The present disclosure relates to a motorized blind and a manual switching clutch structure thereof. The manual switching clutch structure is used to configure the motorized blind to be driven in a motor driving mode or in a manual driving mode.
Window coverings serve the purpose of providing shade for architectural windows, offering heat insulation, controlling light penetration, and ensuring privacy. A conventional window covering includes an upper rail, a lower rail and a covering body, in which the covering body is located between the upper rail and the lower rail. Moreover, there is a rolling module disposed inside the upper rail, which includes a driving shaft, a drum and a lift cord. The driving shaft is configured along a long axis of the upper rail. The drum is fixedly disposed on the driving shaft. One end of the lift cord is fixed on the drum, while the other end of the lift cord is connected to the lower rail after threading through the covering body. When the driving shaft is driven by an external force to rotate, the drum is driven to roll or unroll the lift cord, thereby making the lower rail move upwardly or downwardly. According to the upward or downward movement of the lower rail, the covering body is retracted or extended.
Currently, there are mainly two types of driving modes of the window coverings available in the market, each involving different sources of external forces. One type is manual driving mode, in which a manually operated cord connected to the driving shaft is used to apply torque to the driving shaft, causing the drum to roll the lift cord. Alternatively, the drum unrolls the lift cord by utilizing the weight of the lower rail. The other type is motor driving mode, employing an electric motor module to drive the rotation of the driving shaft.
In the motor driving mode, the electric motor module must be electrically coupled to a power source, such that the electric motor module can be driven to rotate. However, the positioning of general indoor commercial electrical sockets is not always located near where the window coverings are installed, causing difficulty of electrically coupling the electric motor module to the commercial power supply. Although battery packs are available in the market as an alternative to using commercial power supply for the electric motor module, the battery packs come with the drawback of needing replacement once their electric charge is depleted. Furthermore, when both the battery pack and the electric motor module are situated in the upper rail, users might find it inconvenient to access the battery pack, which causes difficulty of replacement. Moreover, in case where the battery pack fails to provide sufficient electric power, the motorized window covering will be unable to function immediately.
In light of the above reasons, one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a motorized blind and a manual switching clutch structure thereof. Through the manual switching clutch structure, the motorized blind can be manually switched to a manual driving mode to be operated manually when not being supplied with sufficient electric power.
The manual switching clutch structure of the present disclosure includes a clutch rod, an input member, an output member and a knob. The clutch rod has a first end and a second end, and is rotatable around a longitudinal axis thereof. The input member is fixedly connected with the clutch rod as being fitted on the clutch rod and close to the first end of the clutch rod. The input member comprises a first clutch portion extending along the longitudinal axis and extending towards the second end of the clutch rod. The output member is fitted on the clutch rod and close to the second end of the clutch rod, and is rotatable relative to the clutch rod. The output member comprises a second clutch portion extending along the longitudinal axis and extending towards the first end of the clutch rod. The second clutch portion is opposing to the first clutch portion. The knob is disposed below the output member, comprising a first surface, an outer peripheral wall, a high-end portion and a low-end portion. The first surface of the knob faces the output member. The high-end portion and the low-end portion radially extend from the outer peripheral wall, wherein the high-end portion is closer to the first surface than the low-end portion along the outer peripheral wall. One of the high-end portion and the low-end portion is configured to be in contact with the second end of the clutch rod. When the knob is configured as the low-end portion in contact with the second end of the clutch rod, the first clutch portion of the input member is engaged with the second clutch portion of the output member. When the knob is configured as the high-end portion in contact with the second end of the clutch rod, the first clutch portion of the input member is disengaged from the second clutch portion of the output member.
In one embodiment, the motorized blind of the present disclosure includes a blind assembly, a spring power module, an electric motor module and a manual switching clutch structure. The blind assembly includes a headrail, a bottom rail and a covering material connected between the headrail and the bottom rail. The spring power module is disposed in the bottom rail for driving the bottom rail to move. The electric motor module includes a motor shaft used for driving the bottom rail to move via the spring power module. The manual switching clutch structure includes a clutch rod, an input member, an output member and a knob. The clutch rod has a first end and a second end, and is rotatable around a longitudinal axis thereof. The input member is fixedly connected with the clutch rod as being fitted on the clutch rod and close to the first end of the clutch rod. The input member comprises a first clutch portion extending along the longitudinal axis and extending towards the second end of the clutch rod. Moreover, the input member is engaged with the motor shaft of the electric motor module. The output member is fitted on the clutch rod and close to the second end of the clutch rod, and is rotatable relative to the clutch rod. The output member comprises a second clutch portion extending along the longitudinal axis and extending towards the first end of the clutch rod. The second clutch portion and the first clutch portion are opposing to each other. Moreover, the output member is engaged with the spring power module. The knob is disposed below the output member, comprising a first surface, an outer peripheral wall, a high-end portion and a low-end portion. The first surface of the knob faces the output member. The high-end portion and the low-end portion radially extend from the outer peripheral wall, wherein the high-end portion is closer to the first surface than the low-end portion along the outer peripheral wall. One of the high-end portion and the low-end portion is configured to be in contact with the second end of the clutch rod. When the knob has rotated to a state in which the low-end portion is in contact with the second end of the clutch rod, the spring power module is drivable by the electric motor module through the engagement between the first clutch portion of the input member and the second clutch portion of the output member. Therefore, the electric motor module participates in the movement of the bottom rail by driving the spring power module. When the knob has rotated to a state in which the high-end portion is in contact with the second end of the clutch rod, the first clutch portion of the input member is disengaged from the second clutch portion of the output member, and the spring power module individually participates in the movement of the bottom rail.
In another embodiment, the motorized blind of the present disclosure includes a blind assembly, a spring power module, an electric motor module and a manual switching clutch structure. The blind assembly includes a headrail, a bottom rail, a covering material and a lifting cord. The covering material is connected between the headrail and the bottom rail. The lifting cord has a first end and a second end, in which the first end is connected to the headrail, and the second end enters the bottom rail after passing the covering material. The spring power module is disposed in the bottom rail, including a pulley assembly, a reel, a transmission cord and an automatic winding assembly. The pulley assembly includes a fixed seat fixed in the bottom rail and a sliding seat moveable relative to the bottom rail. The portion of the lifting cord which has entered the bottom rail goes around between the fixed seat and the sliding seat, while the second end of the lifting cord is fixed to one of the fixed seat and the sliding seat. The reel is disposed in the bottom rail and is rotatable relative to the bottom rail. The transmission cord is connected between the sliding seat of the pulley assembly and the reel. The automatic winding assembly includes a spiral spring. As the automatic winding assembly is in mechanical synchronization with the reel, the spiral spring releases or accumulates energy when the reel rotates. The electric motor module is disposed in the bottom rail and includes a motor shaft. The manual switching clutch structure is disposed in the bottom rail, including an input member and an output member. The input member is connected to the motor shaft of the electric motor module. The output member is connected to the automatic winding assembly. When the input member and the output member are configured as being connected in a concurrently rotatable manner, the automatic winding assembly is drivable by the electric motor module to set the reel to retract or release the transmission cord, by which the sliding seat of the pulley assembly is driven to move inside the bottom rail for adjusting the length of the lifting cord within the bottom rail to move the bottom rail. More specifically, when the electric motor module drives the reel to retract the transmission cord, the spiral spring releases energy concurrently, and when the electric motor module drives the reel to release the transmission cord, the spiral spring accumulates energy concurrently. When the input member and the output member are configured as being unable to be driven by each other, the transmission cord is configured by changing a position of the bottom rail to be released from the reel, or to be wound onto the reel by the automatic winding assembly, whereby the length of the lifting cord within the bottom rail is changed.
These and other objectives of the present disclosure will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
The present disclosure will be understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the following paragraphs and the accompanying drawings, the features and the implementations of several embodiments of the present disclosure are described in more detail along with the accompanying drawings. The features and the implementations described in the following paragraphs can be adopted solely or in combination with each other. In addition, the embodiments can be modified in various forms, as disclosed in the following paragraphs, and should not be limited to the embodiments described in the following paragraphs. Unless specified otherwise, the same reference characters refer to the same components.
The technical features provided in the present disclosure are not limited to the specific structures, uses, and applications described in the embodiments. The language used in the descriptions is illustrative and descriptive language which can be understood by the person of ordinary skill in the art. The terms regarding directions mentioned in the specification, including “front”, “rear”, “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, and “outside”, are illustrative and descriptive terms based on common usage scenarios, and manifests no intent to limit the scope of claims.
Furthermore, the definite and indefinite articles “a” and “the” and the numerical term “one” used in the specification referring to components of singular form do not exclude the concept of plural form. Equivalences known by one having ordinary skill in the art should be also included. All conjunctions used in similar situations should be interpreted in the broadest ways. The specific shapes, structural features, and technical terms described in the descriptions should also be interpreted to include equivalent structures and techniques which could achieve the same functionality.
Please refer to
The casing 7 comprises a first plate 71 and a second plate 72 opposing to each other. The first plate 71 has an axial hole 711, and the second plate 72 has a through hole 721. The clutch rod 1 has a first end 11 and a second end 12. The first end 11 of the clutch rod 1 stretches into the axial hole 711, while the second end 12 of the clutch rod 1 runs through the through hole 721 and is exposed from an outer side surface 722 of the second plate 72. In the present embodiment, the clutch rod 1 is exemplified by a long rod. The clutch rod 1 has a longitudinal axis X along the extension of itself. The clutch rod 1 can rotate around the longitudinal axis X in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to perform rotation with respect to the axial hole 711 and the though hole 721. Meanwhile, the clutch rod 1 is movable along the longitudinal axis X in the axial hole 711 and the through hole 721.
In the present embodiment, the input member 2 is exemplified by a gear plate. The input member 2 is contained in the casing 7, fitted on the clutch rod 1 along the longitudinal axis X and close to the first end 11 of the clutch rod 1. The input member 2 is secured on the clutch rod 1 as a toothed portion of the input member 2 surrounds the clutch rod 1. Furthermore, the input member 2 comprises a first clutch portion 21 extending along the longitudinal axis X and extending towards the second end 12 of the clutch rod 1. In one embodiment, the first clutch portion 21 comprises at least one first key 211 and at least one first groove 212. The input member 2 has a surface facing the first plate 71, which is defined as a connecting surface 22 hereinafter. The input member 2 comprises an annular base 23 concavely formed on the connecting surface 22, which is formed along the longitudinal axis X and in a direction away from the first plate 71. The annular base 23 comprises a base surface 231 and an opening peripheral side 232 (see
In this embodiment, the output member 3 is exemplified by a gear plate. The output member 3 is contained in the casing 7, being fitted on the clutch rod 1 along the longitudinal axis X and close to the second end 12 of the clutch rod 1. Meanwhile, the output member 3 has a toothed portion surrounding the clutch rod 1. The output member 3 is rotatable relative to the clutch rod 1, and comprises a second clutch portion 31 extending along the longitudinal axis X and extending towards the first end 11 of the clutch rod 1. In one embodiment, the second clutch portion 31 comprises at least one second key 311 and at least one second groove 312. The second key 311 and the second groove 312 are opposing to the first key 211 and the first groove 212. Thus, when the first clutch portion 21 engages with the second clutch portion 31, the first key 211 engages with the second groove 312, and the first groove 212 engages with the second key 311.
Referring to
The knob 4 further comprises a high-end portion 45 and a low-end portion 46. The high-end portion 45 radially extends from a position on the outer peripheral wall 43 close to the first surface 41. The low-end portion 46 radially extends from a position on the outer peripheral wall 43 close to the second surface 42. When the knob 4 is connected to the outer side surface 722 of the second plate 72, in a direction which points along the longitudinal axis X, the high-end portion 45 is closer to the second plate 72 than the low-end portion 46, as the low-end portion 46 is farther from the second plate 72 than the high-end portion 45. The knob 4 further comprises an inclined portion 47 connected between the high-end portion 45 and the low-end portion 46. One of the high-end portion 45 and the low-end portion 46 can gradually move towards the second end 12 of the clutch rod 1 through the inclined portion 47. Thus, the second end 12 of the clutch rod 1 is optionally configured to contact with one of the high-end portion 45 and the low-end portion 46.
Referring to
Please refer to
Please refer to
Please refer to
Please refer to
Referring to
Please refer to
Please refer to
Referring to
By rotating the knob 4 to configure one of the low-end portion 46 and the high-end portion 45 of the knob 4 in contact with the second end 12 of the clutch rod 1, the input member 2, which is concurrently movable with the clutch rod 1, is driven to move for engaging with or disengaging from the output member 3.
Please refer to
The blind assembly 20 comprises a headrail 201, a bottom rail 202, a covering material 203, and at least one lifting cord 204. The headrail 201 and the bottom rail 202 are opposing to each other. The covering material 203 is connected between the headrail 201 and the bottom rail 202. The lifting cord 204 has a first end 2041 and a second end 2042, in which the first end 2041 is connected to the headrail 201, and the second end 2042 enters the bottom rail 202 after threading through the covering material 203. In this embodiment, the amount of the lifting cord 204 is exemplified by two but is not limited thereto. The amount of the lifting cord 204 is adjustable according to the width and weight of the covering material 203.
The spring power module 30 is disposed in the bottom rail 202, comprising a pulley assembly 301, an automatic winding assembly 302, a reel 303, and a transmission cord 304. The pulley assembly 301 comprises a fixed seat 3011 and a sliding seat 3012, in which the fixed seat 3011 is fixed inside the bottom rail 202, and the sliding seat 3012 is movable relative to the fixed seat 3011 inside the bottom rail 202. After entering the bottom rail 202, the second end 2042 of the lifting cord 204 goes around the fixed seat 3011 and the sliding seat 3012 for at least one time, and then is fixed to one of the fixed seat 3011 and the sliding seat 3012. The number of times that the lifting cord 204 goes around the fixed seat 3011 and the sliding seat 3012 is changeable according to a total length of the lifting cord 204 (which depends on the length of the covering material 203) and a maximum interval between the fixed seat 3011 and the sliding seat 3012. In accordance with practical requirements, the second end 2042 of the lifting cord 204 may go around between the fixed seat 3011 and the sliding seat 3012 for multiple times, then being fixed to one of the fixed seat 3011 and the sliding seat 3012.
The automatic winding assembly 302 comprises a driving wheel 3021, a spring-storage wheel 3022 and a spiral spring 3023. The spiral spring 3023 is connected between the driving wheel 3021 and the spring-storage wheel 3022. When the spiral spring 3023 is not subjected to an external force, it is wound on the spring-storage wheel 3022. Once the driving wheel 3021 is driven to rotate, the driving wheel 3021 drives the spiral spring 3023 to move towards the driving wheel 3021, so that the spiral spring 3023 is released from the spring-storage wheel 3022 and wound onto the driving wheel 3021, and accumulates energy simultaneously. On the other hand, when the spiral spring 3023 is released from the driving wheel 3021 and wound back onto the spring-storage wheel 3022 by releasing energy accumulated before, the driving wheel 3021 is thereby driven to rotate.
The reel 303 is engaged with the driving wheel 3021, so that when one of the driving wheel 3021 and the reel 303 is subjected to a force and rotates, the other one of the driving wheel 3021 and the reel 303 is driven to rotate as well. The transmission cord 304 is connected between the reel 303 and the sliding seat 3012. The transmission cord 304 can be driven by the motion of the sliding seat 3012 to be released from the reel 303, and can be wound up as the reel 303 is driven by the driving wheel 3021.
Please refer to
Referring to
Referring to
More specifically, when the electric motor module 40 drives the driving wheel 3021 to rotate for releasing the transmission cord 304, the sliding seat 3012 moves towards the fixed seat 3011, by which the length of the lifting cord 204 (see
Please refer to
More specifically, when the bottom rail 202 is subjected to a force to be pulled downwardly as the user wishes to extend the covering material 203, a portion of the lifting cord 204 inside the bottom rail 202 is moved to the interior of the covering material 203, which results in the shortening of the lifting cord 204 inside the bottom rail 202, and the sliding seat 3021 is thereby driven by the lifting cord 204 to move towards the fixed seat 3011. As the sliding seat 3012 moves, the transmission cord 304 is pulled out and released from the reel 303, so that the reel 303 is driven by the transmission cord 304 to rotate. The rotation of the reel 303 drives the driving wheel 3021 to rotate, which makes the spiral spring 3023 wound by the driving wheel 3021 and accumulate energy concurrently. Once the bottom rail 202 stops being pulled, the tension of the lifting cord 204, the tension of the transmission cord 304, and all frictional forces generated while the lifting cord 204 passes through the covering material 203 and the bottom rail 202, make a balance with the energy accumulated by the spiral spring 2023. Thereby, the bottom rail 202 is fixed in the current position.
When the bottom rail 202 is subjected to a force to be pushed upwardly as the user wishes to retract the covering material 203, the tension of the lifting cord 204 and the transmission cord 304 is loosened, and the spiral spring 2023 releases the energy accumulated before to move from the driving wheel 3021 to the spring-storage wheel 3022, as well as being automatically wound back onto the spring-storage wheel 3022. The returning winding of the coil spring 2023 drives the driving wheel 3021 to rotate, and the rotation of the driving wheel 3021 drives the reel 303 to rotate for retracting the loose transmission cord 304. Thereby, the sliding seat 3012 is driven to move away from the fixed seat 3011, and the loose lifting cord 204 inside the covering material 2023 is moved to the interior of the bottom rail 202. Since the length of the lifting cord 204 inside the covering material 203 is shortened, the bottom rail 202 moves upwardly.
In the motor driving mode, the spiral spring 3023 accumulates or releases energy, so that the spring power module 30 can consecutively participate in the movement of the bottom rail 202 once the motorized blind A is switched from the motor driving mode to the manual driving mode.
The motorized blind of the present disclosure can be freely switched between the motor driving mode and the manual driving mode by the manual switching clutch structure thereof. In case that the battery module thereof fails to provide sufficient electric power to drive the electric motor module or the remote controller (not shown in the figures) is lost, the user can switch the motorized blind to the manual driving mode for moving the bottom rail directly. Once the battery module has been replaced or the remote controller is available, the user can switch the motorized blind back to the motor driving mode. Therefore, the convenience of operating the motorized blind is enhanced.
The embodiments described above are only some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
111212396 | Nov 2022 | TW | national |