Motor assembly for an architectural covering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10676989-B2
Application number	US-201715425824-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2017
Priority date	Feb 19, 2016
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

An architectural covering including a motor assembly is provided. The covering may include a head rail, an end cap enclosing an end of the head rail, a roller tube rotatably supported within the head rail at least partially by the end cap, and a motor assembly including a housing in splined engagement with the end cap to non-rotatably secure the motor assembly to the end cap. The motor assembly may be received at least partially within the roller tube and may be in driving engagement with the roller tube. A covering material may be attached to the roller tube such that rotation of the roller tube extends or retracts the covering material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An architectural covering comprising:
an end cap including a cylindrical boss;
a roller tube rotatably supported at least partially by said end cap; and
a motor assembly including a housing, an end of said housing extending into said boss and engaged with said boss to non-rotatably secure said motor assembly to said end cap, said boss enclosing said end of said housing, said motor assembly received at least partially within said roller tube and in driving engagement with said roller tube.

2. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said motor assembly includes a drive shaft and a drive structure for rotating said roller tube, said drive structure clamped to said drive shaft as a result of relative axial movement between said drive structure and said drive shaft.

3. The covering of claim 1 , further comprising a head rail, wherein said end cap encloses an end of said head rail and said roller tube is rotatably supported within said head rail.

4. The covering of claim 1 , wherein:
said housing includes a first spline feature extending lengthwise along a length of said housing;
said boss is axially aligned with said housing; and
said boss includes a second spline feature extending lengthwise along a length of said boss and configured to engage said first spline feature.

5. The covering of claim 4 , wherein said housing defines two or more resilient arms that engage an internal wall of said boss to axially secure said motor assembly to said end cap.

6. The covering of claim 4 , wherein:
said first spline feature comprises one of two or more external splines or two or more internal grooves; and
said second spline feature comprises the other of said external splines or said internal grooves.

7. The covering of claim 6 , wherein one or more splines of said external splines include torque combative features to resist rotation of said housing relative to said end cap.

8. The covering of claim 6 , wherein one or more splines of said external splines and one or more grooves of said internal grooves form a dovetail joint to maintain engagement of said one or more splines with one or more grooves of said internal grooves.

9. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said housing of said motor assembly defines an internal cavity, and wherein said motor assembly includes;
a motor received within said internal cavity;
a drive shaft operatively associated with said motor; and
a drive structure clamped to said drive shaft as a result of relative axial movement between said drive structure and said drive shaft.

10. The covering of claim 9 , wherein said drive structure is clamped to said drive shaft by axial movement of a wedge engaging said drive shaft with respect to a tapered surface of a wedge housing that increasingly applies inwardly-directed forces to said wedge to cause said wedge to clamp onto said drive shaft as said wedge and said tapered surface move axially with respect to each other.

11. The covering of claim 9 , wherein said drive structure comprises a drive member positioned external of said housing.

12. The covering of claim 9 , wherein said drive structure comprises a wedge axially aligned with said drive shaft, said wedge including two or more resilient arms that clamp onto said drive shaft.

13. The covering of claim 12 , wherein:
said drive shaft includes two or more flat surfaces; and
said resilient arms clamp onto said flat surfaces.

14. The covering of claim 12 , wherein:
said drive structure further comprises a drive member positioned external of said housing and a wedge housing attached to said drive member; and
said wedge housing extends through an opening formed in an axial end of said housing and at least partially surrounds said drive shaft.

15. The covering of claim 14 , wherein said drive structure further comprises a set screw axially aligned with said wedge for engaging an end of said wedge to force said wedge into said housing and clamp onto said drive shaft.

16. The covering of claim 14 , wherein said wedge housing includes an inner surface that engages said resilient arms and forces said resilient arms toward each other to clamp onto said drive shaft.

17. The covering of claim 15 , wherein:
said wedge housing is axially aligned with said wedge; and
said inner surface of said wedge housing tapers inwardly towards said drive shaft to force said resilient arms toward each other to clamp onto said drive shaft.

18. The covering of claim 1 , wherein said housing includes a first shell and a second shell coupled together to define an internal cavity, and wherein said motor assembly includes:
a motor received within said internal cavity;
a drive shaft operatively associated with said motor; and
a drive structure removably coupled to said drive shaft, wherein said drive structure may be interchanged with a different drive structure without separating said first and second shells.

19. The covering of claim 18 , wherein said drive structure is coupled to said drive shaft as a result of relative axial movement between said drive structure and said drive shaft.

20. An architectural covering comprising:
an end cap including a boss;
a roller tube rotatably supported at least partially by said end cap;
a motor assembly including a housing defining two or more resilient arms that engage an internal wall of said boss to axially secure said motor assembly to said end cap, said motor assembly received at least partially within said roller tube and in driving engagement with said roller tube; and
an insert including two or more resilient arms that engage said internal wall of said boss to lock said two or more resilient arms of said housing into engagement with said internal wall.

21. The covering of claim 20 , wherein said two or more resilient arms of said insert extend in an opposite direction relative to, and interdigitate with, said two or more resilient arms of said housing.

22. The covering of claim 20 , wherein:
said motor assembly includes a motor received at least partially in said housing, and a printed circuit board received at least partially in said housing; and
said printed circuit board is supported by said housing and said insert.

23. The covering of claim 20 , wherein an end of said housing including said two or more resilient arms extends into said boss such that said boss encloses said end of said housing.

24. The covering of claim 20 , wherein said boss is cylindrical.

25. A method of assembling an architectural covering, said method comprising:
positioning a motor within a housing, wherein the motor and the housing form a motor assembly;
aligning an end of the housing with a cylindrical boss of an end cap; and
inserting the end of the housing into the boss and into engagement within the boss of the end cap to non-rotatably secure the motor assembly to the end cap, the boss enclosing the end of the housing when the end of the housing is inserted into the boss, wherein a roller tube is rotatably supported at least partially by the end cap, and wherein the motor assembly is received at least partially within the roller tube and in driving engagement with the roller tube.

26. The method of claim 25 , further comprising clamping a drive structure to a drive shaft of the motor by an axial movement of the drive structure.

27. The method of claim 25 , further comprising positioning a printed circuit board within an

Assignees

• Hunter Douglas

Inventors

• Buccola Jr Nickolas C
• Faller Kenneth M

Classifications

• H02K7/003

  Couplings; Details of shafts (means for mounting rotors on shafts H02K1/28) · CPC title

• E06B9/72 Primary

  comprising an electric motor positioned inside the roller · CPC title

• E06B9/44

  Rollers therefor; Fastening roller blinds to rollers · CPC title

• E06B2009/6809

  Control · CPC title

• E06B9/34

  roller-type; {Roller shutters with adjustable lamellae} · CPC title