EP4726165A1

EP4726165A1 - Mechanism for a roll-up sunshade shutter and relative shutter

Info

Publication number: EP4726165A1
Application number: EP25202225.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nunzio Spontella
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2024-10-09
Filing date: 2025-09-15
Publication date: 2026-04-15

Abstract

Roll-up shutter comprising a plurality of fixed slats (10) and a plurality of tiltable slats (20) alternately arranged, the set of said slats (10, 20) being configured to be wound around a roller and subsequently opened by sliding between two vertical tracks located below said roller and laterally to said slats. The fixed slats (10) and tiltable slats (20) are connected to each other at both ends by return elements (30) protruding laterally from the slats themselves and configured to slide within said vertical tracks. The shutter is characterized in that at least part of said fixed slats (10) comprise a hole (101) located at their upper end, through which they are hinged to the return element (30) connected to the upper tiltable slat (20), and a hook (102) located at their lower end, by which they are hooked to the lower tiltable slat (20); at least part of said tiltable slats (20) comprise a hook (202) located at their upper end, by which they are hooked to the hook (102) of the upper fixed slat (10), and a hole (201) located below said hook (202), through which they are hinged to the return element (30) connected to the lower fixed slat (10). The shape of said slats (10, 20) is such that the hooking position of said hooks (102, 202) is offset with respect to the plane defined by said tracks in which said return elements (30) slide.

Description

The present patent application for an industrial invention relates to a mechanism for a roll-up sunshade shutter and to the relative shutter.
A roll-up sunshade shutter is intended as a shutter in which at least part of the slats are configured to rotate, allowing light to enter and rooms to be ventilated.
Various solutions for realizing sunshade shutters are known in the prior art.
In FR3053379 , a system of roll-up shutters with tiltable slats is described, consisting of a series of horizontal slats connected to one another to form a blackout curtain. The slats are guided in dedicated vertical guides and actuated by a drum to enable vertical movement.
In IT201900002347 , a mechanism for a shutter with oscillating slats is described, operating through a system of hooks that connect the movable slats to a fixed frame. Each slat is provided with an upper hook that engages with the lower fixed profile of the slat above. During opening, the weight of the shutter causes a 180° rotation of the slats, allowing them to oscillate freely. Other solutions are described in
IT201900018392 , ITUA20162606 , WO2017009876 .

Technical Problem

The known solutions are complex to manufacture, require the use of many components, and are not easily adaptable to obtain, in addition to the sunshade function, also the function of a security (reinforced) shutter.

Purpose of the Invention

The purpose of the present invention is therefore to provide a roll-up sunshade shutter that overcomes the limitations of the known solutions, and in particular one that is simple and economical to manufacture, effective in operation, and easily adaptable to also perform the function of a security shutter.

Description of the Figures

The invention will now be described with reference to the attached figures.

Figure 1 shows a side view of the shutter in the sunshade open and closed positions of the embodiment illustrated in exploded and assembled form in Figure 2 .
Figures 3 , 4 , and 5 show views of a further embodiment including one or more compensators.
Figure 6 shows a view of a shutter according to the invention with slats in open and closed positions.
Figure 7 shows an exploded and assembled view of a further embodiment making use of plates and through bars.
Figure 8 shows a schematic view of the shutter winding around a roller.
Figure 9 shows a side view of the shutter with the tiltable slats closed and open, highlighting the axis of movement of the return elements inside the tracks.

In the figures, the following reference numbers are used:

10 fixed slat
101 hole on the fixed slat for hinge coupling
102 hook on the fixed slat for hinge coupling
20 tiltable slat
201 hole on the tiltable slat for hinge coupling
202 hook on the tiltable slat for hinge coupling
30 return element
31, 32 horizontal parts of the return element for hinge coupling
33 vertical part of the return element acting as a connecting spacer

Brief Description of the Invention

The invention achieves the intended objectives in that it relates to a roll-up shutter comprising a plurality of fixed slats (10) and a plurality of tiltable slats (20) alternately arranged. The set of said slats (10, 20) is configured to be wound around a roller and subsequently opened by sliding between two vertical tracks located below said roller and laterally to said slats. The fixed slats (10) and tiltable slats (20) are connected to each other at both ends by return elements (30), which protrude laterally from the slats themselves and are configured to slide inside said vertical tracks.
The shutter is characterized in that at least part of said fixed slats (10) comprise a hole (101) located at their upper end, through which they are hinged to the return element (30) connected to the upper tiltable slat (20), and a hook (102) at their lower end, by which they are hooked to the lower tiltable slat (20); at least part of said tiltable slats (20) comprise a hook (202) at their upper end, by which they are hooked to the hook (102) of the upper fixed slat (10), and a hole (201) located below said hook (202), through which they are hinged to the return element (30) connected to the lower fixed slat (10). The shape of said slats (10, 20) is such that the hooking position of said hooks (102, 202) is offset with respect to the plane defined by said tracks in which said return elements (30) slide.

Detailed Description of the Invention

With reference to the attached figures, the roll-up shutter according to the invention comprises a plurality of fixed slats (10) and a plurality of tiltable slats (20) alternately arranged. The set of said slats is configured to be wound around a roller and subsequently opened by sliding between two vertical tracks located below said roller and laterally to said slats. The fixed slats (10) and tiltable slats (20) are connected to each other at both ends by return elements (30), which protrude laterally from the slats themselves and are configured to slide inside said vertical tracks.
The shutter is characterized in that: at least part of said fixed slats (10) comprise a hole (101) at their upper end, through which they are hinged to the return element (30) connected to the upper tiltable slat (20), and a hook (102) at their lower end, by which they are hooked to the lower tiltable slat (20); at least part of said tiltable slats (20) comprise a hook (202) at their upper end, by which they are hooked to the hook (102) of the upper fixed slat (10), and a hole (201) located below said hook (202), through which they are hinged to the return element (30) connected to the lower fixed slat (10). The shape of said slats (10, 20) is such that the hooking position of said hooks (102, 202) is offset with respect to the plane defined by said tracks in which said return elements (30) slide.
It should be specified that the return elements are configured to exert only forces, and not moments, between said holes (101, 201) of the fixed slats (10) and tiltable slats (20). In other words, the connection of the return elements (30) to each slat is of the hinge type, so it cannot transmit torques, and each slat can freely rotate relative to the return element to which it is connected, around the axis of the coupling hole. The coupling holes are circular in cross-section.
In a preferred but non-limiting embodiment, said return elements are obtained from a circular-section element bent so as to have a part (33) configured to slide inside the tracks of the shutter, and two parts (31, 32) orthogonal to it and configured to engage the holes (101, 201) on the fixed and tiltable slats.
In another embodiment, shown in Figure 8 , the return elements (30) are obtained by assembling round bars (35) passing through the slats (10, 20) and lateral plates (36). In this embodiment, the use of end caps described later for other embodiments is not necessary.
Having described the mechanism, it can be observed that, during lowering, when the first fixed slat (10) from the bottom is resting, as the shutter continues to unwind from the roller, the tiltable slat (20) immediately above said first fixed slat (10) is subjected to: a downward force applied at the hook (202) and exerted by the upper slats during unwinding, and an upward force exerted by the return element (30) that connects it to the lower slat.
These two forces are offset, thereby generating a moment that rotates the tiltable slat (20) relative to the return element (which, as stated, remains vertical, its position being defined by the lateral tracks), thus achieving the sunshade function.
The center of rotation of the tiltable slat (20) is defined by the position, within the cross-section of the tiltable slat (20), of the coupling hole (201). The position shown in the figures, with the coupling hole (201) located immediately below the hook (202), is therefore to be considered as preferred but not limiting. The rotation of the tiltable slat stops when the outer surface of the hook (102) of the upper fixed slat (10) rests on the inner surface of the hook (202) of the tiltable slat, and the shape of the hooks (102, 202) prevents the upper slat (10) from disengaging from the lower slat (20).
Once the rotation of the tiltable slat (20) is complete, the fixed slat (10) above it cannot descend further, and therefore the same behavior repeats.
Continuing to lower the shutter, two phases can be observed: a first phase in which the curtain (consisting of the set of all the slats) descends with all slats closed; and a second phase in which the tiltable slats rotate, starting from the first one at the bottom.
It is clear that, without departing from the scope of the invention, the shutter according to the invention may comprise all slats configured as described or only part of them.
Some constructive details of a preferred but non-limiting embodiment of the shutter according to the invention are now described.
As shown in Figure 3 , the return element (30) may comprise a compensator (41), configured to have a flat sliding surface (410) facing outward. Closure caps (50) may be provided at the fixed slats (10), configured to prevent the return elements from slipping out. The cap (50) acts on the flat surface (410) of the compensator element, ensuring proper operation even during winding of the shutter onto the roller, when the fixed and tiltable slats are rotated relative to one another. According to a preferred embodiment, the return element (30) and the compensator (41) are made in one piece; alternatively, they may be made in two separate pieces secured together during assembly, as shown in the attached figures.
Preferably, moreover, as shown in Figure 3 , the compensator (41) comprises an inwardly projecting wing (411), and between the compensator (41) and the tiltable slat (20) a closure element (42) is interposed, fixed to the tiltable slat (20) and configured to overlap - when the slat (20) is in the closed position - with the wing (411) of the compensator (41). In this way, an overlap is achieved that ensures the absence of gaps through which light could filter from outside.

Claims

Roll-up shutter comprising a plurality of fixed slats (10) and a plurality of tiltable slats (20) alternately arranged, with the set of said slats (10, 20) being configured to be wound around a roller and subsequently opened by sliding between two vertical tracks located below said roller and laterally to said slats. The fixed slats (10) and tiltable slats (20) are connected to each other at both ends by return elements (30), which protrude laterally from the slats and are designed to slide within the vertical tracks. The shutter is characterized in that:
- at least part of the fixed slats (10) have a hole (101) at their upper end, through which they are hinged to the return element (30) connected to the upper tiltable slat (20), and a hook (102) at their lower end, by which they are hooked to the lower tiltable slat (20);

- at least part of the tiltable slats (20) include a hook (202) at their upper end, by which they are hooked to the hook (102) of the upper fixed slat (10), and a hole (201) located below said hook (202), through which they are hinged to the return element (30) connected to the lower fixed slat (10);
and that
the shape of said slats (10, 20) is such that the hooking positions of said hooks (102, 202) are offset with respect to the plane defined by said tracks in which said return elements (30) slide.
Roll-up shutter according to claim 1, characterized in that said return elements are configured to exert only forces and not moments between said holes (101, 201) of the fixed slats (10) and tiltable slats (20).
Roll-up shutter according to claim 2, characterized in that the connection of said return elements (30) to the slats (10, 20) is a hinge type, so they cannot transmit torques, and each slat can rotate freely around the axis of the coupling hole. The coupling holes (101, 201) between the slats (10, 20) and return elements have a circular cross-section.
Roll-up shutter according to claim 3, characterized in that said return elements are made from a circular-section element bent in such a way that one part (33) is configured to slide inside the tracks of the shutter, while two parts (31, 32) orthogonal to it are configured to engage the holes (101, 201) on the fixed and tiltable slats.
Roll-up shutter according to claim 3, characterized in that said return elements (30) are obtained by assembling round bars (35) that pass through the slats (10, 20) and lateral plates (36).
Roll-up shutter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said return elements (30) include a compensator (41), configured to have a flat sliding surface (410) facing outward, and closure caps (50) are placed at the fixed slats (10) to prevent the return elements from slipping out, acting on said flat sliding surfaces (410).
Roll-up shutter according to claim 6, characterized in that said closure cap (50) acts on the flat surface (41) of the compensator, ensuring proper operation even during winding of the shutter onto the roller when the fixed and tiltable slats are rotated relative to each other.
Roll-up shutter according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that said return element (30) and said compensator (41) are made as a single piece.
Roll-up shutter according to claim 6, 7, or 8, characterized in that the compensator (41) includes an inwardly projecting wing (411), and a closure element (42) is interposed between the compensator (41) and the tiltable slat (20), fixed to the tiltable slat (20) and configured to overlap - when the slat (20) is in a closed position - with the wing (411) of the compensator (41).