Electric shading device

Abstract

To provide an electrically-driven shielding device, which allows respective opening and closing operations of a plurality of shields stacked in vertical direction to be simultaneously controlled and controls motion of shields in high quality.SOLUTION: An electrically-driven shielding device enables an upper shield 6U suspended from a head box 1 and a lower shield 6L that is suspended from an intermediate rail 7U at a bottom edge of the upper shield and has a bottom rail 7L at its bottom edge to be electrically moved up and down. The electrically-driven shielding device has winding drums 51U, 51L for lifting cords 3U, 3L for moving shields up and down, motors 9U, 9L for rotating the winding drums 51U, 51L, respectively, and a controller 10 to control moving-up and -down operation of each shield by controlling driving of the motors 9U, 9L according to an operation signal. The controller 10 controls shields to move up and down at a preset lifting speed at which one shield does not reach the other shield when moving the shields in the same direction at the same time, and preferably controls the moving-up and -down operation at the same speed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric shading device that controls the elevation and lowering of a shading material using the driving force of a motor. [Background technology]

[0002] Typically, an electric shading device is capable of raising and lowering the shading material by rotating a drive shaft using the driving force of a motor and winding or unwinding a lifting cord (including a string-like cord or a tape-like lifting tape) onto a winding drum.

[0003] In such an electric shading device, a motor is disposed in a head box, and the rotation of an output shaft of the motor is transmitted to a drive shaft, and the shading material is raised and lowered based on the rotation of the drive shaft.

[0004] In addition, an encoder that detects the rotation speed and amount of rotation of the drive shaft is disposed in the head box of the electric shading device, and the encoder pulse speed and the count value of the number of pulses are managed based on the pulse signal output from the encoder, and the motor rotation speed and amount of rotation are controlled by a control device disposed in the head box. By such an operation, the lifting speed of the shading material is appropriately adjusted, and the stop position of the lifted shading material is controlled.

[0005] Incidentally, it is known that one type of electric shading device is an electric pleated screen, in which a screen that can be folded up and down, for example in a zigzag shape, is suspended from a head box as a shading material, and this screen can be raised and lowered electrically (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] In particular, the motorized pleated screen disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured with multiple tiers (multiple types) of shielding materials connected vertically, and can be raised and lowered electrically. That is, in this motorized pleated screen, the screen is configured with upper shielding materials (upper screen) and lower shielding materials (lower screen) made of different fabrics for the upper and lower tiers, the upper edge of the upper screen is attached to the head box and hung down, and its lower edge is attached to the intermediate rail, and the upper edge of the lower screen is attached to the intermediate rail and hung down, and its lower edge is attached to the bottom rail. The intermediate rail and bottom rail are then hung and supported from the head box by independent lifting cords, and the upper screen and lower screen can be raised and lowered individually electrically. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-111763 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] As described above, one type of conventional motorized shading device, such as a motorized pleated screen, has a plurality of vertically-connected shading materials that can be individually raised and lowered electrically.

[0009] However, in such conventional electric shading devices, although each of the multiple tiers of shielding material arranged vertically can be selected and individually raised and lowered electrically, it is not possible to raise and lower the multiple tiers of shielding material simultaneously without compromising quality, i.e., to prevent damage to the fabric or lifting cord due to the upper and lower shielding materials coming into close proximity.

[0010] For this reason, there is a demand for an electrically powered shading device that allows simultaneous control of the opening and closing of each of multiple tiers of shading materials connected vertically, and that controls the operation of each shading material with high quality.

[0011] Therefore, in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, the object of the present invention is to provide an electric shading device that allows simultaneous control of the opening and closing of each of multiple stages of shading materials arranged vertically, thereby controlling the operation of each shading material with high quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The motorized shielding device of the present invention is a motorized shielding device that electrically lifts and lowers an upper shielding material suspended from a head box and a lower shielding material suspended from an intermediate rail provided at the lower end of the upper shielding material and having a bottom rail at its lower end, and includes a first winding drum that winds or unwinds a first lifting cord for lifting and lowering the upper shielding material by lifting and lowering the intermediate rail, and a second winding drum that winds or unwinds a second lifting cord for lifting and lowering the lower shielding material by lifting and lowering the bottom rail. a control device that controls the lifting and lowering of each of the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material by controlling the driving of the first and second motors in response to an operation signal, and the control device controls the lifting and lowering of each of the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material at a predetermined lifting and lowering speed at which one of the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material does not catch up with the other when the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material are simultaneously lifted and lowered in the same direction. the control means for allowing an operation signal for raising and lowering one of the upper and lower shielding materials when the other shielding material is in operation and, when a direction is specified by the operation signal for raising and lowering one of the shielding materials and the other shielding material is in operation in the same direction, performing control for simultaneously operating the one of the shielding materials in the direction specified by the operation signal at a predetermined raising and lowering speed that does not catch up with the raising and lowering speed of the other shielding material in operation when the other shielding material is in operation in a different direction; and, when the other shielding material is in operation in a different direction, performing control for simultaneously operating the one of the shielding materials in the direction specified by the operation signal at the raising and lowering speed specified at the time of the operation signal or at a predetermined raising and lowering speed within a movable range that is specified so that the upper and lower shielding materials in operation do not come close to each other to a predetermined distance. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, an electric shading device having multiple stages of shading material arranged in the vertical direction allows simultaneous control of the opening and closing of each shading material, making it possible to control the operation of each shading material with high quality. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1A to 1C are a plan view, a front view, and a side view, respectively, showing a schematic configuration of an electric shading device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control device in an electric shading device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of control by a control device in the motorized shading device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2A is a side view of an electric shading device according to the present invention, which shows the operation of a plurality of shading materials when they rise simultaneously, and FIG. 2B is a side view of an electric shading device of a comparative example. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2A is a side view of an electric shading device according to the present invention, illustrating the operation of a plurality of shading materials when they are lowered simultaneously, and FIG. 2B is a side view of an electric shading device of a comparative example. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between the drum diameter of a winding drum for each of a plurality of shielding materials and its rotation speed in an electric shielding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are flow charts each showing an outline of control of the lifting and lowering speeds of an upper shielding material and a lower shielding material by a control device in an electric shading device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a timing diagram showing a duty ratio-based timing evaluation value between a target pulse and a pulse from an encoder in speed control by a control device in an electric shading device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1A to 1C are schematic side views showing examples in which a control device according to the present invention is applied to an electric shading device according to another typical embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the motorized shading device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the upper and lower sides of the front view of the motorized shading device shown in Fig. 1(b) are defined as the upper direction (or upper side) and the lower direction (or lower side), respectively, the left side of the figure is defined as the left side of the motorized shading device, and the right side of the figure is defined as the right side of the motorized shading device. In the example described below, the side viewed from the front view of the motorized shading device shown in Fig. 1(b) is defined as the front side (or indoor side), and the opposite side is defined as the rear side (or outdoor side).

[0021] (Overall composition) 1(a) to 1(c) are respectively a plan view (a top view), a front view, and a side view showing a schematic configuration of an electric shading device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As a representative example of the electric shading device shown in FIG. 1, an electric pleated screen is shown in which a plurality of shading materials are arranged vertically in a row and each of them can be raised and lowered. However, there is no need to be limited to this as long as each of the plurality of shading materials arranged vertically in a row can be electrically raised and lowered by rotating a drive shaft. For example, the electric shading device may be a pleated screen, a honeycomb screen which is a type of pleated screen, a horizontal blind, a roll-up curtain, or a hybrid configuration in which these different types of shading materials are arranged vertically in a row.

[0022] In addition, in one embodiment of the electric pleated screen shown in Figures 1(a) to (c), an example is shown in which two types of shielding materials, an upper screen 6U as an upper shielding material and a lower screen 6L as a lower shielding material, which can be raised and lowered individually by multiple types of lifting cords 3U, 3L, are arranged in a vertical line, but the electric pleated screen may also have three or more types of shielding materials arranged in the vertical direction.

[0023] 1(a) to 1(c) show an embodiment of an electric pleated screen in which an upper screen 6U that can be bent in a zigzag shape is suspended from the lower surface of a head box 1, and the lower end of the upper screen 6U is attached to the upper surface of an intermediate rail 7U that functions as a weight member. The head box 1 is fixed via a bracket 15 to a mounting surface such as a ceiling surface.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1(c), the upper screen 6U in this example is provided with a protruding piece 60 at the crease on the exterior side of the fabric folded in a zigzag shape, and the protruding piece 60 is provided with insertion holes formed of round holes or long holes, etc., through which the lifting and lowering cords 3U, 3L hanging down from the head box 1 are inserted. For this reason, the lifting and lowering cords 3U, 3L hang down on the rear side of the upper screen 6U, and are not visible in a front view as shown in FIG. 1(b), improving the aesthetics. However, in the present invention, an insertion hole may be provided in the approximate center of the front-rear direction of the upper screen 6U, and the lifting and lowering cords 3U, 3L inserted through the insertion hole may be visible in a front view. Also, as shown in FIG. 1(c), a pitch retention cord 4U hangs down from the head box 1 behind the lifting and lowering cords 3U, 3L, and its lower end is attached to the intermediate rail 7U. This pitch maintaining cord 4U has many annular support cords 40 provided at equal intervals, and the lifting cords 3U, 3L are inserted into the support cords 40. When the intermediate rail 7U is lowered to stretch the upper screen 6U, the protruding pieces 60 are supported by the support cords 40 of the pitch maintaining cord 4U, so that the folds of the upper screen 6U are maintained at approximately equal intervals.

[0025] A lower screen 6L that can be bent in a zigzag shape is suspended from the lower surface of the intermediate rail 7U, and the lower end of the screen 6L is attached to the upper surface of a bottom rail 7L that functions as a weight member.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1(c), the lower screen 6L of this example is provided with a protruding piece 60 at the crease on the exterior side of the fabric folded in a zigzag shape, and the protruding piece 60 is provided with a round or long hole, through which the lifting cord 3L is inserted, which hangs down from the head box 1 and passes through the intermediate rail 7U. For this reason, the lifting cord 3L hangs down on the rear side of the lower screen 6L, and is not visible from the front as shown in FIG. 1(b), improving the aesthetics. However, in the present invention, a hole may be provided in the lower screen 6L at the approximate center in the front-rear direction, so that the lifting cord 3L inserted through the hole can be seen from the front. Also, as shown in FIG. 1(c), a pitch retention cord 4L hangs down from the head box 1 behind the lifting cord 3L, and its lower end is attached to the bottom rail 7L. This pitch maintaining cord 4L has many annular support cords 40 provided at equal intervals, and the lifting cord 3L is inserted into the support cords 40. When the bottom rail 7L is lowered to stretch the lower screen 6L, the protruding pieces 60 are supported by the support cords 40 of the pitch maintaining cord 4L, so that the folds of the lower screen 6L are maintained at approximately equal intervals.

[0027] Support members 5 are disposed in appropriate positions (two positions on the left and right in this embodiment) within the head box 1, and winding drums 51U, 51L are arranged in parallel in the front and rear directions and rotatably supported thereon.

[0028] The upper end of a lifting / lowering cord 3U (a string-like cord in this example, but a tape-like lifting tape may also be used) is attached to each winding drum 51U so as to be able to be wound up or unwound, and the lower end of the lifting / lowering cord 3U passes through insertion holes formed in each protruding piece 60 provided on the outside of the upper screen 6U and is attached to the intermediate rail 7U. The winding drum 51U is formed so that the diameter gradually tapers toward one side in the axial direction, and in this example, the string-like lifting / lowering cord 3U is sequentially wound in a spiral shape around the winding drum 51U.

[0029] Also, the upper end of a lifting / lowering cord 3L (a string-like cord in this example, but a tape-like lifting tape would also do) is attached to each winding drum 51L so that it can be wound up or unwound, and the lower end of the lifting / lowering cord 3L passes through insertion holes formed in each protruding piece 60 provided on the exterior side of the upper screen 6U, then passes through the intermediate rail 7U, passes through insertion holes formed in each protruding piece 60 provided on the exterior side of the lower screen 6L, and is attached to the bottom rail 7L. The winding drum 51L is formed so that its diameter gradually narrows toward one side in the axial direction, and in this example, the string-like lifting / lowering cord 3L is sequentially wound in a spiral shape around the winding drum 51L.

[0030] A drive shaft 2U is inserted through the central shaft of each winding drum 51U so that the rotation of the drive shaft 2U is transmitted to the winding drum 51U.

[0031] Similarly, the drive shaft 2L is inserted through the central shaft of each winding drum 51L so that the rotation of the drive shaft 2L is transmitted to the winding drum 51L.

[0032] The winding drum 51U is provided with a clutch mechanism 52U as an obstacle detection and stopping device, which locks the rotation of the drive shaft 2U when the descent of the intermediate rail 7U is hindered by contact with an obstacle. Similarly, the winding drum 51L is provided with a clutch mechanism 52L as an obstacle detection and stopping device, which locks the rotation of the drive shaft 2L when the descent of the bottom rail 7L is hindered by contact with an obstacle.

[0033] One end of the drive shaft 2U is connected to the output shaft of the motor 9U via a drive shaft coupler 20U, and the rotation of the output shaft of the motor 9U is transmitted to the drive shaft 2U. Therefore, the drive shaft 2U is rotated by the driving force of the motor 9U, and the lifting / lowering cord 3U is wound or unwound by the winding drum 51U based on the rotation of the drive shaft 2U, thereby making it possible to lift and lower the intermediate rail 7U, and thus to lift and lower the upper screen 6U. Note that the winding drum 51U utilizes the tension associated with the lifting / lowering cord 3U (the weight of the upper screen 6U and the intermediate rail 7U) when lowering the upper screen 6U, and therefore the driving force is transmitted from the winding drum 51U to the drive shaft 2U via a clutch mechanism 52U, and the driving force associated with the drive shaft 2U is adjusted to control the lowering.

[0034] One end of the drive shaft 2L is connected to the output shaft of the motor 9L via a drive shaft coupler 20L, and the rotation of the output shaft of the motor 9L is transmitted to the drive shaft 2L. Therefore, the drive shaft 2L is rotated by the driving force of the motor 9L, and the lifting / lowering cord 3L is wound or unwound by the winding drum 51L based on the rotation of the drive shaft 2L, thereby making it possible to lift and lower the bottom rail 7L, and thus to lift and lower the lower screen 6L. Note that the winding drum 51L utilizes the tension associated with the lifting / lowering cord 3L (the weight of the lower screen 6L and the bottom rail 7L) when lowering the lower screen 6L, and therefore the driving force is transmitted from the winding drum 51L to the drive shaft 2L via a clutch mechanism 52L, and the driving force associated with the drive shaft 2L is adjusted to control the lowering.

[0035] The drive control of each of the motors 9U, 9L is performed by a control device 10 disposed in the head box 1. A DC power supply 11 that supplies power to the motors 9U, 9L and the control device 10 is disposed in the head box 1. When the control device 10 receives an operation signal from an operation device 25 for operating the opening and closing of each shielding material (the upper screen 6U as the upper shielding material and the lower screen 6L as the lower shielding material), the control device 10 performs various controls of the electric shading device corresponding to various commands contained in the operation signal. For example, by configuring the motors 9U, 9L as DC motors, the control device 10 can control the rotation speed of the motors 9U, 9L by controlling the duty ratio of the pulse signal supplied from the control device 10 to the motors 9U, 9L. Further, encoders 8U, 8L for detecting the rotation speed and amount of rotation of each of the drive shafts 2U, 2L are disposed inside the head box 1, and the control device 10 manages the encoder pulse speed and pulse number count value based on the pulse signals output from each encoder 8U, 8L to control the rotation speed and amount of rotation of the motors 9U, 9L. Through such operations, in response to various commands included in the operation signals, the control device 10 appropriately adjusts the lifting and lowering speed of the upper screen 6U or the lower screen 6L, and controls the lifting and lowering stop position of the upper screen 6U or the lower screen 6L.

[0036] In the electric pleated screen of this embodiment configured as described above, the intermediate rail 7U is pulled up to just below the head box 1, and the upper screen 6U is folded between the head box 1 and the intermediate rail 7U, and the bottom rail 7L is lowered, so that the lower screen 6L is shielded from the head box 1 to the desired position.

[0037] Furthermore, when the intermediate rail 7U is lowered onto the bottom rail 7L with the bottom rail 7L lowered to its lowest limit, the lower screen 6L is folded between the intermediate rail 7U and the bottom rail 7L, and the upper screen 6U is shielded between the head box 1 and the intermediate rail 7U. Therefore, for example, if the upper screen 6U is made of a light-transmitting material and the lower screen 6L is made of a light-blocking material, the degree of freedom in adjusting the amount of light can be increased.

[0038] Then, by lowering the bottom rail 7L to its lowest limit and positioning the intermediate rail 7U midway between the head box 1 and the bottom rail 7, soft light can be let in that passes through the upper screen 6U made of a light-transmitting fabric.

[0039] In addition, when the bottom rail 7L is raised to its upper limit and opened, the bottom rail 7L is raised together with the intermediate rail 7U, and the upper screen 6U and lower screen 6L can be folded between the head box 1 and the bottom rail 7L.

[0040] (Control device configuration) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control device 10 in an electric shading device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] When the control device 10 receives an operation signal from the operation device 25, it performs various controls of the electric shading device corresponding to various commands included in the operation signal. For example, the control device 10 manages the speed of the encoder pulses from the encoders 8U, 8L and the count value of the number of pulses to control the rotation speed and amount of rotation of the motors 9U, 9L, appropriately adjusts the lifting and lowering speed of each shielding material (each screen and each bottom rail) and controls the lifting and lowering stop position of each shielding material.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 10 includes a microcomputer unit 101, a storage unit 102, a communication interface (IF) unit 103, motor driving units 107U and 107L, abnormality detection units 108U and 108L, and pulse detection units 109U and 109L.

[0043] The communication IF unit 103, which is comprehensively illustrated in FIG. 2, is a functional unit that performs two-way or one-way communication with the operation device 25 depending on the form of the operation device 25, receives an operation signal from the operation device 25, and outputs it to the microcomputer unit 101.

[0044] For example, when the operating device 25 is configured to transmit an operating signal via short-range wireless communication, the communication IF unit 103 has a function of receiving an operating signal from the operating device 25 and outputting it to the microcomputer unit 101, enabling mutual communication between the microcomputer unit 101 and the operating device 25 and enabling the exchange of detailed commands related to operations.

[0045] Furthermore, the communication IF section 103 has a function of receiving an operation signal from the operation device 25 and outputting it to the microcomputer section 101 when the operation device 25 is configured to transmit an operation signal by an infrared signal.

[0046] In addition, when the operating device 25 is configured to transmit an operating signal by two-way or one-way wired communication, the communication IF unit 103 has a function of receiving an operating signal from the operating device 25 and outputting it to the microcomputer unit 101.

[0047] Here, the control device 10 can be a typical example of a conventional operating device, such as a wired switch for "individually" operating the opening and closing of each shielding material (upper screen 6U as upper shielding material and lower screen 6L as lower shielding material) via a wired connection, or an infrared or wireless remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a "remote control") via a wireless connection, and can receive and control operation signals from these operating devices.However, as an embodiment of the present invention, an example will be described in which the control device 10 receives and controls operation signals from an operating device 25 that can not only individually operate the opening and closing of each shielding material (upper screen 6U as upper shielding material and lower screen 6L as lower shielding material), but can also "simultaneously" operate them.

[0048] For example, the operating device 25 of the present invention can be in a form that does not allow the opening / closing position of each shielding material (upper screen 6U as upper shielding material and lower screen 6L as lower shielding material) to be specified, such as a wired or wireless switch, infrared switch, multi-switch, smartphone, tablet, personal computer, zone switch, dial switch, etc. that allows the opening and closing of each shielding material to be operated individually, but it can also be in the form of a multi-switch, smartphone, tablet, personal computer, zone switch, dial switch, etc. that allows the opening / closing position (shielding rate in this example) of each shielding material (upper screen 6U as upper shielding material and lower screen 6L as lower shielding material) to be specified "individually or simultaneously" and operated wired or wirelessly.

[0049] Therefore, the control device 10 can be configured to receive and process operation signals from the operation device 25 that allows the open / closed positions of the upper and lower shielding materials to be simultaneously specified, or to receive and process operation signals in a time series from the operation device 25 that allows the upper and lower shielding materials to be individually operated without specifying their open / closed positions, thereby controlling the lifting and lowering of both the upper and lower shielding materials individually or simultaneously. Note that the type of operation signal from the operation device 25 can be determined by including an operation device ID indicating the type of the operation device 25 in the operation signal, allowing the control device 10 to perform control according to the type of the operation device 25.

[0050] That is, the control device 10 is capable of receiving and processing not only operation signals that do not specify the open / closed positions of each of the shielding materials (the upper screen 6U as the upper shielding material and the lower screen 6L as the lower shielding material), but also operation signals that specify the positions individually or simultaneously, and controls the opening and closing of each of the shielding materials (the upper screen 6U as the upper shielding material and the lower screen 6L as the lower shielding material). In particular, the control device 10 according to the present invention, which will be described in detail later with reference to Fig. 3, allows simultaneous control of the open / closed positions of each of the shielding materials, thereby controlling the operation of each shielding material with high quality.

[0051] The motor driving units 107U and 107L are motor drivers that drive the motors 9U and 9L, respectively.

[0052] The abnormality detection units 108U and 108L are functional units that detect abnormal values ​​(one or more of overcurrent / abnormal waveform current / abnormal waveform voltage) in the motor driving units 107U and 107L, respectively, and notify the microcomputer unit 101 of the detected abnormal values.

[0053] The pulse detection units 109U and 109L are functional units which receive pulse signals from the encoders 8U and 8L, respectively, and notify the microcomputer unit 101 of the signals.

[0054] The microcomputer unit 101 reads out and executes a program previously stored in the memory unit 102, thereby accepting an operation signal received via the communication IF unit 103 and processing various commands included in the operation signal. In this way, the control device 10 that performs various controls of the electric shading device can be configured as a computer.

[0055] The functions of the control device 10 realized by the execution of the program by the microcomputer unit 101 include a function of receiving an operation signal, discriminating various commands contained in the operation signal, and performing various controls of the corresponding electric shading device; a function of counting the presence or absence of encoder pulses and the number of encoder pulses via pulse detection units 109U, 109L which receive pulse signals from each encoder 8U, 8L, respectively, and storing and managing the count values ​​in the memory unit 102 as appropriate; a function of storing and managing in the memory unit 102 various settings related to the upper limit position and lower limit position of each shielding material which can be set according to the count value of the number of encoder pulses; a function of controlling the drive of the motors 9U, 9L via motor driving units 107U, 107L which drive the motors 9U, 9L, respectively; and a function of monitoring the abnormal values ​​via abnormality detection units 108U, 108L which detect abnormal values ​​(one or more of overcurrent / abnormal waveform current / abnormal waveform voltage) in the motor driving units 107U, 107L, respectively, and notifying the microcomputer unit 101 of the abnormal values.

[0056] In the electric shading device of this embodiment, each of the motors 9L, 9U and the control device 10 are connected by a motor harness, but no physical detection switch is provided for detecting the physical upper limit position and the physical lower limit position when the screen is raised and lowered, as in the conventional electric pleated screen. Even in this case, the control device 10 can detect the physical upper limit position and the physical lower limit position that define the physical lifting and lowering operable range for each of the upper screen 6U and the lower screen 6L by one or more of the following methods: determining the absolute upper and lower limit positions based on the count value of the encoder pulses obtained from the encoders 8L, 8U, detecting abnormal values ​​(one or more of overcurrent / abnormal waveform current / abnormal waveform voltage) in the motor drive units 107L, 107U by the abnormality detection units 108L, 108U, respectively, or detecting that the input of the encoder pulses is no longer present for a predetermined period of time during operation control. Then, the control device 10 can perform various settings related to the set upper limit position and set lower limit position of each shielding material based on the detected physical upper limit position and physical lower limit position.

[0057] However, the control device 10 according to the present invention, which will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 3, allows simultaneous control of the open / closed positions of each shielding material and is intended to control the operation of each shielding material with high quality, so it may be provided with physical detection switches for detecting the upper and lower physical limit positions when raising and lowering the screen as in the conventional case.

[0058] (Example of control device) FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of control by the control device 10 in the motorized shading device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] When the control device 10 receives an operation signal regarding the raising and lowering of the upper shielding material (upper screen 6U having an intermediate rail 7U at its lower end) and the lower shielding material (lower screen 6L having a bottom rail 7L at its lower end), it determines whether the other shielding material is in operation and whether the operation signal is to raise and lower both the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material simultaneously, and performs different control depending on the type of operation signal (whether it is an operation signal including an opening and closing command to raise and lower an individual shielding material, or an operation signal including an opening and closing command to raise and lower both shielding materials) and the operating status of the shielding materials at the time the operation signal is received.

[0060] As a more specific example, as shown in Fig. 3, when the control device 10 receives an operation signal for raising and lowering one of the upper shielding material (upper screen 6U having an intermediate rail 7U at its lower end) and the lower shielding material (lower screen 6L having a bottom rail 7L at its lower end) (step S1), it first determines whether the other shielding material is moving in the same direction as the direction specified by the operation signal for the raising and lowering of the one shielding material (step S2). For example, when the direction specified by the operation signal for the raising and lowering of the upper shielding material (upper screen 6U having an intermediate rail 7U at its lower end) is upward, the control device 10 determines whether the lower shielding material (lower screen 6L having a bottom rail 7L at its lower end) is already rising.

[0061] Then, when the other shielding material is not operating in the same direction as the direction designated by the operation signal for the lifting and lowering of the one shielding material (step S2: N), the control device 10 subsequently determines whether the other shielding material is operating in the same direction as the direction designated by the operation signal for the lifting and lowering of the one shielding material. different The control device 10 judges whether the other shielding material is moving in the upward direction (step S3). For example, when the direction specified by the operation signal for raising and lowering the upper shielding material (upper screen 6U having an intermediate rail 7U at its lower end) is upward, the control device 10 judges whether the lower shielding material (lower screen 6L having a bottom rail 7L at its lower end) is already lowering.

[0062] Then, if the other shielding material is moving in a direction different from the direction specified by the operation signal for raising and lowering the one shielding material (step S3: Y), the control device 10 controls both the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material to move in different directions at their respective raising and lowering speeds within their movable ranges (step S5).

[0063] For example, when moving to step S5 via step S3:Y, if the direction specified by the operation signal for the raising and lowering of the upper shielding material (upper screen 6U having an intermediate rail 7U at its lower end) is upward and the lower shielding material (lower screen 6L having a bottom rail 7L at its lower end) is already downward, or if the direction specified for the raising and lowering of the lower shielding material is downward and the upper shielding material is already upward, the control device 10 raises the upper shielding material at its respective lifting and lowering speeds (the lifting and lowering speeds specified at the time of each operation signal, or a predetermined lifting and lowering speed) within its movable range up to the set upper limit position, and lowers the lower shielding material at its respective lifting and lowering speeds (the lifting and lowering speeds specified at the time of each operation signal, or a predetermined lifting and lowering speed) within its movable range up to the set lower limit position. In addition, when the direction specified for raising and lowering the lower shielding material is downward and the upper shielding material is already in the ascending operation, or when the direction specified for raising and lowering the lower shielding material is upward and the upper shielding material is already in the descending operation, the control device 10 raises and lowers the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material at their respective lifting and lowering speeds (the lifting and lowering speeds specified at the time of each operation signal, or a predetermined lifting and lowering speed) within a movable range where the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material are spaced apart by a predetermined distance (a distance that allows them to come close to each other physically).

[0064] In addition, when the control device 10 receives an operation signal for a stop command during the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L, it controls to stop the operation of all shielding materials in operation, and when the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L reaches the set upper limit position or the set lower limit position, it controls to automatically stop the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L that has reached the set upper limit position or the set lower limit position, and when the intermediate rail 7U during a descending operation approaches the stopped bottom rail 7L to a predetermined distance at which it becomes unable to move, or when the bottom rail 7L during an ascending operation approaches the stopped intermediate rail 7U to a predetermined distance at which it becomes unable to move.

[0065] As a variant example of moving to step S5 via step S3:Y, when the other shielding material is operating in a direction different from the direction specified by the operation signal for raising and lowering the one shielding material (step S3:Y), the control device 10 may control the other shielding material to stop operation and operate the one shielding material, or may invalidate the operation signal received for raising and lowering the one shielding material.

[0066] Next, if the control device 10 determines that the other shielding material is not operating in the same direction or in a different direction to the direction specified by the operation signal for raising and lowering the one shielding material (step S3: N), it determines whether the operation signal is for simultaneously operating both shielding materials in the same specified direction (step S4).

[0067] Then, if the operation signal does not cause both shielding materials to move simultaneously in the same specified direction (i.e., if the operation signal causes both shielding materials to move simultaneously in specified directions that are different from each other) (step S4:N), the control device 10 controls both the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material to move in different directions at their respective lifting and lowering speeds within their movable ranges (step S5).

[0068] For example, when moving to step S5 via step S4:N, ​​if the direction specified by the operation signal for raising and lowering the upper shielding material (upper screen 6U having an intermediate rail 7U at its lower end) is upward, and the control device 10 also operates the lower shielding material (lower screen 6L having a bottom rail 7L at its lower end) but the specified direction is downward, the control device 10 raises the upper shielding material at its respective lifting and lowering speeds (the lifting and lowering speeds specified at the time of each operation signal, or a predetermined lifting and lowering speed) within its movable range up to the set upper limit position, and lowers the lower shielding material at its respective lifting and lowering speeds (the lifting and lowering speeds specified at the time of each operation signal, or a predetermined lifting and lowering speed) within its movable range up to the set lower limit position. In addition, when the specified direction for raising and lowering the lower shielding material is downward and the control device 10 also operates the lower shielding material but the specified direction is upward, the control device raises and lowers each of the upper and lower shielding materials at their respective lifting and lowering speeds (lifting and lowering speeds specified at the time of each operation signal, or predetermined lifting and lowering speeds) within a movable range where the upper and lower shielding materials are spaced apart by a specified distance (a distance that allows them to come close to each other physically).

[0069] In this case too, when the control device 10 receives an operation signal for a stop command during the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L, it controls to stop the operation of all shielding materials in operation, and when the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L reaches the set upper limit position or the set lower limit position, it controls to automatically stop the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L that has reached the set upper limit position or the set lower limit position, and when the intermediate rail 7U during the lowering operation approaches the stopped bottom rail 7L to a predetermined distance at which it becomes unable to move, or when the bottom rail 7L during the ascending operation approaches the stopped intermediate rail 7U to a predetermined distance at which it becomes unable to move.

[0070] On the other hand, when the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material are raised and lowered simultaneously in the same direction, the control device 10 controls them at a predetermined raising and lowering speed at which one of the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material does not catch up with the other. More specifically, when the operation signal is for simultaneously operating both shielding materials in the same designated direction (step S4: Y), the control device 10 performs control to simultaneously operate both the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material in the direction designated by the operation signal at respective predetermined raising and lowering speeds (preferably the same speed) at which one of the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material does not catch up with the other (step S6). In this case too, when the control device 10 receives an operation signal of a stop command during the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L, it controls to stop the operation of all shielding materials in operation, and when the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L reaches the set upper limit position or the set lower limit position, it controls to automatically stop the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L that has reached the set upper limit position or the set lower limit position.

[0071] Furthermore, when the other shielding material is operating in the same direction as the direction specified by the operation signal for the lifting and lowering of the one shielding material (step S2: Y), the control device 10 performs control to simultaneously operate the one shielding material in the direction specified by the operation signal at a predetermined lifting and lowering speed (preferably the same speed as the other) that does not catch up with the lifting and lowering speed of the other shielding material in operation (step S7). That is, in this case, the control device 10 determines and controls the lifting and lowering speed of the one shielding material depending on the lifting and lowering speed of the other shielding material in operation so that the two shielding materials in operation do not come close to each other, i.e., at a predetermined lifting and lowering speed (preferably the same speed) that does not catch up with the lifting and lowering speed of the other shielding material in operation. In this case too, when the control device 10 receives an operation signal of a stop command during the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L, it controls to stop the operation of all shielding materials in operation, and when the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L reaches the set upper limit position or the set lower limit position, it controls to automatically stop the raising and lowering operation of the intermediate rail 7U or the bottom rail 7L that has reached the set upper limit position or the set lower limit position.

[0072] (Example of operation) Fig. 4(a) is a side view of an electric shading device according to the present invention, which shows the operation of a plurality of shielding materials when they are simultaneously raised, Fig. 4(b) is a side view of an electric shading device of a comparative example, Fig. 5(a) is a side view of an electric shading device according to the present invention, which shows the operation of a plurality of shielding materials when they are simultaneously lowered, and Fig. 5(b) is a side view of an electric shading device of a comparative example.

[0073] The control device 10 of this embodiment performs control according to steps S6 and S7 shown in Figure 3 described above, thereby preventing both shielding materials from coming close to each other during operation, thereby suppressing damage to the fabric and lifting cord caused by the upper and lower shielding materials catching up.

[0074] For example, as shown in Figure 4(a), when the control device 10 of the present invention controls both the upper shielding material (upper screen 6U having an intermediate rail 7U at its lower end) and the lower shielding material (lower screen 6L having a bottom rail 7L at its lower end) to rise in the same direction simultaneously (steps S6 and S7 shown in Figure 3), the rising speed UM of the upper shielding material (i.e., the intermediate rail 7U) and the rising speed LM of the lower shielding material (i.e., the bottom rail 7L) are controlled to satisfy LM≦UM.

[0075] On the other hand, for example, as in the comparative example in Figure 4(b), if the rising speed UM of the upper shielding material (i.e., middle rail 7U) and the rising speed LM of the lower shielding material (i.e., bottom rail 7L) are controlled so that LM > UM from the position of a certain upper shielding material (i.e., middle rail 7U) and lower shielding material (i.e., bottom rail 7L) shown in Figure 4(b-1), the rise of the lower shielding material (i.e., bottom rail 7L) will catch up with the risen position of the upper shielding material (i.e., middle rail 7U), causing slack in the lifting cord 3R or the weight of the upper shielding material being added to the lifting cord 3L, which may result in damage to the lifting cords 3R, 3L or to the shielding materials themselves.

[0076] Therefore, when the control device 10 according to the present invention simultaneously raises both shielding materials in the same direction, for the rising speed UM of the upper shielding material and the rising speed LM of the lower shielding material, by controlling so as to satisfy LM≦UM, the simultaneous control is allowed, and each shielding material can be simultaneously raised in the same direction with high quality.

[0077] Also, as shown in FIG. 5(a), when both the upper shielding material (upper screen 6U having the intermediate rail 7U at the lower end) and the lower shielding material (lower screen 6L having the bottom rail 7L at the lower end) are simultaneously lowered in the same direction by the control of the control device 10 according to the present invention (steps S6 and S7 shown in FIG. 3), for the lowering speed UM’ of the upper shielding material (i.e., the intermediate rail 7U) and the lowering speed LM’ of the lower shielding material (i.e., the bottom rail 7L), control is performed so as to satisfy LM’≧UM’.

[0078] On the other hand, for example, as in the comparative example in FIG. 5(b), when the lowering speed UM’ of the upper shielding material (i.e., the intermediate rail 7U) and the lowering speed LM’ of the lower shielding material (i.e., the bottom rail 7L) are controlled to decrease so that LM’<UM’ from the positions of a certain upper shielding material (i.e., the intermediate rail 7U) and the lower shielding material (i.e., the bottom rail 7L) shown in FIG. 5(b-1), the lowering of the upper shielding material (i.e., the intermediate rail 7U) catches up with the lowering position of the lower shielding material (i.e., the bottom rail 7L), slack occurs in the lifting cord 3R, the weight of the upper shielding material is added to the lifting cord 3L, and there is a risk that each of the lifting cords 3R and 3L will be damaged or each shielding material will be damaged.

[0079] Therefore, when the control device 10 according to the present invention simultaneously lowers both shielding materials in the same direction, for the lowering speed UM’ of the upper shielding material and the lowering speed LM’ of the lower shielding material, by controlling so as to satisfy LM’≧UM’, the simultaneous control is allowed, and each shielding material can be simultaneously lowered in the same direction with high quality.

[0080] In addition, in the control device 10 of the present invention, when simultaneously controlling the opening and closing of multiple stages of shielding materials arranged in the vertical direction in the same direction, it is preferable to always keep the lifting and lowering speed of each shielding material at the same speed, which simplifies the speed control in the control device 10.

[0081] The control of the lifting speed of the upper shielding material (i.e., the intermediate rail 7U) and the lower shielding material (i.e., the bottom rail 7L) in the control device 10 according to the present invention can be easily controlled by the relationship between the drum diameters d1, d2 of the winding drums 51U, 51L and their rotational speeds (i.e., the rotational speeds of the drive shafts) n1, n2. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the drum diameters d1, d2 of the winding drums 51U, 51L for the multiple shielding materials in the motorized shielding device according to one embodiment of the present invention and their rotational speeds n1, n2. For example, when the lifting speeds of the upper shielding material (i.e., the intermediate rail 7U) and the lower shielding material (i.e., the bottom rail 7L) are set to the same speed, as shown in Fig. 6, d1:d2 = n1:n2 may be satisfied, and even if the drum diameters d1 = d2, or even if the drum diameters d1 ≠ d2, the lifting speeds of the upper shielding material (i.e., the intermediate rail 7U) and the lower shielding material (i.e., the bottom rail 7L) can be set to the same speed, and therefore the lifting speeds can be controlled to satisfy the above-mentioned rising speed LM ≦ UM and the falling speed LM' ≧ UM'. Note that since each of the winding drums 51U, 51L is formed so that the diameter gradually becomes thinner toward one side in the axial direction, it does not have a constant drum diameter strictly speaking, but the drum diameters d1, d2 shown in Fig. 6 are the average diameters of each of the winding drums 51U, 51L, and by determining the rotation speeds n1, n2 based on these drum diameters d1, d2, the error can be handled to be 10% or less within the lifting range of each shielding material. For this reason, in this specification, the term "same speed" with respect to lifting and lowering speed refers to a speed that can be considered to be the same with an error of 10% or less.

[0082] (Speed ​​Control) In order to make the lifting and lowering speeds of the shielding materials "uniform," it is preferable to control the lifting and lowering of each shielding material at an "approximately constant speed (error 10% or less)" within the lifting range of each shielding material from its upper limit position to its lower limit position. Here, with reference to Figs. 7 and 8, an example of controlling the lifting and lowering of each shielding material at an approximately constant speed (error 10% or less) within the lifting range of each shielding material from its upper limit position to its lower limit position for the control device 10 disposed in the motorized shading device of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 will be described.

[0083] 7(a) and (b) are flow charts each showing an outline of the lifting speed control of the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material by the control device in the motorized shading device of one embodiment according to the present invention. Also, Fig. 8 is a timing chart showing a timing evaluation value based on a duty ratio between a target pulse and a pulse from an encoder in the speed control by the control device 10 in the motorized shading device of one embodiment according to the present invention.

[0084] First, as shown in Fig. 7(a), when the control device 10 starts controlling the lifting / lowering speed of the upper shielding material (upper screen) 6U, it compares the duty ratio of the pulse width Wtp of the target pulse TP for the lifting / lowering speed based on the rotation speed of the drive shaft 2U with the pulse width Wep of the pulse EP from the encoder 8U to determine whether the pulse EP from the encoder 8U is faster than the target pulse TP for the lifting / lowering speed (step S1). Note that in Fig. 8, the pulse width Wtp of the target pulse TP for the lifting / lowering speed is normalized to 1.0, and the increase / decrease in the pulse width Wep of the pulse EP from the encoder 8U relative to this normalized pulse width Wtp is shown.

[0085] Then, when the pulse EP from the encoder 8U is faster than the target pulse TP for the lifting / lowering speed (step S1: Y), the control device 10 outputs a pulse with a duty ratio for reducing the rotation speed of the drive shaft 2U to the motor 9U (step S2). For example, at a certain time t2 shown in Fig. 8, the pulse EP from the encoder 8U is in a leading state in terms of timing with respect to the target pulse TP for the lifting / lowering speed, and in this case, the control device 10 reduces the rotation speed of the drive shaft 2U.

[0086] On the other hand, if the pulse EP from the encoder is not faster than the target pulse TP for the elevation speed (step S1: N), the control device 10 outputs a pulse with a duty ratio for increasing the rotation speed of the drive shaft 2U to the motor 9U (step S3). For example, at a certain time t1 shown in Fig. 8, the pulse EP from the encoder 8U is delayed in timing with respect to the target pulse TP for the elevation speed, and in this case, the control device 10 increases the rotation speed of the drive shaft 2U.

[0087] Then, by repeating steps S1 to S3, the control device 10, for example, at a certain time t3 shown in Fig. 8, the pulse EP from the encoder 8U becomes synchronized with the target pulse TP of the lifting speed, and the lifting speed can be maintained at a substantially constant speed. Furthermore, by using pulse width modulation (PWM) control in performing such speed control, the lifting speed can be maintained at a substantially constant speed, and the motor noise itself can be reduced.

[0088] The same applies to the control of the lifting and lowering speed of the lower shielding material (lower screen) 6L. That is, as shown in Fig. 7(b), when the control device 10 starts the control of the lifting and lowering speed of the lower shielding material (lower screen) 6L, the control device 10 compares the duty ratio of the pulse width Wtp of the target pulse TP for the lifting and lowering speed based on the rotation speed of the drive shaft 2L with the pulse width Wep of the pulse EP from the encoder 8L to determine whether the pulse EP from the encoder 8L is faster than the target pulse TP for the lifting and lowering speed (step S1').

[0089] Then, when the pulse EP from the encoder 8L is faster than the target pulse TP for the lifting / lowering speed (step S1': Y), the control device 10 outputs a pulse with a duty ratio for reducing the rotation speed of the drive shaft 2L to the motor 9L (step S2'). In this case as well, as shown in Fig. 8, at a certain time t2, the pulse EP from the encoder 8L is ahead of the target pulse TP for the lifting / lowering speed in terms of timing, and in this case, the control device 10 reduces the rotation speed of the drive shaft 2L.

[0090] On the other hand, if the pulse EP from the encoder is not faster than the target pulse TP for the elevation speed (step S1': N), the control device 10 outputs a pulse with a duty ratio for increasing the rotation speed of the drive shaft 2L to the motor 9L (step S3'). In this case as well, as shown in Fig. 8, at a certain time t1, the pulse EP from the encoder 8L is delayed in terms of timing with respect to the target pulse TP for the elevation speed, and in this case, the control device 10 increases the rotation speed of the drive shaft 2L.

[0091] Then, by repeating steps S1' to S3', the control device 10, for example, at a certain time t3 shown in Fig. 8, the pulse EP from the encoder 8L becomes synchronized with the target pulse TP of the lifting speed, and the lifting speed can be maintained at a substantially constant speed. Furthermore, by using pulse width modulation (PWM) control in performing such speed control, the lifting speed can be maintained at a substantially constant speed, and the motor noise itself can be reduced.

[0092] Here, in order to make the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material move at the same speed, the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material are provided with encoders 8U and 8L of the same resolution, respectively, and the control device 10 uses the encoders 8U and 8L of the same resolution to control the elevation of the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material with the same logic, which is advantageous for achieving high accuracy. Therefore, the motorized shading device according to the present invention allows simultaneous control of the opening and closing of each of the multiple stages of shielding materials connected in the vertical direction, and can control the operation of each shielding material with high quality.

[0093] Although the present invention has been described above by way of examples of specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the technical concept thereof.

[0094] For example, the electric shading device is not limited to the electric pleated screen described above, but can also be applied to other types of electric shading devices, such as a honeycomb screen, which is a type of electric pleated screen, horizontal blinds, pull-up curtains, etc., or a hybrid configuration in which these different types of shading materials are combined and arranged in a vertical line (for example, the upper shading material is a pull-up curtain type shading material and the lower shading material is a pleated screen type shading material).

[0095] Another typical example of an electric shading device having shielding members connected vertically is shown in Fig. 9(a) to (c), respectively. Fig. 9(a) to (c) are schematic side views showing an example in which a control device according to the present invention is applied to an electric shading device according to another typical embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same reference numbers are used for components similar to those in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0096] First, the motorized shading device shown in Fig. 9(a) is an motorized honeycomb screen that can raise and lower the upper shielding material (upper screen 6U with a honeycomb shape in side view having an intermediate rail 7U at the lower end) suspended from the head box 1 and the lower shielding material (lower screen 6L with a honeycomb shape in side view having a bottom rail 7L at the lower end) suspended from the intermediate rail 7U. The winding drums 51U and 51L shown in Fig. 9(a) lift and lower the upper screen 6U and the lower screen 6L by winding or unwinding the upper ends of the lifting and lowering cords 3U and 3L, as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. Note that insertion holes are provided in the joint pieces 60' forming each honeycomb shape in the upper screen 6U, and the lifting and lowering cords 3U and 3L are inserted into the insertion holes, and the lower ends of the lifting and lowering cords 3U are attached to the intermediate rail 7U. The lifting cord 3L passes through the intermediate rail 7U, is inserted into insertion holes provided in the joint pieces 60' that form each honeycomb shape in the lower screen 6L, and is attached to the bottom rail 7L. Encoders 8U, 8L and motors 9U, 9L are provided in the head box 1 (not shown). A DC power supply 11 (not shown) and a control device 10 similar to that shown in Figure 2 are also provided in the head box 1. Therefore, the control of the control device 10 according to the present invention can be applied to the electric honeycomb screen shown in Figure 9(a).

[0097] The motorized shading device shown in Fig. 9(b) is an electric horizontal blind that can raise and lower an upper shading material (e.g., a group of fabric slats 6U' made of light-transmitting fabric having an intermediate rail 7U at the lower end) supported by a ladder cord 12U suspended from a head box 1, and a lower shading material (e.g., a group of light-shielding aluminum slats 6L' having a bottom rail 7L at the lower end) supported by a ladder cord 12L suspended from the head box 1 and penetrating the intermediate rail 7U. The winding drums 51U and 51L shown in Fig. 9(b) raise and lower the group of fabric slats 6U' and the group of aluminum slats 6L' by winding or unwinding the upper ends of the lifting and lowering cords 3U and 3L, as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. An insertion hole is provided in the approximate center of the front-rear direction of the group of fabric slats 6U', and the lifting and lowering cords 3U and 3L are inserted through the insertion hole, and the lower end of the lifting and lowering cord 3U is attached to the intermediate rail 7U. The lifting cord 3L passes through the intermediate rail 7U, is inserted into an insertion hole provided in the aluminum slat group 6L' at the approximately center in the front-rear direction, and is attached to the bottom rail 7L. The fabric slat group 6U' and the aluminum slat group 6L' can be rotated by the relative movement of the warps of the ladder cords 12U, 12L, respectively, but the explanation of the mechanism is omitted. Encoders 8U, 8L and motors 9U, 9L are disposed in the head box 1 (not shown). A DC power source 11 (not shown) and a control device 10 similar to that shown in FIG. 2 are disposed in the head box 1. Therefore, the control of the control device 10 according to the present invention can be applied to the motorized horizontal blind shown in FIG. 9(b).

[0098] Also, as shown in Fig. 9(c), the upper shielding material is a group of fabric slats 6U' made of light-transmitting fabric with an intermediate rail 7U at the lower end, and the lower shielding material is a lower screen 6L with a bottom rail 7L at the lower end and a zigzag shape (or a honeycomb shape) in side view. A control device 10 similar to that shown in Fig. 2 may be disposed in the hybrid motorized shading device. Although not shown, other hybrid motorized shading devices may be used, such as a tuck-up curtain type shielding material for the upper shielding material and a pleated screen type shielding material for the lower shielding material. The control of the control device 10 according to the present invention can be applied to these hybrid motorized shading devices.

[0099] Therefore, the motorized shading device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment examples, but is limited only by the scope of the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0100] According to the present invention, as an electric shading device having multiple stages of shading material arranged in the vertical direction, it allows simultaneous control of the opening and closing of each shading material, thereby enabling high-quality control of the operation of each shading material, making it useful for applications as an electric shading device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 1 Head Box 2U,2L drive shaft Lifting cord for 3U top screen 3L Lifting cord for lower screen 5 Supporting member 6U Upper shielding material (upper screen) 6L Lower shielding material (lower screen) 7U Mid Rail 7L Bottom Rail 8U,8L Encoder 9U,9L motor 10 Control device 11 DC power supply 20U,20L Drive shaft coupler 25 Operating device 101 Microcomputer Division 102 Storage section 103 Communication Interface (IF) Section 107U, 107L Motor drive unit 108U, 108L Abnormality detection unit 109U, 109L Pulse detection unit

Claims

[Claim 1] An electric shielding device that electrically raises and lowers an upper shielding material suspended from a head box and a lower shielding material suspended from an intermediate rail provided at the lower end of the upper shielding material and having a bottom rail at its lower end, a first winding drum that winds up or unwinds a first lifting cord for lifting and lowering the upper shielding material by lifting and lowering the intermediate rail; a second winding drum that winds up or unwinds a second lifting cord for lifting and lowering the lower shielding material by lifting and lowering the bottom rail; a first motor for rotating the first winding drum; a second motor for rotating the second winding drum; a control device that controls the lifting and lowering of each of the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material by controlling the driving of the first and second motors in response to an operation signal; The control device is configured to control the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material at a predetermined lifting and lowering speed at which one of the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material does not catch up with the other when the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material are simultaneously lifted and lowered in the same direction, to allow an operation signal for lifting and lowering one of the upper shielding material and the lower shielding material even if the other shielding material is in operation, and to control the other shielding material in operation when the other shielding material is in operation in the same direction when a direction is specified by an operation signal for lifting and lowering the one shielding material. and when the other shielding material is operating in a different direction, control means for simultaneously operating one of the shielding materials in the direction specified by the operation signal at a lifting and lowering speed specified at the time of the operation signal or a predetermined lifting and lowering speed, within a movable range that is determined so that the upper and lower shielding materials in operation do not come close to each other to a predetermined distance.

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