Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to a flood impediment system. More particularly, the present disclosure describes various embodiments of a flood impediment system and a method of operating the flood impediment system.

Background

Climate change increases probability of certain types of weather. For example, more frequent heavy rains and flooding observed in different parts of the world are associated with a warming planet, and such events are expected to gradually become more common over time, in line with predicted weather forecasting.

As average temperatures in many parts around the world have gone up, more rain has fallen during the heaviest downpours. This is because warmer air holds more moisture, and when the warm moist air meets cooler drier air, the moisture condenses into tiny droplets that float in the air. If the droplets accumulate and become heavy enough, they fall as precipitation, i.e. rain. As a consequence of global warming, annual precipitation levels have increased in many regions around the world, but have however decreased in others. Hence, some regions experienced prolonged droughts, while others have had intense rainstorms, causing flash floods or even large-scale floods. These precipitation changes, along with temperature shifts, threaten agriculture and livelihood, as well as cause damage to property and infrastructure, resulting in significant economic losses.

Global warming and the increase in precipitation have made rainfall patterns more unpredictable. In regions with wet climates, the risk of floods happening increases and measures need to be taken to address such flooding problems, especially if floodwater can ingress to buildings via external entrances and cause damage the building infrastructure. One example of a measure to impede flooding is a flood barrier disclosed in international patent application PCT/SG2016/050612. This flood barrier can be installed at a building entrance and is moveable between an elevated position and a lowered position. In the lowered position, a barrier is formed against floodwater ingress to the building. However, in the elevated position, the entrance remains partially covered and obstructs human traffic through the entrance if the entrance is used as a passageway by people.

Therefore, in order to address or alleviate at least one of the aforementioned problems and/or disadvantages, there is a need to provide an improved flood impediment system.

Summary

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is a flood impediment system comprising: a flood barrier movable between an upper horizontal position and a lower vertical position; a rotation assembly having a set of rotatable drives coupled to the flood barrier, the rotatable drives configured such that rotation thereof moves the flood barrier between the horizontal and vertical positions, each rotatable drive comprising a retardation mechanism for retarding against said rotation when said rotation exceeds a predefined threshold speed; and a set of tracks for guiding said movement of the flood barrier between the horizontal and vertical positions, wherein the rotatable drives are operable to controllably move the flood barrier under self-weight from the horizontal position to the vertical position to impede flooding, said controllable movement of the flood barrier facilitated by the retardation mechanisms.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is a method of operating the flood impediment system. The method comprises: operating the rotatable drives to rotate the rotatable drives; and controllably moving, in response to said rotation of the rotatable drives, the flood barrier under self-weight from the horizontal position to the vertical position along the tracks, wherein said controllable movement of the flood barrier is facilitated by the retardation mechanisms. An advantage of one or more of the above aspects of the present disclosure is that when the flood barrier is in the vertical position, the flood barrier forms a barrier against floodwater ingress and impedes flooding. Another advantage is that when the flood barrier is in the horizontal position, the flood barrier is at a raised height and is thus concealable, particularly from the public view of people.

A flood impediment system according to the present disclosure is thus disclosed herein. Various features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, by way of non-limiting examples only, along with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 A and Figure 1 B illustrate a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a flood impediment system comprising a flood barrier in an activated state, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 2A and Figure 2B illustrate a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the flood impediment system of Figure 1A and Figure 1 B comprising the flood barrier in a partially activated state.

Figure 3A and Figure 3B illustrate a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the flood impediment system of Figure 1A and Figure 1 B comprising the flood barrier in a deactivated state.

Figure 4A illustrates a cross-sectional view of Section A-A derived from Figure 1 B. Figure 4B illustrates a cross-sectional view of Section B-B derived from Figure 1 B.

Figure 4C illustrates a cross-sectional view of Section C-C derived from Figure 3B. Figure 5A illustrates a magnified view of Detail A derived from Figure 4B.

Figure 5B illustrates a magnified view of Detail B derived from Figure 4B.

Figure 5C illustrates a magnified view of Detail C derived from Figure 4C.

Figure 6A illustrates a perspective view of another flood impediment system comprising a flood barrier in an activated state, in accordance with other embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 6B illustrates a perspective view of the flood impediment system of Figure 6A comprising the flood barrier in a partially activated state.

Figure 6C illustrates a perspective view of the flood impediment system of Figure 6A comprising the flood barrier in a deactivated state.

Detailed Description

In the present disclosure, depiction of a given element or consideration or use of a particular element number in a particular figure or a reference thereto in corresponding descriptive material can encompass the same, an equivalent, or an analogous element or element number identified in another figure or descriptive material associated therewith. The use of 7” in a figure or associated text is understood to mean“and/or” unless otherwise indicated. As used herein, the term “set” corresponds to or is defined as a non-empty finite organization of elements that mathematically exhibits a cardinality of at least one (e.g. a set as defined herein can correspond to a unit, singlet, or single element set, or a multiple element set), in accordance with known mathematical definitions. The recitation of a particular numerical value or value range herein is understood to include or be a recitation of an approximate numerical value or value range.

For purposes of brevity and clarity, descriptions of embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a flood impediment system, in accordance with the drawings. While aspects of the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with the embodiments provided herein, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the present disclosure to these embodiments. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents to the embodiments described herein, which are included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be recognized by an individual having ordinary skill in the art, i.e. a skilled person, that the present disclosure may be practiced without specific details, and/or with multiple details arising from combinations of aspects of particular embodiments. In a number of instances, well-known systems, methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as to not unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

References to“an embodiment / example”,“another embodiment / example”,“some embodiments / examples”, “some other embodiments / examples”, and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) / example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment / example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase“in an embodiment / example” or“in another embodiment / example” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment / example.

In representative or exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, there is a first flood impediment system 100 as illustrated in Figure 1A to Figure 3B. Broadly, the flood impediment system 100 comprises a flood barrier 102 movable between an upper horizontal position and a lower vertical position. Figure 1A and Figure 1 B illustrate a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the flood impediment system 100 when the flood barrier 102 is in the vertical position, i.e. the flood barrier 102 is in the deployed or activated state. Figure 2A and Figure 2B illustrate a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the flood impediment system 100 when the flood barrier 102 is in between the horizontal and vertical positions, i.e. in a partially activated state during deploying or retracting of the flood barrier 102. Figure 3A and Figure 3B illustrate a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the flood impediment system 100 when the flood barrier 102 is in the horizontal position, i.e. the flood barrier 102 is in the retracted or deactivated state.

Figure 4A to Figure 4C and Figure 5A to Figure 5C are additional illustrations of the flood impediment system 100 and serve to support the description of the flood impediment system 100 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The flood impediment system 100 further comprises a rotation assembly 104 having a set of rotatable drives 106 coupled to the flood barrier 102. The rotation assembly 104 comprises a plurality of cables 108 connecting the rotatable drives 106 to the flood barrier 102. The cables 108 may be removably attached to the flood barrier 102 near the bottom horizontal edge 110 thereof. For example, turnbuckles 111 are mounted to the flood barrier 102 near the bottom horizontal edge 110 and the cables 108 are removably attached to the turnbuckles 111. The turnbuckles 111 are configured for adjusting the tension in the cables 108 so as to achieve uniform tension in the cables 108. The cables 108 may be formed from wire rope and made of a steel material, such as stainless steel.

The rotatable drives 106 are configured such that rotation of the rotatable drives 106 moves the flood barrier 102 between the horizontal and vertical positions, such as from the horizontal position to the vertical position to deploy / activate the flood barrier 102. Each rotatable drive 106 comprises a retardation or braking mechanism for retarding against said rotation when said rotation exceeds a predefined threshold speed. The flood impediment system 100 further comprises a set of tracks 112 for guiding said movement of the flood barrier 102 between the horizontal and vertical positions.

When the flood impediment system 100 is in use, the rotatable drives 106 are operated to controllably move the flood barrier 102 under self-weight from the horizontal position to the vertical position to impede flooding by forming a protective barrier against floodwater ingress. Additionally, said controllable movement of the flood barrier 102 is facilitated by the retardation mechanisms, such as to limit the rotational speed when it exceeds the predefined threshold speed.

In many embodiments, the flood impediment system 100 is installable or installed at an entrance, such as an entrance of a building or to a passageway / corridor for people to walk through. For example, the flood impediment system 100 is installed by arranging the flood barrier 102 intermediate two member posts or vertical structural members 114 of the entrance. The vertical structural members 114 may be reinforced concrete structural members of the building or passageway / corridor.

When the flood barrier 102 is in the vertical position, the flood barrier 102 forms a barrier against floodwater ingress and impedes flooding of the entrance. When the flood barrier 102 is in the horizontal position, the flood barrier 102 is at a raised height and is concealable at a ceiling of the entrance. Retracting the flood barrier 102 into the horizontal position and storing it at the horizontal position enables the flood barrier 102 to be concealed at a ceiling, or an upper portion, of the entrance.

The flood barrier 102 is generally rectangular in shape and comprises a plurality of modular panels 116 cooperatively arranged together in order to be assembled as the flood barrier 102 at the entrance to guard against floodwater ingress. The panels 116 are modular such that they can be arranged together in an array of panels 116, as described in more detail below. Each modular panel 116 is formed from steel structural members to better enable the flood barrier 102 to withstand hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads imposed by the floodwater. As shown in Figure 1A, Figure 2A, and Figure 3A, the flood barrier 102 comprises a first barrier portion 102a, a second barrier portion 102b, and a third barrier portion 102c. The barrier portions 102a,b,c are cooperatively arranged adjacently at side edges 118 thereof to fully span the width of the entrance. It will be appreciated that the flood barrier 102 may instead comprise two barrier portions, or four or more barrier portions, such as depending on the width of the entrance. In many embodiments, each of the barrier portions 102a,b,c comprises a plurality of the modular panels 116 arranged successively, each panel 116 rotatably coupled to a successive panel 116 at horizontal edges 120 thereof. As shown in Figure 1A, Figure 2A, and Figure 3A, each of the barrier portions 102a,b,c comprises, successively, a first panel 116a, a second panel 116b rotatably coupled to the first panel 116a, a third panel 116c rotatably coupled to the second panel 116b, and a fourth panel 116d rotatably coupled to the third panel 116c. The successive panels 116 are coupled to each other for rotational movement relative to each other. For example, the flood barrier 102 comprises a set of hinges 122 arranged at the horizontal edges 120 for rotatably coupling the panels 116. It will be appreciated that the flood barrier 102 may comprise any number of panels 116. Notably, more panels 116 would result in smoother movement of the flood barrier 102 between the horizontal and vertical positions.

In some embodiments, the flood impediment system 100 comprises a weight compensation assembly 124 coupled to the flood barrier 102 for cooperatively moving the flood barrier 102 between the horizontal and vertical positions. The weight compensation assembly 124 is mounted to external structure, such as the entrance ceiling, using steel mounting brackets and/or masonry anchors. The weight compensation assembly 124 may comprise various mechanisms to achieve said movement of the flood barrier 102, as will be understood by the skilled person. In one embodiment, the weight compensation assembly 124 comprises a set of counterweights 126 and a block-and-tackle pulley mechanism 128 for amplifying the weight of the flood barrier 102 to displace the counterweights 126 during movement of the flood barrier 102. In one example, when the flood barrier 102 is moving from the vertical position to the horizontal position, the weight of the counterweights 126 assists said movement of the flood barrier 102, thereby reducing the load on the rotatable drives 106. In another example, when the flood barrier 102 is moving from horizontal position to the vertical position, the weight of the counterweights 126 resists said movement of the flood barrier 102, thereby limiting the speed of said movement. The counterweights 126 are calibrated to balance or compensate the weight difference relative to the flood barrier 102, allowing ease of operating the flood barrier 102 to be moved between the horizontal and vertical positions, whether by manual means or using mechanical means such as the rotation assembly 104. Each counterweight 126 may be arranged in a tubular configuration or in a cage configuration. Each counterweight 126 may comprise a steel or lead material, such as formed from casted lead ingots. Alternatively, the counterweights 126 may be in the form of a cage configuration, which has a structure formed from steel and arranged to receive counterweight slabs.

The block-and-tackle pulley mechanism 128 comprises a plurality of pulleys 130 suitably assembled together as will be readily understood by the skilled person. Each pulley 130 may comprise a steel material. The block-and-tackle pulley mechanism 128 is assembled such that when the flood barrier 102 is in the horizontal position, the counterweights 126 are positioned at a predetermined height that does not obstruct the entrance whereat the flood impediment system 100 is installed. The distance traversed by the flood barrier 102 is more than the distance traversed by the counterweights 126, and this imbalance is compensated by using counterweights 126 that are heavier than the weight of the flood barrier 102. For example, the counterweights 126 are six times the weight of the flood barrier 102.

The weight compensation assembly 124 further comprises a plurality of cables 132 connecting the flood barrier 102, counterweights 126, and pulleys 130 together. The cables 132 may be removably attached to the flood barrier 102 near the bottom horizontal edge 110 thereof. For example, the cables 132 are removably attached, along with the cables 108 of the rotation assembly 104, to the turnbuckles 111 mounted to the flood barrier 102 near the bottom horizontal edge. The turnbuckles 111 are configured for adjusting the tension in the cables 108 and 132 so as to achieve uniform tension. The cables 132 may be formed from wire rope and made of a steel material, such as stainless steel.

As stated above, the flood impediment system 100 comprises tracks 112 for guiding movement of the flood barrier 102. The tracks 112 are mounted on supporting beams 113 that are in turn mounted to external structure, such as the ceiling, via mounting brackets 115 and/or masonry anchors. The tracks 112 are perpendicular to the horizontal length of the flood barrier 102 and are distributed longitudinally along the flood barrier 102. Longitudinally is taken to mean along the horizontal length of the flood barrier 102, such as parallel to the bottom horizontal edge 110 thereof. The tracks 112 comprise two first tracks 112a disposed adjacent to the two vertical structural members 114 of the entrance whereat the flood impediment system 100 is installed. Each of the first tracks 112a comprises a horizontal portion, a vertical portion, and a curved portion intermediate the horizontal and vertical portions. The modular panels 116 are rotatable coupled by the hinges 122 so that the panels 116 can be mounted one on top of the other successively. This configuration allows the flood barrier 102 comprising the modular panels 116 to move over the curved portion of the first tracks 112a.

The tracks 112 may further comprise second tracks 112b intermediate the two first tracks 112a, such that the first and second tracks 112a,b are distributed longitudinally along the flood barrier 102. The second tracks 112b are aligned with the side edges 118 of the flood barrier 102. Each of the second tracks 112b includes a horizontal portion and optionally a curved portion, but excludes a vertical portion so as not to obstruct the entrance. Similar to the first tracks 112a, the modular panels 116 of the flood barrier 102 allow the flood barrier 102 to move over the curved portions of the second tracks 112b at the same time as for the curved portions of the first tracks 112a.

The flood impediment system 100 includes a set of rollers 134 coupled to the flood barrier 102 and engageable with the tracks 112 for moving the flood barrier 102 along the tracks 112. Specifically, the rollers 134 are coupled to the side edges 118 of the flood barrier 102 and are Tollable / slideable along the tracks 112 during movement of the flood barrier 102 between the horizontal and vertical positions. Each of the rollers 134 may comprise bearings for reducing friction to improve energy efficiency. Alternatively, the side edges 118 of the flood barrier 102 may be lined with a material that has a low coefficient of friction relative to the tracks 112, such as nylon, to reduce friction during movement of the flood barrier 102. It will be appreciated that the rotation assembly 104 and the weight compensation assembly 124 are suitably configured according to the weight of the flood barrier 102. In one embodiment, there is a number of rotatable drives 106 and a number of counterweights 124 (with corresponding cables 108 and 132 and turnbuckles 111 ) for all the barrier portions 102a,b,c. In another embodiment, each of the barrier portions 102a,b,c has a corresponding rotatable drive 106, counterweight 124, cables 108 and 132, and turnbuckle 111. The rotatable drives 106 may be connected together by drive shafts 117 such that they can rotate synchronously to move the barrier portions 102a,b,c together. The rotation assembly 104 and the weight compensation assembly 124, specifically the rotatable drives 106 and pulley mechanism 128, are mounted on a supporting beam 119 which is secured, such as using steel mounting brackets and/or masonry anchors, to the celling or top of the entrance whereat the flood impediment system 100 is installed.

Furthermore, each rotatable drive 106 is implemented as a tubular drive configured to rotate freely with the movement of the flood barrier 102. The rotatable drive 106 is housed in a steel roller tube that enables the cables 108 of the rotation assembly 104 to be coiled or uncoiled around on the steel roller tube when the flood barrier 102 is moved. In one embodiment, the rotatable drive 106 comprises the retardation or braking mechanism which has a brake, e.g. a centrifugal brake, for retarding against rotation of the rotatable drive 106 when said rotation exceeds the predefined threshold speed. However, it will be appreciated that the rotatable drive 106 may include other forms of retardation mechanisms known to the skilled person. In an example, the rotatable drive 106 comprises a tubular drive tube, and the centrifugal brake within the rotatable drive 106 comprises a set of brake pads arranged to be extendable outwards (in a centrifugal-like manner) from a main body of the centrifugal brake to contact against an internal surface of the tubular drive tube. Said contact exerts a brake force on the internal surface of the tubular drive tube to thereby retard against said rotation.

Thus, when the rotational speed of the rotatable drive 106 exceeds the predefined threshold speed, the brake pads extend centrifugally from the main body of the centrifugal brake, and then correspondingly exert the brake force, which is an opposing frictional force against the internal surface of the tubular drive tube. This slows down the rotational speed of the rotatable drive 106 and may even stop the rotation of the rotatable drive 106 completely. However, usually within a split second after the rotational speed of the rotatable drive 106 decreases, the brake pads are retracted via resilient elements, such as springs, attached between the brake pads and the main body of the centrifugal brake. This removes the opposing frictional force exerted against the internal surface of the tubular drive tube and the rotational speed of the rotatable drive 106 increases.

The presence of the centrifugal brakes in the rotatable drives 106 is advantageous as this helps to limit the rotational speed of the rotatable drives 106, which consequently limits the speed at which the flood barrier 102 moves due to the coupling between the rotatable drives 106 and the flood barrier 102. The retardation / braking mechanism thus prevents the flood barrier 102, when moving to the vertical position under self-weight, from speeding out of control and beyond the designated range of incremental acceleration designed for the flood barrier 102. In other words, the retardation mechanisms of the rotation assembly 104 prevent the flood barrier 102 from free falling solely under gravity.

The rotation assembly 104 further comprises locking members configured to be electrically activated and electrically deactivated. Specifically, each rotatable drive 106 is formed with an integrated locking member, which is configured to be switchable between a locked state (i.e. electrically activated) and an unlocked state (i.e. electrically deactivated). In the locked state, the locking member locks the rotatable drive 106 by stopping rotating movement of the steel roller tube to inhibit rotation of the rotatable drive 106 to thereby hold the flood barrier 102 in the horizontal position. Conversely, in the unlocked state, the locking member permits rotation of the rotatable drive 106 to thereby controllably move (assisted by the retardation mechanism and weight compensation assembly 124) the flood barrier 102 from the horizontal position to the vertical position under self-weight. Accordingly, to activate the flood barrier 102, the locking members of all the rotatable drives 106 are deactivated, i.e. switched from the locked state to the unlocked state. In one example, each locking member is an energized electromagnetic lock, such as a 24 V DC electromagnet, and is electrically deactivated by disrupting the power supply to the locking member.

To activate or deploy the flood barrier 102, the rotatable drives 106 are switched on by electrically deactivating the locking members of all the rotatable drives 106. This starts the movement of the flood barrier 102 from the horizontal position, under influence of their own weight, since the rotatable drives 106 are now permitted to rotate freely but controllably by means of the retardation / braking mechanism and the weight compensation assembly 124. Thus, the flood barrier 102 is specifically devised to be activated or deployed, in the event of a flood, without the need and/or use of electrical power supplies because the locking members are electrically deactivated and since the flood barrier 102 is already moving downwards under gravitational influence.

The rotation assembly 104 may optionally comprise mechanical limit switches for the rotatable drives 106. Specifically, two mechanical limit switches are present in each rotatable drive 106. Each of these switches can be calibrated independently using screws on the respective rotatable drives 106 and function to stop the rotation of the rotatable drives 106 after the flood barrier 102 has reached the vertical position. In one example, each rotatable drive 106 is a weatherproof tubular drive which when turned on, has an average internal rotational speed of about 2000 rpm (revolutions per minute). The rotatable drive 106 has an internal gear mechanism to reduce this rotational speed, and thereby rotate an external surface of the rotatable drive 106 at a rotational speed of about 11 rpm, the external surface being coupled to the cables 108 for moving the flood barrier 102. The weight / force in which the rotatable drives 106 are able to pull / support may range approximately from 120 kg to 500 kg. It will be appreciated that the range may vary depending on the technical specification of the rotatable drives 106 and the operational requirements of the flood impediment system 100.

In some embodiments, the flood impediment system 100 further comprises a threshold plate 136 for positioning at a floor, such as of the entrance whereat the flood impediment system 100 is installed, to interface with the flood barrier 102 when the flood barrier 102 is in the vertical position. The threshold plate 136 may also be known as a base plate and may comprise a stainless steel material. The threshold plate 136 is arranged in a longitudinal recess located in the floor and is generally fixed in position using masonry anchors for example, since the threshold plate 136 is not normally removed unless for maintenance purposes. In position, the threshold plate 136 is level with the floor. Specifically, the longitudinal recess is located across the width of the entrance, and so the threshold plate 136 is configured to extend across the full width of the entrance.

In many embodiments, the flood impediment system 100 comprises a set of resilient seals 138 lined at edges of the flood barrier 102, specifically at the side edges 118 of the barrier portions and at the bottom horizontal edge 110. Each resilient seal 138 has corrugated surfaces to interface with the respective vertical structural members 114 and the threshold plate 136 to impede flooding by enabling the flood barrier 102 to form a watertight barrier against floodwater ingress when the flood barrier 102 is in the vertical position. It will be appreciated that not all the contact surfaces of the resilient seals 138 need to be corrugated. For example, only certain essential surfaces of the resilient seals 138 are have corrugated surfaces, i.e. the resilient seals 138 may be partially corrugated.

The resilient seals 138 are elongated and can be easily removed from the edges if necessary for maintenance. In a rest condition, each resilient seal 138 has a generally D-shaped cross-sectional area, and the corrugated surfaces are specifically configured to function as a plurality of barriers acting against floodwater ingress in comparison to flat surfaces. Conventional seals with flat surfaces have only a single sealing face, which may be distorted or corrupted with usage overtime to undesirably allow floodwater ingress. In contrast, the corrugated surfaces beneficially provide multiple layers of barriers against floodwater ingress when being exerted against the contact surfaces of the vertical structural members 114 and threshold plate 136. Furthermore, the D-shaped cross-sectional areas of the resilient seals 138 are advantageous when the resilient seals 138 are compressed into tight corners of the vertical structural members 114 that interface with the threshold plate 136 to impede ingress of floodwater. It will be appreciated that when pressure of the floodwater is exerted against the flood barrier 102, the resilient seals 138 then resiliently exert on the contact surfaces of the vertical structural members 114 resulting in an even tighter sealing with the vertical structural members 114. Moreover, the corrugated surfaces also help to reduce friction when the flood barrier 102 is moved between the horizontal and vertical positions. Thus, the corrugated surfaces enable a better degree of sealing for a given amount of frictional force imposed.

The resilient seals 138 may be arranged in duplicate at the edges of the flood barrier 102. Particularly, there are at least two layers of resilient seals 138 arranged in parallel at each of the edges including the side edges 118 and bottom horizontal edge 110. The double resilient seals 138 at each edge enable a better degree of sealing with the vertical structural members 114 and threshold plate 136. The resilient seals 138 may be Thermoplastic-Vulcanizers (TPV) type Ethylene- Propylene-Diene-Monomer (EPDM) seals, which has an operating temperature ranging approximately from -40 °C to 130 °C, but not to be construed as limiting since other suitable resilient seals or materials therefor may be used. The TPV-type EPDM seals are adopted for their strong resistance against ultraviolet radiation and ozone compounds, as the flood barrier 102 is exposed to outdoor environments.

The flood barrier 102 is configured such that it is automatically activated or deployed to move from the horizontal position to the vertical position in response to a signal from a sensor for sensing an imminent flood and deactivated using a key switch control or a reset button at a control panel. The sensor may operate by detecting the level of water above the ground in which the flood impediment system 100 is installed. Alternatively, the flood barrier 102 may be manually activated by deactivating the locking members using a key switch control or a push button. The flood barrier 102 may also be activated by manually and gradually lowering the flood barrier 102 against the force exerted by the locking members. Although the weight of the flood barrier 102 is less than the weight of the counterweights 126, the block- and-tackle pulley mechanism 128 provides a mechanical advantage that allows the flood barrier 102 to partially free fall to the vertical position even without power supply. However, free-falling of the flood barrier 102 is partial as said free-falling is resisted by the rotation assembly 104. Specifically, the retardation mechanisms of the rotatable drives 106 limit the speed of said free-falling when it exceeds the predefined threshold speed. Limiting the speed thus controls the free-fall movement of the flood barrier 102, preventing the flood barrier panels from dropping solely under gravitational free-fall, such as like a guillotine. The flood barrier 102 in the vertical position forms a barrier against the imminent flood to impede flooding.

Once the flood has receded, the flood barrier 102 is retracted back to the horizontal position using the rotatable drives 106 in cooperation with the counterweights 126 and block-and-tackle pulley mechanism 128. As a result of the mechanical advantage presented by the weight difference between the flood barrier 102 and counterweights 126, less force is required of the rotatable drives 106 on the flood barrier 102 to retract the flood barrier 102, even though the counterweights 126 are heavier than the flood barrier 102. Optionally, the flood barrier 102 may be retracted back to the horizontal position manually if desired, without using the rotatable drives 106.

In some embodiments, the flood impediment system 100 comprises a concealing bracket positioned underneath the flood barrier 102 when in the horizontal position. The concealing bracket may be rotatably mounted, such as to the tracks 112, and is switchable between an activated position and a deactivated position. In the deactivated position, the concealing bracket is horizontally oriented and located underneath the flood barrier 102 which is also deactivated and in the horizontal position. The concealing bracket prevents the flood barrier 102 from moving to the vertical position and further conceals the flood barrier 102 from public view, particularly from the people walking through the entrance whereat the flood impediment system 100 is installed. The concealing bracket may be spring- tensioned, such as by torsion springs, to bias it towards the activated position. The concealing bracket may comprise a latch to hold it in the deactivated position and operable to deploy the concealing bracket to the activated position. In the activated position, the concealing bracket no longer obstructs the flood barrier 102 and allows the flood barrier 102 to be moved from the horizontal position to the vertical position. Optionally, the concealing bracket is connected to the water level sensor such that the concealing bracket and the flood barrier 102 are automatically activated in response to the sensor signal.

In addition, the flood impediment system 100 comprises a battery backup system, such as a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) system, for power redundancy purposes. This functions to provide backup power to the flood impediment system 100 in the event of a power failure, such as due to failure of the mains in-coming power supply, which may deactivate the locking members and thereby cause the flood barrier 102 to be activated or deployed inadvertently. For example, the flood barrier 102 may be unintentionally moved from the horizontal position to the vertical position even in absence of an imminent flood. The battery backup system may be selected to provide backup power for a predefined period of time according to the specification of the battery backup system. This predefined period of time may be 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours, or any other number of hours depending on operational requirements of the flood impediment system 100. The locking members are configured such that in the event that the flood barrier 102 is activated when the battery backup system is being used, the locking members will still be deactivated. The flood impediment system 100 may be further coupled to a drainage system to drain any floodwater that flows through the flood barrier 102, such as floodwater that enters the interior of the entrance whereat the flood impediment system 100 is installed.

In its broadest definition, a method of operating the flood impediment system 100 comprises a step of operating the rotation assembly 104 to rotate the rotatable drives 106. The method further comprises a step of controllably moving, in response to said rotation of the rotatable drives 106, the flood barrier 102 under self-weight along the tracks 112 from the horizontal position to the vertical position to impede flooding by forming a protective barrier against floodwater ingress. Said controllable movement of the flood barrier 102 is facilitated by the retardation mechanisms and the weight compensation assembly 124. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, there is a second flood impediment system 200 as illustrated in Figure 6A to Figure 6C. For purpose of brevity, it will be appreciated that the various aspects of the first flood impediment system 100 described above apply similarly or analogous to the second flood impediment system 200. It is highlighted that the second flood impediment system 200 is largely similar to the first flood impediment system 100 and so the same parts will have the same reference numerals. Description of like elements, functionalities, and operations that are common between the flood impediment systems 100 and 200 are not repeated. The method of operating the second flood impediment system 200 is also the same as that for the first flood impediment system 100, and will not be repeated.

Like the first flood impediment system 100, the second flood impediment system 200 comprises a flood barrier 102 movable between an upper horizontal position and a lower vertical position. Figure 4A illustrates a perspective view of the flood impediment system 200 when the flood barrier 102 is in the vertical position, i.e. the flood barrier 102 is in the deployed or activated state. Figure 4B illustrates a perspective view of the flood impediment system 200 when the flood barrier 102 is in between the horizontal and vertical positions, i.e. in a partially activated state during deploying or retracting of the flood barrier 102. Figure 4C illustrates a perspective view of the flood impediment system 200 when the flood barrier 102 is in the horizontal position, i.e. the flood barrier 102 is in the retracted or deactivated state.

The second flood impediment system 200 is different from the first flood impediment system 100 in that the second flood impediment system 200 does not have a weight compensation assembly 124. The flood barrier 102 of the second flood impediment system 200 has smaller dimensions, e.g. shorter in width, such that it obviates the need for the weight compensation assembly 124. For comparison, the1 flood barrier 102 of the first flood impediment system 100 has three barrier portions 102a,b,c, has overall dimensions of approximately 8 m wide by 3 m high, and overall weight of more than 600 kg. Additionally, the counterweights 126 of the first flood impediment system 100 collectively weigh approximately six times that of the flood barrier 102. In contrast, as shown in Figure 6A to Figure 6C, the flood barrier 102 of the second flood impediment system 200 has a single barrier portion with two panels 116a and 116b, and the weight of the flood barrier 102 does not exceed 600 kg. The counterweights 126 and consequently the weight compensation assembly 124 are unnecessary as the rotatable drives 106 are sufficient to raise the flood barrier 102. For example, the rotation assembly 104 may have two rotatable drives 106 that operate asynchronously to move the flood barrier 102. The asynchronous operation of the rotatable drives 106 also allow for redundancy in case one of the rotatable drives 106 fails or malfunctions.

Depending on the operational requirements, either the first flood impediment system 100 or second flood impediment system 200 can be installed, such as at an entrance. For example, a wider entrance may require the first flood impediment system 100 with a wider flood barrier 102. Upon activation or deployment, the flood barrier 102 is moved to the vertical position and forms a barrier against floodwater ingress and impedes flooding of the entrance. Additionally, in the horizontal position when there is no or little risk of flooding, the flood barrier 102 is at a raised height and is concealable at the entrance ceiling. This significantly reduces or eliminates obstruction of the entrance when the flood barrier 102 is concealed at the entrance ceiling. The flood barrier 102 can thus be concealed from public view, particularly from the people walking through the entrance. Advantageously, the flood impediment system 100 is suitable for use at entrances where there is space constraint, such as height restriction or limited height space. Comparing to the flood barrier of PCT/SG2016/050612, the flood impediment system 100 / 200 requires less height space for installation and allows the entrance to remain substantially open to permit normal human traffic through the entrance.

In the foregoing detailed description, embodiments of the present disclosure in relation to a flood impediment system are described with reference to the provided figures. The description of the various embodiments herein is not intended to call out or be limited only to specific or particular representations of the present disclosure, but merely to illustrate non-limiting examples of the present disclosure. The present disclosure serves to address at least one of the mentioned problems and issues associated with the prior art. Although only some embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein, it will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art in view of this disclosure that a variety of changes and/or modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the disclosure as well as the scope of the following claims is not limited to embodiments described herein.