EP1801345B1

EP1801345B1 - Blind device

Info

Publication number: EP1801345B1
Application number: EP05759956.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mamoru Ohishi; Tetsuya Hiratsuka; Koji Matsumoto
Original assignee: Oiles Eco Corp
Current assignee: Oiles Eco Corp
Priority date: 2004-08-27
Filing date: 2005-07-13
Publication date: 2015-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 2025-07-13
Also published as: EP1801345A1; TW201250103A; EP2767666A2; EP1801345A4; EP2749727A3; TWI402414B; WO2006022090A1; TWI386546B; EP2749727A2; EP2767666A3; TW200615443A

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a window blind apparatus which is disposed in a window of a building to hinder sight and shut out light for the interior of a room.

BACKGROUND ART

Patent Document 1: JP-A-2004-156289
Window blind apparatuses are known in which a plurality of slats are arranged vertically in a window of a building to hinder sight and shut out light for the interior of a room by the raising/lowering and tilting of the slats. A raising and lowering device for raising and lowering the slats and a tilting mechanism for tiling the slats are provided in such a window blind apparatus. In addition, in a window blind apparatus which is installed on the interior side, in a case where the window is fully opened, the plurality of slats superposed on each other and bundled are generally disposed on the ceiling side.
JP 2002 108768 discloses a lightweight and inexpensive blind device according to the preamble of claims 1 and 3.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

PROBLEMS THAT THE INVENTION IS TO SOLVE

Incidentally, with the window blind apparatus, the plurality of slats, which, in the full opening of the window, are superposed on each other and bundled so as not to obstruct the field of view through the window and, where necessary, to allow sufficient daylight to be obtained, are preferably disposed on the ceiling side without greatly covering an upper portion of the window. However, there is a possibility that, owing to the occupying space of a slats raising-and-lowering device and a slats tilting mechanism, the upper portion of the window is greatly covered by these bundled slats unless the ceiling is made high.
In addition, in the window blind apparatus, the slats are linked to each other by link mechanisms having cord-like bodies; however, if the slats are bundled in the full opening of the window, such cord-like bodies droop to the outside from between the slats, which mars the beauty of the room interior. Furthermore, if such a droop to the outside occurs partially, an irregularity occurs in the height of the slats between the left and the right, which also mars the beauty.
In addition, the window blind apparatus, which is installed at the window, has a possibility of being fouled early due to dust and the like, so that it is desirable to perform frequent cleaning. However, since the slats are normally linked to each other by the cord-like bodies of the link mechanisms, the window blind apparatus is inferior in assembling and disassembling efficiency, with the result that cleaning is time-consuming and may possibly involve large-scale work.
Furthermore, the slats are normally linked to each other by the cord-like bodies of the link mechanisms, and are hung down at the window at the time of shutting out the light or hindering sight. As a result, there is a possibility of the slats being swung by the external wind or the wind from an indoor air-flow system. Such swinging of the slats shortens the life of the link mechanisms, and can lead to the damage of surrounding objects in some cases.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above-described aspects, and its object is to provide a window blind apparatus in which the plurality of bundled slats can be disposed on the ceiling side as practically as possible, thereby making it possible to obtain sufficient daylight without obstructing the field of view through the window.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a window blind apparatus in which the drooping of the cord-like bodies to the outside from between the slats can be eliminated, thereby rendering the window blind apparatus excellent in appearance.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a window blind apparatus which excels in assembling and disassembling efficiency, thereby making it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and facilitating cleaning.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a window blind apparatus in which the plurality of slats hanging down at the window can be held so as not to sway due to the wind or the like, thereby preventing the occurrence of an unexpected accident or the like and making it possible to improve the product life.

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

The window blind apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises: a plurality of slats juxtaposed to each other; a link mechanism for linking said slats to each other; a raising and lowering mechanism for raising and lowering said slats; and a tilting mechanism for tilting said slats in synchronism with the raising and lowering of said slats, said link mechanism including a front edge link member connected to a front edge portion of each of said slats and a rear edge link member connected to a rear edge portion of each of said slats, said tilting mechanism including a swingable member coupled at its front edge portion to an upper end portion of said front edge link member and coupled at its rear edge portion to an upper end portion of said rear edge link member, a rotatable arm member secured at its one end portion to an intermediate portion between the front edge portion and the rear edge portion of said swingable member, and rotating means for rotating said rotatable arm member, characterized in that, said raising and lowering mechanism is for raising said slats starting with a lowermost one of said slats and lowering said slats starting with said lowermost one of said slats; wherein said rotating means includes a coupling arm member which is rotatably coupled at its one end portion to another end portion of said rotatable arm member and is rotatable, a rotator which is rotatably coupled to another end portion of said coupling arm member, a rotating mechanism for rotating said rotator , and a hampering mechanism for hampering the rotation of said rotator by more than a fixed degree.
According to the window blind apparatus in accordance with the invention, since the swingable member is coupled to the rotating means by means of the rotatable arm member, the rotating means can be disposed on the lateral side of the swingable member. Hence, the plurality of bundled slats located beneath the swingable member can be disposed on the ceiling side as practically as possible, thereby making it possible to obtain sufficient daylight without obstructing the field of view through the window.
In such a window blind apparatus, the rotating means may include a coupling pin member which is coupled at its one end portion to the coupling arm member and its other end portion to the rotator, and the rotating mechanism may include a rotational power source for generating rotational power and having a rotating shaft, which is rotated by the generated rotational power, and a transmitting mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the rotating shaft of the rotational power source to the rotator. Further, the hampering mechanism may include a fixed plate which has a circular arc-shaped guide hole through which the coupling pin member passes, and the transmitting mechanism may include an idling mechanism for idling the rotating shaft of the rotational power source with respect to the rotator in a case where the rotational load of the rotator increases due to the abutment of the coupling pin member against the fixed plate at an end of the guide hole.
In a further window blind apparatus in accordance with the invention, the apparatus comprises: a plurality of slats juxtaposed to each other; a link mechanism for linking said slats to each other; a raising and lowering mechanism for raising and lowering said slats; and a tilting mechanism for tilting said slats in synchronism with the raising and lowering of said slats, said link mechanism including a front edge link member connected to a front edge portion of each of said slats and a rear edge link member connected to a rear edge portion of each of said slats said tilting mechanism including a swingable member coupled at its front edge portion to an upper end portion of said front edge link member and coupled at its rear edge portion to an upper end portion of said rear edge link member, a rotatable arm member secured at its one end portion to an intermediate portion between the front edge portion and the rear edge portion of said swingable member , and rotating means for rotating said rotatable arm member, characterized in that, said raising and lowering mechanism is for raising said slats starting with a lowermost one of said slats and lowering said slats starting with said lowermost one of said slats; said rotating means includes a linearly movable member which has one end portion movably connected to another end portion of said rotatable arm member, and which is linearly movable; a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism for linearly moving said linearly movable member on the basis of a rotation imparted thereto; and a hampering mechanism for hampering the linear motion of said linearly movable member by more than a fixed degree. Further, in such a window blind apparatus, the linearly moveable member may have a guide hole extending in a linearly moving direction thereof, and the hampering mechanism may have a fixed pin member which passes in the guide hold of the linearly moveable member. Further, the rotating means may include a rotational power source for generating rotational power and having a rotating shaft, which is rotated by the generated rotational power, and a transmitting mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the rotating shaft of the rotational power source to the rotation-linear motion converting mechanism. The transmitting mechanism may include an idling mechanism for idling the rotating shaft of the rotational power source with respect to the rotation-linear motion converting mechanism in a case where the linear motion load of the rotation-linear motion converting mechanism increases due to the abutment of the linearly movable member against the fixed pin member at an end of the guide hole. The rotation-linear motion converting mechanism may include a gear which is rotated by the rotation imparted thereto from the transmitting mechanism and a gear which is rotated with its speed reduced relative to the rotation of the gear and meshes with the linearly movable member.
In the invention, the idling mechanism in a preferred example has a sliding mechanism for causing the rotating shaft of the rotational power source to idle with respect to the rotator or the rotation-linear motion converting mechanism.
According to the window blind apparatus of the invention having the above-described rotation-linear motion converting mechanism, the raising and lowering of the slats can be effected at low speed, and halfway opening of the window by the slats and the tilting angle of the slats can be set precisely. In addition, according to the window blind apparatus having the hampering mechanism, even if the rotational power source malfunctions, the plurality of slats can be disposed at the proper position, and it is possible to reliably obtain a full opening and a full closure of the window.
In an example window blind apparatus which is not specifically claimed, each of the front edge link member and the rear edge link member may have a flat, flexible belt-shaped body or a flexible string member having a substantially circular cross section as well as shaft members which are secured to the belt-shaped body or the string member at fixed intervals and are linked to each other by means of the belt-shaped body or the string member. Further, the shaft member may include a shaft member main body having a substantially rectangular shape, a pair of shaft supporting portions which are respectively provided integrally on side surfaces of one end portion of the shaft member main body, and a pair of shaft portions which are each provided integrally on a side surface of each of the shaft supporting portions. The slat may have receiving holes for rotatably receiving the shaft portions of the shaft member so as to allow the slat to be supported by the link mechanism. The belt-shaped body or the string member may extend through an interior of each of the shaft member main bodies and between the pairs of shaft supporting portions and being secured to each of the shaft member main bodies. In this case, preferably, in a case where an upper slat of two vertically adjacent slats is vertically superposed on a lower slat, an upper surface of the shaft supporting portion of the shaft member concerning the lower slat, with which a lower end surface of the shaft supporting portion of the shaft member concerning the upper slat comes into contact, is inclined so as to be gradually higher toward a central portion of a lateral end portion of the lower slat, so that the shaft member main body concerning the upper slat tilts toward a central portion of the upper slat. In this case, the slat should preferably have on its upper outer surface recessed portions for respectively accommodating the shaft member main bodies in a case where the slats are vertically superposed on each other. In addition, the lower end surface of the shaft supporting portion of the shaft member may have an arcuate surface. According to such a window blind apparatus, in the case where an upper slat is vertically superposed on a lower slat, the rotating direction of the shaft supporting portion can be specified so that the belt-shaped body or the string member can be disposed between the two vertically overlapping slats. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the drooping of the belt-shaped body or the string member to the outside from between the slats, thereby rendering the window blind apparatus excellent in appearance.
Further, in the example window blind apparatus which is not specifically claimed, preferably, the slat has slits each communicating with each of the receiving holes, and the shaft portion of the shaft member is insertable into and withdrawable from the receiving hole through the slit. According to such a window blind apparatus, the slats can be easily removed from the link mechanism and can be fitted again to the link mechanism after the removal. As a result, the window blind apparatus is made to excel in assembling and disassembling efficiency, thereby making it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and perform cleaning easily.
In a further example of the window blind apparatus which is not specifically claimed, the slat includes an elongated slat main body, a support member for supporting a lateral edge portion of the slat main body, and a coupling mechanism for coupling the support member to the lateral edge portion of the slat main body. Further, the support member including a plate portion which is superposed on a lateral end portion of the slat main body, a front edge clasping portion provided integrally on the plate portion to clasp a front edge of the lateral end portion of the slat main body, and a rear edge clasping portion provided integrally on the plate portion to clasp a rear edge of the lateral end portion of the slat main body. Furthermore, the coupling mechanism including a recessed portion provided integrally in one of the slat main body and the support member and a projection which is fitted in the recessed portion and is provided integrally on another one of the slat main body and the support member. According to the window blind apparatus of this example, the elongated slat main body and the support member can be easily assembled and disassembled. Hence, in this respect as well, the window blind apparatus is made to excel in assembling and disassembling efficiency, thereby making it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and perform cleaning easily.
In addition, in the example window blind apparatus which is not specifically claimed, the raising and lowering mechanism may include a receiving base for receiving the slat at a lowermost end by coming into contact with that slat, a cord-like body for raising and lowering which has one end portion coupled to the receiving base and is passed through the lateral end portion of each of the slats, and traveling means for causing the cord-like body to travel in synchronism with the tilting operation of the tilting mechanism. Further, the traveling means may include a pulley for wrapping the cord-like body for raising and lowering therearound and a rotational power source which generates rotational power for rotating the pulley and has a rotating shaft rotated by the generated rotational power. The rotational power source may be used jointly by the tilting mechanism and may be adapted to produce the tilting operation of the tilting mechanism in addition to the rotation of the pulley as the rotating shaft is rotated. In this case, the raising and lowering mechanism further may include a reversing pulley between the receiving base and the pulley, and the cord-like body for raising and lowering may be suspended vertically through the reversing pulley. The receiving base may be one which is provided separately from the slat, but the slat at the lowermost end may be used as the receiving base. In this case, the slat at the lowermost end as the receiving base comes into contact with a slat at a lowermost end among the slats located thereabove, and receives that slat.
In a further example of the window blind apparatus which is not specifically claimed, the slat has in its lateral edge portion a through hole for allowing the cord-like body for raising and lowering to be passed therethrough. The through hole includes a central hole having a shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the cord-like body for raising and lowering and defined by an inner peripheral surface of the slat and an enlarged hole communicating with the central hole. The enlarged hole is defined by an inclined surface of the slat extending from one edge of an inner peripheral surface of the slat defining the central hole toward the rear edge portion of the slat. Another edge of the inner peripheral surface of the slat defining the central hole terminates at a lower outer surface of the slat. In this case, the cord-like body for raising and lowering may be constituted by a flat, flexible belt-shaped body, the central hole may have a rectangular shape corresponding to a rectangular cross-sectional shape of the belt-shaped body, and the inclined surface of the slat may be a flat surface, extending toward the rear edge portion of the slat, and terminating at the upper outer surface of the slat. In addition, the inner peripheral surface and the inclined surface of the slat defining the through hole may preferably be arranged such that even in a case where the slat is maximally tilted by the tilting mechanism, the cord-like body for raising and lowering extends straightly without being bent in the through hole. According to such a window blind apparatus, in the tilting motion of the slats the cord-like body for raising and lowering is able to extend straightly without being affected by the tilting motion of the slats, the slats can be tilted without being hampered by the cord-like body for raising and lowering, and the traveling of the cord-like body for raising and lowering can be effected without being hampered by the slat.
The window blind apparatus may further comprise holding means for holding the slats so as to prevent the swinging motion of the slats in a horizontal plane. In this case, the holding means may have a vertically extending cord-like body for holding which is passed through the lateral edge portion of the slat, and whose both ends are fixed. The slat may have in its lateral edge portion a through hole for holding through which the cord-like body for holding is passed through. The through hole for holding may be defined by one inclined surface of the slat extending toward the rear edge portion of the slat and terminating at the upper outer surface of the slat and by another inclined surface of the slat extending toward the front edge portion of the slat and terminating at the lower outer surface of the slat. The through hole for holding may be further defined by one flat surface of the slat contiguous to the one inclined surface of the slat and terminating at the lower outer surface of the slat and by another flat surface of the slat contiguous to the other inclined surface of the slat and terminating at the upper outer surface of the slat. The one flat surface and the other flat surface may be mutually parallel and disposed with a substantially identical interval to a width of the cord-like body for holding. The one and other inclined surfaces of the slat defining the through hole for holding may be arranged such that even in a case where the slat is maximally tilted by the tilting mechanism, the cord-like body for holding extends straightly without being bent in the through hole for holding. In these cases, the slat may include an elongated slat main body and a support member for supporting a lateral edge portion of the slat main body, and the through hole for holding may be provided in a central portion of the support member between a front edge portion and a rear edge portion of the support member. Alternatively, however, the slat may include an elongated slat main body, a support member for supporting a lateral edge portion of the slat main body, and a cord-like body holder fitted and secured in a central portion of the support member between a front edge portion and a rear edge portion of the support member, and the through hole for holding may be provided in the cord-like body holder. In either case, the cord-like body for holding is formed of a steel-made wire in a preferred example, but may be formed by other rope or the like. According to the window blind apparatus having the above-described holding means, the plurality of slats hanging down at the window can be held so as not to sway due to the wind or the like, thereby preventing the occurrence of an unexpected accident or the like and making it possible to improve the product life. Furthermore, according to the window blind apparatus having the above-described through hole for holding, in the tilting motion of the slats the cord-like body for holding is able to extend straightly without being affected by the tiling motion of the slats, and the slats can be tilted, or raised and lowered without being hampered by the cord-like body for holding.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, it is possible to provide a window blind apparatus in which the plurality of bundled slats can be disposed on the ceiling side as practically as possible to make it possible to obtain sufficient daylight without obstructing the field of view through the window, in which the drooping of the cord-like bodies to the outside from between the slats can be eliminated to render the window blind apparatus excellent in appearance, which excels in assembling and disassembling efficiency to make it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and facilitating cleaning, and in which the plurality of slats hanging down at the window can be held so as not to sway due to the wind or the like, to prevent the occurrence of an unexpected accident or the like and make it possible to improve the product life.
According to the invention, it is possible to provide a window blind apparatus in which the drooping of the cord-like bodies to the outside from between the slats can be eliminated to render the window blind apparatus excellent in appearance, which excels in assembling and disassembling efficiency to make it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and facilitating cleaning, and in which the plurality of slats hanging down at the window can be held so as not to sway due to the wind or the like, to prevent the occurrence of an unexpected accident or the like and make it possible to improve the product life.
According to the invention, it is possible to provide a window blind apparatus which excels in assembling and disassembling efficiency to make it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and facilitating cleaning, and in which the plurality of slats hanging down at the window can be held so as not to sway due to the wind or the like, to prevent the occurrence of an unexpected accident or the like and make it possible to improve the product life.
According to the invention, it is possible to provide a window blind apparatus in which the plurality of slats hanging down at the window can be held so as not to sway due to the wind or the like, to prevent the occurrence of an unexpected accident or the like and make it possible to improve the product life.
According to the invention, it is possible to provide a window blind apparatus in which the traveling of the cord-like body for raising and lowering can be effected properly even if the slats are tilted, and unexpected stopping of the raising and lowering of the slats can be prevented.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereafter, a more detailed description will be given of the present invention on the basis of preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.
In Figs. 1 to 9, a window blind apparatus 1 in accordance with this embodiment is arranged to shut out light and hinder sight with respect to a window 2 of a building, and is comprised of a plurality of slats 3 juxtaposed to each other; a link mechanism 4 for linking the plurality of slats 3 to each other; a raising and lowering mechanism 5 for raising the plurality of slats 3 in a direction A, starting with the lowermost slat 3, and lowering them in a direction B, starting with that lowermost slat 3; a tilting mechanism 6 for tilting the plurality of slats 3 in a direction R1 in synchronism with the raising and lowering of the slats 3 in the directions A and B; and a holding means 7 for holding the slats 3 so as to prevent the swinging motion of the slats 3 in a horizontal plane.
As particularly shown in Fig. 1, the window 2 has glass 9 fitted to a window sash 8, and the window sash 8 is fixed to a window frame 10 of a building frame.
As particularly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, each of the slats 3 has an elongated, curved slat main body 21 made of an aluminum sheet; a support member 23 for supporting one lateral end portion 22 of the slat main body 21; a cord-like body holder 27 which is fitted to a central portion 26 of the support member 23 between a front edge portion 24 and a rear edge portion 25 thereof; and a coupling mechanism 28 (see Fig. 7) for coupling the support member 23 to the lateral end portion 22 of the slat main body 21.
The slat main body 21 integrally has a wide portion 29 and the lateral end portion 22 narrower than the wide portion 29.
As particularly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the support member 23, which is integrally formed of a synthetic resin and serves as a lateral end portion of the slat 3, includes a plate portion 31 which is superposed on the lateral end portion 22 of the slat main body 21; a front edge clasping portion 33 provided integrally on the plate portion 31 to clasp a front edge 32 of the lateral end portion 22 of the slat main body 21; a rear edge clasping portion 35 provided integrally on the plate portion 31 to clasp a rear edge 34 of the lateral end portion 22 of the slat main body 21; a pair of rectangular notches 37 which are respectively provided in the front edge portion 24 and the rear edge portion 25 and in each of which a shaft member 36 of the link mechanism 4 is disposed; a pair of receiving holes 39 provided in each of the front edge portion 24 and the rear edge portion 25 for rotatably receiving a pair of shaft portions 38 of the shaft member 36, so as to allow the slat 3 to be supported by the link mechanism 4; a pair of slits 40 each communicating with each of the receiving holes 39; a pair of recessed portions 43 which are disposed on an upper outer surface (obverse surface) 41 and each accommodate a shaft member main body 42 of the shaft member 36 when the slats 3 are superposed on each other in a vertical direction (the case of the state of the lower slats 3 shown in Fig. 2); a through hole 45 through which a flat, flexible belt-shaped body 44 serving as a cord-like body for raising and lowering the slats 3 is passed; a hole 46 in which the cord-like body holder 27 is rotatably fitted and secured; and a through hole 47 for effecting the removal of the cord-like body holder 27 from the support member 23.
As particularly shown in Fig. 8, the through hole 45 includes a central hole 52 having a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the belt-shaped body 44, i.e., a cord-like body for raising and lowering, and defined by an inner peripheral surface 51 of the support member 23 of the slat 3 as well as an enlarged hole 53 communicating with the central hole 52. The enlarged hole 53 is defined by one inclined surface 54 of the support member 23 extending from one edge of the inner peripheral surface 51 of the support member 23 defining the central hole 52 toward the rear edge portion 25 of the support member 23 of the slat 3, and by another inclined surface 55 of the support member 23 extending from another edge of the inner peripheral surface 51 toward the front edge portion 24 of the support member 23 of the slat 3. The other edge of the inner peripheral surface 51 defining the central hole 52 terminates at a lower outer surface 56 of the support member 23, which is a lower outer surface (reverse surface) of the slat 3. The inclined surface 54 is a flat surface, extends toward the rear edge portion 25, and terminates at the outer surface 41 which is the upper outer surface of the slat 3, while the inclined surface 55 is a flat surface, extends toward the front edge portion 24, and terminates at the outer surface 41. The inner peripheral surface 51 and the inclined surface 54 defining the through hole 45 are arranged such that even in cases where the slat 3 is maximally tilted by the tilting mechanism 6, the belt-shaped body 44 extends straightly without being bent, as shown in Fig. 12.
An upper surface 57 of the support member 23 defining the bottom surface of the recessed portion 43 is inclined so as to become gradually higher toward the central portion 26 of the support member 23. When the upper slat 3 of two vertically adjacent slats 3 is vertically superposed on the lower slat 3, the shaft member main body 42 of the shaft member 36 is adapted to come into contact with such an upper surface 57.
As particularly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the cord-like body holder 27, which together with the support member 23 constitutes the lateral end portion of the slat 3, includes a cylindrical portion 62 having a through hole 61 for holding, as well as a bifurcated portion 64 which is integrally formed with the cylindrical portion 62 and has on its outer peripheral surface a claw portion 63 as a detent. The cord-like body holder 27 at the bifurcated portion 64 is rotatably fitted and secured in the hole 46 in a snap-fit fashion. The cord-like body holder 27, through the through hole 61 of which a steel-made wire 65, i.e., a cord-like body for holding, is passed, is rotatable with respect to the support member 23 so that the wire 65 is able to maintain its straight state without being bent even in cases where the slat 3 is maximally tilted by the tilting mechanism 6. The cord-like body holder 27 is adapted to be removable from the hole 46 as the bifurcated portion 64 is made to undergo shrinkage in diameter through the through hole 47.
As particularly shown in Fig. 7, the coupling mechanism 28 includes a through hole 67 serving as a recessed portion provided integrally in the lateral end portion 22 of the slat main body 21, which is one of the slat main body 21 and the support member 23, as well as a projection 68 which is fitted in the through hole 67 and is provided integrally on the lower outer surface 56 of the support member 23, which is the other one of the slat main body 21 and the support member 23. The projection 68 is adapted to be fitted into the through hole 67 in a snap-fit fashion at the time of the insertion of the lateral end portion 22 into the front edge clasping portion 33 and the rear edge clasping portion 35. Thus, the slat main body 21 is detachable with respect to the support member 23 by means of the coupling mechanism 28.
The link mechanism 4 includes a front edge link member 71 connected to the front edge portion 24 of the support member 23 of each slat 3 as well as a rear edge link member 72 connected to the rear edge portion 25 of the support member 23 of each slat 3.
Each of the front edge link member 71 and the rear edge link member 72 has a flat, flexible belt-shaped body 73 which is made of synthetic fiber as well as the shaft members 36 which are made of synthetic resin, are secured to the belt-shaped body 73 at fixed intervals, and are linked to each other by means of the belt-shaped body 73.
The belt-shaped body 73 extends through the interior of each shaft member main body 42 and between pairs of shaft supporting portions 75, and is secured to each shaft member main body 42.
As particularly shown in Fig. 9, each shaft member 36 includes the shaft member main body 42 having a substantially rectangular shape, the pair of shaft supporting portions 75 which are respectively provided integrally on side surfaces of one end portion of the shaft member main body 42, and the pair of shaft portions 38 which are each provided integrally on a side surface of each of the shaft supporting portions 75. In the case where the upper slat 3 of two vertically adjacent slats 3 is vertically superposed on the lower slat 3, the shaft member main body 42 of the shaft member 36 concerning that lower slat 3 comes into contact with the upper surface 57 of the support member 23 concerning that lower slat 3 so as to be disposed slant. As a result, at this time, an upper surface 77 of the shaft supporting portion 75 of the shaft member 36 concerning the lower slat 3, with which an arcuate-surfaced lower end surface 76 of the shaft supporting portion 75 of the shaft member 36 concerning the upper slat 3 comes into contact, is inclined so as to be gradually higher toward the central portion 26 of the support member 23, i.e., the lateral end portion of the lower slat 3, so that the shaft member main body 42 concerning the upper slat 3 tilts toward the central portion 26 of the support member 23 of the upper slat 3, i.e., is rotated in a direction R2 about the shaft portion 38. The shaft portion 38 is fitted and secured in the receiving hole 39 through the slit 40 in a snap-fit fashion, and is insertable into and withdrawable from the receiving hole 39. As a result, each of the slats 3 is detachable with respect to the link mechanism 4.
The raising and lowering mechanism 5 includes an elongated hollow receiving base 81 which receives the slat 3 at the lowermost end by coming into contact with that slat 3 and extends parallel to that slat 3 in the lateral direction in the same way as that slat 3; a reversing pulley 84 which is rotatably mounted on a mounting member 82 through a shaft member 83; the belt-shaped body 44 which serves as the cord-like body for raising and lowering, has one end portion 80 coupled to a lower surface of the receiving base 81, and is passed through the through hole 45 of the lateral end portion of each slat 3; and a traveling means 85 for causing the belt-shaped body 44 to travel in the directions A and B in synchronism with the tilting operation of the tilting mechanism 6.
The traveling means 85 includes a pulley 86 for wrapping the belt-shaped body 44 therearound and a rotational power source 88 which generates rotational power for rotating the pulley 86 and has a rotating shaft 87 rotated by the generated rotational power.
The belt-shaped body 44 wound around the pulley 86 on the other end side is suspended vertically through the reversing pulley 84 disposed between the receiving base 81 and the pulley 86, and the pulley 86 is secured on the rotating shaft 87 so as to rotate with the rotation of the rotating shaft 87.
The rotational power source 88 includes an electric motor 91 which is operated and stopped by an operating switch mechanism provided additionally, and which is stopped by a detected result from a detector for detecting a maximally raised position and a maximally lowered position of the receiving base 81; and a reduction gear mechanism 92 for transmitting the rotation of an output rotating shaft of the electric motor 91 to the rotating shaft 87. The electric motor 91 and the reduction gear mechanism 92 are installed in a housing 94 which is mounted on an upper horizontal frame 93 of the window frame 10, and which supports the mounting member 82. The rotational power source 88 is used jointly by a rotating means 95 of the tilting mechanism 6, and as its rotating shaft 87 is rotated, the rotational power source 88 is adapted to produce, in addition to the rotation of the pulley 86, the rotation of a rotatable arm member 96 in a direction r, to thereby produce the tilting operation of the tilting mechanism 6.
As for the raising and lowering mechanism 5, as the rotating shaft 87 is rotated by the operation of the electric motor 91, the pulley 86 is rotated to wind the belt-shaped body 44 around the pulley 86 and cause the belt-shaped body 44 to travel in the direction A, or to pay out the belt-shaped body 44 from the pulley 86 and cause the belt-shaped body 44 to travel in the direction B. Thus, the raising and lowering mechanism 5 raises the receiving base 81 to raise the slats 3 in the direction A, starting with the lowermost slat 3, and to finally bundle all the slats 3 in an overlapping manner, as shown in Fig. 1, while lowering the receiving base 81 to lower the slats 3 in the direction B, starting with the lowermost slat 3, and to dispose the tilted slats 3 in the entire window 2, as shown in Fig. 11.
As particularly shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the tilting mechanism 6 includes a swingable member 107 which is coupled at its front edge portion 102 to an upper end portion 101 of the belt-shaped body 73 of the front edge link member 71 by means of a pin member 103, and is coupled at its rear edge portion 105 to an upper end portion 104 of the belt-shaped body 73 of the rear edge link member 72 by means of a pin member 106; a shaft member 108 supported rotatably in the direction r by the mounting member 82; the rotatable arm member 96 which is secured at its one end portion 109 to an intermediate portion 110 between the front edge portion 102 and the rear edge portion 105 of the swingable member 107 by means of the shaft member 108; and the rotating means 95 for rotating the rotatable arm member 96 in the direction r.
The rotating means 95 includes a coupling arm member 124 which is rotatably coupled at its one end portion 121 to the other end portion 123 of the rotatable arm member 96 by means of a shaft member 122, and is rotatable; a coupling pin member 127 which is rotatably coupled at its one end portion 125 to the other end portion 126 of the coupling arm member 124; an annular rotator 129 to which the other end portion 128 of the coupling pin member 127 is rotatably coupled, and which is rotatably coupled to the other end portion 126 of the coupling arm member 124 by means of the coupling pin member 127; a rotating mechanism 130 for rotating the rotator 129; and a hampering mechanism 131 for hampering the rotation of the rotator 129 by more than a fixed degree.
The rotator 129 includes an annular portion 112 which is rotatably disposed in an annular recess 134 of the pulley 86 concentrically with the pulley 86 and is rotatably mounted on a central shaft portion 111 of the pulley 86, in which the rotating shaft 87 is fitted, by coming into sliding contact with the central shaft portion 111; and a hollow semicylindrical portion 114 which is formed integrally with the annular portion 112 and has a circular arc-shaped notch 113. The rotating mechanism 130 includes a rotational power source 88 for generating rotational power and having the rotating shaft 87 which is rotated by the generated rotational power; and a transmitting mechanism 135 for transmitting the rotation of the rotating shaft 87 of the rotational power source 88 to the rotator 129.
The rotational power source 88, which is used jointly by the traveling means 85 of the raising and lowering mechanism 5, includes the electric motor 91 and the reduction gear mechanism 92 for transmitting the rotation of the output rotating shaft of the electric motor 91 to the rotating shaft 87. As the rotating shaft 87 is rotated, the rotational power source 88 is adapted to rotate the rotator 129 by means of the transmitting mechanism 135.
The hampering mechanism 131 includes a fixed plate 139 which has a circular arc-shaped guide hole 136 in which the coupling pin member 127 passes, the fixed plate 139 being attached to a side plate 137 of the housing 94 by means of supports 138. The hampering mechanism 131 is adapted to hamper and inhibit further rotation of the rotator 129 as the coupling pin member 127 abuts against the fixed plate 139 at respective ends 140 and 141 (see Fig. 10) of the guide hole 136.
As particularly shown in Fig. 4, the transmitting mechanism 135 has an idling mechanism 142 consisting of a coil spring 119 having one end 115 disposed on one end face 116 side of the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 defining one end of the notch 113 and another end 117 disposed on the other end face 118 side of the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 defining the other end of the notch 113, the coil spring 119 being wound around the central shaft portion 111 of the pulley 86 in frictional contact therewith. As for the idling mechanism 142, when the rotation of the pulley 86 occurs in the direction of paying out the belt-shaped body 44, the coil spring 119 wound around the central shaft portion 111 of the pulley 86 in frictional contact therewith is rotated in the same direction, with the result that the one end 115 of the coil spring 119 abuts against the end face 116 of the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 so as to tighten the coil spring 119 onto the central shaft portion 111 and to rotate the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 in the same direction. Meanwhile, when the rotation of the pulley 86 occurs in the direction of winding the belt-shaped body 44, the coil spring 119 wound around the central shaft portion 111 of the pulley 86 in frictional contact therewith is rotated in the same direction, with the result that the other end 117 of the coil spring 119 abuts against the end face 118 of the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 so as to tighten the coil spring 119 onto the central shaft portion 111 and to similarly rotate the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 in the same direction, thus transmitting the rotation of the rotating shaft 87 to the rotator 129. On the other hand, in the case where the rotational load of the rotator 129 increases due to the abutment of the coupling pin member 127 against the fixed plate 139 at the ends 140 and 141 of the guide hole 136, sliding is caused to occur between the central shaft portion 111 of the pulley 86 and the coil spring 119 which are in frictional contact, so as to allow the pulley 86 to idle by sliding with respect to the rotator 129 through the coil spring 119, whereby the idling mechanism 142 is provided with a sliding mechanism for causing the rotating shaft 87 to idle with respect to the rotator 129.
As for the tilting mechanism 6, when the electric motor 91 is operated in the state in which all the slats 3 are overlapped and bundled in the upper position, as shown in Fig. 1, the rotating shaft 87 is rotated. The rotation of the rotating shaft 87 causes the pulley 86 to rotate, which, in turn, causes the rotator 129 to rotate by means of the coil spring 119 in frictional contact with the pulley 86. The rotation of the rotator 129 rotates the coupling arm member 124 by means of the coupling pin member 127, as shown in Fig. 10. As the coupling arm member 124 is rotated, the swingable member 107 is swung in the direction r by means of the rotatable arm member 96. As a result, the rear edge link member 72 is raised by being lifted up relative to the front edge link member 71, while the front link member 71 is lowered relative to the rear edge link member 72. Thus, the tiling motion in the direction R1 is caused to take place in the upper slats 3 whose overlappings are consecutively canceled in conjunction with the lowering of the receiving base 81 based on the traveling of the belt-shaped body 44 in the direction B due to the synchronous paying out of the belt-shaped body 44 from the pulley 86. After the tiling motion in the direction R1 is caused to take place in the slats 3, as shown in Fig. 11, until the coupling pin member 127 abuts against the fixed plate 139 at the end 141 of the guide hole 136, the rotating shaft 87 is adapted to idle with respect to the rotator 129 to stop the swinging motion of the swingable member 107. Even after the stopping of the swinging motion of the swingable member 107, the paying out of the belt-shaped body 44 from the pulley 86 is continued by the operation of the electric motor 91, with the result that tilting motion occurs in the lower slats 3 whose overlappings are consecutively canceled by the link mechanism 4 whereby the rear edge link member 72 is lifted up relative to the front edge link member 71 by the tilting mechanism 6. Thus, as shown in Fig. 11, all the slats 3 whose overlappings have been canceled are tilted and are disposed in the entire window 2.
Further, as for the tilting mechanism 6, when the electric motor 91 is operated reversely to the above in the state in which all the slats 3 are tilted, as shown in Fig. 11, the swingable member 107 swings reversely by means of the reverse rotation of the coupling arm member 124, the front edge link member 71 is lifted up relative to the rear edge link member 72, while lowering the rear edge link member 72 relative to the front edge link member 71, thereby causing the slats 3 to undergo tilting motion in the opposite direction to the direction R1. Thus, reversely tilting motion is caused to occur in the upper slats 3 rather than the lower slats 3 which are consecutively overlapped in conjunction with the raising of the receiving base 81 based on the traveling of the belt-shaped body 44 in the direction A due to the winding of the belt-shaped body 44 around the pulley 86. After the tilting motion of the slats 3 is canceled, as shown in Fig. 2, by the abutment of the coupling pin member 127 against the fixed plate 139 at the end 140 of the guide hole 136, the rotating shaft 87 is adapted to idle with respect to the rotator 129 so as to stop the swinging motion of the swingable member 107. Even after the stopping of the swinging motion of the swingable member 107, the winding of the belt-shaped body 44 around the pulley 86 is continued by the operation of the electric motor 91, with the result that the slats 3 are disposed on the upper side of the window 2 in the state in which all the slats 3 are overlapped and bundled in the upper position, as shown in Fig. 1.
The holding means 7 has the wire 65 serving as a vertically extending cord-like body for holding, the wire 65 being relatively movably passed through the through hole 61 of the cord-like body holder 27, i.e., a lateral end portion of each slat 3 and through a lateral end portion of the receiving base 81, the wire 65 having one end fixed to the mounting member 82 by means of a fixture 145 and another end fixed to a floor 147 of the building by means of a fixture 146.
In the window blind apparatus 1, those similar to the support member 23, the cord-like body holder 27, the coupling mechanism 28, the link mechanism 4, the raising and lowering mechanism 5, the tilting mechanism 6, the holding means 7, and the like, excluding the electric motor 91 and the reduction gear mechanism 92, are also provided on the other lateral end portion 148 side of the slat main body 21. The rotating shaft 87 extends to the other lateral end portion 148 side of the slat main body 21 so as to supply rotational power to the raising and lowering mechanism and the tilting mechanism on the other lateral end portion 148 side of the slat main body 21. Thus, the raising and lowering mechanism and the tilting mechanism on the other lateral end portion 148 side of the slat main body 21 are adapted to operate in synchronism with the raising and lowering mechanism 5 and the tilting mechanism 6 on the one lateral end portion 22 side of the slat main body 21.
With the above-described window blind apparatus 1, since the swingable member 107 is coupled to the rotating means 95 by means of the rotatable arm member 96, the rotating means 95 can be disposed on the lateral side of the swingable member 107. Hence, the plurality of bundled slats 3 located beneath the swingable member 107 can be disposed on the ceiling side as practically as possible, thereby making it possible to obtain sufficient daylight without obstructing the field of view through the window 2. In the case where the upper slat 3 of two vertically adjacent slats 3 is vertically superposed on the lower slat 3, the upper surface 77 of the shaft supporting portion 75 concerning the lower slat 3, with which the lower end surface 76 of the shaft supporting portion 75 concerning the upper slat 3 comes into contact, is inclined so as to be gradually higher toward a central portion of the lateral end portion of the lower slat 3. Therefore, the rotating direction of the shaft supporting portion 75 can be specified to the direction R2 so that the belt-shaped body 73 can be disposed between the two vertically overlapping slats 3. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the drooping of the belt-shaped body 73 to the outside from between the slats 3, thereby rendering the window blind apparatus 1 excellent in appearance. Since the shaft portion 38 of the shaft member 36 is insertable into and withdrawable from the receiving hole 39 through the slit 40, the slats 3 can be easily removed from the link mechanism 4 and can be fitted again to the link mechanism 4 after the removal. As a result, the window blind apparatus 1 is made to excel in assembling and disassembling efficiency, thereby making it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and perform cleaning easily. Moreover, since the slat main body 21 and the support member 23 are detachable by means of the coupling mechanism 28, the elongated slat main body 21 and the support member 23 can be easily assembled and disassembled. Hence, in this respect as well, the window blind apparatus 1 is made to excel in assembling and disassembling efficiency, thereby making it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and perform cleaning easily.
In addition, with the above-described window blind apparatus 1, the inner peripheral surface 51 and the inclined surface 54 of the slat 3 defining the through hole 45 are arranged such that even in cases where the slat 3 is maximally tilted by the tilting mechanism 6, the belt-shaped body 44 extends straightly without being bent. Therefore, in the tilting motion of the slats 3 the belt-shaped body 44 can be maintained in its straightly extending state without being affected by the tilting motion of the slats 3, and the slats 3 can be tilted, or raised and lowered without being hampered by the belt-shaped body 44. In addition, since the holding means 7 is provided, the plurality of slats 3 hanging down at the window can be held so as not to sway due to the wind or the like, thereby preventing the occurrence of an unexpected accident or the like and making it possible to improve the product life. Furthermore, since the wire 65 is passed through the through hole 61 of the cord-like body holder 27 which is rotatably fitted and secured in the hole 46, in the tilting motion of the slats 3 the wire 65 can be maintained in its straightly extending state without being affected by the tiling motion of the slats 3, and the slats 3 can be tilted, or raised and lowered without being hampered by the wire 65.
In addition, with the window blind apparatus 1, since the hampering mechanism 131 is provided, even if the rotational power source 88 malfunctions, the plurality of slats 3 can be disposed at the proper position, and it is possible to reliably obtain a full opening and a full closure of the window 2.
With the above-described window blind apparatus 1, although in the rotating means 95 of the tilting mechanism 6 the rotatable arm member 96 is rotated by means of the coupling arm member 124, the rotatable arm member 96 may alternatively be rotated by means of a linearly movable member 151, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14. Namely, the rotating means 95 in such a case includes the linearly movable member 151 which has one end portion 152 movably connected to the other end portion 123 of the rotatable arm member 96 through an elongated hole 153 and the shaft member 122, and which is linearly movable in directions C and D; a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism 154 for linearly moving the linearly movable member 151 on the basis of the rotation imparted thereto; a hampering mechanism 155 for hampering the linear motion of the linearly movable member 151 in the directions C and D by more than a fixed degree; the rotational power source 88 (see Fig. 1) which generates rotational power and has the rotating shaft 87 which rotates by the generated rotational power; and the transmitting mechanism 135 for transmitting the rotation of the rotating shaft 87 of the rotational power source 88 to the rotation-linear motion converting
mechanism 154.
The linearly movable member 151 includes an elongated portion 162 having two guide holes 161 extending in a linearly moving direction; and an arm portion 163 which is formed integrally with the elongated portion 162, and has at its one end portion 152 the elongated hole 153 in which the shaft member 122 is disposed. The linearly movable member 151 is linearly movable in the directions C and D by being guided by fixed pin members 165 which are respectively disposed in the guide holes 161.
The rotation-linear motion converting mechanism 154 includes an annular rotator 170 which is rotated by the rotation imparted thereto from the transmitting mechanism 135 and is rotatably disposed in the annular recess 134 of the pulley 86; an annular gear 171 secured to the rotator 170; a gear 174 which meshes with the gear 171 and is rotatably supported by a fixed plate 173 through a shaft member 172; and a gear 176 which is rotated with its speed reduced relative to the rotation of the gear 171 and meshes with rack teeth 175 of the linearly movable member 151.
The rotator 170 and the gear 171 secured to the rotator 170 are disposed concentrically with the rotating shaft 87. The rotator 170, which is similar to the rotator 129, includes the annular portion 112 which is rotatably disposed in the annular recess 134 of the pulley 86 concentrically with the pulley 86 and is rotatably mounted on the central shaft portion 111 of the pulley 86, in which the rotating shaft 87 is fitted, by coming into sliding contact with the central shaft portion 111; and the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 which is formed integrally with the annular portion 112 and has the circular arc-shaped notch 113 (see Fig. 4). The gear 171 secured to the rotator 170 is rotatable with respect to the central shaft portion 111 of the pulley 86. The shaft member 172 is rotatably supported by the fixed plate 173 attached to the side plate 137 of the housing 94 by means of the supports 138. The gear 176 disposed concentrically with the gear 174 is secured, together with the gear 174, to the shaft member 172.
The hampering mechanism 155 has the fixed plate 173 as well as the two fixed pin members 165 which are respectively passed through the guide holes 161 of the linearly movable member 151 and are secured to the fixed plate 173. The hampering mechanism 155 is adapted to hamper and inhibit further linear motion of the linearly movable member 151 in the directions C and D as the linearly movable member 151 at respective ends 180 and 181 (see Fig. 15) of the guide holes 161 abuts against the respective fixed pin members 165.
The transmitting mechanism 135 has the idling mechanism 142 consisting of the coil spring 119 which causes the rotating shaft 87 of the rotational power source 88 to idle with respect to the rotator 170 of the rotation-linear motion converting mechanism 154 in the case where the linear motion load of the linearly movable member 151 in the directions C and D increases due to the abutment of the linearly movable member 151 against the fixed pin members 165 at the ends 180 and 181 of the guide holes 161. As for the idling mechanism 142, when the rotation of the pulley 86 occurs in the direction of paying out the belt-shaped body 44, the coil spring 119 wound around the central shaft portion 111 of the pulley 86 in frictional contact therewith is rotated in the same direction, with the result that the other end 117 of the coil spring
119 abuts against the end face 118 of the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 so as to rotate the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 in the same direction. Meanwhile, when the rotation of the pulley 86 occurs in the direction of winding the belt-shaped body 44, the coil spring 119 wound around the central shaft portion 111 of the pulley 86 in frictional contact therewith is rotated in the same direction, with the result that the one end 115 of the coil spring 119 abuts against the end face 116 of the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 so as to similarly rotate the hollow semicylindrical portion 114 in the same direction, thus transmitting the rotation of the rotating shaft 87 to the rotator 129. On the other hand, in the case where the linear motion load of the linearly movable member 151 in the directions C and D increases due to the abutment of the linearly movable member 151 against the fixed pin members 165 at the ends 180 and 181 of the guide holes 161, sliding is caused to occur between the central shaft portion 111 of the pulley 86 and the coil spring 119 which are in frictional contact, so as to allow the pulley 86 to idle by sliding with respect to the rotator 170 through the coil spring 119. The idling mechanism 142 is thus provided with a sliding mechanism for causing the rotating shaft 87 to idle with respect to the rotator 170 (see Fig. 4).
In the window blind apparatus 1 shown in Figs. 13 and 14, in addition to the receiving base 81, the reversing pulley 84, the belt-shaped body 44, and the traveling means 85, the raising and lowering mechanism 5 further has a reversing pulley 186 which is rotatably mounted on the mounting member 82 through a shaft member 185. Thus, the belt-shaped body 44 is adapted to be wound around pulley 86 in opposite direction to the above state by means of a reversing pulley 186.
In the window blind apparatus 1 shown in Figs. 13 and 14, as for the tilting mechanism 6, when the electric motor 91 is operated in the state in which all the slats 3 are overlapped and bundled in the upper position, as shown in Fig. 1, the rotating shaft 87 is rotated. The rotation of the rotating shaft 87 causes the pulley 86 to rotate, which, in turn, causes the rotator 170 to rotate by means of the coil spring 119 in frictional contact with the pulley 86. The rotation of the rotator 170 rotates the linearly movable member 151 in the direction D via the gears 171, 174, and 176. As the linearly movable member 151 is moved in the D direction, the swingable member 107 is swung in the direction r by means of the rotatable arm member 96. As a result, as shown in Fig. 15, the rear edge link member 72 is lifted up relative to the front edge link member 71, while the front link member 71 is lowered relative to the rear edge link member 72. Thus, the tiling motion in the direction R1 is caused to take place in the upper slats 3 whose overlappings are consecutively canceled in conjunction with the lowering of the receiving base 81 based on the traveling of the belt-shaped body 44 in the direction B due to the synchronous paying out of the belt-shaped body 44 from the pulley 86. Subsequently, when the linearly movable member 151 abuts against the fixed pin member 165 at the end 181 of the guide hole 161, the rotating shaft 87 is caused to idle with respect to the rotator 170 so as to stop the swinging motion of the swingable member 107. Even after the stopping of the swinging motion of the swingable member 107, the paying out of the belt-shaped body 44 from the pulley 86 is continued by the operation of the electric motor 91, with the result that tilting motion occurs in the lower slats 3 whose overlappings are consecutively canceled by the link mechanism 4 whereby the rear edge link member 72 is lifted up relative to the front edge link member 71 by the tilting mechanism 6. Thus, as shown in Fig. 15, all the slats 3 whose overlappings have been canceled are tilted and are disposed in the entire window 2. On the other hand, when the electric motor 91 is operated reversely to the above in the state in which all the slats 3 are tilted, as shown in Fig. 15, the swingable member 107 swings reversely by means of the movement of the linearly movable member 151 in the direction C, the front edge link member 71 is lifted up relative to the rear edge link member 72, while lowering the rear edge link member 72 relative to the front edge link member 71. Thus, reversely tilting motion is caused to occur in the upper slats 3 rather than the lower slats 3 which are consecutively overlapped in conjunction with the raising of the receiving base 81 based on the traveling of the belt-shaped body 44 in the direction A due to the winding of the belt-shaped body 44 around the pulley 86. When the linearly movable member 151 abuts against the fixed pin member 165 at the end 180 of the guide hole 161, the rotating shaft 87 is caused to idle with respect to the rotator 170 so as to stop the linear motion of the linearly movable member 151. Even after the stopping of the swinging motion of the swingable member 107, the winding of the belt-shaped body 44 around the pulley 86 is continued by the operation of the electric motor 91, with the result that the slats 3 are disposed on the upper side of the window 2 in the state in which all the slats 3 are overlapped and bundled in the upper position, as shown in Fig. 1.
The window blind apparatus 1 shown in Figs. 13 and 14 is also able to exhibit the above-described advantages. Furthermore, since the gear 176 in the rotation-linear motion converting mechanism 154 is adapted to be rotated with its speed reduced relative to the rotation of the gear 171, the raising and lowering of the slats 3 can be effected at low speed, and halfway opening of the window 2 by the slats 3 and the tilting angle of the slats 3 can be set precisely.
Incidentally, although, in the holding means 7 of the above-described window blind apparatus 1, the wire 65 is passed through the through hole 61 of the cord-like body holder 27, such a cord-like body holder 27 may not be used, and the through hole 47 provided in the central portion 26 between the front edge portion 24 and the rear edge portion 25 of the support member 23 may be used as the through hole for holding. In this case, as shown in Fig. 16, the through hole 47 for holding is defined by one inclined surface 191 of the support member 23, which is one inclined surface of the slat 3, the one inclined surface 191 extending toward the rear edge portion 25 of the support member 23, i.e., the rear edge portion of the slat 3, and terminating at the upper outer surface 41 of the support member 23, i.e., the upper outer surface of the slat 3; another inclined surface 192 of the support member 23, which is another inclined surface of the slat 3, the other inclined surface 192 extending toward the front edge portion 24 of the support member 23, i.e., the front edge portion of the slat 3, and terminating at the lower outer surface 56 of the support member 23, i.e., the lower outer surface of the slat 3; one flat surface 193 of the support member 23, which is one flat surface of the slat 3, the one flat surface 193 being contiguous to the inclined surface 191 and terminating at the outer surface 56; and another flat surface 194 of the support member 23, which is another flat surface of the slat 3, the other flat surface 194 being contiguous to the inclined surface 192 and terminating at the outer surface 41. The one flat surface 193 and the other flat surface 194 are mutually parallel, and are disposed with a substantially identical interval d or diameter to the width or diameter of the wire 65 to such an extent that the ease of movement of the support member 23 in the directions A and B with respect to the wire 65 can be maintained, and the holdability of the support member 23 by the wire 65 can be maintained. The inclined surfaces 191 and the 192 and the flat surfaces 193 and 194 defining such a through hole 47 are arranged such that even in cases where the slat 3 is maximally tilted by the tilting mechanism 6, the wire 65 extends straightly without being bent, as shown in Fig. 17.
Although in the above-described front edge link member 71 and rear edge link member 72 the shaft members 36 are linked to each other by the flat, flexible belt-shaped body 73, the shaft members 36 may alternatively be linked to each other by a flexible string member 201 having a substantially circular cross section, as shown in Figs. 18 to 21. In this case as well, the string member 201 extends through the interior of the shaft member main body 42 of each shaft member 36 and between the pairs of shaft supporting portions 75, and is secured to each shaft member main body 42.
In the embodiment shown in Figs. 18 to 20, each support member 23, which is integrally formed of a synthetic resin and serves as the lateral end portion of the slat 3, includes one thick lateral portion 211; another thick lateral portion 212 opposing the thick lateral portion 211; a thin central portion 213 connecting the thick lateral portions 211 and 212 to each other; the pair of rectangular notches 37 which are respectively defined by the front edge portion 24 and the rear edge portion 25 of the thick lateral portion 211, the front edge portion 24 and the rear edge portion 25 of the thick lateral portion 212, and a front edge portion and a rear edge portion of the thin central portion 213, and in each of which the shaft member 36 of the link mechanism 4 is disposed; the pair of receiving holes 39 which are provided in both the front edge portions 24 and the rear edge portions 25 of the thick lateral portions 211 and 212 for rotatably receiving the pair of shaft portions 38 of the shaft member 36; the through hole 45 provided in the thin central portion 213 to allow the flexible belt-shaped body 44 to be passed therethrough; and a pair of slits 214 which are provided in each of the thick lateral portions 211 and 212. The slat main body 21 has integrally therewith the wide portion 29 and a pair of lateral end portions 22 which are inserted into the slits 214 of the thick lateral portions 211 and 212. Each slat 3 has for each lateral end portion 22 the coupling mechanism 28 consisting of the through hole 67 provided in each lateral end portion 22 as well as the projection 68 provided integrally on the thin central portion 213 and fitted in the through hole 67. The cord-like body holder 27 is fitted and secured in the thick lateral portion 212 and has a through hole 215 similar to the through hole 45 so that even in cases where the slat 3 is maximally tilted by the tilting mechanism 6 (the case shown in Fig. 19), the wire 65 is able to maintain a straight state without being bent, the wire 65 being passed through the through hole 215.
Although in the above description the shaft portion 38 is adapted to be fitted and secured in the receiving hole 39 through the slit 40 in a snap-fit fashion, an arrangement may be provided such that, as shown in Fig. 18 and 19, the shaft portion 38 is fitted and secured in a snap-fit manner in the receiving hole 39 of the support member 23 not having the slit 40, by making use of the flexibility of the front edge portions 24 and the rear edge portions 25 of the thick lateral portions 211 and 212.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is an explanatory side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a partial, enlarged explanatory side view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a partial, enlarged explanatory cross-sectional plan view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a partial, enlarged explanatory cross-sectional front view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a partial explanatory exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 6 is a partial explanatory exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 7 is a partial detailed explanatory view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 8 is a partial detailed explanatory view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 9 is a partial detailed explanatory view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 10 is a diagram explaining the operation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 11 is a diagram explaining the operation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 12 is a diagram explaining the operation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 13 is a partial explanatory side view of another preferred embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 14 is a partial, enlarged explanatory cross-sectional plan view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 13;
Fig. 15 is a diagram explaining the operation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 13;
Fig. 16 is a partial detailed explanatory view of still another preferred embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 17 is a diagram explaining the operation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 16;
Fig. 18 is a partial perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 19 is a perspective view of a case where slats are tilted in the embodiment shown in Fig. 18;
Fig. 20 is a partial explanatory cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 18; and
Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a shaft member and a string member of the embodiment shown in Fig. 18.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND SIGNS

1: window blind apparatus
2: window
3: slat
4: link mechanism
5: raising and lowering mechanism
6: tilting mechanism
7: holding means
71: front edge link member
72: rear edge link member
73: belt-shaped body
95: rotating means
96: rotatable arm member
107: swingable member

Claims

A window blind apparatus (1) comprising:
a plurality of slats (3) juxtaposed to each other;

a link mechanism (4) for linking said slats (3) to each other;

a raising and lowering mechanism (5) for raising and lowering said slats (3); and

a tilting mechanism (6) for tilting said slats (3) in synchronism with the raising and lowering of said slats (3),

said link mechanism (4) including a front edge link member (71) connected to a front edge portion (24) of each of said slats (3) and a rear edge link member (72) connected to a rear edge portion (25) of each of said slats (3),

said tilting mechanism (6) including a swingable member (107) coupled at its front edge portion (102) to an upper end portion (101) of said front edge link member (71) and coupled at its rear edge portion (105) to an upper end portion (104) of said rear edge link member (72), a rotatable arm member (96) secured at its one end portion (109) to an intermediate portion (110) between the front edge portion (102) and the rear edge portion (105) of said swingable member (107), and rotating means (95) for rotating said rotatable arm member (96), characterized in that, said raising and lowering mechanism (5) is for raising said slats (3) starting with a lowermost one of said slats (3) and lowering said slats starting with said lowermost one of said slats (3);

wherein said rotating means (95) includes a coupling arm member (124) which is rotatably coupled at its one end portion (121) to another end portion (123) of said rotatable arm member (96) and is rotatable, a rotator (129) which is rotatably coupled to another end portion (126) of said coupling arm member (124), a rotating mechanism (130) for rotating said rotator (129), and a hampering mechanism (131) for hampering the rotation of said rotator (129) by more than a fixed degree.
The window blind apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein said rotating means (95) includes a coupling pin member (127) which is coupled at its one end portion (125) to said coupling arm member (124) and at its other end portion (128) to said rotator (129), and said rotating mechanism (130) includes a rotational power source (88) for generating rotational power and having a rotating shaft (87), which is rotated by the generated rotational power, and a transmitting mechanism (135) for transmitting the rotation of the rotating shaft (87) of said rotational power source (88) to said rotator (129),
said hampering mechanism (131) including a fixed plate (139) which has a circular arc-shaped guide hole (136) through which said coupling pin member (127) passes,
said transmitting mechanism (135) including an idling mechanism (142) for idling the rotating shaft (87) of said rotational power source (88) with respect to said rotator (129) in a case where the rotational load of said rotator (129) increases due to the abutment of said coupling pin member (127) against said fixed plate (139) at an end (140) of the guide hole (136).
A window blind apparatus (1) comprising:
a plurality of slats (3) juxtaposed to each other;

a link mechanism (4) for linking said slats (3) to each other;

a raising and lowering mechanism (5) for raising and lowering said slats (3); and

a tilting mechanism (6) for tilting said slats (3) in synchronism with the raising and lowering of said slats (3),

said link mechanism (4) including a front edge link member (71) connected to a front edge portion (24) of each of said slats (3) and a rear edge link member (72) connected to a rear edge portion (25) of each of said slats (3),

said tilting mechanism (6) including a swingable member (107) coupled at its front edge portion (102) to an upper end portion (101) of said front edge link member (71) and coupled at its rear edge portion (105) to an upper end portion (104) of said rear edge link member (72), a rotatable arm member (96) secured at its one end portion (109) to an intermediate portion (110) between the front edge portion (102) and the rear edge portion (105) of said swingable member (107), and rotating means (95) for rotating said rotatable arm member (96), characterized in that, said raising and lowering mechanism (5) is for raising said slats (3) starting with a lowermost one of said slats (3) and lowering said slats starting with said lowermost one of said slats (3);

said rotating means (95) includes a linearly movable member (151) which has one end portion (152) movably connected to another end portion (123) of said rotatable arm member (96), and which is linearly movable; a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism (154) for linearly moving said linearly movable member (151) on the basis of a rotation imparted thereto; and a hampering mechanism (155) for hampering the linear motion of said linearly movable member (151) by more than a fixed degree.
The window blind apparatus (1) according to claim 3, wherein said linearly movable member (151) has a guide hole (161) extending in a linearly moving direction thereof, and said hampering mechanism (155) has a fixed pin member (165) which passes in the guide hole (161) of said linearly movable member (151), wherein said rotating means (95) includes a rotational power source (88) for generating rotational power and having a rotating shaft (87), which is rotated by the generated rotational power, and a transmitting mechanism (135) for transmitting the rotation of the rotating shaft (87) of said rotational power source (88) to said rotation-linear motion converting mechanism (154),
said transmitting mechanism (135) including an idling mechanism (142) for idling the rotating shaft (87) of said rotational power source (88) with respect to said rotation-linear motion converting mechanism (154) in a case where the linear motion load of said rotation-linear motion converting mechanism (154) increases due to the abutment of said linearly movable member (151) against said fixed pin member (165) at an end (180, 181) of the guide hole (161).
The window blind apparatus (1) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said rotation-linear motion converting mechanism (154) includes a gear (171) which is rotated by the rotation imparted thereto from said transmitting mechanism (135) and a gear (176) which is rotated with its speed reduced relative to the rotation of said gear (171) and meshes with said linearly movable member (151).
The window blind apparatus (1) according to claim 2, 4, or 5, wherein said idling mechanism (142) has a sliding mechanism for causing the rotating shaft (87) of said rotational power source (88) to idle with respect to said rotator (129) or said rotation-linear motion converting mechanism (154).
The window blind apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each of said front edge link member (71) and said rear edge link member (72) has a flat, flexible belt-shaped body (73) or a flexible string member (201) having a substantially circular cross section as well as shaft members (36) which are secured to said belt-shaped body (73) or said string member (201) at fixed intervals and are linked to each other by means of said belt-shaped body (73) or said string member (201), and said shaft member (36) includes a shaft member main body (42) having a substantially rectangular shape, a pair of shaft supporting portions (75) which are respectively provided integrally on side surfaces of one end portion of the shaft member main body (42), and a pair of shaft portions (3 8) which are each provided integrally on a side surface of each of the shaft supporting portions (75),
said slat (3) having receiving holes (39) for rotatably receiving the shaft portions (38) of said shaft member (36) so as to allow said slat (3) to be supported by said link mechanism (4),
said belt-shaped body (73) or said string member (201) extending through an interior of each of the shaft member main bodies (42) and between the pairs of shaft supporting portions (75) and being secured to each of the shaft member main bodies (42),
wherein in a case where an upper slat (3) of two vertically adjacent slats (3) is vertically superposed on a lower slat (3), an upper surface (77) of the shaft supporting portion (75) of said shaft member (36) concerning said lower slat (3), with which a lower end surface (76) of the shaft supporting portion (75) of said shaft member (36) concerning said upper slat (3) comes into contact, is inclined so as to be gradually higher toward a central portion (26) of a lateral end portion of said lower slat (3), so that the shaft member main body (42) concerning said upper slat (3) tilts toward a central portion (26) of said upper slat (3).