Screen device

Abstract

The screen device is designed to be compact and easy to store while ensuring sufficient structural strength. [Solution] The screen device comprises a screen 1 made of a flexible material, a retaining member 10 attached to the side end of the screen 1, a guide rail 12 that slidably holds the retaining member 10 and guides the screen 1, a rail frame 11 that holds the guide rail 12, and a holder 16 that houses and supports the rail frame 11. The rail frame 11 has a housing space 15 that extends in the longitudinal direction and an opening formed along the longitudinal direction of the housing space 15. The guide rail 12 is made of metal and is fixed to the rail frame 11 when housed in the housing space 15.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liftable screen device that is attached to a window or the like of a building.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in buildings such as houses and stores, screen devices such as roll screens have been used for the purpose of shielding sunlight and providing privacy. Among this type of screen device, there is a structure in which fastener-shaped retaining members are provided on both side edges of the screen, and these are slidably engaged in guide rails, so as to prevent light leakage and insect intrusion through gaps in the screen, as well as improve sound insulation performance to ensure a quiet indoor environment (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, conventional screen devices have problems related to the winding of the screen. That is, if the size of the retaining member (fastener element) attached to the side end of the screen is large, when the screen is wound around a winding pipe or the like, the thickness of the retaining member is laminated, and the winding diameter increases only at that portion. As a result, there have been problems that the wound shape becomes slightly irregular, or the winding box (set bar) has to be made larger.

[0005] To solve this problem, one option is to miniaturize the retaining member to an extremely small size. However, miniaturizing the retaining member requires forming the groove of the guide rail that guides it to be extremely narrow (for example, around 1 mm) and with high precision. Attempting to form such a fine shape with conventional resin rails presents manufacturing limitations, such as difficulty in achieving molding precision and insufficient strength, making them prone to breakage.

[0006] On the other hand, if the guide rails and rail frames were to be made of a single piece of metal to ensure strength, it would be necessary to form extremely fine grooves with high precision on the large frame, which would make manufacturing difficult. Also, if the guide rails were made of metal, there was a concern that the sliding resistance with the retaining members would increase, resulting in louder noise during lifting and lowering operations (impairing quietness).

[0007] The primary objective of this invention is to provide a screen device that can be compactly stored by reducing the screen winding diameter while ensuring sufficient structural strength and precision, and the secondary objective is to achieve excellent noise reduction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the first problem described above, this invention employs a screen device with the following configuration. [Configuration 1] A screen made of a flexible material, A retaining member attached to the side end of the screen, A guide rail that holds the retaining member in a slidable manner and guides the screen, The rail frame comprises a rail frame that holds the guide rail, The rail frame has a housing space extending in the longitudinal direction and an opening formed along the longitudinal direction of the housing space. The guide rail is made of metal and is fixed to the rail frame while housed in the housing space.

[0009] Furthermore, to address the second challenge, we will adopt a screen device with the following configuration. [Configuration 2] The aforementioned retaining member is a fastener element made of resin. The screen device according to configuration 1, wherein the guide rail is made of aluminum with anodized treatment applied to at least the surface within the containment space.

[0010] [Configuration 3] The rail frame is further provided with a retainer that houses and supports it. An elastic member is interposed between the holder and the rail frame. The screen device according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the rail frame is supported so as to be displaceable relative to the holder by being pressed against the inner wall of the holder by the biasing force of the elastic member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the screen device of this invention, the guide rails are made of metal and are separate from the rail frame. This avoids the manufacturing difficulties of microfabrication on large frames, while easily ensuring the high strength and dimensional accuracy required for the guide rails. As a result, it is possible to minimize the number of retaining members without worrying about strength, significantly reducing the screen winding diameter and making the entire device more compact. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Front view showing the overall configuration of the screen device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Horizontal cross-sectional view showing the area around the guide rail in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Horizontal cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the rail frame and guide rail in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The screen device of the present embodiment is installed in an opening such as a window or a doorway of a building, and performs sunlight shielding (light blocking), privacy protection, or insect prevention by raising and lowering the screen 1.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the screen device of the present embodiment includes a winding box 2 installed at the upper part of the opening, and a pair of frames 4 erected on both left and right sides of the opening. A winding pipe (not shown) for winding the screen 1 is rotatably accommodated inside the winding box 2. A bottom bar 3 that applies tension to the screen 1 is attached to the lower end of the screen 1.

[0015] The screen 1 is pulled down by the self-weight or operation of the bottom bar 3, and closes the opening while being guided by left and right guide rails 12 (described later). The screen 1 is made of a flexible material such as woven fabric, non-woven fabric, or resin sheet. As shown in Figure 2, strip-shaped retaining members 10 functioning as retainers for preventing the screen 1 from coming off are attached to the left and right side end portions of the screen 1 by welding, sewing, or the like. A fastener element having a plurality of protrusions continuous along the longitudinal direction (for example, scattered granular protrusions or continuous linear protrusions) is adopted for the retaining member 10.

[0016] In the present embodiment, the retaining member 10 is made of a hard synthetic resin (such as polyacetal or polyamide), and is formed to be extremely thin and narrow. Thereby, when the screen 1 is wound around the winding pipe (not shown), an increase in the winding diameter due to overlapping of the retaining members 10 is minimized. Hereinafter, the detailed structure around the guide rail 12 will be described.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, on the inner surface side (the screen 1 side) of the frame 4, a holder 16 made of metal such as aluminum or hard resin is fixed. This holder 16 is an elongated member extending along the lifting path of the screen 1, and has a space inside for accommodating the rail frame 11. Further, the guide rail 12 is accommodated inside this rail frame 11. That is, it has a triple structure in which the rail frame 11 as an intermediate member and the inner guide rail 12 are sequentially nested and assembled into the holder 16 which serves as an outer frame for installation.

[0018] The rail frame 11 holds the guide rail 12 over the entire length. In the present embodiment, the rail frame 11 is made of a synthetic resin such as hard vinyl chloride. By making the rail frame 11 of resin, even a complicated cross-sectional shape can be easily manufactured by extrusion molding. As shown in Figure 2, the rail frame 11 has an accommodation space 15 with a substantially U-shaped (or U-shaped) cross section, one side surface (the screen 1 side) of which is open. The metal guide rail 12 is fitted into this accommodation space 15.

[0019] The guide rail 12 is a member that slidably holds the side end portion (the stop member 10) of the screen 1. The guide rail 12 is made of a metal material. In the present embodiment, it is configured as an extruded aluminum member. The guide rail 12 is an elongated member, and a rail groove 13 for accommodating the stop member 10 is formed therein. The rail groove 13 has a slit 14 through which the screen 1 moves in and out, and the opening width thereof is set to be narrower than the thickness of the stop member 10.

[0020] Here, the guide rail 12 is designed to have a very small (compact) cross-sectional shape in order to correspond to the extremely small-sized stop member 10. By using aluminum instead of resin as the material, dimensional accuracy of the slit 14 and the like for holding the stop member 10 and required rigidity are ensured even with such a small cross-sectional shape.

[0021] To give an example of specific dimensions, when using conventional resin rails, it was necessary to ensure sufficient rail thickness from a strength standpoint, and consequently, the thickness of the retaining member 10 (fastener element) also needed to be about 2 mm. In contrast, in this embodiment, by adopting a metal (aluminum) guide rail 12, strength can be maintained even with a thinner wall thickness, so the width of the rail groove 13 and the thickness of the retaining member 10 can be reduced to about 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

[0022] When screen 1 is wound up dozens of times, this difference in thickness accumulates, resulting in a large difference in the winding diameter (roll diameter). Therefore, by adopting the structure of this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the size of the winding box 2 and improve the design.

[0023] At least the surface of the guide rail 12 within the housing space 15 (especially the inner surface of the rail groove 13) is treated with anodizing (anodizing treatment). This increases the surface hardness, reduces frictional resistance when the resin retaining member 10 comes into contact and slides, and suppresses the generation of sliding noise (rubbing noise).

[0024] Next, the support structure and construction procedure of the guide rail 12 in this embodiment will be described. First, a retaining body 16 made of an aluminum extruded profile or the like is placed in the opening (frame 4) of the building and firmly fixed using fixing screws 20. This retaining body 16 is a member with a roughly U-shaped (or box-shaped) cross-section that is open on the screen 1 side (inside), and its internal space becomes the space for housing the rail frame 11, etc. It should be assumed that the rail frame 11 and the guide rail 12 to be housed are pre-integrated (unitized) by adhesive or screw fastening, etc.

[0025] Next, the unit of the guide rail 12 and rail frame 11 is inserted into the holder 16 along with an elastic member 17 such as a leaf spring. At this time, the elastic member 17 may be fixed (temporarily fastened) to the rail frame 11 in advance by adhesive or fitting. This makes the insertion work easier. The rail frame 11 is not screwed to the holder 16, but is held in place by the elastic force of the elastic member 17, pressing it against the inner wall (or shelf) of the holder 16. As a result, the rail frame 11 becomes a "floating structure" that can be displaced within the holder 16 in response to external forces.

[0026] This "floating structure" allows the elastic member 17 to flex when strong wind pressure acts on the screen 1, or when the tension fluctuates due to the winding or unwinding of the screen 1, thereby allowing the rail frame 11 (and guide rail 12) to move (displace) in response to the external force. As a result, it is possible to relieve excessive load and prevent damage, while also maintaining the tension of the screen 1 appropriately.

[0027] Furthermore, the rail frame 11 of this embodiment functions as a detachable base for the guide rail 12. Therefore, even if the specifications of the guide rail 12 are changed to one with a different fastener standard (such as a thin type or a standard type), the structure of the retainer 16 and elastic member 17 remains the same, and the change can be made simply by swapping the internal rail frame 11 and guide rail 12 units.

[0028] Finally, a cover 18 is attached so as to cover the opening of the holder 16 (either on the indoor side or the side facing the screen). The cover 18 is fixed to the holder 16 using fasteners such as screws. This cover 18 conceals the internal rail frame 11 and elastic member 17 from being visible from the outside, improving the aesthetic appearance and suppressing the intrusion of dust into the interior. The cover 18 may also function as a stopper to prevent the rail frame 11 from falling off the holder 16.

[0029] The screen device of this invention is configured such that the guide rail 12 is made of metal and separate from the rail frame 11. This allows the rail frame 11 (and the holder 16), which is required to have rigidity as the base for installation, and the guide rail 12, which is required to have precision for guiding the retaining member 10, to be designed with optimal shapes and materials.

[0030] In other words, when miniaturizing the retaining member 10 requires an extremely fine groove shape in the guide rail 12, the guide rail 12 is a small component independent of the rail frame 11, making it easy to form grooves with high precision not only by extrusion molding but also by machining such as cutting. As a result, it is possible to achieve high strength and dimensional accuracy using metal materials while avoiding the manufacturing difficulties of performing micro-machining on the large rail frame 11. This allows for smooth sliding even when the retaining member 10 is minimized, and the winding diameter of the screen 1 can be significantly reduced, making the winding box 2 more compact.

[0031] Furthermore, in the event that the guide rail 12 is damaged or worn, it is possible to remove the front cover 18 and replace the entire rail frame 11 that holds the guide rail 12, thus offering excellent maintainability.

[0032] In this embodiment, the inner surface of the rail frame 11 and the outer surface of the guide rail 12 are in contact with each other. However, a cushioning material made of nonwoven fabric, soft resin, rubber, etc., may be interposed between them. This prevents rattling noises (contact noises with the frame) that occur when the guide rail 12 vibrates slightly due to wind pressure, and further enhances quietness.

[0033] Furthermore, the end of the guide rail 12 (the entry point for the retaining member 10) may be tapered (chamfered) to gradually widen the width of the slit 14 towards the end, or a resin introduction guide part (not shown) may be provided. This prevents the retaining member 10 from getting caught on the end of the guide rail 12, allowing for smoother insertion.

[0034] Furthermore, while a "floating structure" using the retainer 16 and elastic member 17 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, if a floating structure is unnecessary from the viewpoint of the installation environment or cost, the retainer 16 and the like may be omitted, and the rail frame 11 may be directly fixed to the building frame 4 (a two-layer structure).

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the rail frame 11 can be configured so that its open edge and the guide rail 12 are flush with each other. This eliminates any steps between the components, leading to an improved aesthetic appearance of the product.

[0036] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1 screen 10 Retaining element (fastener element) 11 Rail Frame 12 Guide rails 15 Containment space 16 Holder 17 Elastic members

Claims

1. A screen (1) made of a flexible material, A retaining member (10) attached to the side end of the screen (1), A guide rail (12) that holds the retaining member (10) in a slidable manner and guides the screen (1), The system comprises a rail frame (11) that holds the guide rail (12), The rail frame (11) has a housing space (15) extending in the longitudinal direction and an opening formed along the longitudinal direction of the housing space (15), The guide rail (12) is made of metal and is fixed to the rail frame (11) while housed in the housing space (15). The retaining member (10) is a resin fastener element, The screen device wherein the guide rail (12) is made of aluminum and at least the surface within the housing space (15) is anodized.

2. A screen (1) made of a flexible material, A retaining member (10) attached to the side end of the screen (1), A guide rail (12) that holds the retaining member (10) in a slidable manner and guides the screen (1), The system comprises a rail frame (11) that holds the guide rail (12), The rail frame (11) has a housing space (15) extending in the longitudinal direction and an opening formed along the longitudinal direction of the housing space (15), The guide rail (12) is made of metal and is fixed to the rail frame (11) while housed in the housing space (15). The rail frame (11) is further provided with a holder (16) that houses and supports it. An elastic member (17) is interposed between the retainer (16) and the rail frame (11). The rail frame (11) is supported so as to be displaceable relative to the holder (16) by being pressed against the inner wall of the holder (16) by the biasing force of the elastic member (17) in the screen device.

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