit 20, is eliminated.

[0022] In particular, the expansion of the weather strips 32 allows to avoid the rattling of the slates 12 with respect to the rails 22, for example caused by the wind action, and to guarantee an optimal seal with respect to the water, that otherwise could penetrate in the opening 18 through the play usually located between the ends of the slates 12 and the rails 22. Moreover, the seal exerted by the weather strips 32 in the expanded condition, allows to considerably limit thermal escapes and that noises coming from the outer environment may pass through the flanks of the roller shutter 10.

[0023] The expansion of the weather strip 52, with the resulting elimination of the plaly between the slates 12 and the slit 20, has the function to eliminate thermal escapes and penetration of noises from outside through the control space of the box 16.

[0024] The inflation of the weather strips 32 and 52 may take place simultaneously by means of the compressor 42, when the sensors 46 sense that the roller shutter 10 has reached the completely closed, or end-of-stroke, position. In this case, the sensors 46 are able to send an authorization signal to the control unit of the roller shutter 10, for activating the compressor 42.

[0025] Should the weather strips 32 and 52 be inflated selectively, the sensors 46 act so as to signal to the control unit the attainment of the closed condition of the roller shutter, in order to activate the inflation of the weather strips 32 only, while the inflation step of the weather strip 52 can be started anytime on condition that the sensor 49 senses that the roller shutter 10 is stationary, so that the play of the slit 20 can be eliminated even if the roller shutter 10 is not completely closed.

[0026] Conveniently, the sensors 46 are connected with an alarm system in order to generate a warning signal in the event in which, when the weather strips 32 are in the expanded condition, a vertical movement of the roller shutter 10 is sensed, to signal a housebreaking attempt.

[0027] When the movement of the roller shutter 10 is controlled by means of an electrical drive unit, the control unit of the roller shutter 10 manages also the compressor unit 42 in order that it is slaved to the electrical drive unit through a synchronized control, so that the driving of the drive unit is allowed only if the inflatable weather strips are in the not-pressurized condition and are therefore spaced from the slates 12.

[0028] Conveniently, automatic valve means are associated to the weather strips 32 and 52, which are adapted to cause the deflation thereof as a result of the detection of the lack of electrical power feeding to the compressor unit 42, so as to allow a possible emergency manual drive of the roller shutter 10.

[0029] Figures 6 and 7, in which the same reference numerals of the previous figures have been used to indicate parts equal or similar to them, show a modification of the uprights of the device according to the invention, in two operational configurations. In particular, in the description of such figures, the elements different from those of the previous modification will be taken into consideration, while what is not explicitly described corresponds to what has been already described above.

[0030] In these figures, the guide rails of the roller shutter 10 consist of profiled uprights 24b having a symmetrical configuration with respect to the opening 18 to which the roller shutter 10 is associated with. The section of the uprights 24b defines again a lateral seat 26 in which the end portions of the slates 12 are slidably received with play, such a seat being limited by two opposed arms 28 and 29 each of which forms a longitudinal groove 30 facing the slates 12. Respective inflatable weather strips 32, fully analogous to the weather strip 32 of the upright 24a, and facing from opposite sides the slates 12, are arranged in both the grooves 30. While in figure 6 the weather strips 32 are shown in their deflated configuration and spaced from the slates 12, in figure 7 they are shown in the expanded configuration in which they contact the slates 12.

[0031] Through holes 36 are formed in both the opposite back portions of the arms 28 and 29, in which respective pipes 38 for feeding compressed air are inserted, which are connected to the compressor unit 42 through the same feeding line 40 in order to allow that the two weather strips 32 of the upright 24b can be inflated and deflated simultaneously.

[0032] When the device of the invention is provided with the uprights 24b, each being provided with the duble weather strips 32, a pair of profiled crosspieces 48 (not shown in such figures, since they are fully analogous to the crosspiece 48 of figure 5) are conveniently arranged at the top slit 20, both provided with a respective inflatable weather strip 52 and arranged at opposite sides with respect to the slates 12, so that also the weather strips 52 could be inflatewd and deflated simultaneously.

[0033] Of course, although all the inflatable weather strips 32 and 52 can be inflated and deflated simultaneously, it is also possible to provide for a selective type of inflation/deflation of the weather strips 32 and 52, such as described with reference to the previous modification.

[0034] In figures 8 and 9 two possible configurations are schematically shown, which provide for the use of both the weather strips 32 and the weather strips 52.

[0035] In the configuration of figure 8, the two opposed weather strips 32 of each lateral upright and the two opposed weather strips 52 of the upper crosspiece are formed by inflatable U-shaped elements, each of which has two parallel rectilinear branches. The two pairs of U elements defining the weather strips 32 of the uprights can be inflated together and in an independent manner with respect to the U element which constitutes the weather strips 52 of the crosspiece. In this case, the feeding line 40 connected to the compressor unit 42 comprises two branches 40a and 40b, which communicate to each other and are intended to feed a pressure to the weather strips 32 cumulatively, and an independent branch 40c only for feeding a pressure to the weather strips 52. As an alternative, each U-shaped element which defines the inflatable weather strips 32 or 52, can be replaced by an annular element so shaped as to encircle, in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction, respectively, the roller shutter 10.

[0036] In the configuration of figure 9, a pair of weather strips 32 with an interposed weather strip 52, constitute a portal-shaped inflatable tubular element, a pair of such portal elements being provided for on the outer side and on the inner side of the roller shutter 10, respectively. In this case, the weather strips 32 and 52 will be inflated and deflated simultaneously by means of the compressor unit 42 through the feeding line 40 which will be common to the two inflatable elements and which will comprise a fork connection in order to allow the two elements to be connected to each other.

Claims

1. Locking device for a roller shutter, comprising at least an expandable weather strip (32, 52) and inflation means (42) adapted to expand said weather strip (32, 52) in order to bring it into contact with a portion of the surface of the roller shutter (10), in order to eliminate a play located between the roller shutter (10) and at least a slit (20, 26) of an opening (18) with respect to which the roller shutter (10) is slidably mounted,
characterized in that the roller shutter (10) is slidably mounted along a pair of guide rails (22) arranged at the flanks of said opening (18), and in that each guide rail (22) is provided with at least a respective main inflatable weather strip (32) which communicates with said inflation means (42) and is susceptible to come into contact with an end portion of each of the slates (12) of the roller shutter (10) facing said opening (18), in the expanded condition of said main weather strip (32).

2. Locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that each guide rail (22) of the roller shutter (10) comprises a profiled upright (24a; 24b) which defines both a lateral sliding seat (26) of an end of the slates (12) of the roller shutter (10), and at least a longitudinal groove (30) facing the slates (12) of the roller shutter (10), and in which said main weather strip (32) is received so that it faces a portion of the surface of said slates (12) close to their ends.

3. Locking device according to claim 1, characterized in that said profiled upright (24a) is provided with a complementary elongated weather strip (44), which is made of an elastically deformable material and is arranged so as to face said longitudinal groove (30) in order to allow a sealed bearing of the surface of the slates (12) of the roller shutter (10) opposite to said groove (10), in the expanded condition of the main weather strip (32).

4. Locking device according to claim 2, characterized in that said profiled upright (24b) defines a pair of opposite longitudinal grooves (30) arranged at opposite sides with respect to said sliding seat (26), in which respective main weather strips (32), or respective branches of a main weather strip, are received at positions which mutually face the opposite surfaces of the slates (12) of the roller shutter (10).

5. Locking device according any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises sensing means (46) adapted to sense the closed condition of the roller shutter (10) with respect to said opening (18), which sense means (46) are provided for sending an authorization signal for activating said inflation means (42).

6. Locking device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said sensing means (46) for sensing the closed condition of the roller shutter (10) are adapted to cause the generation of an alarm signal as a result of a vertical movement of the roller shutter (10) while said main weather strip (32) is in the expanded condition, to signal a housebreaking attempt.

7. Locking device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises at least an auxiliary inflatable tubular weather strip (52) which communicates with said inflation means '(42) and is arranged parallel to the slates (12) of the roller shutter (10) in a position adjacent to a top slit (20) of the opening (18) to which the roller shutter (10) is associated, which auxiliary weather strip (52) is adapted to come into contact, in its expanded condition, with the front surface of at least a slate (12) of the roller shutter (10), in proximity of said top slit (20).

8. Locking device according to claim 7, characterized in that said auxiliary weather strip (52) is received in a longitudinal groove (50) of a profiled crosspiece (48) adjacent to said top slit (20), in a position facing the longitudinal surface of the slates (12) of the roller shutter (10) .

9. Locking device according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a complementary auxiliary weather strip (56) made of an elastically deformable material, which is opposed to the groove (50) of the profiled crosspiece (48), in order to allow a sealed bearing of the surface of at least a slate (12) of the roller shutter (10), in the expanded condition of said auxiliary weather strip (52).

10. Locking device according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a pair of profiled crosspieces (48) arranged at opposite sides of the roller shutter (10), which define longitudinal grooves (50) for receiving respective auxiliary tubular weather strips (52), or a pair of branches of an auxiliary tubular weather strip, at positions which mutually face and which are at opposite sides with respect to said slates (12).

11. Locking device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that it comprises sensor means (49) of the stationary condition of the roller shutter (10) and in that the inflation of said auxiliary weather strip (52) may take place as a result of the sensing of the stationary condition of the roller shutter (10) by means of said sensor means (49).

12. Locking device according to claim 2 or 8, characterized in that said main weather strips (32) and said auxiliary weather strip (52) are each constituted by an independent rectilinear tubular element.

13. Locking device according to claim 2 or 8, characterized in that said main weather strips (32) and said auxiliary weather strip (52) are part of a single portal-shaped tubular element arranged at least at one side of the roller shutter (10).

14. Locking device according to claim 4 or 10, characterized in that said main weather strips (32) and said auxiliary weather strip (52) are each constituted by a U-shaped tubular element having two branches arranged at opposite sides of the roller shutter (10).

15. Locking device according to claim 4 or 10, characterized in that said main weather strips (32) and said auxiliary weather strip (52) are each constituted by an annular tubular element encircling the roller shutter (10).

16. Locking device according to any one of claims 2 to 15, characterized in that each profiled section (24a; 24b; 48) for supporting said inflatable weather strips (32; 52) is made of plastic material, and in that said inflatable weather strips (32; 52) are made in a single piece with the respective profiled section (24a; 24b; 48) by means of a coextrusion moulding process.

17. Locking device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the movement of said roller shutter (10) is controlled by an electrical drive unit, and in that said inflation means (42) are slaved to the electrical drive unit through a synchronized control, so as to be driven only after that said driving unit has been driven.

18. Locking device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that automatic valve means are associated to said inflatable weather strips (24a; 24b; 48) in order to allow the deflation thereof in the case in which a lack of electrical power feeding to said inflation means (42) is detected.

Drawing