JP7613851B2 - Reinforcement device for shutter curtains in architectural shutter devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of a shutter curtain reinforcement device in an architectural shutter device that is installed to open and close openings such as entrances and exits of buildings and other structures.

Nowadays, architectural shutter devices are sometimes installed at openings such as entrances and exits inside and outside buildings and other structures, which open and close the openings by guiding a shutter curtain up and down on guide rails arranged on the left and right. The shutter curtains installed in such architectural shutter devices are directly affected by weather fluctuations on the outdoor side, and such weather fluctuations include strong winds that occur during bad weather such as typhoons and torrential rain, and the shutter curtains are required to be able to withstand such strong winds.
However, when a shutter curtain is hit by a strong wind, the central part of the shutter curtain bends (depresses) toward the indoor or outdoor side, causing the left and right edges to come out of the guide rail. To address this problem, wind-resistant hooks are provided on both the left and right ends of the shutter curtain, and when the shutter curtain is bent by a strong wind, these wind-resistant hooks are engaged with engaging portions provided within the guide rail to prevent the shutter curtain from bending. This prevents the shutter curtain from coming out of the guide rail and improves wind resistance.
While some of these shutters equipped with wind-resistant hooks have sufficient wind resistance, there are some that do not have wind-resistant hooks, or that are installed at large openings, and the wind-resistant hooks alone do not provide the wind resistance to withstand the onset of large typhoons, etc. Therefore, in order to accommodate architectural shutter devices in such cases, it has been proposed to provide reinforcing posts on at least one side, inside or outside, of the shutter curtain in the closed position, so that the reinforcing posts can abut and support the shutter curtain when it is bent by a strong wind, thereby providing the necessary wind resistance (see Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 4697644

However, in the conventional system, the reinforcing post is a hanger-type upper rail system that is freely movable left and right in a vertical position and moves from the storage position to the reinforcing position, and the reinforcing post moves to the reinforcing position to reinforce the shutter curtain that is nearby and facing it. However, the upper end of the reinforcing post is located below the upper rail, and an upper roller is installed above the upper end of the reinforcing post via a rod-shaped bracket, so the strength of the upper end of the reinforcing post in the front-to-rear direction is essentially determined by the strength of the rod-shaped bracket, which inevitably makes it weak, and this is the problem that the present invention must solve.

The present invention has been created in view of the above-mentioned circumstances and with the objective of solving these problems. The invention of claim 1 relates to a shutter curtain reinforcing device for an architectural shutter device, in which a shutter curtain that opens and closes by being guided by left and right guide rails provided at an opening such as an entrance or exit of a building is reinforced by a reinforcing post that is installed in a vertical position at a reinforcing position in the middle of the left and right direction of the opening, in which an upper roller that runs on an upper rail provided above the opening is provided at the upper end of the reinforcing post, the upper rail has a gap therebetween so that the upper roller can run. This is a reinforcing device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device, characterized in that the reinforcing post is configured with running surfaces arranged at the front and back and a guide portion which is the gap, the reinforcing post is formed in a square cylindrical shape with both front and rear surfaces having a face width in the left-right direction, and the guide portion is loosely inserted vertically through both front and rear surfaces of the upper end portion, so that the front and rear surfaces of the upper end portion of the square cylindrical reinforcing post face the front and rear end edges which constitute the guide portion of the upper rail over the entire left-right width of the front and rear surfaces, and an upper roller is attached to both the front and rear surfaces of the upper end portion of the penetrated square cylindrical reinforcing post.
It is.
The invention of claim 2 is a reinforcing device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device in which a shutter curtain, which is guided by left and right guide rails provided at an opening such as the entrance and exit of a building to open and close the opening, is reinforced using a reinforcing post installed in a vertical position at a reinforcing position in the middle of the left and right direction of the opening, wherein an upper roller that runs on an upper rail provided above the opening is provided at the upper end of the reinforcing post, the upper rail is configured to have a running surface portion arranged at the front and rear with a gap for the upper roller to run on, and a guide portion which is the gap, the reinforcing post is configured to have a pillar main body portion whose upper end portion penetrates the guide portion in the vertical direction and has upper rollers provided on both the front and rear sides of the penetrated upper end portion, brackets that are longer in the left and right direction than the pillar main body portion are attached to the front and rear surfaces of the upper end portion that penetrates the guide portion of the pillar main body, and upper rollers are provided on both the left and right ends of the brackets,
The invention of claim 3 is a reinforcement device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device described in claim 2, characterized in that a guide surface portion that is longer in the left-right direction than the pillar main body portion is provided at the guide portion penetration portion of the pillar main body portion and is closely opposed to the guide portion side end edge of the running surface portion.
The invention of claim 4 is a reinforcing device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device described in claim 3, characterized in that the portion of the reinforcing post located below the guide surface portion is wider than the main body portion of the post and faces the shutter curtain.
The invention of claim 5 is a reinforcing device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device described in claim 4, characterized in that the reinforcing support is composed of an upper support portion having a support main body portion, and a thick lower support portion having a lower roller that runs on the floor portion and into which the support main body portion is fitted so as to be freely expandable and contractable in the vertical direction.
The invention of claim 6 is a reinforcement device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a reinforcing member is provided on the upper rail for reinforcing the reinforcement position area.

By adopting the invention of claim 1, the reinforcing post is provided with a post main body portion that penetrates into the guide portion of the upper rail, so that when the reinforcing post receives the load of a bent shutter curtain, the load is received by the main post portion that penetrates into the upper rail of the reinforcing post abutting against the upper rail, thereby providing strong reinforcement.
By adopting the invention of claim 2, the upper rollers are provided on both the left and right ends of a long bracket attached to both the front and rear sides of the upper end portion that penetrates the guide portion of the support main body, and the upper rollers themselves are attached to the reinforcing support with increased strength.
By adopting the invention of claim 3, the guide portion penetration portion of the support main body portion is provided with a guide surface portion that is longer in the left-right direction than the support main body portion and is closely opposed to the guide portion side edge of the running surface portion, so that this portion can also be further reinforced by the guide surface portion.
By adopting the invention of claim 4, the portion of the reinforcing post located below the guide surface portion faces the shutter curtain in a wider state than the main body portion of the post.As a result, the shutter curtain that has been bent due to strong winds can be reinforced in a wider state than the main body portion of the post supported by the upper rail, thereby providing high reinforcing strength.
By making use of the invention of claim 5, the reinforcing post is composed of an upper post portion comprising a post main body portion, and a thick lower post portion having a lower roller that runs on the floor portion and into which the post main body portion is fitted so as to be able to expand and contract in the vertical direction.The reinforcing post can be constructed by connecting the upper post portion that penetrates the upper rail and the lower post portion that can reinforce the shutter curtain in its thick width state so that the reinforcing post can be expanded and contracted in the vertical direction, thereby simplifying the structure.
By adopting the invention of claim 6, the upper rail is provided with a reinforcing member for reinforcing the reinforcement position, so that the reinforcing strength of the reinforcing support located at the reinforcement position can be easily increased.

1 is a front view of an architectural shutter device with the reinforcing column positioned in the storage position. FIG. 1 is a front view of an architectural shutter device with a reinforcing post positioned in a reinforcing position. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of an architectural shutter device. A side view of the upper end portion of the architectural shutter device. A side view of the lower end portion of the architectural shutter device. FIG. 2 is a side view of an upper end portion at a reinforcement position of the reinforcement device. FIG. 4 is a front view of the upper end portion of the reinforcement device. 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views taken along lines II and II-II in FIG. 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views taken along lines III-III and IV-IV in FIG. 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views taken along lines VV and VI-VI in FIG. 13 is a front view of the upper end portion of the reinforcement device with the reinforcement pillar positioned in the storage position. FIG. 1 is a front view of an upper end portion of a reinforcement device with a reinforcement column positioned at a reinforcement position. FIG. 13A and 13B are a plan view and a side view of the upper end portion of the reinforcement device when the reinforcement pillar is positioned at the reinforcement position. A plan cross-sectional view showing the state in which the reinforcing column located in the storage position is engaged with the main body. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D are a plan view, a front view, a side view, and a sectional front view showing the recess with the lid open. 13A and 13B are schematic explanatory views showing the assembly procedure for the first half of the reinforcement device. 13A and 13B are schematic explanatory views showing the latter half of the assembly procedure of the reinforcement device.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes an architectural shutter device that is installed in an opening E, such as an entrance or exit of a building or other structure. The shutter device 1 is constructed using various components and devices, such as guide rails 2 provided on the left and right sides of the opening E, a shutter curtain 3 that is guided up and down by the guide rails 2 to open and close the opening E, a take-up body (winding wheel) 4 provided in the ceiling space H of the opening E and on which the shutter curtain 3 is wound, an opening/closing machine 5 that is electrically driven to rotate the take-up body 4 forward and backward to wind the shutter curtain 3, and a shutter case 6 provided in the upper space H on the indoor side of the opening E to house the take-up body 4, all of which are conventional.

Furthermore, the shutter case 6 is provided with left and right brackets 6a whose outdoor end is supported and fixed to the hanging wall W arranged outside of the guide rail 2 and above the opening E, and the left and right end edges of the winding body 4 are supported by the left and right brackets 6a, but the shutter case 6 is further reinforced by various reinforcing members such as a U-shaped reinforcing frame 6b whose upper outdoor end is supported by the ceiling wall W, a reinforcing cross bar 6c supported between the left and right brackets 6a, and a stud frame 6d provided at the stud where the shutter curtain 3 is unrolled from the shutter case 6. The shutter case 6 is also box-shaped due to the presence of an upper panel, side panels, and lower panel 6e, and the case lower panel 6e is fixed to the lower side of the reinforcing frame 6b and the stud frame 6d.
On the other hand, a U-shaped frame (three-sided frame) is provided on the underside of the hanging wall W, including both the left and right side portions of the opening E, and the upper frame 7 of the frame is provided in a state where it is flush with the case lower plate 6e. In this embodiment, a pair of reinforcing devices 8 for reinforcing the shutter curtain 3 is provided symmetrically on the inside and outside of the shutter curtain 3, with the shutter core X along which the shutter curtain 3 opens and closes as the symmetric core.

In this manner, in this embodiment, a pair of inner and outer reinforcing devices 8 are provided. However, since the pair of reinforcing devices 8 are symmetrical indoors and outdoors (front and back) with the shutter core X as the symmetrical center, the following describes in detail the indoor reinforcing device 8, and an explanation of the outdoor reinforcing device 8 will be omitted unless specifically required.
By installing the reinforcing device 8 both indoors and outdoors in this manner, the reinforcing effect can be made even greater; however, it goes without saying that in implementing the present invention, the reinforcing device 8 may be installed either indoors or outdoors, and whether the reinforcing device 8 is installed on both the indoors and outdoors or on only one of them can be selected as appropriate according to need.

Furthermore, two sets of reinforcing devices 8 may be provided on both the left and right sides of the opening E, and two locations in the middle of the left and right direction of the shutter curtain 3 may be reinforced with reinforcing posts 11 (it is not necessary to reinforce the shutter curtain 3 at equal intervals of 1/3 on the left and right). The present invention can also be implemented by providing a plurality of reinforcing posts 11 (e.g., two) on one set of reinforcing devices 8 to reinforce the shutter curtain 3 at appropriate intervals in the left and right direction. In this case, the upper rail 9 (described later) can be made to have a maximum width that spans the entire width of the opening E on the left and right, and in this case, the reinforcing posts 11 can be configured to be stored in a state where they are separated on the left and right.

The reinforcing device 8 is configured with an upper rail 9 provided on the case bottom plate 6e, which is C-shaped and includes an upper piece 9a that serves as a straddling portion, side pieces 9b that are bent downward to hang down from both front and rear ends of the upper piece 9a, and a pair of front and rear lower pieces 9c that are bent in the front-rear direction from the lower ends of the side pieces 9b to face each other. The upper piece 9a of the upper rail 9 is fixed to the case bottom plate 6e via a fixing member such as a screw (not shown). The fixing position is preferably the position of a reinforcing member such as the left and right brackets 6a or reinforcing frame 6b of the shutter case 6, but it may of course be fixed directly to the case bottom plate 6e if the case bottom plate 6e has the necessary strength.

The upper rail 9 has a pair of lower pieces 9c which serve as the running surface 9c of the upper roller 15 described later, and the gap Y formed between the opposing running surface pieces 9c in the fore-and-aft direction constitutes a guide portion (penetrating portion) Y for guiding the support main body portion 14 described later in a penetrating state from side to side.
The upper rail 9 is further reinforced by the incorporation of an L-shaped auxiliary member 10, the vertical piece 10a of which is arranged in an overlapping (laminated) state in which it abuts against the side piece 9b.
When the upper rail 9 is attached in this manner, a running space is formed between the running surface 9c and the lower piece 10b of the auxiliary member 10 in which the upper roller 15 runs; however, this running space allows the upper roller 15 to move upward slightly; in other words, there is a slight gap between the upper roller 15 running on the running surface 9c and the lower piece 10b of the auxiliary member, and is set so that the upper roller 15 is prevented from rising up more than necessary from the running surface 9c, thereby preventing (preventing) the reinforcing support 11, which moves left and right, from tilting in the left and right direction.

The upper rail 9 configured in this manner has one end which serves as a storage position for the reinforcing post 11 adjacent to either the left or right guide rail 2, and the other end which serves as a reinforcing position for the shutter curtain 3 by the reinforcing post 11 at the middle position in the left-right direction of the opening (for example, the central part in the left-right direction).
The other edge of the upper rail 9 is an open opening edge 9e, and an inverted L-shaped mounting bracket 9f is provided on the upper piece 9a at the opening edge 9e, so that with a blocking plate 9g placed against the opening edge 9e, the opening edge 9e can be blocked off detachably by screwing a screw 9h from the blocking plate 9g into the mounting bracket 9f.

On the other hand, the reinforcing column 11 is configured as a continuous column in the vertical direction using an upper column portion 12 and a lower column portion 13 .
The upper support 12 is constructed using a square cylindrical support main body 14, whose lower edge is short and extends to the upper portion of the reinforcing support 11, and the front and rear surface portions 14a of the upper end portion of the support main body 14 pass through the guide portion Y of the upper rail 9 in a loose fit state . By constructing in this manner, as is clear from Figures 6, 7, and 8, the front and rear surface portions 14a of the upper end portion of the support main body 14, which has a surface width in the left-right direction, are configured so that the front and rear surface portions 14a of the upper end portion of the support main body 14 face the front and rear edge portions that constitute the guide portion Y of the upper rail 9 over the entire left-right width of the front and rear surface portions 14a . At the upper end of both the front and rear surface portions 14a of the penetrated pillar main body portion 14, a bracket 14b is provided, which is positioned above the running surface portion 9c and is set longer in the left-right direction than the pillar main body portion 14 (so as to protrude in the left-right direction relative to the pillar main body portion 14), and upper rollers 15 which run on the running surface portion 9c as described above are provided at both the left and right ends of the bracket 14b.By configuring in this manner, the left and right upper rollers 15 are provided in a wide state protruding in the left-right direction relative to the reinforcing pillar 11, thereby preventing the reinforcing pillar 11 from tilting in the left-right direction.
Furthermore, on both the front and rear surface portions 14a of the pillar main body portion 14, a guide surface portion 16 is provided adjacent to the underside of the bracket 14b and set longer in the left-right direction than the pillar main body portion 14, in a state where it is close to the inner end edges of the running surface portion 9c that face each other in the front-to-rear direction (loosely fitted into guide portion Y).Thus, the reinforcing pillar 11 is set so that it can be moved and guided in the left-right direction while the guide surface portion 16 that is long in the left-right direction and provided on the pillar main body portion 14 is guided in a state where it is close to and faces the tip edge portion of the running surface portion 9c.

Furthermore, the guide surface portion 16 is secured to the pillar main body portion 14 by a fixing means such as welding at both left and right piece portions 17b of a reinforcing member (first reinforcing member) 17, the straddling portion 17a of which is fixed to the left and right surface portions 14c of the pillar main body portion 14, thereby reinforcing the guide surface portion 16 against the pillar main body portion 14.
In addition, in this embodiment, the bracket 14b has its upper and lower edge portions welded to the front and rear surface portions 14a of the pillar main body portion 14, and for this reason, the guide surface portion 16 has a cutout portion 16a formed in the portion corresponding to the pillar main body portion 14, so that the lower edge portion of the bracket 14b can be welded even after the guide surface portion 16 is attached to the pillar main body portion 14.

Furthermore, a wide outer shell 18 is provided on the pillar main body 14 and is positioned below the guide surface 16, but the lower edge of the outer shell 18 is shorter than the pillar main body 14.As a result, although the pillar main body 14 is short and reaches the upper part of the reinforcing pillar 11 as described above, its lower end extends (protrudes) downwardly beyond the outer shell 18.
The outer casing 18 has a rectangular cylindrical shape that fits loosely around the pillar main body 14, with the areas corresponding to the front and rear face sections 14a and the left and right face sections 14b of the pillar main body 14 forming groove sections 18a, the bottom of which abuts against the front and rear face sections 14a and the left and right face sections 14b and is integrated by a fixing means such as welding. By configuring it in this manner, the corner sections 18b of the outer casing 18 are wide sections spaced apart from the pillar main body 14.
In this embodiment, the outer shell 18 has a structure in which a hat-shaped cross-sectional plate material 18c in which the groove portion 18a is formed and an L-shaped plate material 18d are integrated together by a fixing means such as welding.

On the other hand, the lower support portion 13 has a rectangular cylindrical shape and is wider than the outer casing portion 18, and the support main body portion 14 and outer casing portion 18 of the upper support portion 13 are loosely fitted into the upper end portion of the lower support portion 13 so as to be freely expandable and contractable in the vertical direction (freely insertable and removable, freely moving in and out, and freely appearing and disappearing).
Of the left and right surface portions 14c of the pillar main body portion 14, an extension portion 14d that extends downward below the lower edge of the outer shell portion 18 has a sphere 14e arranged in close proximity to (or in contact with) the inner surface of the left and right surface portions 13a of the lower pillar portion 13, and the sphere 14e is supported so as to be freely rotatable in all directions via brackets 14f provided on the left and right surface portions 14c of the pillar main body portion.
Furthermore, when the lower support 13 is tilted relatively in the left-right direction with respect to the upper support portion 12, the sphere 14e constitutes abutment member that is abutted against the inner surface of the left and right surface portions 13a of the lower support portion 13 to regulate the left-right tilt between the upper support portion 12 and the lower support portion 13. However, as long as it regulates the tilt, a fixed protrusion or a roller body (rotating body) instead of a sphere may of course be used.
In this embodiment, such abutment members are provided on both the left and right surfaces 14b of the support body 14, but they may also be provided on both the front and rear surfaces 14a if necessary.

Furthermore, the upper support portion 12 is provided with a cover portion 19 for covering the upper end portion of the lower support portion 13. The cover portion 19 has a top surface portion 19a that is wider in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions than the lower support portion 13 so as to cover the upper part of the upper end of the lower support portion 13, and side surfaces 19b that hang down from the peripheral portion of the top surface portion 19a and cover the outer periphery of the front-to-back and left-to-right surface portions 13a, 13b of the lower support portion 13 in a loose fit manner, and is configured to prevent rainwater, etc. from entering through the upper end of the lower support portion 13.
Incidentally, in this embodiment, the cover portion 19a has a protrusion 19c formed at the edge portion facing the front and rear surface portions 14a of the pillar main body portion 14 of the top surface portion 19a, which protrudes upward from the top surface portion 19a for welding the cover portion 19 to the pillar main body portion 14.

A lower roller 20 that runs on the floor (floor surface) F is disposed on the lower surface 13c provided at the lower end of the lower support 13, and the lower roller 20 is provided on a bracket 20a attached to the lower surface 13c in a state in which it is impossible to change direction around the vertical axis, and is movable in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the lower rollers 20 are provided on the lower surface 13c as a pair, misaligned in the front-rear and left-right directions. Reference numeral 20b denotes an operating lever for locking the running (rolling) of the lower rollers 20, and although the operating lever 20b is provided on only one of the lower rollers 20 in this embodiment, it is also possible to provide it on both if necessary.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, a reinforcing vertical member 13d is provided on the front and rear surface portions 13b of the lower support portion 13 facing the shutter curtain 3 so as to closely face the shutter curtain 3, thereby reinforcing the reinforcing support portion 11 and also directly abutting against and supporting the shutter curtain 3 when it is bent by strong winds.
The reinforcing pillar 11, which connects the upper support portion 12 and the lower support portion 13 in this manner so that it can freely expand and contract in the vertical direction, is configured to be able to move left and right between a storage position adjacent to the guide rail 2 on one end of the opening and a reinforcement position midway in the horizontal direction, by having the upper rollers 15 provided on the upper support portion 12 run and guided in the horizontal direction on the upper rail 9, and the lower rollers 20 provided on the lower support portion 13 run in a straight line in the horizontal direction on the surface (floor surface) of the floor portion F.

Furthermore, the upper rail 9 is provided with a reinforcing member (second reinforcing member) 21 at a position corresponding to the reinforcing position of the reinforcing column 11. The reinforcing member 21 is provided on one side piece 9b of the upper rail 9 in the front-rear direction (opposite the side where the shutter curtain 3 is arranged (the shutter core X side)), but it can also be provided on the other side piece 9b (the shutter curtain 3 side) or on both side pieces 9b. The reinforcing member 21 is an inverted L-shaped plate material with a vertical piece 21a welded to the side piece 9b of the upper rail 9 and an upper piece 21b fixed to the case bottom plate 6e with a screw (not shown), and the reinforcing member 21 further has reinforcing pieces 21c welded to the vertical piece 21a and the upper piece 21b at intervals in the left-right direction.
In this device, an L-shaped bracket 22a is fixed to the vertical piece 21a, and a hanging fitting 22 having an arc-shaped (can be made into a hook-like or other appropriate shape) engaging portion is provided on the bracket 22a so as to be freely attached and detached.

Furthermore, the reinforcing pillar 11 is provided with support members 23, 24 on both the upper and lower sides to position and support both the upper and lower ends when in the reinforcing position, and both of these support members 23, 24 are provided on the lower pillar portion 13.
In this embodiment, the upper support member 23 is provided on the surface (indoor side surface) of the front and rear surface parts 13b of the lower support part 13 opposite to the surface facing the shutter curtain 3, but can be provided on any surface selected from the left and right and front and rear surface parts 13a, 13b of the lower support part 13. A plurality of cylindrical support fittings 23a constituting the upper support member 23 are attached to one of the left and right surface parts 13a on the indoor side of the lower support part 13 (the guide rail 3 side in this embodiment) via brackets 23b, and a linear rod-shaped body 23c passes through the support fitting 23a so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Below the lowest support fitting 23a among the support fittings 23a, a pair of upper and lower holding fittings 23d, 23e are attached to the front and rear surface parts 13b to hold the rod-shaped body 23c in the vertical position.
The lower retaining bracket 23e is flat to receive and support the lower edge of the rod-shaped body 23c, but in this embodiment it is magnetized (the lower retaining bracket 23e may be directly magnetized, or may be magnetized by attaching a magnet, etc.) and is configured to magnetically hold the lower edge of the rod-shaped body 23c.

A flange portion 23f extending in the horizontal direction is provided at the lower end edge of the rod-shaped body 23c, while a through groove 23g is formed in the upper holding fitting 23d so that when the flange portion 23f is rotated in the front-rear direction while the rod-shaped body 23c is in a penetrated state in which it is free to move up and down, the flange portion 23f can be penetrated in the up-down direction, but when the flange portion 23f is rotated in the left-right direction, the flange portion 23f is locked and cannot be penetrated. Incidentally, the upper holding fitting 23d can also be magnetized, so that the flange portion 23f does not fall off the upper holding fitting 23d inadvertently.
When the reinforcing post 11 is positioned in the reinforcement position and the flange portion 23f is held by the lower retaining bracket 23e, the rod-shaped body 23c is in a non-positioned position in which the upper edge portion 23h is located below the upper rail 9. However, by holding the flange portion 23f by the upper retaining bracket 23e, the rod-shaped body 23c is in a positioned position in which the upper edge portion 23h is closely opposed to the stopper piece 9i provided on the upper rail 9, and when in this positioned position, the upper edge portion of the reinforcing post 11, which is positioned in the reinforcement position, is prevented from moving toward the storage position.
In this embodiment, a second stopper piece 9j is provided on the upper rail 9 to restrict the reinforcing column 11 from moving toward the reinforcing position when the column 11 is in the stored position.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the lower support member 24 is provided on the surface opposite the shutter curtain 3 (shutter core X) (the surface on the outer side in the left-right direction) of the front and rear surface portions 13b of the lower support portion 13, but, as in the case of the upper support member 23, it can be provided on any surface selected from the left-right front and rear surface portions 13a, 13b of the lower support portion 13.
The lower support member 24 is constituted by a support bracket 24a having a square cylindrical shape with a top, which is attached to one of the faces 13b in the front-to-rear direction of the lower support portion 13. A rod-shaped body (actuating body) 24b having a square cylindrical shape with a top is fitted into the support bracket 24a so as to be able to move freely in the vertical direction.

A long hole 24d is formed in one side surface 24c in the left-right direction of the support bracket 24a, and an operating body 24e is provided on the rod-shaped body 24b in a state of penetrating the long hole 24d, and an operating screw 24g is further provided on the indoor side surface 24f of the support bracket 24a. When the operating screw 24g is tightened in a state in which the rod-shaped body 24b has been moved up above the floor part F, the tip of the operating screw 24g comes into contact with the rod-shaped body 24b in a pressing manner, thereby restricting the rod-shaped body 24b from moving up and down, and when the operating screw 24g is loosened, the rod-shaped body 24b is allowed to move up and down, including by its own weight, and the rod-shaped body 24b that has been lowered by its own weight can be lifted up by grasping the operating body 24e along the long hole 24d.
When the rod-shaped body 24b is lowered under its own weight with the reinforcing column 11 in the reinforcing position, the rod-shaped body 24b fits into the drop-in portion 25 described below, assuming a positioning posture that supports and positions the lower end of the reinforcing column 11, thereby restricting its movement toward the storage position. However, the upper edge of the rod-shaped body 24b in the lowered state under its own weight is set to be positioned lower than the operating screw 24g. Therefore, when the rod-shaped body 24b is in the positioning posture in which it has been lowered under its own weight, the operating screw 24g is screwed deep into the support bracket 24a to overlap (position) the tip of the screw above the rod-shaped body 24b, thereby restricting the upward movement of the rod-shaped body 24b from coming out of the drop-in portion 25, thereby preventing the rod-shaped body 24b from coming out of the drop-in portion 25 and being released from its position.

On the other hand, the recess 25 is formed so as to be embedded in a mounting hole Z drilled in a portion of the floor F corresponding to the reinforcement position, and the recess 25 is composed of a main body 25a, a lid 25b, and a flange 25c. The main body 25a has a bottomed rectangular cylindrical shape, and protruding surface portions 25e are further formed on the left and right outer sides of both the left and right side portions 25d.
On the other hand, the flange portion 25c is assembled to the upper edge of the main body portion 25a, and an opening 25f is formed so that the cover portion 25b can be attached and detached freely. One edge portion 25g of the opening 25f in the left-right direction extends to the protruding surface portion 25e, while the other edge portion 25h extends to the other side surface portion 25d.
The lid 25b is fitted into the opening 25f and is set to close (cover) the opening 25f while being flush with the flange 25c, and an auxiliary plate 25i is provided adjacent to the lower side of the lid 25b. The auxiliary plate 25i is configured to support the lid 25b against the main body 25a, with both left and right edge portions placed on the notches 25j formed in the left and right side portions 25d of the main body when the opening 25f is closed by the lid 25b.

Furthermore, the cover 25b is provided on its upper surface with an operating section 25k having a recessed groove formed therein that can be rotated by inserting a screwdriver or the periphery of a coin (e.g., a 10-yen coin), and a locking piece 25l is provided at the lower end of the operating section 25k. By rotating the operating section 25k, the locking piece 25l fits into a locking hole 25m formed in one of the body side sections 25d, and can be operated from a locked position where it is locked so as not to come off to an unlocked position where it comes out of the locking hole 25m and is in an unlocked state so that the cover 25b can be removed.
In this embodiment, when the lid portion 25b is removed while being unlocked by operating the operating portion 25k, it is configured so that the tip portions of the lid portion 25b and the auxiliary plate 25i can be temporarily held in place by inserting them between one of the main body side portions 25d and the protruding surface portion 25e.

The reinforcement device 8 for the shutter curtain 3, including the reinforcing pillar 11 embodying the present invention, can be installed at the same time as a newly installed shutter device 1 is set up in the opening E, but it can also be easily installed as an add-on to an existing shutter device 1, and the assembly procedure (method) is described below.
When assembling to an existing shutter device 1, the parts that need to be transported to site and prepared are the respective components of the reinforcing post 11, upper rail 9, and drop-in portion 25, and of these parts transported to site, the first step is to carry out the rail installation process, in which the upper rail 9 is attached to the top of the opening E.
Next, a post installation process is carried out to install the reinforcing post 11 into the upper rail 9, but if the upper rail 9 installed in the rail installation process was transported to the site with its opening edge 9e on the reinforcing position side blocked by a blocking plate 9g, the blocking plate 9g is removed to open the opening edge 9e, and the upper roller 15 provided at the upper end of the reinforcing post 11 is inserted and installed through this opening edge 9e, thereby carrying out the post installation process of the reinforcing post 11 to the upper rail 9. The execution of the post installation process of the reinforcing post 11 to the upper rail 9 also includes a process of opening and closing the opening edge 9e via the blocking plate 9g.

Furthermore, this requires a recess formation process for forming the recess 25 in the floor section F. If the position at which this recess 25 is to be formed can be accurately determined on the floor section F at the site based on the design dimensions, then the recess formation process can be carried out regardless of whether the rail attachment process or the pillar assembly process is carried out first or after. In this case, however, accurate measurement work is required to determine the recess position.
In contrast, if the support installation process has already been performed, the reinforcing support 11 incorporated in the upper rail 6 can be moved to the reinforcing position, and the rod-shaped body 24b provided on the lower support member 24 can be lowered under its own weight as described above, thereby identifying the descent location of the rod-shaped body 24b.Then, by drilling the floor portion F at this identified descent location to provide a drop-in portion 25, the simple work of forming the drop-in portion 25 can be performed accurately without the need for troublesome measuring work.

In this way, the reinforcing device 8 for reinforcing the shutter curtain 3 can be installed, and furthermore, the reinforcing post 11 can be installed in the upper rail 6 by utilizing the upper rail 6.
As described above, the upper rail 6 attached to the upper part of the opening is provided with a reinforcing member 21 at a position corresponding to the reinforcing position, and a hoisting fixture 22 is removably attached to the reinforcing member 21. A simple lifting machine such as an electric hoist 26 (or a manual hoist is of course acceptable) is hooked to the hoisting fixture 22. A hook 26b attached to an operating chain 26a suspended from the hoist 26 is hooked to a hoisting fixture 27 detachably attached via a bracket 27a to the upper part of the lower support part 13 of the reinforcing support 11.
By driving the hoist 26 in this locked state and lifting the locking hook 26b, the upper end of the reinforcing column 11 is lifted at the portion corresponding to the reinforcement position, thereby making it easy to install the reinforcing column 11 into the upper rail 6 at the reinforcement position.

The reinforcing column 11 in which the present invention is implemented is positioned and held by the upper and lower support members 23, 24 at both the upper and lower end edges in the reinforcing position, while the reinforcing column 11 can be positioned and held in the storage position in a similar configuration. As a simple means for holding the reinforcing column 11 in the storage position, the present embodiment uses a chain 28, wire, or other connector to detachably connect the bracket 28a fixed to the lower holding portion 23e on the lower column portion 13 to the locking portion 28b on the frame member such as the guide rail 2, thereby allowing the column to be positioned and held in the storage position. Of course, a magnetic attachment or a tightening of a string may be used as a means for holding the reinforcing column 11 in the storage position.

In the present embodiment configured as described above, the shutter curtain 3 that opens and closes the opening E is reinforced by the reinforcing column 11 installed in a vertical position at the reinforcing position of the opening E. The reinforcing column 11 moves between the storage position and the reinforcing position by the upper roller 15 running on the upper rail 9 installed above the opening E. The upper rail 9 is configured with a running surface portion 9c arranged with a guide portion Y that is a gap at the front and rear, and the reinforcing column 11 is configured with a column main body portion 14 that penetrates the guide portion Y from top to bottom and has upper rollers on both the front and rear sides of the penetrated upper end. As a result, when the reinforcing column 11 receives the load of the shutter curtain 3 that has been bent by a strong wind, the load is received by the main column portion 14 itself that penetrates the upper rail 9 of the reinforcing column 11 abutting the edge portion of the guide portion Y of the upper rail running surface portion 9c, thereby providing a strong reinforcement.

In this case, a bracket 14b that is longer in the left-right direction than the pillar body 14 is attached to the front and rear surface portions 14a of the upper end portion that penetrates the guide portion Y of the pillar body 14, and upper rollers 15 are provided on both the left and right ends of the bracket 14b, so that the upper rollers 15 themselves are attached to the pillar body 14 that constitutes the reinforcing pillar 11 in a state of increased strength. Furthermore, the left and right upper rollers 15 are arranged in a wide left-right state at both left and right end edges of the bracket 14b, which has a left-right spacing longer than the pillar body 14, so that the reinforcing pillar 11 can move left and right while preventing tilting in the left and right direction as it moves left and right.

In addition, a guide surface portion 16 that is longer in the left-right direction than the pillar body portion 14 is provided at the portion of the pillar body portion 14 that penetrates the guide portion Y and faces closely to the edge of the running surface portion 9c on the guide portion Y side. As a result, the guide surface portion 16 further reinforces the portion of the pillar body portion 14 that penetrates the guide portion Y. This not only provides even better reinforcement for the reinforcing pillar 11, but also prevents undesirable deformation of the pillar body portion 14, such as shifting in position or twisting in the front-rear direction, when the reinforcing pillar 11 moves left-right, thereby guiding smooth left-right movement.

Furthermore, the reinforcing post 11 has a portion located below the portion where the guide surface portion 16 that penetrates the guide portion Y of the upper rail 9 of the post main body portion 14 is provided, which is wider than the post main body portion 14 and faces the shutter curtain 3. As a result, the reinforcing post 11 can receive the reinforcement of the shutter curtain 3 that has been bent by strong winds in a wider state than the post main body portion 14 that is supported by the upper rail 9, thereby providing high reinforcing strength.

Moreover, the reinforcing column 11 comprises an upper column section 12 comprising a column body section 14, and a lower column section 13 provided with a lower roller 20 that runs on the floor section F, and the lower column section 12 is wider so that the lower column section 13 fits inside it so that it can expand and contract in the vertical direction, so that the reinforcing column 11 reinforces the shutter curtain 3 with the lower column section 13 which is wider than the wide column body section 14 that penetrates the upper rail 9, further improving the reinforcing strength, while the load of the wide lower column section 13 is supported on the floor section F side via the lower roller 20. As a result, the upper rail 9 only needs to support the load of the upper column section 12, reducing the burden and achieving a lightweight and compact design.
In this case, the upper rail 9 is provided with a reinforcing member 21 for reinforcing the reinforcement position, so that the reinforcing strength of the reinforcing pillar 11 located at the reinforcement position can be easily increased.

The present invention can be used as a reinforcing device for shutter curtains in architectural shutter devices that are installed to open and close openings such as entrances and exits of buildings and other structures.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 shutter device 2 guide rail 3 shutter curtain 8 reinforcement device 9 upper rail 9e opening edge 9g closing plate 11 reinforcement support 12 upper support section 13 lower support section 14 support body section 14a front and rear surface section 14b bracket 14c left and right surface section 14d extension section 14e sphere 15 upper roller 16 guide surface section 18 outer shell section 20 lower roller 21 reinforcement member 22 hanging fitting 23 upper support member 23c rod-shaped body 24 lower support member 24b rod-shaped body 25 drop-in section 26 hoist 27 hanging fitting F floor surface X shutter core Y guide section Z mounting hole

Claims (6)

In a shutter curtain reinforcing device for an architectural shutter device, a shutter curtain that opens and closes an opening such as an entrance of a building is reinforced by a reinforcing post that is installed vertically at a reinforcing position in the middle of the opening in the left-right direction,
When an upper roller that runs on an upper rail provided above the opening is provided on the upper end of the reinforcing column,
The upper rail is configured to include a running surface portion disposed at the front and rear with a gap therebetween so that the upper roller can run, and a guide portion which is the gap;
The reinforcing column is formed into a rectangular tube shape with a width in the left-right direction on both front and rear sides, and the guide portion is inserted into the front and rear sides of the upper end portion in a loose fit manner.
The reinforcing column having a rectangular tube shape is configured so that the front and rear surfaces of the upper end portion face the front and rear end edges constituting the guide portion of the upper rail over the entire width of the front and rear surfaces,
A reinforcing device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device, characterized in that upper rollers are attached to both the front and rear sides of the upper end of the reinforcing support post having a penetrating rectangular cylindrical shape . In a shutter curtain reinforcing device for an architectural shutter device, a shutter curtain that opens and closes an opening such as an entrance of a building is reinforced by a reinforcing post that is installed vertically at a reinforcing position in the middle of the opening in the left-right direction,
When an upper roller that runs on an upper rail provided above the opening is provided on the upper end of the reinforcing column,
The upper rail is configured to include a running surface portion disposed at the front and rear with a gap therebetween so that the upper roller can run, and a guide portion which is the gap;
The reinforcing column is configured to include a column body having an upper end portion that passes through the guide portion in the vertical direction and has upper rollers provided on both front and rear sides of the passed upper end portion,
A reinforcement device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device, characterized in that a bracket that is longer in the left-right direction than the pillar main body is attached to both the front and rear sides of the upper end portion that penetrates the guide portion of the pillar main body, and upper rollers are provided on both the left and right ends of the bracket. A reinforcement device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device as described in claim 2 , characterized in that a guide surface portion that is longer in the left-right direction than the pillar main body portion is provided at the guide portion penetration portion of the pillar main body portion and is closely opposed to the guide portion side end edge of the running surface portion. A shutter curtain reinforcement device for an architectural shutter device as described in claim 3, characterized in that the portion of the reinforcing support that is located below the guide surface portion is wider than the support body portion and faces the shutter curtain. The reinforcing support is a reinforcing device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device as described in claim 4, characterized in that the reinforcing support is composed of an upper support portion having a support body portion, and a wide lower support portion having a lower roller that runs on the floor portion and into which the support body portion is fitted so as to be freely stretched in the vertical direction. 6. A reinforcing device for a shutter curtain in an architectural shutter device according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing member is provided on the upper rail for reinforcing a portion of the upper rail that is to be reinforced.

Images