System and method for sealing openings in response to smoke, noxious fumes, or contaminated air using a roll-down barrier

An apparatus for sealing off an opening having a top portion and side portions, comprising:

• a housing postionably adjacent to the top portion opening;
• a curtain assembly having a curtain of substantially gas impervious, material wound on a spindle, the spindle and the curtain being movable between a raised, stored position in the housing and a lowered, deployed position covering the opening;
• a coupler coupled to the curtain assembly and connectable to a power source, the coupler being configured to retain the spindle in the housing in the raised, stored position while power is applied to the coupler and release the spindle allowing the spindle and curtain to move toward the lowered, deployed position unrolling the curtain across the opening;
• a governor coupled to the curtain assembly and configured to control a rate of deployment of the curtain toward the lowered, deployed position;
• a flexible sealing mechanism sealably engaging the side portions of the opening when the curtain is in the lowered, deployed position;
• and
• a rewind control switch configurable to automatically rewind the curtain with a resumption of power after a power failure deployment of the curtain.

A barrier assembly for sealing off an opening having a top portion and side portions, comprising:

• a housing located adjacent to the top portion of the opening;
• a curtain of a substantially gas impervious material, the curtain having edge portions and being movable between a raised, stored position and a lowered, deployed position, the curtain being fully contained in the housing above the opening when in the raised, stored position, the curtain extending over and fully covering and substantially sealing the opening when in the lowered, deployed position;
• a flexible sealing mechanism attached to and extending along the edge portions of the curtain, the sealing mechanism sealably engaging the side portions of the opening when the curtain is in the lowered, deployed position;
• a spindle connected to the curtain with the curtain being wound around the spindle when in the raised, stored position and with the curtain winding onto and off of the spindle as the curtain moves between the raised, stored position and the lowered, deployed position, the spindle having end portions and a pulley attached to each end portion;
• a cord attached to the pulley at each end of the spindle;
• a drive shaft coupled to the cord and being rotatable to wind the cord around a spool and roll the curtain toward the raised, stored position and to unwind to allow the curtain to move toward the lowered, deployed position;
• a powered drive coupleable to the drive shaft and rotatable to rotate the drive shaft in one rotational direction, and move the curtain toward the raised, stored position and to hold the curtain in the raised, stored position;
• a coupler connected to the drive shaft, the coupler being movable between an engaged position and a released position and configured to couple the drive shaft to the powered drive when in the engaged position and to uncouple the drive shaft from the powered drive when in the released position allowing the curtain to unroll toward the lowered, deployed position;
• a deployment governor connected to the drive shaft and positioned to limit a speed at which the drive shaft rotates when the curtain unrolls and moves toward the lowered, deployed position, thereby controlling the rate of deployment of the curtain over the opening.

A barrier assembly for sealing off an opening having a top portion and side portions, comprising:

• a housing located adjacent to the top portion of the opening;
• a curtain of a substantially gas impervious material, the curtain having edge portions and being movable between a raised, stored position and a lowered, deployed position, the curtain being fully contained in the housing above the opening when in the raised, stored position, the curtain extending over and fully covering and substantially sealing the opening when in the lowered, deployed position;
• a spindle connected to the curtain with the curtain being wound around the spindle when in the raised, stored position and with the curtain winding onto and off of the spindle as the curtain moves between the raised, stored position and the lowered, deployed position, the spindle having end portions and a pulley attached to each end portion;
• a cord attached to the pulley at each end of the spindle;
• a drive shaft coupled to the cord and being rotatable to wind the cord around a spool and roll the curtain toward the raised, stored position and to unwind from the spool to allow the curtain to move toward the lowered, deployed position;
• a powered drive coupleable to the spool or drive shaft and rotatable to rotate the spool in one rotational direction, and wind the cord onto the spool, rewind the curtain onto the spindle, and move the curtain toward the raised, stored position and to hold the curtain in the raised, stored position;
• a coupler connected to the spool, the coupler being movable between an engaged position and a released position and configured to couple the spool to the powered drive when in the engaged position and to uncouple the spool from the powered drive when in the released position allowing the curtain to unroll toward the lowered, deployed position;
• a deployment governor connected to the spool and positioned to limit a speed at which the spool rotates when the curtain unrolls and moves toward the lowered, deployed position, thereby controlling the rate of deployment of the curtain over the opening;
• and
• a rewind control that stops the powered drive to limit the upward movement of the spindle and rewinding of the curtain.