Window shade and actuating system thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11879294-B2
Application number	US-202217666973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2022
Priority date	Feb 11, 2021
Publication date	Jan 23, 2024
Grant date	Jan 23, 2024

Abstract

An actuating system includes a sleeve, a braking part for applying a braking force to prevent rotation of the sleeve, a brake releasing part, an axle coupler and an engaging part. The brake releasing part is operable to cause the braking part to release the braking force for rotation of the sleeve. The axle coupler is disposed through the sleeve, and is rotatable for raising and lowering a movable rail of a window shade. The engaging part is disposed between and can be in rolling contact with the axle coupler and the sleeve. The engaging part has a coupling position with respect to the axle coupler where the sleeve and the axle coupler are locked to each other in a first direction of rotation, and is movable away from the coupling position for rotation of the axle coupler relative to the sleeve in a second direction of rotation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An actuating system for a window shade, comprising:
a sleeve having an inner surface;
a braking part operable to apply a braking force for preventing rotation of the sleeve around a rotation axis;
a brake releasing part connected with the braking part, the brake releasing part being operable to cause the braking part to release the braking force for rotation of the sleeve;
an axle coupler disposed through an interior of the sleeve, the axle coupler being rotatable around the rotation axis for raising and lowering a movable rail of a window shade; and
at least an engaging part disposed between the axle coupler and the inner surface of the sleeve, the engaging part being adapted to be in rolling contact with the axle coupler and the inner surface of the sleeve;
wherein the engaging part has a coupling position with respect to the axle coupler where the sleeve and the axle coupler are locked to each other in a first direction of rotation, and the engaging part is movable relative to the axle coupler away from the coupling position for rotation of the axle coupler relative to the sleeve in a second direction of rotation opposite to the first direction of rotation; and
wherein the sleeve and the axle coupler are rotatable in unison in the first direction with the engaging part in the coupling position as the braking part releases the sleeve by operation of the brake releasing part.

2. The actuating system according to claim 1 , wherein the engaging part includes a rolling pin or a ball.

3. The actuating system according to claim 1 , wherein the axle coupler has a notch, and the inner surface of the sleeve and the notch of the axle coupler at least partially define a gap in which the engaging part is confined.

4. The actuating system according to claim 3 , wherein the notch has a notch surface that extends along a secant line of the inner surface.

5. The actuating system according to claim 4 , wherein the engaging part is displaced toward an end of the notch surface adjacent to the inner surface in the coupling position.

6. The actuating system according to claim 1 , further including a spring respectively connected with the engaging part and the axle coupler, the spring biasing the engaging part toward the coupling position.

7. The actuating system according to claim 1 , wherein the axle coupler has an outer surface provided with a guide track that extends around the rotation axis, and the inner surface of the sleeve has a guide slot extending generally parallel to the rotation axis and overlapping partially with the guide track, the engaging part being movably disposed in the guide track and the guide slot.

8. The actuating system according to claim 7 , wherein the guide track has a loop portion and a stop region connected with each other, the engaging part being engaged with the stop region in the coupling position.

9. The actuating system according to claim 8 , wherein the engaging part moves relative to the axle coupler along the loop portion and relative to the sleeve along the guide slot when the axle coupler rotates relative to the sleeve in the second direction.

10. The actuating system according to claim 1 , wherein the braking part includes a braking spring that is disposed around the sleeve and has an end connected with the brake releasing part, the braking spring being in frictional contact with the sleeve to prevent rotation of the sleeve, and the brake releasing part being operable to cause the braking spring to loosen the frictional contact with the sleeve.

11. The actuating system according to claim 10 , further including a control wand connected with the brake releasing part via a plurality of transmission elements, the control wand being operable to cause the brake releasing part to rotate around the rotation axis and thereby urge the braking spring to loosen the frictional contact with the sleeve.

12. The actuating system according to claim 11 , wherein the control wand is rotatable around a lengthwise axis thereof for urging the braking spring to loosen the frictional contact with the sleeve, and one of the transmission elements is coupled to a biasing spring that exerts a spring force for assisting the control wand to recover an initial position when no external force is applied thereon.

13. The actuating system according to claim 1 , further including a drive unit operable to rotationally couple to and rotationally decouple from the axle coupler, the drive unit being rotationally coupled to the axle coupler for urging the axle coupler to rotate in the second direction of rotation.

14. The actuating system according to claim 13 , wherein the drive unit includes a spool and a clutching part connected with each other, and a pull member connected with the spool, the spool being rotatable for winding and unwinding the pull member, a rotation of the spool for winding the pull member causing the clutching part to disengage from the axle coupler, and a rotation of the spool for unwinding the pull member causing the clutching part to engage with the axle coupler.

15. The actuating system according to claim 14 , wherein the drive unit further includes a spring connected with the spool, the spring being adapted to bias the spool in rotation for winding the pull member.

16. The actuating system according to claim 14 , wherein the axle coupler has an end provided with a plurality of first teeth, and the clutching part includes a plurality of second teeth facing the first teeth, the second teeth being engaged with the first teeth for rotationally coupling the drive unit to the axle coupler and disengaged from the first teeth for rotationally decoupling the drive unit from the axle coupler.

17. The actuating system according to claim 1 , wherein the axle coupler is rotatable relative to the sleeve in the second direction for raising a movable rail of a window shade.

18. The actuating system according to claim 1 , wherein the brake releasing part is operable to cause the braking part to release the braking force so that the sleeve and the axle coupler are rotatable in unison in the first direction for lowering a movable rail of a window shade.

19. A window shade comprising:
a head rail having a rotary axle;
a movable rail suspended from the head rail and coupled to the rotary axle, the rotary axle being rotatable for raising and lowering the movable rail; and
the actuating system according to claim 1 , wherein the axle coupler is rotationally locked to the rotary axle.

20. The window shade according to claim 19 , wherein the movable rail is a bottom part of the window shade.

Assignees

• Teh Yor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Huang Chung-Chen
• Liu Kuan-Yu

Classifications

• E06B9/322 Primary

  Details of operating devices, e.g. pulleys, brakes, spring drums, drives ({operating devices E06B9/68} ; devices of general interest specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material B65H75/34) · CPC title

• E06B9/262

  with flexibly-interconnected horizontal or vertical strips; Concertina blinds {, i.e. upwardly folding flexible screens} · CPC title

• E06B2009/2627

  Cellular screens, e.g. box or honeycomb-like · CPC title

• E06B9/06 Primary

  collapsible or foldable, e.g. of the bellows or lazy-tongs type (bellows-type doors E06B3/94; roll-type grilles E06B9/18) · CPC title

• E06B2009/3222

  Cordless, i.e. user interface without cords · CPC title