Shielding shell with reinforced winding mechanism

Abstract

The invention relates to a shielding device (1), comprising:-a drivable winding shaft (2); the sun cloth can be wound on the winding shaft and can be unwound from the winding shaft; -a shielding housing having an inner space into which the winding shaft can be introduced, said shielding housing comprising a front and a rear wall, a top and a bottom wall and two side walls (3), said shielding housing being further provided with an opening through which the sun cloth can be unfolded and rolled up; an attachment body at the head end of the winding shaft (2) for attaching the winding shaft (2) in the interior space; -a support body (4), said support body (4) being connected to a side wall and said attachment body being attachable to said support body (4) or to said support body (4) wherein the orientation direction of said support body (4) is opposite to the intended sag of said winding shaft (2).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a screening housing with a reinforced winding mechanism. Background Art

[0002] Screening devices are generally known; they are typically fitted to door or window openings, in which case they are positioned relative to these door or window openings in such a way that a cloth (or screen) can at least partially screen the door or window opening against, for example, sunlight and / or insects and / or heat and / or cold. To move the cloth up and down, the cloth is connected to a rotatable winding shaft (cloth roller) or tube around which the cloth is wound. During upward and downward movement, the cloth is guided by its ends in so-called lateral guides which are arranged on the sides of the window or door opening. In this case, the screening device can be fitted in a surface-mounted or wall-mounted manner in front of the window or door opening, wherein the winding shaft of the screening device is fitted in the interior space of a housing (screen housing) of the screening device in front of the door or window opening.

[0003] To hide the screening housing and integrate the winding shaft into the surroundings of the door or window opening in as aesthetic a manner as possible, the screening housing can also be installed in a wall cavity (interior space) which at least partially extends beyond the door or window opening.

[0004] However, under certain conditions, the installed winding shaft may start to sag, sometimes by up to 10 to 15 mm, causing the sunshade cloth to wrinkle significantly. Furthermore, if the sagging is excessive, the shaft may need to be replaced in order to ensure that the screening device remains in good working condition.

[0005] The degree of sagging depends on various factors, including the thickness and strength of the shaft used, the length of the shaft and the load it bears. For example, if the sunshade cloth is too heavy for the capacity of the shaft, or if there is a strong wind load on the extended cloth.

[0006] To prevent the winding shaft from sagging, various solutions can be used. Possible solutions are:

[0007] a) Using a stronger shaft by making the shaft from a stronger material, which generally results in higher costs, or increasing the diameter of the shaft, i.e., the wall thickness of the shaft, resulting in the need for a larger screening housing, which is likewise undesirable;

[0008] b) Reinforcing the shaft: To increase stiffness and resistance to sagging, the shaft can be reinforced. This can be achieved by providing additional support to the shaft, such as reinforcing ribs or an internal steel core, as described in European Patent Publication EP 3 874111A1.

[0009] EP 3 874 111 A1 describes a roll winding system that includes a roll winding shaft designed as a tube which is attached at one end to a drive mechanism that is attached to a support, and at the other end is fitted into a bearing on a pivot attached to a frame, while the roll winding system includes a pre-bent reinforcing shaft that is introduced into the winding shaft and firmly anchored to the support on the side opposite the drive mechanism. The pre-bent reinforcing shaft is also provided with rolling support bearings that are spaced at intervals along the length of the reinforcing shaft. However, the described roll winding system has the disadvantage that, in addition to the standard shaft, a pre-bent shaft is required, which requires additional machinery and processing steps in order to pre-bend the corresponding shaft based on the length and weight of the corresponding roll winding system. In addition, since the shaft is pre-bent to form the reinforcing shaft and then introduced into the winding shaft, it is a labor-intensive system;

[0010] c) Lateral support. Adding lateral support to the shaft can help reduce sagging. This can be achieved by using sturdy lateral guides or additional attachment points along the shaft in order to increase stability;

[0011] d) Lighten the weight of the cloth, for example by using lighter materials or making perforations in the cloth;

[0012] e) Reduce the load on the shaft, for example by retracting the cloth in the case of strong winds.

[0013] Italian publication IT UD20 100 076A1 describes a support device for supporting one or more curtains relative to a wall, the support device including anchoring means adapted to be anchored to the wall and attachment means to which each of these curtains can be attached, wherein pivot means are provided between the anchoring means and the attachment means so as to allow the attachment means to rotate relative to the anchoring means. Summary of the Invention

[0014] However, all of the described solutions have their specific limitations and / or disadvantages. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a practical and economically viable solution to prevent or at least greatly reduce the sagging of the winding shaft of a screening device.

[0015] One aspect of the present invention relates to a screening device, comprising:

[0016] - a drivable winding shaft;

[0017] - a sunshade cloth that can be wound around and unwound from the winding shaft;

[0018] - A shielding housing having an internal space into which the winding shaft can be introduced, the shielding housing including a front wall and a rear wall, a top wall and a bottom wall, and two side walls, wherein the shielding housing is further provided with an opening through which the sunshade cloth can be deployed and wound up;

[0019] - An attachment body at the head end of the winding shaft for attaching the winding shaft in the internal space;

[0020] - A support body connected to the side walls, and the attachment body can be attached to the support body or on the support body.

[0021] On the other hand, the present invention relates to a winding mechanism having a winding shaft, which is particularly suitable for use with various devices (such as screens, roller blinds, etc.) that can be wound up and deployed.

[0022] The shielding housing provided with the winding shaft includes a front wall and a rear wall, a top wall and a bottom wall, and two side walls. For existing shielding devices, the winding shaft is usually inserted into the internal space through a closable opening on the bottom side (or front side) of the shielding housing, substantially along the direction of winding and unwinding movement of the screen.

[0023] The object of the present invention is achieved by providing a shielding device, which includes:

[0024] - A drivable winding shaft;

[0025] - A sunshade cloth that can be wound around the winding shaft and deployed from the winding shaft;

[0026] - A shielding housing having an internal space into which the winding shaft can be introduced, the shielding housing including a front wall and a rear wall, a top wall and a bottom wall, and two side walls, wherein the shielding housing is further provided with an opening through which the sunshade cloth can be deployed and wound up;

[0027] - An attachment body at the head end of the winding shaft for attaching the winding shaft in the internal space;

[0028] - A support body, the support body being connected to the side wall, and the attachment body being attachable to or on the support body, wherein the orientation direction of the support body is opposite to the expected sagging of the winding shaft, wherein the shielding device includes adjusting means for changing the orientation direction of the support body, and wherein the adjusting means includes a displaceable control element, preferably an adjusting screw and a tiltable insertion element, the insertion element being connected to the support body and having an inclined surface on which the control element can act, wherein the insertion element is arranged such that the displacement of the control element causes the insertion element to tilt. The control element is configured to be displaced in the direction of the insertion element such that the control element exerts a force on the insertion element, as a result of which the insertion element will tilt. The control element is preferably an adjusting screw, but can also be an insertion block or a wedge element.

[0029] By assembling the support body at an angle, the support body will exert a force on the winding shaft in the mounting position of the winding shaft, as a result of which the support body will undergo a certain degree of bending, wherein the bending direction of the winding shaft is opposite to the expected sagging of the winding shaft. The applied force is preferably opposite to the expected deformation of the winding shaft due to the expected load. In principle, the expected load is the weight acting on the winding shaft, in particular its own weight, the weight of the fabric that can be wound onto and unwound from the winding shaft, and optionally the weight of additional elements connected to the respective fabric, such as in particular bottom slats, also referred to as ballast slats. In an ideal case, the corresponding force will completely or at least partially compensate for the load acting on the winding shaft. As a result, the winding shaft will preferably no longer sag, or more specifically will only sag to a very limited extent. Preferably, the maximum sag of the winding shaft is 5 mm, more particularly at most 3 mm.

[0030] In practice, the angle at which the support body is arranged will be set during the production and / or installation of the shielding device. The set angle will be determined based on the length of the winding shaft and the load acting on it. The set angle is preferably 0° to 5°, more particularly 0.1° to 3°. The corresponding set angle is the angle formed between the longitudinal axis of the winding shaft and the center line of the support body.

[0031] The winding shaft preferably has a tubular design. The winding shaft is preferably made of aluminum, steel or a composite material.

[0032] The shielding device according to the invention includes adjusting means for changing the orientation direction of the support body. The adjusting means is preferably provided between the support body and the side wall of the shielding housing. This provides the advantage that if it is found that (some) sagging of the winding shaft has occurred over time, the orientation direction of the support body can be adjusted by the adjusting means, thereby offsetting the sagging of the winding shaft that has occurred.

[0033] For the shielding device according to the invention, the adjusting device comprises a displaceable control element, preferably in the form of an adjusting screw and an inclined insert element which is connected to the support body and has an inclined surface, into which the control element, preferably the adjusting screw, can act, wherein the insert element is arranged such that the displacement of the control element, preferably the adjusting screw, causes the insert element to tilt. By tilting the insert element, the orientation direction of the support body will be changed. Preferably, the side wall of the shielding housing comprises a receiving space for the insert element. In particular, the corresponding receiving space is a recess provided in the inwardly turned surface of the side wall.

[0034] To ensure that the described compensation mechanism works well and / or sufficient force is applied to the winding shaft, a similar solution will be provided at the positions of the two side walls. For this purpose, with the shielding device according to the invention, in a particular embodiment, one end of the winding shaft comprises a first attachment body for attaching the winding shaft in the internal space, a first support body connected to the first side wall and to which or on which the first attachment body can be attached, and the other end of the winding shaft comprises a second attachment body for attaching the winding shaft in the internal space, a second support body connected to the second side wall and to which or on which the second attachment body can be attached, wherein the orientation directions of the first and second support bodies are opposite to the expected sagging of the winding shaft.

[0035] Preferably, the first support body comprises a support pin which extends in the internal space of the shielding housing along the longitudinal direction of the shielding housing, and the first attachment body comprises a ball bearing, preferably two ball bearings, the inner ring of which can be attached to rotate on the support pin.

[0036] The second attachment body is preferably constructed to be a motor for driving the winding shaft. The motor can in turn be attached to or attached on the second support body which is connected to the second side wall. For this purpose, the motor comprises an attachment head which is adapted to attach the winding shaft to the side wall via the motor, and the side wall is preferably constructed as a motor support plate. The motor together with the corresponding attachment head forms the second attachment body.

[0037] Preferably, the winding shaft has an outer diameter less than or equal to 100 mm and has a length of at least 4 m. Due to the presence of the compensation mechanism, greater lengths can be bridged without being limited by the negative effects of sagging, i.e., winding shafts with a length of up to 9 m can be produced with a winding shaft having an outer diameter of 100 mm. With a winding shaft having an outer diameter of 63 mm, winding shafts with a length of up to 7 m can be produced. With a winding shaft having an outer diameter of 78 mm, winding shafts with a length of up to 8 m can be produced.

[0038] Another subject of the present invention relates to a winding mechanism including a winding shaft, wherein the winding mechanism includes a support body to which or on which the winding shaft can be attached, and the orientation direction of the support body is opposite to the expected sag of the winding shaft. The roller winding system is particularly suitable for various roller winding devices, such as rolling shutters, screens, roller blinds, rolling doors, etc.

[0039] The roller winding system preferably further includes various components described together with the shielding device as described above or as described in the appended claims.

[0040] The present invention will now be explained in more detail by means of the following detailed description of a preferred shielding device according to the present invention. The sole purpose of this description is to give illustrative examples and indicate further advantages and features of these shielding devices, and thus it should in no way be construed as a limitation of the application field of the present invention or the patent rights defined in the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] In this detailed description, reference numerals are used to refer to the drawings, wherein:

[0042] - Figure 1 : shows a non-sagging winding shaft and a sagging winding shaft;

[0043] - Figure 2 : shows a winding shaft supported on both sides by support bodies arranged at an (orientation) angle of 0°;

[0044] - Figure 3 : shows a winding shaft supported on both sides by support bodies arranged at a certain (orientation) angle, wherein said angle varies continuously between 0.1° and 3°;

[0045] - Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the shielding device according to the present invention;

[0046] - Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of one side of the shielding device according to the present invention;

[0047] - Figure 6 and Figure 7 show the operation of the adjusting device by which the orientation direction of the support body can be changed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] According to the present invention and in particular as Figure 4 shown, the shielding device (1) includes a shielding housing (not shown) having a front wall and a rear wall, a top wall and a bottom wall, and two side walls (3). The side walls (3) are preferably made in one piece (with a one-piece design). The shielding housing is made of a lightweight material, such as aluminum alloy. In the case of larger sizes, it can of course also be made of steel.

[0049] The shielding device (1) further includes a winding shaft (2), also known as a screen roller or cloth roller, and a cloth (screen) that can be wound onto and unwound from the winding shaft (2). The shielding housing is also provided with an opening (slot) through which the (sunshade) cloth can be deployed and rolled up. The winding shaft (2) is arranged in the internal space of the shielding housing. In practice, the shielding housing has a U-shaped design and, in practice, has dimensions (W×H) between 80×80 and 150×150 (mm).

[0050] In order to move the cloth downward (or upward) in a windproof manner, the shielding device (1) has at least two lateral guides (12) in which the ends of the bottom slats or ballast slats can be guided. The lateral guides (12) also have one or more screen guides (cloth guides) for guiding the lateral sides of the cloth when the cloth is being wound up and unwound.

[0051] In practice, the shielding device (1), especially its shielding housing, will be installed in a window or door opening, usually on the said lateral guides (12). Installing the shielding device in the said window or door opening can be carried out in a surface-mounted, built-in or wall-mounted manner.

[0052] The window screen device (1) according to the present invention is a motorized shielding device (1) that includes a drive device in the form of a motor (5) for driving the winding shaft (2) to perform the winding and unwinding movements of the cloth (3). The motor (5) is, for example, a tubular motor that is arranged in the winding shaft (2). The motor is electric. Therefore, the shielding device (1) is also provided with a power supply unit that is electrically connected to the motor and is configured to supply power to the motor.

[0053] The winding shaft (2) is designed as a tube, as Figure 4 shown, the winding shaft is provided with a motor, preferably a tubular motor, at one (first) head end thereof. The motor is configured to be introduced into the internal space of the winding shaft (2) and is assembled at the position of the first (head) end of the winding shaft (2). This end of the winding shaft (2) is attached to the shielding housing through its motor. For this purpose, the corresponding end of the motor includes an attachment head (6) as an attachment body that can be attached to or can be attached onto a support body (4) connected to a side wall (3). The motor is mounted on the support body in such a way that the winding shaft (2) can rotate while the support body (4) remains stationary during motor operation. Another spacer tube (13) and an associated ball bearing (14) are provided between the attachment head (6) and the support body.

[0054] In order to attach the other (second) head end of the winding shaft (2) in the shielding housing, the end is provided with an attachment body which is adapted to attach the second head end of the winding shaft (2) to a support body (4) which is connected to the opposite (other) side wall (3) of the shielding housing. The attachment body preferably has the form of a ball bearing (14) the inner ring of which can be attached to the corresponding support body (4) for rotation. As in the case of the opposite side, another spacer tube (13) and an associated ball bearing (14) are provided between the ball bearing (14) and the support body.

[0055] The winding shaft (2) is preferably made of aluminum, steel (preferably profiled steel), composite materials such as glass fiber, carbon or another suitable material for tubular elements. Aluminum is a strong, durable and light material. Generally, weight reduction is required and it allows for easier and safer installation of the winding shaft (2) in the shielding housing (4). The winding shaft (2) has an outer diameter between 50 mm and 150 mm. The winding shaft (2) has a length of at least 1 m, preferably at most 9 m, particularly at most 7 m.

[0056] Because a longer winding shaft, especially starting from about 4 m, as Figure 1 shown, will start to sag over time due to the load acting on it, the present invention provides a solution to this problem. According to the invention, the orientation direction of the above-mentioned support body (4) is selected such that it is opposite to the expected sag of the winding shaft (2). Since in use, as Figure 1 shown the sag is downwards, the support body (4) is generally upwards at an angle between 0° and 5°.

[0057] By arranging the support body (4) at an angle, a force will be exerted on the winding shaft (2) and as a result the winding shaft (2) will bend to a certain extent, the bending direction of the winding shaft being opposite to the expected sag direction of the winding shaft. The force exerted is preferably opposite to the expected deformation of the winding shaft due to the expected load. In principle, the expected load is the weight acting on the winding shaft, in particular its own weight, the weight of the fabric that can be wound onto and unwound from the winding shaft, and optionally the weight of additional elements connected to the corresponding fabric, such as in particular bottom slats, also called ballast slats. In an ideal case, the corresponding force will completely or at least partially compensate for the load acting on the winding shaft. As a result, as Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown the winding shaft (2) will no longer sag, or more specifically, will only sag very limitedly. The described support body (4) is preferably configured as a support pin extending in the interior space of the shielding housing. Since the corresponding support bodies (4) have to absorb relatively large forces, they are preferably made of steel.

[0058] Adjusting means are provided for changing the orientation direction of the support (4). These adjusting means are arranged between the support (4) and the side wall (3) of the shielding housing. This provides the advantage that if it is found that (some) sagging of the winding shaft (2) has occurred over time, the orientation direction of the support (4) can be adjusted by the adjusting means, thereby counteracting the sagging of the winding shaft (2) that has occurred.

[0059] The adjusting means comprise a movable control element, preferably an adjusting screw (8) as shown in the figure, and a tiltable insertion element (9), the insertion element (9) being connected to the support and having an inclined surface (10) into which the adjusting screw (8) can act. As Figure 6 and 7 shown, the insertion element 9 is arranged in such a way that the displacement of the adjusting screw 8 causes the insertion element 9 to tilt. By tilting the insertion element (9), the orientation direction of the support (4) will be changed. As Figure 5 shown, the side wall of the shielding housing comprises a recess which forms a receiving space for the tiltable insertion element (9).

Claims

1. A shielding device (1), comprising: - a drivable winding shaft (2); - a sunshade cloth which can be rolled up on a winding shaft and unrolled from the winding shaft; - a shield shell having an inner space into which the winding shaft can be introduced, the shield shell comprising a front wall and a rear wall, a top wall and a bottom wall and two side walls (3), wherein the shield shell is also provided with an opening through which the sunshade cloth can be unfolded and rolled up; - an attachment body at the head end of the winding shaft (2) for attaching the winding shaft (2) in the inner space; a support body (4) connected to the side wall and to which the attachment body can be attached or to which the support body (4) is attached, Characterized in that the orientation direction of the support body (4) is opposite to the expected droop of the winding shaft (2), wherein the shielding device (1) comprises an adjustment device for changing the orientation direction of the support body (4), and wherein the adjustment device comprises a displaceable control element, preferably an adjustment screw (8) and a tiltable insertion element (9), the insertion element (9) being connected to the support body (4) and having an inclined surface (10), the control element being able to act on the inclined surface (10), wherein the insertion element (9) is arranged so that displacement of the control element leads to tilting of the insertion element (9).

2. The shielding device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that The side wall (3) of the shield housing comprises a receiving space (11) for the insert element (9).

3. A screening device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that One head end of the winding shaft (2) includes a first attachment body for attaching the winding shaft (2) in the internal space, a first support body connected to the first side wall, and the first attachment body can be attached to the first side wall or thereon, and the other head end of the winding shaft (2) includes a second attachment body for attaching the winding shaft (2) in the internal space, a second support body connected to the second side wall, and the second attachment body can be attached to the second side wall or thereon, wherein the orientation direction of the first support body and the second support body is opposite to the expected drooping of the winding shaft (2).

4. A screening device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The winding shaft (2) has an outer diameter less than or equal to 100 mm and has a length of at least 4 meters.

5. A winding mechanism, comprising a winding shaft (2), characterized in that: The winding mechanism includes a support a support (4), to which the winding shaft (2) can be attached or to which the support (4) is attached, Furthermore, the orientation direction of the support body (4) is opposite to the expected droop of the winding shaft (2).

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