Patent Publication Number: US-2006016566-A1

Title: High-speed roll-up door assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/589,163, filed Jul. 18, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present invention relates to high-speed roll-up doors. More specifically, the present invention involves improved manufacturability and assembly of high-speed roll-up doors.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Many factors are considered during the design of a product intended for commercial or industrial use. Such factors include, and are not limited to: time, cost, safety, manufacturability, repairability, quality, and intended use.  
      Design considerations relating to a product&#39;s manufacturability involve: use of components across various product lines, inventory and availability of components, and, product complexity and installation. The utilization of common component parts throughout a product line may save costs. And facilitating the installation and assembly of the product may improve its marketability.  
      The present invention is provided to address these and other considerations.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is directed to improving the utility of a high-speed roll-up door. One embodiment of the present invention includes an apparatus providing access to a primary control module of a high-speed roll-up door. The primary control module includes a set of control functions and is inaccessible to a user during utilization of the door. The apparatus comprises a secondary control module operably connected to the primary control module and readily accessible to manual operation by a user. The secondary control module is remotely located with respect to the primary control module. Additionally, the secondary control module includes a reduced set of control functions as compared to the set of control functions of the primary control module.  
      Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a system for facilitating the assembly of a high-speed roll-up door assembly. The high-speed roll-up door assembly includes a frame positioned about an opening. The assembly further comprises a fixed panel, a removable panel, and a connector assembly. The connector assembly is attached to one of the fixed or removable panels and facilitates the attachment and detachment of the removable panel with the fixed panel.  
      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.  
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  depicts a commonly known high-speed roll-up door system utilizing a single control module;  
       FIG. 2  depicts one embodiment of the present invention incorporating a remote control module;  
       FIG. 3  is a partial perspective drawing of another embodiment of the present invention;  
      FIGS.  4 A-C depict several aspects of the panel opening of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective side view of one aspect of the connector assembly of the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a side view of one aspect of the connector assembly of the present invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly shown in  FIG. 6 ; of the present invention;  
       FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional perspective view of one aspect of the connector assembly of the present invention with the removable panel not shown; and,  
       FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional perspective view of one aspect of the connector assembly of the present invention with the removable panel attached to the fixed panel.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.  
       FIG. 1  depicts a high-speed roll-up door assembly known in the prior art. The door assembly includes a control module operably connected to the door panel. Mechanisms for moving the door panel are operably connected to the control module and the door panel. The mechanisms, e.g., pulleys, ballasts, gears, etc., are generally located above and to the side of the opening and at least partially contained within top and side panels. The control module is typically located near a side panel and is readily accessible to a user; that is, the user does not have to extend non-customary efforts, such as using a ladder to reach the control module, etc. The control module includes nearly everything involving and relating to operating the high-speed roll-up door assembly, e.g., processors, power transformers, diagnostic routines, mechanical and electrical drive units, circuit boards, electronic components, software modules, sensors, visual indicators and/or monitors, human-machine interface, etc.,  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , the present invention is directed to an apparatus  10  providing access to a primary control module  12  of a high-speed roll-up door assembly  14 . The primary control module  12  includes a set of control functions and typically is located above a door opening  16 , e.g., above the ceiling, and generally inaccessible—out of reach—to a user during utilization of the door. The apparatus of the present invention comprises a secondary control module  10  operably connected to the primary control module  12 . The secondary control module  10  is located remotely from the primary control module  12  and near the door opening  16 , preferably residing at least partially, within a side door panel  18 . The remotely located secondary control module  10  is readily accessible—within reach—to the user; as opposed to the primary control module  12 .  
      The secondary control module  10  includes a reduced set of control functions compared to the set of control functions of the primary control module  12 . While the primary control module  10  includes nearly everything involved with operating the high-speed roll-up door assembly  14 , the reduced set of control functions include, but is not limited to: direct control of the door panel  20 , system error override, power access, and any combination thereof. Preferably, some of the mechanisms for moving the door panel  20  do not reside near the secondary control module  10 .  
      Through the secondary control module  10 , the user is provided with the ability to communicate with the primary control module  12 . Preferably, most of the procedures used to overcome many of the commonly occurring faults that render the door assembly  14  temporarily inoperable will be accessible to the user through the secondary control module  10 . For instance, if the high-speed roll-up door assembly  14  of the present invention becomes inoperable, the user may quickly access the secondary control module  10  and attempt to make the door operable, e.g., turn the power to the system on, off, or cycle it; directly drive the door panel  20  to an open or closed position, etc. If further functionality is necessary and not available through the secondary control module  10 , the user will be required to access the primary control module  12 —remote from the secondary control module—to proceed further, e.g., execute diagnostics, replace drive units, repair/replace circuit boards and/or components, etc.  
      There are many significant advantages of utilizing a compact, remote, and functionally sufficient secondary control module  10  operably connected to the larger, fully functional primary control module  12 . A smaller control unit is often preferred because it does not use valuable space near the door assembly  14 . The limited, yet effective, functionality provided by the secondary control module  10  of the present invention allows the significantly smaller secondary control unit to be implemented near the door opening without crowding the area. The smaller size also allows the secondary control module  10  to be placed in a safer location—less susceptible to damage by incidental contact—yet still near the door assembly  14 .  
      In addition, significant design and engineering efforts would be required to reduce the larger size of today&#39;s control module to make it comparatively appealing to the control system of the present invention. Sizeable costs may also be incurred to redesign larger control modules so that smaller components and mechanisms capable of performing functions required of larger components may be utilized.  
      For door system implementations involving strict requirements, e.g., clean rooms, pharmaceutical manufacturing, integrated circuit manufacturing, etc., all the components of a control module located near the door opening may be required to be in compliance with several environmental or industrial standards, e.g., NEMA Ratings. As such, efforts to obtain NEMA qualification for the smaller secondary control module of the present invention will be less than that required for the larger control unit incorporating many more components. The fewer components utilized in the secondary control module  10  of the present invention would involve less cost than the single, full-sized primary control module. An additional concern for the larger commonly used control unit is that some components not utilized in the limited secondary control module, e.g., mechanical or electrical drive units and transformers, may be conducive to producing adverse operating and environmental conditions, e.g., dirt, dust.  
      Incorporation of the primary  12  and secondary  10  control module units of the present invention may also provide manufacturability benefits as compared to the single control unit door assembly. More specifically, for situations requiring a substantially smaller control unit than used in the past, the present invention provides for the continual use of the larger control modules by remotely positioning the larger control module away from the door opening area. Without the use of the secondary control module  10  of the present invention, significant costs associated with reengineering the larger control module would be incurred. Thus, utilizing the secondary control module  10  of the present invention may allow continual use of existing control modules and avoid the effort and cost to redesign them for specific purposes.  
      Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to facilitating the assembly of a high-speed roll-up door system  22  including a frame  24  positioned about a door opening  26 . Shown in  FIGS. 3-9 , this embodiment includes a fixed panel  28 , a removable panel  30 , and a connector assembly  32  attached to one of the fixed or removable panels. The connector assembly  32  facilitates attaching and detaching the removable panel  30  with the fixed panel  28 .  
      An additional aspect of the connector assembly  32  of the present invention includes a panel opening  34  being defined by the fixed panel  28  (or the removable panel  30 ). A bolt  36  is attached to the either the removable panel  30  or the fixed panel  28  through use of a retention nut  38  operably connected to the bolt. Alternatively, the bolt  36  may be attached to the panel through any means known to one of ordinary skill in the art, i.e., threaded fit, friction fit, etc. The retention nut  38  cooperates with the panel opening  34  defined in the other of the removable panel  30  or the fixed panel  28  and facilitates attaching and detaching the removable panel with the fixed panel. Additionally, an interference nut  40  may be operably connected to the panel wall opposite the retention nut  38 . The interference nut  40  cooperates with the panel opening  34  to retain the fixed  28  and removable  30  panels together.  
      As shown in FIGS.  4 A-C, the panel opening  34  may be constructed in various configurations, e.g., straight, hooked, curved, slanted, and any combination thereof. Preferably, the edges of the panel opening  34  taper to a connection point  42  to receive the interference nut  40  so as to detachably couple the removable panel  30  to the fixed panel  28 . The interference nut  40  may be frictionally-fit, press-fit, or snap-fit to the connection point  42 . The interference nut  40  comprises a material capable of temporarily flexing to cooperate with the panel opening  34 . Such material is known to those of ordinary skill in the art and may include nylon and the like. In addition, the opening may include a sleeve  44  constructed of a nylon-like material capable of temporarily flexing to cooperate with the bolt  36  itself, or interference nut  40 .  
      In a connector assembly  32  utilizing a press-fit configuration, the panel opening  34  tapers to a dimension operably less than the dimension of the bolt  36 —or the interference nut  40 —and then widens to a dimension substantially equal to or slightly greater than the dimension of the bolt, or interference nut. To attach the removable panel  30  to the fixed panel  28  in such a configuration, the bolt  36 —and preferably the interference nut  40 —is slidably engaged within the panel opening  34  and manual pressure is used to pass the bolt through the smaller dimension wherein the bolt will be retained. To remove the removable panel  30 , manual pressure is again used to pass the bolt  36  through the smaller dimension and out the panel opening  34 .  
      Removability of the side panel facilitates extensive access to components residing behind the side panel. In addition, implementation of a removable panel—as compared to a partially removable or hinged panel—is more beneficial for door systems requiring periodic cleanings, e.g., NEMA washes, because complete access is enabled to the components behind the removable panel, as well as all surfaces of the removable panel, as opposed to some surfaces of the hinged panel configuration being difficult to reach.  
      While specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.