The present disclosure relates to an unequal-torque coil spring and a spring motor thereof, and more particularly to an unequal-torque coil spring that is applied to a curtain set which can automatically fold a curtain and used to provide a feedback torque thereto, thereby achieving objective of providing a feedback force corresponding to an actual requirement from different stages of a curtain-folding working process.
For the purpose of safely using curtains, designs of curtain sets without exposed pull cords have been tirelessly developed in the industry. As shown in
Further, the spring motor 2 employs an elastic reaction force of approximately equal torque from a strip of equal-torque coil spring 20 to drive the first reel drum 21 and the second reel drum 22 at two sides, so as to reversely reel back the pull cord 12 at both sides and pull up the lower beam 14 by using the force stored in the equal-torque coil spring 20, thereby achieving the objective of folding back the curtain 15. To lower the curtain 15, a user pulls the lower beam 14 downwards, and an action force is transmitted to the first reel drum 21 and the second reel drum 22 via the linkage of the pull cord 12 and the turning of a turning component 13, and then the force is reversely output to the equal-torque coil spring 20 for storage via the first reel drum 21 and the second reel drum 22, so that the force can be used to fold back the curtain 15 later.
The equal-torque coil spring 20 is of a spiral shape, and generates an effective torque curve that is close to being horizontal, which is difficult to match the gravity force of unequal masses accumulated from setting the curtain 15 to different heights. Therefore, it is often necessary to add weights that are hung from the curtain and repeatedly adjust a torque value of a single curtain set 1 during production, in order to achieve a steady folding speed.
Referring to
Referring back to
In the aforesaid process, a coiling speed of the equal-torque coil spring 20 is different from that of the chainring 230 due to the presence of the detachable bearing 231, the chainring 230 solely serves the purpose of shifting the force in this case, and shifts a force resulted from the first reel drum 21 being pulled by the pull cord 12 and transfers the force to the linking chainring 240 of the coiling axle 24. Similarly, when the second reel drum 22 at the right is pulled by the pull cord 12, the second chainring 220 can also transfer the force to the coiling axle 24, so that the coiling axle 24 can pull and coil the equal-torque coil spring 20, and the equal-torque coil spring 20 sequentially releases the force and turns around a center of a diameter thereof when it is pulled and coiled around by the coiling axle 24.
Referring to
When the curtain piece 15 is completely lowered, the lower beam 14 is at a lowest position which is a fifth height H5, and the pulling force withstood by the pull cord 12 is the minimum at this moment as it only needs to support the mass of the lower beam 14 now. Therefore, within the range of a total lift height H0, as the lower beam 14 has the curtain pieces 150 accumulated on top of it one by one from the bottom, the weight load of the curtain pieces 150 gradually increases as a result, and the weight load reaches maximum when the lower beam 14 reaches the top, and becomes minimum when the lower beam 14 is at the bottom.
In addition, when it reaches a third height H3 defined in the curtain folding process, the spring motor 2 needs to produce a balancing pulling force against the lower beam 14 when it is located at the third height H3, so as to prevent the lower beam 14 from falling downwards, while the spring motor 2 also needs to avoid producing excessive pulling force that pulls the lower beam 14 upwards.
When the lower beam 14 is located at the lowest position which is the fifth height H5, and being pulled upwards to a first height H1, an upward momentum is generated from the combined factor between a mass of the lower beam 14 and a pulling speed of the pull cord 12. Therefore, it would be ideal to have the pulling force from the pull cord 12 lessened when the lower beam 14 reaches a second height H2, so as to achieve a buffering effect, and then have the spring motor 2 output a smaller torque again in order to slowly pull up the lower beam 14 located at the second height H2 to the first height H1, so as to prevent the momentum from the lower beam 14 to impact on a lower part of an upper beam 11.
Referring to
As the lower beam 14 is lowered, the feedback torque stored in the spring motor 2 is needed for fixing the lower beam 14 at the half-height Hn position, while the upper surface of the lower beam 14 is supporting the total mass W of the stacked curtain pieces at Hn at the same time. Thus as the lower beam 14 moves upwards, greater balancing torque is needed from the spring motor 2. In contrast, as the lower beam 14 moves downwards, the torque needed from the spring motor 2 declines proportionately. Subsequently, the required working torque curve from the spring motor 2 turns from steep to flat.
To allow the spring motor 2 of the curtain set 1 to produce the torque needed for folding back the curtain 15 during the curtain folding process, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,192 B1; the main technical feature is related to the longitudinal area of a strip of spring, and a method of boring holes to form weak points is utilized to distribute bore holes of unequal sizes and distances, so that the strip of spring can have different elastic actions at a front end and a back end. For producing feedback torque output for actual system requirements based on simulations, and another U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,100, a strip of spring is formed with different thicknesses or widths at a front end and a back end in order to produce elastic reactions that result in varied torque to meet the actual requirements for torque. But the method of boring holes leads to weaknesses in the strip of spring, which results in the problems of mechanical damage and difficulty in processing. Further, because the strip of spring is a very thin metal slice that needs to have different thicknesses and widths at a front end and a rear end, the processing control for making increasing or decreasing thicknesses and widths needs to be extremely precise, which makes the production of the spring difficult and time-consuming.
A primary objective of the present disclosure is to provide an unequal-torque coil spring and a spring motor thereof, which provides feedback torque from the unequal-torque coil spring in response to requirements for different forces in different stages of a curtain-folding working process; multiple levels of torque are allocated for horizontally folding back a curtain in a curtain set. When the curtain is folded back, the torque is used to meet the requirements for the curtain-folding process and fixing the curtain at any heights when the curtain is lowered. The unequal-torque coil spring is fabricated in separate processes by simple procedures, so as to allow the unequal-torque coil spring to have different torque reactions at multiple sections.
A second objective of the present disclosure is to sequentially make various curvatures in different sections of a reed strip longitudinally, so as to fabricate an unequal-torque coil spring having unequal feedback torque.
A third objective of the present disclosure is to have different curvatures distributed in the unequal-torque coil spring; the curvatures are distributed from one end of the reed strip having a joining end to another end at different levels.
A fourth objective of the present disclosure is to allow the unequal-torque coil spring to generate usable feedback torque values with a ratio of a maximum torque force to a minimum torque force between 4:1 and 1:1.
A fifth objective of the present disclosure is to have the unequal-torque coil spring assembled in a housing of a spring motor, and indirectly drives a first reel drum and a second reel drum disposed at two sides of the spring motor, so that the first reel drum and the second reel drum simultaneously generate corresponding torque for pulling a pull cord coiled thereto.
To enable a further understanding of the said objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, the brief description of the drawings below is followed by the detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
The present disclosure provides an unequal-torque coil spring and a spring motor thereof, which uses a simple method for disposing different curvatures in multiple front and rear sections of a reed strip, so as to provide a feedback force as multiple levels of torque in response to actual working requirements from a curtain system loading end capable of arranging a curtain at different heights, and having dynamic and static friction forces between working pieces of the system, so that the curtain can be folded back and a lower beam can be fixed at any positions.
Referring to
Referring to
For the purpose of meeting the requirement of forces corresponding to the actual curtain-folding working process, as well as easy fabrication, the reed strip 3 is fabricated by bending several sections separately to allow for the generation of several different torque forces, wherein the second torque T2 is the maximum, and the third torque T3 following the second torque T2 decreases by sloping downwards; the torque forces after the fifth length L5 are not included for consideration.
Referring to
In addition, maximum torque force and a minimum torque force values are determined according to the size of the curtain set 1, and a ratio between these above-described torque forces, (e.g., the ratio of a maximum torque force to a minimum torque force), can be set between 4:1 and 1:1. The reed strip 3 is formed into an unequal-torque coil spring 30 by coiling, and includes the outer spiral layer C1, the mid spiral layer C2, the inner spiral layer C3 and a joining end 300 disposed at an exposed end of the reed strip 3.
Referring to
Referring to
The second torque T2 generated from the longitudinal section of the reed strip 3 from the second length L2 to the third length L3 is a constant torque that corresponds to the curtain-folding process from the third height H3 to the second height H2 in the curtain set 1; when the curtain 15 is folded upwards, the torque T2 provides the maximum torque for the lower beam 14 to withstand the loading weight of curtain pieces sequentially accumulated on a top surface thereof, and for pulling the lower beam 14 to the second height H2. Subsequently, the first torque T1 is used to return the lower beam 14 to the first height H1. The purpose of having the first torque T1 less than the second torque T2 is to ease a momentum generated from the mass of the curtain 15 and the rising speed before the curtain 15 is folded back to destination (the first height H1), so that a buffering effect can be achieved before the curtain-folding completes, thereby ensuring safe use.
The third torque T3 generated from the section of the reed strip 3 from the third length L3 to the fourth length L4 is a decreasing torque, and the fourth torque T4 generated from the section from the fourth length L4 to the fifth length L5 is less than the third torque T3; the load of the fourth torque T4 is the smallest.
During the folding of curtain, the lower beam 14 is pulled upwards from the fifth height H5 and starts to sequentially accumulate each of the curtain pieces 150 arranged above, and then the third torque T3 takes over as more force is needed for folding when the lower beam 14 reaches the fourth height H4, and the third torque T3 rapidly generates a higher torque to relay the folding process to the second torque T2.
Each of the described levels of torque is able to generate a stopping and fixing force according to any needs when the lower beam 14 is located at any positions within a total lift height H0, so as to prevent the lower beam 14 at a particular height to fall downwards or rise upwards.
In this embodiment, the reed strip 3 corresponds to a measurement of the total lift height H0, and the torque distribution is as follows: the first torque T1 is generated from the section between the first length L1 and the second length L2, the second torque T2 is generated from the section between the second length L2 and the third length L3, the third torque T3 is generated from the section between the third length L3 and the fourth length L4, and the fourth torque T4 is generated from the section between the fourth length L4 and the fifth length L5.
The curve graph shows the second torque T2 as one that needs to withstand a greater torque, and the third torque T3 and the fourth torque T4 can both be decreasing. This method of implementation can achieve a very steady speed for folding the curtain 15. In a most ideal system of mechanics, the most precise curve lines are distributed in a sloping torque curve based on geometric coordinates. But for the purpose of easily manufacturing the unequal-torque coil spring and providing forces required for folding the curtain 15, the torque distribution of the present disclosure is implemented according to the requirements of force for folding the curtain in the curtain set 1.
In another simple embodiment (refer to
The above described second torque T2 and fourth torque T4 are both constant, and can satisfy the requirements of force for folding the curtain in the curtain set 1. In the process of fabricating the unequal-torque coil spring, the fabrication process is mainly focused on the second torque T2 and the fourth torque T4, so that the fabrication procedures can be made easier and the making of the torque curve T0 is more convenient. However, the second torque T2 and the fourth torque T4 may be varied slightly about 3% to 7% because of tolerance during bending the reed strip 3. In addition, a distance between the second length L2 and the third length L3 is not limited, which can be shortened and adjusted according to requirements. According to
It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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105204038 | Mar 2016 | TW | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/240,267 filed Jan. 4, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/439,313 filed Feb. 22, 2017, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,174,547 on Jan. 8, 2019, and titled “Unequal-torque coil spring and a spring motor thereof,” which claims the benefit of Taiwan Patent Application No. 105204038 filed Mar. 22, 2016. The entire content of the above identified application is incorporated herein by reference. Some references, which may include patents, patent applications and various publications, may be cited and discussed in the description of this disclosure. The citation and/or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to the disclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and to the same extent as if each reference was individually incorporated by reference.
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Petitioner Opposition to Motion to Amend filed Oct. 9, 2020; 16 pages. |
Petitioner Reply to Patent Owner Response filed Oct. 9, 2020; 22 pages. |
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Decision Denying Petitioner's Request on Rehearing of Final Written Decision Determining Some Challenged Claims Unpatentable and Order Expunging Petitioner's Exhibits 1019-1022, from PGR2020-00001, U.S. Pat. No. 10,174,547, dated Jun. 8, 2021, 19 pages. |
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Exhibit 3002 from Decision Denying Petitioner's Request on Rehearing of Final Written Decision Determining Some Challenged Claims Unpatentable and Order Expunging Petitioner's Exhibits 1019-1022, from PGR2020-00001, U.S. Pat. No. 10,174,547, dated Jun. 8, 2021, 2 pages. |
Expunged Exhibit 1019 from Petitioner's Request for Rehearing Under 37 C.F.R. § 42.71, from PGR2020-00001, U.S. Pat. No. 10,174,547, dated May 7, 2021, (Acxess Spring Website) 15 pages. |
Expunged Exhibit 1020 from Petitioner's Request for Rehearing Under 37 C.F.R. § 42.71, from PGR2020-00001, U.S. Pat. No. 10,174,547, dated May 7, 2021, (Lee Spring Website) 8 pages. |
Expunged Exhibit 1021 from Petitioner's Request for Rehearing Under 37 C.F.R. § 42.71, from PGR2020-00001, U.S. Pat. No. 10,174,547, dated May 7, 2021, (Vulcan Spring Design Guide) 28 pages. |
Expunged Exhibit 1022 from Petitioner's Request for Rehearing Under 37 C.F.R. § 42.71, from PGR2020-00001, U.S. Pat. No. 10,174,547, dated May 7, 2021, (3rd Declaration of Zhang) 14 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20200048959 A1 | Feb 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16240267 | Jan 2019 | US |
Child | 16660441 | US | |
Parent | 15439313 | Feb 2017 | US |
Child | 16240267 | US |