Pleating Hembar Structure for Thin-Fabric Roller Shades

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Solution Overview

Problem

Thin and flexible fabrics, such as silk, are not suitable for traditional roller shades as they do not hang flat and roll evenly, and prior art draperies require additional space when fully open, limiting their application.

Innovation Solution

A motorized roller shade system with a pleating hembar that creates pleats in the shade fabric, allowing it to hang flat and wrap around a roller tube, using C-shaped hembar sections with interlocking structures to maintain a natural fold and minimize fabric overlap.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If thin, flexible fabric is used for roller shade, then the fabric maintains soft appearance and feel, but the fabric does not hang flat and does not roll up evenly on the roller tube

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefabric softness and flexibilityVSAvoidfabric hanging flatness and rolling evenness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The hembar is divided into multiple segments or sections that can independently flex and bend. This segmentation allows the hembar to conform to the curved surface of the roller tube while maintaining the soft appearance of thin fabric, resolving the contradiction between fabric flexibility and proper hanging/rolling behavior

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The hembar is designed with a curved or arched cross-sectional shape that pre-configures it to match the curvature of the roller tube. This curved geometry enables thin, soft fabric to naturally follow the tube's contour when rolled, eliminating the need for stiff backing while ensuring even rolling and flat hanging

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Ease of operation

If prior art draperies are used to cover windows, then the drapery fabric can be fully opened, but additional space is required on the sides of the window to hold the drapery fabric when fully open

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrapery opening capabilityVSAvoidside space requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of allowing the fabric to extend horizontally outward when open (requiring side space), the roller shade system winds the fabric vertically around the roller tube. This dimensional change from horizontal extension to vertical wrapping eliminates the need for additional side space while maintaining full opening capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS8042597B2Roller shade system having hembar for pleating a shade fabric

Publication Date: 2011.10.25 LUTRON TECHNOLOGY COMPANY LLC

AI summary

A pleated roller shade system allows a thin flexible shade fabric, such as, for example, silk, to be wrapped around a roller tube. The system comprises a pleating hembar contained within a hembar pocket of the shade fabric. The hembar is characterized by a non-linear shape, such as a serpentine shape, for causing the shade fabric to hang with a plurality of pleats. The hembar may comprise a plurality of C-shaped hembar sections flexibly coupled to each other. The system may also comprise an elongated pleating assembly mounted parallel to the roller tube and having a fabric-receiving opening that defines a non-linear (e.g., serpentine) path. The shade fabric may be received through the fabric-receiving opening and folded by the pleating assembly, such that the shade fabric is wrapped around the roller tube in folds as the roller tube rotates.