OPENABLE TERRACE CANOPY

Abstract

A foldable cloth type awning system for at least partly covering an opening of an openable terrace canopy, comprising: a frame comprising a guiding track, a cloth and a cloth support, wherein the cloth support comprises a plurality of substantially parallel upper support beams, and a telescopic assembly arranged to displace the upper support beams between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration, wherein the telescopic assembly comprises a pantograph comprising rigid arms and primary upper pivot connectors, primary lower pivot connectors, secondary upper pivot connectors, secondary lower pivot connectors and intermediate pivot connectors, wherein each upper support beam is connected to an upper pivot connector, wherein one of the primary lower pivot connectors is fixed to the frame, and wherein at least one of the primary lower pivot connectors comprises a wagon arranged onto the guiding track in such a manner that the wagon can only follow the guiding track.

Claims

1. An openable terrace canopy comprising an opening at least partly covered by a foldable cloth type awning system, the system comprising: a frame comprising a first longitudinal frame beam extending substantially in a first direction between a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the first longitudinal frame beam comprises a guiding track extending substantially along the first direction; a cloth and a cloth support, wherein the cloth support comprises a plurality of substantially parallel upper support beams extending substantially in a second direction (w) perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the upper support beams are moveably arranged with respect to the frame, and wherein the cloth is attached to the upper support beams; and a telescopic assembly arranged to displace the upper support beams in the first direction between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration, wherein the telescopic assembly comprises a pantograph comprising rigid arms and primary upper pivot connectors, primary lower pivot connectors, secondary upper pivot connectors, secondary lower pivot connectors and intermediate pivot connectors, wherein each upper support beam is connected to an upper pivot connector, wherein one of the primary lower pivot connectors is fixed to the first longitudinal frame beam, and wherein at least one of the primary lower pivot connectors comprises a wagon arranged onto the guiding track in such a manner that the wagon can only follow the guiding track.

2. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 1, wherein the cloth support further comprises a plurality of substantially parallel lower support beams extending substantially in the second direction, wherein the lower support beams are moveably arranged with respect to the frame, and wherein each lower support beam is connected to a lower pivot connector in such a manner that the lower support beams interdigitate the upper support beams along the first direction, and wherein the cloth is alternatingly attached along the first direction to an upper support beam and a lower support beam.

3. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 2, wherein the upper support beams are only attached to a primary upper pivot connector and wherein the lower support beams are only attached to a primary lower pivot connector.

4. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 3, wherein one upper support beam is attached to every primary upper pivot connector, and wherein one lower support beam is attached to every primary lower pivot connector.

5. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 1, wherein the primary lower pivot connectors are constrained to a translation motion along the first direction.

6. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of upper support beams comprises a most proximal upper support beam and a most distal upper support beam respectively most proximal and most distal from the proximal end of the first longitudinal frame beam, and wherein in the retracted configuration of the telescopic assembly, the most distal upper support beam lies substantially adjacent to the proximal end of the first longitudinal frame beam, and wherein in the extended configuration of the telescopic assembly, the most distal upper support beam lies substantially adjacent to the distal end of first longitudinal frame beam.

7. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 1, wherein the telescopic assembly is arranged to displace the upper beams in the first direction such that the cloth is in an entirely unfolded configuration in the extended configuration of the telescopic assembly.

8. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 1, wherein the pantograph comprises a thermal expansion compensating mechanism.

9. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 8, wherein in the extended configuration of the telescopic assembly, the upper support beams are separated from guiding track in a first longitudinal support beam by a smallest height along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and wherein the thermal expansion compensating mechanism is arranged to maintain the smallest height upon thermal expansion of the pantograph and/or the cloth substantially constant, whilst substantially maintaining a degree of stretching of the cloth.

10. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 9, wherein the thermal expansion compensating mechanism is provided by implementing one or more of the primary pivot connectors, connecting a first and a second pantograph arm, as a set comprising an elongated slot and a protrusion, the protrusion extending substantially along the second direction through the elongated slot such that the protrusions act as the pivot point for pivoting the first arm with respect to the second arm around an axis in the second direction, wherein either: the protrusion is provided on a separate profile, the elongated slot is provided in the first arm and the slot is elongated in a length direction of the first arm, or the protrusion is provided on the second arm, the elongated slot is provided in the first arm, and the slot is elongated in the length direction of the first arm, or the protrusion is provided on the first arm, the elongated slot is provided in a separate profile, and the slot is elongated in the first direction.

11. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 10, wherein the thermal expansion compensating mechanism is provided on all of the primary pivot connectors.

12. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 1, wherein the cloth is a continuous sheet and/or the cloth is made of a stretchable material, such as a textile.

13. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 1, wherein the arms of the pantograph are made of a metal.

14. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 1, wherein the arms of the pantograph are made of an aluminum alloy.

15. The openable terrace canopy according claim 8, wherein the thermal expansion compensating mechanism is provided by implementing one or more of the primary pivot connectors, connecting a first and a second pantograph arm, as a set comprising an elongated slot and a protrusion, the protrusion extending substantially along the second direction through the elongated slot such that the protrusions act as the pivot point for pivoting the first arm with respect to the second arm around an axis in the second direction, wherein either: the protrusion is provided on a separate profile, the elongated slot is provided in the first arm and the slot is elongated in a length direction of the first arm, or the protrusion is provided on the second arm, the elongated slot is provided in the first arm, and the slot is elongated in the length direction of the first arm, or the protrusion is provided on the first arm, the elongated slot is provided in a separate profile, and the slot is elongated in the first direction.

16. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 8, wherein the thermal expansion compensating mechanism is provided on all of the primary pivot connectors.

17. The openable terrace canopy according to claim 9, wherein the thermal expansion compensating mechanism is provided on all of the primary pivot connectors.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0079] The disclosure will be described in detail below using the following description and the additional drawings.

[0080] FIG. 1 shown a perspective view of an openable terrace canopy comprising the foldable type awning system according to one embodiment.

[0081] FIG. 2 shows a detail perspective view of a portion of FIG. 1.

[0082] FIG. 3 shown in more detail a portion of the telescopic assembly of the awning system of FIG. 1 wherein the guiding rail and the wagons are particularly visible and wherein the cloth has been omitted for visual clarity. FIG. 3a shown a cross-sectional view along a plane perpendicular to the second direction. FIG. 3b shown a perspective cross-sectional view of the awning of FIG. 3a cut along a plane perpendicular to the first direction along section AA as shown in FIG. 3a.

[0083] FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show a portion of a variant of the telescopic assembly of the awning system of FIG. 1 wherein the cloth has been omitted for visual clarity, and wherein a thermal expansion compensating mechanism is provided. The FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 respectively show the telescopic assembly in the extended configuration, the partly extended configuration and the retracted configuration. The FIGS. 4a, 5a, 6a show a side view of the telescopic assembly, whereas FIGS. 4b, 5b, 6b show a perspective view of the telescopic assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] Specific embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to certain drawings. However, the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. The drawings shown here are only schematic representations and not limiting. In the drawings, the measurements of certain parts may be shown larger, which means that the parts in question may not be to scale, and are shown thus for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions are not necessarily consistent with the actual practical embodiments of the invention.

[0085] In addition, terms such as first, second, third and the like in the descriptions and in the claims are used to differentiate between comparable elements are not necessarily to indicate a sequential or chronological order. The terms in question are exchangeable in the suitable circumstances, and the embodiments may work in other sequences than those described or illustrated here.

[0086] The term comprising and derived terms as used in the claims must not be interpreted as limited to the tools that are then reported; the term does not exclude other elements or steps. The term must be interpreted as a specification of the reported features, whole numbers, steps or components referred to without excluding the presence or addition of one or more additional features, whole numbers, steps or components or groups thereof. The range of an expression such as a device comprising the elements A and B is thus not only limited to devices that purely consist of components A and B. What is meant by contrast, is that the relevant components are A and B.

[0087] The term substantially may include, e.g., variations of +/10% or less, +/5% or less, +/1% or less, or +/0.1% or less from the specified condition to the extent that the variations are applicable to function in various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. One must understand that the term substantially A is also intended to encompass A.

[0088] The figures show embodiments of the disclosed subject matter that provide a solution to both the first problems and second problems encountered in the state of the art. FIG. 1 shows an openable terrace canopy 2 having an opening 9 at least partly covered by a foldable cloth type awning system 1 of the second generation. The first foldable cloth type awning system in particular comprises a frame 3 comprising a first and a second longitudinal frame beam 4a, 4b both extending substantially in a first direction, indicated by the arrow 1 symbolizing length, between a proximal end 5a, 5b and a distal end 6a, 6b. The first and second longitudinal frame beams 4a, 4b are interconnected at their ends by a first and second transversal frame beam 7a, 7b both extending substantially in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction, indicated by the arrow w symbolizing width. Four legs 8 are provided to the frame such as to support the frame on the ground. These legs 8 extends along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, indicated by the arrow h symbolizing height. The first longitudinal frame beam 4a and the second longitudinal frame beam 4b respectively support a first and second telescopic assembly 15 (the second telescopic assembly not being visible in the figures) as will be explained below. Given that only the first telescopic assembly 15 of the first longitudinal frame beam 4a is visible in the figures, the present description only describes the structure and function of said first telescopic assembly 15. The second telescopic assembly supported by the second longitudinal frame beam 4b however has a similar construction and function. As is visible in FIGS. 2 and 3, the longitudinal frame beams 4a, 4b comprise a main profile 34a, 34b as well as an auxiliary profile 32a, 32b connected to each other by means of L-brackets 31. Although in the present figures the auxiliary profile and the main profile are connected by means of multiple separate L-brackets 31, other means of attachment also fall under the scope of the present invention. The other means of attachment for example comprise a single L-bracket elongated over substantially the entire length of the main profile, or for example comprise integrally forming the main profile with the auxiliary profile. The frame beams that do not comprise a telescopic assembly, i.e. the transversal frame beams 7a, 7b only comprise a main profile 35a, 35b and no auxiliary profile. The main profiles of the longitudinal frame beams 34a, 34b further comprise a gutter 33 to drain water that is being accumulated on the cloth. The auxiliary profiles 32a, 32b support the telescopic assemblies. To that end, as is particularly shown in FIG. 3, the first longitudinal frame beam 4a, in particular its auxiliary profile 32a further comprises a guiding track 10 extending along the first direction. As will be explained below, the guiding track 10 is arranged to receive a wagon and to constrain said wagon to a motion along the guiding track. The system 1 further comprises a cloth 11 and a cloth support 12. The cloth support 12 comprises a plurality of substantially parallel upper support beams 13 and a plurality of lower support beams 14, cumulatively referred to as support beams 13, 14. The support beams 13, 14 extend substantially in the second direction. The support beams 13, 14 are moveably arranged with respect to the frame 3. The cloth 11 is attached to the bottom of the support beams 13, 14. The system 1 further comprises two telescopic assemblies 15, of which only the one cooperating with the first longitudinal frame beam 4a is shown. The telescopic assemblies 15 are arranged to displace the support beams 13, 14 in the first direction between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration. In the retracted configuration, as particularly shown in FIG. 6, the distance between the support beams 13, 14 is relatively small and the most distal upper support beam 16 lies substantially adjacent to the proximal end 5a of the first longitudinal frame beam 4a. This causes the cloth 11 to be in a strongly folded configuration near the proximal end 5a. In the extended configuration, as particularly shown in FIG. 4, the distance between the support beams 13, 14 is relatively large and the most distal upper support beam 16 lies substantially adjacent to the distal end 6a of the first longitudinal frame beam 4a. This causes the cloth 11 to be in an entirely unfolded configuration. FIG. 5 shows the telescopic assembly in a position between the extended configuration and the retracted configuration.

[0089] The telescopic assembly 15 comprises a pantograph clearly shown in FIGS. 3 to 6. The arms of the pantograph comprise an upper pivot element and a lower pivot element at their extremities, and an intermediate pivot element substantially halfway between the extremities. The pivot elements are one of a protrusion extending in the second direction or an opening arranged to receive a protrusion extending in the second direction. The pantograph comprises an interconnection of two or more pantograph sections 30, each pantograph section comprising a primary linkage having a rigid primary upward arm 17 and a rigid primary downward arm 18, and further comprising a secondary linkage having a rigid secondary upward arm 19 and a rigid secondary downward arm 20. These four arms form a quadrilateral: by connecting the intermediate pivot elements of the primary upward arm 17 and the secondary downward arm 20 into a proximal intermediate pivot connector 21a enabling the rotation of these arms with respect to each other around an axis extending in the second direction, by connecting the intermediate pivot elements of the primary downward arm 18 and the secondary upward arm 19 into a distal intermediate pivot connector 21b enabling the rotation of these arms with respect to each other around an axis extending in the second direction, by connecting the upper pivot elements of the primary upward arm 17 and the primary downward arm 18 into a primary upper pivot connector 22 enabling the rotation of these arms with respect to each other around an axis extending in the second direction, and by connecting the lower pivot elements of the secondary downward arm 20 and the secondary upward arm 19 into a secondary lower pivot connector 23 enabling the rotation of these arms with respect to each other around an axis extending in the second direction. Adjacent pantograph sections are connected by connecting the upper pivot element of the secondary downward arm 20 of a more distal pantograph section and the upper pivot element of the secondary upward arm 19 of a more proximal adjacent pantograph section into a secondary upper pivot connector 24 enabling the rotation of these arms with respect to each other around an axis extending in the second direction, and by connecting the lower pivot element of the primary upward arm 17 of a more distal pantograph section and the lower pivot element of the primary downward arm 18 of a more proximal adjacent pantograph section into a primary lower pivot connector 25 enabling the rotation of these arms with respect to each other around an axis extending in the second direction. The pivot connectors are means that create a pivot point allowing an arm of the pantograph to pivot along the second direction with respect to another arm. The pivot connector is a set of a protrusion extending in the second direction and an opening through which the protrusion extends. The secondary pivot connectors 23, 24 and the intermediate pivot connectors 21 employ only the arms that are to be connected. Here, the protrusion is a pivot element integrally connected to one of the arms whilst the connecting arm comprises the opening as pivot element. The primary pivot connectors 22, 25 also employ a separate profile 26 in addition to the arms. Here, the connecting arms each comprise an opening as pivot element through which a single separate protrusion extends, thereby creating a single pivot point for both arms connected to the pivot connector. The separate protrusion is attached to the separate profile 26 i.e. it is not attached onto one of the arms. It is noted that the most proximal and the most distal parts of the pantograph have arms that have an uncoupled extremity, i.e. an extremity not coupled to another arm. These uncoupled extremities nevertheless comprise half of the set of the above mentioned pivot connector, i.e. the protrusion or the opening. In the present invention this half set provided on the uncoupled extremity of an arm is also considered to be a pivot connector. As described further below, the primary pivot connectors 22, 25 are arranged to couple with a support beam 13, 14. To that end, these primary pivot connectors 22, 25 further comprise a beam seat 27 arranged to receive the support beams 13, 14. The separate profile 26 of these primary pivot connectors comprises this beam seat 27 as well as the above mentioned pivot point forming protrusion. As described below, the primary lower pivot connectors 25 are provided with a wagon arranged to be guided along the guiding track 10. The separate profile 26 of these primary lower pivot connectors 25 comprises the wagon as well as the above mentioned pivot point forming protrusion.

[0090] Each primary upper pivot connector 22 has an upper support beam 13 connected thereto by means of the beam seat 27. This connection ensures that the upper support beams 13, and thus the cloth 11 attached to the upper support beams 13, follows the movement of the primary upper pivot connectors 22. Each primary lower pivot connector 25 has a lower support beam 14 connected thereto by means of the beam seat 27. The connection is in such a manner that the lower support beams 14 interdigitate the upper support beams 13 along the first direction i.e. upon moving in the first direction one would encounter a upper support beam 13, a lower support beam 14, an upper support beam 13, etc. The cloth 11 is alternatingly attached along the first direction to an upper support beam 13 and a lower support beam 14 such that the cloth 11 zigzags between the upper support beams 13 and the lower support beams 14 when the cloth is not entirely unfolded.

[0091] The most proximal primary lower pivot connector 26 is fixed to the proximal end 5a of the first longitudinal frame beam 4a, thereby creating a gathering point towards which the other primary lower pivot connectors 26 will move during the retraction of the telescopic assembly 15. The fixed primary lower pivot connector 26, is fixed to the first longitudinal frame beam 4a in such a manner that the primary upward arm 17 to which said fixed primary lower pivot connector 26 is connected is only allowed to rotate around an axis extending in the second direction with respect to the first longitudinal frame beam 4a. As particularly shown in FIG. 3, the other primary lower pivot connectors 26, i.e. other than the fixed primary lower pivot connector described above, comprise a wagon 28 arranged onto the guiding track 10 in such a manner that the wagon 28 can only follow the guiding track 10. The guiding track 10 is a channel in which the wagons 28 are received. The wagons 28 are provided with wheels which roll through the channel. The channel is in particular a tube extending in the first direction which has an elongated opening extending in the first direction wherein part of the wagon 28 is provided inside of the tube and a part of the wagon protrudes out of the elongated slot such as to be accessible outside of the tube for coupling to the remaining components of the lower pivot connector 26. The latter is in particular the profile 26 with the beam seat 27 on which lower support beams 14 are attached.

[0092] The telescopic assembly 15 comprises motorized means (not shown) to displace one of the wagons 28 arranged on the guiding track 10 along the first direction by pushing or pulling the wagon away or towards the gathering point created by the fixed primary lower connector 26.

[0093] The pantograph comprises a thermal expansion compensating mechanism 29 enabling to maintain the cloth in its intended entirely unfolded configuration in the extended configuration of the telescopic assembly 15 upon thermal expansion of the pantograph. The thermal expansion compensating mechanism 29 is provided in all of the primary lower pivot connectors 25 and enables to maintain constant, upon thermal expansion of the arms of the pantograph, the smallest height of the upper support beams. The thermal expansion compensating mechanism 29 is implemented by elongating the opening, which is part of the set of the pivot point forming protrusion and opening of the primary lower pivot connector 25 as described above, into an elongated slot. The elongated slot is provided on the primary downward arm 18 and the primary upward arm 17, and is elongated in the length direction of the respective arms.

[0094] Even though certain aspects of the current invention are described with regard to specific embodiments, it is clear that these aspects can be implemented in other forms within the scope of protection as indicated by the appended claims.