Sun protection system with manual emergency retraction

Description

[0001] According to the preamble of claim 1, the invention relates to a sun protection system with a retractable curtain which is limited at its lower end by a lower rail which is guided in lateral guide rails and is suspended from a retracting device via windable lifting elements, wherein a device for manual emergency retraction is provided.

[0002] In order to be able to quickly clear escape routes in the event of danger, it has long been known to equip sun protection systems with emergency retraction measures so that the extended curtain can be quickly retracted if necessary.

[0003] Solutions are known that feature additional emergency drives and, if necessary, are equipped with an energy storage device in the form of a preloaded spring or a battery. Such solutions are known, for example, from DE 202009000371 U1, EP 3339561 B1, EP 2138672 B1, or DE 10216342 C1.

[0004] In general, retractable curtains, such as the slatted venetian blinds or Venetian blinds, are often not particularly heavy and can therefore be pushed up by hand. However, the bottom rails immediately drop back down after being released, preventing a patio door, for example, from being used as an escape route.

[0005] DE 20 2019 000 076 U1 describes a solution in which the bottom rail can be clamped by twisting it in the guide gap of the guide rails, so that the escape route remains open due to the continued emergency retraction after the jamming. However, such a system requires user knowledge and is not intuitive to operate.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an emergency tightening device that allows easy operation.

[0007] According to the invention, the object is achieved by a device of the type mentioned at the outset, in which holding elements which are axially movable with respect to the lower rail are provided on the lateral ends of the lower rail and are held by an elastic element in the direction of a laterally projecting position, wherein the lifting elements act on the holding elements and the weight of the lower rail is greater than the sum of the spring forces of the elastic elements, so that when the lower rail is suspended, the weight pulls the holding elements back into a position in which they can pass storage wedges which are arranged opposite one another in pairs on both guide rails and which have storage surfaces on their upper sides, wherein inclined surfaces are provided on the undersides of the storage elements and / or on the front ends of the holding elements, wherein the inclined surfaces are inclined from bottom to top in the direction of the center of the system.

[0008] The inventive solution offers the advantage that the lower rail can be easily pushed upwards manually. In this case, the lifting elements and thus the holding elements are initially relieved by the lifting process, so that the holding elements move outwards into the engagement area of ​​the support elements. As the lower rail is moved further upwards, the holding elements are then pushed inwards by the inclined surfaces without too much resistance and then snap outwards after passing over the support elements. When the lower rail is subsequently lowered, it can no longer slip back into its previously moved position because the holding elements rest on the support surfaces. The lifting elements remain relaxed and the holding elements remain in their laterally extended position under the action of the elastic elements, so that the escape route remains clear even after the lower rail is released.When operating the system, the user does not have to pay any attention to anything else; the lower rail can slide back as far as the storage area, the height of which is naturally chosen in such a way that a sufficiently high escape route is kept clear when only one pair of storage elements is present.

[0009] Another advantage of this solution is that after manually lifting the bottom rail and subsequently placing it on the support surfaces, the normal state can be easily restored by pulling the lifting elements up using a drive until they tighten and lift the bottom rail from the support surfaces. The extension elements are thus loaded with the weight of the bottom rail and any slats resting on it, thus overcoming the spring force of the elastic elements and pulling the retaining elements inward out of the engagement area of ​​the support elements. Normal operation of the sun protection system is then possible again without the need for any special intervention.

[0010] Of course, even in their retracted position due to the force of gravity, the holding elements can still extend far enough into the guide rails so that the bottom rails are guided in the guide rails when the curtain is moved.

[0011] The storage elements can also be used as an assembly or repair aid, as the entire curtain can be stored while, for example, work on the drive can be carried out with the lift components unloaded.

[0012] If a certain minimum force of the springs is required for the function of the holding elements, the lower rail can be additionally weighted with additional weights to adjust the force ratios.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer ends of the holding elements are designed as inclined surfaces with an inclination adapted to the inclined surfaces of the support wedges. This can positively influence the movement over the support elements, whereby the angles of inclination of the adjacent inclined surfaces do not necessarily have to correspond. For example, the ends can also have radii that serve as inclined surfaces.

[0014] Basically, inclined surfaces here mean surfaces with a constant inclination or surfaces with a changing inclination, such as radii.

[0015] In order to enable improved support of the lower rails in the stored position and to prevent slipping in the event of inaccurate storage, an upwardly directed projection is preferably provided on the inner edges of the storage surfaces, and preferably downwardly directed projections are also provided on the undersides of the holding elements for interacting with the projections on the storage wedges.

[0016] In order to enable particularly reliable operation and to facilitate assembly, in a preferred embodiment of the invention the holding elements are guided in holders which are inserted into the front side of the lower rail.

[0017] The connection of the lifting elements to the holding elements is preferably designed in such a way that openings are provided on the upper side of the lower rail for the passage of the lifting elements, through which the vertical lifting elements are guided to a deflection point in the holders, from where they are deflected horizontally to the movable holding elements.

[0018] In addition to a particularly simple solution with only one pair of storage elements in the emergency retraction position, solutions with at least two pairs of storage elements in the middle and upper area of ​​the guide rails are also possible, e.g. to provide an additional maintenance and assembly position.

[0019] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, it can also be provided that a plurality of pairs of storage elements are arranged at regular intervals on the guide rails, so that the lower rail can be stored at specific intervals. Regardless of the actual use of all storage elements, such a system can offer the advantage that the user immediately understands the principle of holding the lower rail on the storage wedges when pushing it up and is encouraged to push the lower rail further up until the escape route is clear. In contrast, if the storage elements are only arranged at the upper end of the guide rails, the user does not even attempt to push the lower rail all the way up.

[0020] A simple solution can be that the storage elements are designed in the form of racks with a sawtooth shape on the guide rails.

[0021] Alternatively, the storage elements can also be designed as openings, the lower edges of which form the storage surfaces. The deflection of the retaining elements is achieved solely by the inclined surfaces on the front ends of the retaining element heads, which contact the upper edges of the openings and then, as they move further upward, push the retaining elements inward into the bottom rail. The openings can be created by punching, which is advantageous not only for cost-effective production but also for the small space requirement.

[0022] As already mentioned, the sun protection system can be designed as a Venetian blind or Venetian blind in such a way that the curtain is designed as a slatted curtain with a large number of slats that are held at a distance from one another on a loop or ladder cord.

[0023] The solution according to the invention also offers the advantage that a turning device for turning the slats can be provided without any functional restrictions, since the emergency gathering works in any blind position regardless of the slat inclination due to its independence from tilt angles.

[0024] 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 a longitudinal section through a guide rail and a bottom rail of a sun protection system with a slatted blind in a freely hanging position of the bottom rail; Fig. 2 a Fig. 1 similar to longitudinal section with lower rail resting on the side; Fig. 3 a section of a Fig. 1 modified embodiment; Fig. 4 a longitudinal section of an embodiment with an alternative guide rail with heads protruding laterally from the lower rail for placement on the support surfaces; Fig. 5 a longitudinal section of the embodiment according to Fig. 4 in a freely hanging position of the lower rail.

[0025] In Fig. 1 A cross-section of a sun protection system is shown in the area of ​​a guide rail 10 with a section of a lower rail 12. At the opposite end of the lower rail 12 (not shown), the situation is mirror-symmetrical with a guide rail arranged there.

[0026] The lower rail is suspended from lifting elements 14, which are usually designed in the form of lifting belts. The extension elements 14, of which at least two are generally provided along the length of the lower rail 12, are guided through an opening 16 in the lower rail 12 and deflected outward by 90 degrees at a deflection point 18. The deflection point 18 is formed on a plug-in insert 20, which is inserted into the front of the lower rail 12 and locked thereto, e.g., by a projection 22 that snaps into the opening 16 and has a central guide channel 26 for the lifting element 14.

[0027] The plug-in insert 20 also forms a guide 28 and a holder for a holding element 30, which is guided in this holder so as to be movable axially with respect to the extension of the lower rail 12. The inner end of the holding element 30 is connected to the lifting member 14, so that it can be moved in the Fig. 1 shown state with two extension belts is subjected to half the weight of the lower rail 12 and, if applicable, slats (not shown) of the curtain resting on it.

[0028] This weight force is greater than the spring force of a helical spring 32, which is arranged under prestress between the holding element 30 and an abutment 34 on the plug insert 20.

[0029] A stop 36 of the holding element 30 limits the path of the holding element 30 in the guide 28.

[0030] An outer end face on a head 38 of the holding element 30 is designed as an inclined surface 40. The lower end of the inclined surface 40 ends in the modified embodiment according to Fig. 3 on a vertically downward projection 42 of the head 38.

[0031] In the guide rail 10, which holds the head 38 of the holding element 30 even in the retracted position Fig. 1 Furthermore, support elements 44 are arranged at regular intervals, which are designed here as support wedges. In the modified embodiment according to Fig. 3 The support wedges have support surfaces 46 on their upper sides with a lateral, vertically upwardly directed projection 48.

[0032] The projections 42, 48 can prevent slipping in systems that have a correspondingly large amount of play, but they are generally not required.

[0033] In this embodiment, the undersides of the storage elements 44 are designed as inclined surfaces 50, wherein the slopes of the storage surfaces 46 are inclined downwards towards the outer edge 52 of the guide rail 10.

[0034] Fig. 1 shows the previously described normal state, in which the lower rail 12 hangs from the lifting elements 14, in which the retaining elements 30 arranged on both sides of the lower rail 12 are axially retracted into the lower rail 12. In this position, the heads 38 of the retaining elements are still located between the flanks 54 of the guide rail 10, so that they are guided in the guide rail 10; however, they can pass the support elements 44 when adjusting the curtain length without contact. This allows the lower rail 12 to reach its lower end position unhindered.

[0035] If the lower rail 12 is raised manually, e.g. to create an escape route in the event of danger, the lifting elements 14 are relieved so that the coil springs 32 can press the holding elements 30 with their heads 38 deeper into the guide rails 10 in the area of ​​the support elements 44. This position is in Fig. 2 The stroke can be limited by a suitable stop.

[0036] Nevertheless, the inclined surfaces 50 on the storage elements 44, in conjunction with the inclined surfaces 40 on the heads 38 of the holding elements 30, ensure that these are pushed inwards when passing a storage element 44, so that pushing upwards is not significantly hindered. As soon as the holding elements 30 have passed a storage element 44, the holding elements 30 snap outwards again due to the lifting elements 14 still being relieved. This is repeated when passing any further storage elements 44 that may be in the way, until the user releases the lower rail 12. The lower rail can now no longer sink back into its previously extended position because of the extended holding elements 30, but instead rests on the next storage surface 46 in the way. This means that even after the lower rail 12 is released, the emergency gathering remains in place and the escape route remains clear. This position or, if applicable,Another position on other support wedges can also be used as an assembly or repair aid to relieve the load on the lifting elements 14.

[0037] In Fig. 4 and 5 a further embodiment is illustrated, the changes of which are limited to the design of the storage elements 144, so that the remaining components have been provided with the same reference numerals as before.

[0038] The support elements 144 are formed by openings in the outer wall of the rail 110 or openings in sheets or profiles 152 that are inserted into the guide rail, with the lower edges of the openings forming support surfaces 146. The deflection of the holding elements 30 is achieved here by the inclined surfaces 40 on the front ends of the heads 38 of the holding elements, which adjoin the upper edges of the openings and then, upon further upward movement, press the holding elements 30 inward into the lower rail 12. The openings can be produced by punching, whereby, in addition to the cost-effective production, the small space requirement is also an advantage.

[0039] Furthermore, the previously discussed causal relationships and part descriptions also apply in the same way to the Fig. 4 and 5 shown embodiment.

[0040] In order to return the system to a normal operating condition after an emergency tightening, repair or assembly, it is only necessary in all the embodiments shown to operate the drive for raising the lower rail 12 until the lifting elements 14 are taut and thus the holding elements 30 are in their Fig. 1 shown retracted position into the lower rail 12. Without further action, the position shown in Fig. 1 shown state, which allows an unhindered adjustment of the position of the lower rail 12 by changing the length of the lifting elements 14 up to the outermost end position of the lower rail 12.

[0041] The invention is not limited to one of the embodiments described above, but can be modified in many ways as long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims. List of reference symbols

[0042] 10Guide rail 12Lower rail 14Lifting element 16Opening in lower rail 18Deflection point 20Plug insert 22Locking projection 26Guide channel 28Guide 30Retaining element 32Coil spring 34Abutment 36Stop 38Head 40Sloping surface of the head 42Downward projection 44Deposit elements 46Deposit surfaces 48Upward projection 50Sloping surfaces of the deposit elements 52Outer edge of the guide rail 54Flanks 144Storage elements 146Support surfaces 152Guide rail insert

Claims

1. Sun protection system with a retractable blind which is delimited at its lower end by a lower rail (12) which is guided in lateral guide rails (10) and is suspended on a lifting device via windable lifting elements (14), wherein an apparatus for manual emergency retraction is provided, characterized in that holding elements (30) are provided, which are axially movable in relation to the lower rail (12) and which are held by a resilient element (32) in the direction of a laterally projecting position, at the lateral ends of the lower rail (12), wherein the lifting elements (14) engage on the holding elements (30) and the weight force of the lower rail (12) is greater than the sum of the spring forces of the resilient elements, so that when the lower rail (12) is suspended, the weight force pulls the holding elements (30) back into a position in which they can continue to pass, in pairs opposite one another, over storage elements (44; 144) which are arranged on the two guide rails (10) and which have storage surfaces (46) on their upper sides, wherein inclined surfaces (50; 40) are provided on the lower sides of the storage elements (44; 144) and / or on the front ends of the holding elements (30), wherein the inclined surfaces are inclined from bottom to top in the direction of the center of the system.

2. Sun protection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer ends of the holding elements (30) are designed as inclined surfaces (40) with an inclination that is adapted to the inclined surfaces (50) of the storage elements (44).

3. Sun protection system according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage elements (144) are formed as openings in the guide rail or in inserts (152) in the guide rail, the lower edges of which form the storage surfaces (146).

4. Sun protection system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an upwardly directed projection (48) is provided on the inner edges of the storage surfaces (46) and downwardly directed projections (42) are provided on the undersides of the holding elements (30) for co-operation with the projections (48) on the storage wedges (44).

5. Sun protection system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding elements (30) are guided in holders (20) that are inserted into the front of the lower rail (12).

6. Sun protection system according to claim 5, characterized in that openings (16) are provided on the upper side of the lower rail (12) for the lifting elements (14) to pass through, through which openings the vertical lifting elements (14) are guided to a deflection point (18) in the holders (20), from where they are horizontally deflected to the movable holding elements (30).

7. Sun protection system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two pairs of storage elements (44) are arranged in the middle and upper area of the guide rails (10).

8. Sun protection system according to claim 7, characterized in that a plurality of storage element pairs (44) are arranged at regular intervals on the guide rails (10).

9. Sun protection system according to claim 8, characterized in that the storage elements (144) are designed in the manner of racks on the guide rails.

10. Sun protection system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inclined surfaces are formed by constantly sloping and / or curved surfaces.

11. Sun protection system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower rail is weighted with weights in such a way that the weight force exceeds the spring force of the resilient elements.

12. Sun protection system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blind is designed as a slatted blind with a plurality of slats that are held at a distance from one another on a ladder cord or loop cord.

13. Sun protection system according to claim 12, characterized in that a turning device is provided for turning the slats.