[0002] A roll-up smoke curtain fastened with its upper border to a horizontal winding shaft
is commonly known, cf.
KR 102 049 324 B1 and
JP 2006 200142 A. 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.
[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 an embodiment which is not part 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, which
is part 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.
[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.