Patent Application
20240247484
This invention describes a new system for moving the equipment of a retractable roof, where the roof is made up of a number of trusses that move along rails, and with which a tarpaulin or similar surface can be folded or unfolded to cover a facility, such as a sports field, a recreational area, or an outdoor commercial or industrial area.
The system that is the subject of this invention corresponds to different types of retractable structures, more specifically to folding roof structures and, in particular, to the means, systems or equipment that make it possible for such roofs to be folded or unfolded.
Within this industrial sector, it is widely known that there are non-retractable roofing systems based on fixed structures, which cover a facility but involve the problem where users are unable to enjoy good weather or where the use of artificial light becomes necessary. To solve this problem, retractable roofs were developed.
In this sense, there are different types of retractable roofs, mainly based on telescopic or retractable systems. They involve major construction problems at certain heights, limiting their field of application and preventing the trusses that make up such structures from moving correctly. An example of this type of roof is given in document U.S. Pat. No. 2,603,171. This means that this type of roof has to be designed for each particular facility.
There are also different retractable tarpaulin systems, such as those shown in document ES1054415U or document ES1016096U, which describe mechanisms for folding large tarpaulins, but which are not supported by a structure that provides resistance or durability against rain, wind or other environmental agents.
Finally, document ES2531203 describes a type of roof composed of a variable number of aligned movable trusses that move on two parallel rails. The trusses are connected to each other by a tarpaulin deployed by the inertia of the first truss, which is set in motion by a motor operated by a remote control or pushbutton. In this way, the roof can remain deployed as all the trusses are dragged by the first motor truss, the last truss being immobilised and fixed in position at all times. The problem with this document is that it presents a displacement system that encounters jamming problems caused by weight, and it can also come off the rails, which can affect the safety and strength of the roof assembly.
The need thus arises to develop a displacement system to ensure that the trusses move safely and do not get stuck during folding and unfolding, and to increase the durability of the unit as a whole. This invention, which is detailed below, describes a new type of displacement system. It is different from any existing inventions in this industrial field and improves and solves the problems referred to above.
The displacement system of this invention is designed to improve the movement of trusses that support tarpaulins or enclosures, and that constitute a retractable roof.
The document begins with a description of the type of roof for which the system is intended. This roof is composed of a variable number of aligned retractable trusses. The trusses move on two parallel guide rails and are joined together by a tarpaulin deployed by the inertia of the first truss, which is set in motion by a motor operated by a remote control or pushbutton, such that the roof can remain deployed as all the trusses are dragged by the first motor truss, the last truss being immobilised and fixed in position at all times.
Looking at the details of the invention, the displacement system of this invention is based on the fact that a runner is coupled to each end of a truss with a number of grooved wheels connected in the form of a bearing by means of bolts, and each runner is connected to a guide rail. The top and bottom faces of the guide rail comprise a curved surface with which the grooved wheels are in contact and along which they run.
In particular, the runner consists of two side walls facing each other, where a truss post is attached to the inner wall, and at least two grooved wheels are attached between the walls at two heights, the wheels being fixed between the side walls by means of a shaft. In other words, there is an upper row of grooved wheels, and a lower row of grooved wheels.
In more detail, the wheels of the upper row are in contact with the upper curved surface of the rail, while the wheels of the lower row are in contact with the lower curved surface of the rail. In this way, the runner moves and remains in contact with the rail and cannot come off it, as the runner wraps around the rail.
Once each runner has been inserted into the guide rail, the truss stays vertical; it enables smooth movement, ensuring there is no significant resistance when the tarpaulin is pulled to unfold, as it increases the free surface along which it can run. In turn, this improves the durability of the tarpaulin. The system also enables safe movement without the tarpaulin coming out of the guide rail, as the rail is sandwiched between the two wheel heights and the side walls of the runner. There is also an improvement in the weight distribution of each truss and the tarpaulin in relation to the guide rail, preventing the movement from jamming.
Taking into account this aspect, and as the object of this invention is not to define a specific type of roof, this system can be used in any type of structure comprising a retractable roof, where the retractable roof can also be of different shapes depending on the facility in which it is to be installed. In addition, the roof can be extended in length as desired, adding as many trusses as necessary and lengthening the surface of the tarpaulin to the desired size. It can be made of any material known in the construction sector, such as steel, aluminium, wood or others; and the design of the truss can be of any shape as long as it complies with the manufacturing standards for roof construction. It can also be made up of pieces that can be assembled with through-bolts, always ensuring that the final truss is light, resistant and, above all, safe.
As for the mounting or support of the roof—where this aspect is also not the object of protection—, the roof can be supported in different ways. In one possible embodiment of the invention, the structure supporting the cover can be self-supporting, i.e. it is a self-supporting structure, without the need for it to be attached to the padel court or facility in question by means of the columns welded to the padel court, in which case if you were to remove the court, the cover might come down. In this possible first embodiment, the retractable roof can be supported on a belt that joins all the columns and the columns can be fitted with braces to reinforce the structure so that it is supported without the need for it to be attached to the actual structure of the padel court or the facility that is to be covered. In another possible embodiment of the invention, as has been done in the conventional way, the cover can be fixed to the structure of the facility itself, i.e. a padel court, as in the previous case. In any of the cases, and in a generic way, it can be said that the roof rests on support pillars, either in the self-supporting structure or the conventional structure of the facility itself.
For the assembly of the roof runner system, once the support pillars and guide rails have been assembled, the truss runners are then inserted through the ends of the rails. This operation can be quick and simple, and only requires two workers: one worker lifts each truss by its middle using a manual load elevator, while the other worker checks that the runner is in line with the guide rail and inserts it in the rail from a ladder. Once all the trusses have been mounted on the guide rails, one of the workers inserts a through-bolt in all the ends of the guide rails as a safety stop to prevent the trusses from sliding out lengthwise.
In another possible embodiment of the invention, the guide rails are sections welded to another rectangular section that has a third element attached, i.e. a toothed rack to enable the traction of the trusses on the guide rail by means of the motor pinion and cogs, where these elements thus create a single assembly. This unit is fitted by joining together as many sections as necessary to cover the desired area.
The support pillars are structural sections that can be attached to the metal structure of the place where the roof is to be installed, for example, a padel court, by means of flanges or bolted plates when there is an existing structure, which will save in building work, discreetly integrating the design of the roof. The space will also be used and, in this way, no obstacle will be placed in the perimeter corridors of the court. The height of the support pillars is variable depending on the facility or area that is to be covered. For sports facilities, the height will depend on the sport in question, always leaving a free space up to the height authorised by each federation or official body.
In one possible embodiment of the invention, the outer wall of the runner comprises a central opening to improve the connection between the guide rail and the support pillar. This allows for better movement or displacement of the runners, and improves the connection between the guide rail and the support pillars. This is important when there is a large number of such support pillars and they are fixed on the outside of each rail. This central opening improves the movement of the runner and also avoids jamming or problems with the connection at the fastening points between the guide rail and the support pillars.
The material for the tarpaulin can be canvas, cloth, plastic or any flexible or pliable material. Air exhaust valves can be fitted to the cover material to prevent the sail effect. The tarpaulin is fitted when all the trusses have been installed and collected at the end. One of the workers, from a personnel lifting device, fits the tarpaulin on the trusses in sections that are easy to handle. The tarpaulin is fastened to each truss using conventional pressure elements, preferably threaded. The tarpaulin fits across the entire cover but sections of tarpaulin can also be fitted to cover the sides.
When the cover is to be extended, a motor is started up by remote control. The motor is bolted to the first truss, the cog of the motor moves along a rack attached longitudinally to the guide rail and it extends from the start to the end of said guide. This first truss is also fitted with bearings that turn a shaft that runs from one end of the truss to the other. The ends of the shaft are fitted with cogs that transmit the movement of the motor when it moves from one guide to the other. It is also fitted with a rack to enable the runners to move simultaneously on the two rails and ensure that the trusses are parallel. At the end of the sweep, the motor stops when the limit switch comes into contact with a fixed stop. The motor can be stopped at any time by operating the remote control. To retract the cover, the motor is operated with the remote control and the drive truss runs in reverse along the same sweep. This slackens each section of tarpaulin, dragging each mobile truss on the way owing to the contact of the wheeled runners on each truss against each other. At end of the sweep, the motor stops when the limit switch comes into contact with a fixed stop. The retraction and extension actions described above are to collect the cover on one side of the facility only. To retract the tarpaulin on both sides of the facility, simply remove the racks and couple two shafts at the ends. One will be the drive shaft and will be connected to the motor, which will be fixed by a fastening plate, and the other shaft will be driven by a chain joining them together from end to end of the sweep of the cover. When the cover is extended, the motor trusses will be in the middle of the sweep. Accordingly, the chain will be attached to one of the drive trusses in the section that goes in one direction, and the other drive truss will be attached to the section that moves in the opposite direction. Thus, when the motor rotates in one direction, the chain will separate the two trusses and when it rotates in the opposite direction, it will bring them together. The two rotation directions will therefore extend or retract the cover. At the end of the sweep, the motor will stop when a rev-counter limit switch counts the revs set for the extension and retraction of the cover.
Taking into account the above aspects, it can be seen that the displacement system of the retractable roof object of this invention can be implemented in a structure comprising a retractable roof, where all such movement is automatic. Furthermore, the displacement system differs from any other system known in the state of the art. It improves stability, avoids jamming, makes it possible to maintain the verticality of the truss posts, does not interfere with the motor mechanisms of the cover, enables smooth movement of the assembly, which improves the durability of the cover, and in short, it improves the displacement of the retractable roof.
Finally, throughout the description and claims, it should be noted that the term “includes” and its variants are not intended to exclude other technical features or additional elements.
In order to complete the description and help with a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, several figures are included, illustratively and unlimitedly depicting the following:
As previously mentioned, and as can be seen in the figures for an embodiment in which the installation to be covered with the retractable roof is a padel court (P), the displacement system is designed to improve the movement of the trusses (1) that support the tarpaulins (2) or roof, and which, when joined together, form a retractable roof.
As can be seen in the figures, the roof is composed of a variable number of aligned mobile trusses (1), which move on two parallel rails (3), and the trusses are joined together by a canvas (2), deployed by the inertia of the first truss and set in motion by a motor (14) operated by a remote control or a pushbutton. This moves the chains attached to at least one of the trusses to allow them to move, so that the roof can be kept unfolded as all the trusses are pulled by the first drive truss and where the last truss, which always remains fixed in position, is generally immobilised. In this sense, each truss (1) is made up of lateral posts (11) and transverse sections (12) that hold up the tarpaulin (2).
The particularity of the invention is that each side post (11) of a truss has a runner (4) attached with a number of grooved wheels, where each runner (4) is fitted to a guide rail (3) such that the runner can move along the guide rail.
For this purpose, as can be seen in the view of
As previously indicated, once each runner (4) has been inserted into the guide rail (3), the truss can remain vertical; the movement is smooth; the durability of the tarpaulin is improved; the movement is safe with no runner coming out of the rail as the rail is enclosed between the two wheel heights and the side walls of the runner; and there is an improvement in the weight distribution of each truss and the tarpaulin in relation to the guide rail, preventing the movement from jamming.
In addition, as shown in the figure and in the example in which the system is used to cover a padel court, the guide rails (3) are mounted on self-supporting pillars (13), which are distributed at the same height along the entire side of the padel court, such that the guide rails are not only aligned and parallel, but also level, and the runners move correctly so that the tarpaulin (2) can fold and unfold as necessary, therefore covering the padel court as shown in
In one possible embodiment of the invention (see
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-202100231 | May 2021 | ES | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/ES2022/000022 | 5/16/2022 | WO |
