1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a screen. 2. Related Art Various types of screen have been so far proposed with a sheet-like flexible screen body. Onto the screen surface, i.e., projection surface, of such a screen body, image lights are magnified and projected from a projector or others. An example includes Patent Document 1 (WO2005/043235).
The screen of Patent Document 1 is of a transportable type whose screen body is taken up when stored, and for using the screen, the screen body is pulled out for forming a screen surface. More specifically, the transportable-type screen of Patent Document 1 is configured to include a casing, a spring roll, a top bar, and a column. The spring roll is attached to the casing for taking up the screen body. The top bar is fixedly attached to one end of the screen body. The column is supported, at its one end, by the casing, and is extendable and holds the pulled-out screen body in an extended state. Such a pulled-out state of the screen body can be retained by latching a handle section provided to the top bar to the hook section provided at the tip end of the column.
In such a transportable screen of Patent Document 1, the column is configured to be extendable, and the column is extended and contracted in the state that the handle section is latched by the hook section, thereby adjusting the amount of pulling out the screen body in the vertical direction. With such a configuration, however, because the column is disposed on the rear surface side of the screen, i.e., screen body, a user of the screen has to take the trouble to go behind the screen for placing the screen, i.e., for adjusting the amount of pulling out the screen body in the vertical direction. As such, the usability is not good at all.
An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a screen that offers a high level of usability.
A first aspect of the invention is directed to a screen that includes: a screen body having flexibility, and onto which an image light is projected; a first support member including a screen wind-up section that supports either one of end portions orthogonal to the vertical direction of the screen body and winds up the screen body, and a base body that supports the screen wind-up section; a second support member that supports the other end portion; a column provided upright to the base body; and a retention hook that is attached to the column, and holds the second support member. In the screen, the retention hook includes: a hook body that holds the second support member, and moves along the column; a latch member that is supported by the hook body, and moves between a latch position where the latch member abuts the column and the hook body is latched with respect to the column and an unlatch position; a biasing member that biases the latch member toward the latch position; and a latch release member that moves the latch member to the unlatch position against a biasing force of the biasing member.
Herein, the first and second support members may serve satisfactorily as long as they respectively support the end portions of the screen body in the vertical direction. That is, the first support member may support the lower end portion of the screen body, and the second support member may support the upper end portion thereof. Or the first support member may support the upper end portion of the screen body, and the second support member may support the lower end portion thereof.
In the below, for simplification of the description, the first support member supports the lower end of the screen body, and the second support member supports the upper end of the screen body.
In the first aspect above, the screen is provided with the first support member including the screen wind-up section and the base body, the second support member, the column, and the retention hook. The retention hook is attached to the column, and holds the second retention member and moves along the column. That is, by moving the retention hook along the column in the state that the second support member is retained by the retention hook, the screen body can be adjusted by the amount of pulling out in the vertical direction. In this configuration, the retention hook serves to hold the second support member that supports the upper end portion of the screen body. That is, this configuration enables to operate the retention hook from the front surface side of the screen without obstruction by the screen body. Accordingly, for placing the screen, i.e., for adjusting the amount of pulling out the screen body in the vertical direction, a user of the screen is no more required to take the trouble to go behind the screen, but he or she only grips the retention hook from the front surface side of the screen to move the hook along the column. As such, the usability is accordingly improved.
Moreover, the retention hook is provided with the hook body, the retention member, the biasing member, and the latch release member. With such a configuration, when the user is not operating the retention hook, i.e., when the latch release member is not being operated, the latch member is positioned at the latch position by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the hook body is latched with respect to the column, i.e., in the locked state in which the retention hook is restricted in movement in the vertical direction. When the latch release member is operated by the user, the latch member is positioned at the unlatch position against the biasing force of the biasing member, and the retention hook is allowed to move with respect to the column in the vertical direction, i.e., in the lock-released state. As such, by moving the retention hook along the column while operating the latch release member, the user can adjust the amount of pulling out the screen body in the vertical direction, and by stopping operation of the latch release member, the user can set the retention hook in the locked state, and keep the pulled-out state of the screen body. Accordingly, such a simple operation of the retention hook, i.e., the latch release member, can adjust the amount of pulling out the screen body in the vertical direction, and keep good the pulled-out state of the screen body.
According to a second aspect of the invention, in the screen of the first aspect, preferably, the hook body includes: an insertion section formed with a hole for insertion of the column; and a member storage section that has a space linked to the hole, and stores and holds the latch member, the biasing member, and the latch release member. In the member storage section, a sloped surface is formed on a side surface opposing the column inserted into the hole to be close to the column along the biasing direction of the biasing member, and is abutted by the latch member at the latch position.
In the screen of the second aspect, the hook body is provided with the insertion section and the member storage section. The member storage section is formed with a sloped surface on the side surface opposing the column inserted into the hole of the insertion section. That is, the space in the member storage section is so formed that the distance between the sloped surface and the column inserted in the hole is reduced gradually along the biasing direction of the biasing member. Accordingly, when the latch member is positioned at the latch position by the biasing force of the biasing member, the latch member finds its way into the narrow space between the column and the sloped surface in the member storage section. The latch member thus comes in close contact with both the column and the sloped surface, and by the friction force between the column and the sloped surface, the retention hook is set in the locked state described above. When the latch member is moved to the unlatch position by the user's operation of the latch release member, the space available for the latch member in the member storage section becomes wider between the column and the sloped surface. The latch member is thus freed from close contact with the column and the sloped surface, and no friction is produced with the column and the sloped surface, thereby setting the retention hook in the lock-released state described above. As such, such a simple configuration can implement both the locked state and the lock-released states.
According to a third aspect of the invention, in the screen of the second aspect, preferably, the latch member is shaped like a cylinder, and is stored in the member storage section with an outer peripheral surface thereof opposing the column and the sloped surface.
In the screen of the third aspect, the latch member is shaped like a cylinder, and is stored in the member storage section as described above. Therefore, in the lock-released state, when the retention hook is moved along the column, the latch member is rotated and moved so that the retention hook can be moved smoothly, i.e., the amount of pulling out the screen body in the vertical direction can be adjusted smoothly.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the first aspect, preferably, the second support member supports an upper end portion of the screen body, and the latch release member is provided on an upper side of the hook body.
In the fourth aspect above, the screen is of a pull-up type in which the first support member supports the lower end portion of the screen body, and the second support member supports the upper end portion thereof and pulls up the screen body. The latch release member is provided on the upper side of the hook body. With such a configuration, a user finds it easy to operate the latch release member when he or she grips the retention hook from the front surface side of the screen, and moves the hook along the column. As such, the usability is improved to a further extent.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
In the below, an embodiment of the invention is described by referring to the accompanying drawings.
Onto the screen 1, an image light as a result of magnification projection from a projector or others is directed, for example. As shown in
The screen body 2 is formed like a sheet with flexibility, and onto which an incoming image light is projected. In this embodiment, the screen body 2 is of a reflection type with which an incoming image light is reflected for display.
The base section 3 is placed on the floor or others, and is a portion for supporting the screen 1 in its entirety. The base section 3 extends along the lower end portion of the screen body 2, which is shaped like a rectangle. As shown in
The base body 31 is shaped like a box, and stores therein the spring roll 32 to be able to rotate.
As shown in
The spring roll 32 is a member that is configured to be able to rotate about a rotation axis, i.e., the lateral direction of the screen body 2, and winds up the screen body 2. Although not shown specifically, this spring roll 32 is biased by a spring in the direction of taking up the screen body 2, and works to automatically wind up the screen body 2 when the force of pulling out the screen body 2 is reduced.
The pull-up member 4 is a portion extending along the upper end portion of the screen body 2, and supporting the upper end portion of the screen body 2.
As shown in
The column 5 is shaped substantially like a cylinder, and is configured to be attachable/detachable to/from the upper end surface of the base body 31 in such a manner that the pillar-like shaft thereof goes along the substantially vertical direction. The column 5 supports the screen body 2 pulled out from the spring roll 32 via the pull-up member 4 and the retention hook 6.
The retention hook 6 is attached to the column 5 to be able to move in the vertical direction, and is moved in the vertical direction with the hanging hardware 41 hanging thereon so that the pull-up member 4 is moved close to or away from the base section 3. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In the storage section body 613 and the lid body 614, as shown in
Also in the storage section body 613 and the lid body 614, as shown in
Described now is the configuration of the inside surface of the storage section body 613. Herein, the configuration of the inside surface of the lid body 614 is substantially the same as that of the storage section body 613, and thus is not described twice.
As shown in
As shown in
More specifically, the space A is substantially shaped like a cylinder whose diameter is slightly larger than a large-diameter section of the latch release member 64 that will be described later.
In the first storage section 615, on the upper and lower sides, as shown in
Also in such a first storage section 615, on the lower side, as shown in
As shown in
To be more specific, in the space B, the length corresponding to the substantially-trapezoidal upper bottom is set to be shorter than the diameter of the latch member 62, and the length corresponding to the lower bottom is set to be longer than the diameter of the latch member 62.
In the second storage section 616, as shown in
As shown in
In the third storage section 617, on the upper side, as shown in
In the space B, the latch member 62 is moved between a latch position P1 (refer to
The biasing member 63 abuts the latch member 62, thereby biasing the latch member 62 toward the latch position P1. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Against the biasing force by the first coil spring 631, the latch release member 64 moves the latch member 62 to the unlatch position P2. As shown in
Similarly to the first coil spring 631, the second coil spring 641 is configured by a general coil spring, and one end thereof is connected to the spring connection section 6153 of the first storage section 615, and the other end thereof is connected to the lower end portion of a large-diameter section of the operation section 642 (will be described later). The second coil spring 641 biases the operation section 642 upwardly.
The operation section 642 is a portion where a user of the screen 1 operates. As shown in
As shown in
The large-diameter section 6422 is shaped substantially like a cylinder with a diameter longer than that of the operation section body 6421, and is formed integrally to the lower end of the operation section body 6421. Herein, the pillar-like shaft of the large-diameter section 6422 is substantially the same as that of the operation section body 6421.
The small-diameter section 6423 is shaped substantially like a cylinder with a diameter smaller than that of the operation section body 6421, and is formed integrally to the lower end of the larger-diameter section 6422. Herein, the pillar-like shaft of the small-diameter section 6423 is substantially the same as those of the operation section body 6421 and the large-diameter section 6422. When the user depresses downward the operation section body 6421, the lower end portion of the small-diameter section 6423 abuts the outer peripheral surface of the latch member 62, thereby moving the latch member 62 to the unlatch position P2.
Described next is the operation of pulling out the screen body 2 from the spring roll 32. Herein, the operation of storing the screen 1, i.e., operation of making the spring roll 32 to wind up the screen body 2, is substantially the same as the operation of pulling out the screen body 2, and thus is not described twice.
First of all, in the state of
For pulling out the screen body 2 in the state of
While continuously depressing the operation section 642, the user grips and moves the retention hook 6 to the upper side, i.e., move the pull-up member 4 to the upper side. In this manner, against the biasing force of the spring of the spring roll 32, the screen body 2 is pulled out from the spring roll 32. Thereafter, when the user stops depressing the operation section 642, the retention hook 6 is set in the locked state described above, and as shown in
In the embodiment described above, the following effects can be achieved.
In the embodiment, the screen 1 is configured to include the base section 3, the pull-up member 4, the column 5, and the retention hook 6. The retention hook 6 holds the pull-up member 4, and moves along the column 5. That is, by moving the retention hook 6 along the column 5 in the state that the pull-up member 4 is retained by the retention hook 6, the screen body 2 can be adjusted by the amount of pulling out in the vertical direction. In this configuration, the retention hook 6 serves to hold the pull-up member 4 that supports the upper end portion of the screen body 2. That is, this configuration enables to operate the retention hook 6 from the front surface side of the screen 1 without obstruction by the screen body 2. Accordingly, for placing the screen 1, i.e., for adjusting the amount of pulling out the screen body 2 in the vertical direction, a user is no more required to take the trouble to go behind the screen 1, but he or she only grips the retention hook 6 from the front surface side of the screen 1 to move the hook along the column 5. As such, the usability is accordingly improved.
Moreover, the retention hook 6 is provided with the hook body 61, the latch member 62, the biasing member 63, and the latch release member 64. With such a configuration, when the user is not operating the latch release member 64, the latch member 62 is positioned at the latch position P1 by the biasing force of the biasing member 63, and the retention hook 6 is set in the locked state. When the latch release member 64 is operated by the user, the latch member 62 is positioned at the unlatch position P2 against the biasing force of the biasing member 63, and the retention hook 6 is set in the lock-released state. As such, by moving the retention hook 6 along the column 5 while continuously operating the latch release member 64, the user can adjust the amount of pulling out the screen body 2 in the vertical direction, and by stopping operation of the latch release member 64, the user can set the retention hook 6 in the locked state, and keep the pulled-out state of the screen body 2. Accordingly, such a simple operation of the retention hook 6, i.e., the latch release member 64, can adjust the amount of pulling out the screen body 2 in the vertical direction, and keep good the pulled-out state of the screen body 2.
Moreover, the hook body 61 is provided with the insertion section 611 and the member storage section 612. The member storage section 612 is formed with the sloped surface 6162 on the side surface opposing the column 5 inserted into the hole 6111 of the insertion section 611. That is, the space B in the member storage section 612 is so formed that the distance between the sloped surface 6162 and the column 5 inserted in the hole 6111 is gradually reduced along the biasing direction, i.e., upward, of the biasing member 63. Accordingly, when being positioned at the latch position P1, in the space B, the latch member 62 is moved to the upper side where the length is shorter than its own diameter, and is closely contacted with the column 5 and the sloped surface 6162 so that the retention hook 6 is set in the locked state. When being positioned at the unlatch position P2, in the space B, the latch member 62 is moved to the lower side where the length is longer than its own diameter. Accordingly, the latch member 62 is freed from close contact with the column 5 and the sloped surface 6162 so that the retention hook 6 is set in the lock-released state. As such, such a simple configuration can implement both the locked state and the lock-released states.
The latch member 62 is shaped like a cylinder, and is stored in the member storage section 612 in such a manner that the outer peripheral surface opposes the column 5 and the sloped surface 6162. Therefore, in the lock-released state, when the retention hook 6 is moved along the column 5, the latch member 62 is rotated and moved so that the retention hook 6 can be moved smoothly, i.e., the amount of pulling out the screen body 2 in the vertical direction can be adjusted smoothly.
The latch release member 64 is provided on the upper side of the hook body 6. With such a configuration, a user finds it easy to operate the latch release member 64 when he or she grips the retention hook 6 from the front surface side of the screen 1, and moves the hook along the column 5. As such, the usability is improved to a further extent.
While the invention has been described in detail, the foregoing description is in all aspects illustrative and not restrictive. It is understood that numerous other modifications and variations can be devised without departing from the scope of the invention.
In the embodiment described above, the screen is of a pull-up type in which the base section 3 supports the lower end portion of the screen body 2, and the pull-up member 4 supports the upper end portion thereof and pulls up the screen body 2. This is surely not restrictive, and reversely, the screen may be of a pull-down type in which the base section 3 supports the upper end portion of the screen body 2, and the pull-up member 4 supports the lower end section thereof and pulls down the screen body 2. [00753 In the embodiment, the configuration of the components, i.e., the hook body 61, the latch member 62, the biasing member 63, and the latch release member 64, is not the only option, and any other configuration will also do.
For example, in the hook body 61, the sloped surface 6162 is so shaped as to gradually come closer to the link hole 6161 toward the upper side. This is surely not restrictive, and the sloped surface 6162 may be so shaped as to gradually come closer to the link hole 6161 toward the lower side. If this is the case, the placement position of the latch release member 64 is changed that of the biasing member 63, i.e., the latch release member 64 is disposed below the hook body 61.
Further, the latch member 62 is shaped like a cylinder, but this is surely not restrictive, and any other shape will also do.
Still further, the latch member serves well as long as it moves between the latch position where the hook body is latched with respect to the column through abutment thereto, and the unlatch position. The biasing member serves well as long as it biases the latch member toward the latch position, and the latch release member serves well as long as it moves the latch member to the unlatch position against the biasing force of the biasing member. The hook body serves well as long as it supports the latch member, the biasing member, and the latch release member. Accordingly, the hook body is not restrictive to carry therein the latch member, the biasing member, and the latch release member, and the outer peripheral surface of the hook body may support such components.
In the embodiment, the base section 3 is configured to be disposed directly on the floor or others. Alternatively, the base section 3 may be disposed on the floor or others via a support leg such as tripod.
The screen of the embodiment of the invention has good usability, and thus can serve well for magnification projection of image lights coming from a projector or others.
The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-218408, filed Aug. 24, 2007 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007-218408 | Aug 2007 | JP | national |