The present invention is directed to a door assembly and related components. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an improved guide track system with increased disengage ability and wind load resistance at various points within the guide tracks in overhead roll-up door assemblies.
Overhead roll-up door assemblies like those found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,607,842 typically include a flexible door panel which is guided within side columns and/or guide tracks positioned on opposite sides of a doorway as the flexible door panel is opened and closed. In order to move the door panel within the guide tracks and open and close the door, a drum and motor combination is typically provided, with the door panel being fixed at one end to the drum. The motor is typically mechanically coupled to the drum so that activation of the motor in a first direction causes the drum to rotate in a first direction, and activation of the motor in a second, reverse, direction causes the drum to rotate in a second direction. As the drum rotates in one direction, the first direction for example, the door panel will begin winding up on the drum, opening the doorway which was previously blocked by the door panel. As the drum rotates in the opposite direction, the second direction for example, the door panel will unwind from the drum, blocking the previously open doorway. In some door assemblies, two drums may be utilized, with a first drum coupled to the motor to drive the door panel opened and closed, and a second drum is provided to which a top portion or edge of the door panel is fixed to in order to facilitate winding and unwinding of the drum.
In order to prevent the door panel from disengaging from the side columns as the door is opened/wound and closed/unwound, thickened bodies or other elements like nubs or teeth may be used along the vertical edges of the door panel. These thickened bodies or other elements may prevent the door panel from disengaging from a side column and/or guide track when a pressure differential exists on opposing sides of the door panel, or when wind load is applied to one side of the door panel.
The use of thickened bodies or other elements along the vertical edges of the door panel, however, makes disengagement and subsequent reengagement of the door panel in response to an impact hit more difficult. In order to accommodate disengagement, the side columns and/or guide tracks may be made with flexible materials and/or be provided with a larger gap to help permit the thickened bodies or other elements and door panel escape from the side columns or guide tracks if the door panel is impacted. Using too flexible a material, or making the gap too wide, however, negatively impacts the wind load or pressure differential resistance of the door panel.
In addition to thickened bodies or other elements along the outer edges of the door panel, a weighted bottom bar may be attached to a lower end of the door panel so that the door panel remains taut in the guide tracks and doorway opening, and to insure the bottom of the door panel is weighed down. Weighted bottom bars help prevent wind pressure on one side of the door panel, or pressure differentials on opposing sides of the door panel, from causing the door panel to disengage the guide tracks as it opens, closes, or stops and remains static in a partially or fully closed position. In order to simplify the door assembly and control system while maintaining safety, some doors may forego the use of a bottom bar, but such doors may have slack or the like along the door panel, and particularly along the bottom edge of the door panel, when the door panel is partially or fully closed.
The present invention aims to provide such a system and method.
The present invention is directed to a door assembly and door assembly side column and guide track configuration which provides maximum breakaway ability, while also ensuring that the door panel is taut and has full wind load or pressure differential resistance along a least a portion of the guide track.
According to one aspect of the invention, a door assembly is provided. The door assembly includes a door panel having a top edge, a bottom edge, a first vertical edge and a second vertical edge, with the door panel being fixed proximate the top edge to a drum. The door panel winds onto and unwinds from the drum in order to open and close a doorway. The door assembly further includes a first side column and a second side column, the first side column being positioned proximate a first side of the doorway and the second side column being positioned proximate a second side of the doorway. The first side column and the second side column each include a guide track, with each guide track having a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of each guide track defines a first guide channel having a first depth extending from a rear portion of each guide track to a first engagement portion of each guide track, with the first engagement portion of each guide track further defining a first gap so that the door panel may extend from the doorway through the first gap into the first guide channel. The second portion of each guide track defines a second guide channel having a second depth extending from the rear portion of the guide track to a second engagement portion of each guide track, with the second engagement portion of each guide track further defining a second gap so that the door panel may extend from the doorway through the second gap into the second guide channel. The second depth, i.e. the depth of the second guide channel, may be less than the first depth, i.e. the depth of the first guide channel. In order to further increase the wind load and pressure differential resistance in the second portion of the guide track, the first gap may have a first width and the second gap may have a second width, with the second width being narrower or less than the first width.
Each guide track may further include a transition portion located between the first portion and the second portion. The transition portion may include a transition engagement portion defining a transition gap, and a transition guide channel which has a transition guide channel depth which may decrease from a top portion of the transition guide channel to a bottom portion of the transition guide channel or vice versa. The transition guide channel depth may be equal to the first depth at a top portion of the transition guide channel, for example, and may reduce to match to the second depth at a bottom portion of the transition guide channel. Where each guide track includes a transition channel, the first gap may have a first gap width, the second gap may have a second gap width, and the transition gap may have a transition gap width. Again, the second gap width may be narrower or less than the first gap width. The transition gap width may begin at the first gap width at a top portion of the transition portion and reduce to match the second gap width at a bottom portion of the transition portion. Alternatively, the transition gap width may be equal to first gap width, may be equal to the second gap width, or may be a third gap width different than the first or second gap width.
In order to form the second portion of each guide track, the second portion of each guide track may be molded during manufacture so that the second engagement portion is positioned closer to the rear portion of each guide track than the first engagement portion. Each guide track may be molded such that only the engagement portions are formed on the interior of the guide track, or the second portion of each guide track may include a body or filler which extends between the second engagement portion formed and an outer edge of each guide track, filling same or all of the area between the second engagement portion and the outer edge of the guide track. Where a body is formed, the body may further define a body gap from the second engagement portion to the outer edge of the guide track so that the door panel may extend through from the doorway through the body gap and the second gap into the second guide channel. The width of the body gap may be equal to the width of the second gap, may be narrower than the width of the second gap, or may be wider than the width of the second gap.
Rather than being molded during manufacture the guide tracks may have a continuous engagement portion, and the door assembly may include at least two inserts, with one insert from the at least two inserts being inserted into each guide track to form the second portion of each guide track. Each insert may provide the second engagement portion positioned further inside the guide track than the first engagement portion so that the second engagement portion is positioned closer to the rear portion of each guide track than the first engagement portion. Each insert may include only a second engagement portion, or alternatively may include a body or filler which fills the area in the guide channel between the first engagement portion to the second engagement portion along the portion of the guide track in which the insert is placed. The body may further define an insert gap so that the door panel may extend through from the doorway through the insert gap and the second gap into the second guide channel. The width of the insert gap may be equal to the width of the second gap, may be narrower than the width of the second gap, or may be wider than the width of the second gap.
Each side column of the door assembly may further include a guide track retainer mounted to each respective guide track. Each guide track retainer may be made from a different material than each guide track, for example, the material of each guide track may be more flexible than the material of each guide track retainer. Each guide track retainer may extend a first distance across the first potion of an associated guide track and a second distance across the second portion of the associated guide track, with the first distance being different than the second distance. Each guide track retainer may extend across the second portion of an associated guide track a distance which at least reaches the second engagement portion.
In some embodiments of the invention, the first portion of each guide track may have a first flexibility and the second portion of each guide track may have a second flexibility, with the first and second flexibilities being different. The first portion flexibility may be more or less flexible than the second portion flexibility. Likewise, the first engagement portion may have a different flexibility than the second engagement portion.
Other advantages and aspects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of the drawings and detailed description of the invention.
While the present invention is susceptible to embodiments in many different forms, there is described in detail herein, preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosures are to be considered as exemplifications of the principles of the invention and are not intended to limit the broad aspects of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
In order to facilitate the movement and winding and unwinding of the door panel in the embodiment of door assembly 10 shown in
Drive drum 27 and roll drum 14 should be arranged to rotate in the same direction when door panel 12 is winding or unwinding. For example, when door panel 12 is winding and the door is being opened, roll drum 14 and drive drum 27 may be configured to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, while both roll drum 14 and drive drum 27 may rotate in the clockwise direction to unwind the door panel and close the door.
In order to ensure that a tight roll is formed on roll drum 14, counterweight 29 may be provided and connected to a spool 31 by a flexible engagement member 33, which may be, for example, a strap or belt. Spool 31 may be coupled to rotate along with roll drum 14, with the flexible engagement member carrying the counterweight being wound about spool 31 in the opposite direction door panel 12 is wound on roll drum 14. For example, as door panel 12 is wound and raised when roll drum 14 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, flexible engagement member 33 should be configured to unwind and lower counterweight 29 from spool 31 as spool 31 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction with the roll drum. Similarly, as the door panel is unwound and lowered when the roll drum is rotated in the clockwise direction, the flexible engagement member should be configured to wind and raise the counterweight to the spool as the spool is rotated in the clockwise direction with the roll drum. A free-moving pulley 35 may be connected proximate an end of drive drum 27 to provide further guidance for strap 33. Pulley 35 should be free moving and not attached to drive drum 27 in a manner in which motor 26 or drive drum 27 control or influence the rotation of pulley 35—movement of the flexible engagement member 33 as it is guided over pulley 35 is wound and unwound should cause pulley 35 to rotate.
An embodiment of door panel 12 isolated from door assembly 10 in
As most easily seen in
In order to facilitate the driving of the door panel, drive sprockets 55, 57 may be fixed on drive drum 27 and configured to engage drive tooth columns 37, 39 and individual drive teeth 41 to push the drive tooth columns downwards when the door panel is being unwound as the door is closed, and pull the drive tooth columns upwards when the door panel is being wound and the door is opened. A more detailed explanation of the engagement of drive tooth columns, individual drive teeth, and drive sprockets can be found in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2020/0173231 which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
As seen in
Lower portion 62 of tracks 20a, 20b likewise include engagement portions, in this case engagement portions 70b. The engagement portions 70b define a gap 66 through which the door panel extends from the doorway and into the lower portion of the guide track. Gap 64 and gap 66 may have the same dimension, or different dimensions depending on the requirements of the door assembly. For example, for door assemblies in locations with potentially high winds and/or high-pressure differentials on opposing sides of the door panel, gap 66 in the lower portion of the guide track may be narrower or smaller than gap 64 in order to better prevent any drive teeth from escaping the lower portion of the guide track in response to a potentially high wind load applied to the door panel, and/or high-pressure differential being applied to opposing sides of the door panel. Inasmuch as wind load, for example, increases on the door panel as the door panel is closed as more surface area of the door panel is engageable by wind or a gust, providing a more secure engagement between the drive teeth columns within the side columns at the lower portion of the doorway helps prevent disengagement of the door panel from the side columns as the door panel approaches and reaches the fully closed position.
An interior portion of tracks 20a, 20b further define a guide channel which can be partially seen in
The configuration of upper guide channel 68 can be more clearly seen in
Guide channel 68 is defined between engagement portions 70a and rear portion 72 at a depth E, with gap 64 having a width F defined between engagement portions 70a of guide tracks 20a, 20b. Upper guide channel 68 extends along a majority of guide track 20 and within the upper portion of the guide track, door panel 12 and the mounted drive teeth are free to move between the engagement portion and rear portion as the door panel is guided within the guide track as the door panel wound and unwound from roll drum 14. In an unloaded state as seen in
In order to remove slack from the door panel and increase wind load resistance as the door panel approaches a substantially closed position in the present embodiment, as seen in
In order to reduce the depth of guide channel 74 from guide channel 68 defined within the upper portion of guide track 20 and pull the vertical edges of the door panel outwards, engagement portions 70b may be positioned inwards in the guide tracks, away from the doorway and closer to the rear portion relative to engagement portions 70a, in order to engage the drive tooth columns and force the drive tooth column, along with the door panel to which the drive teeth 41 are mounted, outwards from the doorway and towards rear portion 72. Guide channel 74 in lower portion 62 of guide track 20 is defined between the engagement portions 70b and the rear portion of the guide track, with the depth of the guide channel 74 being reduced to depth J. Width M of gap 66 between the engagement portions 70b may also optionally be reduced from width F between engagement portions 70a in upper portion 60 of guide track 20. As discussed further herein, a transition portion 84 may be provided in each guide track between upper portion 60 and lower portion 62, to provide a smooth transition from the wider upper guide channel depth to the narrower lower guide channel depth.
Reducing the depth of the guide channel in the lower portion of the guide tracks by positioning the engagement portions 70b closer to the rear portion, forces the portion of the drive tooth column fixed proximate the lower portion of the vertical edge to engage the engagement portion and pushes the vertical edge of the door panel towards the rear portion of the guide track, away from the gap. Forcing the drive tooth column on the door panel outwards, away from the gap and towards the rear portion of the guide track, causes the door panel to become more taut, reducing any sag or looseness in the across the door panel and/or in the bottom edge of the door panel, and increases the wind load resistance of the door panel, as the drive teeth are required to overcome the force generated by the friction of the drive teeth moving within the guide channel while engaged, as well as the force required to slip through a gap created in the middle of the guide tracks rather than the end of the guide tracks. When gap 66 is a reduced width, greater force is required to pull the drive tooth column or other wind lock element through the gap to disengage the guide track. The effect of the upper and lower portions of the door panel can be seen in
Guide track retainers 76 may be utilized in door assembly 10 and formed as part of side columns 16, 18. Providing guide track retainers which are made from a material which is stiffer or less flexible than the guide tracks, for example steel or metal guide track retainers and UHWM polymer guide tracks, the portion of the guide tracks to which the guide track retainers are mounted may be stiffer and more difficult for the drive tooth columns or other wind lock elements and door panel to disengage from. Where guide track retainers are utilized, the guide track retainers may extend a uniform distance across the guide tracks from top to bottom, or may alternatively extend a different amount across upper portion 60 of the guide tracks than across lower portion 62 of the guide tracks. For example, guide track retainers may only extend a small distance across upper portion 60 to merely help maintain the position of the guide tracks while providing minimal resistance, and across a larger distance across lower portion 62 of the guide tracks in order to add stiffness to the tracks and help increase wind load resistance in the guide tracks at lower portion 62 and help prevent the door panel from escaping the guide tracks. Guide track retainers 76 may, for example, extend across an outer portion of guide tracks 20a, 20b a distance at least equal to depth J of guide channel 74 in lower portion 62 of the guide tracks.
The wind load resistance may be further be controlled by providing a body or insert between engagement portion 70b and outer edges 78 of guide track 20 or between engagement portion 70b and first engagement portion 70a of guide track 20, or by leaving the area empty so that only the engagement portion 70b provides thickness to prevent the drive teeth column from escaping.
Engagement portion 70b may be positioned deeper in guide tracks 20 and closer to rear portion 72 in lower portion 62 of guide tracks 20, 22 by directly molding the lower section of the guide track with a deeper or more inwardly positioned engagement portion relative to the top portion, or by providing an insert or inserts for each guide track which fit within the track and provide a new engagement portion at lower portion 62. Tracks which are directly designed to have the second engagement portion formed with the track may be any of machined or milled UHMW polymers as seen in
The use of separate insert 82 fixed within the guide tracks can be seen in
Utilizing inserts also allows for the depth of the guide channel to be modified over time, if necessary. For example, in guide tracks which are initially placed in a high-traffic, low wind or low-pressure differential environment, a minimal insert may be utilized within the track so that high level of guide channel width and breakaway ability of the door panel is maintained along the entire length of the guide track and doorway opening. If the wind load and/or pressure differential realized by the door panel increases over time, and/or the traffic at the door location decreases over time, new inserts may replace the old inserts within the guide tracks at selected positions, for example the bottom 12-36 inches of the track, to further narrow the guide channel and better hold the door panel in place over that portion of the guide tracks.
Inserts may be inserted into each guide track by, for example, opening or holding the gap in the track open at the desired location of the insert to allow the insert to be slid into the track. Alternatively, one of the tracks, guide track 20b for example, may be removed to allow positioning of the insert in the desired location before track 20b is reattached. The inserts may also be slid in from a top or bottom portion of the track and positioned along the track as desired. When positioned along the bottom 12-36 inches of the guide track, the inserts may be allowed to merely rest on lower boundary 36 of doorway 24 or area surrounding the doorway. The inserts may also be fixed within the guide tracks at any desired location, including the bottom 12-36 inches of the guide track, using adhesives or fasteners such as screws, bolts, rivets, or the like.
In order to ensure a smooth transition between upper portion 60 and lower portion 62 of guide tracks 20, 22, and in order to eliminate any edges on which the door panel and any drive teeth or other wind lock may become stuck as the door panel moves between guide channels 68, 74, as mentioned herein and seen in
Exemplary door panels 112 which may be utilized with door assembly 110 can be seen in
In order to enhance engagement and guidance of the door panel when integrated with the door assembly, as well as provide wind load and/or pressure differential resistance and prevent the door panel from escaping the guide tracks and disengaging from the door assembly in response to a wind load being applied to the door panel, for example, one or more thickened bodies may be fixed proximate each vertical edge 132, 134 of the door panel. As seen in
Exemplary cross-sections of thickened bodies 138 and a single continuous thickened body 140 taken along line AA-AA in
Angled or engagement portion 144 may be solid and continuous, as seen in
Rather than have an angled portion, the door panel shown in
To facilitate disengagement of the embodiment of door panel 112 shown in
Regardless of the differences in door panels 112, door assembly 110, guide tracks 120, 122 are substantially identical and can better seen in
As seen in
Similarly, tracks 120a, 120b of lower portion 162 define a gap 166 through which the door panel extends from the doorway and into the lower portion of the guide track. Gap 164 and gap 166 may have the same dimension, or different dimensions depending on the requirements of the door assembly. For example, for door assemblies in locations with high wind loads and/or a high pressure differential on opposing sides of the door panel, gap 166 in the lower portion of the guide track may be narrower or smaller than gap 164 in order to better prevent any thickened body from escaping the lower portion of the guide track in response to a wind load and/or high pressure differential being applied to opposing sides of the door panel.
An interior portion of tracks 120a, 120b further define guide channels which can be partially seen in
The configuration of upper guide channel 168 can be more clearly seen in
For example,
By comparison,
In each door panel embodiment, regardless of the shape of the engagement portion, the upper guide channel 168 which extends along a majority of guide track 120 has a depth EE and is bounded by the engagement portion and a rear portion of the guide track. Within the guide track, door panel 112 and any thickened bodies are free to move between the engagement portion and rear portion as the door panel is guided within the guide track as the door panel wound and unwound from drum 114. In an unloaded state as seen in
In order to remove slack from the door panel and increase wind load resistance as the door panel approaches a substantially closed position, as seen in
In order to reduce the depth of guide channel 174 from guide channel 168 defined within the upper portion of guide track 120, engagement portion 170b may be positioned inwards in the guide tracks, away from the doorway, in order to engage the thickened bodies and force the thickened bodies, along with the door panel to which the thickened bodies are mounted, outwards from the gap and closer to rear portion 172. Guide channel 174 in lower portion 162 of guide track 120 is still defined between the engagement portion of the guide track and the rear portion, however the depth of the guide channel is reduced to depth JJ by positioning the engagement portion inwards, towards the rear portion. Gap 166 is formed having a width MM between engagement portion 170b of guide track 120a and track 120b. Width MM may be equal to or smaller than width GG of gap 164.
By reducing the depth of the guide channel by forming the engagement portion deeper into the guide track away from the doorway and closer to the rear portion, the engagement portion forces any thickened edge fixed proximate the vertical edge of the door panel towards the rear portion of the guide track, away from the gap. Forcing the thickened edges on the door panel outwards, away from the opening, causes the door panel to become more taught, reducing any sag or looseness in the across the door panel and/or in the bottom edge of the door panel, and increases the wind load resistance of the door panel, as the thickened edges or guide teeth are required to overcome the force required to slip through a gap created in the middle of the guide tracks rather than the end of the guide tracks. The effect of the upper and lower portions of the door panel can be seen in
Guide track retainers 176 may optionally be formed as part of side columns 116, 118. By providing guide track retainers which are made from a material which is stiffer or less flexible than the guide tracks, for example steel or metal guide track retainers and ultra-high molecular weight (“UHWM”) polymer guide tracks, the portion of the guide tracks to which the guide track retainers are mounted may be stiffer and more difficult for the thickened body and door panel to disengage from. Where tracks holders are utilized, the guide track retainers may extend a uniform distance across the guide tracks from top to bottom, or may alternatively extend a different amount across upper portion 160 of the guide tracks than across lower portion 162 of the guide tracks. For example, guide track retainers may only extend a small distance across upper portion 160 to merely help maintain the position of the guide tracks while providing minimal resistance, and across a larger distance across lower 162 in order to add stiffness to the tracks and help increase wind load resistance in the guide tracks at lower portion 162. The guide track retainers may extend across an outer portion of guide tracks 120a, 120b a distance equal to at least depth JJ of guide channel 174 in lower portion 162 of the guide tracks.
This wind load resistance may be further enhanced by filling at least a portion the area between outer edges 178 of the guide tracks and engagement portion 170b in lower portion 162 of the guide tracks with body or insert 180 which maintains the narrowed gap from the engagement portion of the guide track to the doorway opening as seen in
The positioning of engagement portion 170b closer to rear portion 172 in lower portion 162 of guide tracks 120, 122 may be accomplished by directly molding the lower section of the guide track with a deeper or more inwardly positioned engagement portion, or by providing an insert or inserts for each guide track which fit within the track and provide a new engagement portion at lower portion 162. Tracks which are directly molded may be any of machined or milled UHMW polymers as seen in
The advantages of using inserts discussed above with respect to the first embodiment of the invention would likewise apply to the present embodiment of the invention. Inserts may likewise be fixed within guide tracks 120, 122 in the same manner as they would be fixed into guide tracks 20, 22, with only one engagement portion being provided within each guide track rather than two engagement portions as utilized in the first embodiment.
In order to ensure a smooth transition between upper portion 160 and lower portion 162 of guide tracks 120, 122, and in order to eliminate any edges which may cause the door panel and any thickened bodies to become stuck as the door panel moves between guide channels 168, 174, as seen in
While in the foregoing there has been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein. While specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the characteristics of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.
The present application claims the filing benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/051,655 filed Jul. 14, 2020, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63051655 | Jul 2020 | US |