Quiet motorized window treatment system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9598901-B2
Application number	US-201414490327-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

A motorized window treatment system may include a roller tube, a covering material windingly attached to the roller tube, and a drive assembly that may be at least partially disposed within the roller tube. The drive assembly may include a motor having a drive shaft that is elongate along a longitudinal direction and a drive gear attached to the drive shaft such that a toothed portion of the drive gear is cantilevered with respect to the drive shaft. The drive assembly may include a gear assembly having a pair of intermediate gears on opposed sides of the drive gear. Rotation of the drive gear may be transferred through the pair of intermediate gears, a connecting gear, a planetary gear set, a cage, and an idler to the roller tube. Rotation of the roller tube may cause the covering material to move between an open position and a closed position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A motorized window treatment system comprising:
an elongate roller tube defining a longitudinal axis;
a covering material windingly attached to the roller tube; and
a drive assembly that is operatively coupled to the roller tube for rotating the roller tube about the longitudinal axis, the drive assembly including:
a motor having a drive shaft that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis and defines a drive shaft rotational axis, the drive shaft defining a distal end that is spaced from the motor, wherein the drive shaft defines a drive shaft diameter;
a drive gear that is attached to the distal end of the drive shaft, the drive gear having a toothed portion adapted to rotate about the drive shaft rotational axis, wherein the toothed portion of the drive gear is spaced from the distal end of the drive shaft along the drive shaft rotational axis and defines a root diameter that is less than the drive shaft diameter, and wherein the drive gear defines a channel that receives the distal end of the drive shaft; and
a gear assembly operatively coupled to the toothed portion of the drive gear and operatively coupled to the roller tube such that actuation of the motor causes the drive gear to rotate the roller tube about the longitudinal axis.

2. The motorized window treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the drive shaft is spaced from the motor by a first distance and the toothed portion is spaced from the motor by a second distance that is longer than the first distance.

3. The motorized window treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the toothed portion is comprised of plastic and the drive gear further includes a coupling portion that extends from the toothed portion and mates with the drive shaft so as to operatively couple the drive gear to the drive shaft, the coupling portion including a non-plastic portion that operatively couples the toothed portion to the coupling portion.

4. The motorized window treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the toothed portion comprises less than 12 gear teeth.

5. The motorized window treatment system of claim 4 , wherein the gear teeth are helical.

6. The motorized window treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the gear assembly comprises a pair of intermediate gears disposed on opposed sides of the toothed portion of the drive gear, a planetary gear set that is operatively coupled to the roller tube, and a connecting gear that is operatively coupled to the pair of intermediate gears and the planetary gear set.

7. The motorized window treatment system of claim 6 , wherein the gear assembly further comprises a cage that rotatably captures one or more shafts of the planetary gear set such that rotation of the planetary gear set causes the cage to rotate.

8. The motorized window treatment system of claim 7 , wherein the cage is connected to the roller tube via an idler such that rotation of the cage causes the roller tube to rotate about the longitudinal axis.

9. A motorized window treatment system comprising:
a roller tube;
a covering material windingly attached to the roller tube;
a motor having a drive shaft, wherein the drive shaft defines a drive shaft diameter and a distal end that is spaced from the motor;
a drive gear attached to the drive shaft, the drive gear having a toothed portion that is spaced from the distal end of the drive shaft along a rotational axis of the drive shaft;
a pair of intermediate gears disposed on opposed sides of the toothed portion of the drive gear;
a planetary gear set;
a connecting gear operatively coupled to the pair of intermediate gears and the planetary gear set;
a cage that rotatably captures one or more shafts of the planetary gear set; and
an idler that operably connects the cage to the roller tube,
wherein rotation of the motor causes the drive gear to rotate, rotation of the drive gear causes the pair of intermediate gears to rotate, rotation of the pair of intermediate gears causes the connecting gear to rotate, rotation of the connecting gear causes respective planetary gear shafts of the planetary gear set to rotate about the drive shaft, rotation of the planetary gear shafts causes the cage and the idler to rotate, and rotation of the idler causes the roller tube to rotate, such that the covering material moves between an open position and a closed position.

10. The motorized window treatment system of claim 9 , wherein the drive gear defines a channel, and wherein the distal end of the drive shaft is received within the channel.

11. The motorized window treatment system of claim 9 , wherein the drive shaft defines a drive shaft diameter and the toothed portion of the drive gear defines a root diameter that is less than the drive shaft diameter.

12. The motorized window treatment system of claim 11 , wherein the toothed portion comprises helical gear teeth.

13. A motorized window treatment system comprising:
a roller tube;
a covering material windingly attached to the roller tube; and
a drive assembly operatively coupled to the roller tube, the drive assembly including:
a motor having a drive shaft that defines a drive shaft diameter;
a drive gear attached to the drive shaft, the drive gear having a toothed portion that defines a plurality of gear teeth, wherein the toothed portion is spaced from a distal end of the drive shaft along a rotational axis of the drive shaft, the toothed portion defining a root diameter that is less than the drive shaft diameter, wherein the drive gear defines a channel that receives a portion of the drive shaft; and
a gear assembly operatively coupled to the toothed portion of the drive gear and operatively coupled to the roller tube such that actuation of the motor causes the roller tube to move the covering material between an open position and a closed position.

14. The motorized window treatment system of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of gear teeth are helical gear teeth.

15. The motorized window treatment system of claim 13 , wherein the drive shaft defines a distal end that is spaced a first distance from the motor, and wherein the toothed portion of the drive gear is spaced a second distance from the motor, wherein the second distance is longer than the first distance.

16. The motorized window treatment system of claim 13 , wherein the drive gear is cantilevered with respect to a distal end of the drive shaft.

17. The motorized window treatment system of claim 13 , wherein the drive gear further includes a coupling portion that extends from the toothed portion and mates with the drive shaft so as to operatively couple the drive gear to the drive shaft, the coupling portion comprising a non-plastic portion that operatively couples the toothed portion to the coupling portion.

18. A drive assembly for rotating a roller tube about a longitudinal axis to open or close a window treatment, the drive assembly comprising:
a motor having a drive shaft that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the roller tube and defining a drive shaft rotational axis, the drive shaft defining a distal end that is spaced from the motor, wherein the drive shaft defines a drive shaft diameter;
a drive gear that is attached to the distal end of the drive shaft, the drive gear having a toothed portion adapted to rotate about the drive shaft rotational axis, wherein the toothed portion of the drive gear is spaced from the drive shaft along the drive shaft rotational axis and defines a root diameter that is less than the drive shaft diameter, and wherein the drive gear defines a channel that receives t

Assignees

• Lutron Electronics Co

Inventors

• Kirby David A
• Newman Jr Robert C

Classifications

• E06B9/72 Primary

  comprising an electric motor positioned inside the roller · CPC title

• F16H1/46

  Systems consisting of a plurality of gear trains each with orbital gears, {i.e. systems having three or more central gears} · CPC title

• E06B2009/725

  with epicyclic or planetary gear train · CPC title

• H02K2203/03

  Machines characterised by the wiring boards, i.e. printed circuit boards or similar structures for connecting the winding terminations · CPC title

• F16H1/22

  with a plurality of driving or driven shafts; with arrangements for dividing torque between two or more intermediate shafts · CPC title