Patent Grant
9279286
The present invention relates to window treatments. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods for mechanically operating a group of shades or blinds to move in unison.
Window coverings serve multiple functions. For example, window coverings may be used to shield or filter light, provide privacy, enhance security, and/or function as a decorative piece for a particular space or room. Common window coverings include blinds and roller shades.
Both blinds and roller shades typically use a bracket assembly located at the top or above the window to support the blinds or roller shade. To control the extent that a blind or shade is open, conventional systems often rely on simple mechanical controls, such as a ratchet and pawl mechanism or a clutch and chain system, to move the blind or shade up and down, and to position the shade at intermediate locations along a predetermined extent of travel.
As roller shade designs evolved, motor powered shades were desired. Motorization of the roller shade was accomplished, in one example, by replacing the simple, mechanical control system with an electric motor that is directly coupled to the shade tube. The motor may be located inside or outside the shade tube, is fixed to the roller shade support and is connected to a simple switch, or, in more sophisticated applications, to a radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) transceiver, that controls the activation of the motor and the rotation of the shade tube.
Many known motorized roller shades provide power, such as 120 VAC, 220/230 VAC 50/60 Hz, etc., to the motor and control electronics from the facility in which the motorized roller shade is installed. Recently-developed battery-powered roller shades provide installation flexibility by removing the requirement to connect the motor and control electronics to facility power. The batteries for these roller shades can be mounted within, above, or adjacent to the shade mounting bracket, headrail or fascia.
Often it is desirable to couple a group of blinds or shades move in unison. There are several conventional ways to mechanically link blinds or shades together so that the blinds or shades move in unison, particularly when actuated by motorized control. For example, flex cable systems may be used to transmit the rotational force between multiple shades and blinds. However, these conventional systems often induce substantial parasitic drag and require excessive power to operate. For battery powered blinds and shades, the need for excessive power to overcome the difficulties of conventional systems can quickly drain the power source, resulting in the frequent loss of automated control and the accompanying need to constantly replace the batteries to restore operation. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for linking a group of blinds or roll shades to reduce parasitic power loss when in a motorized configuration while maintaining aesthetic appeal and convenience of use.
Embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide systems and methods for mechanically operating a plurality of shades. One embodiment of a shade system includes a plurality of shade assemblies each including an elongated shade tube having an inner surface defining an inner cavity, an outer surface for winding receipt of a flexible shade, at least one coupling end, and an axis of rotation; a connector assembly having a first coupling unit secured to the inner surface at the coupling end of a first shade tube and a second coupling unit secured to the inner surface at the coupling end of a second shade tube substantially adjacent the first shade tube, the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit cooperating to transfer an applied torque from the first shade tube to the second shade tube, and an end bracket for rotatably supporting a free end portion of a shade tube when attached to a supporting structure. A mounting bracket includes an adjustment mechanism for applying an external force to the connector assembly along at least one axis substantially orthogonal to the axis of rotation of at least one of the first and second shade tubes for positional alignment of the connector assembly when the mounting bracket is attached to a supporting structure.
In accordance with other aspects of the present invention, the connector assembly includes a locating ring having an abutment surface for receiving the force of the adjustment mechanism and the adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment nut that is rotated to adjust the positional alignment of the connector assembly along the at least one axis substantially orthogonal to the axis of rotation of at least one of the shade tubes.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, the shade system may include a motor assembly provided in the inner cavity of at least one of the plurality of shade tubes, wherein actuation of the motor assembly controls the uniform movement of the plurality of shades. The system may further include a radio frequency (RF) motor controller assembly, a power supply assembly, and/or a counterbalance assembly mounted in the inner cavity of at least one separate shade tube from the shade tube containing the motor assembly.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the first and second coupling units are configured to permit passage of wiring to electrically connect the motor assembly and one or more of the RF motor controller assembly and the power supply assembly.
In accordance with certain other aspects of the present invention, the first and second coupling units are coupled via a drive journal. The drive journal may include a ball end portion and the first coupling unit may include a socket for receiving the ball end portion to define a constant velocity joint for transferring torque between adjacent shade tubes positioned with angularly aligned axes of rotation.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments consistent with the invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.
Various aspects of a system for mechanically operating a group of shades or blinds may be illustrated by describing components that are coupled, attached, and/or joined together. As used herein, the terms “coupled”, “attached”, and/or “joined” are used to indicate either a direct connection between two components or, where appropriate, an indirect connection to one another through intervening or intermediate components. In contrast, when a component is referred to as being “directly coupled”, “directly attached”, and/or “directly joined” to another component, there are no intervening elements present.
Relative terms such as “lower” or “bottom” and “upper” or “top” may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element illustrated in the drawings. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of a shade assembly in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. By way of example, if aspects of a shade assembly shown in the drawings are turned over, elements described as being on the “bottom” side of the other elements would then be oriented on the “top” side of the other elements. The term “bottom” can therefore encompass both an orientation of “bottom” and “top” depending on the particular orientation of the apparatus.
Various aspects of a shade assembly may be illustrated with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments of the shade assembly disclosed herein. Moreover, although the term “shade” may be used alone or in combination with other descriptive terms when discussing various aspects of the present invention, it should be understood that the term, as used herein, encompasses other categories of window treatments, such as blinds or awnings, for example, as would be clearly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
As shown in
The shade system 10 may be mounted to a wall or ceiling, for example, using end brackets 30 and one or more mounting brackets 40. As shown in
As shown in
The end bracket 30 may be used to mount and support a free end of a shade assembly 20. In accordance with certain aspects of the present invention, as shown in
Adjacent shade assemblies 20 may be effectively linked in series by a connector assembly 100 as shown in
A bearing assembly 131 that includes an outer race 132, a spacer ring 134 and bearing elements 136 may be positioned between the first coupling unit 110 and an adjustment ring 138. In accordance with aspects of the present invention, an extended portion 139 of the adjustment ring 138 may serve as the inner race for the bearing assembly 131 or a separate inner race component may be provided that is mounted onto the extended portion 139 of the adjustment ring 138. The adjustment ring 138 may be internally threaded, for example, to adjustably mate with the first coupling unit 110 in order to securely position the bearing assembly 131 between the adjustment ring 138 and the first coupling unit 110. A locating ring 130 may be concentrically seated around the bearing assembly 131 for mounting the connector assembly 100 to the mounting bracket 40 with the connected shade tubes 28 and 28′ rotatably supported by the bearing assembly 131. The extended portion 139 of the adjustment ring 138 may be wider than the outer race 132 and the locating ring 130 such that the adjustment ring 138 will not bind the bearing assembly 131 or the locating ring 130 when mated with the first coupling unit 110.
The adjustment ring 138, supporting the bearing assembly 131 and the locating ring 130, may be mounted onto the first coupling unit 110 so that the male end portion of the first coupling unit 110 extends all the way through the first coupling unit 110. The second coupling unit 120 may then be mated to the first coupling unit 110, such as by screwing the threaded end of the male fitting into the internally threaded receiving orifice of the female fitting, until the two shade tubes 28 are matched rotationally to have each of the shades 22 hanging evenly. Once rotationally aligned, the adjustment ring 138 may be tightened to secure the assembly and ensure that the adjacent shades 22 will move in unison. With the connector assembly 100 linking adjacent assemblies 20, a rotational torque applied to one shade tube 28 may be effectively transferred to an adjacent shade tube 28 via the bearing assembly 131 supported by the locating ring 130 and the mounting bracket 40.
The mounting bracket 40 may be formed with a mounting plate 42 and an extended arm 46. In accordance with yet other aspects of the present invention, to further assist in decreasing any misalignment of the two mounted shade assemblies, due to irregular mounting surfaces, for example, the connector assembly 100 may be provided with one or more axis adjusting nuts. The first adjustment nut 140 adjusts alignment along a first axis substantially orthogonal to a central longitudinal axis through the linked shade assemblies 20. The first adjustment nut 140 may be mounted via an adjustable bracket 160 and may be aligned with the locating ring 130 through adjustment of the position of slots 162 in the adjustable bracket 160 with respect to a series of slots 44 provided in the mounting plate 42 of the mounting bracket 40. The adjustable bracket 160 configured so that when mounted to the mounting bracket 40 the first adjustment nut 140 may be positioned with a head portion 141 secured in a pocket formed between the adjustable bracket 160 and the mounting bracket 40. The adjustment nut 140 is thus retained from axial movement with respect to the bracket 40 while retaining the ability to rotate.
The adjustment nut 140 may be configured to receive a threaded shaft 142 connected to the locating ring 130. Although shown in
The second adjustment nut 150 adjusts alignment along a second axis substantially orthogonal to both the first axis and the central longitudinal axis through the linked shade assemblies 20. A contact pad 152 may be configured to extend from the locating ring 130. Although shown in
The mounting of the connector assembly 100 to the mounting bracket 40 by virtue of the adjustment nuts 140 and 150, as described above, provides for multidimensional adjustment allowing precise alignment of adjacent shade assemblies 20 while providing significant structural support at a critical juncture of the shade system 10. Precise axial alignment of the shade assemblies 20 significantly increases the efficiency of transferring a generated torque across the entire system 10 while reducing the parasitic power loss that is a problem with conventional mechanically linked shade systems. The connector assembly 100 and mounting bracket 40 combination may be capable of supporting various loads, including, for example, at least 55 pounds.
Referring back to
The power supply assembly 70 shown in
For example, in a shade system 10 of three linked shade assemblies 20, as shown in
As shown in
In accordance with yet other aspects of the present invention,
As shown more particularly in
A bearing assembly 231 that includes an outer race 232, a spacer ring 234 and bearing elements 236 may be positioned between the first coupling unit 210 and an adjustment ring 238. In accordance with aspects of the present invention, an extended portion 239 of the adjustment ring 238 may serve as the inner race for the bearing assembly 231 or a separate inner race component may be provided that mounts onto the extended portion 239 of the adjustment ring 238. The adjustment ring 238 may be internally threaded, for example, to adjustably mate with the first coupling unit 210 in order to securely position the bearing assembly 231 between the adjustment ring 238 and the first coupling unit 210. A locating ring 230 may be concentrically seated around the bearing assembly 231 for mounting the connector assembly 201 to the mounting bracket 40 with the connected shade tubes 28 and 28′ rotatably supported by the bearing assembly 231. The extended portion 239 of the adjustment ring 238 may be wider than the outer race 232 and the locating ring 230 such that the adjustment ring 238 will not bind the bearing assembly 231 or the locating ring 230 when mated with the first coupling unit 210.
The mounting bracket 40 may be formed with a mounting plate 42 and an extended arm 46. In accordance with yet other aspects of the present invention, to further assist in decreasing any misalignment of the two mounted shade assemblies, due to irregular mounting surfaces, for example, the connector assembly 201 may be provided with one or more axis adjusting nuts. The first adjustment nut 240 adjusts alignment along a first axis substantially orthogonal to a central longitudinal axis through the linked shade assemblies 20. The first adjustment nut 240 may be mounted via an adjustable bracket 160 and may be aligned with the locating ring 230 through adjustment of the position of slots 162 in the adjustable bracket 160 with respect to a series of slots 44 provided in the mounting plate 42 of the mounting bracket 40. The adjustable bracket 160 configured so that when mounted to the mounting bracket 40 the first adjustment nut 140 may be positioned with a head portion 141 secured in a pocket formed between the adjustable bracket 160 and the mounting bracket 40. The adjustment nut 140 is thus retained from axial movement with respect to the bracket 40 while retaining the ability to rotate.
The adjustment nut 240 may be configured to receive a threaded shaft 242 connected to the locating ring 230. Although shown in
The second adjustment nut 250 adjusts alignment along a second axis substantially orthogonal to both the first axis and the central longitudinal axis through the linked shade assemblies 20. A contact pad 252 may be configured to extend from the locating ring 230. Although shown in
The adjustment ring 238, supporting the bearing assembly 231 and the locating ring 230, may be mounted onto the first coupling unit 210. A drive journal 260 is provided for support and the effective transfer of torque across an angular junction of two adjacent shade assemblies 20. The drive journal 260 may define a constant velocity joint, which minimizes the surging typically experienced with conventional universal joints. The drive journal 260 may include a threaded extension 262 for mating with the internally threaded orifice of the second coupling unit 220. A ball end 264 of the journal 260 may extend to mount in a socket 271 (see
The constant velocity joint thus establishes an effective angular connection between a first shade assembly 20 and an adjacent shade assembly 20 while permitting the adjacent assemblies 20 to rotate in unison. With the connector assembly 201 angularly linking adjacent shade assemblies 20, a rotational torque applied to one shade tube 28 may be effectively transferred to an adjacent shade tube 28. Once rotationally aligned, the adjustment rings 238 and 274, along with the adjustment nuts 240 and 250, may be adjusted to ensure proper alignment of the shade assemblies 20 for minimizing drag and associated power loss when in a motorized configuration.
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to that fall within the scope of the invention.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20140262067 A1 | Sep 2014 | US |
