Patent Application
20120279668
The present invention is directed to a flexible partition or curtain with an integrated roller wind-up apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a torque-balanced motorized roller system for controlling the vertical position of a flexible partition or curtain.
It is known to utilize flexible sheet type curtains, which are adapted to be rolled up and down, to divide or partition a large room such as a gymnasium. In most cases, an electric motor drives a shaft on which the curtain is hung. U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,063 discloses a motor and primary roller device mounted adjacent to the trusses or rafters supporting a ceiling. An upper end of the curtain is attached to the primary roller and the lower end can be varied in vertical position by rolling and un-rolling the primary roller. The weight of the curtain is supported in part on secondary rollers that are positioned below the primary roller, which is vertically movable based on the amount of curtain material wound on to the primary roller.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,693 discloses a flexible partition or curtain for dividing a room that has a top edge suspended from a ceiling, and a bottom edge touching the floor when the curtain is fully deployed. An elongated cylinder is connected to the curtain to extend from one side edge to the other to divide the curtain into upper and lower portions. A motor is located at one end of the cylinder and connected to rotate the cylinder so that the upper and lower portions of the curtain will be wound up on the cylinder when it is required to roll up the curtain. A torque reacting mechanism, in the form of an arm fixed to the motor exterior of the cylinder and at a right angle to the axis of the cylinder, includes a second winding element mounted on the arm with a flexible sheet suspended from the ceiling parallel to the upper portion of the curtain. The flexible sheet is winds onto the second winding element in a counter-rotational direction so as to counteract the torque of the motor.
Assuming the same rotational speed for the cylinders in both these prior patents, the roller of U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,693 should lift the lower edge of the curtain faster than the roller disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,063. However, the load placed on the flexible sheet on the second winding element requires that the flexible sheet itself be subject to minimum or negligible stretching characteristics. Additionally, while the curtain of U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,693 should lift faster, during descent the flexible sheet on the second winding element may not provide the correct rotational reaction to the curtain unwinding if the descent is too fast. Consequently, the lowering speed may be required to be less than the raising speed. Additionally, if the lowering speed is too great, the arm holding the second winding element could rise and even flip over rendering the torque balance effect useless.
There remains a need for even better systems for raising and lowering a flexible partition or curtain using an integrated roller wind-up apparatus.
One such system can have an elongated cylinder extending from one side edge of the flexible partition to an opposite side edge, the cylinder being connected to the partition and dividing the partition into upper and lower portions. An outer bearing can be fixed to an outside surface of a first end of the elongated cylinder. An outside surface of the outer bearing can have a protrusion extending radially with respect to the elongated cylinder. A proximal end of an arm can be coupled to the outer bearing outer surface so that the outer bearing permits rotation of the elongated cylinder with respect to the arm. The outer bearing outer surface protrusion can act to inhibit any axial motion of the arm relative to the elongated cylinder. A counterweight can be fixed to a distal end of the arm to inhibit movement of the arm during any rotation of the elongated cylinder. A first portion of a motor having a rotor portion and a stator portion can be coupled to the elongated cylinder for rotating the cylinder. A bracket can be fixed to a second portion of the motor and to the arm proximal end so that the bracket extends over the protrusion of the outer bearing to couple to the arm to inhibit rotation of the second portion of the motor during any rotation of the elongated cylinder.
In one embodiment the first portion of the motor can be the rotor portion while the second portion of the motor can be the stator portion. At least one inner bearing can be located between the stator portion of the motor and the elongated cylinder to permit rotation of the elongated cylinder relative to the stator portion of the motor. The proximal end of the arm can include a ring surrounding the outer bearing. The ring can have an inner diameter less than the outer diameter of the outer bearing protrusion so that the protrusion provides a stop preventing axial movement of the proximal end of the arm relative to the elongated cylinder. A drive adapter can be coupled between the rotor portion of the motor and an inside surface of the elongated cylinder. The drive adapter can have an outside surface that includes depressions engaging inward protrusions on the inner surface of the elongated cylinder. The inward protrusions on the inner surface of the elongated cylinder can correspond to longitudinal grooves on the outer surface of the elongated cylinder. The longitudinal grooves can be located diametrically opposite each other, and each groove can receive a terminal edge of one of the upper and lower portions of the partition or curtain.
In a preferred embodiment the elongated cylinder can have a mass MC and a radius RC. The lower portion of the partition can have a mass ML. The motor can have a mass MM. The counterweight can have a mass MW fixed to the arm at a distance RA from the proximal end. The counterweight mass MW and the length of the arm RA can be selected to provide a torque MW×RA>(ML+MC+MM)×RC to inhibit rotation of the arm during any rotation of the cylinder.
One feature of the present roller system is that the torque balance arm provides the necessary balancing without any external connection. This feature has the advantage of achieving a more reliable balancing function with fewer parts and less chance for failure. Other features of the present roller system and the corresponding advantages of those features will be come apparent from the following discussion of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, exemplifying the best mode of practicing the present invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
The cylinder 14 is shown in greater detail in
An outer bearing 38 can be fixed to the outside surface 34 of the cylinder 14 at a first end 40 of the elongated cylinder 14. The outer bearing 38 can have the form shown in
A proximal end 46 of an arm 48 can be coupled to the outside surface 42 of the outer bearing 38 so that the outer bearing 38 permits rotation of the elongated cylinder 14 with respect to the arm 48. The proximal end 46 of the arm 48 can include a ring 52 surrounding the outer bearing 38 as shown in
A bracket 58 can be fixed to the motor housing 56 and to the arm proximal end 46 so that the bracket 58 extends over the protruding edge 44 of the outer bearing 38 to couple to the proximal end 46 of the arm 48. A counterweight 60 of sufficient mass can be fixed to a distal end 62 of the arm 48 to inhibit movement of the arm 48 and to inhibit rotation of the motor housing 56 during any rotation of the elongated cylinder 14.
A drive adapter 64 can be coupled between a drive shaft 66 fixed to a rotor portion of the motor 32 and an inside surface 68 of the elongated cylinder 14. The drive adapter 64 can have an outside surface 70 that includes depressions 72 such as are shown in
In a preferred embodiment the elongated cylinder 14 can have a mass MC, for example, of about 26 lbs and an outside radius RC, for example, of about 2 inches. The lower portion 24 of the partition 18 can have a mass ML, for example, of about ?? lbs. The motor 32, such as a Elero model 11/8, can have a mass MM, of about 12.5 lbs. The counterweight 60 can have any mass MW, such as about 50 lbs., and can be fixed to the arm 48 at any selected distance RA, for example about 1 foot, from the proximal end 46′. The counterweight mass MW and the length of the arm RA can be selected to provide a torque MW×RA>(ML+MC+MM)×RC, which is sufficient to inhibit rotation of the arm 48 during any rotation of the cylinder 14.
While these features have been disclosed in connection with the illustrated preferred embodiment, other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art that come within the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.
