FR2751687A1 - FOLDING SHELTER EQUIPPED WITH ARTICULATED BEAMS WITH DEFORMABLE PARALLELOGRAMS - Google Patents

Abstract

A collapsible shelter consisting of a load-bearing structure (1) supporting a tarpaulin (2) and comprising at least two arches (51-54) mutually translatably movable across a base (4) by means of control means (41) from a closely spaced position to a spaced apart position. Said collapsible shelter includes a load-bearing structure (1) of which two adjacent arches (51, 52) are linked via at least one articulated collapsible beam (15) which comprises two adjustable parallelograms (16, 17) connected both to one another on a common side (18), and to respective arches (51, 52) on a side (163, 173) parallel to said common side (18), and means for locking the beam in a deployed position in order to hold the arches (51, 52) in the spaced apart position; as well as means (40, 41) for temporarily immobilising the structure on the base (4) in the erected position.

Description

 The invention relates to the technical field of removable shelters intended to temporarily protect an activity area, such as for example a growing area or even a swimming pool.

 I1 is known in the above field, removable shelters consisting of independent arches sunk into the ground on which is fitted a tarpaulin made of translucent material. Such shelters give complete satisfaction with their protective function of an area.

 However, the assembly or disassembly operations of such a shelter make it particularly unsuitable for use involving frequent installation and removal, depending on weather conditions.

 The prior art has provided a partial solution to this problem by proposing folding shelters, the implementation of which is particularly suitable for the protection of outdoor swimming pools without it being necessary to consider that this is their only possible application.

 The invention relates more particularly to shelters of the above type.

 The prior art knows, for example, swimming pool shelters formed by arches, made of polycarbonate panels, nestable and movable above the swimming pool to be protected.

 When the shelter is not in use, the vaults are fitted into each other at one end of the pool. When it is necessary to protect the pool, the arches are moved above it, so as to be juxtaposed with each other to cover the entire surface. The shelter thus constituted effectively protects the swimming pool while allowing its use.

 Such a shelter gives satisfaction as to its protective function but nevertheless has major drawbacks inherent in its nature.

 First of all, the material for manufacturing the vaults is particularly expensive so that the shelter as a whole has a particularly high manufacturing and marketing cost.

 Then, the operation of the vaults requires the intervention of two operators arranged on either side of the pool. Indeed, the two operators must ensure a rectilinear movement of the vaults to avoid any relative jamming of the vaults. In addition, in the nested position, the shelter has a large footprint relative to the covered area during use. Finally, it was found that such shelters did not have good qualities of wind resistance.

 The prior art also knows foldable shelters comprising a structure supporting a flexible tarpaulin and formed of frames or arches linked to each other by foldable arms. The frames are fitted with rollers and can be moved on the sides of the pool so as to deploy the shelter above it.

 Such a light design shelter has a significantly lower manufacturing cost than a shelter made of polycarbonate panels. However, the connection of the different members by articulated arms does not allow the supporting structure to be given sufficient rigidity to allow simple and rapid deployment of the shelter. I1 must even be considered that the connection between the different members is likely to cause serious dysfunctions during the deployment of the shelter. In addition, it is not possible for an operator alone to carry out the operations of deployment and folding of the shelter of the above type, the implementation of which cannot be automatic. Finally, the absence of rigidity of the supporting structure does not allow this foldable shelter to have satisfactory wind resistance qualities.

 The object of the invention is to provide a shelter of new design which overcomes the above drawbacks.

 The invention aims, more particularly, to provide a new folding shelter which has rigidity characteristics giving it good resistance to weathering, as well as the possibility of being easily maneuvered by a single user. In addition, the invention aims to provide a new foldable shelter having a manufacturing cost significantly lower than that of a shelter made of transparent polycarbonate panels.

 In order to achieve these various objectives, an object of the invention relates to a foldable shelter of the type constituted by a support structure supporting a tarpaulin and comprising at least two members movable relative to each other to be moved in translation on a support, using operating means, from a close position to a separated position.

According to the invention, this shelter comprises a support structure of which two successive frames are connected by at least one articulated and foldable beam which comprises:
- two deformable parallelograms linked, on the one hand, to each other by a
common side and, on the other hand, each to a frame by one side
parallel to this common side,
- And blocking means of the beam in an unfolded position for
keep the members in a spaced-apart position, and means for temporarily immobilizing the structure on the support in the unfolded position.

 Various other characteristics will emerge from the description given below with reference to the appended drawings which show, by way of nonlimiting examples, embodiments and implementation of the subject of the invention.

 Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective of an embodiment of a shelter according to the invention.

 Figs. 2 to 5 are diagrammatic sections along a plane II-II of FIG. 1, illustrating different phases of use of such a shelter.

 Figs. 6 and 7 are schematic elevations of a device for immobilizing two by two of the members of the shelter.

 Fig. 8 is a front view of a last member of the shelter.

 Fig. 9 is a partial section of a retractable wheel according to an alternative embodiment of the shelter.

 Fig. 10 is a view from the left of the retractable wheel according to FIG. 9.

 As shown in fig. 1, the foldable shelter according to the invention consists of a support structure designated as a whole by the reference 1, on which is fitted a sheet 2 made of flexible material. The shelter according to the invention is intended to cover or protect an area 3, shown in mixed lines, such as for example a swimming pool delimited by a rim 4 forming a support for the structure 1.

 The supporting structure 1 comprises at least two and according to the example illustrated, four members 5s, 52 53 54. Preferably but not necessary, the members 51 to 54 are all substantially identical. Each of them has a shape of arch subtended by a horizontal false-entry 6 and reinforced by a central punch 7 connecting the false-entry 6 to a summit point or apex 8 of the arch. For reasons of rigidity, the false entry 6 is preferably located at a distance from the apex 8 equal to approximately one third of the total height of the members 5 to 54.

 In order to be movable and movable with respect to each other, each of the frames Sl to 5s rests on their support 4 by means of wheels 9 or again of pads not shown, if the nature of the support 4 allows it.

 Two successive members of the supporting structure 1 are connected by at least one articulated and foldable beam designated as a whole by the reference 15. Only the articulated beam 15 connecting the first member 5, to the second member 52 will be described, it being understood that the articulated beams 15 linking two by two the other members have a similar structure. In addition, it should be understood that the external members, the first 5, and the last 54 are linked only to an intermediate member 52 and 53 respectively, while the intermediate members 522 53 are each connected by two articulated beams to two neighboring members arranged on either side, as shown in FIG. 2.

 The articulated beam 15 comprises two substantially identical deformable parallelograms 16, 17. Each parallelogram 16, 17 by its nature comprises two longitudinal and parallel sides, called upper, 16l, 17l and lower 162, 172 and two parallel transverse sides, called inner 18 and outer 163, 173. According to the invention, the two parallelograms 16 , 17 are linked by their inner sides which form the same common side 18. The upper longitudinal sides 16l, 17l and lower 162, 172 are then fixed respectively to the upper and lower ends of the common side 18 by pivots 20 to 23 of axes horizontal.

 The two parallelograms 16, 17 are also each linked to a separate member respectively Sl and 52 by their external transverse side 173, 163 parallel to the common side 18 and formed by the punch 7 of each member 51, 52- The longitudinal sides respectively 16l, 162 and 17l, 172 are fixed to the punches 7 by means of articulation points of horizontal axes 24 to 27.

 Preferably, the lower longitudinal sides 162, 172 are fixed to the punches 7 at the level of the false entry 6 so as to define low anchor points 25, 27 of the beam 15 on the members 5i, 52 located at a distance from the top 8 equal to a third of the total height of the members. The pair of deformable parallelograms 16, 17 thus formed is substantially aligned with the punches 7 of each member to be substantially contained in a vertical median and longitudinal plane of the shelter.

 According to the example illustrated, the articulated beam 15 also comprises at least one and, preferably, two stiffening arms 28 substantially identical and arranged on either side of and parallel to the parallelograms 16 and 17. Each arm 28 has two segments 29 , 30 parallel to the two lower longitudinal sides 172, 162 of the parallelograms 16, 17. The two segments 29, 30 have a length substantially equivalent to that of the lower longitudinal sides 162, 172 and are assembled by a central pivot 31 of horizontal axis and each fixed to the false-entry 6 of a neighboring member 5i, S2 by a pivot link 32, 33 also of horizontal axis.

 The beam 15 also includes a transverse connecting bar 35 connecting the two stiffening arms 28 to the deformable parallelograms 16, 17. This connecting bar 35 is preferably parallel to the false ties 6 and links the stiffening arms 28, at their central pivot 31, with the lower end of the common side 18 carrying the pivots 22, 23 of the lower longitudinal sides 162, 172.

 The articulated beam 15 is thus capable of being folded along a vertical plane between two extreme positions, called unfolded and folded. When passing from this unfolded position to the folded position, the frames Sl, 52 linked to the beam 15 then move from a separated position to a close position.

 In order to impart stability to the beam 15, in the unfolded position, the latter is equipped with locking means. In the example illustrated, these blocking means consist of at least one helical spring 36 arranged along a diagonal of one of the deformable parallelograms 16 or 17 and connecting the top corner of the parallelogram oriented towards the frame, at the opposite corner. Preferably, the beam comprises two helical springs 36 equipping each of the two deformable parallelograms 16, 17. To form the locking means, the springs 36 are completed by two abutment members 37 opposing any movement of the beam 15 towards the top, beyond its unfolded position. In the example illustrated, the two abutment members 37 are each arranged on a stiffening arm 28 and formed by an extension of one of the two segments 29 or 30 capable of coming into abutment on the other segment when the beam 15 is in the unfolded position.

 In this position, the springs 36 keep the members 37 in abutment by preventing the beam 15 from folding back under the effect of its own weight. In the unfolded position, the upper longitudinal sides 16 ,, 17l of the two parallelograms 16, 17 are substantially aligned and it is the same for the lower longitudinal sides 162, 172, so that the parallelograms 16, 17 have a substantially rectangular shape. The beam 15 then has, in its unfolded position, rigidity in the face of mechanical stresses substantially parallel to the longitudinal sides 16t, 162, 17l, 172.

 The structure thus formed is preferably manufactured according to traditional locksmithing and boilermaking techniques from cylindrical tubes of circular section, made of stainless steel. The articulation pivots 20 to 27 and 30 to 33 are then formed by sleeves on which the ends of the articulated segments of the beam 15 are welded and which are fitted onto the tubes and immobilized in translation.

 The support structure 1 described above is designed to be foldable and unfolded by a single operator.

 To this end, the last member 54 is fixed to the ground 4 by means, for example, of posts 40, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. The shelter also comprises maneuvering means for unfolding, preferably but not exclusively, constituted by a winch 41 fixed to the ground 4 and comprising a cable 42 secured to the first frame 5,. This unfolding winch 41 can be operated by hand or driven by an electric geared motor or the like.

 The implementation of the shelter is carried out as follows. From a completely folded state, more particularly illustrated in FIG. 3, in which, for reasons of visibility, neither the coil springs nor the cover are shown.

When the unfolding of the shelter is desired, the structure being in the fully folded position, the winch 41 is actuated to exert, via the unfolding cable 42, traction on the first frame 5, in the direction of the arrow fi.

The first and second members 5 ,, 52 then progressively pass from a close position to a separated position, as illustrated in FIG. 4. During this movement, corresponding to a passage of the articulated beam 15 from its folded position to its unfolded position, the common side 18 of the parallelograms 16, 17 describes an ascending trajectory and retains a substantially vertical orientation, while remaining parallel to the two external sides 163, 173 formed by the punches 7. The deformable parallelograms 16 and 17 therefore maintain, during this movement, the parallelism of the members 51, 52, whatever their relative position. The unfolding of the beam 15 is then carried out regularly.

 In addition, it must be considered that during the unfolding phase of the beam 15, the helical springs 36 passing from a state of great extension to a lesser extension, fulfill a function of assistance in unfolding. When the beam 15 is fully unfolded, the members 37 being in abutment, the same springs 36 provide a blocking function for the beam 15.

 By maintaining traction on the first member 51, it is thus possible to unfold all the articulated beams 15 of the structure 1 in order to fully deploy the shelter above the pool 4. The members 51 to 54 are then all in the separated position from each other as shown in fig. 2.

 In order to guarantee a progressive unfolding of the shelter without risk of dysfunction, it is preferable that the beams 15 connecting two by two the members 51 to 54 unfold successively in an orderly fashion, as shown in FIG. 5. To this end, the structure 1 comprises means 43 for immobilizing two by two of the members in the close position. These means 43, illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 but not shown in figs. 1 to 5 for reasons of visibility, are arranged between all the successive members of the second 52 to the last 54. Thus, it should be understood that, for the example illustrated, there are means of immobilization between the second member 52 and the third member 53 and between the third member 53 and the fourth and last member 54. The immobilization means 43 are controlled in opening, so as to allow the spacing of two successive members, when the beam 15 linking the first of these two members with a previous member is unfolded.

 Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the immobilization means 43 arranged between two successive members, for example, the third 53 and the second 52 which is linked by the first articulated beam lSI to a previous member not shown, of which it will be assumed that this is the first member 5 ,.

 The immobilization means 43 are, according to this example, formed of a movable arm 44 fixed by a pivot 45 of horizontal axis to the false-entry 62 of the second frame 52 to be movable upwards, in the direction of the arrow f2 and in abutment in a substantially horizontal position. The free end of the movable arm 44 comprises a hook 46 capable of engaging on the false entry 63 of the third frame 53 and defining an engagement ramp 47 inclined in an upward direction in a direction going from the second 52 towards the third member 53.

 The immobilization means 43 also comprise a closing control spring 48 which recalls downwards, in a horizontal position, the movable arm 44. Finally, the immobilization means 43 are controlled in opening by a cable 49 connecting the arm movable 44 at the upper longitudinal side 161 of the deformable parallelogram 16 linked to the second frame 52 of the first beam 15,. When the first beam 151 is unfolded, the cable 49 driven by the upper longitudinal side 161, lifts the movable arm 44. The hook 46 is thus released from the false entry 63 of the third frame 53 to allow the spacing of the second frame 52 with respect to the third 53 which must be considered to be immobilized by identical means not shown on the fourth and last member 54.

 It therefore appears that thanks to the immobilization means 43 above, the unfolding of the second beam 152 can only take place after the unfolding of the first beam 15X, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Similarly, the unfolding of the third beam 153 occurs only after that of the second 152, so that by the immobilizing means 43 and by exerting traction only on the first member, it is obtained an unfolding sequential of the shelter by the successive passage of the members from a close position to a separated position. When all the members are in a position separated from each other, the beams 15 are all unfolded, so that the shelter is fully deployed above the pool.

 When the shelter is completely unfolded, the unfolding cable 42 is kept attached to the first frame S1 and the winch 41 blocked, so as to complement, with the anchoring posts 40 of the last frame 54, means of temporary immobilization of the structure in the unfolded position on its support 4. Thus secured to the support 4 and thanks to the rigidity of the articulated beams 15 connecting the frames Si to 54 and being locked in the unfolded position, the shelter advantageously has good wind resistance .

 The shelter being intended to be able to be folded, the supporting structure 1 also comprises maneuvering means for folding it by a single operator. These means can be constituted, for example, by a folding winch 51 fixed on the last frame 54 and equipped with a cable 52 anchored on the first frame Sl, so as to be able to exert traction on the latter in the direction d 'a reconciliation of the members in the direction of arrow f4.

 To allow automatic folding of the beams 15, the cable 52 passes under the false ties 6 and above the connecting bars 35. When the shelter must be folded, the winch 51 is actuated to store the folding cable 52 which then exerts a vertical action directed from top to bottom on the connecting bars, which tends to bend the articulated beams 15. Of course, before performing any folding operation of the structure, the unfolding cable 42 is detached of the first member S1, or the winch 41 is released.

 By acting indirectly on the blocking means of the beams 15 and by bringing the frames Si to 54 from one another, the cable 52 allows automatic folding of the supporting structure. During this operation, the articulated structure of the beams 15 advantageously maintains the members 51 to 54 parallel to one another, thus avoiding any risk of blockage. Similarly, during the folding operation, each spring 48 recalls the arm 44 of the immobilizing means 43 in a horizontal position, so that, thanks to the ramp 47, the hook 46 can automatically engage on the false-entry 6 members.

 Thanks to the conformation of its supporting structure, the shelter according to the invention has, in the fully folded position, a relatively small size compared to the covered surface in the unfolded position, as appears from a comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3. Finally, to ensure good insulation from the outside of the volume defined by the shelter, the first 51 and last 54 members are closed by protective panels. The last frame 54 then preferably comprises movable panels 50 forming access doors to the interior of the shelter, as shown in FIG. 8.

 According to a preferred embodiment variant of the shelter, the members 51 to 54 are fitted with retractable wheels 9 which allow the members to rest directly on the ground 4, when the structure 1 is completely unfolded, as shown in FIG. 5. In this way, there is no longer any space between the bottom of the sheet 2 and the ground 4 and the shelter has better wind resistance.

 When the movable members 51 to 54 are fitted with retractable wheels, the last member 54 also has them. The last member 54 is then and fixed to its anchor posts 40 by means of at least two and, preferably, three links 55, so as to be able to accompany the vertical movement of the other members 51 to 53.

 Figs. 9 and 10 show an exemplary embodiment of retractable wheels 9. Each wheel 9 has a double crank 56 of horizontal axis fixed on a frame 53. The crank 56 has two arms of different length including a short 57, oriented towards the outside of the shelter, carries the wheel 9 opposite of the axis of the crank 56, and a long, said internal, 58 oriented towards the inside of the shelter. The internal arm 58 is articulated so as to be able to follow the concave curvature of the member 5. In the position of use, the free end of the internal arm 58 is fixed to the member 5 and the wheel 9 carries this member which can then be moved by rolling on its support 4. When the shelter is completely unfolded, the wheel 9 can be retracted. The internal arm 58 is then detached from the frame 5 to be brought into a substantially horizontal position, which rotates the crank 56 and moves the wheel 9, so that the frame 5 comes to rest on the ground 4, as shown in the fig. 10. Thanks to its articulation, the internal arm 58 is then placed in alignment with the previous member 52 and, preferably but not exclusively, fixed to the latter to give better rigidity to the support structure 1. The internal arm 58 can also be engaged in a U-shaped clip 60, as illustrated in FIG. 1, adapted on the bottom of the cover 2.

In this way, the internal arm 58 keeps the cover 2 in tension.

 The above shelter has been described with hoop-shaped members, but it is clear that the members could have a completely different shape, such as for example that of a farm.

 Similarly, the parallelograms 16 and 17 of the articulated beam 15 have been described as being deformed in a vertical median plane, but they could also be deformed in a horizontal plane. According to a variant not shown, the articulated beam 15 could comprise two pairs of deformable parallelograms 16, 17.

Finally, the members could be linked by two independent articulated beams arranged on either side of a longitudinal plane of the shelter.

 In the above description, the means for blocking the beam 15 in the unfolded position are formed by the coil springs 36 and the abutment members 37, but they could be formed by any other suitable means, such as for example a servo lock in closing by a spring to engage in a blocking strike when the beam 15 is in the unfolded position. The lock would also be slaved in opening by the folding cable 52 to allow automatic folding of the shelter.

 According to another alternative embodiment, not shown, the means for assisting the unfolding of the articulated beam 15 and for blocking the latter in the unfolded position can be formed by an electric screw jack, arranged along a diagonal of one of the parallelograms 16 or 17 to ensure, on the one hand, a function of folding and unfolding of the beam 15 and, on the other hand, a function of blocking the latter in the folded or folded position. All the articulated beams 15 connecting the successive members being thus equipped, the shelter can then be simply folded and unfolded by the simultaneous or sequential implementation of the electric jacks.

 The invention is not limited to the examples described and shown, since various modifications can be made thereto without departing from its scope.

Claims (11)

CLAIMS:  1 - Foldable shelter of the type constituted by a supporting structure (1) supporting a tarpaulin (2) and comprising at least two movable members (51 - 54) relative to each other to be moved in translation on a support ( 4), using maneuvering means (41, 5), from a close position to a separated position,  characterized in that it includes  - a supporting structure of which two successive members (5 "52) are  connected by at least one beam (15), articulated and foldable, which comprises  two deformable parallelograms (16, 17) linked, on the one hand, between  them by a common side (18) and, on the other hand, each to a  frame by a side parallel (163, 173) to this common side (18),  means for locking the beam in an unfolded position to  keep the frames in the spread position,  - temporary immobilization means (40, 41) of the structure on  the support (4) in the unfolded position.  2 - Foldable shelter according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one articulated beam (15), connecting two successive members (ground, 52), so that the parallelograms (16, 17) are deformed  - in a vertical plane substantially coincident with a longitudinal plane  shelter median,  - and downwards, when the beam (15) is folded, the members (ground, 52)  going from the spread position to the close position.  3 - Foldable shelter according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises at least one articulated beam (15) which comprises at least one stiffening arm (28) parallel to the two parallelograms and formed by two segments (29, 30) articulated together and each linked to a separate frame (5 "52).  4 - Foldable shelter according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises at least one articulated beam (15) which comprises means (36) for assisting the unfolding of the beam (15), during the movement of the members from the close position to the separated position.  5 - Foldable shelter according to claim 4, characterized in that the locking means and the unfolding assistance means are formed by at least one helical spring (36) arranged along a diagonal of at least one of the deformable parallelograms ( 16, 17) and supplemented by at least one stop member (37) preventing any movement of the beam (15) beyond its unfolded position, when the members (51 52) pass from the close position to the spread position.  6 - Foldable shelter according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a support structure (1) comprising  - at least one intermediate member (52 53) located between a  first member (51) and a last member (5q) anchored to the  support,  - two to two relative immobilization means of the frames in  close position, which are arranged between all the frames  successive from the second (52) to the last frame (54) and which are  enslaved  on the one hand, in opening to allow, when the means of  maneuver (41) are actuated, to unfold the shelter, a deployment  sequential of the shelter beginning, first of all, with an unfolding of  the first articulated beam (151) to substantially the position  discarded in the first (51) and second (52) members, followed  the unfolding of the second beam (152) and so on until  that all the members are in position apart from each other  other,  and on the other hand, in closing for, when the means of  maneuver (51) are actuated, to fold the shelter, ensure  automatic immobilization two by two of the members  in the close position.  7 - Foldable shelter according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the operating means consist, to ensure the unfolding of the structure (1), of a winch (41) which is fixed on the support ( 4) and the cable (42) of which is stowed on the first member (51).  8 - Foldable shelter according to claim 7, characterized in that the winch (41) provides, via its cable (42), a function of immobilizing the structure (1) in the unfolded position.  9 - Foldable shelter according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the operating means consist, to ensure the folding of the structure (1), of a second winch (51) fixed relative to the last frame, the cable (52) of which is stowed on the first frame (51) and acts on the blocking means of the beams to allow automatic folding of the structure (1).  10 - Foldable shelter according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the members (5l - 54) are equipped with retractable wheels (9).  11 - Foldable shelter according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the deformable parallelograms (16, 17) have low points of articulation (25, 27) on the frames, located at a height relative to the top members, substantially equal to 1/3 of the height of the members.