DRIVE ROLLER FOR A ROLLER BLIND

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a drive roller for a roller blind.

[0002] Roller blinds are available in various types for shading windows. Generally, roller blinds consist of a roller tube to which a fabric is attached. This fabric can be unrolled from and rolled back up onto the tube to be positioned next to a window. The fabric can be designed to shade a window. However, there are also roller blinds that incorporate a flexible insect screen, serving as insect protection when the window is open. Different types of roller blinds, which vary primarily in their operating mechanism or mounting system, are described, for example, in EP 2 057 342 B1, WO89 / 08766 A1, WO02 / 33194 A1, EP 1 272 726 B1, or DE 10 2009 016 390 A1.

[0003] A typical design of a conventional roller blind is described, for example, in WO 89 / 08766 A1. When the blind fabric unwinds from the roller tube, a spring is tensioned. The blind is operated by means of a non-slip cord, on which balls are arranged at regular intervals. The cord, via the balls, engages with an operating mechanism in a form-fitting manner.

[0004] The invention is based on the objective of creating a drive roller for a roller blind which makes it possible to manufacture the mechanism of the roller blind from natural raw materials, such as wood, and some metal parts, whereby the roller blind fulfills all the functions of conventional roller blinds.

[0005] The problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent patent claim. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0006] A drive roller according to the invention for a roller blind has a disc-shaped body with two side surfaces and a cylindrical surface. A cable groove for receiving a cable opens circumferentially onto the cylindrical surface. The cable groove has an approximately V-shaped cross-section with two opposing groove surfaces. The groove surfaces have several concave facets, which abut each other in the circumferential direction, thus forming approximately radially extending clamping edges.

[0007] A drive pulley with such a rope groove can be operated with a rope made of braided natural fibers. The inventor's experiments have shown that when using a conventional braided natural fiber rope, it is difficult to establish the necessary frictional connection between the drive pulley and the rope, while simultaneously preventing the rope from becoming so firmly embedded in the groove that it cannot be released. When the rope is pulled, the drive pulley must be reliably engaged, and the rope should not slip or jam in the groove. Pulling the rope thus sets the drive pulley into a low-slip or even slip-free rotational movement.

[0008] The rope can be any type of cordage. The ropes used in the present invention can also be called lines or straps. Typically, the diameter of the unloaded rope is no more than 10 mm, and preferably no more than 7 mm or 5 mm.

[0009] The radially extending clamping edges, preferably arranged in opposing pairs, clamp the rope firmly between the groove surfaces in the area of ​​the clamping edges. In the area up to the next clamping edges, the rope rests essentially without clamping in the rope groove. This fixes the rope at specific points within the rope groove, with these fixing points (or clamping edges) being spaced apart. It has been shown that this design of the rope groove provides the necessary frictional connection between the rope and the drive pulley to reliably drive the pulley, while simultaneously ensuring reliable rope release from the rope groove. Therefore, no wiper mechanism is required.

[0010] V-shaped means that the opposing clamping edges are not parallel, but form an angle that opens radially outwards. The V-shaped rope groove can have a bottom, i.e., the rope groove does not have to taper to a point radially inwards.

[0011] The tangents of the clamping edges form an angle of at least 20°, preferably at least 25°, and particularly at least 30° at their radially inner end relative to the vertical. This angle should preferably not exceed 60° and particularly not exceed 45°. At the radially outer end of the clamping edge, the inclination of a tangent to the clamping edge relative to the vertical is smaller and is, for example, in the range of 0° to 10°. Preferably, the clamping edges are concave, with the angle of the corresponding tangents decreasing continuously from radially inner to radially outer, so that the clamping edge forms a smooth curve.

[0012] Thus, the clamping edges have a concave shape, in which the tangents at the radially inner ends of the clamping edges form an angle with the vertical that is at least 10° greater than a corresponding angle of a tangent at the radially outer end of the clamping edges. Preferably, the difference in angles is at least 15° or at least 20°.

[0013] Since the facets are concave, they form the clamping edges and create a gap between adjacent edges where the rope rests loosely in the groove without jamming. The facets are typically concave with an arc. However, it is also possible to approximate the arc shape of the facets with a polygon. This depends primarily on the manufacturing process used. Arc-shaped facets can be easily produced by milling.

[0014] Preferably, a radially inner bottom edge or bottom surface is recessed, in particular arc-shaped, between two opposing facets in the area between circumferentially adjacent clamping edges.

[0015] The facets of the groove surfaces are preferably arranged in pairs opposite each other, so that the clamping edges are also arranged in pairs opposite each other. However, it is also possible for the clamping edges of the two groove surfaces to be offset from each other circumferentially.

[0016] The drive pulley is formed from a disc-shaped body. The shape of the disc can also be approximated by a polygon. The number of vertices of such a polygon preferably corresponds to the number of pairs of clamping edges. Preferably, the rope grooves are concave, at least in the area of ​​the clamping edges. This is particularly suitable for ropes with a circular cross-section.

[0017] The clamping edges are preferably arranged radially around the circumference at equal intervals. The distance between two adjacent clamping edges of a groove surface is preferably at least 10 mm, particularly at least 15 mm or at least 20 mm, and can even be at least 25 mm. The larger the diameter of the drive roller, the greater the distance between the adjacent clamping edges can be.

[0018] A drive roller preferably has at least 4 clamping edges, in particular at least 6 clamping edges or at least 8 clamping edges or at least 10 clamping edges per groove surface.

[0019] It is advisable to provide no more than 15 clamping edges or no more than 13 clamping edges per groove surface on a drive roller.

[0020] The maximum curvature of the concave facets with respect to the corresponding clamping edges is no more than 0.7 mm, in particular no more than 0.5 mm or no more than 0.3 mm.

[0021] Such a rope groove can also be formed in a natural material, such as wood, with the necessary precision, for example by milling, so that reliable operation of the drive pulley is ensured.

[0022] The drive roller can have a central bore that opens onto at least one of its two side faces and is designed to accommodate a roller tube. The central bore can be a blind hole or a through hole.

[0023] The drive pulley may have an approximately radially extending through-hole in the area of ​​the cable groove, which opens into the central through-hole and is designed to receive a clamping screw. This allows the drive pulley to be fixed to the roller tube in a rotationally fixed manner. Alternatively, the tube can be connected to the drive pulley, for example, by friction in a fit or by bonding.

[0024] The drive pulley can be provided with a guide groove that runs around its circumference and parallel to the rope groove. This guide groove allows the drive pulley to be laterally limited within a bearing block, with a small degree of freedom of movement, as explained in more detail below.

[0025] The drive pulley is preferably made of wood. However, a drive pulley with such a rope groove can also be made of another material, such as metal or plastic, and the rope groove would allow reliable operation of the drive pulley by means of, for example, a braided rope.

[0026] The rope is preferably an endless rope with a substantially constant diameter over its entire length.

[0027] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the rope has a substantially constant bending stiffness over its entire length.

[0028] A roller blind is preferably installed next to a window to cover the window area and thus fulfill its functions of providing privacy, shading, or blackout. Roller blinds are primarily intended for interior use. However, it is also possible to install roller blinds on the exterior of a building or on other load-bearing structures, such as a covered pergola.

[0029] Furthermore, the roller blind can also be used to cover or replace furniture fronts. Preferably, the roller blind mechanism is integrated into the furniture frame to avoid structural redundancies and to allow the fabric to be lowered almost flush with the furniture front on all sides, or rolled up to save space. In addition to the visual appeal, advantages include reduced furniture transport weight, cost savings, and the elimination of the space required for swing doors when opening. The roller blind can also be mounted on the upper edge of a furniture front, on the ceiling, or on the upper surface of a piece of furniture so that it can be lowered in front of the furniture. This allows furniture such as open shelving units to be protected from dust and prying eyes, improving their appearance, privacy, and room acoustics.

[0030] Furthermore, the roller blind can be used both inside and outside a building as a privacy screen, independent of furniture, windows, or doors. For example, in a kitchen, the roller blind can serve as a privacy screen at a serving hatch or as a room divider between different areas of a room. Outside a building, covered but open areas, such as the sides of a patio, can be fitted with the roller blind for privacy.

[0031] As a further, non-contracted aspect, a bearing unit for a roller shutter shaft is provided. The bearing unit comprises a bearing block with a through-hole for receiving the roller shutter shaft, which is supported therein with minimal play. Adjacent to the roller shutter shaft is an arc-shaped clamping bracket, which has a friction lining, in particular a felt lining, on a clamping surface facing the roller shutter shaft. This allows the clamping bracket to be adjusted radially relative to the roller shutter shaft by means of an adjustment device, so that a frictional resistance between the roller shutter shaft and the clamping surface can be determined and direct contact between the shaft and the through-hole in the bearing block can be prevented.

[0032] This makes it possible to adjust the frictional resistance and the adhesive resistance between the roller blind shaft and the clamping surface, so that on the one hand a roller blind is reliably held in the respective rolled-out position by the adhesive friction and on the other hand the frictional resistance when moving the roller blind shaft relative to the clamping surface is so low that the roller blind shaft can be operated without excessive effort.

[0033] The clamp can, in principle, be positioned at any point in the bearing unit adjacent to the roller tube. In a very space-saving design, the clamp forms a section of the through-hole in which the roller tube is mounted in the bearing block.

[0034] The clamp is preferably pivotably mounted at one end in the bearing block and is actuated at the other end by the adjusting device. The adjusting device can, for example, be a set screw located in a threaded sleeve in the through-hole in the bearing block.

[0035] The bearing block can be designed with a blind-shaped recess for receiving a drive roller, the recess being arranged concentrically to the through-hole for receiving the roller tube and having an approximately cylindrical circumferential surface and an approximately circular base. A through-slot can be formed in the area of ​​the circumferential surface, running transversely to the axis of the through-hole. A cable for driving the drive roller can run through this through-slot. The recess also defines the area in which the drive cable can disengage from the drive groove, up to the point where it re-engages in the drive groove.The base of the recess or the side surface of the drive roller that rests against the base can be fitted with a sliding coating, such as felt, allowing the two surfaces to slide against each other with low friction and preventing noise upon contact. This coating thus serves both to reduce noise and to enable the drive roller to rotate with minimal mechanical resistance.

[0036] The bearing unit can have a drive roller, as explained in more detail above.

[0037] The bearing block can have a through-hole in the area of ​​the circumferential surface of the blind-shaped recess to accommodate a guide pin, which can engage in the guide groove of the drive roller. This clearly defines the position of the drive roller in the axial direction of the roller tube and limits the range of motion.

[0038] The support block can have a mounting plate with horizontal projections for wall mounting, and vertical grooves can be formed in the support block in the area of ​​the projections. This allows the support block to be hung on the projections of the mounting plate by legs that extend diagonally upwards from a wall mounting bracket.

[0039] This mounting plate is preferably positioned slightly inwards on the bearing block, so that the mounting plate and the wall mounting bracket are completely enclosed and concealed by the bearing block when suspended, and the back of the bearing block makes full contact with the wall surface for stabilization.

[0040] The wall mounting bracket may have a base plate for mounting on a wall, to which the legs are molded.

[0041] The legs preferably have teeth on an edge where the projection of the mounting plate engages. These teeth ensure that the bearing block is securely fixed to the wall mounting bracket. The size of the teeth is preferably less than 1 mm, in particular less than 0.5 mm or less than 0.3 mm, and their geometry is designed for easy engagement and controlled disengagement.

[0042] According to a further aspect of the invention, a roller blind is provided with a roller tube, the ends of which are each supported in a bearing unit, with one end of the roller tube being connected to a drive roller. The roller blind is characterized in that the drive roller is designed according to one of the above embodiments and / or one of the two bearing units is designed according to one of the embodiments described above. A roller blind fabric that can be rolled up and down is attached to the roller tube. A cord can be provided for operating the drive tube.

[0043] A roller blind with the drive roller described above can be designed without a scraper device, as the rope reliably releases itself from the rope groove.

[0044] The fabric used for roller blinds can be a shading fabric. It can also be an insect screen. Basically, all fabrics suitable for roller blinds are appropriate. Preferably, fabrics are used that can be applied directly after cutting without needing to be finished (hemmed). This prevents any bulkiness from seams on the rolled-up fabric when it's rolled up.

[0045] Preferably, the roller blind is made exclusively from natural materials, such as wood (bearing block, drive pulley) and natural fibers, such as hemp, for the cord, and from metal parts. Preferably, all metal parts (roller tube, clamp, mounting plate, wall mounting bracket) are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, or stainless steel, so that these materials can be recycled separately. If lightweight composite materials such as carbon fiber composite tubes are used, easy disassembly for reuse as components is provided.

[0046] The roller blind can be delivered fully pre-assembled by the manufacturer. Only the wall mounting brackets need to be attached to a wall. The bearing units can then be easily attached to the corresponding wall mounting brackets by simply hooking them into place. A complete roller blind has two bearing units, one of which is equipped with a drive roller, and the other bearing unit is essentially identical, except that it lacks the drive roller.

[0047] The rope is preferably an endless rope without a limit clip (like beaded cords). It can also be shorter than conventional beaded cords and designed solely for grip height and ease of use. This eliminates the risk of strangulation and prevents unauthorized use by small children.

[0048] The rope preferably has a core-sheath braid, wherein a butt area at which two ends of a rope are connected, e.g. by a splice to form an endless rope, is formed with a tapered core and the sheath of the two ends overlaps briefly and is secured against slipping on the core with a few stitches.

[0049] The invention is explained in more detail below by way of example with reference to the drawings. The drawings show: Figure 1: a roller blind without fabric in a perspective view from a slightly oblique front view; Figure 2: the roller blind made of Figure 1 in perspective view from a rear oblique angle in an exploded view, Figure 3a a drive roller of the roller blind made of Figure 1 in perspective view, Figure 3b the drive roller from Figure 3a In a front view, Figure 4 shows a bearing block (not part of the claimed invention) for a bearing unit of the roller blind. Figure 1Figure 5 shows a wall mounting bracket (not part of the claimed invention) in perspective view, Figure 6 shows a mounting plate (not part of the claimed invention) in perspective view, and Figure 7 shows a clamping bracket (not part of the claimed invention) in perspective view.

[0050] A roller blind 1 according to the invention has a roller tube 2, the ends of which can each be mounted in a bearing unit 3, 4.

[0051] A roller blind fabric that can be rolled up and down is attached to the roller tube 2. For the sake of simplicity, the roller blind fabric has been omitted from the accompanying drawings.

[0052] One end of the roller tube 2 is equipped with a drive roller 5 ( Figure 1 , 3a , 3b ) tied together.

[0053] The drive roller 5 is formed from a disk-shaped body with two side surfaces 6, 7 and a lateral surface 8.

[0054] A guide groove 9 and a cable groove 10 are provided on the outer surface 8. The guide groove 9 is rectangularly cut with two parallel side flanks and a smooth, circumferential bottom surface.

[0055] The rope groove 10 has an approximately V-shaped cross-section ( Figure 3a , 3b The rope groove thus has two opposing groove surfaces 11, 12. Several facets 13 are provided on each of the two groove surfaces 11, 12. Each facet 13 is concavely curved and extends radially outwards from a groove bottom edge 14 to the outer surface 8, where it forms an outer boundary edge 15.

[0056] In the present embodiment, each groove surface 11 has ten facets 13 arranged consecutively in the circumferential direction. Each facet 13 thus extends circumferentially by an angular range of 36°.

[0057] Because the facets 13 are concave, they form a clamping edge 16 projecting inwards into the rope groove 10 at the boundary line where two adjacent facets 13 meet.

[0058] In the present embodiment, the clamping edges 16 are also concave, with the curvature increasing slightly in the direction of the groove bottom edge 14 ( Figure 3b ).

[0059] Within the scope of the invention, the clamping edges 16 can, however, be straight. Instead of a groove bottom edge 14, a flat groove bottom can also be provided, which extends a short distance transversely to the cable groove 10.

[0060] The groove bottom edge 14 is recessed in the area between two adjacent pairs of clamping edges 16. In the present embodiment, the groove bottom edge 14 is recessed in an arc shape.

[0061] The drive roller 5 has a central bore 17 for the positive-locking reception of the roller tube 2. The central bore 17 is a blind hole which opens onto the side surface 6 of the drive roller 5 ( Figure 3a ).

[0062] In the area of ​​the groove bottom edge 14, a radially extending through-bore 18 is provided, which opens into the central bore 17 and serves to receive a clamping screw 52. The clamping screw 52 is a set screw which is arranged in a screw-in sleeve. The drive roller 5 can be fixed to the roller tube 2 with the clamping screw 52.

[0063] The drive pulley 5 thus has a pair of radially extending clamping edges 16 arranged at regular intervals around its circumference to clamp a rope 50 with an approximately circular cross-section in the rope groove 10 when unloaded. Ropes with a circular cross-section when unloaded can be braided ropes. In the area between the clamping edges 16, the rope groove 10 is wider than the area of ​​the clamping edges 16 due to the concave shape of the facets 13, creating a space in which the rope 50 is loosely held in the rope groove 10 during use without jamming.

[0064] The drive roller 5 is made of wood.

[0065] The facets 13 and the clamping edges 16 can be easily produced by milling in a material such as wood. Bridge-shaped projections would be significantly more complex to manufacture.

[0066] This special design of the rope groove 10 by means of the concave facets 13 thus fulfills the desired mechanical requirements for the drive roller 5 with regard to the power transmission from the rope 50 to the drive roller 5 as well as to the release of the clamping connection between the rope 50 and the drive roller 5, and is also easy to manufacture. The roller blind 1 can therefore be designed without a stripping device for releasing the clamping connection between the rope 50 and the drive roller 5.

[0067] The bearing units 3, 4 each have a bearing block 19, 20. The bearing blocks 19, 20 each have a through bore 21 for receiving the roller tube 2. The bearing block 19 is also designed with a recess 22 for receiving the drive roller 5 ( Figure 4 The recess 22 is a blind hole bore with a cylindrical circumferential surface 23 and an approximately circular bottom surface 24.

[0068] In the area of ​​the cylindrical circumferential surface 23, a through slot 25 is formed, through which the rope 50 extends.

[0069] Furthermore, a through-hole 26 is formed in the area of ​​the cylindrical circumferential surface 23 for receiving a guide pin 55. The through-hole 26 is arranged approximately horizontally and extends rearward to a rear mounting section 27 of the bearing block 19. The guide pin 55 serves to engage in the guide groove 9, so that the drive roller 5 is fixed in the bearing block 19 with minimal axial play.

[0070] The bearing block 19 has a further recess 28 ( Figure 4 ) for receiving a clamp 29 ( Figure 7The recess 28 extends around a section of the through-bore 21 and is open towards the bottom surface 24. At one end, the recess 28 is formed with a pivot bearing section 30 that is circular in plan view, and at the other end, the recess 28 has an approximately cuboid-shaped widened adjustment area 31 in which an approximately vertical through-bore 32 opens for receiving an adjustment screw 51.

[0071] The clamping clamp 29 has, corresponding to the recess 28 at one end, a pivot bearing body 33 which is approximately circular in plan view, to which a circular arc-shaped clamping section 34 is attached, which at the end furthest from the pivot bearing body 33 transitions into an approximately cuboid-shaped adjusting body 35.

[0072] The clamping clamp 29 has a clamping surface 36 on its radially inner side of the clamping section 34, which is provided with a clamping lining. In the present embodiment, the clamping lining is a felt lining. Leather, in particular suede, can also be used as the clamping lining.

[0073] The clamping clamp 29 fits into the recess 28 such that the pivot bearing section 30 of the recess 28 and the pivot bearing body 33 form a pivot bearing, by which the clamping clamp 29 is pivotably mounted in the bearing block 19. The clamping clamp 29 can be adjusted vertically by means of the adjusting body 35 and the adjusting screw 51. This adjusts the clamping clamp 29 radially to the roller tube 2 so that its clamping surface 36 rests against the roller tube 2. It has been shown that the friction lining allows for a reliable and permanent clamping action with sufficiently high static friction to hold the roller tube 2 securely in any position of the roller blind fabric, while still keeping sliding friction low enough to allow the roller blind fabric to be easily wound up or down by actuating the drive roller 5.

[0074] The rear mounting section 27 of the bearing blocks 19, 20 serves to mount the bearing units 3, 4 to a wall. Viewed from the rear, the bearing blocks 19, 20 each have an approximately rectangular shape, with a recess formed on the rear side, creating a circumferential web 37. A substantially flat base 38 is formed in the area of ​​the recess. Furthermore, two vertically extending grooves 39 are formed in the area of ​​the base 38 adjacent to the circumferential web 37. The through-bore 26 for receiving the guide pin 55 opens into one of the grooves 39. A mounting plate 40 is attached to the base 38 ( Figure 2 , 6 ), which is a thin metal plate formed with four lateral, horizontal projections 41. These projections 41 each extend over the grooves 39, so that there is a space behind each projection 41.

[0075] A wall mounting bracket 42 ( Figure 5The device comprises a base plate 43, two upper legs 44, and two lower legs 45. The legs 44 and 45 project perpendicularly from the base plate 43 and each form a fixing edge 46 extending obliquely upwards from the base plate 43. The fixing edges 46 are arranged approximately parallel to each other. The fixing edges 46 may be provided with small teeth. The lower legs 45 have a lower edge that is flush with the lower edge of the base plate 43.

[0076] The base plate 43 has through holes 48 to allow the wall mounting bracket 42 to be attached to a wall using screws. Similarly, through holes 49 are provided in the mounting plate 40 to attach it to the respective bearing block 19, 20.

[0077] The base plate 43 has a horizontally projecting tab 47 at its upper edge, in which a threaded bore 56 is formed.

[0078] The bearing units 3, 4 can thus be hooked onto the legs 44, 45 of the wall mounting brackets 42 using the lateral projections 41 of the mounting plate 40. The teeth on the fixing edges 46 of the legs 44, 45 hold the bearing units 3, 4 to the wall mounting brackets 42. The bearing units 3, 4 have a through-hole 57 in the area of ​​the rear mounting section at the upper edge, which aligns with the threaded hole 56 of the base plate 43 when the bearing units 3, 4 are correctly hooked onto the respective base plate 43. A clamping screw can then be inserted through the through-holes 57 of the bearing units 3, 4 and screwed into the threaded holes 56 of the base plate 43 to fix the bearing units 3, 4 to the respective base plates 43.In this process, the bearing units 3, 4 can be pressed with a preload with their projections 41 against the legs 44, 45 and at the same time full contact between the mounting surface (e.g. wall, ceiling) and the circumferential web 37 of the rear fastening section 27 can be achieved.

[0079] The entire mounting assembly, comprising the mounting plate 40 and the wall mounting brackets 42, is completely concealed within the bearing blocks 19, 20 of the finally installed roller blind 1 and is not visible from the outside. This results in a very aesthetically pleasing appearance of the roller blind.

[0080] Furthermore, all mechanical functional parts, such as the clamping clamp 29, the guide pin 55, and various screws, are arranged within the bearing blocks 19 and 20 and are not visible from the outside. The only exception is the countersunk clamping screw belonging to the threaded bore 56 in the bearing units 3 and 4, which is the only mechanical element directly visible from the outside. The adjusting screws 51, the guide pins 55, and the clamping screws 52 are designed as (grub) screws concealed within the bores and do not protrude beyond the bearing units 3 and 4.

[0081] The clamping screw 52 ( Figure 2 ) can be inserted from below through the through slot 25 into the through bore 18 of the drive roller 5, so that the bearing block 19 of the bearing unit 4 does not need to have an additional opening to accommodate the clamping screw 52.

[0082] The bearing block 20 of the non-driven bearing unit 3 is provided with a guide roller 53, which essentially corresponds to the drive roller 5, but without a cable groove. The bearing block 20 is essentially identical in design to the bearing block 19 of the driven bearing unit 4. The bearing block 20 differs from the bearing block 19 in that it does not have a through slot 25 and is provided with an additional through bore 54 through which the clamping screw 52 can be inserted into the guide roller.

[0083] The roller blind 1 is therefore not only made from natural raw materials and metal parts, but forms an aesthetically pleasing body, with the surface of the bearing units 3, 4 being made of wood.

[0084] The roller tube 2 is preferably made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. In principle, it could also be a wooden tube. However, wood is prone to creep under continuous stress. A wooden tube would need to be correspondingly large to withstand deformation due to creep over time.

[0085] In principle, other materials are also suitable for the roller tube 2, in particular fiber-reinforced composite materials, especially carbon fiber or glass fiber-reinforced composite materials or thin-walled steel tubes made of, for example, stainless alloys or with corrosion protection surface treatment such as chrome plating.

[0086] The rope 50 forms an endless loop. The rope 50 is preferably a braided rope, in particular a rope braided from natural fibers, such as hemp fibers. During its manufacture, a strand of such a rope is spliced ​​at its two ends, whereby the joint created by the splicing should ideally not result in any thickening or stiffening of the rope.

[0087] In the embodiment described above, the bearing units 3, 4 are mounted on a vertical wall. According to the invention, the roller blinds 1 can also be designed for mounting on a ceiling. In this case, the through slot 25 is formed on the arc-shaped section of the driven bearing block 19 so that the cable 50 can hang vertically downwards. Furthermore, fixing the end position of the wall mounting bracket 42 and the mounting plate 40 relative to each other by means of the tension screw engaging in the threaded bore 56 is particularly important for ceiling mountings. This also allows the teeth on the legs 44, 45 of the wall mounting bracket 42 to be omitted, which then only serve for temporary positioning until the tension screw is tightened.

[0088] If the bearing units 3, 4 are not designed for ceiling mounting, then the through hole 57 on the bearing units 3, 4 can also be omitted, since the bearing units 3, 4 can then be fixed to the wall mounting bracket 42 by their weight alone.

[0089] Furthermore, it may be useful to provide one or more intermediate supports for long roller blinds with a roller tube of, for example, 3 m or more in length. These supports are similar to the bearing blocks, but are somewhat narrower and do not have a roller, but merely serve to support the roller tube. Reference symbol list

[0090] 1 Roller blind 30 swivel bearing section 2 Roller shutter shaft 31 Adjustment range 3 Storage unit 32 through hole 4 Storage unit 33 Swivel bearing body 5 drive roller 34 Clamping section 6 side surface 35 Adjusting body 7 side surface 36 Clamping surface 8 Surface area 37 surrounding walkway 9 Guide groove 38 Floor 10 Rope groove 39 Nut 11 grooved surface 40 Mounting plate 12 grooved surface 41 projection 13 facet 42 wall mounting bracket 14 groove bottom edge 43 Base plate 15 outer boundary edge 44 upper thigh 16 Clamping edge 45 lower thigh 17 central bore 46 Fixing edge 18 through hole 47 tab 19 bearing block 48 through hole 20 bearing block 49 through hole 21 through hole 50 Rope 22 Exclusion 51 Adjusting screw 23 cylindrical circumferential surface 52 Clamping screw 24 circular floor area 53 leadership role 25 Through-slot 54 through hole 26 through hole 55 guide pin 27 rear mounting section 56 Threaded hole 28 Exclusion 57 through hole 29 Clamp

Claims

1. A drive roller (5) for a roller blind (1), comprising a body in the form of a circular disc having two lateral surfaces (6, 7) and a circumferential surface (8) and a circumferential cable groove (10) which opens out on the circumferential surface (8) and is intended for receiving a cable (50), characterized in that the cable groove (10) is approximately V-shaped in cross-section and is designed so as to have two opposing groove surfaces (11, 12) and the groove surfaces (11, 12) comprise several concave facets (13), which each abut against one another in the peripheral direction and thus form approximately radially extending clamping edges (16).

2. The drive roller (5) according to claim 1, characterized in that the cable groove (10) is of concave design at least in the region of the clamping edges (16).

3. The drive roller (5) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the clamping edges (16) have a concave shape and tangents at the radially inner end of the clamping edges (16) enclose an angle with the vertical which is at least 10° greater than a corresponding angle of a tangent at the radially outer end of the clamping edges (16).

4. The drive roller (5) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the drive roller (5) comprises a central bore (17) which opens out at least on one of the two lateral surfaces (6, 7) and is designed to receive a portion of a roller blind shaft (2).

5. The drive roller (5) according to claim 4, characterized in that the drive roller (5) comprises a through-hole (18) in the region of the cable groove (10), which through-hole (18) opens out in the central bore (17) and is designed to receive a clamping screw (52).

6. The drive roller (5) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a guide groove (9) is provided over the whole circumference and parallel to the cable groove (10).

7. The drive roller (5) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the drive roller (5) is made of wood.

8. The drive roller (5) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the roller blind (1) is provided as a roller shutter for windows or as a privacy screen inside and / or outside a building.

9. A roller blind (1) comprising a roller blind shaft (2) which is supported at each of its ends by a bearing unit (3, 4), one end of the roller blind shaft (2) being connected to a drive roller (5), characterized in that the drive roller (5) is designed according to any one of claims 1 to 8, a roller blind fabric that can be rolled up and down is attached to the roller blind shaft (2), and / or a cable (50) without radial thickening is provided for actuating the drive shaft (5).