ROLL-UP SMOKE CURTAIN

Abstract

 A subject of the invention is a roll-up smoke curtain that is one of fire protections which is particularly applicable to multi-storey buildings, especially to buildings with an inner courtyard.
A roll-up smoke curtain with a flexible coat that is fastened with its upper border to a horizontal winding shaft fixed with its ends to rotational mountings that are bearing-mounted in permanent supports, characterised in that at least one of the rotational mountings (3) of the winding shaft (2) is equipped with a mechanism (10, 10a) to interlock its rotational motion, that is connected to an interlock release (16, 17) mounted on a permanent support (4) of the mounting (3).

Description

[0001] A subject of the invention is a roll-up smoke curtain that is one of fire protections which is particularly applicable to multi-storey buildings, especially to buildings with an inner courtyard.

[0002] A roll-up smoke curtain fastened with its upper border to a horizontal winding shaft is commonly known. Ends of this shaft are fixed in rotational mountings that are bearing-mounted in permanent supports. At least one of the mountings is driven by a motoreducer with a tubular motor. Suchlike curtains are mounted on individual levels of a multi-storey building with a substantially empty central space that is limited by an inner courtyard below and closed from above with a building roof wherein a smoke extraction system is installed. The curtains are situated in locations where, in case of fire, they can shut off smoke penetration from the central space of the building into its storeys not involved in fire. If fire and smoke occurs on any building storey, then all smoke curtains located on storeys situated higher are dropped by the action of smoke detectors installed in the building. The curtains mounted on the storey involved in fire are not dropped then to allow free smoke escape to the central building space. In practice, such a solution is fallible in cases when curtain shaft drives are made of elements of low thermal resistance, for example of aluminium or plastics. Under the action of high temperature, these elements fuse or burn and, as the result, the curtains with damaged drives roll out automatically, drop and break smoke efflux from the storey involved in fire. Such a situation is inadmissible as smoke is health and life threatening in case of people staying in a fire zone and it should be removed quickly and effectively.

[0003] A purpose of the invention is to develop a smoke curtain protected against uncontrolled unrolling and lowering under the influence of fire in the building involved in fire.

[0004] A roll-up smoke curtain according to the invention has a flexible coat fastened with its upper border to a horizontal winding shaft fixed with its ends to rotational mountings that are bearing-mounted in permanent supports. According to the invention, the curtain is characterized in that at least one of the rotational mountings of the winding shaft is equipped with a mechanical interlock of its rotational motion, that is connected to an interlock release mounted on a permanent mounting support. In a basic embodiment of the invention, the roll-up curtain has a single interlock of rotational motion of the winding shaft that is created in one of its rotational mountings. If necessary, the roll-up curtain has two interlocks of rotational motion of the winding shaft that are created in its both rotational mountings. In a preferable embodiment of the invention, the interlock of rotational motion of the winding shaft is a ratchet mechanism that consists of a gear wheel connected to the rotational mounting and a rocking ratchet lever with a ratchet projection engaging with the gear wheel of the rotational mounting under pressure of a spring. One of the ratchet lever ends is connected pivotally to the permanent support and, in addition, the ratchet lever has a connection with a rocking arm of an interlock release. Preferably, a free end of the ratchet lever has a connection with the permanent support through a tension spring. To maintain the ratchet mechanism in a disconnected condition, the rocking arm of the interlock release is connected to the central sector of the ratchet lever by means of a lateral connector, preferably in shape of a flexible string. In another embodiment of the invention, the interlock of rotational motion of the winding shaft is a friction mechanism that consists of a friction disc fixed on the rotational mounting of the winding shaft and friction jaws pressed against this disc with springs, the friction jaws being connected to the rocking arm of the interlock release by means of strings. The winding shaft interlock release is the best-known fuse-link or the known electromagnetic lock.

[0005] Thanks to the solution according the invention, the roll-up smoke curtain is protected effectively against unforeseen rolling off the winding shaft and lowering.

[0006] The subject of the invention is shown as an embodiment in the drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a front view of the roll-up smoke curtain in unrolled condition, Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the curtain according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section of the curtain with one interlock, Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the curtain with two interlocks, Fig. 5 is an enlarged front view of the ratchet mechanism of the winding shaft motion interlock, Fig. 6 is an enlarged front view of the friction mechanism of the winding shaft motion interlock.

[0007] A roll-up smoke curtain according to the invention has a flexible coat 1 of a fireproof material fastened with its upper border to a horizontal winding shaft 2 fixed with its ends to rotational mountings 3 that are bearing-mounted in permanent supports 4. One of the mountings 3 is equipped with a drive in shape of a motoreducer 5 with a tubular motor. The unrolled coat 1 of the curtain shades a communication opening 8 in a building wall 7, side borders 6 of the coat 1 being close to this opening borders. An oblong weight 9 that supports unrolling and lowering the coat 1 is mounted on its bottom border. As shown in Fig. 3, the curtain has a single interlock 10, 10a of rotational motion of the winding shaft 2, in shape of the ratchet mechanism 10 or the friction mechanism 10a that is created in one of its rotational mountings 3. According to Fig. 4, the curtain is equipped with two interlocks 10, 10a of rotational motion of the winding shaft 2, in shape of the ratchet mechanism 10 or the friction mechanism 10a that is created in both of its rotational mountings 3. The ratchet mechanism 10 consists of a gear wheel 11 that is connected permanently to the rotational mounting 3 of the shaft 2 and a rocking ratchet lever 12 with a ratchet projection 13 engaging with the gear wheel 11 under pressure of a tension spring 14. One of the ends 12a of the ratchet lever 12 is connected pivotally to the permanent support 4 while a free end 12b of this lever has a connection with the permanent support 4 through a tension spring 14. In addition, the ratchet lever 12 has a connection with a rocking arm 15 of the interlock release of the shaft 2, in shape of a fuse-link 16 or an electromagnetic lock 17. The rocking arm 15 of the known fuse-link 16 or the known lock 17 is connected to the central sector of the ratchet lever 12 by means of a lateral connector in shape of a flexible string 18. According to Fig. 6, the interlock of rotational motion of the winding shaft 2 has a shape of the friction mechanism 10a that consists of a friction disc 19 fixed on the rotational mounting 3 of the shaft 2 and friction jaws 20 pressed against this disc with compression springs 21. The friction jaws 20 are connected by means of a pair of strings 18a with the rocking arm 15 of the interlock release of the shaft 2 in shape of the fuse-link 16 or the electromagnetic lock 17, the strings 18a girding the support rollers 22.

[0008] After operation of the ratchet mechanism 10 as a result of release of the interlock release in shape of the fuse-link 16 or the lock 17, the rocking arm 15 of the release leans out down under the action of the spring 14 and causes engagement of the projection 13 of the ratchet lever 12 with the gear wheel 11 of the mounting 3 of the winding shaft 2. In effect, the shaft 2 is immobilized to prevent undesirable unrolling the coat 1. The friction mechanism 10a operates similarly since the release of the fuse-link 16 or the lock 17 results in inclination downwards of the rocking arm 15 of the release under the action of the springs 21 and pressing the friction jaws 20 against the friction disc 19 to immobilize the shaft 2 as a consequence.

Marking list

[0009] 

1 -

curtain coat

2 -

winding shaft

3 -

shaft mounting

4 -

mounting support

5 -

motoreducer

6 -

side coat border

7 -

building wall

8 -

wall hole

9 -

coat weight

10 -

ratchet mechanism

10a -

friction mechanism

11 -

gear wheel

12 -

ratchet lever

12a -

lever end

12b -

lever end

13 -

ratchet projection

14 -

tension spring

15 -

arm

16 -

fuse-link

17 -

electromagnetic lock

18 -

string

18a -

string

19 -

friction disc

20 -

friction jaw

21 -

compression spring

22 -

support roller

Claims

1. A roll-up smoke curtain with a flexible coat that is fastened with its upper border to a horizontal winding shaft fixed with its ends to rotational mountings that are bearing-mounted in permanent supports, characterised in that at least one of the rotational mountings (3) of the winding shaft (2) is equipped with a mechanism (10, 10a) to interlock its rotational motion, that is connected to an interlock release (16, 17) mounted on a permanent support (4) of the mounting (3).

2. The roll-up curtain according to the claim 1, characterised in that it has a single mechanism (10, 10a) to interlock rotational motion of the shaft (2), created in one of its rotational mountings (3).

3. The roll-up curtain according to the claim 1, characterised in that it has two mechanisms (10, 10a) to interlock rotational motion of the shaft (2), created in its two rotational mountings (3).

4. The roll-up curtain according to the claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterised in that the interlock is a ratchet mechanism (10) that consists of a gear wheel (11) connected to the rotational mounting (3) of the shaft (2) and a rocking ratchet lever (12) with a ratchet projection (13) that is engaged with the gear wheel (11) of the rotational mounting (3) under pressure of a spring (14), one of the ratchet lever ends being connected pivotally to the permanent support (4) and, in addition, the ratchet lever (12) has a connection with a rocking arm (15) of the interlock release (16, 17).

5. The roll-up curtain according to the claim 4, characterised in that the free end of the ratchet lever (12) is connected to the permanent support (4) through a tension spring (14) and can lean out.

6. The roll-up curtain according to the claim 4, characterised in that the rocking arm (15) of the interlock release (16, 17) is connected to the central sector of the ratchet lever (12) through a lateral connector (18).

7. The roll-up curtain according to the claim 6, characterised in that the lateral connector has a shape of a flexible string (18).

8. The roll-up curtain according to the claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterised in that the interlock is the friction mechanism (10a) that consists of a friction disc (19) fixed on the rotational mounting (3) and friction jaws (20) pressed against the friction disc with springs (21), the friction jaws (20) being connected by means of strings (18a) with the rocking arm (15) of the interlock release (16, 17).

9. The roll-up curtain according to the claim 1 or 8, characterised in that the interlock release of rotational motion of the shaft (2) is the fuse-link (16).

10. The roll-up curtain according to the claim 1 or 8, characterised in that the interlock release of rotational motion of the shaft (2) is the electromagnetic lock (17).

Drawing