Sun protection system with side guide rails and guide rail inserts

Description

[0001] According to the preamble of claim 1, the invention relates to a sun protection system with an adjustable curtain which is guided by means of lateral guide nipples in guide rails in which guide rail inserts are provided, in which the guide nipples run, wherein the guide rails each have a C-shaped cross-section with an opening slot in which a guide rail insert is held, which has a guide slot which is narrower than the maximum diameter of the guide nipples formed at their ends with thickened heads.

[0002] Such guide concepts are typically used in external venetian blinds, whose curtains consist of slats connected to one another via a suspension system. The guide nipples are then located at the longitudinal ends of the slats, although not every slat necessarily needs to be equipped with guide nipples, or with guide nipples on both sides.

[0003] The heads of the guide nipples are generally smaller in diameter than the opening slots of the guide rails themselves. This allows for installation through the opening slot, meaning the guide nipples do not need to be threaded through the front opening of the guide rails, allowing pre-assembly of the guide rails on the building. Small guide nipple heads also have the advantage of lower stack heights when stacking the slats.

[0004] The guide rail inserts, which are usually made of an elastic plastic, serve, firstly, to facilitate installation as discussed above. They are inserted, together with the guide nipples inserted into them, through the opening slot in the guide rail and are usually locked into place. The guide rail insert also has a noise-reducing effect when adjusting the extension length of the blind, as the guide nipples then cannot come into frictional contact with the guide rails, which are usually made of metal and are often directly connected to the building or a building facade.

[0005] The support profile for the guide rail, the plastic guide rail insert and the guide nipples form a functional unit, the interaction of which is, however, subject to the tolerances of the individual components and possibly additional coating thicknesses.

[0006] The guide slot in the guide rail insert must always be wide enough to ensure unhindered movement of the guide nipples when driving down, but on the other hand it must be as small as possible so that the guide nipple heads of the individual guide nipples on the slats cannot be pulled out of the guide rail insert under load (e.g. due to wind).

[0007] Appropriate tolerances must be used to ensure that, even under tensile loads, there is always a positive connection between the guide nipple and the guide rail insert, as well as between the guide rail insert and the guide rail, to ensure reliable operation. Otherwise, the tensile force on the slats, for example, caused by wind loads, can pull the guide nipples out of the side guide or even the entire guide rail insert out of the guide rail support profile.

[0008] A sun protection system of the type mentioned above is known from KR 2013 0018472 A, in which inclined contact surfaces are provided between the guide rail inserts and the heads, with the inclined contact surfaces of the guide rail inserts merging into the guide slots. DE 20 2019 000076 U1 and WO 91 / 02134 A1 show further systems from the prior art.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a sun protection system with lateral guide rails and guide rail inserts provided therein, which better resolves the conflict of objectives of guiding the guide nipples as precisely and with little friction as possible and ensuring that the guide nipples are held securely in the lateral guide under tensile stress.

[0010] According to the invention, this object is achieved by a sun protection system of the type mentioned above, in which the inclined contact surfaces extend at least partially between the support surfaces of the respective guide rail. It has been shown that this arrangement allows for particularly good bracing of the area of ​​the guide rail insert between the guide nipple heads and the guide rails, preventing the material from shifting in an undesirable direction.

[0011] The solution according to the invention offers the advantage that, due to the inclined contact surfaces between the guide nipple head and the flanks on the guide rail insert, i.e., at the point of contact between these two elements, a tensile load on the slat creates a wedge effect between the guide nipple head and the guide rail insert, which at least partially redirects the force acting in the longitudinal direction of the slat into a transverse force component 90° to the longitudinal direction of the slat. As a result, the guide rail insert is expanded and pressed more firmly into the positive connection with the support profile of the guide rail, the greater the tensile force from the slat acting on the guide nipple head.

[0012] There is enough space inside the guide rail insert to accommodate the heads.

[0013] At the same time, small guide nipple heads can be designed, which, for example, in the case of a Venetian blind, enable a low package height of the gathered blind, which in turn allows smaller shafts and panels to accommodate the gathered slat package.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the contact surfaces of the guide rail inserts are spherical (convex or concave) or wedge-shaped. It has been shown that this also allows for a particularly good clamping effect by increasing the contact force between the form-fitting retaining surfaces between the guide rail inserts and the guide rails.

[0015] Furthermore, an embodiment of the invention is preferred in which the heads of the guide nipples have spherical or frustoconical contact surfaces, which also brings about the effect described above.

[0016] A further development of the invention is particularly preferred in that the contact surfaces of the guide rail inserts and the contact surfaces of the guide nipple heads are designed to correspond.

[0017] In particular, the contact pressure can be increased structurally by correspondingly designed contact surfaces, ie smaller tensile forces on the slat lead to higher clamping forces between the holding surfaces between the guide rails and the guide rail insert held therein, since this further increases the positive effect of increasing the clamping force, as the local deformations in the area of ​​the contact surfaces that then lie flat against one another are reduced.

[0018] A particularly advantageous feature is a wedge-shaped contact surface on the guide rail insert, which tapers towards the guide slot at the smallest possible angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the guide nipple. The smaller the angle, the greater the achievable clamping forces.

[0019] As already mentioned, it is preferred that the guide rail inserts are made of an elastic plastic.

[0020] It has also proven advantageous that the guide rail inserts have a known C-shaped cross-section.

[0021] According to the invention, the inner flanks of the opening slots of the guide rails have support surfaces configured parallel to one another. These enable particularly good absorption of the increasing clamping forces and thus ensure improved grip. Accordingly, it is preferred that the guide rail inserts have retaining surfaces for engagement with the support surfaces, with it being particularly preferred that the retaining surfaces and the support surfaces be configured parallel to one another and pressed against one another under prestress.

[0022] As already mentioned, the solution according to the invention is suitable for all types of shading devices in which a blind is guided via guide nipples with thickened heads in an insert in a guide rail designed as a supporting profile. However, it is particularly advantageous when the shading or sun protection system is designed as a Venetian blind, with the blind comprising a plurality of slats connected to one another via a suspension system and provided with guide nipples at their ends. With Venetian blinds, the advantage of a low package height comes into play with gathered blinds, which is less significant with rolled-up blinds.

[0023] Further features, details, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the wording of the claims and from the exemplary embodiment described below with reference to the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 shows a cross-section of a curtain guide of a Venetian blind according to the prior art; Fig. 2 shows a cross-section of a curtain guide of a Venetian blind according to the invention; Fig. 3 shows an enlarged section of the contact area between the guide elements.

[0024] Fig. 1shows a venetian blind guide according to the prior art. A guide rail insert 102 made of an elastic plastic is snapped into a guide rail 100 designed as a support profile, which forms the actual guide for guide nipples 104 with thickened guide nipple heads 106. A receiving chamber 108 of the support profile 100 is formed with a C-shaped cross-section, into which the guide rail insert 102, which is also C-shaped in cross-section, is snapped. Inwardly projecting support projections 111 are formed on the inner flanks of a guide slot 110, which are intended to secure the guide nipple heads against accidental withdrawal from the guide rail 100 or the insert 102. The guide nipples 104, with their heads 106, have a T-shaped cross-section, which is intended to ensure particularly good support.

[0025] While in many cases such support is sufficient, it has been shown that under heavy loads, e.g. under high wind loads, the guide nipples 104 can be pulled out of the inserts or the entire insert can become detached from the guide rail because the force can cause the support projections 111 to buckle and possibly result in further undesirable deformations or damage to the insert.

[0026] In Fig. 2 A Venetian blind guide according to the invention is shown. This in turn has three interacting elements, namely a guide rail 10 formed by a support profile, a guide rail insert 12 inserted therein and a guide nipple 14 guided in the guide rail insert with a guide nipple head 16. Fig. 2also a slat 17 of a slatted blind (not further shown) of a Venetian blind, wherein a plurality of the slats 17 or all of the slats 17 are provided on one or both sides with such guide nipples 14. Accordingly, guide rails 10 are also arranged on both sides of the slatted blind.

[0027] The guide rail insert 12 is in turn located in a receiving chamber 18 in the support profile of the guide rail 10.

[0028] The difference from the previously discussed prior art is that the guide rail insert 12 has inclined contact surfaces 22 in the region of a guide slot 20, which taper in the direction of the guide slot 20, wherein the contact surfaces are aligned at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the guide nipples 14.

[0029] Guide nipple heads 16 are formed here on their underside facing the slat 17 with a conical contact surface 24 with a corresponding angle to the contact surfaces 22, so that the conical contact surface 24 of the guide nipple can then lie on the wedge-shaped contact surfaces 22 of the guide rail insert 12 when a tensile force F wind acts on the slat 17, for example under the influence of wind.

[0030] The contact of the conical head 16 with the wedge-shaped contact surface 22 results in the fact that, in addition to the force component F axial in the axial direction of the guide nipple 14, a force component F acting perpendicular to the direction of force is also built up, which tends to widen the guide slot 20 of the guide rail insert 12 consisting of an elastic plastic.

[0031] In the direction of the force component F perpendicular to the guide nipple axis, the guide rail insert 12 is formed with holding surfaces 26 which, in the installed state, are clamped against mutually parallel support surfaces 28 at the edges of an opening slot 30 under a certain preload, which can be very small. This holds the guide rail inserts 12 in the guide rails 10. During normal operation, the head 16 of the guide nipple 14 lies further inside in a cavity 32 of the guide rail insert 12, with the guide nipples 14 being guided with their shaft-shaped central part 34 in the guide slot 20.

[0032] In the event of a force acting in the pull-out direction, which can be caused, for example, by a wind load, the previously described effect occurs, whereby the clamping force with which the holding surfaces 26 rest against the support surfaces 28 is vertically amplified by the vertical force component F. This improves the hold of the guide rail insert 12 against pulling out, since the metallic guide rail 10 can absorb the forces expected during operation without significant deformation.

[0033] The invention is not limited to one of the previously described embodiments, but can be modified in a variety of ways. Thus, the invention is not limited to the previously described embodiment, but can also be used, for example, in other types of sun protection systems in which a curtain is guided via lateral guide nipples in a guide rail with a guide rail insert. These can also be roll-up curtains. Reference oak list

[0034] 10 Guide rail 12 Guide rail insert 14 Guide nipple 16 Guide nipple head 17 Slat 18 Receiving chamber 20 Guide slot 22 Contact surface of the guide rail insert 24 Contact surface of the guide nipple head 26 Holding surfaces of the guide rail insert 28 Support surfaces of the guide rail 30 Opening slot 32 Cavity of the guide rail insert 34 Shaft-shaped guide nipple center section 100 Guide rail 102 Guide rail insert 104 Guide nipple 106 Guide nipple head 108 Receiving chamber 110 Guide slot 111 Support projections F clamp clamping force F wind wind force F axial axial force F vertical vertical force component

Claims

1. Sun protection system with an adjustable blind, which is guided by means of lateral guide pins (14) in guide rails (10), in which guide rail inserts (12) are provided, in which the guide pins (14) run, wherein the guide rails (10) each have a C-shaped cross section (18) with an opening slot (30), in which a guide rail insert (12) is held, which has a guide slot (20), which is narrower than the maximum diameter of guide pins (14) with thickened heads (16) formed at their ends, wherein inclined contact surfaces (22, 24) are provided between the guide rail inserts (12) and the heads (16), wherein the inclined contact surfaces (22) of the guide rail inserts (12) merge into the guide slots (20), wherein the inner faces of the opening slots (30) of the guide rails (10) have parallel support surfaces (28) formed parallel to one another, characterized in that the inclined contact surfaces (22) of the guide rail insert (12) extend at least partially between the support surfaces (28) of the respective guide rail (10).

2. Sun protection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact surfaces (22) of the guide rail inserts (12) are spherical or wedge-shaped.

3. Sun protection system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the heads (16) of the guide pins (14) have spherical or conical contact surfaces (24).

4. Sun protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact surfaces (22) of the guide rail inserts (12) and the contact surfaces (24) of the guide pin heads (16) are designed to correspond.

5. Sun protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide rail inserts (12) are made from a flexible plastic.

6. Sun protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide rail inserts (12) have a C-shaped cross section.

7. Sun protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide rail inserts (12) have retaining surfaces (26) for resting on the support surfaces.

8. Sun protection system according to claim 7, characterized in that the retaining surfaces (26) and the support surfaces (28) are formed parallel to one another and pressed against one another under tension.

9. Sun protection system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is designed as a venetian blind, wherein the blind has a plurality of slats (17), which are connected to one another by means of a suspension system and are provided with the guide pins (14) at their ends.