ES2351497B1 - INVISIBLE ARM WITH GAS SPRING. - Google Patents

Abstract

Invisible arm with gas spring.

The object of this invention patent is a invisible arm with gas spring, consisting of two profiles longitudinal struts (8) and (10) linked by a fork with two phases (5) and (7) articulated with an axis (6), located in the inside the rear profile a gas cylinder (1) as a spring tensioner associated with a rod (2) related to the profile front by an axle (4) and a stage. A transmitter cable (3) surrounds cylinder and rod and links them simultaneously with both profiles The two phases of the fork perform a movement of opening with respect to the axis that articulates them and the cylinder makes a stretching movement. Alternatively, a second gas cylinder (1) outside the rear profile. Both arms are anchored in the wall by supports (16), placing between them the winding tube (18) linked to the canvas winding machine (17). The front profile is finished off with a coupling (11) for the canvas or the front profile.

Description

Invisible arm with gas spring.

The present invention, as expressed in the set forth in this specification, refers to an arm invisible with gas spring for awnings whose function is to regulate the tensioning and unfolding of the canvas and its subsequent collection and that, at incorporate said gas spring, get a more power curve linear and greater in the deployment and collection of the canvas in the roll tube, providing substantial improvements in its conformation, design and use that significantly exceed the awnings existing in the market and their respective folding mechanisms and deployment, as well as everything that is part of the state of the corresponding technique.

These gas springs are preferably integrated inside a segment of the arm but a second embodiment is also contemplated in which said inner spring is combined with a second gas spring coupled to the outside of the arms to create a lateral deployment force next to the normal deployment of the arm, thus achieving the tension of a canvas without the need to incorporate an aluminum profile in the front part of the canvas. The result of this combination of gas springs is a new type of awning without a front profile, which means that it is easier to place these arms due to their lower weight since the gas spring is individually coupled to the fork of the arm of the awning greatly facilitating its assembly
final.

The same gas spring is applied, in another alternative embodiment, to a straight point awning arm, of the type of those that are fixed and without articulation once fixed to the wall and in which the deployment is also regulated, tensioned and collection of the aforementioned awning, being applicable, in fact, in any type of awning arm that requires some means for overture of the arms and being these arms of different shapes.

State of the art

An awning is traditionally that piece of fabric with coverage function, fixed or roller, and that is duly supported by two rigid parallel segments, in general aluminum, fixed immovably to the wall, being these segments called arms, which in turn can be articulated or in one piece. These arms have the function of deploy stress and pick up the canvas and have a tensioning element concreted in a metal spring located in its inside. This spring can be compression or stretching, as it deals with stretching or compressing the fork to create a turning force and consequently opening of the awning arms with the subsequent opening and tensioning of the corresponding canvas.

By their very nature, these docks Metallic suffer from a persistent technical problem: the greater compression or stretching of the spring, its power curve increases proportionally with the inevitable consequence that all the set of arms and canvas unfolds and collects with greater difficulty. To solve this problem it was decided to incorporate a eccentric fork to compensate for this effect, but the measure does not Get the desired result. It has also been tested with applying a increase in manual machine reduction to get the collection and deployment of the awning were easier, but in the practice turned out that the user had to compensate for this minor effort to deploy and pick up the awning with many more turns of the manual machine, with greater wear of energy, strength and weather.

Another negative aspect of the awning arms with internal spring is its inability to generate two spin effects in the arms since all of them are based on the placement of a profile aluminum on the front of the awning that acts as a link and fastening the front of the canvas and being finally one of the key pieces to get the correct tension of the canvas.

We must also point out other peculiarities negative of these springs, specifically the gradual loss of power, the noise they generate inside the arms and, in to a large extent, also the great weight of them that hinders the placement and transport of these arms. In fact the arms current with tension spring, for its same lever effect, have a lower projection of the exit of the canvas when it would be preferable have a longer arm length with a smaller weight and a smaller Lever effect that would allow a greater exit of the canvas, being this is precisely the objective of the invention that will be exposed to continued in this specification.

Regarding possible antecedents regarding industrial property, there are several patents that present proposals to facilitate the deployment and tensioning of the awning canvas but most adhere to the technique already described, maintaining the classic conformation of lateral stringers as arms and a front profile, including in some cases gas springs of very limited application. This is the case, for example, of the patent European EP1076138 that develops a type of awning with profiles laterals linked to the front profile, in which the springs, that can be gas, relate this front profile with a second Secondary front profile that tops the fall of the canvas. In this In this case, gas springs do not intervene in the articulation of arms. European patent EP1199422 insists on a double profile front to accompany the fall of the canvas at the front of the awning, introducing two crossed segments reinforced by a spring to tension this front part. For its part, the patent American 5148848 develops a mechanism to lift an awning retractable, this awning being the type that relies on two telescopic arms anchored both on the wall and articulated each one of them with a second arm arranged at a smaller angle of 45º and also attached to the wall, counting this second arm with gas springs to help the movement of extension of the awning.

There are other patents that propose solutions similar to improve the articulation of the structure of the awnings and help the canvas tension, but none of them It is similar to the project presented in this patent invention and that allows an easy and fast deployment, tensioning and collection of awnings, with a linear opening power, with double turning movement, less weight and low wear.

Object of the invention

This invention patent develops an arm invisible with gas spring for awnings that provides greater and more linear power curve for deployment, tensioning and collection of the canvas, incorporating this spring inside the arm, in concrete in the rear profile, close to the wall, associated with first section or first phase of the fork by means of a pin and linked to a pass-through transmitter element, of the type cable, band or tape, which connects it to the second section or phase of the fork. The gas cylinder that forms the spring acts at the moment that the second phase of the fork is intended to rotate, which means the progressive opening of the arm that drags the canvas to its total deployment and corresponding tensioning. The process is the same in the moment of the folding of the canvas, when the second phase of the fork starts the reverse rotation to pick up the tarp, that is dragged from its tensioning position to the roller or roll stand

In a second practical embodiment, this same tensioning element, concreted in a gas cylinder, is used in combination when a first spring is placed in the position already described, that is, inside the rear or rear profile, and a second spring attached externally to said section, in particular on the inner side of it, with which a new type is formed awning with a double force on the arms, combining a first force of opening or exit of the arm -the usual- and a second lateral opening force. With the application of two gas springs in each arm the correct deployment and lateral tension is achieved of the canvas without the need to incorporate any type of profile in the front part, with which you get a new type of everything, with a lower profile participation, a lower weight and a easier handling for assembly, placement and use later.

The positioning of a single gas cylinder as tension element coupled on the outside of the arm is also functional when working as a single spring, without the collaboration of inner cylinder described, getting the deployment of the arms and the tension of the canvas. In this case, the arm structure It involves a slight variation, increasing the length of the profile front with respect to the rear profile to get the strength and the desired deployment effect.

Likewise, the same spring based on a Gas cylinder is perfectly operational in so-called awnings straight point, in which the arm is made up of only one profile, without intermediate articulation, applying the cylinder in the inside the profile and linked to the fork, getting a Better opening power with less effort and wear.

The transmitting element involved in the deployment and folding of the arm is concretized preferably in a cable, in any of its possible conformations, but meets the same transmitter function in an alternative band conformation flat, strip, tape or similar.

As for its operation, according to the exposed above, the gas cylinders act as springs in the moment at which any extension movement is intended or folding of the awning that inevitably entails deployment or folding of the corresponding support arms. The spring is active at the start of the turn, either in a direction of opening or closing, of the second section or phase of the fork with respect to the first section, both of which are linked to the transmitter element (cable, flat band, tape, etc.) in solidarity with the aforementioned cylinder. This turn Opening is simple, when there is only one internal gas cylinder, or double when there is a second external cylinder that regulates the overture side of the awning. In any case, this spring based on Gas cylinders achieve a linear overture, with greater degree and less effort and especially without the wear caused by the continuous tensioning and tensioning of the metal springs that tend to lose its original conformation and tension before repeated use of the same. The gas spring provides greater reliability, resistance and duration to the opening and closing mechanism of the awnings and a more permanent and secure tension.

Description of the drawings

In order to facilitate the understanding of the innovation that is claimed here, some sheets are attached with some drawings, which should be analyzed and considered only to by way of example and without any limiting or restrictive character.

Figure 1.- View of the arm assembly of awning support, with sectioned detail of the mechanism inside.

Figure 2.- Sectioned interior and exterior view of the set of a closed awning arm.

Figure 3.- View of the gas spring placed in its working position with respect to the fork of the arm, being in a folded position.

Figure 4.- View of the gas spring placed in its working position with respect to the fork of the arm, being in deployed position.

Figure 5.- View of the gas cylinder together with the transmitter element, specified in a cable.

Figure 6.- View of the cylinder travel of gas together with the cable.

Figure 7.- View of the spring positioning of gas inside the entire arm once this is find fully open specifying by arrows the gas spring thrust and fork opening rotation.

Figure 8.- View of an alternative embodiment with double gas spring inside and outside position and without front profile

Figure 9.- Sectional view of the arms of awning with combination of inner and outer gas springs and without front profile

Figure 10.- View of an extended awning, supported on two arms with combination of inner gas springs and outside and without bar or front profile.

Figure 11.- View of another embodiment alternative, with the gas spring incorporated in a knitting arm straight.

Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

According to these drawings, the object of this invention patent is an invisible arm with gas spring for awning, shaped and designed to facilitate the movement of extension and crease that involves deployment, tensioning and subsequent collection of the canvas that forms the awning itself, being of clear utility in all awnings that require a determined and linear overture power.

As shown in Figure 1, the invention is embodied in invisible awning arms whose main function is to unfold, tension, support and collect the canvas which forms the awning itself, each being formed arm by a preferably metallic longitudinal structure. The essence of the invention refers to the just vertical placement of a gas cylinder (1) that is integrated, as shown in the figure 1 and in greater detail in figure 2, inside the structure of the awning arm, said arm being formed by a front profile, a rear profile and an articulated fork with two segments or phases that appear in rest position located in parallel arrangement, the first phase (5) associated with the rear profile (8) attached to the wall by means of a shaft main coupling (19) and a second phase (7), articulated with the first by means of an axis (6) and extended with the front profile (10) that is finished off with a final coupling shaft (11) with the front transverse profile that holds the tarp or, where appropriate, with auction pieces for holding the aforementioned canvas. The cylinder of gas (1) that forms the tension spring is linked to the rear profile by means of a stage (12) and positioned in such a way which determines the operation and effective lubrication of the rod (2) linked in turn to the first phase of the fork (5) by means of a pin axis (4) introduced by the stage (13) of the said rod (2), counting the set with an element (3) transmitter that channels and transfers the opening thrust or fold, said rod being in charge of pressing the cylinder (1) by means of the aforementioned transmitter element which is, preferably and as detailed in these figures, a cable but that can also be shaped as a flat band, tape, strip or similar.

Figures 3 and 4 show paths perspectives of the awning arm, with the fork folded and the fork deployed respectively. Figure 3 shows clearly the position of the compressed gas cylinder (1) and the detail of the fixing of the transmitter cable (3) in the tab (9) of the second phase of the fork (7) while in figure 4 it is shows the fork unfolded, with the cylinder (1) already decompressed

Figures 5 and 6 show in detail the linkage between the gas cylinder (1) and the transmitter cable (3) Push transfer manager. The cable (3) goes through the plate (12) of the upper part of the cylinder (1), passes through the first phase (5) of the fork and fixed on the metal flange (9) of the second phase (7) of the fork having this predisposition for the route of the overture of the second phase (7) with respect to the first phase (5) of the fork.

Figure 7 shows the conformation of the awning arm, in open position and specifying by arrows the thrust of the gas spring and the opening rotation of the fork. This figure details the longitudinal structure of the arm, conformed by the front (10) and rear (8) profiles and the fork with a first phase (5) and a second phase (7) articulated by means of an axis (6) and its corresponding pin (4) that regulates the rotation of the two phases of the forks (5) and (7), the which are linked and introduced respectively in the rear profile (8), topped by a final coupling piece (19) and a shaft pin (20) which fits on the main support (16) detailed in figure 8 and that fastens the assembly to the wall, and in the front profile (10) topped by a coupling piece front (11) on which the canvas and the front profile are fixed. At case of the rear profile (8) the possibility of incorporate, if necessary a piece in the upper part of the cylinder (1) in case of friction against the profile and / or the placement of a dust cover on the stem (2).

The transmitter element, specified in a cable (3), flat band, tape, strip or the like, link the gas spring (1) and the second phase (7) of the fork when passing through the stage (12) located at the front of the cylinder (1) and be secured and hooked into the flange (9) of the second phase the fork.

The tensioner assembly - gas cylinder (1), rod (2), transmitter element (3), first (5) and second phases of the fork (7) with its connecting shaft (6) and its respective pin axle (4) and tab (9) - make up a kind of cartridge that facilitates in Greatly arm mounting.

In this same figure 7 is detailed with paths arrows the movement of overture that is made with respect to the axis (6) that articulates the two phases (5) and (7) of the fork and the stretching movement caused by the gas cylinder (1), with freedom of movement and horizontal rotation and movement vertically offering an angle for sun coverage and evacuation of Water in case of rain.

In Figures 8 and 9 a second and novel embodiment of this invention in which They combine two gas springs on each arm of the awning. In this way the gas spring is kept inside the arm, as already described herein, and a second is incorporated gas cylinder (1) externally coupled to the rear profile (8) at the opposite end of the fork shaft (6), specifically in the internal face of said profile and linked to some pieces of tension setting (15) and (14). This simultaneous combination allows to arrange and act on two forces of overture, a first overture or normal deployment of the canvas and a second force of horizontal tensioned rear and rear deployment of awning canvas since it tends to open the arms horizontally as indicated in these figures, which allows the horizontal deployment and tensioning of the canvas without incorporating a front profile to fix said canvas. Figure 10 shows this front part of the awning without front profile, which is replaced by two pieces (22) housed in the final coupling (11) to fix the canvas (21) directly. In These figures show the anchor brackets (16) of the arms to the wall, standing between them and coupled to the corresponding axis the winding tube (18) linked in turn to the winding machine (17) of the canvas. The result of this combination of gas springs It is a new type of awning without front transverse profile.

Figure 11 shows another application and embodiment of the invention in a straight point arm in which the arm has a single profile without articulated fork, leaving this profile properly fixed to the wall with the anchor bracket relevant (16). In this case the basic structure of the tensioner assembly, i.e. gas cylinder (1), rod and element transmitter (3), with the corresponding links (stage of the cylinder, stem plate and pin shaft).

In view of practical realizations described herein is sufficiently proven that the claimed gas spring is integrated into any type of arm awning that requires some means for the correct opening of the same to achieve the deployment, tensioning and subsequent collection of the canvas, acting the gas spring with equal effectiveness to be integrated into arms of different shapes.

It is not considered necessary to extend this description so that any subject matter expert understands the scope of the invention and the advantages derived therefrom. The materials, shape, size and arrangement of the elements will be susceptible of variation as long as this does not imply alteration in the essentiality of the invention. The terms in which it has been drafted this report should always be taken broadly and not limiting.

Claims (11)

1. Invisible arm with gas spring, of the type that form the endurance structure of the canvas or awning itself and that perform a joint movement for the deployment and collection of said canvas, each arm being preferably a longitudinal structure metal linked to anchoring brackets (16) to the wall, the corresponding winding tube (18) being connected in turn to the winding machine (17) of the canvas, being essentially characterized by this arm, formed by a front profile (10) and a rear profile (8) articulated by a fork, because it incorporates a gas cylinder (1) as a spring integrated in the rear profile (8), close to the wall, associated with the first section or first phase (5) of the fork by means of a pin and linked to a passing transmitter element (3) that connects it with the second section or phase (7) of the fork, both phases (5) and (7) of the fork being located in di parallel position in rest position and moving in a folding and unfolding movement by the action of the gas cylinder (1). 2. Invisible arm with gas spring, according to the first claim, essentially characterized in that the first phase (5) of the fork is connected and inserted into the rear profile (8) attached to the wall by means of a main coupling shaft (19) , incorporating a part in the upper part of the cylinder (1) in case of rubbing against the profile and / or the placement of a dust cover on the rod (2), while the second phase (7) of the fork is it articulates with the first one by means of an axis (6) and is extended and introduced into the front profile (10) that is finished off with a front coupling shaft. 3. Invisible arm with gas spring, according to the first claim, essentially characterized in that the gas cylinder (1) that forms the tensioning spring is linked to the rear profile (8) by means of a plate (12) and positioned in such a way that it determines the operation and effective lubrication of the rod (2) linked in turn to the first stage of the fork (5) by means of a pin axis (4) introduced by the plate (13) of the aforementioned rod (2), counting the assembly with a transmitter element (3) that channels and transfers the opening or withdrawal thrust, the rod being the one that presses the cylinder (1) through said transmitter element. 4. Invisible arm with gas spring, according to the 1st and 3rd claims, essentially characterized in that the transmitter element (3) that intervenes in the deployment and folding of the arm is preferably concreted in a cable, in any of its possible conformations or, alternatively , in a flat band, strip, tape or similar. 5. Invisible arm with gas spring, according to the preceding claims essentially characterized in that the transmitter cable (3) responsible for the transfer of the thrust passes through the plate (12) of the upper part of the cylinder (1) and through the first phase ( 5) of the fork, and is fixed on the metal flange (9) of the second phase (7) of the fork having this predisposition by the path of the opening of the second phase (7) with respect to the first phase (5 ) of the fork. 6. Invisible arm with gas spring, according to the preceding claims, characterized essentially in that the tensioner assembly - cylinder, rod, transmitter element, first (5) and second (7) phases of the fork with its joint shaft (6) and its respective pin axis (4) and flange (9) - forms a cartridge or the like. 7. Invisible arm with gas spring, according to the preceding claims essentially characterized in that the two phases of the fork make an overture movement with respect to the axis (6) while the cylinder enhances a stretching movement. 8. Invisible arm with gas spring, according to the preceding claims essentially characterized in that in an alternative embodiment said arm combines two springs, with a first gas cylinder placed inside the arm and a second gas cylinder (1) externally coupled in the rear profile (8), on the inner face thereof and at the opposite end of the fork axis (6), linked to tension fixing parts (15) and (14), thus obtaining two overture forces , a first opening or normal deployment of the canvas and a second force that tends to open the arms horizontally, so that a canopy without transverse front profile is achieved, placing two pieces (22) housed in the front coupling (11) to fix the canvas (21) directly. 9. Invisible arm with gas spring, according to the 1st and 8th claims essentially characterized in that, alternatively, said arm incorporates a single gas cylinder as a tensioning element coupled outside the rear profile (8), increasing in this case the length of the front profile (10) with respect to the rear profile (8). 10. Invisible arm with gas spring, according to the 1st, 3rd and 4th previous claims characterized essentially in that the claimed gas spring is integrated, in another alternative embodiment, in a straight-knitted arm with a single longitudinal profile and without articulated fork which it is duly fixed to the wall with the relevant anchoring support (16), integrating the basic structure of the tensioner assembly, that is, gas cylinder (1), rod and cable (3), with the corresponding links (cylinder plate, stem plate and pin shaft). 11. Invisible arm with gas spring, according to the preceding claims essentially characterized in that the claimed gas spring is integrated, in any type of awning arm that requires means for the opening of the arms, these arms being different arms.