Drive for fire damper

• US 9,327,148 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2010
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belimo Holding AG
• Original Assignee: Belimo Holding AG
• Inventors: Holoch, Philip, Thuillard, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradford, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US13/147,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20120037713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,281 Days
• Field of Search: 236/49.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 2/12 Hinged dampers
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 2/242 with fusible links
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 2/247 electric
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/35 by closing air passages

Abstract

A drive apparatus (1) for a fire damper (2) having an electric drive (10), which holds the fire damper in a normal position when power is supplied and moves it into a safety position when no power is supplied. A thermal contact breaker (12) interrupts the power supply to the drive (10) at a melt temperature. The drive apparatus (1) also has a temperature sensor (13) for measuring the air temperature (T), a gas sensor (14) for measuring the content (G) of fumes in the air, and a switch module (15), which interrupts the power supply depending on the values of T and G. In the event of a fire, the fire damper can thus be moved into a safety position not only when the temperature in the region of the thermal contact breaker (12) is high, but already when smoke or gas develops as a result of the fire.

Claims

1. A drive apparatus (1) for a fire damper (2), comprising:

an electric drive (10), which is designed to hold the fire damper (2) in a normal position with a supply of current and to move said fire damper into a safety position when there is no supply of current,

a temperature sensor (13) for measuring an air temperature value (T),

a gas sensor (14) for measuring a content (G) of combustion gases in the air, and a switch module (15), which is connected to the temperature sensor (13) and the gas sensor (14) and is designed to detect signals representing the measured value T and the measured value G and to interrupt the supply of current when there is a predetermined combination of both the air temperature value (T) and the content (G) of combustion gases in the air.

2. The drive apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch module (15) is designed to interrupt the supply of current depending on a combination of the air temperature value (T) and the content (G) of combustion gases in the air in accordance with defined conditions with respect to the pair of values comprising the air temperature value (T) and the content (G) of combustion gases.

3. The drive apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive apparatus (1) comprises a thermal cutout (12) with fusible solder, said thermal cutout being designed to interrupt the supply of current to the drive (10) at a fusing temperature, in that the switch module (15) comprises a switch (151), which is arranged in series with the thermal cutout (12), for interrupting the supply of current, and in that the switch module (15) is designed to generate a switching signal (153), which is dependent on the air temperature value (T) and on the content (G) of combustion gases, for controlling the switch (151).

4. The drive apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch module (15) is designed to interrupt the supply of current depending on a value for the content (G) of combustion gases, said value having been modulated by the air temperature value (T).

5. The drive apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch module (15) is designed to determine a gas limit value (G_LIM) depending on the air temperature value (T), and to interrupt the supply of current in the event of a content (G) of combustion gases which is above the gas limit value (G_LIM).

6. The drive apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein that the switch module (15) is designed to interrupt the supply of current in the event of an air temperature value (T) which is in a defined temperature range (T_R) depending on a defined function of the air temperature value (T) and the content (G) of combustion gases.

7. The drive apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a signaling module (141), which is connected to the gas sensor (14) and is designed to generate a control signal (142) for controlling a supply of fresh air depending on the content (G) of combustion gases.

8. The drive apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gas sensor (14) comprises a VOC sensor for measuring a content of volatile organic compounds in the air.

9. A method for operating a fire damper (2) with an electric drive (10), which holds the fire damper (2) in a normal position during a supply of current and moves said fire damper into a safety position when there is no supply of current, comprising:

measuring an air temperature value (T),

measuring a content (G) of combustion gases in the air, and

detecting the measured value T and the measured value G by a switch,

wherein the supply of current to the drive (10) is interrupted by the switch (151) when there is a predetermined combination of both the air temperature value (T) and the content (G) of combustion gases in the air.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the supply of current to the drive (10) is interrupted by the switch (151) depending on a combination of the air temperature value (T) and the content (G) of combustion gases in the air in accordance with defined conditions with respect to the pair of values comprising the air temperature value (T) and the content (G) of combustion gases.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a switching signal (153), which is dependent on the air temperature value (T) and on the content (G) of combustion gases, is generated for controlling the switch (151).

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the supply of current is interrupted depending on a value for the content (G) of combustion gases, said value having been modulated by the air temperature value (T).

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a gas limit value (G_LIM) is determined depending on the air temperature value (T), and in that the supply of current is interrupted in the event of a content (G) of combustion gases which is above the gas limit value (G_LIM).

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the supply of current is interrupted in the event of an air temperature value (T) which is in a defined temperature range (T_R) depending on a defined function of the air temperature value (T) and the content (G) of combustion gases.

15. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a control signal (142) is generated for controlling a supply of fresh air depending on the content (G) of combustion gases.