EP2345772B1

EP2345772B1 - Screen device

Info

Publication number: EP2345772B1
Application number: EP10193812.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bart Pieter Jules Abeel; Pieter Leopold André Brabant; Thierry Luc Veys; Stijn Colpaert; Michael Tokmaji
Original assignee: Renson Sunprotection Screens NV
Current assignee: Renson Sunprotection Screens NV
Priority date: 2009-12-09
Filing date: 2010-12-06
Publication date: 2013-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2030-12-06
Also published as: NL1038427C2; BE1020172A5; EP2345772A3; NL1038427A; EP2345772A2

Description

The present invention relates to a screen device comprising:

a screen roller;
a screen which can be rolled up onto and rolled down from this screen roller;
a bottom lath which is provided on the side of the screen opposite the side where the screen is rolled up and rolled down;
one or more lath guide elements which are attached to the ends of the bottom lath;
one or more lath guides in which said lath guide elements are arranged so as to be displaceable in order to guide the movement of the bottom lath during the roll-up and roll-down movement of the screen;
at least along one side of the screen, a tensioning system to tension the screen in the roll-up and roll-down direction, comprising a tension strip or tension rope or tension cable, one end of which is attached to a fastening element of the tensioning system which is provided on one end of the bottom lath;
one or more guides of the tensioning system, which are one or more of the said lath guides (4) or distinct from them.

Such screen devices can for example be provided with running wheels or sliding pieces as lath guide elements which are provided in lath guides in order to guide the movement of the bottom lath during rolling up and rolling down of the screen. Such guides of the bottom lath are already generally known for screen devices, and are described, inter alia, in patent publications, EP 0 918 118 A1 , BE 905 606 , DE 39 32 520 C1 , BE 1 015 475 A5 , DE 85 24 022 U1 and DE 102 13 438 A1 .
These screen devices may be provided with tensioning systems, such as for example described in EP 0 918 118 A1 , BE 905 606 and DE 85 24 022 U1 , as tensioning system. Such a tensioning system ensures that the bottom lath is pushed out in case these screen devices are fitted at an angle of inclination of less than 90° with respect to a horizontal plane. In addition, such a tensioning system prevents a screen, which is for example fitted at an incline to a window or which is fitted as a roof of a terrace covering without glazing, from sagging under its own weight and coming up against the window or in the terrace covering. Such a tensioning system also helps to prevent a screen from moving or flapping excessively or from becoming damaged on account of wind. One end of the tension strip or tension rope or tension cable of such a tensioning system runs on a wheel which is arranged on the end of the screen roller. When the screen is rolled up, the tension strip or tension rope or tension cable rolls down from this wheel. When the screen is rolled down, the tension strip or tension rope or tension cable is rolled up. The tension strip or tension rope or tension cable is then guided via guide wheels and via a reversing wheel and is attached to an end of the bottom lath by its other end. The tension strip or tension rope or tension cable is furthermore kept under tension by means of, for example, a spring system. In this way, such a tensioning system always keeps the screen tensioned in the roll-up and roll-down direction.
Where such screen devices can span relatively large areas, it is usually especially difficult to arrange the lath guides parallel to one another. In order to be able to roll the screen together with the bottom lath attached thereto up and down quickly without the bottom lath with its lath guide elements becoming stuck in the lath guides, these lath guide elements can be attached to this bottom lath so as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the bottom lath, as described, for example, in DE 102 13 438 A1 . However, such a guide system, as described in DE 102 13 438 A1 , can not be used in those cases where it is desired to also guide the screen itself along its lateral sides in screen guides in order to prevent the screen from moving or flapping excessively or from becoming damaged on account of wind. In such situations, the guide systems will be placed on the lateral sides of the screen. In addition, a system from DE 102 13 438 A1 has degrees of freedom which are too large to be able to take over guiding of the screen in those cases where the screen is to be guided on its lateral sides.
With running wheels as lath guide elements, these running wheels can be fitted on a shaft so as to be displaceable, with this shaft being fixedly attached to the corresponding end of the bottom lath. Where the lath guides of such a screen device are not arranged parallel to one another, the lath guide elements slide in the longitudinal direction of the bottom lath with respect to this bottom lath, in order to compensate for the difference in distance between the lath guides over which these run or slide on both sides of the bottom lath. However, due to this correction by the lath guide elements, the tension rope or tension strip or tension cable which is also attached to an end of the bottom lath will often run askew, as a result of which it rubs against, for example, profiles, or edges of wheels (guide wheels, reversing wheel, etc.) to which this tension rope or tension strip or tension cable is fitted, or starts to drag against the lath guide elements, etc., which leads to wear of this tension rope or tension strip or tension cable. Due to the fact that it is running askew, this tension rope or tension strip or tension cable may also come off the fastening element to which it is fitted, as a result of which the screen is no longer at the desired tension.
With the screen device from DE 85 24 022 U1 , which comprises all elements of the preamble of claim 1, the lath guide elements also serve as guide elements for the tensioning system.
With such screen devices, it is not possible to fit a fastening element of the tensioning system so as to be displaceable with respect to the bottom lath in a known manner, if the screen is to be guided in screen guides on its lateral sides. The reason for this is that the distance between the point where the tensioning means (tension strip, tension rope, tension cable) engage with the fastening element of the tensioning system and the point where the fastening element of the tensioning system is mounted, is too large as a result of the distance or space which is required in order to allow for lateral guiding of the lateral sides of the screen. The resulting lever arm in combination with the necessary tensioning force to keep the screen at a sufficient tension, results in a flexural stress which is so great that the guide shaft to which the guide elements are fitted becomes jammed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a screen device according to the preamble of claim 1, in which the screen can be tensioned satisfactorily in any position, without the lath guide elements becoming stuck in the lath guides with large spans.
This object of the invention is achieved by providing a screen device comprising:

a screen roller;
a screen which can be rolled up onto and rolled down from this screen roller;
a bottom lath which is provided on the side of the screen opposite the side where the screen is rolled up and rolled down;
one or more lath guide elements which are attached to the ends of the bottom lath;
one or more lath guides in which said lath guide elements are arranged so as to be displaceable in order to guide the movement of the bottom lath during the roll-up and roll-down movement of the screen;
at least along one side of the screen, a tensioning system to tension the screen in the roll-up and roll-down direction, comprising a tension strip or tension rope or tension cable, one end of which is attached to a fastening element of the tensioning system which is provided on one end of the bottom lath;
one or more guides of the tensioning system, which are one or more of the said lath guides (4) or distinct from them, and in which the fastening element of the tensioning system is provided with a guide element of the tensioning system, distinct from the one or more lath guide elements, said guide element of the tensioning system being arranged in the guides of the tensioning system so as to be displaceable in order to guide the movement of the fastening element of the tensioning system during the roll-up and roll-down movement of the screen;

In this way, a sturdy screen device can be produced, in which the screen can be tensioned satisfactorily in any position, in which both the tensioning system and the bottom lath of the screen are guided, without the lath guide elements becoming stuck in the lath guides with large spans. The guide element of the tensioning system is attached in a sturdy manner to the bottom lath so as to be displaceable by means of the ball bearing bushes, with this guide element of the tensioning system being displaceable in the longitudinal direction with respect to the bottom lath, without the flexural stress which the tensioning system exerts jamming the device.
In a specific embodiment of a screen device according to the present invention, the guide element of the tensioning system is fixedly arranged on a shaft, the one or more ball bearing bushes are fixedly arranged in the bottom lath and the shaft is fitted in the said one or more ball bearing bushes so as to be displaceable.
Preferably, said guides of the tensioning system of a screen device according to the present invention are also one or more of said lath guides. In this way, the assembly of guide profiles (lath guides, guides of the tensioning system, screen guides, etc.) of such a screen device can be kept compact. With regard to production and use of materials, it is also more advantageous to use the same guide of such a screen device for two purposes.
Furthermore, the guide element of the tensioning system is preferably fitted in the longitudinal direction of the bottom lath between an end of the bottom lath and the fastening element of the tensioning system. In this way, the tension strip or tension rope or tension cable will run next to the guide of the tensioning system, so that the latter is not impeded thereby.
In the longitudinal direction of the bottom lath, the guide element of the tensioning system could also be fitted for example outside the fastening element of the tensioning system. However, if the lateral sides of the screen are also provided with flexible thickenings which are guided in lateral guides, the result would be a less compact assembly. However, such an arrangement can also result in a compact assembly if the lateral sides of the screen are not guided in lateral guides in such a manner, so that the tensioning system can adjoin the screen roller more closely.
The fastening element of the tensioning system could, for example, also be provided at the same or a smaller distance with respect to the end of the bottom lath as the guide element of the tensioning system.
The guide element of the tensioning system is preferably fixedly arranged with respect to the fastening element of the tensioning system, with the guide element of the tensioning system and the fastening element of the tensioning system then preferably being fitted in the longitudinal direction of the bottom lath so as to be displaceable with respect to this bottom lath. In this way, the guide element of the tensioning system can be displaced with respect to this bottom lath, just like the lath guide elements, if the lath guides have not been arranged parallel to one another or if the guides of the tensioning system have not been arranged parallel to the lath guides. Due to the fastening element of the tensioning system being fixedly arranged with respect to the guide element of the tensioning system, the tension strip or tension rope or tension cable will therefore always continue to run at a fixed distance from and parallel with respect to the guides of the tensioning system.
In a specific embodiment of a screen device according to the present invention, the tension strip or tension rope or tension cable is arranged next to the one or more guides of the tensioning system.
More specifically, the guide element of the tensioning system can be configured as a primary running wheel which is arranged in the one or more guides of the tensioning system so that it can roll, in order to hold and guide the guide element of the tensioning system securely in the guides of the tensioning system.
Alternatively, the guide element of the tensioning system can be configured as a sliding piece which is arranged in the one or more guides of the tensioning system so as to be displaceable, in order to hold and guide the guide element of the tensioning system securely in the guides of the tensioning system.
More specifically, the lath guide elements can be configured further as one or more secondary running wheels which are fitted in the one or more lath guides so that they can roll in order to hold and guide the bottom lath securely in the lath guides.
It is preferred to fit the primary running wheel as a guide element of the tensioning system at the end of the bottom lath between the secondary running wheels which are provided as lath guide elements.
With a further specific embodiment of a screen device according to the present invention, the one or more lath guide elements are configured as one or more sliding pieces which are fitted in the one or more lath guides so as to be displaceable, in order to hold and guide the bottom lath securely in the lath guides.
A screen device according to the present invention furthermore preferably comprises one or more screen guides for guiding the lateral sides of the screen during the roll-up and roll-down movement thereof.
In order to guide the lateral sides of the screen in screen guides during the roll-up and roll-down movement thereof, the lateral sides of the screen which are guided in these screen guides preferably have a thickening, with each of these thickenings being arranged in a respective guide profile in order to hold and guide the screen securely in the screen guides.
Such a guide profile which is provided with such a thickening can then for example be fitted in the screen guides with tolerance. In this case, tolerance is preferably provided in the plane of the screen. When forces act on the screen, such as for example with gusts of wind, or when rain falls on the screen, etc., this screen can then deflect slightly, thanks to said tolerance, without the thickenings breaking free from the guide profiles and without the screen becoming damaged. In this case, the guide profiles can also be pushed away from the screen into the screen guides by means of resilient material, so that a resilient prestress is exerted on the screen in a direction at right angles to its roll-up and roll-down direction.
Said thickenings have to be sufficiently flexible so that they can readily roll up and down the screen roller with the screen. To this end, these thickenings may, for example, be configured as half zips. Such a half zip can be attached to a lateral side of the screen as a whole by, for example, sewing or melting or welding it on, with said zip extending over (virtually) the entire longitudinal direction of the screen.
When the lateral sides of the screen of such a screen device are guided in screen guides, the screen guides and the lath guides which are on the same side of the screen, viewed in the direction at right angles to the screen, are preferably one behind the other.
The present invention will now be explained in more detail by means of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a screen device according to the present invention. The sole aim of this description is to give illustrative examples and to indicate further advantages and features of this screen device, and can therefore not be interpreted as a limitation of the area of application of the invention or of the patent rights laid down in the claims.
In this detailed description, reference numerals are used to refer to the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a detail of a screen device according to the present invention in perspective, at the location of a corner of the screen, comprising an end of the bottom lath, lath guide wheels, a guide wheel of the tensioning system and a tension strip, in which the lateral guide, comprising a screen guide and a lath guide, is not illustrated;
Fig. 2 shows a detail of a cross section of the screen device from Fig. 1, cut through the bottom lath and through a lateral guide comprising a screen guide and a lath guide which also serves as a guide for the tensioning system;
Fig. 3 shows a detail of the screen device from Figs. 1 and 2 in perspective view, at the level of a corner of the screen, comprising the bottom lath with lath guide wheels, a guide wheel of the tensioning system and a tension strip, in which the lateral guide, comprising the screen guide and the lath guide in cross section, is illustrated.

The screen device according to the invention, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises a screen (1) which can be rolled up and rolled down on a screen roller. The screen roller on which this screen (1) is rolled up and rolled down has not been shown in the figures. This part of the screen device is already generally known from the prior art.
On a side opposite the side where the screen (1) is rolled up and rolled down, this screen (1) is provided with a bottom lath (2). Furthermore, this screen device comprises two lateral guides (14) in which the ends of the screen (1) and the bottom lath (2) are guided during the roll-up and roll-down movement of the screen (1). Figs. 2 and 3 in each case illustrate one of the two lateral guides (14) of the screen device. The illustrated lateral guide (14) comprises a screen guide (10) and a lath guide (4) which also serves as a guide for the tensioning system (7), as will become clear later.
At each end of the bottom lath (2), two secondary running wheels (5) are fitted which are arranged in the lath guide (4) so that they can roll in order to guide the movement of the bottom lath (2) during the roll-up and roll-down movement of the screen (1). These secondary running wheels (5) are arranged so as to be displaceable with respect to the bottom lath (2) in the longitudinal direction of the bottom lath (2). In this way, the secondary running wheels (5) can be displaced in a simple manner with respect to the bottom lath (2). This is useful in those cases where the lath guides (4) cannot be fitted entirely parallel to one another during fitting and the secondary running wheels (5) can thus compensate for the tolerance in distance between the lath guides (4). In order to fit these secondary running wheels (5) so as to be displaceable with respect to the bottom lath (2), these secondary running wheels (5) may, for example, each be displaceably fitted on a shaft which is fixedly attached to the bottom lath (2). To this end, the bottom lath (2) can be configured, for example, to be hollow and to be provided with an end piece (17), to which this shaft is then attached.
On one or both sides of the bottom lath (2) a primary running wheel (8) on a third shaft (16) is provided between the two secondary running wheels (5) which serve as lath guide elements (5). This third shaft (16) may also be attached to the end piece (17) in order to attach it to the bottom lath (2). This primary running wheel (8) is also fitted in the corresponding lath guide (4) so that it can roll. The third shaft (16) continues further with respect to the primary running wheel (8) and is provided on its end with an edge or a slot or a constriction as fastening element of the tensioning system (6) in order to attach a tension strip (3) thereto.
This tension strip (3) which is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, but not in Fig. 2, forms part of the tensioning system of this screen device. This tensioning system is provided so as to tension the screen (1) in the roll-up and roll-down direction. To this end, this tensioning system comprises said tension strip (3) which is arranged on one side of the screen (1) in the illustrated lateral guide (14). The one end of this tension strip (3) runs on a wheel which is arranged on the end of the screen roller. When the screen (1) is rolled up, the tension strip (3) rolls down this wheel. When the screen (1) is rolled down, the tension strip (3) rolls up this wheel. Furthermore, the tension strip (3) is guided via guide wheels and a reversing wheel and is attached to the bottom lath (2), on said end (6) of the third shaft (16), by its other end. The tension strip (3) is tensioned, for example by means of a spring system.
Said primary running wheel (8) is not fitted on the third shaft (16) so as to be displaceable, so that the distance between this primary running wheel (8) and the tension strip (3) always remains the same. Due to the fact that the primary running wheel (8) also runs in the lath guide (4), which in this case also serves as a guide of the tensioning system (7), the tension strip (3) is therefore also always guided in the lateral guide (14) at the same distance with respect to this lath guide (4). In order to make it possible for this primary running wheel (8) to also diverge with respect to the bottom lath (2) when the lath guide (4), which also serves as a guide for the tensioning system (7), is not arranged parallel to the lath guide(s) (4) on the opposite side (not shown) of the screen (1), the third shaft (16) itself is fitted in (the end piece (17) of) the bottom lath (2) so as to be displaceable. According to the invention, this is achieved by means of two ball bearing bushes (9). These ball bearing bushes (9) are fixedly arranged in the bottom lath (2). The third shaft (16), on which the primary running wheel (8) is fixedly arranged, is displaceably fitted in these ball bearing bushes (9).
Such an arrangement of a primary running wheel (8) for guiding the fastening element of the tensioning system (6) and therefore also of the tension strip (3) which is arranged thereon, between the secondary running wheels (5) for guiding the bottom lath (2), can be used in cases where relatively significant flexural stresses occur on the third shaft (16).
Instead of running wheels (5, 8), the screen device could also be provided with sliding pieces as guide elements (5, 8) in order to guide the movement of the fastening element (6) of the tension strip (3) and of the bottom lath (2) during the roll-up and roll-down movement of the screen (1).
In order to tension the screen (1) between the screen guides (10) which are situated on either side of the screen (1), these screen guides (10) comprise guide profiles (12) which extend in the longitudinal direction in the screen guides (10), with these guide profiles (12) being fitted in the screen guides (10) with a tolerance. This tolerance is provided in a direction at right angles to said longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the lateral sides of the screen (1) which extend in said same longitudinal direction comprise a thickening (11) which is configured as a half zip (11). Each half zip (11) is arranged in a respective guide profile (12) in order to hold and guide the screen (1) securely in the screen guides (10) during the roll-up and roll-down movement of the screen (1). The guide profiles (12) are pushed in a direction away from the screen (1) into the screen guides (10) by means of resilient elements (13), so that the screen (1) is under resilient prestress.
The lath guide (4) and the screen guide (10) are provided one behind the other in the lateral guide (14), viewed in the direction at right angles to the plane of the screen, in order to arrange them in as compact a manner as possible with respect to one another. In order not to increase the height of the lateral guide (14) unnecessarily, the tension strip (3) it then provided next to the lath guide (4), in which case, in the prior art, it is usually positioned at the location of the secondary running wheels (5) or between the running wheels and bottom lath as lath guide elements. As a result of this arrangement of the guide elements in the lateral guide (14), this lateral guide (14) can be made particularly compact. In the illustrated embodiment, due to this compact lateral guide (14), the screen device can be arranged between girders (15) of, for example, a terrace covering, as can be seen in Figs. 2 and 3, in which case this screen device stays within the height of the girders (15) and the lateral guide (14) still has a limited width.

Claims

Screen device comprising:
- a screen roller;

- a screen (1) which can be rolled up onto and rolled down from this screen roller;

- a bottom lath (2) which is provided on the side of the screen (1) opposite the side where the screen (2) is rolled up and rolled down;

- one or more lath guide elements (5) which are attached to the ends of the bottom lath (2);

- one or more lath guides (4) in which said lath guide elements (5) are arranged to as to be displaceable in order to guide the movement of the bottom lath (2) during the roll-up and roll-down movement of the screen (1);

- at least along one side of the screen (1), a tensioning system to tension the screen (1) in the roll-up and roll-down direction, comprising a tension strip (3) or tension rope or tension cable, one end of which is attached to a fastening element of the tensioning system (6) which is provided on one end of the bottom lath (2);

- one or more guides of the tensioning system (7), which are one or more of the said lath guides (4) or distinct from them.
the screen device being characterized in that

- the fastening element of the tensioning system (6) is provided with a guide element of the tensioning system (8), distinct from the one or more lath guide elements (5), said guide element of the tensioning system (8) being arranged in the guides of the tensioning system (7) so as to be displaceable in order to guide the movement of the fastening element of the tensioning system (6) during the roll-up and roll-down movement of the screen (1);

- the one or more lath guide elements (5) are provided so as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the bottom lath (2) with respect to this bottom lath (2); and in that

- the guide element of the tensioning system (8) is provided so as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the bottom lath (2) with respect to the bottom lath (2) by means of one or more ball bearing bushes (9).
Screen device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the guide element of the tensioning system (8) is fixedly arranged on a shaft (16), in that the one or more ball bearing bushes (9) are fixedly arranged in the bottom lath (2) and in that the shaft (16) is fitted in the said one or more ball bearing bushes (9) so as to be displaceable.
Screen device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide element of the tensioning system (8) is fitted in the longitudinal direction of the bottom lath (2) between an end of the bottom lath (2) and the fastening element of the tensioning system (6).
Screen device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide element of the tensioning system (8) is fitted with respect to the fastening element of the tensioning system (6) so as not to be displaceable and in that the guide element of the tensioning system (8) and the fastening element of the tensioning system (6) are fitted in the longitudinal direction of the bottom lath (2) so as to be displaceable with respect to this bottom lath (2).
Screen device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tension strip (3) or tension rope or tension cable is arranged next to the one or more guides of the tensioning system (7).
Screen device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide element of the tensioning system (8) is configured as a primary running wheel (8) which is arranged in the one or more guides of the tensioning system (7) so that it can roll, in order to hold and guide the guide element of the tensioning system (8) securely in the guides of the tensioning system (7).
Screen device according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the guide element of the tensioning system (8) is configured as a sliding piece which is fitted in the one or more guides of the tensioning system (7) so as to be displaceable, in order to hold and guide the guide element of the tensioning system (8) securely in the guides of the tensioning system (7).
Screen device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lath guide elements (5) are configured as one or more secondary running wheels (5) which are arranged in the one or more lath guides (4) so that they can roll in order to hold and guide the bottom lath (2) securely in the lath guides (4).
Screen device according to Claim 2, 6 and 8, characterized in that the primary running wheel (8) as a guide element of the tensioning system (8) is fitted at the end of the bottom lath (2) between the secondary running wheels (5) as lath guide elements (5).
Screen device according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the lath guide elements (5) are configured as one or more sliding pieces which are fitted in the one or more lath guides (4) so as to be displaceable, in order to hold and guide the bottom lath (2) securely in the lath guides (4).
Screen device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises one or more screen guides (10) for guiding the lateral sides of the screen (1) during the roll-up and roll-down movement thereof.
Screen device according to Claim 11, characterized in that the screen guides (10) and the lath guides (4) which are on the same side of the screen (1), viewed in the direction at right angles to the plane of the screen (1), are one behind the other.