An awning assembly including: a longitudinal support assembly adapted to be fixed to a supporting wall and from which a flexible covering may be withdrawn to provide an awning roof extending from the supporting wall and retracted for stowage; a longitudinal rail assembly attached to the outer longitudinal edge of the flexible covering; at least one strut assembly connected at one end to the longitudinal rail assembly and at its opposite end to a slide assembly adapted to be fixed to the supporting wall such that movement of the longitudinal rail assembly away from the supporting wall causes travel of the opposite end of the strut assembly along the slide assembly from a stowed position to a deployed position, and control means for locating the strut assembly during movement between its stowed and deployed positions.

An awning is provided that includes an extendable arm, a shelter member, and a joint. The extendable arm has an inner end coupled with a support and an outer end extendable away from the inner end. The shelter member has an outer portion coupled with the extendable arm support and disposed along the extendable arm. The joint has a mechanism responsive to an awning retraction force to raise outer portions of the extendable arms and an outer portion of the shelter member toward a horizontal orientation relative to a shade enhancing orientation.

An awning is provided that includes an extendable arm, a shelter member, and a joint. The extendable arm has an inner end coupled with a support and an outer end extendable away from the inner end. The shelter member has an outer portion coupled with the extendable arm support and disposed along the extendable arm. The joint has a mechanism responsive to an awning retraction force to raise outer portions of the extendable arms and an outer portion of the shelter member toward a horizontal orientation relative to a shade enhancing orientation.

An awning is provided that includes an extendable arm, a shelter member, and a joint. The extendable arm has an inner end coupled with a support and an outer end extendable away from the inner end. The shelter member has an outer portion coupled with the extendable arm support and disposed along the extendable arm. The joint has a mechanism responsive to an awning retraction force to raise outer portions of the extendable arms and an outer portion of the shelter member toward a horizontal orientation relative to a shade enhancing orientation.

An awning that has a support device, a cloth shaft, a cloth, a lead bar and a drive device. The lead bar can be adjusted via the drive device between a fully retracted minimum position and a completely extended maximum position. The drive device has at least one first arm link which, at its inner end facing the cloth shaft, is mounted via a joint device so as to pivot about a pivot axis. The joint device is designed such that an inclination of the pivot axis relative to the vertical changes depending on the pivoting movement of the first arm link and depending on the distance of the lead bar from the cloth shaft. A control part is provided which is connected in an articulated manner to a first arm link at a first joint and which is connected in an articulated manner to the support device at a second joint.

An awning comprising a fabric roller, a fabric, and a drop arm. The fabric is connected to the fabric roller in the region of an inner fabric edge and to the drop arm in the region of an opposite outer fabric edge. The drop arm can be adjusted via a drive device between a fully retracted minimum position P.sub.0, in which the fabric is wound as tightly as possible on the fabric roller, and a fully extended maximum position, in which the fabric has the widest possible span. The drop arm is moved between the minimum position and the maximum position along a curved path of movement, wherein a distance to a reference plane in the maximum position is at least 8.0 times as great as a distance from the reference plane in a position extended by 50% along the reference path.

A retractable awning is provided with a canopy that is windable around a roller supported at its opposite ends by support arm assemblies that include an adjustable pitch arm linkage that is extendable in length to move the roller in a direction away from a ground surface and retractable in length to move the roller in a direction toward a ground surface. A lever that controls the locking of the adjustable pitch arm linkage at the desired length may be automatically locked during retraction of the adjustable awning from the deployed configuration to a folded storage configuration.