Shielding device

Abstract

To provide a shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material suspended and supported by a head box by rotating a drive shaft by manual operation, while improving safety and designability related to manual operation for opening and closing the shielding material.SOLUTION: The shielding device of the present invention includes a lifting drive shaft 11 that is rotatable to open and close the shielding material (slat 3 having a bottom rail 4 at the lower end), an operating device 7 for rotating the lifting drive shaft 11 to open and close the shielding material, and a stopper device 13 that enables locking and unlocking of the rotation of the lifting drive shaft 11 by operating the operating device 7. The operating device 7 includes an operating grip 9 slidably movable relative to an operating rod 8 suspended from a head box 1, and operation transmission means (operating shaft 71, operating cord 72, operating pulley 73, spiral spring 74, clutch unit 75, and the like) for rotating the lifting drive shaft 11 by sliding the operating grip 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material suspended and supported by a head box by manually rotating a drive shaft. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as one type of shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material suspended from a head box by manually rotating a drive shaft, there has been known a shielding device equipped with an operating device that automatically winds up an end-shaped (non-looped) operating cord using a power spring or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Typically, such a shielding device has an operating cord inserted into an operating rod suspended from a head box, with a knob attached to the lower end of the operating cord positioned at the lower end of the operating rod, allowing the shielding material to be opened or closed by pulling the operating cord while grasping the knob, and when the operating cord is not being pulled, the operating cord is automatically wound up by a power spring or the like, and the knob is positioned at the lower end of the operating rod. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6404171 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, conventionally, one type of shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material suspended from a head box by manually rotating a drive shaft is a shielding device equipped with an operating device that automatically winds up an end-shaped (non-looped) operating cord using a power spring or the like.

[0006] In a shielding device with this type of structure, the operating cord itself is not looped, or the lower end of the operating cord is not attached to the shielding material, making it a so-called non-loop operation.However, even though the operating cord has a non-loop structure, when the operating cord is pulled, it becomes exposed from the lower end of the operating rod, which poses a risk of the operating cord becoming tangled in surrounding objects and also makes it less aesthetically pleasing.

[0007] For this reason, when opening and closing a shielding material suspended from a head box by manually rotating a drive shaft, a technique is desired that improves the safety and design of the components involved in the manual operation.

[0008] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a shielding device that improves the safety and design of the manual operation for opening and closing the shielding material, and that opens and closes the shielding material suspended and supported on the head box by manually rotating a drive shaft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The shielding device of the present invention is a shielding device that opens and closes shielding material suspended and supported on a head box by manually rotating a drive shaft, and is equipped with a drive shaft that can rotate to open and close the shielding material, an operating device for rotating the drive shaft to open and close the shielding material, and a stopper device that can lock and unlock the rotation of the drive shaft by operating the operating device, and is characterized in that the operating device has an operating grip that can slide relative to an operating rod suspended from the head box, and an operation transmission means for rotating the drive shaft by sliding the operating grip.

[0010] Furthermore, in the shielding device of the present invention, the operating rod is configured such that a member that moves or rotates on its axis in order to rotate the drive shaft (in the examples of the first, second, fourth and fifth embodiments described later, an operating cord 72 or an endless transmission member 79, or a torsion rod 80) is inserted therethrough, the operating grip is movably arranged on the operating rod, and the operation transmission means has a means for operating the movement or axial rotation of the member by pulling the operating grip without exposing it to the outside from the operating rod, and a biasing means (in the examples of the first, second, fourth and fifth embodiments described later, a spiral spring 74) that automatically returns the operating grip to a predetermined position on the operating rod when the operating grip is not pulled.

[0011] Furthermore, in the shielding device of the present invention, the operating rod is configured to receive an operating cord (operating cord 72 in the example of the third embodiment described later) for rotating the drive shaft, and a tubular portion, through which the operating cord is inserted together with the operating rod, is provided at the top of the operating grip, either integrally with or separately from the operating grip, and the operating grip is movably positioned at the lower end side of the operating rod within a range in which the tubular portion engages with the operating rod so as to be able to move relatively, and the operation transmission means is characterized by having a means for operating the movement of the operating cord by pulling the operating grip without exposing it to the outside from the operating rod and the tubular portion, and a biasing means (power spring 74 in the example of the third embodiment described later) for automatically returning the operating grip to the lower end position of the operating rod when the operating grip is not pulled.

[0012] Furthermore, in the shielding device of the present invention, the operating rod is configured so that an operating cord (operating cord 72 in a modified example of the third embodiment described later) for rotating the drive shaft is inserted therethrough, and a tubular portion, through which the operating cord is inserted together with the operating rod, is provided at the top of the operating grip, either integrally with or separately from the operating grip, and the operating grip is movably positioned on the lower end side of the operating rod within a range in which the tubular portion engages with the operating rod so as to be able to move relatively to the operating rod, and the tubular portion is engaged with the operating rod so as to be able to move relatively to the operating rod along the outside of the operating rod so as to be grippable, and the operating grip is configured so that it can slide relatively to the operating rod by a pulling operation performed by gripping the tubular portion without the need to grip it, and the operation transmission means is characterized by having: a means for operating the movement of the operating cord by a pulling operation of the operating grip or the tubular portion without exposing it to the outside from the operating rod and the tubular portion; and an urging means (a spiral spring 74 in a modified example of the third embodiment described later) that automatically returns the operating grip to the lower end position of the operating rod when the operating grip is not pulled.

[0013] In the shading device of the present invention, the operating grip instead of The locking means is configured as a locking means for locking a part of the operation cord ("cord stopper 9S" in an application example of a modified example of the third embodiment described later), and has an ungraspable shape. A cord stopper is provided. The operation transmission means includes a means for operating the movement of the operation cord by pulling the cylindrical portion without exposing the operation cord to the outside from the operation rod and the cylindrical portion, and a means for transmitting the operation cord to the lower end position of the operation rod when the cylindrical portion is not pulled. Cord stopper and a biasing means for automatically returning the

[0014] Furthermore, in the shading device of the present invention, the operating device has, as the operation transmission means, an operating shaft, an operating pulley that is arranged non-rotatably around the operating shaft as its axis and that has the upper end of an operating cord attached thereto and rotates so as to be able to wind up, a biasing means that constantly biases the operating shaft in a predetermined rotational biasing direction, and a clutch unit that, when the operating cord is moved by a pulling operation along the operating rod using the operating grip to which the lower end of the operating cord inserted into the operating rod is attached, thereby rotating the operating shaft in one direction that is opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the biasing means, transmits the rotation of the operating shaft in that one direction to the drive shaft and does not transmit the rotation of the operating shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction to the drive shaft, and the operating grip is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod so as to be able to move relatively along the operating rod, and allows the movement of the operating cord to be operated without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod, and is configured to automatically return to a predetermined position by the biasing means when not pulled.

[0015] Furthermore, in the shading device of the present invention, the operating device comprises, as the operation transmission means, an operating shaft, an operating pulley that is arranged non-rotatably around the operating shaft and has the upper end of the operating cord attached thereto so as to rotate so as to be able to wind up, a biasing means that constantly biases the operating shaft in a predetermined rotational biasing direction, and a clutch unit that, when the operating cord is moved by a pulling operation along the operating rod using the operating grip, which has means for magnetically attracting the lower end of the operating cord inserted into the operating rod, to rotate the operating shaft in one direction that is opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the biasing means, transmits the rotation of the operating shaft in that one direction to the drive shaft and does not transmit the rotation of the operating shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction to the drive shaft, and the operating grip is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod so as to be able to move relatively along the operating rod, and allows the movement of the operating cord to be operated without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod, and is configured to automatically return to a predetermined position by the biasing means when not pulled.

[0016] In addition, in the shading device of the present invention, the operating device includes, as the operation transmission means, an operating shaft, an operating pulley that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operating shaft as an axis center and that has an upper end of an operating cord attached thereto and rotates so as to be able to wind up, an urging means that always urges the operating shaft to rotate in a predetermined rotational urging direction, and the operating grip that has a tubular portion at its upper portion that is movable along the operating rod and to which the lower end of the operating cord inserted into the tubular portion is attached, or the operating cord is moved by pulling the tubular portion to rotate the operating shaft in one direction that is opposite to the rotational urging direction by the urging means, and the rotation of the operating shaft in that one direction is transmitted to the drive shaft. and a clutch unit that prevents rotation of the operating shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction from being transmitted to the drive shaft, wherein the tubular portion located at the top of the operating grip is movable relative to the inside or outside of the operating rod, and the operating grip is movably arranged on the lower end side of the operating rod within a range in which the tubular portion engages with the operating rod so as to be movable relative to the operating rod, and the operation cord can be slid relative to the operating rod by pulling the operating grip or the tubular portion without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod and the tubular portion, and is configured so that the operating cord is automatically returned to the lower end position of the operating rod by the biasing means when not pulled.

[0017] In addition, in the shading device of the present invention, the operation device includes, as the operation transmission means, an operation shaft, an operation pulley that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operation shaft as an axis center and that has an upper end of an operation cord attached thereto and that rotates so as to be able to wind up, and a biasing means that always biases the operation shaft in a predetermined rotation biasing direction, Cord stopper and a clutch unit that, when the operating cord is moved by pulling the cylindrical portion to rotate the operating shaft in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the biasing means, transmits the rotation of the operating shaft in the one direction to the drive shaft and does not transmit the rotation of the operating shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction to the drive shaft, Cord stopper The cylindrical portion located at the top of the operating rod is relatively movable along the inside or outside of the operating rod, Cord stopperis movably arranged at the lower end side of the operating rod within a range in which the tubular portion engages with the operating rod so as to be able to move relatively to the operating rod, and the operation cord can be slid relatively to the operating rod by pulling the tubular portion without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod and the tubular portion, and is configured so that when not pulled, the operating cord is automatically returned to the lower end position of the operating rod by the biasing means.

[0018] Further, in the shielding device of the present invention, the operating device comprises, as the operation transmission means, an operating shaft, an operating pulley that is arranged non-rotatably around the operating shaft as an axis and has an endless transmission member hung thereon and that rotates the endless transmission member so as to be circumferentially movable, a biasing means that constantly biases the operating shaft in a predetermined rotational biasing direction, and a clutch unit that, when the endless transmission member, which is inserted circumferentially movably within the operating rod, is rotated in one direction that is opposite to the rotational biasing direction by the biasing means by pulling the operating grip along the operating rod, the rotation of the operating shaft in that one direction is transmitted to the drive shaft and the rotation of the operating shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction is not transmitted to the drive shaft, and the operating grip is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod so as to be movably along the operating rod, and the circular movement of the endless transmission member can be operated without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod, and is configured to automatically return to a predetermined position by the biasing means when not pulled.

[0019] Further, in the shading device of the present invention, the operation transmission means of the operating device includes an operating shaft, a driven bevel gear that rotates with the rotation of the operating shaft, a biasing means that constantly biases the operating shaft in a predetermined rotation biasing direction, a torsion rod that rotates around its axis within the operating rod when the operating grip is pulled along the operating rod, a drive bevel gear that rotates with the rotation of the torsion rod, and a transmission gear mechanism configured so that the drive bevel gear and the driven bevel gear mesh with each other when the operating grip is pulled along the operating rod. and a clutch unit that, when the operating shaft is rotated in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction by the biasing means, transmits the rotation of the operating shaft in that one direction to the drive shaft and does not transmit the rotation of the operating shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction to the drive shaft; and the operating grip is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod so as to be movable relatively along the operating rod, allowing the axial rotation of the torsion rod to be operated without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod, and is configured to automatically return to a predetermined position by the biasing means when not being pulled.

[0020] In the shading device of the present invention, the operating grip , or the cord stopper The present invention is characterized in that a movable range limiting member is provided on the operating rod to limit the upper and / or lower movable limit positions of the operating rod by external setting.

[0021] In the shading device of the present invention, the operating grip , or the cord stopper The operating rod has a means for engaging with the operating rod so as not to be axially rotatable relative to the operating rod. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, as a shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material suspended and supported on a head box by manually rotating a drive shaft, the shielding material can be opened and closed using an operating grip along an operating rod, eliminating the need to use an operating cord, or even if the shielding material is opened and closed using an operating cord, the operating cord will not always be exposed to the outside of the operating rod, thereby improving the safety and design of the manual operation that opens and closes the shielding material. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(a) is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device of a first embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 1(b) is a front view showing the schematic configuration of a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device of a first embodiment according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1(a) is a cross-sectional front view showing a simplified view of a portion of the configuration of an operating device in a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1(b) and FIG. 1(c) are an exploded perspective view and a cross-sectional perspective view, respectively, showing a simplified view of the general configuration of an operating rod and operating grip for the operating device in the first embodiment; and FIG. 1(d) is an exploded perspective view showing a simplified view of the general configuration of an operating rod and operating grip for a modified example. [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device of a first embodiment according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 1(a) and 1(b) are front views illustrating the movable operation of an operating grip relative to an operating rod of an operating device in a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1(a) is a cross-sectional front view illustrating the movable range of an operating grip relative to an operating rod of an operating device in a horizontal blind constituting a shading device of the first embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional front view illustrating the movable range of a modified example of an operating grip relative to an operating rod of an operating device in the first embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 1(a) is an exploded perspective view showing a simplified schematic configuration of an operating rod and an operating grip for an operating device in a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device of a second embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 1(b) and (c) are cross-sectional front views for explaining the movable operation of the operating grip relative to the operating rod for the operating device in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10A is a cross-sectional front view showing a simplified view of a portion of the configuration of an operating device in a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10B and FIG. 10C are an exploded perspective view and a cross-sectional perspective view, respectively, showing a simplified view of the general configuration of an operating rod and an operating grip for the operating device in the third embodiment. [Figure 8] 10(a) to 10(c) are cross-sectional side views illustrating the movable operation of an operating grip relative to an operating rod of an operating device in a shading device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] 10A is a cross-sectional front view showing a simplified view of a portion of the configuration of an operating device in a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device according to a modified example of the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10B and FIG. 10C are an exploded perspective view and a cross-sectional perspective view, respectively, showing a simplified view of the general configuration of an operating rod and an operating grip for the operating device according to a modified example of the third embodiment. [Figure 10] 10(a) and 10(b) are cross-sectional side views illustrating the movable operation of an operating grip relative to an operating rod of an operating device in a shading device according to a third embodiment and a modified example thereof, respectively. [Figure 11] 10(a) and 10(b) are cross-sectional side views illustrating an example and an application example of an operating grip for an operating rod of an operating device in a shading device according to a modified example of the third embodiment. [Figure 12] 10A is a cross-sectional front view showing a simplified view of a portion of the configuration of an operating device in a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device of the fourth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10B is an exploded oblique view showing a simplified view of the general configuration of an operating rod and operating grip of the operating device in the fourth embodiment; and FIG. 10C is a cross-sectional side view showing the general configuration of the shading device of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13]10(a) to 10(c) are cross-sectional side views illustrating the movable operation of an operating grip relative to an operating rod of an operating device in a shading device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] (a) is a cross-sectional front view showing a simplified view of a portion of the configuration of an operating device in a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, (b) is an exploded oblique view showing a simplified view of the general configuration of an operating rod and operating grip for the operating device in the fifth embodiment, and (c) is a cross-sectional side view showing the general configuration of the shading device of the fifth embodiment. [Figure 15] 10(a) to 10(c) are cross-sectional side views illustrating the movable operation of an operating grip relative to an operating rod of an operating device in a shading device according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, horizontal blinds configured as shading devices according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described. In this specification, with respect to the front view of the horizontal blind shown in Fig. 1(b), the upper and lower sides in the figure are defined as the upper direction (or upper side) and the lower direction (or lower side), respectively, and the left side in the figure is defined as the left side of the horizontal blind, and the right side in the figure is defined as the right side of the horizontal blind. Furthermore, with respect to the front view of the horizontal blind shown in Fig. 1(b), the side that is viewed is defined as the front side (or indoor side), and the opposite side is defined as the rear side (or outdoor side).

[0025] [First embodiment] Fig. 1(a) is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of a horizontal blind constituting a shading device of a first embodiment according to the present invention, and Fig. 1(b) is a front view showing the schematic configuration of a horizontal blind constituting a shading device of a first embodiment according to the present invention. However, the shading device according to the present invention may be a horizontal blind having, as a shading material, multiple tiers of slats 3 with a bottom rail 4 at the lower end, or may be a pleated screen having a dogleg-shaped or honeycomb-shaped foldable screen as a shading material, a roll screen having a rollable screen as a shading material, or a Roman shade having a foldable screen as a shading material, as long as it is a shading device that opens and closes the shading material by rotating a drive shaft 11 using an operating cord 72 with an end.

[0026] The horizontal blind configured as a shading device of the first embodiment shown in Figure 1 has multiple tiers of slats 3 supported by ladder cords 10 hanging from the vicinity of both the left and right sides of the head box 1 and from the center, and a bottom rail 4 suspended from the lower end of the ladder cords 10.

[0027] A tilt drum 6 that suspends a ladder cord 10 is arranged inside the head box 1, and a tilt drive shaft 12 that rotates the tilt drum 6 and tilts the slats 3 is inserted through the axial center of the tilt drum 6 so as not to rotate relative to the tilt drum 6.

[0028] An operating device 7 (details will be described later) is disposed on the right end side of the head box 1, and the operating device 7 in this example is provided with a gear mechanism 76 that transmits rotation of the tilt drive shaft 12 by axial rotation of an operating rod 8 that is suspended so as to be rotatable relative to the head box 1. The gear mechanism 76 is further provided with a brake device (not shown) that applies a predetermined braking force to the tilt drive shaft 12 to maintain the rotational state of the tilt drive shaft 12 when the tilt operation of the slat 3 is not being operated. Therefore, the slat 3 can be tilted to a desired angle by axial rotation of the operating rod 8.

[0029] In addition, a plurality of lifting cords 2 hang down from the head box 1 alongside some of the ladder cords 10 suspended from the head box 1, and a bottom rail 4 is attached to the lower end of each lifting cord 2. The upper end of each lifting cord 2 is attached to a winding drum 5 disposed respectively within the head box 1, and by winding or unwinding each lifting cord 2 by each winding drum 5, the bottom rail 4 can be raised or lowered so as to fold or unfold the slats 3. A lifting drive shaft 11 is inserted through the central axis of the winding drum 5.

[0030] The operating device 7 of this embodiment has an operating grip 9 that slides relative to an operating rod 8 suspended from the head box 1, and an operation transmission means for rotating the lifting drive shaft 11 by the sliding movement of the operating grip 9. More specifically, the operating device 7 of this embodiment includes, as the operation transmission means, an operating shaft 71, an operating pulley 73 that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operating shaft 71 as an axis and has the upper end of an operating cord 72 attached thereto so as to rotate so as to be able to wind up, a spiral spring 74 (biasing means) that always biases the operating shaft 71 in a predetermined rotation biasing direction (the direction in which the operating pulley 73 winds up the operating cord 72), and a power spring 74 (biasing means) that biases the operating shaft 71 in a predetermined rotation biasing direction (the direction in which the operating pulley 73 winds up the operating cord 72), and a power spring 74 that biases the operating shaft 71 in a predetermined rotation biasing direction (the direction in which the operating pulley 73 winds up the operating cord 72) by pulling along the operating rod 8 with the operating grip 9 attached to the lower end of the operating cord 72 that is inserted into the operating rod 8. When the operating shaft 71 is moved to rotate in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the power spring 74, the rotation of the operating shaft 71 in that direction is transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11, and the rotation in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction of the operating shaft 71 is not transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11. In this example, the clutch unit 75 is equipped with a gear mechanism 76 related to the tilting operation of the slat 3 described above, and a transmission gear mechanism 77 provided between the operating shaft 71 and the input shaft 74a of the clutch unit 75 to connect them and enable rotational speed conversion, etc.

[0031] The lower end of the operating cord 72 is inserted into the hollow operating rod 8 and is attached to an operating grip 9 that is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod 8 so as to be movable relatively along the operating rod 8. The operating grip 9 is slidable along the operating rod 8, but in this example, it is engaged with the operating rod 8 so as not to be able to rotate about its axis relative to the operating rod 8. Therefore, by gripping the operating grip 9 and rotating the operating rod 8 about its axis, the slat 3 can be tilted to the desired angle. In addition, a stopper 8a is provided at the lower end of the operating rod 8 to restrict the lower limit of relative movement of the operating grip 9.

[0032] 2(a) simply illustrates a portion of the configuration of the operating device 7 related to the operation of raising and lowering the shielding material (the operating shaft 71, operating cord 72, operating pulley 73, power spring 74, clutch unit 75, and transmission gear mechanism 77). In this embodiment, the transmission gear mechanism 77 is made up of a drive gear 77a that rotates integrally with the operating shaft 71 and a driven gear 77b that meshes with the drive gear 77a, and the driven gear 77b is connected to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75. In addition, the lifting drive shaft 11 is connected to the output shaft (not shown) of the clutch unit 75 so as not to rotate relative to it. The power spring 74 always rotates in the direction in which the operating pulley 73 winds up the operating cord 72 relative to the operating shaft 71 (the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2(a)). Therefore, when the operating grip 9 is not being pulled, the operating cord 72 is always wound up around the operating pulley 73.

[0033] In this example, as shown in Figure 2(a), the transmission gear mechanism 77 is configured with two gears, a drive gear 77a and a driven gear 77b, so that when the operating grip 9 is pulled, the rotational direction of the operating pulley 73 and the operating shaft 71 (opposite the rotational force of the power spring 74) rotates in the opposite direction to the rotational direction of the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75, and only the rotational direction of the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75 at this time is transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11 by the function of the clutch unit 75. However, it is also possible to interpose a transmission gear (not shown) between the drive gear 77a and the driven gear 77b of the transmission gear mechanism 77, or to omit the installation of the transmission gear mechanism 77 itself and connect the operation shaft 71 to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75, so that the rotation direction of the operation pulley 73 and the operation shaft 71 when the operation grip 9 is pulled (the opposite direction to the rotational bias of the power spring 74) and the rotation direction of the lifting drive shaft 11 at this time are the same. Therefore, it is only necessary to have a configuration in which the rotation of the operation shaft 71 is transmitted to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75, and various other configurations are also possible.

[0034] 2(b) and 2(c) each show a simplified schematic configuration of the operating rod 8 and operating grip 9 of the operating device 7 of this embodiment. In this example, the operating rod 8 has a hexagonal rod-like outer shape, has a hollow portion 81 through which the operating cord 72 can be inserted, and has two slits 82 formed over almost the entire length of the operating rod 8 in the longitudinal direction. In addition, two insertion holes 92 are formed at the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, allowing the two slits 82 of the operating rod 8 to respectively insert through the outer wall that is bifurcated by the two slits 82, so that the bifurcated outer wall of the operating rod 8 can penetrate into the inside of the operating grip 9 from the top to the bottom of the operating grip 9. Furthermore, a locking hole 91 is formed at the center of the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, through which the lower end of the operating cord 72 can be inserted and locked with a knot or the like.

[0035] Therefore, the lower end of the operating cord 72 is inserted into the hollow operating rod 8 and attached to the operating grip 9, and the operating grip 9 is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod 8 so as to be relatively movable along the operating rod 8. For this reason, the operating grip 9 is slidable along the operating rod 8, but in this example, it is engaged with the operating rod 8 so as not to be able to rotate about its axis relatively, and the operating grip 9 is slidable along the operating rod 8, so that the operating cord 72 can be moved by pulling the operating grip 9 to open or close the shielding material without the operating cord 72 being exposed to the outside from the operating rod 8, and the slats 3 can be tilted by rotating the axis of the operating rod 8 while gripping the operating grip 9. In the example of this embodiment shown in Figures 2(b) and (c), the operating grip 9 is provided with insertion holes 92 that allow the two slits 82 of the operating rod 8 to be inserted into the outer wall, which is bifurcated into two, but as shown in the modified example in Figure 2(d), the operating grip 9 may also be provided with one slit 82 in the operating rod 8 and one insertion hole 92 that allows the outer wall of this operating rod 8 to be inserted into it.

[0036] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional side view illustrating the schematic configuration of the horizontal blind that constitutes the shading device of this embodiment, and Figures 4(a) and (b) show front views for explaining the movable operation of the operating grip 9 relative to the operating rod 8 of the operating device 7 in this embodiment.

[0037] 3 and 4, by pulling the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8 (see FIG. 4(a)), the operating cord 72 is moved, causing the operating pulley 73 to rotate in a direction against the rotational biasing force of the spiral spring 74. The rotation of the operating pulley 73 in response to the pulling operation of the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8 causes the operating shaft 71 to rotate in the same direction as the rotation of the operating pulley 73 against the rotational biasing force of the spiral spring 74, causing the lifting drive shaft 11 to rotate via the clutch unit 75, and the lifting cords 2 to be wound up by the winding drums 5, thereby lifting the bottom rail 4.

[0038] 1, a predetermined stopper device 13 is provided inside the head box 1 to apply a braking force to lock the rotation of the lifting drive shaft 11 in one direction (in this example, the rotation direction of the lifting drive shaft 11 corresponding to the lowering of the bottom rail 4). Therefore, by operating the stopper device 13, the bottom rail 4 can be positioned at a desired position, and the slats 3 can be opened or closed as desired.

[0039] On the other hand, when the pulling operation on the operating grip 9 is stopped (see FIG. 4(b)), for example, by releasing the operating grip 9, the operating cord 72 is wound up onto the operating pulley 73 by the rotational biasing force of the power spring 74, and the operating grip 9 mechanically automatically rises along the operating rod 8 to a predetermined position (in this example, near the upper end of the operating rod 8). The rotation of the operating shaft 71 in the direction in which the operating cord 72 is wound up onto the operating pulley 73 is not transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11 by the function of the clutch unit 75, and therefore the lifting drive shaft 11 is locked by the operation of the stopper device 13, so the open / closed state at the time when the pulling operation on the operating grip 9 was stopped and released is maintained. Furthermore, by pulling the operating grip 9 slightly, the lock caused by the operation of the stopper device 13 is released, allowing the slats 3 and bottom rail 4 to descend under their own weight.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 1, a speed adjusting device 14 is provided inside the head box 1. The speed adjusting device 14 is a device that limits the movement of the lifting cord 2 to a predetermined speed or less when the bottom rail 4 descends under its own weight. However, the installation of this speed adjusting device 14 itself may be omitted.

[0041] FIG. 5(a) is a cross-sectional front view illustrating the range of movement of the operating grip 9 relative to the operating rod 8 of the operating device 7 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5(a), in this embodiment, the operating grip 9 is movable within a range (shown as "L1") from near the upper end of the operating rod 8 to a stopper 8a that restricts the lower limit of relative movement of the operating grip 9. However, the upper limit of movement of the operating grip 9 can be determined by the upper end position of the slit 82. For example, instead of the upper limit of movement being near the upper end of the operating rod 8, the upper limit of movement can be configured to be approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5(b), a movable range restricting member 15 that is detachable from the operating rod 8 may be provided to restrict the upper limit of movement of the operating grip 9 relative to the operating rod 8 by external setting. In the modified example shown in FIG. 5(b), a movable range limiting member 15 is provided on the operating rod 8 above the operating grip 9 so that the upper limit of the movable position of the operating grip 9 can be restricted by external settings, and the operating grip 9 can be moved within a range ("L2" in the figure) from the movable range limiting member 15 on the operating rod 8 to the stopper 8a. Although not shown, a separate detachable movable range limiting member 15 may be provided on the operating rod 8 below the operating grip 9 so that the lower limit of the movable position of the operating grip 9 can be restricted by external settings. The movable range limiting member 15 allows the operator to set the movable range of the operating grip 9 to a desired position, improving convenience.

[0042] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the shielding device opens and closes the shielding material (in this example, the slat 3 having the bottom rail 4 at the lower end) suspended and supported on the head box 1 by manually rotating the lifting drive shaft 11, and the shielding material can be opened and closed by pulling the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8. Furthermore, even when the shielding material is opened and closed using the operating cord 72, the operating cord 72 is not always exposed to the outside of the operating rod 8. This makes it possible to improve the safety and design of the manual operation for opening and closing the shielding material.

[0043] Second Embodiment Fig. 6(a) is an exploded perspective view showing a simplified schematic configuration of an operating rod 8 and operating grip 9 of an operating device 7 in a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 6(b) and 6(c) are sectional front views for explaining the movable operation of the operating grip 9 relative to the operating rod 8 of the operating device 7 in the second embodiment. In Fig. 6, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those in the first embodiment.

[0044] The second embodiment shown in Fig. 6 differs from the first embodiment described above in that the configurations of the operating rod 8 and the operating grip 9 are different, but the other configurations including the operating device 7 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following mainly describes only the configurations and operations of the operating rod 8 and the operating grip 9 shown in Fig. 6.

[0045] First, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the operating rod 8 in this embodiment has a hexagonal rod-shaped outer shape and a hollow portion 81 through which the operating cord 72 can be inserted, as in the first embodiment. However, unlike the first embodiment, the operating rod 8 does not have a slit 82 as shown in FIG. 2(b). In this embodiment shown in FIG. 6(a), an annular magnet 72a is supported (or may be locked) at the lower end of the operating cord 72 by a knot or the like. This magnet 72a is sized to be movable within the hollow portion 81 of the operating rod 8. Furthermore, a hexagonal insertion hole 92 is provided at the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, through which the hexagonal rod-shaped outer shape of the operating rod 8 can be inserted, allowing the hexagonal rod-shaped outer wall of the operating rod 8 to penetrate into the inside of the operating grip 9 from the top to the bottom of the operating grip 9. Furthermore, a magnetic material 93, such as an iron plate, is fitted into the peripheral wall forming the insertion hole 92 at the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9.

[0046] Therefore, magnet 72a provided at the lower end of operation cord 72 is inserted into hollow operation rod 8, operation grip 9 is movably disposed on the outer surface of operation rod 8 so as to be relatively movable along operation rod 8, and when magnet 72a is magnetically attracted by magnetic material 93 of operation grip 9 as shown in Fig. 6(b), operation cord 72 can be moved by pulling operation of operation grip 9 along operation rod 8 as shown in Fig. 6(c). Thus, in this embodiment as well, operation grip 9 can slide along operation rod 8, but in this example, it is engaged with operation rod 8 so as not to rotate about its axis relatively, and operation grip 9 can slide along operation rod 8, and by pulling operation of operation grip 9, operation cord 72 can be moved to open or close the shielding material without exposing operation cord 72 to the outside from operation rod 8, and slat 3 can be tilted by rotating the axis of operation rod 8 while gripping operation grip 9. In the example of this embodiment shown in Figure 6, an example has been described in which a magnet 72a is provided at the lower end of the operating cord 72 and a magnetic material 93 is provided on the operating grip 9, but it is also possible to configure the operating cord 72 so that a magnetic material 93 is provided at the lower end of the operating cord 72 and a magnet 72a is provided on the operating grip 9.

[0047] 2(a) , the operating device 7 in this embodiment is also configured to have the same components as those shown in Fig. 2(a) and to have an operating grip 9 that slides relatively to an operating rod 8 suspended from the head box 1, and an operation transmission means for rotating the lifting drive shaft 11 by the sliding movement of the operating grip 9. More specifically, the operating device 7 in this embodiment has, as the operation transmission means, an operating shaft 71, an operating pulley 73 that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operating shaft 71 as the axis center and has the upper end of an operating cord 72 attached thereto so as to rotate so as to be able to wind up, a spiral spring 74 (biasing means) that always biases the operating shaft 71 in a predetermined rotation biasing direction (the direction in which the operating pulley 73 winds up the operating cord 72), and an operating grip 9 that has a means for magnetically attracting the lower end of the operating cord 72 inserted into the operating rod 8, and is operated by pulling along the operating rod 8 with the operating shaft 71. When the cord 72 is moved to rotate the operating shaft 71 in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the power spring 74, the rotation of the operating shaft 71 in that direction is transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11, and the rotation in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction of the operating shaft 71 is not transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11. In this example, the clutch unit 75 is equipped with a gear mechanism 76 related to the tilting operation of the slat 3 described above, and a transmission gear mechanism 77 provided between the operating shaft 71 and the input shaft 74a of the clutch unit 75 to connect them to enable rotational speed conversion, etc.

[0048] 2(a), the present embodiment may also be configured such that a transmission gear is interposed between the drive gear 77a and the driven gear 77b of the transmission gear mechanism 77 (not shown), or the transmission gear mechanism 77 itself is omitted and the operation shaft 71 is connected to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75, so that the rotational direction of the operation pulley 73 and the operation shaft 71 when the operation grip 9 is pulled (the opposite direction to the rotational bias of the power spring 74) is the same as the rotational direction of the lifting drive shaft 11 at this time. Therefore, as long as the rotation of the operation shaft 71 is transmitted to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75, various other configurations are possible.

[0049] As described above, in this embodiment, the lower end of the operating cord 72 is inserted into the hollow operating rod 8 and is magnetically attracted to the operating grip 9 that is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod 8 so as to be movable relatively along the operating rod 8. The operating grip 9 is slidable along the operating rod 8, but in this example, is engaged with the operating rod 8 so as not to rotate about its axis relative to the operating rod 8. Therefore, the slat 3 can be tilted to a desired angle by rotating the operating rod 8 about its axis while gripping the operating grip 9. Furthermore, in the case of a configuration in which tilt operation of the slat 3 is not possible using the operating grip 9 but is possible using only the operating rod 8, or in the case of a shading device that does not require tilt operation, the operating grip 9 may be slidable along the operating rod 8 but engaged so as to be rotatable about its axis relative to the operating rod 8.

[0050] 5 relating to the first embodiment, a movable range limiting member 15 may be provided on the operating rod 8 to externally limit the upper and / or lower movable limit positions of the operating grip 9. The movable range limiting member 15 allows the operator to set the movable range of the operating grip 9 to a desired position, thereby improving convenience.

[0051] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the shielding device opens and closes the shielding material (in this example, the slat 3 having the bottom rail 4 at the lower end) suspended and supported on the head box 1 by manually rotating the lifting drive shaft 11, and the shielding material can be opened and closed by pulling the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8. Furthermore, even when the shielding material is opened and closed using the operating cord 72, the operating cord 72 is not always exposed to the outside of the operating rod 8. This makes it possible to improve the safety and design of the manual operation for opening and closing the shielding material.

[0052] Third Embodiment Fig. 7(a) is a sectional front view showing a simplified partial configuration of an operating device 7 in a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 7(b) and 7(c) are an exploded perspective view and a sectional perspective view, respectively, showing a simplified schematic configuration of an operating rod 8 and an operating grip 9 associated with the operating device 7 in the third embodiment. Also, Figs. 8(a) to 8(c) are sectional side views for explaining the movable operation of the operating grip 9 relative to the operating rod 8 associated with the operating device 7 in the shading device of the third embodiment. In Figs. 7 and 8, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as in the first embodiment.

[0053] 7 and 8 differs from the first embodiment in that the configurations of the operating rod 8 and the operating grip 9 are different, but the other configurations including the operating device 7 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following mainly describes the configurations and operations of the operating rod 8 and the operating grip 9 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0054] First, as shown in Fig. 7(a), in this embodiment, except for the configuration related to the operation rod 8 and the operation grip 9, the operation device 7 itself has the same components as those shown in Fig. 2(a), and is configured to have an operation grip 9 that slides relatively to the operation rod 8 suspended from the head box 1, and an operation transmission means for rotating the lifting drive shaft 11 by the sliding movement of the operation grip 9. More specifically, the operation device 7 of this embodiment is configured to have, as the operation transmission means, an operation shaft 71, an operation pulley 73 that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operation shaft 71 and has the upper end of an operation cord 72 attached thereto so as to rotate so as to be able to wind up, a spiral spring 74 (biasing means) that always biases the operation shaft 71 to rotate in a predetermined rotation biasing direction (the direction in which the operation pulley 73 winds up the operation cord 72), and a pull operation using the operation grip 9 to which the lower end of the operation cord 72 inserted inside the operation rod 8 is attached, which moves the operation cord 72 and moves the operation shaft 71 to the spiral spring 74. When the operating shaft 71 is rotated in one direction opposite to the rotational force direction of the screw 74, the rotation in that direction of the operating shaft 71 is transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11, and the rotation in the other direction corresponding to the rotational force direction of the operating shaft 71 is not transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11. Although not shown in Figure 7(a), this example is equipped with a gear mechanism 76 related to the tilt operation of the slat 3 described above, and a transmission gear mechanism 77 provided between the operating shaft 71 and the input shaft 74a of the clutch unit 75 to connect them and enable rotational speed conversion, etc.

[0055] Also in this embodiment, as a modified example of the operating device 7, a transmission gear (not shown) may be interposed between the drive gear 77a and the driven gear 77b of the transmission gear mechanism 77, or the installation of the transmission gear mechanism 77 itself may be omitted and the operating shaft 71 may be connected to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75, so that the rotational direction of the operating pulley 73 and the operating shaft 71 when the operating grip 9 is pulled (the opposite direction to the rotational bias of the power spring 74) is the same as the rotational direction of the lifting drive shaft 11 at this time. Therefore, any configuration may be used as long as the rotation of the operating shaft 71 is transmitted to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75.

[0056] As shown in Figures 7(a) to (c), the operating rod 8 in this embodiment has a hexagonal rod-like outer shape as in the first embodiment, but in this example it has a hexagonal hole-like hollow portion 81 through which the operating cord 72 can be inserted, and furthermore, unlike the first embodiment, the operating rod 8 does not have a slit 82 as shown in Figure 2(b), and the lower end of the operating rod 8 does not have a retaining member 8a as in the first embodiment, and the hexagonal hole-like hollow portion 81 penetrates from the upper end to the lower end of the operating rod 8.

[0057] 7(a) to 7(c), a hexagonal tubular portion 94 is fixedly formed on the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, extending upward a predetermined length from the center of the top of the upper end, and this tubular portion 94 has a hollow portion 95 into which the operating cord 72 can be inserted, and is capable of being engaged and housed in hollow portion 81 of the operating rod 8, making it movable relative to the operating rod 8. Furthermore, a locking hole 91 is provided in the center of the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, through which the lower end of the operating cord 72 can be inserted via hollow portion 95 of tubular portion 94 and locked with a knot or the like. Therefore, the operating grip 9 is located on the lower end side of the operating rod 8.

[0058] When the operating grip 9 is not being pulled, the power spring 74 constantly urges the operating pulley 73 to rotate relative to the operating shaft 71 in the direction of winding up the operating cord 72, so that the operating grip 9 is positioned at the lower end of the operating rod 8.

[0059] 8(a), when the bottom rail 4 is at its lowest position, the operating grip 9 can be pulled at the lower end of the operating rod 8 within a range in which a tubular portion 94 extending upward from the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9 engages with the operating rod 8 so as to be relatively movable. Here, in this embodiment, the upper limit of the movable position of the operating grip 9 is a position where it abuts against the lower end of the operating rod 8, and the lower limit of the movable position of the operating grip 9 is limited by the length of the operating cord 72 so that the tubular portion 94 does not slip out of the operating rod 8.

[0060] It is also possible to provide a stopper to prevent the tubular portion 94 from slipping out of the operating rod 8. For example, a slit (not shown) may be provided in the operating rod 8 in its longitudinal direction, and a protrusion (not shown) may be provided on the tubular portion 94 that engages with the slit and protrudes outward to the outer wall of the operating rod 8, so that the protrusion of the tubular portion 94 can move within a range in which it engages with the slit of the operating rod 8 and is relatively movable, thereby limiting the movable range of the operating grip 9. In such a configuration, the movable range limiting member 15 described with reference to Figure 5 according to the first embodiment may be provided on the operating rod 8 so as to be able to abut against the protrusion of the tubular portion 94, so that the upper and / or lower movable limit positions of the operating grip 9 can be externally limited.

[0061] 8(a), as shown in FIG. 8(b), the operating grip 9 moves relative to the operating rod 8 within a range in which a cylindrical portion 94 extending upward from the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9 engages with the operating rod 8 so as to be relatively movable relative to the operating rod 8, and the operating pulley 73 can be rotated in a direction against the rotational biasing force of the spiral spring 74. The rotation of the operating pulley 73 in response to the pulling of the operating grip 9 causes the operating shaft 71 to rotate in the same direction as the rotation of the operating pulley 73 against the rotational biasing force of the spiral spring 74, rotating the lifting drive shaft 11 via the clutch unit 75, and causing the lifting cords 2 to be wound up by the take-up drums 5, thereby lifting the bottom rail 4.

[0062] Here, as in the first embodiment, a predetermined stopper device 13 is provided inside the head box 1 to apply a braking force to the rotation of the lifting drive shaft 11 in one direction (in this example, the rotation direction of the lifting drive shaft 11 corresponding to the lowering of the bottom rail 4) to lock it (see FIG. 1). Therefore, by operating the stopper device 13, the bottom rail 4 can be positioned at a desired position, and the slats 3 can be opened or closed as desired.

[0063] When the pulling operation of the operating grip 9 is stopped and the bottom rail 4 is positioned at the desired position as shown in Figure 8(b), as shown in Figure 8(c), the operating grip 9 automatically rises mechanically to the bottom end of the operating rod 8 because the power spring 74 constantly urges the operating pulley 73 to rotate relative to the operating shaft 71 in the direction of winding up the operating cord 72. Note that the rotation of the operating shaft 71 in the direction of winding up the operating cord 72 onto the operating pulley 73 is not transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11 by the function of the clutch unit 75, so the lifting drive shaft 11 is locked by the operation of the stopper device 13, maintaining the open / closed state that was observed when the pulling operation of the operating grip 9 was stopped and the bottom rail 4 was released. Furthermore, a slight pulling operation of the operating grip 9 releases the lock caused by the operation of the stopper device 13, allowing the slats 3 and bottom rail 4 to descend under their own weight.

[0064] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the tubular portion 94 of the operating grip 9 is movably engaged with the inside of the hollow operating rod 8 so as to be able to move relatively thereto, but it is also possible to have the hollow operating rod 8 arranged inside the tubular portion 94 of the operating grip 9, and have the tubular portion 94 of the operating grip 9 movably engaged with the outside of the hollow operating rod 8 so as to be able to move relatively thereto.

[0065] 7 illustrates a shading device using slats 3 as shading materials, and therefore describes an example in which the tubular portion 94 is fixed to the operating grip 9 to enable tilting of the slats 3 using the operating grip 9. However, in the case of a shading device that does not require tilting, the tubular portion 94 may be a separate member that can be separated from the operating grip 9, and may be configured so that the tubular portion 94 rests on the upper end of the operating grip 9 under its own weight. This also results in the same opening and closing operation of the shading material as shown in FIG. 8. Furthermore, with regard to tilting of the slats 3, a configuration may be adopted in which tilting is enabled only by the operating rod 8, without enabling tilting by the operating grip 9. In this case, the tubular portion 94 may be engaged with the operating rod 8 so as to be slidable in the axial direction relative to the operating rod 8 but not rotatable relative to the axial direction.

[0066] Therefore, to explain comprehensively, a tubular portion 94 located at the upper part of the operation grip 9 is movable relative to the operation rod 8 along the inside or outside thereof, and the lower end of the operation cord 72 is inserted into the hollow operation rod 8 and then inserted into the hollow tubular portion 94 located at the upper part of the operation grip 9 and attached to the operation grip 9. The operation grip 9 is movably arranged on the lower end side of the operation rod 8 within a range in which the tubular portion 94 engages with the operation rod 8 so as to be movable relative to the operation rod 8. The tubular portion 94 located at the upper part of the operation grip 9 is slidable along the operation rod 8, but in this example, it engages with the operation rod 8 so as not to be able to rotate about its axis relative to the operation rod 8. The operation grip 9 slides along the operation rod 8, and by pulling the operation grip 9, the operation cord 72 can be moved to open or close the shielding material without the operation cord 72 being exposed to the outside from the operation rod 8 and the tubular portion 94, and the slats 3 can be tilted by rotating the axis of the operation rod 8 while gripping the operation grip 9.

[0067] Therefore, according to this embodiment, as a shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material (in this example, a slat 3 having a bottom rail 4 at its lower end) suspended and supported on a head box 1 by manually rotating an elevation drive shaft 11, the shielding material can be opened and closed by pulling an operation grip 9 that has a tubular portion 94 at its upper portion that is movable along an operation rod 8. Furthermore, even when the shielding material is opened and closed using an operation cord 72, the operation cord 72 is not always exposed to the outside of the operation rod 8 and the tubular portion 94. This makes it possible to improve the safety and design of the manual operation that opens and closes the shielding material.

[0068] [Third embodiment (modified example)] Fig. 9(a) is a sectional front view showing a simplified view of a portion of the configuration of an operating device 7 in a horizontal blind that constitutes a shading device according to a modified example of the third embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 9(b) and 9(c) are an exploded perspective view and a sectional perspective view, respectively, showing a simplified view of the general configuration of an operating rod 8 and an operating grip 9 associated with the operating device 7 in the modified example of the third embodiment. In Fig. 9, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those in the first embodiment.

[0069] The third embodiment (modified example) shown in FIG. 9 has been briefly described above as a modified example of the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, but in this embodiment, a hollow operating rod 8 is disposed inside a tubular portion 94 of an operating grip 9, and the tubular portion 94 of the operating grip 9 is movably engaged with the outside of the hollow operating rod 8 so as to be relatively movable. The third embodiment (modified example) shown in FIG. 9 is different from the first embodiment described above in terms of the configurations of the operating rod 8 and operating grip 9, but other configurations including the operating device 7 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will mainly focus on the configurations and operations of the operating rod 8 and operating grip 9 shown in FIG. 9.

[0070] First, as shown in FIG. 9(a), in the third embodiment (variant), except for the configuration related to the operation rod 8 and the operation grip 9, the operation device 7 itself has the same components as that shown in FIG. 2(a), and is configured to have an operation grip 9 that slides relative to the operation rod 8 suspended from the head box 1, and an operation transmission means for rotating the lifting drive shaft 11 by sliding the operation grip 9. However, in the third embodiment (variant), a tubular portion 94, through which the operation cord 72 is inserted together with the operation rod 8, is provided integrally with (or separately from) the operation grip 9 at the top of the operation grip 9, and the tubular portion 94 is engaged along the outside of the operation rod 8 so as to be grippable and movable relative to the operation rod 8. Therefore, the operation grip 9 in the third embodiment (variant) is configured to slide relative to the operation rod 8 by pulling the tubular portion 94 without the need to grip it.

[0071] More specifically, the operating device 7 of the third embodiment (variant) includes, as the operation transmission means, an operating shaft 71, an operating pulley 73 that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operating shaft 71 and has the upper end of an operating cord 72 attached thereto so as to rotate so as to be able to wind up the operating cord, a spiral spring 74 (biasing means) that always biases the operating shaft 71 in a predetermined rotation biasing direction (the direction in which the operating pulley 73 winds up the operating cord 72), and an operating grip 9 or a cylindrical portion 94 to which the lower end of the operating cord 72 inserted into the operating rod 8 is attached, which moves the operating cord 72 by pulling the operating shaft 71. When the operating shaft 71 is rotated in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the power spring 74, the rotation of the operating shaft 71 in that direction is transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11, and the rotation in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction of the operating shaft 71 is not transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11. Although not shown in Figure 7(a), this example is equipped with a gear mechanism 76 related to the tilt operation of the slat 3 described above, and a transmission gear mechanism 77 provided between the operating shaft 71 and the input shaft 74a of the clutch unit 75 to connect them and enable rotational speed conversion, etc.

[0072] Also, in the third embodiment (variant), as a variant of the operating device 7, a transmission gear (not shown) may be interposed between the drive gear 77a and the driven gear 77b of the transmission gear mechanism 77, or the installation of the transmission gear mechanism 77 itself may be omitted and the operating shaft 71 may be connected to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75, so that the rotational direction of the operating pulley 73 and the operating shaft 71 when the operating grip 9 is pulled (the opposite direction to the rotational bias of the spiral spring 74) is the same as the rotational direction of the lifting drive shaft 11 at this time. Therefore, any configuration may be used as long as the rotation of the operating shaft 71 is transmitted to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75.

[0073] As shown in Figures 9(a) to 9(c), the operating rod 8 in the third embodiment (variant) has a hexagonal rod-like outer shape as in the first embodiment, but in this example it has a hexagonal hole-like hollow portion 81 through which the operating cord 72 can be inserted, and furthermore, unlike the first embodiment, the operating rod 8 does not have a slit 82 as shown in Figure 2(b), and the lower end of the operating rod 8 does not have a retaining member 8a as in the first embodiment, and the hexagonal hole-like hollow portion 81 penetrates from the upper end to the lower end of the operating rod 8.

[0074] 9(a) to 9(c), a hexagonal tubular portion 94 is fixedly formed (although it may be formed separately) at the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, extending upward a predetermined length from the center of the top of the upper end, and this tubular portion 94 has a hollow portion 95 into which the operating cord 72 can be inserted, and this hollow portion 95 is engaged with the outside of the operating rod 8 so as to be movable relative to the operating rod 8. Furthermore, a locking hole 91 is provided at the center of the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, through which the lower end of the operating cord 72 can be inserted via the hollow portion 95 of the tubular portion 94 and locked with a knot or the like. Therefore, the operating grip 9 is located on the lower end side of the operating rod 8.

[0075] When the operating grip 9 is not being pulled, the power spring 74 constantly urges the operating pulley 73 to rotate relative to the operating shaft 71 in the direction of winding up the operating cord 72, so that the operating grip 9 is positioned at the lower end of the operating rod 8.

[0076] (Operation Comparison Between the Third Embodiment Shown in FIG. 7 and the Third Embodiment (Modification) Shown in FIG. 9) Figure 10(a) is a cross-sectional side view for explaining the movable operation of the operating grip 9 relative to the operating rod 8 of the operating device 7 in the shading device of the third embodiment shown in Figure 7, and Figure 10(b) is a cross-sectional side view for explaining the movable operation of the operating grip 9 relative to the operating rod 8 of the operating device 7 in the shading device of the third embodiment (variant) shown in Figure 9.

[0077] 7, for example, when the bottom rail 4 is at the lowest position as shown in Fig. 10(a-1), by gripping the operating grip 9 as shown in Fig. 10(a-2), the operating grip 9 can be pulled at the lower end of the operating rod 8 within a range in which a tubular portion 94 extending upward from the apex of the upper end of the operating grip 9 engages with the operating rod 8 so as to be able to move relatively. When the operating grip 9 is pulled from the state shown in Fig. 10(a-1), as shown in Fig. 10(a-2), the operating grip 9 moves relative to the operating rod 8 within a range in which a tubular portion 94 extending upward from the apex of the upper end of the operating grip 9 engages with the operating rod 8 so as to be able to move relatively, and the operating pulley 73 can be rotated in a direction against the rotational biasing force of the spiral spring 74. Rotation of the operating pulley 73 in response to the pulling operation of the operating grip 9 causes the operating shaft 71 to rotate in the same direction as the rotation of the operating pulley 73 against the rotational biasing force of the power spring 74, causing the lifting drive shaft 11 to rotate via the clutch unit 75, and the lifting cords 2 to be wound by the winding drums 5, thereby lifting the bottom rail 4. However, in the third embodiment shown in Fig. 7, as shown by the range of the double-headed arrow "A" in Fig. 10(a-1), the range that the operator can grasp to open or close the shielding material is limited to the range where the operating grip 9 can be grasped.

[0078] On the other hand, in the third embodiment (variant) shown in Figure 9, when the bottom rail 4 is at the lowest position as shown in Figure 10(b-1), for example, by grasping the tubular portion 94 extending upward from the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, it is possible to pull the lower end of the operating rod 8 within the range in which the tubular portion 94 engages with the operating rod 8 so as to be able to move relative to the operating grip 9, without having to grasp the operating grip 9 as shown in Figure 10(b-2).

[0079] 7 , in the third embodiment (variant) shown in FIG. 9 , the upper limit of movement of the operating grip 9 is a position where it abuts against the lower end of the operating rod 8, and the lower limit of movement of the operating grip 9 is limited by the length of the operating cord 72 so that the tubular portion 94 does not slip out of the operating rod 8. However, a stopper may be provided to prevent the tubular portion 94 from slipping out of the operating rod 8. For example, a slit (not shown) may be provided in the tubular portion 94 in its longitudinal direction, and a protrusion (not shown) may be provided on the operating rod 8 that engages with the slit and protrudes outward from the outer wall of the tubular portion 94. This configuration limits the range of movement of the operating grip 9 by allowing the protrusion of the operating rod 8 to move within a range where it engages with the slit of the tubular portion 94 relatively. In such a configuration, the movable range limiting member 15 described with reference to FIG. 5 according to the first embodiment may be provided on the tubular portion 94 so as to be able to abut against the protrusion of the operating rod 8, thereby externally restricting the upper limit and / or lower limit of movement of the operating grip 9.

[0080] 10(b-1), as shown in FIG. 10(b-2), the operating grip 9 moves relative to the operating rod 8 within a range in which the cylindrical portion 94 is engaged with the operating rod 8 so as to be relatively movable relative to the operating rod 8, and the operating pulley 73 can be rotated in a direction against the rotational biasing force of the power spring 74. The rotation of the operating pulley 73 in response to the pulling operation of the cylindrical portion 94 causes the operating shaft 71 to rotate in the same direction as the rotation of the operating pulley 73 against the rotational biasing force of the power spring 74, rotating the lifting drive shaft 11 via the clutch unit 75, and causing each lifting cord 2 to be wound up by each winding drum 5, thereby lifting the bottom rail 4. In the third embodiment (variant) shown in FIG. 9, as shown by the range of the double-headed arrows at "B" in FIG. 10(b-1), the range that the operator can grasp to open and close the shielding material is the range in which the operator can grasp the tubular portion 94 and the operating grip 9, and therefore is wider than the range that can be grasped in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 7 (the range of the double-headed arrows at "A" in FIG. 10(a-1)), thereby improving operability.

[0081] Here, as in the first embodiment, a predetermined stopper device 13 is provided inside the head box 1 to apply a braking force to the rotation of the lifting drive shaft 11 in one direction (in this example, the rotation direction of the lifting drive shaft 11 corresponding to the lowering of the bottom rail 4) to lock it (see FIG. 1). Therefore, by operating the stopper device 13, the bottom rail 4 can be positioned at a desired position, and the slats 3 can be opened or closed as desired.

[0082] 10(b-2) , when the pulling operation of the tubular portion 94 is stopped and the bottom rail 4 is positioned at the desired position, as in the example shown in FIG. 8(c) relating to the third embodiment, the power spring 74 constantly urges the operating pulley 73 to rotate relative to the operating shaft 71 in the direction of winding up the operating cord 72, so the operating grip 9 mechanically automatically rises to the bottom end of the operating rod 8. Note that the rotation of the operating shaft 71 in the direction of winding up the operating cord 72 onto the operating pulley 73 is not transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11 by the function of the clutch unit 75. Therefore, the lifting drive shaft 11 is locked by the operation of the stopper device 13, maintaining the open / closed state that was observed when the pulling operation of the tubular portion 94 was stopped and the slats 3 and bottom rail 4 were released. Furthermore, even a slight pulling operation of the tubular portion 94 releases the lock caused by the operation of the stopper device 13, allowing the slats 3 and bottom rail 4 to descend under their own weight.

[0083] In the example shown in Figure 10(b), the operation is described in which the slats 3 and bottom rail 4 can be raised and lowered by pulling the tubular portion 94, but it is also possible to raise and lower the slats 3 and bottom rail 4 by pulling the operating grip 9.

[0084] 9 illustrates a shading device using slats 3 as shielding materials, and therefore describes an example in which the tubular portion 94 is fixed to the operating grip 9 so as to enable tilting of the slats 3 using the operating grip 9 or the tubular portion 94. However, in the case of a shading device that does not require tilting, the tubular portion 94 may be a separate member that can be separated from the operating grip 9, and may be configured so that the tubular portion 94 rests on the upper end of the operating grip 9 under its own weight. This case is also similar to the opening and closing operation of the shading material shown in FIG. 10(b). Furthermore, with regard to the tilting operation of the slats 3, a configuration may be adopted in which tilting operation is possible only using the operating rod 8, without enabling tilting operation using the operating grip 9 or the tubular portion 94. In this case, the tubular portion 94 may be engaged with the operating rod 8 so as to be slidable in the axial direction relative to the operating rod 8 but not rotatable in the axial rotation direction relative to the operating rod 8. In the third embodiment (variant), when the configuration is such that tilt operation is possible using only the operating rod 8, the tubular portion 94 is configured to a length such that the operating rod 8 is always exposed above the upper end of the tubular portion 94 so that the operating rod 8 can be gripped even when the operating grip 9 is positioned at the lower end of the operating rod 8, and the operating cord 72 is configured so that it is not always exposed to the outside of the operating rod 8 and the tubular portion 94.

[0085] Therefore, according to the third embodiment (modified example) shown in Fig. 9, as a shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material (in this example, a slat 3 having a bottom rail 4 at its lower end) suspended and supported on a head box 1 by manually rotating an elevation drive shaft 11, the shielding material can be opened and closed by an operation grip 9 having a tubular portion 94 at its upper portion that is movable along an operation rod 8, or by pulling the tubular portion 94. Furthermore, even when the shielding material is opened and closed using an operation cord 72, the operation cord 72 is not always exposed to the outside of the operation rod 8 and the tubular portion 94. This makes it possible to improve the safety and design of the manual operation that opens and closes the shielding material.

[0086] [Examples and applications of the third embodiment (modification)] 9 and 10(b), a configuration has been described in which the slats 3 and bottom rail 4 can be raised and lowered by either pulling the tubular portion 94 or the operating grip 9, but it is also possible to configure the slats 3 and bottom rail 4 to be raised and lowered only by pulling the tubular portion 94. In this case, in the third embodiment (variant) of FIGS. 9 and 10(b), the operating grip 9 can be configured as a locking means for locking a part of the operating cord 72 (the lower end in this example), and can be a cord stopper 9S having a shape that cannot be grasped.

[0087] Figure 11(a) is a cross-sectional side view showing an example of an operating grip 9 for an operating rod 8 of an operating device 7 in a shading device of the third embodiment (variant) shown in Figures 9 and 10(b), and Figure 11(b) is a cross-sectional side view showing an example configured as a cord stopper 9S as an application example.

[0088] That is, with regard to the third embodiment (variant) shown in Figures 9 and 10(b) above, a preferred example is one in which, as shown in Figure 11(a), grasping the tubular portion 94 enables tilting of the slat 3 by rotating it around its axis and raising and lowering of the slat by pulling it, and further, grasping the operating grip 9 enables tilting of the slat 3 by rotating it around its axis and raising and lowering of the slat by pulling it, thereby improving operability and convenience.

[0089] 9 and 10(b), as an application example, as shown in Fig. 11(b), the slats 3 can be tilted by rotating them around their axis and raised and lowered by pulling them simply by grasping the tubular portion 94. In this case, the operating grip 9 is configured as a locking means for locking a part of the operating cord 72 (the lower end in this example) and is configured as a cord stopper 9S having a shape that cannot be grasped. This allows for a relatively neat and tidy design.

[0090] In each of the above-described embodiments (including the modified examples), a shielding device has been described in which the operating cord 72 is not always exposed to the outside of the operating rod 8 (and in addition, the cylindrical portion 94 in the third embodiment and its modified examples) when the shielding material is opened or closed using the operating cord 72, thereby improving safety and design related to the manual operation of opening and closing the shielding material. On the other hand, it is also possible to configure the shielding material to be opened and closed manually without using the operating cord 72 in the first place, thereby improving safety and design related to the manual operation. Hereinafter, specific examples of a shielding device configured to open and close a manually operated shielding material without using an operation cord 72 will be described as a fourth embodiment and a fifth embodiment.

[0091] [Fourth embodiment] Fig. 12(a) is a sectional front view showing a simplified partial configuration of an operating device 7 in a horizontal blind constituting a shading device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 12(b) is an exploded perspective view showing a simplified schematic configuration of an operating rod 8 and an operating grip 9 associated with the operating device 7 in the fourth embodiment, and Fig. 12(c) is a sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of the shading device according to the fourth embodiment. Also, Figs. 13(a) to 13(c) are sectional side views each illustrating the movable operation of the operating grip 9 relative to the operating rod 8 associated with the operating device 7 in the shading device according to the fourth embodiment. In Figs. 12 and 13, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those in the first embodiment.

[0092] 12 and 13 are similar in configuration to the first embodiment except that the configurations of the operating rod 8 and operating grip 9 are different, and that the operating device 7 has an operating pulley 78 around which an endless power transmission member 79 made of an endless (annular) string, belt, or wire is hung, instead of having an operating pulley 73 for winding up the operating cord 72. Therefore, the following mainly describes the configurations and operations of the operating rod 8 and operating grip 9, and operating device 7 shown in FIGS.

[0093] First, as shown in Figure 12(a), in this embodiment, the basic configuration of the operating device 7 is the same as that shown in Figure 2(a), except that instead of having an operating pulley 73 for winding up the operating cord 72, it has an operating pulley 78 on which an endless transmission member 79 consisting of any of an endless (annular) string, belt, and wire is hung, and is configured to have an operating grip 9 that slides relative to the operating rod 8 suspended from the head box 1, and an operation transmission means for rotating the lifting drive shaft 11 by sliding the operating grip 9. More specifically, the operation device 7 of this embodiment includes, as the operation transmission means, an operation shaft 71, an operation pulley 78 that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operation shaft 71 as an axis center and has an endless transmission member 79 (a circular string, belt, or wire) hung thereon to rotate the endless transmission member 79 so as to be circularly movable, a spiral spring 74 (biasing means) that always rotationally biases the operation shaft 71 in a predetermined rotational biasing direction, and a pulley 78 that rotates the endless transmission member 79 so as to be circularly movable. The clutch unit 75 transmits the rotation of the operating shaft 71 in one direction to the lifting drive shaft 11 when the operating shaft 71 is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the spring 74, and does not transmit the rotation in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction of the operating shaft 71 to the lifting drive shaft 11. Although not shown in Figure 12(a), this example is equipped with a gear mechanism 76 related to the tilting operation of the slat 3 described above, and a transmission gear mechanism 77 provided between the operating shaft 71 and the input shaft 74a of the clutch unit 75, which connects the operating shaft 71 and the input shaft 74a of the clutch unit 75 to enable rotational speed conversion, etc.

[0094] Also in this embodiment, as a modified example of the operating device 7, a transmission gear (not shown) may be interposed between the drive gear 77a and the driven gear 77b of the transmission gear mechanism 77, or the installation of the transmission gear mechanism 77 itself may be omitted and the operating shaft 71 may be connected to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75, so that the rotational direction of the operating pulley 78 and the operating shaft 71 when the operating grip 9 is pulled (the opposite direction to the rotational bias of the spiral spring 74) is the same as the rotational direction of the lifting drive shaft 11 at this time. Therefore, any configuration may be used as long as the rotation of the operating shaft 71 is transmitted to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75.

[0095] As shown in Figures 12(a) to (c), the operating rod 8 in this embodiment has a hexagonal rod-like external shape as in the first embodiment, but in this example has a circular hole-like hollow portion 81 through which the endless transmission member 79 is inserted so that it can rotate and move, and furthermore the operating rod 8 is provided with a slit 82 as shown in Figure 2(d), and furthermore the lower end of the operating rod 8 is provided with a stopper 8b that pivotally supports the lower end side of the endless transmission member 79 and regulates the lower limit of movement of the operating grip 9.

[0096] 12(a) to 12(c), an insertion hole 92 is provided at the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, allowing the outer wall of the operating rod 8 to be inserted therethrough, so that the outer wall of the operating rod 8 can penetrate into the interior of the operating grip 9 from the top to the bottom of the operating grip 9. Furthermore, a locking portion 96 is provided at the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, which movably engages with the slit 82 of the operating rod 8 and locks a part of the endless power transmission member 79 that is rotatable within the hollow portion 81 of the operating rod 8, thereby enabling the endless power transmission member 79 to be operated to move in a circular motion.

[0097] 12(a) to 12(c), pulling the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8 causes the operating shaft 71 to move in a circular motion, thereby rotating the operating shaft 71 in the opposite direction to the rotational biasing direction of the spiral spring 74. Furthermore, when the operating grip 9 is not being pulled, the spiral spring 74 constantly rotationally biases the operating shaft 71 in a predetermined rotational biasing direction, so the operating grip 9 is mechanically automatically returned to a predetermined position on the operating rod 8 (approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8). Note that the rotational biasing force of the spiral spring 74 according to this embodiment is set so that when the operating grip 9 is not being pulled, the operating grip 9 automatically returns to the predetermined position on the operating rod 8 shown in FIG. 12(c) (approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8). However, the upper limit of the movable position of the operating grip 9 can be determined by the upper end position of the slit 82, and as in this example, the upper limit of the movable position can be configured to be approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8.

[0098] For example, as shown in Figure 13(a), when the bottom rail 4 is at the lowest position, the operating grip 9 is located at approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8 and can be pulled along the operating rod 8. As explained with reference to Figure 5 relating to the first embodiment, a movable range limiting member 15 can be provided on the operating rod 8, and the upper and / or lower movable limit positions of the operating grip 9 can be externally set and limited.

[0099] 13(a), when the operating grip 9 is pulled, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the operating grip 9 moves downward relative to the operating rod 8, causing the operating pulley 78 to rotate in a direction against the rotational biasing force of the spiral spring 74. The rotation of the operating pulley 78 in response to the pulling of the operating grip 9 causes the operating shaft 71 to rotate in the same direction as the rotation of the operating pulley 78 against the rotational biasing force of the spiral spring 74, causing the lifting drive shaft 11 to rotate via the clutch unit 75, and the lifting cords 2 to be wound up by the winding drums 5, thereby lifting the bottom rail 4.

[0100] Here, as in the first embodiment, a predetermined stopper device 13 is provided inside the head box 1 to apply a braking force to the rotation of the lifting drive shaft 11 in one direction (in this example, the rotation direction of the lifting drive shaft 11 corresponding to the lowering of the bottom rail 4) to lock it (see FIG. 1). Therefore, by operating the stopper device 13, the bottom rail 4 can be positioned at a desired position, and the slats 3 can be opened or closed as desired.

[0101] 13(b), when the pulling operation of the operating grip 9 is stopped and the bottom rail 4 is released from the desired position, as shown in FIG. 13(c), the power spring 74 constantly urges the operating shaft 71 in a predetermined rotational biasing direction that is the opposite direction to the rotation of the operating pulley 78 in response to the pulling operation of the operating grip 9, so the operating shaft 71 mechanically automatically rises to a predetermined position on the operating rod 8 (approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8). Note that the rotation of the operating shaft 71 in the rotational biasing direction of the power spring 74 is not transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11 by the function of the clutch unit 75, so the lifting drive shaft 11 is locked by the operation of the stopper device 13, maintaining the open / closed state that was observed when the pulling operation of the operating grip 9 was stopped and the bottom rail 4 was released. Furthermore, the lock caused by the operation of the stopper device 13 is released by a slight pulling operation of the operating grip 9, allowing the slats 3 and bottom rail 4 to descend under their own weight.

[0102] In this way, in order to enable the rotation of the operating shaft 71 to be operated by the circular movement of the endless transmission member 79 disposed within the operating rod 8, the operating grip 9 is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod 8 so as to be relatively movable along the operating rod 8 and is slidable along the operating rod 8, but is engaged with the operating rod 8 so as not to be able to rotate about its axis relative to the operating rod 8. Therefore, by sliding the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8, it is possible to open or close the shielding material by circularly moving the endless transmission member 79 by pulling the operating grip 9 without exposing the endless transmission member 79 to the outside from the operating rod 8, and it is possible to tilt the slat 3 by rotating the axis of the operating rod 8 while gripping the operating grip 9.

[0103] Therefore, according to this embodiment, as a shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material (in this example, a slat 3 having a bottom rail 4 at its lower end) suspended and supported on a head box 1 by manually rotating an elevation drive shaft 11, the shielding material can be opened and closed by pulling an operation grip 9 that is movable along an operation rod 8. Furthermore, even when the shielding material is opened and closed using an endless transmission member 79 without using an operation cord 72, the endless transmission member 79 is not always exposed to the outside of the operation rod 8. This makes it possible to improve the safety and design of the manual operation that opens and closes the shielding material.

[0104] Fifth Embodiment Fig. 14(a) is a sectional front view showing a simplified partial configuration of an operating device 7 in a horizontal blind constituting a shading device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 14(b) is an exploded perspective view showing a simplified schematic configuration of an operating rod 8 and an operating grip 9 associated with the operating device 7 in the fifth embodiment, and Fig. 14(c) is a sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of the shading device according to the fifth embodiment. Also, Figs. 15(a) to 15(c) are sectional side views for explaining the movable operation of the operating grip 9 relative to the operating rod 8 associated with the operating device 7 in the shading device according to the fifth embodiment. In Figs. 14 and 15, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those in the first embodiment.

[0105] 14 and 15 are different from the first embodiment described above in that the configurations of the operating rod 8 and operating grip 9 are different, and that instead of the operating device 7 having an operating pulley 73 and transmission gear mechanism 77 for winding up the operating cord 72, the operating device 7 has a transmission gear mechanism 77S that transmits the rotation of the torsion rod 80, which rotates about its axis within the operating rod 8 when the operating grip 9 is pulled, to the rotation of the operating shaft 71. Therefore, hereinafter, the configurations and operations of the operating rod 8 and operating grip 9, and operating device 7 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 will be mainly described.

[0106] First, as shown in Figure 14(a), in this embodiment, the basic configuration of the operating device 7 is the same as that shown in Figure 2(a), except that instead of having an operating pulley 73 for winding up the operating cord 72 and a transmission gear mechanism 77, it has a transmission gear mechanism 77S that transmits the rotation of the torsion rod 80 that rotates on its axis within the operating rod 8 by pulling the operating grip 9 to the rotation of the operating shaft 71, and is configured to have an operating grip 9 that slides relative to the operating rod 8 suspended from the head box 1, and an operation transmission means for rotating the lifting drive shaft 11 by sliding the operating grip 9. More specifically, the operating device 7 of this embodiment includes, as the operation transmission means, an operating shaft 71, a driven bevel gear 77d that rotates with the rotation of the operating shaft 71 (the driven bevel gear 77d in this example is provided so as not to be rotatable relative to the operating shaft 71 as its axis, but may be provided via a gear mechanism (not shown)), a spiral spring 74 (biasing means) that always biases the operating shaft 71 in a predetermined rotation biasing direction, a torsion rod 80 that rotates about its axis within the operating rod 8 by pulling the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8, and a drive bevel gear 77c that is provided at the tip of a shaft portion 80a that rotates with the rotation of the torsion rod 80, When the operating shaft 71 is rotated in one direction opposite to the rotational bias direction of the spiral spring 74 by pulling the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8 via a transmission gear mechanism 77S configured so that the drive bevel gear 77c and the driven bevel gear 77d mesh together, the rotation of the operating shaft 71 in one direction is transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11, and the rotation in the other direction corresponding to the rotational bias direction of the operating shaft 71 is not transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11. Although not shown in Figure 14(a), this example is equipped with a gear mechanism 76 related to the tilt operation of the slat 3 described above, as in the first embodiment.

[0107] Also in this embodiment, as a modified example of the operating device 7, a gear mechanism (not shown) that converts speed can be provided between the transmission gear mechanism 77S and the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75. Therefore, it is sufficient that the rotation of the operating shaft 71 is transmitted to the input shaft 75a of the clutch unit 75 via the transmission gear mechanism 77S, and various other configurations are also possible.

[0108] 14(a) to 14(c), the operating rod 8 in this embodiment has a hexagonal rod-like external shape as in the first embodiment, but in this example has a round hole-like hollow portion 81 through which the torsion rod 80 is inserted and accommodated so as to be rotatable around its axis. Furthermore, the operating rod 8 is provided with two slits 82 as shown in FIG. 2(b), and the lower end of the operating rod 8 is provided with a stopper 8c that rotatably supports the lower end side of the torsion rod 80 and restricts the lower limit of movement of the operating grip 9. However, as a modification of this embodiment, the operating rod 8 may also be provided with a single slit 82 as shown in FIG. 2(d).

[0109] 14(a) to 14(c), two insertion holes 92 are provided at the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, allowing the two slits 82 of the operating rod 8 to pass through the outer wall that is bifurcated into two, so that the bifurcated outer wall of the operating rod 8 can penetrate through the inside of the operating grip 9 from the top to the bottom of the operating grip 9. Furthermore, a toothed groove portion 97 that meshes with a torsion groove formed around the axis of the torsion rod 80 is provided at the center of the top of the upper end of the operating grip 9, so that pulling the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8 causes the torsion rod 80 to rotate about its axis.

[0110] 14(a) to 14(c), pulling the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8 rotates the torsion rod 80 inside the operating rod 8, and the operating shaft 71 can be rotated via the transmission gear mechanism 77S in the direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the spiral spring 74. Furthermore, when the operating grip 9 is not being pulled, the spiral spring 74 constantly rotationally biases the operating shaft 71 in a predetermined rotational biasing direction, so the operating grip 9 is mechanically automatically returned to a predetermined position on the operating rod 8 (approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8). Note that the rotational biasing force of the spiral spring 74 according to this embodiment is set so that when the operating grip 9 is not being pulled, the operating grip 9 automatically returns to a predetermined position on the operating rod 8 (approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8) shown in FIG. 14(c). However, the upper end position of the slit 82 can determine the upper limit of movement of the operating grip 9, and as in this example, the upper limit of movement can be set to approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8.

[0111] For example, as shown in Figure 15(a), when the bottom rail 4 is at the lowest position, the operating grip 9 is located at approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8 and can be pulled along the operating rod 8. As explained with reference to Figure 5 relating to the first embodiment, a movable range limiting member 15 can be provided on the operating rod 8, and the upper and / or lower movable limit positions of the operating grip 9 can be externally set and limited.

[0112] 15(a), when the operating grip 9 is pulled, the operating grip 9 moves downward relative to the operating rod 8, as shown in FIG. 15(b), causing the torsion rod 80 to rotate about its axis, and causing the operating shaft 71 to rotate in the opposite direction to the rotational biasing direction of the spiral spring 74, against the rotational biasing force of the spiral spring 74. The rotation of the operating shaft 71 in response to the pulling of the operating grip 9 causes the lifting drive shaft 11 to rotate via the clutch unit 75, and the lifting cords 2 are wound up by the winding drums 5, thereby lifting the bottom rail 4.

[0113] Here, as in the first embodiment, a predetermined stopper device 13 is provided inside the head box 1 to apply a braking force to the rotation of the lifting drive shaft 11 in one direction (in this example, the rotation direction of the lifting drive shaft 11 corresponding to the lowering of the bottom rail 4) to lock it (see FIG. 1). Therefore, by operating the stopper device 13, the bottom rail 4 can be positioned at a desired position, and the slats 3 can be opened or closed as desired.

[0114] 15(b), when the pulling operation of the operating grip 9 is stopped and the operating grip 9 is released from the state in which the bottom rail 4 is positioned at the desired position, as shown in FIG. 15(c), the power spring 74 is constantly urging the operating shaft 71 to rotate in a predetermined rotational biasing direction that is the opposite direction to the rotation of the operating pulley 78 in response to the pulling operation of the operating grip 9, so that the operating shaft 71 mechanically automatically rises to a predetermined position on the operating rod 8 (approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the operating rod 8) while rotating the torsion rod 80, which rotates in the opposite direction to the pulling operation of the operating grip 9. Note that the rotation of the operating shaft 71 in the rotational biasing direction by the power spring 74 is not transmitted to the lifting drive shaft 11 by the function of the clutch unit 75, and therefore the lifting drive shaft 11 is locked by the operation of the stopper device 13, so the open / closed state at the time the pulling operation of the operating grip 9 was stopped and the operating grip 9 was released is maintained. Furthermore, by slightly pulling the operating grip 9, the lock caused by the operation of the stopper device 13 can be released, allowing the slats 3 and bottom rail 4 to descend under their own weight.

[0115] In this way, in order to make it possible to operate the rotation of the operating shaft 71 by the axial rotation of the torsion rod 80 arranged inside the operating rod 8, the operating grip 9 is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod 8 so as to be relatively movable along the operating rod 8, and is slidable along the operating rod 8, but is engaged with the operating rod 8 so as not to be able to rotate about its axis relative to the operating rod 8. For this reason, by sliding the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8, it is possible to open and close the shielding material by rotating the torsion rod 80 about its axis by pulling the operating grip 9, without exposing the torsion rod 80 to the outside from the operating rod 8, and it is possible to tilt the slats 3 by rotating the axis of the operating rod 8 while gripping the operating grip 9.

[0116] Therefore, according to this embodiment, as a shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material (in this example, a slat 3 having a bottom rail 4 at its lower end) suspended and supported on a head box 1 by manually rotating an elevation drive shaft 11, the shielding material can be opened and closed by pulling an operation grip 9 that is movable along an operation rod 8. Furthermore, even when the shielding material is opened and closed using a torsion rod 80 without using an operation cord 72, the torsion rod 80 is not always exposed to the outside of the operation rod 8. This makes it possible to improve the safety and design of the manual operation that opens and closes the shielding material.

[0117] While the present invention has been described above using specific exemplary embodiments, it is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described exemplary embodiments, the shielding material (such as slats 3) is opened and closed by utilizing the descent of the bottom rail 4 due to its own weight. However, as another example, a spring motor or the like may be provided to constantly urge the bottom rail 4 in a direction to lift it against the descent of the bottom rail 4 due to its own weight. In this case, a stopper device 13 and a clutch unit 75 may be provided to prevent the bottom rail 4 from automatically lifting. The shielding material may be lowered by pulling the operating grip 9 along the operating rod 8. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above, but is limited only by the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0118] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the safety and design of the manual operation for opening and closing the shielding material, and therefore it is useful for use in a shielding device that opens and closes the shielding material suspended and supported on a head box by manually rotating a drive shaft. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 1 head box 2 Lifting cord 3 Slats (shielding material) 4 Bottom Rail 5 Winding drum 6 tilt drum 7 Operating device 8 Control rod 8a, 8b, 8c retaining 9 Operation Grip 9S cord stopper 10 Ladder Code 11 Lifting drive shaft 12 Tilt drive shaft 13 Stopper device 14 Speed ​​regulator 15 Movable range limiting member 71 Operation axis 72 Operation Code 72a Magnet at the bottom of the operating cord 73 Operating pulley 74 Mainspring (biasing means) 75 clutch unit 75a Clutch unit input shaft 76 Gear mechanism 77 Transmission gear mechanism 77a Drive gear 77b Driven gear 77S Transmission Gear Mechanism 77c drive bevel gear 77d Driven bevel gear 78 Operating pulley 79 Endless transmission member 80 Torsion rod in the operating rod 80a Shaft of torsion rod in operating rod 81 Cavity of operating rod 82 Slit in the operating rod 91 Operating grip locking hole 92 Operation grip insertion hole 93 Magnetic material of operating grip 94 Operating grip barrel 95 Cavity of the operating grip cylinder 96 Operating grip locking part 97 Operating grip tooth groove

Claims

1. A shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material suspended and supported by a head box by manually rotating a drive shaft, a drive shaft that is rotatable to open and close the shielding material; an operating device for rotating the drive shaft to open and close the shielding material; a stopper device that can lock and unlock the rotation of the drive shaft by operating the operating device, The operating device is a shielding device characterized in that it has an operating grip that slides relative to an operating rod suspended from the head box, and an operation transmission means for rotating the drive shaft by sliding the operating grip.

2. The operating rod is configured to have a member that moves or rotates on its axis inserted therethrough in order to rotate the drive shaft, The operating grip is movably disposed on the operating rod, 2. The shading device according to claim 1, characterized in that the operation transmission means comprises: a means for operating the movement or axial rotation of the member by pulling the operating grip without exposing it to the outside from the operating rod; and a biasing means for automatically returning the operating grip to a predetermined position on the operating rod when the operating grip is not pulled.

3. The operating rod is configured to receive an operating cord for rotating the drive shaft, a cylindrical portion through which the operation cord and the operation rod are inserted is provided on an upper portion of the operation grip, either integrally with or separately from the operation grip; the operating grip is movably disposed on the lower end side of the operating rod within a range in which the cylindrical portion is engaged with the operating rod so as to be capable of moving relatively thereto; The shading device according to claim 1, characterized in that the operation transmission means comprises: a means for operating the movement of the operation cord by pulling the operation grip without exposing it to the outside from the operation rod and the tubular portion; and a biasing means for automatically returning the operation grip to the lower end position of the operation rod when the operation grip is not pulled.

4. The operating rod is configured to receive an operating cord for rotating the drive shaft, a cylindrical portion through which the operation cord and the operation rod are inserted is provided on an upper portion of the operation grip, either integrally with or separately from the operation grip; the operating grip is movably disposed on the lower end side of the operating rod within a range in which the cylindrical portion is engaged with the operating rod so as to be capable of moving relatively thereto; the cylindrical portion is engaged with the operating rod along the outer side thereof so as to be grippable and movable relative to the operating rod, and the operating grip is configured to be slidable relative to the operating rod by a pulling operation performed by gripping the cylindrical portion without the need for gripping; 2. The shading device according to claim 1, characterized in that the operation transmission means comprises: a means for operating the movement of the operation cord by pulling the operation grip or the tubular portion without exposing it to the outside from the operation rod and the tubular portion; and a biasing means for automatically returning the operation grip to the lower end position of the operation rod when the operation grip or the tubular portion is not pulled.

5. In place of the operation grip, a cord holder having an ungraspable shape is provided as a locking means for locking a part of the operation cord, The shading device according to claim 4, characterized in that the operation transmission means comprises: a means for operating the movement of the operating cord by pulling the tubular portion without exposing it to the outside from the operating rod and the tubular portion; and a biasing means for automatically returning the cord stopper to the lower end position of the operating rod when the tubular portion is not pulled.

6. The operation device includes: An operating axis; an operation pulley that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operation shaft as an axis center and that has an upper end of an operation cord attached thereto and rotates so as to be able to wind up the cord; a biasing means for constantly biasing the operating shaft in a predetermined rotational biasing direction; a clutch unit that, when the operation cord is moved by pulling the operation grip, to which the lower end of the operation cord inserted into the operation rod is attached, along the operation rod to rotate the operation shaft in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the biasing means, transmits the rotation of the operation shaft in the one direction to the drive shaft and does not transmit the rotation of the operation shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction to the drive shaft, The shading device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the operating grip is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod so as to be relatively movable along the operating rod, allowing the operation cord to be moved without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod, and is configured to automatically return to a predetermined position by the biasing means when not pulled.

7. The operation device includes: An operating axis; an operation pulley that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operation shaft as an axis center and that has an upper end of an operation cord attached thereto and rotates so as to be able to wind up the cord; a biasing means for constantly biasing the operating shaft in a predetermined rotational biasing direction; a clutch unit that, when the operation cord is moved by pulling the operation grip along the operation rod using the operation grip, which has a means for magnetically attracting the lower end of the operation cord inserted into the operation rod, to rotate the operation shaft in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the biasing means, transmits the rotation of the operation shaft in the one direction to the drive shaft and does not transmit the rotation of the operation shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction to the drive shaft, The shading device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the operating grip is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod so as to be relatively movable along the operating rod, allowing the operation cord to be moved without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod, and is configured to automatically return to a predetermined position by the biasing means when not pulled.

8. The operation device includes: An operating axis; an operation pulley that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operation shaft as an axis center and that has an upper end of an operation cord attached thereto and rotates so as to be able to wind up the cord; a biasing means for constantly biasing the operating shaft in a predetermined rotational biasing direction; the operating grip having a tubular portion at an upper portion thereof movable along the operating rod and having attached thereto a lower end of the operating cord inserted into the tubular portion, or a clutch unit which, when the operating cord is moved by pulling the tubular portion to rotate the operating shaft in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the biasing means, transmits the rotation of the operating shaft in the one direction to the drive shaft and does not transmit the rotation of the operating shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction to the drive shaft, a cylindrical portion located at an upper portion of the operation grip is relatively movable along the inside or outside of the operation rod; The shading device according to any one of claims 1, 3 and 4, characterized in that the operating grip is movably arranged on the lower end side of the operating rod within a range in which the tubular portion is engaged with the operating rod so as to be capable of moving relatively to the operating rod, and the operating cord can be slid relatively to the operating rod by pulling the operating grip or the tubular portion without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod and the tubular portion, and is configured to automatically return to the lower end position of the operating rod by the biasing means when not pulled.

9. The operation device includes: An operating axis; an operation pulley that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operation shaft as an axis center and that has an upper end of an operation cord attached thereto and rotates so as to be able to wind up the cord; a biasing means for constantly biasing the operating shaft in a predetermined rotational biasing direction; a clutch unit that, when the operating cord is moved by a pulling operation using the cylindrical portion relative to the cord stopper to rotate the operating shaft in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the biasing means, transmits the rotation of the operating shaft in the one direction to the drive shaft and does not transmit the rotation of the operating shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction to the drive shaft, The cylindrical portion located at the top of the cord stopper is relatively movable along the inside or outside of the operating rod, The shading device described in claim 5, characterized in that the cord stopper is movably arranged on the lower end side of the operating rod within a range in which the tubular portion is engaged with the operating rod so as to be able to move relatively to the operating rod, and is configured to allow the operating cord to slide relatively to the operating rod by pulling the tubular portion without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod and the tubular portion, and to automatically return to the lower end position of the operating rod by the biasing means when not pulled.

10. The operation device includes: An operating axis; an operation pulley that is provided so as not to rotate relatively around the operation shaft as an axis center and has an endless transmission member hung thereon, and that rotates the endless transmission member so as to be able to move in a circular direction; a biasing means for constantly biasing the operating shaft in a predetermined rotational biasing direction; a clutch unit that, when the endless transmission member, which is rotatably inserted within the operating rod, is rotated in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction of the biasing means by rotating the operating shaft in the one direction by pulling the operating grip along the operating rod with the endless transmission member rotatably inserted within the operating rod, transmits the rotation of the operating shaft in the one direction to the drive shaft and does not transmit the rotation of the operating shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction to the drive shaft, The shading device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the operating grip is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod so as to be relatively movable along the operating rod, allowing the circular movement of the endless transmission member to be operated without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod, and is configured to automatically return to a predetermined position by the biasing means when not pulled.

11. The operation device includes: An operating axis; a driven bevel gear that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the operating shaft; a biasing means for constantly biasing the operating shaft in a predetermined rotational biasing direction; a driving bevel gear that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the torsion rod by rotating the torsion rod about its axis by pulling the operating grip along the operating rod; a clutch unit that, when the operating shaft is rotated in one direction opposite to the rotational biasing direction by the biasing means by pulling the operating grip along the operating rod via a transmission gear mechanism configured to engage the drive bevel gear and the driven bevel gear, transmits the rotation of the operating shaft in the one direction to the drive shaft and does not transmit the rotation of the operating shaft in the other direction corresponding to the rotational biasing direction to the drive shaft, The shading device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the operating grip is movably arranged on the outer surface of the operating rod so as to be relatively movable along the operating rod, allowing the axial rotation of the torsion rod to be operated without being exposed to the outside from the operating rod, and is configured to automatically return to a predetermined position by the biasing means when not pulled.

12. A shielding device, characterized in that a movable range regulating member is provided on the operating rod to externally set the upper limit and / or lower limit of the movable position of the operating grip described in any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11, or the cord stopper described in any one of claims 5 and 9.

13. A shielding device, characterized in that the operating grip described in any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11, or the cord stopper described in any one of claims 5 and 9, has a means for engaging with the operating rod so as not to be axially rotatable relative to the operating rod.

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