Classifications

• • 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
  • E05F1/00—Closers or openers for wings, not otherwise provided for in this subclass
  • E05F1/02—Closers or openers for wings, not otherwise provided for in this subclass gravity-actuated, e.g. by use of counterweights
  • E05F1/025—Closers or openers for wings, not otherwise provided for in this subclass gravity-actuated, e.g. by use of counterweights with rectilinearly-moving counterweights
• • 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
  • E05F15/632—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for horizontally-sliding wings
  • E05F15/635—Power-operated mechanisms for wings using electrical actuators using rotary electromotors for horizontally-sliding wings operated by push-pull mechanisms, e.g. flexible or rigid rack-and-pinion arrangements
• • 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
  • E05F15/70—Power-operated mechanisms for wings with automatic actuation
  • E05F15/72—Power-operated mechanisms for wings with automatic actuation responsive to emergency conditions, e.g. fire
• • 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
  • E05F3/00—Closers or openers with braking devices, e.g. checks; Construction of pneumatic or liquid braking devices
  • E05F3/14—Closers or openers with braking devices, e.g. checks; Construction of pneumatic or liquid braking devices with fluid brakes of the rotary type
• • 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
  • E05Y2400/00—Electronic control; Electrical power; Power supply; Power or signal transmission; User interfaces
  • E05Y2400/10—Electronic control
  • E05Y2400/44—Sensors not directly associated with the wing movement
• • 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
  • E05Y2400/00—Electronic control; Electrical power; Power supply; Power or signal transmission; User interfaces
  • E05Y2400/80—User interfaces
  • E05Y2400/85—User input means
• • 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
  • E05Y2900/13—Type of wing
  • E05Y2900/132—Doors
  • E05Y2900/134—Fire doors

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to the technical field of sliding doors and, more specifically, to a motorized sliding fire door and a method for opening/closing the same.
• sliding fire doors also referred to as firestop doors or gates
• firestop doors are safety protections which separate two contiguous rooms from flames so as to prevent that, should a fire ignite in a room, flames propagate to the contiguous room.
• sliding fire doors In order for sliding fire doors to perform their technical functions consisting primarily in ensuring a quick and unhesitating closing and in withstanding the very high temperatures that typically occur during a fire, they feature considerable mass and weight, which is very often greater than 1000 Kg.
• a typical sliding fire door is provided with one or more panels designed to close a passageway at which the sliding door is installed.
• Each panel is slidingly constrained to a support and sliding linear guide, which is fastened to a wall at the passageway and is normally arranged above the panel or panels.
• Suitable sliding means connect each panel to the support and sliding upper linear guide.
• each panel of the sliding fire door In order to allow people and goods to normally and continuously pass through, each panel of the sliding fire door is usually kept in its open position. However, in the event of fire, it is an absolute priority that the panel, or panels, close and therefore it shall be provided in the shortest possible time.
• a widely used closing system imparts to the panel, or panels, of the sliding door accumulated energy in the form of a counterweight.
• the counterweight is typically constrained to each panel of the sliding door by means of a rope and pulley drive system and is provided with a restraining device, usually an electromagnetic device, which makes it possible to restrain the panel during its opening without making the counterweight come into operation. In case of fire, the counterweight is released by its own restraining system to automatically draw the panel towards its respective closing position.
• fire doors in addition to the fire resistance requirements and in addition to their opening and closing function, are that these doors must be able to close automatically in the event of a fire, without any human intervention.
• fire doors especially the sliding fire doors
• the self-closing system uses special high-density and pre-calculated weights which, with a sophisticated pulley system, draw the panel, or panels, of the sliding door into the closing position.
• the fully closed position is obviously the only one that can ensure fire resistance, to safeguard the protected environment.
• Good practice therefore requires, first of all, to provide a panel, or panels, sliding system that is particularly high-performance, with high efficiency rolling material, fluid, smooth and free of obstacles.
• Document EP 3 819 453 A1 discloses a sliding fire door according to the preamble of claim 1.
• This sliding door is provided with a speed limiting device which is of the mechanical type and has no control systems.
• More sliding fire doors of the known type are disclosed, for example, in documents US 8 307 877 B1 , DE 76 00 480 U1 and US 6 079 162 A .
• the object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a motorized sliding fire door and a method for opening/closing the same which are capable of solving the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art in an extremely simple, economical and particularly functional way.
• an object of the present invention is to provide a motorized sliding fire door and a method for opening/closing the same which facilitate the operations for opening the sliding door.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a motorized sliding fire door and a method for opening/closing the same which constantly ensure that the operations for closing the door are safely and reliably carried out.
• the motorized sliding fire door makes it possible to effectively control the panel, or panels, closing speed.
• the motor interacts with a motion transmission means of the rack type, the rack being directly obtained in the guide and thus it is entirely anti-skid.
• the combination of these factors ensures the panel, or panels, forward speed within safety limits, predefined by the safety regulations, also ensuring that the panel, or panels, gently rest on the obstacles (things or people), if any, that might be located in the sliding path and that they are ready to restart once the obstacle has been removed.
• a fire sliding door has intrinsic features that differentiate it from any other type of sliding door.
• a fire sliding door has intrinsic features that differentiate it from any other type of sliding door.
• a fire sliding door :
• the motor of the motorized sliding fire door must have technical features that make it compatible with the sliding fire doors.
• This motor collaborates with the opening of the panel, or panels, and works in combination with the electromagnetic device (the only one recognized by the CE marking) having the features of holding the panel, or panels, open and responding to the release capacity when a detection system detects a fire. Self-closing must always be ensured and therefore it is prioritized. This motor therefore operates as an emergency opening mechanism, and it never operates as an obstruction closure.
• the motor of the motorized sliding fire door is therefore specifically designed to ensure safety in itself, by discouraging the thoughtless act of placing a wedge to keep the panel, or panels, open. In fact, it is the same motor that fulfils this requirement, maintaining the panel, or panels, in either full or partial open position, while not preventing self-closing if necessary.
• a preferred embodiment of a motorized sliding fire door according to the present invention is shown.
• the sliding fire door 10 in the various figures, is not represented in scale but, in any case, is designed to be installed at a passageway P obtained through a wall W of a building.
• Each sliding panel 12 can be conveniently manufactured by joining, along the first horizontal direction X, a plurality of modules or sections manufactured from a metal material (typically steel sheet). Each module or section of the sliding panel 12 can be internally hollow and can be internally filled with insulating materials for insulation purposes.
• the sliding fire door 10 further comprises one or more sliding means 16, which are fixed on the top of each sliding panel 12 and are slidingly engaged with the upper linear guide 14 to allow each sliding panel 12 to move in translational motion, along the first horizontal direction X, between an open position and a close position of said passageway P and vice versa.
• the sliding means 16 can comprise a plurality of wheels 58 (see, for example, Figure 6 ), which are rotatably connected to each sliding door 12, and at least one guide rail 60, which is constrained to the upper linear support and sliding guide 14 and on which the wheels 58 roll during the horizontal translation of each sliding door 12.
• At least one counterweight 18 is constrained to each sliding panel 12 by means of a rope and pulley drive system 20.
• Each counterweight 18 is designed to move within at least one respective casing 22 along a second direction Y which is substantially vertical and is perpendicular relative to the first horizontal direction X.
• Each counterweight 18 is suitably sized to exert a weight force sufficient to move the respective panel, when necessary, towards the closed position of the passageway P.
• the sliding fire door 10 further comprises at least one speed limiting device 24, which is integral with each sliding panel 12.
• the speed limiting device 24 comprises at least one first motion transmission means 26, which is designed to engage with a corresponding first transmission element 28 obtained on the upper linear guide 14.
• the speed limiting device 24 is internally provided with a hydromechanical assembly 30 which is operationally connected to the first motion transmission means 26 for limiting the forward speed of each sliding panel 12 when it moves towards the close position of the passageway P.
• the speed limiting device 24 can be manufactured according to the teachings of the patent document EP 3 819 453 A1 in the name of the same applicant.
• the first motion transmission means 26 can consist of a gear wheel
• the first transmission element 28 obtained on the upper linear guide 14 can consist of a rack.
• the hydromechanical assembly 30 can instead consist of a gear unit, driven in rotation by the gear wheel to move a hydraulic fluid inside the hydraulic circuit.
• the sliding fire door 10 comprises at least one electronic control unit 32, as well as at least one electric motor 34, which is contained in a fireproof casing 36 integral with the upper linear guide 14.
• the electric motor 34 comprises at least one second motion transmission means 38, which is designed to engage with a corresponding second transmission element 40 connected to each sliding panel 12.
• the electric motor 34 is operationally connected to the control unit 32 and is capable of exerting a driving torque which is greater than the weight force exerted by each counterweight 18.
• the electric motor 34 is thereby configured to move each sliding panel 12 at least towards the open position of the passageway P.
• the electric motor 34 has been developed to be compatible with the sliding fire doors. In fact, the electric motor 34, perfectly performs all its functions, which are described in more detail below, synergistically with the upper support and sliding linear guide 14 and the sliding means 16, as well as with the speed limiting device 24.
• the electric motor 34 is a DC brushless stepper motor.
• the electric motor 34 is operationally connected to the electronic control unit 32 by means of at least one control driver 50 and at least one electric power supply 52. Both the control driver 50 and the electric power supply 52 are contained in the fireproof casing 36.
• the second motion transmission means 38 of the electric motor 34 can consist of a single gear wheel.
• the second transmission element 40 of the electric motor 34 can preferably consists of a toothed belt, which is integral with each sliding panel 12 and is movable with respect to the upper linear guide 14 by the interposition of at least one return roller 54.
• the sliding fire door 10 comprises at least one manual control means 42, for example one or more buttons, which is operationally connected to the electronic control unit 32 to activate and/or deactivate the electric motor 34.
• at least one emergency switch 56 may also be provided, which is also operationally connected to the electronic control unit 32 for instantly deactivating the electric motor 34, bypassing the manual control means 42.
• At least one smoke and/or heat sensor 44 which is designed to deactivate the electric motor 34 under certain operating conditions, in particular in the event of a fire near the sliding fire door 10, is operationally connected to the electronic control unit 32.
• Each smoke and/or heat sensor 44 is therefore preferably placed in a fixed position near the passageway P.
• the electronic control unit 32 is also operationally connected to at least one sensor 46, 48 for sensing the full opening of said passageway P, which is also designed to deactivate the electric motor 34 under certain operating conditions, in particular when each sliding panel 12 is in a condition of full opening of the passageway P.
• the sensor 46, 48 for sensing the full opening of the passageway P comprises at least one limit switch sensor 46, which is arranged on the upper linear guide 14 and is operationally connected to the electronic control unit 32, and at least one abutment element 48 (see Figure 4 ) for the limit switch sensor 46, which is provided on each sliding panel 12.
• the limit switch sensor 46 and the corresponding abutment element 48 are suitably positioned on the upper linear guide 14 and each sliding panel 12, respectively, so that the mutual engagement between the abutment element 48 and the corresponding limit switch sensor 46 can report the fully open position of said passageway P to the electronic control unit (32).
• the electric motor 34 has been designed and sized to provide assistance in opening the sliding fire door 10. Starting from the closed position of the passageway P, shown in Figure 4 , and receiving an opening command from the manual control means 42 (button), the electric motor 34 is activated to move the sliding panel 12, at a speed controlled by the electronic control unit 32, towards the open position of the passageway P. This position may be partially open, as shown for example in Figures 2 and 3 , or fully open, as shown in Figure 1 .
• the electric motor 34 deactivates, manually or automatically depending on the operating conditions of the sliding fire door 10. Simultaneously with the deactivation of the electric motor 34, the electronic control unit 32 commands the blocking of the second motion transmission means 38 (for example the gear wheel) relative to the corresponding second transmission element 40 (for example the toothed belt).
• the electric motor 34 therefore operates for restraining the sliding panel 12, replacing the electromagnet that restrains the panels in the sliding fire doors according to the known technique.
• the passageway P reaching the fully open position, or maximum open position is defined by the activation of the sensor 46, 48 for sensing the fully open position of the passageway P.
• the sensor 46, 48 for sensing the fully open position of the passageway P is activated to automatically deactivate the electric motor 34 and make it enter into the restraining mode for restraining the sliding panel 12.
• the passageway P reaching a partially open position can be defined manually by a user, by releasing the manual control means 42 (button). Even in this operating condition, the electric motor 34 deactivates and automatically enters into the restraining mode for restraining the sliding panel 12.
• an unwanted obstacle O ( Figure 3 ) is located along the opening direction of the sliding panel 12.
• This obstacle O could be represented by either objects or people passing near the sliding fire door 10.
• the electronic control unit 32 is designed to instantly deactivate the electric motor 34 and block the second motion transmission means 38 relatively to the corresponding second transmission element 40. In this case, too, the restraining mode for restraining the sliding panel 12 is obtained.
• the electronic control unit 32 deactivates the electric motor 34 in the presence of an obstacle O even if the manual control means 42 for opening the sliding panel 12 is activated. In other words, in the presence of an obstacle O the sliding door 12 is always immediately stopped by the electronic control unit 32, stopping the electric motor 34 and putting it in restraining mode, even if the opening button remains pressed.

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• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Emergency Management (AREA)
• Special Wing (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=91616718

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (1)

Citations (4)

• 2025
  • 2025-03-26 EP EP25166477.7A patent/EP4628693A1/de active Pending

Patent Citations (4)

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