JPS59166760A - Housing of venetian blind tilt mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Usses have heretofore been used for board tilting mechanisms, which consist of two or more pieces of metal held together by bendable tabs or other mechanical means. Consists of stamped parts.

The walls of the housings included holes that formed journal bearings that supported the intermeshing worm gear and wormwheel contained within the housing. One problem with metal housings made of several parts is that it is difficult to keep the holes that form the journal bearings that support the worm gear and worm wheel accurately aligned. Misaligned holes can bind the worm gear and worm wheel, increasing the force required to tilt the plate assembly and, in some cases, preventing such tilting. Attempts have been made to solve this alignment problem by maintaining tight manufacturing and assembly tolerances, but this has inevitably resulted in higher costs.

Furthermore, cracks or gaps between parts may occur, allowing dust or debris to enter the housing, further increasing the force required to operate the tilting mechanism.

(The stamped metal housing, which is made up of a few individual parts, has the disadvantages mentioned above, and the assembly costs involved in assembling and tightening the VC-j parts alone can be prohibitive.

For conventional tilting mechanisms with worm gears and worm wheels, one problem with waging is that the tilting mechanism can be damaged if too much force is applied to the mechanism in an attempt to tilt the board platelets past their breaking point. There is or for some reason the platelet is jammed and prevented from tilting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a sloped housing that is inexpensive to manufacture and at the same time facilitates assembly of the gears within the housing and allows for proper alignment of the gears without the need for stringent quality control procedures. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a housing for a tilting mechanism in which a worm wheel and a worm gear are connected by a sliding clutch type V-type so as not to apply an excessive force to a pier slanted rock structure.

In general, the preferred housing for the tilting mechanism of the present invention comprises an integrally molded one-piece body member. The body member has two opposing upright side walls each having a rear portion and a front portion. A top wall type connection means connects the top edge of the side wall and a base type connection means connects the bottom edge of the side wall. The upright rear wall also acts in conjunction with connecting means to connect the rear portions of the side walls. The front portion of the side wall defines an opening in the housing.

The top wall forms a top journal bearing that rotatably supports one end of the inclined shaft, and the inclined shaft is fitted with a worm gear.

A portion of the inclined shaft extends through a hole in the base which acts as a bottom journal bearing supporting the shaft in rotation. This hole is the top journal iq
112 and properly position the shaft.

The two side walls have side-by-side holes which act as journal bearings to rotatably support a worm wheel which, when positioned within the holes, engages a gear mounted on an inclined shaft.

The housing consists of a molded body with integrally connected side walls, top wall, rear wall, and front wall, so that the holes that form the journal bearing are accurately aligned and when assembled into the housing, the worm gear and worm are Can you properly engage the wheels? This reduces the possibility that the gear and wheel will bind each other.

The front, base, and top walls of the side walls form an opening on one side of the housing that allows the inclined shaft and the worm gear attached to it to be inserted into the housing to first slide into the housing at the end of the shaft or into the top journal bearing. Become a means. The worm wheel can then be inserted through the opening by pushing it between the side walls of the wheel until it snaps into place. At this time, the worm wheel and worm gear can be inserted so that their bearing journals are properly aligned. mesh correctly.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the side walls are provided with elasticity to facilitate insertion of the worm wheel between them and to ensure that the wheel snaps back to secure and lock the wheel after insertion into the hole in the side wall. have.

The front portion of the side wall may also be flared outward to assist in guiding the worm wheel into the hole in the side wall.

If desired, removable moldings can be formed to engage the front, base and top walls of the side walls to substantially seal the opening and prevent dust or lint from entering the housing and collecting on the worm gear and worm wheel. It is possible to provide a cover.

In another embodiment of the invention, the side walls have slots to increase their flexibility. This increases the flexibility and causes the worm wheel to move so that the force resisting the rotational movement of the worm wheel exceeds a predetermined value, causing the worm wheel to act as a slipping clutch, causing the worm wheel to disengage from the worm gear. .

1-5, there is shown a housing 1 according to the present invention, which may be incorporated into a prior art U-shaped headrail 2, as particularly shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. It is. )・Using 1 has front parts 6' and 4' respectively.
and a rear portion 6', 4''. Top wall 5.
connects the top edges of the side walls 4 and bases 6 connect the bottom edges of the side walls. An upright rear wall 7 connects the rear part of the side wall, the base 6 and the top wall 5.

As shown in FIG. 6, the top wall 5 has a portion 10 including a recess 11 forming a top journal bearing into which the end 12 of an inclined shaft 16 is rotatably mounted. I can support it. The base 6 has a hole 15 for use as a bottom journal bearing for the shaft 16. The holes 15 and the recesses 11 are aligned with each other to properly align the shaft 1 and the worm gear 16 attached thereto.

The side wall 6 has a hole 20 and the side wall 4 has a hole 21, and the two holes are next to each other. The bore 20.2'l is adapted to form a journal bearing for the worm gear 22, which has short extensions 22' on each side, these extensions being rotatable into the bore 20.21. Supported. The worm wheel 20 and the extension 22' have a hexagonal hole as shown in FIG. 2 to accommodate a hexagonal ramp 24 as shown in FIG.

The housing 1 can be conventionally mounted within the head rail 2 by means of a base extension 60 adapted to sit on the connecting portion 31 of the head rail 2 connecting the flanges 32,36.

The base extension slot O extends through the notch 64 at an angle to the inclined shaft 16 so that the shaft is inclined relative to the head rail and conveniently engages a sloped cane (not shown). Be tilted.

The side walls 6.4 have extensions 40.41 at the front of these walls, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, which engage the inwardly curved edges of the flanges 62. That's what I do. A shoulder 46 is positioned on the rear wall 7 and adapted to engage the inwardly curved edge of the flange roller. Base extension 62, extension 40.41 and shoulder 46 all together provide a clamping action for the housing within the U-shaped held rail.

The housing is rotated through 90 degrees from the position shown in FIG.
is incorporated into the headrail so that it extends through the notch 34.

The housing is then turned 90° until the extension 40.41 and the shoulder 43 snap into engagement with the end of the inwardly bent rim of the flange 62.33.

Combine the worm gear and worm wheel as shown below. Before assembling the housing into the headrail,
The shaft 16 and the worm gear 16 attached thereto are inserted into the housing through an opening in the housing formed by the front part 6' of the side wall 41, the base part 6 and the top wall 5.
Insert it so that it extends through. Next, the end of the shaft 16 is inserted into the recess 11 and the shaft is positioned between the recess and the hole.

The worm wheel 22 is then properly engaged with the worm gear by engaging the worm wheel 22 with its extension 22 in the side wall slot 4 and pushing it through the opening in the housing until the extension snaps into the hole 20.21 in the side wall. Next, the inclined frame 24 is inserted so as to pass through the worm wheel 22.

In some cases, it may be desirable to have the front portions 6', 4' of the side walls open outward from the center of the housing as shown in FIG. This arrangement helps guide the positioning of the worm wheel 22 into the hole 20.21.

If desired, the housing can be provided with a removable cover 60 as shown in FIG. 6 to substantially seal the opening in the housing as described above. The cover 60 consists of two pen net type fans 61 that fit into slots 62 provided in the side wall as shown in FIG. 1, and a shoulder provided in the base part 2 as shown in FIGS. It has a lip-like projection 66 adapted to engage with the portion 64. Fastener 61 snaps into slot 62 and lip 63 snaps onto shoulder 64 to attach the cover to the housing by sliding the fastener and lip open.

The housing and cover are preferably made of a plastic material so that they can be easily molded or cast, so that the side walls of the housing are sufficiently flexible to accommodate a worm wheel that is squeezed between the side walls. The cover fasteners and lips can be deflected sufficiently to snap into place.

Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, a top wall 71, a bottom wall 72
, another type of housing 70 is shown that collapses side walls 76, 74 and an upright rear wall 75.

As in the construction shown in FIGS. 1-6, the housing 70 has a top with lined holes 76, 77 forming journal bearings for the worm wheel leaf 8 in the side walls and a recess 80 forming the top journal. It has a wall portion 79 and an aligned hole 81 formed in a portion of the bottom wall 72 forming a bottom journal bearing. Both the top and bottom journal bearings are connected to the worm wheel 7 as shown in FIG.
It rotatably supports a worm gear 82 that meshes with the worm gear 8 .

The side walls 7, 74 each have a slot 86 in the form of a slit extending through the side wall and from the hole 76,77. When the resistance to the rotation of these clock l-H worm wheels 78 becomes such that the wheel rides on the teeth of the worm gear 82 and the external force moves the worm wheel out of engagement with the worm gear, the side wall 9
Transform as shown in the figure. At this time, the teeth of the worm wheel slide on the teeth of the worm gear and act as a sliding clutch to prevent excessive force from being applied to the tilting mechanism.

It is advantageous to provide two slots in each side wall, extending radially outward of the hole. Although the slots are shown in the form of slits extending through the side walls, these slots could also extend partially into the sides, the only requirement being that the slots be in close proximity to the holes and have sufficient flexibility in the side walls. When a predetermined force is applied to a tilting mechanism consisting of a worm gear and a worm wheel, the side wall is deformed and the worm is moved in phase with the gear.

A tapered notch 85 may be provided extending from the hole 76, 77 to the front of the side wall to increase the flexibility of the side wall and provide a guide surface to assist in inserting the worm wheel into the housing.

Referring to FIG. 10, where like numerals indicate like parts:
Yet another type of housing 70' in which the side wall 74' is solid with no tapered notch and has a deformed slotted groove.
is the indication. Each slot 85' has a rounded portion 90' cut at the end opposite the hole from which it extends.
The outer portions of the side walls are bent into an arcuate row as shown in FIG.

The opposite side wall (not shown) has a similar structure.

As previously mentioned, the top wall and base each include connecting means for connecting the side walls to form a rigid, unitary housing. Sealed closed... Where no housing is required, the top wall and base wall or upright rear wall may be omitted, allowing the remaining structure to form the necessary connection means to connect the side walls. It is clear that it can also be done. If either or both of the top wall and the base are omitted, it is necessary to provide the upright rear wall with a section containing the top and bottom journal bearings for the worm gear.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the housing according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the housing of FIG. 1 installed in the helad rail, and FIG. Figure 4 is a bottom view taken along line 4-4 in Figure 2, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view.
Figures are an exploded perspective view of the housing in Figure 1 showing the tilting shaft, worm gear, and worm wheel before they are assembled; Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the housing in Figure 1 before the cover is attached to the housing; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the housing according to the present invention.
9 is a side view showing the worm gear and worm wheel in a meshed state, FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 showing the worm gear and worm wheel in a sliding engagement state, and FIG.
FIG. 0 is a side sectional view of yet another type of housing according to the present invention, showing the worm gear and worm wheel in a slidingly engaged state. 1... Housing 6.4... Side wall 6',
4'...Front part of the side wall 6", 4"...Rear part of the side wall 5...Top wall 6...
Base 16... Worm gear 20.21...
... Hole 22 ... Worm wheel 60 ...
...Cover -62...Slot Patent Applicant Hunter Douglas International", (°7'(,,":1': Agent,, O+, Yo No. 412-; (Sito4s and others]

Claims (9)

[Claims] (1) Consists of an integrally molded, one-piece body member having two spaced apart side walls, each having a rear portion and a front portion, and at least one connection means connecting the side walls. , the body member forming a top journal bearing for supporting one end of a rotatable tilted shaft supporting a worm gear, and a bottom journal bearing aligned with the top journal bearing for rotatably supporting a portion of the tilted shaft. and two side-by-side holes in the side wall f to form side journal bearings for matingly engaging and rotatably supporting the worm wheel with the worm gear, the inclined shaft and the worm gear being inserted into the housing, and the inclined shaft being inserted into the housing. and an opening formed by the side wall for positioning the worm wheel in the bottom journal bearing and for positioning the worm wheel in the housing and in the hole in the side wall, thereby engaging and positioning the worm wheel alongside the worm gear. housing for the tilting mechanism. (2) a patent in which the sidewall is flexible such that the sidewall is forced apart to accommodate the wormwheel and maintains the wormwheel in mesh with the worm gear after the wormwheel is positioned in the hole in the sidewall; Housing 8 for a board tilting mechanism according to claim 1 (3) The front parts of the side walls are opened outward from each other to help guide the worm wheel in positioning it in the hole in the side wall. housing. (4) The connecting means consists of a top wall connecting the upper edge of the side edge and a base connecting the bottom edge of the side wall, the part forming the top journal bearing consists of a part of the top wall, and the part forming the bottom journal bearing A housing for a board tilting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the forming means comprises a part of the base. (5) Claim 1 further comprising a cover shaped to engage the front portion of the side wall and substantially seal the opening.
7.Using for the plate sagging mechanism. (6) the connecting means comprises an upright rear wall connecting the side walls;
The part forming the top journal bearing is connected to the rear wall,
For the plate leaning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the portion forming the bottom journal bearing is connected to the rear wall...
Uzing. (7) Furthermore, the rows of holes provided in each side wall are connected, thereby acting as a slip clutch by moving the worm wheel out of engagement with the worm gear when the force that resists the rotation of the worm wheel exceeds a predetermined value. 7. Uging for a board tilting mechanism according to claim 1, which is capable of being deformed for operation. (8) A housing for a board tilting mechanism according to claim 7, wherein each slot extends in the radial direction of the lined hole. (9) A nozzing for a board tilting mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the slot comprises a slit extending through the side wall. (20) The housing for a board tilting mechanism according to claim 7, further comprising a tapered notch provided in each side wall and extending from the row of holes to the front part of the side wall.