Patent Application
20180106046
This invention relates to a modular multifunction shading device, particularly for a pergola, to control the quality, extent and nature of the shading.
Pergola devices are known that allow the shading to be adjusted depending on requirements and depending on meteorological conditions.
Patent application FR 2 676 079 describes an arrangement with swiveling blades that ensure total shading when they are in a horizontal position, an interruption of the sunrays when the blades are perpendicular to the sunrays and offer minimal shading when the blades are parallel to the sunrays. According to an enhancement, the blades also comprise edge profiles that cooperate with each other to ensure a seal when the blades are in a horizontal plane.
Indeed, the cover provided by these blades ensures protection against rain.
Another patent application, EP 2 817 463, describes a pergola comprising panels that are movable in translation, with superimposed edges. These panels allow the shading to be controlled by moving and superimposing or de-superimposing the panels along horizontal axes X and Y.
This arrangement allows the nature and surface area of the shading, as well as the position of the shaded area, to be easily modified.
The nature of the panels can also be modified, either they are totally rigid panels or they are stretched panels of fabric canvas or even meshed fabric, producing a sunscreen effect, stretched within a frame.
The pergolas according to these patent applications provide total satisfaction.
This invention falls precisely within the same context as a sunscreen, providing variable shading of a surface and offering a multifunction device with the aid of one control unit
This device will now be described in detail with regard to the accompanying drawings, in which the various Figures show:
The shading device 10 according to the present invention as shown in
The frame is in a horizontal position and the posts are vertical.
This structure comprises at least two longitudinal, horizontal beams, to which the shading device 10 according to the present invention is fixed.
This device 10 comprises modules 12-1, 12-n, distributed along one axis of said structure, in particular the longitudinal, horizontal axis, and means 14 for maneuvering these modules.
In the embodiment shown, each module 12-1, 12-n is equipped with a blind 16-1, 16-n and means 18 to control the length of said blind. In a preferred embodiment, the means 18 to control the length of each blind 16 comprise, for each module, a roller 20 arranged transversely onto which is fixed one end of the blind and means 22 of driving each roller in rotation, in one direction of rotation and in the other direction of rotation, thus causing said screen to be wound up or down.
In a preferred embodiment, the means 22 for driving each roller 20 consist of a pinion 24 integral with said roller and cooperating with a single chain 26 common to the pinions of the various rollers, itself rotated by a motor 28 provided with a driving pinion of said chain.
Thus the motor 28, by turning the chain in one direction or the other, rotates each of the shafts synchronously and causes each blind either to be wound up or down.
The pinion chain assemblies can be replaced by toothed belts and toothed pulleys without in any way modifying the present invention.
The operation of this arrangement leads to the shading being controlled. In fact, when the device is activated so as to totally wind up the blinds, only the shadow relating to the presence of the rollers that intercept the sunrays exists. This situation also arises when the sun is at its zenith.
When the sun is in a position other than its zenith position, the rays are inclined and in fact the blinds can be lowered so as to provide more or less shade against the rays by generating a more or less extensive drop shadow. See
Preferably, each blind comprises at its base 30, in the bottom part, weighting means 32 so as to keep the blinds substantially vertical.
Advantageously, the weighting means 32 consist of a rigid rod 34.
According to an enhancement of the invention, the device also comprises means 36 to manoeuver the bases 30 of the blinds 12.
These maneuvering means 36 can take the form of at least one bar 38, preferably rigid, connecting the various bases 30, perpendicularly, and in particular at the ends of these bases. This at least one bar 38 can be arranged laterally and, in this case, two bars are provided.
Each bar 38 is itself supported and connected by each of its ends to a traction link 40.
This traction link 40 lifts each bar 38 by its two ends 42-1, 42--n. The traction point is located substantially in the plane of the rollers 20. For this purpose, traction means 44 comprise a motorized drum 46 designed to wind up one end of the traction link 40 that is a closed-loop link, the other end remaining fixed.
When the drum turns in one direction it winds up one end of the link and in the opposite direction, it winds this end down. Thus the reduction in length of the traction link 40 causes the bar 38 to be raised by both ends as well as causing a translational movement.
The traction link 40 allows the bases 30 of the blinds 12 to be raised and to incline them and even place then in a horizontal position. To this end, the traction point of the link 40 to both ends is located substantially in the plane of the rollers 20. In fact, return pulleys can be provided, in a known way.
The length of the blind 12 of a roller can advantageously be adjusted so that, when the rigid bar 38 is brought level with the plane of the rollers, the base 30 is perpendicular to the roller that is juxtaposed to the roller carrying said blind. There is thus continuity of the shading surface that then forms a sunscreen roof. See
It will also be understood that the blinds can be made of different materials, either of coated impermeable waterproof fabric or of permeable sunscreen woven canvas or even an alternation of these types of blinds.
The colors can be combined to achieve certain architectural effects.
Such a device has the advantage conferring upon the pergola assembly using this multifunction shading device an advantageous architectural sophistication due to the fact of a certain mobility of the blinds under the effects of the wind, the possibility of adjusting the exposed blind surface and the possibility of adjusting the inclination of said blinds.
Another advantage is the total elimination of the wind factor once the blinds are wound up because then only the structure is involved but then there is no problem with wind resistance.
The device according to the present invention can also be of interest as a variation enabling the rollers to be translated in order to group them next to each other, in juxtaposition. See
In this case, means to disengage the toothed belt/pulley or pinion/chain assemblies and a hinged connecting bar should be provided so that the latter can fold up between each base. Another variation also involves, depending on the orientation for example, providing winders that are alternated with lowered blinds and other raised blinds and vice versa. This simply involves reversing the winding direction. It is then possible to lower blinds of one color and raise blinds of another color, as desired, depending on luminosity for example. The alternation can be regular or irregular.
Moreover, different lengths with proportional winding speeds can be provided. Thus long blinds are wound up faster than short blinds so that all of the blinds are wound up at the end of travel but have different lengths when they are lowered, particularly when they are in the lowest position.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1553713 | Apr 2015 | FR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/FR2016/050933 | 4/21/2016 | WO | 00 |
