DEVICE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING CURTAINS AS WELL AS A METHOD FOR CONNECTING AN ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVE AND/OR A DEFLECTION TO THE PROFILE CROSS-SECTION OF A CURTAIN RAIL

Abstract

A device for opening and closing curtains includes a curtain rail with at least one channel open in the curtain-to-be-hung direction and at least one curtain holding part held movably in the channel in the channel longitudinal direction by guides, for attaching the curtain. The guides are adjustable along the rail via an electric motor drive by a drive mechanism. A laterally-arranged, window-like opening is made in at least one section of the rail profile cross-section, which provides access from outside the rail at least to the channel for the drive mechanism. A structural unit for the electromotive drive and/or a deflection of the drive mechanism is insertable into this opening and fixable therein laterally on the rail for passing the drive mechanism through the region for the electromotive drive and/or the deflection. Also, a method connects an electromotive drive and/or a deflection to the rail profile cross-section.

Claims

1. A device for opening and closing curtains, comprising a curtain rail (1) with at least one channel (9) open in the direction of the curtain to be hung and at least one curtain holding part held movably in the channel (9) in the longitudinal direction of the channel (9) by means of guide devices for attaching the curtain to be hung, the guide devices for the at least one curtain holding part being adjustable along the curtain rail (1) via an electric motor drive (13, 14) by means of a drive means (12), wherein a laterally arranged, window-like opening (2) is made in at least one section of the profile cross-section of the curtain rail (1), which opening provides access from outside the curtain rail (1) at least to the at least one channel (4, 15, 16) for the drive means (12), wherein a structural unit (6) for the electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or a deflection (13) of the drive means (12) can be inserted into this opening (2) and can be fixed therein laterally on the curtain rail (1) in such a way that the drive means (12) can pass through the area for the electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or the deflection (13).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the structural unit (6) shows the electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or the deflection (13) as well as guides (8) for the drive means (12) from the region within the at least one channel (4, 15, 16) for the drive means (12) in the curtain rail (1) into the area of the electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or the deflection (13) and back into the at least one channel (4, 15, 16) for the drive means (12) in the curtain rail (1).

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the guides (8) of the structural unit (6) for guiding the drive means (12) from the region within the channel (4, 15, 16) for the drive means (12) in the curtain rail (1) into the region of the electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or the deflection (13) and back are curved.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein a guide (8) for the drive means (12) from the region within the channel (4, 15, 16) for the drive means (12) in the curtain rail (1) into the region of the electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or the deflection (13) and a guide (8) for the drive means (12) back from the area of the electric motor drive (13, 14) and/or the deflection (13) into the channel (4, 15, 16) for the drive means (12) in the curtain rail (1) are provided.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the guides (8) are designed as parts of the housing of the structural unit (6) which, in the assembly state of the structural unit (6) on the curtain rail (1), project into the window-like opening (2) of the curtain rail (1) as far as into the at least one channel (4, 15, 16) for the drive means (12).

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the laterally arranged, window-like opening (2) interrupts the standard profile cross-section of the curtain rail (1) only in sections.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the window-like opening (2) is arranged in at least one end region and/or a middle region of the curtain rail (1) arranged along the curtain rail (1).

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the curtain rail (1) extends over the entire length of the moving region of the curtain and is visible from the front of the curtain as a continuous part.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the opening (2) arranged laterally in the profile cross-section of the curtain rail (1) is concealed behind the curtain in the installed state.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the structural unit (6) with the electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or the deflection (13) is designed to fit a plurality of curtain rails (1) of different cross-sections.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the structural unit (6) with the electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or the deflection (13) engages around at least parts of the outer contour of the curtain rail (1) and/or engages in recesses (11) in the outer contour of the curtain rail (1) and is fixed there on the curtain rail (1).

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the opening (2) arranged laterally in the profile cross-section of the curtain rail (1) can be machined, preferably milled, into the profile cross-section of the curtain rail (1) on the user side.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the drive means (12) is designed as a, preferably endless, belt, preferably a toothed belt, a cord or a band.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the drive means (12) can be deflected via rollers or gear wheels (13) in the structural unit (6) for the electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or a deflection (13).

15. A method for connecting an electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or a deflection (13) to the profile cross-section of a curtain rail (1), wherein at least one laterally arranged, window-like opening (2) for accommodating a structural unit (6) for the electromotive drive (13, 14) and/or a deflection (13) of the drive means (12) is machined into the profile cross-section of the curtain rail (1) in at least one section of the curtain rail (1), which provides access from outside the curtain rail (1) at least to the at least one channel (4, 15, 16) for a drive means (12) of the curtain.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the window-like opening (2) is machined into the profile cross-section of the curtain rail (1) to match the dimensions of the curtain rail (1) and the movement lengths of the curtain along the length of the curtain rail (1).

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the window-like opening (2) is machined in at least one end region and/or a middle region of the curtain rail (1) arranged along the curtain rail (1).

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the window-like opening (2) is machined into the profile cross-section of the curtain rail (1) on the user side.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the opening (2) arranged laterally in the profile cross-section of the curtain rail (1) is milled into the profile cross-section of the curtain rail (1).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

[0024] In the drawings,

[0025] FIGS. 1A and 1B show a first schematically illustrated embodiment of the device according to the invention, once in FIG. 1A showing the curtain rail provided with a window-like opening and in FIG. 1B with a component unit for electromotive drive or deflection of a drive means arranged in the window-like opening on the curtain rail;

[0026] FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D show various views, sectional views and plan views of the device according to FIG. 1B;

[0027] FIGS. 3A and 3B show the device according to FIG. 2A with drive means arranged thereon and its course between the structural unit and channels within the curtain rail;

[0028] FIGS. 4A and 4B show a bottom view and a side view of the construction unit according to FIG. 1B; and

[0029] FIGS. 5 and 6 show representations of the arrangement of the curtain rail provided with a window-like opening for various typical cross-sectional designs of curtain rails.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The invention is described below with reference to preferred embodiments in its function and structure with the aid of schematic figures.

[0031] FIGS. 1A, 1B show a first schematically illustrated embodiment of the device according to the invention, once in FIG. 1A showing the curtain rail 1 provided with a window-like opening 2 with edges 3 and in FIG. 1B with a component unit 6 explained in more detail later for electromotive drive 13, 14 or deflection 13 of a drive means 12 arranged in the window-like opening 2 on the curtain rail 1.

[0032] The curtain rail 1 has an approximately trapezoidal outer shape with partially rounded corner areas and has a series of chamber-like channels 4, 11 and reinforcements arranged between them on the inside. Such cross-sections of curtain rails 1 are usually extruded from light metals and are extensively known and will only be explained here to the extent that this is relevant to the present invention. Important in this context is the channel-like chamber 4 extending along the curtain rail 1, which in this illustration has a groove 9 at the top opening towards the curtain (not shown further), through which a movement of the drive means 12 (shown more precisely in FIGS. 3A and 3B) arranged movably in the channel 4 along the curtain rail 1 is transferred to hanging means of the curtain in a manner known per se and not further relevant here and therefore moves the curtain along the curtain rail 1. In assembled state of the curtain rail 1 the groove 9 is aligned to the bottom and the curtain hangs underneath the groove 9 on the drive means 12.

[0033] If the drive means 12 is now to be moved within the curtain rail 1 by an electric motor, an electric drive motor 14, which is not shown here, must be able to act on the drive means 12, which is also toothed here, via a toothed wheel 13 and ensure the displacement along the curtain rail 1. For this purpose, the drive means 12 must interact with the drive assembly referred to here simply as electric motor drive 13, 14, in a known manner in that the drive means 12, designed for example as a toothed belt, wraps around a toothed wheel 13 driven by an electric drive motor 14, not shown here, arranged on the flange 21. If the toothed wheel 13 now rotates due to the action of the electric motor drive 14, the toothed belt-like drive means 12, coming from a channel 15 arranged inside the chamber 4 and separated by a partition wall 17, revolves around the toothed wheel 13 and is moved back into another channel 16 arranged inside the chamber 4 and separated by the partition wall 17 inside the chamber 4. Due to this known wrapping of the drive means 12 around a gearwheel 13, the curtain connected to the drive means 12 can be moved back and forth along the curtain rail 1 depending on the direction of rotation of the gear wheel 13.

[0034] However, in order to allow the electric motor drive 13, 14 to come into contact with the drive means 12, according to the present invention a window-like opening 2 with edges 3 is milled into the lateral walls of the curtain rail 1, for example with a device or on a machine, which opens the channel 4 laterally and thus makes the drive means 12 accessible through the window-like opening 2 for interaction with the electric motor drive 13, 14. A component unit 6 with an installation space 7 for an electric motor drive 13, 14 or a deflection 13 can then be inserted into this window-like opening 2 and clamped to the curtain rail 1 by means of screws 10 in a groove 11 of the curtain rail 1, in the interior of which or on which all the necessary components for an electric motor drive 13, 14 are present. In addition to an electric motor drive 13, 14, the structural unit 6 can also have only a non-driven deflection device such as a rotatably mounted gear wheel 13. Such a deflection is sufficient for upstream sections of the curtain for which at one end a structural unit 6 with an electric motor drive 13, 14 is present and at the other end of which the drive means 12 only has to be deflected from the channel 15 into the channel 16 or vice versa. In this case, no electric motor 14 is attached to the flange 21 for such a deflection 13 and the gear wheel 13 rotates passively when the drive means 12 are actively moved by an electric motor device 13, 14 for example at the other end of the curtain rail 1.

[0035] As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 2A, the structural unit 6 has an approximately cuboid basic shape, with two openings arranged between guides 8 being present in the outer surface of the structural unit 6 directed towards the window-like opening 2, which openings extend at an angle to the channels 15 and 16 and through which the drive means 12 can enter or exit the interior of the structural unit 6 from the channels 15, 16. For this purpose, these openings are surrounded as far as the area of the channels 15, 16 by tongue-like guides 8 which, together with the walls of the channels 15, 16, surround the movement space of the drive means 12 when it passes between the curtain rail 1 and the structural unit 6 and guide the drive means 12 securely. Sections 18 of the tongue-like guides 8 can be curved in order to ensure a smooth transition of the drive means 12 between curtain rail 1 and structural unit 6 and vice versa. The guides 8 guide the drive means 12 in such a way that the drive means 12 is guided approximately tangentially towards a toothed wheel 13 and approximately tangentially away from the toothed wheel 13, thereby partially wrapping around the toothed wheel 13. If the gear wheel 13 rotates, the drive means 12, which is toothed in the opposite direction here, for example, is also entrained and moved either from channel 15 into channel 16 or vice versa, depending on the direction of rotation of the gearwheel 13. This moves the curtain arranged on the drive means 12 either to the left or to the right. The gear wheel 13 only has an electromotive drive 14 which can be flanged to the flange 21 on the outside of the structural unit 6 if this structural unit 6 is to serve as a drive. If, on the other hand, the structural unit 6 is only required to deflect the drive means 12, no electromotive drive 14 is flange-mounted to the flange 21 and the gear wheel 13 is only used for passive deflection of the drive means 12. This is the standard case with single-drive curtains, where a structural unit 6 with an electromotive drive 13 is required at one end section and a pure deflection 13 is required at the other end section.

[0036] The structural unit 6 itself can be fixed by screws 10 to suitably shaped sections of the cross-sectional shape of the curtain rail 1, for example by an overhanging housing section 19 forming a receiving space 20 for sections of the curtain rail 1 and enabling the curtain rail 1 and structural unit 6 to be fixed to each other in a suitable manner.

[0037] FIGS. 5 and 6 show examples of embodiments of the window-like opening 2 and its edges 3 on other cross-sectional shapes of a curtain rail 1, for which all the above properties and advantages also apply. Ideally, the same construction unit 6 can be used for all these cross-sectional shapes of curtain rails 1.

[0038] Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Numerals

[0039] 1curtain rail [0040] 2window-like opening [0041] 3edge of window-like opening [0042] 4chamber for drive unit [0043] 5channel for fastening [0044] 6structural unit [0045] 7installation space for electric motor drive/deflection [0046] 8guides [0047] 9open groove to the curtain [0048] 10fixing screws [0049] 11clamping groove [0050] 12toothed belt for electromotive adjustment [0051] 13toothed wheel for electric drive/deflection [0052] 14electric motor drive [0053] 15channel for drive unit [0054] 16channel for drive unit [0055] 17center bar between channels for drive means [0056] 18curved section guide for guiding drive means [0057] 19overhanging housing section [0058] 20mounting space for curtain rail [0059] 21flange for electric motor drive