DE29703007U1 - Transport device for a vertical slat or panel curtain - Google Patents

Description

Bremen, February 18, 1997 Our reference: S 3301 WWR/JGI Applicant/Owner: syba Sonnenschutzsysteme GmbH

Official reference number: New registration

Bremen Patent Attorneys

European Patent Attorneys Dipl.-Ing. Günther Eisenführ Dipl.-Ing. Dieter K. Speiser Dr.-Ing. Werner W. Rabus Dipl:-Ing. Jürgen Brügge Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Klinghardt Dipl.-Ing. Klaus G. Göken Patent Attorneys Dipl.-Ing. Mark Andres Jochen Ehlers Attorneys Ulrich H. Sander Christian Spintig

Munich Patent Attorneys

European Patent Attorneys

Dipl.-Phys. Gerhard Liedl

Dipl.-Economics-lng. Rainer Fritsche

Patent Attorney

Dipl.-Chem. Dr. Peter Schuler

Berlin Patent Attorney

European Patent Attorney Dipl.-Ing. Jutta Kaden

Alicante European Trade Mark Attorney Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Klinghardt

Martinistrasse 24

D-28195 Bremen

Phone: 0421-36 35 0

Fax 0421-36 35 35 (G3)

Fax 0421-328 8631 (G4)

73 064.125 @ CompuServe, com

syba Sonnenschutzsysteme GmbH Rudolf-Diesel-Str. 10, 28816 Stuhr

Transport device for a vertical blind or panel curtain

The invention relates to a transport device for a vertical slat or panel curtain, with a support rail, with carriages that can be moved in the support rail, with a drivable spindle shaft that runs in the longitudinal direction of the support rail and engages with a corresponding worm of a carriage that takes the curtain along.

Such a transport device is known in which a carriage can be moved using a rigid spindle shaft. Since this known design is only suitable for straight support rails, other means are used for moving the carriages for curved support rails. Perforated belts or ball chains are used here, which run as an endless belt or chain within the support rail, are guided over deflection elements at both ends of the support rail and are firmly connected to the carriage to be moved. In these known designs, the carriage is always moved by pulling. The belt or chain is stretched tightly between the pulling part and the pulled carriage. The rest of the part is loose and must be prevented from coming out of the

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the support rail, as otherwise the appearance of the transport device will be affected and malfunctions may occur. Furthermore, the loose part of the perforated belt or the ball chain can generate annoying noises by hitting or grinding on the support rail.

The object of the present invention is to further develop the transport device of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that it can be used for both straight and curved support rails.

The object is achieved according to the invention in the transport device of the type mentioned at the outset in that the spindle shaft is flexible.

The advantages of the invention are in particular that the spindle shaft is arranged almost stationary in the support rail even during operation and thus wear and noise caused by mechanical contact with the support rail are reduced to a minimum. In addition, the inherent strength of the spindle shaft means that the problem of the drive element hanging out does not occur. Furthermore, there is a direct power transmission from the spindle shaft to the carriage, without losses due to friction of the traction device on the support rail.

In a preferred embodiment of the transport device, the support rail is curved in sections. This means that the support rail can be precisely adapted to the spatial conditions and can follow the curve of the window fronts.

Particularly preferably, in the inventive transport device, the spindle shaft has a flexible core around which a wire is wound spirally with a certain pitch. This produces a uniform spindle with low manufacturing costs, which has great mechanical strength, can withstand bending and can follow curvatures of the support rail without major stresses.

The core of the spindle shaft preferably consists of wire wound in layers, in order to give it the torsional strength necessary for power transmission.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the transport device according to the invention, the spindle shaft has a first section with a right-hand spindle and a second section with a left-hand spindle

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and carriages with a worm gear that matches the respective pitch of the spindle. This means that the carriages can be moved in different directions on a spindle shaft at the same time, in sections. Curtains that slide in front of a window or open it up in sections from the right and left at the same time are therefore easy to create.

Particularly preferably, several carriages of a support rail are connected to the spindle shaft in a driveable manner so that several curtain sections carried by the carriages can be moved simultaneously with only one driven spindle shaft.

Advantageous further developments of the invention are characterized by the features of the subclaims. The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. They show:

Fig. 1 View of a transport device according to the invention from below

seen;

Fig. 2 Section through the transport device of Fig. 1 with carriage;

Fig. 3 Side view of a spindle shaft with worm;

Fig. 4 Section through the spindle shaft according to Fig.3.

A transport device is shown in Fig. 1 and 2. The transport device contains a support rail (1) in which a flexible spindle shaft (2) is arranged in the longitudinal direction, and carriages (3, 4), whereby the carriage (4) is moved in the support rail (1) by means of a worm that engages with the spindle shaft, and the carriages (3) are moved by tensile or shear forces transmitted by other carriages or the curtain. At one end of the support rail an electric motor (not shown) is arranged to drive the spindle shaft.

The carriages (3, 4) have a cavity (7) for receiving a hanging pin for hanging a vertical slat. By means of a turning shaft (5) running parallel to the spindle shaft (2) and guided through the carriages (3, 4), the angular position of the hanging pins and thus that of the vertical slats can be changed by means of a turning gear. Over the entire length of the transport device folding spindle supports (6) are spaced apart in the support rail (1).

which carry the spindle and turning shaft (2, 6) if the carriages do not take over.

Fig. 3 shows in detail how the spindle shaft (2) engages with the worm (15) of the carriage (4) and Fig. 4 shows the layered structure of the spindle shaft. A core (10) is surrounded by an inner winding (11), middle winding (12) and outer winding (13), each of which has different pitches. A spindle (14) made of spirally wound wire is attached to the outer winding.

If a vertical slat or panel curtain mounted on a transport device according to the invention is in the retracted state, all the carriages (3, 4) of a curtain section are located at one end of the support rail (1). If the curtain is pulled apart, the carriage (4) driven by the spindle shaft moves first and takes the front, outer edge of the curtain with it. After a certain distance, the material between the moving and the next, stationary carriage is stretched so that this is also pulled along. This happens until the entire curtain is pulled apart. In order to bring the curtain back to its original position, the carriage (4) is moved in the opposite direction using the spindle shaft and in this case pushes the carriages (3) first together and then in front of it. I

Claims (6)

Expectations 1. Transport device for a vertical blind or panel curtain, with a support rail, with carriages that can be moved in the support rail, with a drivable spindle shaft running in the longitudinal direction of the support rail, which engages with a corresponding worm of a carriage that takes the curtain along, characterized, that the spindle shaft is flexible. 2. Transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that the support rail is curved in sections along its course. 3. Transport device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spindle shaft has a flexible core around which a wire is wound spirally, with a certain pitch. 4. Transport device according to claim 3, characterized in that the core of the spindle wire consists of wire wound in layers. 5. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the spindle shaft has a first section with a right-handed spindle, a second section with a left-handed spindle and a carriage with a worm suitable for the respective pitch of the spindle. 6. Transport device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that several carriages of a support rail are drivably engaged with the spindle shaft.