Roll-up wall tensioning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10113360-B2
Application number	US-201615373896-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2016
Priority date	Dec 9, 2016
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

Various embodiments of a flexible, roll-up wall are described herein. The wall includes a roller drum having a selectively engageable one-way bearing, one or more power supplies, a motor, a flexible, sound-attenuating sheet, an electromagnet and at least one of a corresponding permanent magnet or ferromagnet, one or more conductive threads, a force meter, and a potentiometer. The motor is coupled to the drum by a transmission. The flexible sheet includes a base fabric and a polymer coating surrounding the base fabric, and is coupled to the roller drum at a first end of the sheet. The one or more conductive threads are woven into the base fabric. At least one conductive thread electrically couples the electromagnet to one of the power supplies. The potentiometer varies the current delivered to the electromagnet based on a force measured by the force meter.

First claim

We claim:

1. A flexible, roll-up wall, comprising:
a roller drum having a selectively engageable one-way bearing;
one or more power supplies;
a motor coupled to the drum by a transmission and electrically coupled to at least one of the one or more power supplies;
a flexible, sound-attenuating sheet having a base fabric and a polymer coating surrounding the base fabric, the sheet coupled to the roller drum at a first end of the sheet;
an electromagnet and at least one of a corresponding permanent magnet or ferromagnet;
one or more conductive threads woven into the base fabric extending from the first end of the flexible sheet to a second end of the flexible sheet, at least one of the one or more conductive threads electrically coupled to the electromagnet and at least one of the one or more power supplies;
a force meter; and
a potentiometer electrically coupled between the at least one power source coupled to the electromagnet and the electromagnet, wherein the potentiometer varies the current delivered to the electromagnet based on a force measured by the force meter.

2. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , wherein the force meter comprises a dynamometer.

3. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , wherein the force meter comprises a load cell.

4. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , wherein the force meter comprises a piezoelectric sensor.

5. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , wherein the force meter is coupled to the motor.

6. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , wherein the force meter is fixedly coupled to the electromagnet or the at least one corresponding permanent magnet or ferromagnet.

7. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , wherein the force meter is fixedly coupled to the flexible sheet or an area of surface beneath the flexible sheet.

8. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnet is coupled to the flexible sheet at the second end of the flexible sheet opposite the first end of the flexible sheet.

9. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , wherein the at least one corresponding permanent magnet or ferromagnet is disposed in a surface beneath a bottom edge along the second end of the flexible sheet.

10. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , wherein the at least one corresponding permanent magnet or ferromagnet is coupled to the flexible sheet at the second end of the flexible sheet opposite the first end of the flexible sheet.

11. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnet is disposed in a surface beneath a bottom edge along the second end of the flexible sheet.

12. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second permanent magnet vertically coupled to one or more springs at the second end of the flexible sheet; and
a conductive coil disposed in a surface beneath the bottom edge of the flexible sheet aligned with the second magnet such that vertical oscillation of the second magnet induces a current in the coil.

13. The roll-up wall of claim 12 , wherein the conductive coil is electrically coupled to at least one of the one or more conductive threads.

14. The roll-up wall of claim 12 , wherein the second magnet extends beneath the bottom edge.

15. The roll-up wall of claim 12 , wherein, as the bottom edge contacts the surface, the second magnet extends into the coil.

16. The roll-up wall of claim 1 , further comprising a controller electrically coupled to one or more of the motor, the power supplies, the electromagnet, the force meter, and the potentiometer, wherein the controller comprises:
one or more hardware processors; and
hardware memory having instructions stored thereon for operating one or more of the motor, the power supplies, the electromagnet, the force meter, and the potentiometer.

17. The roll-up wall of claim 16 , wherein the instructions comprise:
detecting an increase in a force exerted on the flexible sheet; and
increasing an amount of current being delivered to the electromagnet, wherein the increase in the current is proportional to, and based upon, the force exerted on the flexible sheet.

18. The roll-up wall of claim 16 , wherein the instructions comprise:
unrolling the flexible sheet from the drum;
detecting a bottom edge of the flexible sheet at the second end has reached a surface beneath the flexible sheet;
engaging the one-way bearing with the roller drum;
activating the electromagnet; and
tensioning the flexible sheet.

19. The roll-up wall of claim 18 , wherein tensioning the flexible sheet comprises:
measuring an amount of tension in the flexible sheet;
comparing the measured tension in the sheet to a desired tension; and
shutting off the motor as the measured tension matches the desired tension.

20. The roll-up wall of claim 16 , wherein the memory stores data regarding an amount of tension required to tear the flexible sheet, and wherein the instructions comprise:
determining, based on the data, an amount of current to deliver to the electromagnet such that a magnetic force exerted between the electromagnet and the at least one corresponding permanent magnet or ferromagnet is less than the amount of force required to tear the flexible sheet by an amount ranging from one one-hundredth of a percent to ten percent.

Assignees

• Hall David R
• Priddis Andrew
• Knight Jedediah
• Hall Labs Llc

Inventors

• Hall David R
• Priddis Andrew
• Knight Jedediah

Classifications

• E06B5/20

  for insulation against noise · CPC title

• E06B9/50

  Bearings specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• E06B2009/801

  Locking arrangements · CPC title

• E06B2009/6818

  using sensors · CPC title

• E06B2009/6809

  Control · CPC title