WO2002068786A1

WO2002068786A1 - Screening device and drive means for the screening device and method of manual operating the screening device and a mounting for the screening device

Info

Publication number: WO2002068786A1
Application number: PCT/DK2001/000258
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kent Mølsted JØRGENSEN; Ove Kold
Original assignee: Vkr Holding A/S
Priority date: 2001-02-28
Filing date: 2001-04-10
Publication date: 2002-09-06
Also published as: US20060042766A1; US7451803B2; EP1370744A1; US7089991B2; US20040123960A1; CN1236194C; CN1737325A; EP1370744B1; CN1531621A; CN1737325B

Abstract

Drive means comprising an electrical motor, a power supply unit and a transmission mechanism, said drive means being moveable between a first position and a second position and adjustable in these positions and in any position between these positions. The drive means (9) comprises at least one rail or plate part (25) extending at least partially in the longitudinal direction of the drive means, said rail or plate part being positioned near a first outer side of the drive means (9). Furthermore, an encapsulating part (30) for at least part of the drive means (9) is positioned with at least part of its surface near a second outer side of the drive means, and said rail or plate part (25) and said encapsulating part (30) are connected to each other in a heat-conducting connection. The invention also concerns a method of manual operation of a drive means and in particular a drive means for a screening device for a building opening, a door, a window or similar elements, said drive means or at least part of this being manually moveable from one operational mode to another mode, after which the drive means is manually moved back to the desired position of the drive means. In addition, the invention concerns a drive means and a screening device for applying this method.

Description

Screening device and drive means for the screening device and method of manual operating the screening device and a mounting for the screening device.

Use of the invention

The invention concerns a drive means comprising an electrical motor, a power supply unit and a transmission mechanism, said drive means being moveable between a first position and a second position and adjustable in these positions and in any position between these positions as specified in the preamble of claim 1.

Furthermore, the invention concerns a screening device for screening of a building opening, a window, a door or the like, said screening device comprising a screening material which is rolled up, folded, gathered or the like in a first position when inactive and which is connected at its free end to a drive means moveable in relation to said first position as specified in the preamble of claim 10.

The invention also concerns a method of manual operation of a drive means and especially a drive means of a screening device for a building opening, a door, a window or similar elements as specified in the preamble of claim 16.

In addition, the invention concerns a drive means comprising a drive mechanism comprising e.g. an electrical motor and a transmission mechanism, said drive means being moveable between a first position and a second position and adjustable in these positions and in any position between these positions by means of the mentioned drive mechanism as specified in the preamble of claims 18.

Furthermore, the invention concerns a screening device for screening of a building opening, a window, a door or the like, said screening device comprising a screening material which is rolled up, folded, gathered or the like in a first position when inactive and which is connected at its free end to a drive means moveable in relation to said first position as specified in the preamble of claim 24.

Finally, the invention relates to a fitting for use during transportation and mounting of a drive means and/or a screening device as specified in the preamble of claim 25. Standpoint of the technique

Screening devices for e.g. screening of light, heat, noise etc. from building openings, windows, doors with windows and the like, exist in manually operated embodiments and as devices driven by e.g. electricity by means of e.g. an electrical motor. The former exists in versions that allow for simple retrofitting in building openings, windows, doors etc., even by non-professionals, whereas the latter versions are usually more complex in their characteristics for the major part and require the efforts of a professional during installation. In particular, this is due to the fact that these constructions involve e.g. roller blinds provided with a roll-up mechanism which is electrically driven and which is mounted in a top box. The mechanism is usually driven by a mains voltage which is one of the reason for using a professional assembler but other reasons may often be installation of control mechanisms, wiring etc.

Thus, the object is to present an electrically driven screening device and an associated drive means for it, which is easier to mount than those known from prior art and which may potentially be mounted without requiring net installations etc.

Various devices have been suggested by means of which battery-driven electrical motors have worked as the drive means. Thus, it has been suggested, cf. US patent publication No. 5,517,094, to mount a drive means with batteries and an electrical motor on the top box of a Venetian blind screening device, said drive means being mounted as a separate unit on the outside of the top box.

Meanwhile, there has been a desire to create a device whereby the electrical drive means is not retrofitted but integrated in the screening device itself so that a more compact construction may be achieved with a larger degree of aesthetics.

This is e.g. known from WO 00/05478, in which an electrical motor and a battery have been integrated in a bottom bar of a screening device which may be controlled by means of a remote control and in which the screening device is lead in a parallel guiding arrangement by means of two cords or strings which extend from the top to the bottom of a window in such a manner that they are led through the bottom bar in which they cross.

Since the electrical drive means is integrated in the bottom bar, which moves up and down, the energy may necessarily be supplied by a battery placed in the bottom bar in order to present a practical energy supply.

One object of the invention is to present a drive means and a screening device easily installed by the user resulting in a drive means which creates a drive means and a screening device built aesthetically and easy and efficient in operation.

By such screening devices and drive means, which may be driven by some kind of automatism, by electricity or other means, and which may potentially be operated by means of a remote control, it will often be problematic to operate these manually if so desired. Thus, one case may be that of attempting to push e.g. the roller blinds up where it will be necessary to at the same time drive the drive means whereby the roller blinds are usually driven, e.g. an electrical motor, a transmission mechanism etc., and this may be complicated and inconvenient in practice.

Furthermore, in some cases, such drive mechanism may be designed as a self-locking mechanism to prevent e.g. a drive means for roller blinds from rolling downwards due to gravity or upwards due to spring power, whereby the roller blinds are rolled up when the drive means allows it. In these cases, it will not be possible to push the adjustment drive manually.

As mentioned, a drive means is known from WO 00/05478, according to which an electrical motor and a battery are integrated in the bottom bar of a screening device controlled by means of a remote control and according to which the screening device is led in a parallel guiding arrangement by means of two cords or strings extending from the top to the bottom of a window in such a manner that they are led through the bottom bar in which they cross. By this construction, one embodiment introduces a self-locking mechanism which is related to the drive means while at the same time allowing for manual operation by deactivating a clutch. However, this has not been elaborated upon in the publication.

Therefore, it is an object to present a drive means and a screening device comprising such a drive means which allow for manual adjustment of the position, e.g. in cases where a remote control is not immediately available or where the energy supply, e.g. a battery supply, cannot deliver the necessary amount of electricity for operation.

These and other objects are achieved by the invention as will be described in detail in the following.

The invention

The invention concerns a drive means comprising an electrical motor, a power supply unit and a transmission mechanism, said drive means being moveable between a first position and a second position and adjustable in these positions and in any position between these positions and said drive mechanism according to the invention being characterized by - the drive means comprising a rail or plate part extending at least partly longitudinally with the drive means, said rail or plate part being positioned near a first outer side of the drive means, and by - an encapsulating part for at least part of the drive means being placed with at least part of the surface near a second outer side of the drive means, and by - said rail or plate part and said encapsulating part being connected to each other in a heat-conducting connection.

In this manner, a significant improvement is achieved in relation to one of the situations usually posing a disadvantage with drive means being placed in e.g. a window with glass through which light and especially sun light enters, and which may result in quite high temperatures. Since the sash of e.g. a window will set an upper limit for the volume which may be occupied by the drive means in practice, and since it will often not be possible to extend the drive means outside the plane of the frame, part of the surface of the drive means must necessarily be quite close to the glass. In this manner, this part will be exposed to high temperatures which could damage the contents of such a drive means, e.g. electrical and electronic equipment and affect the reliability and durability of the device.

According to the invention, an effective reduction of said temperatures may be achieved in an efficient manner and by means of surprisingly few and simple means, since the damaging heat is efficiently lead away to an element with a surface facing areas with lower temperatures so that a cooling effect is obtained.

Advantageously, as specified in claim 2, the drive means comprises a longitudinal support structure of which said rail or plate part forms part so that said rail or plate part essentially make up said first outer side of the drive means. In this manner, the structural construction of the drive means is utilized in a surprisingly simple manner in order to achieve the desired effect so that the use of additional material is avoided.

According to an advantageous embodiment, as specified in claim 3, said encapsulating part forms at least part of a housing for said power supply unit so that efficient conduction of the damaging heat from the power supply unit takes place while having the encapsulating part serve a dual purpose as both heat-conducting means and part of the housing or cabinet.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, specified in claim 4, said power supply unit comprises one or more electrical batteries. Since the efficiency of a battery, and hereby the average service life, is reduced when the temperatures exceed normal operating temperatures, this embodiment will provide the effect of maintaining the durability of a given battery pack at an acceptable level which would be very advantageous in relation to the areas of use that may be provided with the invention. Thus, it is a well-known fact that one of the major problems associated with battery operation is frequent replacements of batteries which may discourage users from investing in solutions that are solely driven by batteries. By the invention, this disadvantage is avoided as it has turned out that it is possible to offer solutions which do not require replacement of batteries for a period of one year or more, even by normal use in relation to screening devices.

As specified in claim 5, said encapsulating part may also form an advantageous encapsulation of other elements of the drive means whereby other advantages may be obtained such as efficient cooling of these parts as well. This may involve elements such as control circuits, electrical motors etc. that may be inherently heat-producing so that this heat may also be diverted by means of said encapsulating part.

If said encapsulating part, as specified in claim 6, is at least partly manufactured in a plate material, another advantage is obtained from a manufacturing point of view whereby manufacturing costs may even be reduced.

According to yet another advantageous embodiment, as specified in claim 7, said rail or plate part and the mentioned encapsulating part have been manufactured in a material with good heat-conducting properties, e.g. metals such as aluminum or other lightweight metals and/or light alloys.

If the heat-conducting connection is established, as specified in claim 8, by means of a mechanical connection comprising e.g. riveted joints, screw connections, welding, soldering or similar connections, deformation connections and/or glue connections and potentially the use of additional heat-conducting means such as heat-conducting paste etc., effective heat transfer between the elements is achieved in an efficient and rational manner.

According to an advantageous embodiment, as specified in claim 9, a control circuit has been designed in such a manner that when the drive means is inactive, it is brought into a power-saving mode, after which tests for receipt of potential control signals are made at certain intervals and a subsequent detection of receipt of such a signal will cause said control circuit to restore the drive means to operating mode which means that yet another effect is obtained by the invention. Thus, the loss of heat from the control circuit etc. is reduced so that potentially damaging high temperatures may be avoided and/or reduced while also reducing the consumption of energy so that the effective service life, and especially the effective operating period of a battery pack, is increased which makes operation of the drive means more effec- tive from an overall perspective.

The invention also concerns, as specified in claim 10, a screening device for screening of a building opening, a window, a door or the like, said screening device comprising a screening material which is rolled up, folded, gathered or the like in a first position when inactive and which is connected at its free end to a drive means move- able in relation to said first position, and said drive means being characterized by the drive means being designed according to one or more of claims 1 to 9.

In this manner, a significant improvement is achieved in relation to one of the situa- tions usually posing a disadvantage with drive means being placed in e.g. a window with glass through which light and especially sun light enters, and which may result in quite high temperatures in the vital parts of the drive means. Since the sash of e.g. a window will set an upper limit for the volume which may be occupied by the drive means in practice, and since it will often not be possible to extend the drive means outside the plane of the sash, part of the surface of the drive means must necessarily be quite close to the glass. In this manner, this part will be exposed to high temperatures which could damage the contents of such a drive means, e.g. electrical and electronic equipment, and affect the reliability and durability of the device.

According to the invention, an effective reduction of the mentioned temperatures may be achieved in an efficient manner and by means of surprisingly few and simple means, since the damaging heat is efficiently lead away to an element with a surface facing areas with lower temperatures so that a cooling effect is obtained which improves the operating situation of the screening device.

According to an advantageous embodiment, as specified in claim 11, the screening device is provided with a top box situated near said first position and said drive means being moveable in a plane which is essentially parallel with a plate, glass or the like in said building opening, door, said window or the like, whereby an efficient construction of a screening device according to the invention is obtained and provides the invention with a vital effect. By such a construction, an essentially closed space will be formed between the screening device and the plate or glass, said space being closed towards the bottom by the drive means/bottom bar so that significant heating of the air and the surfaces in this space may be efficiently conducted by heat conduction according to the invention to the air on the inner sides of the screening device and the bottom bar.

Advantageously, as specified in claim 12, said second outer side of the drive means faces said plate, glass or the like, so that this second outer side is the one which will first and foremost receive the heat and thus most effectively be able to divert it.

According to an advantageous embodiment, as specified in claim 13, said encapsulating part is placed near said plate, glass or the like, so that the heat is efficiently absorbed by it.

As specified in claim 14, said first outer side of the drive means may face away from said plate, glass or a similar element, placed in said building opening, door, said window or the like, whereby an efficient diversion of heat energy may take place.

Finally, as specified in claim 15, the drive means may be moveable in relation to the first position by means of guide rails placed at the sides of said building opening, door, said window or the like, and the drive means may comprise drive means for cooperation with said guide rails. In this manner, any movement of the drive means may be carried out in a parallel guiding arrangement in a relatively easy manner since the drive means, e.g. drive wheels, may cooperate with said rails for transmission of operating power.

The invention also relates to a method as specified in claim 16 for manual operation of a drive means, and in particular a drive means for a screening device for a building opening, a door, a window or similar elements, said method according to the invention being characterized by the drive means or at least part of it being manually adjustable from a first state to a second state, after which the drive means is moved manually to the desired position of the drive means.

According to this method, it will be easy for the user to bring the drive means into a state in which the manual adjustment may be carried out. Also, this adjustment from one state to another may be constructed in such a manner that it will be logic to the user and thereby make any operation of particular operator controls in a particular manner according to specific instructions superfluous.

According to an advantageous embodiment, as specified in claim 17, the drive means or at least said part of it in the first state is in a power-transmitting connection with one or more elements in relation to which the drive means may be moved by means of a drive mechanism and by said manual movement from said first state to said second position whereby the power-transmitting connection is disrupted.

The invention also concerns, as specified in claim 18, a drive means comprising a drive mechanism comprising e.g. an electrical motor and a transmission mechanism, said drive means being moveable between a first position and a second position and adjustable in these positions and in any position between these two by means of said drive mechanism. A drive means according to the invention is characterized by the drive means or at least part of it being manually adjustable from at first state to a second state, and by the drive means being manually adjustable to a desired position of the drive means in said second state.

In this manner, it will be easy for the user to bring the drive means into the state in which the manual adjustment may be carried out. Also, this adjustment from one state to another may be constructed in such a manner that the will be logic to the user and thereby make any operation of particular operator controls in a particular manner according to specific instructions superfluous. In addition, it will be immediately apparent to the user when the drive means has been brought into the mode in which the manual adjustment may be carried out.

Advantageously, as specified in claim 19, the drive means or at least said part of it in the first state is in a power-transmitting connection with one or more elements in relation to which the drive means may be moved by means of a drive mechanism and by means of said manual movement from said first state to said second state, whereby the power-transmitting connection is disrupted.

In this manner, an advantageous method of switching to the mode in which the manual adjustment can be made is obtained since a relatively simple decoupling is performed of the connection between the drive mechanism and the element(s) in relation to which the adjustment of the drive means is made.

According to the embodiment specified in claim 20, the drive means comprises a device, preferably a spring device, which will seek to bring the drive means or at least said part of it back into the first position when in the second position.

In this manner, the drive means will immediately try to return to operating mode once the desired manual adjustment has been made. Thus, the only action required is letting go of the drive means after which it will return to normal operation mode.

Advantageously, as specified in claim 21, the drive means comprises a longitudinal support structure with means at its ends for cooperating with the element(s) in rela- tion to which the drive means is moveable by means of a drive mechanism, said means for cooperation comprising means whereby the power-transmitting connection may be disrupted.

In this manner, a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention is obtained, wherein the disruption of the power-transmitting connection is applied at one or both ends of the drive means so that the remaining part may be manufactured in one coherent piece and so that the relative movement to be carried out is limited to a rela- tively small part of the length of the drive means. In this manner, a stable and durable construction is achieved.

According to the embodiment specified in claim 22, the drive means cooperates with the guide rails placed at the sides of said building opening, door, window or the like, and the drive means comprises drive means by means of which power may be transferred to the guide rails.

In this manner, the transfer of power is made in a simple and elegant manner whereby the means may at the same time serve as guide rails for e.g. parallel movement.

Advantageously, as specified in claim 23, the drive means comprises means which will engage with at least one of said guide rails when the drive means is affected in a direction essentially perpendicular to the movement of the drive means between said adjustable positions, whereby the power-transmitting connection is disrupted.

In this manner, manual operation can take place simply by pressing down on part of the front of the drive means, preferably the upper part. This may be done at any lo- cation along the entire length but it is preferable to have a special finger grasp or the like on which pressure may be exercised, e.g. near the center of the drive means. By including such a finger grasp or the like, the place in which to exercise manual operation will be obvious to the user.

Furthermore, the invention concerns a screening device, as specified in claim 24, for screening of a building opening, a window, a door or the like, said screening device comprising a screening material which is rolled up, folded, gathered or the like in a first position when inactive and which is connected at its free end to a drive means moveable in relation to said first position, characterized by the drive means accord- ing to the invention being designed according to one or more of claims 18 to 23. Finally, the invention relates to a fitting, as specified in claim 25, for use during transportation and mounting of a drive means and/or a screening device according to one or more of claims 18 to 24, said mounting fitting comprising means for fixing a top box and a bottom bar relatively positioned and said mounting fitting also com- prising means to ensure that the drive means is fixed in said second mode, whereby the power-transmitting connection is disrupted.

In this manner, mounting of a drive means or a screening device according to the invention can surprisingly be carried out without any difficulty. Such difficulties could easily be anticipated when bringing the element(s) with which the power- transmitting connection is to be made into contact with the drive means. By presetting the drive means in a mode in which the power-transmitting connection is disrupted, the element to which power is to be transferred during operation may easily be mounted to the drive means or vice versa. Thus, a significant simplification and improved user-friendliness of the invention have been obtained by means of a mounting fitting according to the invention.

Figures

The invention will be described in the following with reference to the figures in which

Fig. 1 shows a window from the inside (front) wherein a drive means and a screening device according to an embodiment of the invention have been mounted.

Figs. 2a & b show a drive means according to an embodiment of the invention from the front, Figs. 3a & b show a cross-section of the drive means in fig. 2 along the line III to III, Figs. 4a & b show a sectional and a perspective view, respectively, of a drive rail for use in connection with an embodiment of the invention, Figs. 5a to d show embodiments of inner and outer means for cooperation with guide rails along the line Na-Na and the line Vc-Nc, respectively, shown in fig. 2,

Fig. 6 Shows a section of the window and the embodiment of the invention in fig. 1 shown along the lines NI-NI,

Figs. 7a & b show a fitting according to the invention, and

Fig. 8 shows an embodiment of a power supply and control circuit according to the invention.

Embodiments

Figure 1 shows a window, generally referred to as 1, seen from the inside, said window being provided with a light screening device designed according to an embodiment of the invention.

The window 1 comprises a commonly known frame 2 carrying a sash 3. This sash 3 comprises a glass 4, and if it can be opened, the frame 2 and the sash 3 will also feature means for opening hereof such as hinges and as illustrated a closing handle 5.

At the top of the window 1, a top box 6 has been mounted on or in the sash and, rails, 7 and 8 respectively, have been mounted or shaped in the side sections of the sash 3. These rails 7,8 have been designed in such a manner that the serve as guides for a bottom bar 9 which may be moved up and down as illustrated by the arrow between the lower edge of the window and the top box 6 and to any given position in between these limits.

The bottom bar 9 is connected to a screening device or the like 10 which extends between the bottom bar 9 and the top box 6. This screening device may be designed in a number of ways, such as e.g. a pleat cloth, but it may also involve a cloth as il- lustrated to be wound up on a spring-based roller (not shown) placed in the bottom bar 9 or in the top box 6. In the detailed example illustrated in the following, the cloth will preferably be rolled onto a spring-loaded roller in the top box 6, which means that it is similar to that already known from roller blinds.

The screening device 10 may be designed in various materials and may have various properties depending on its specific purpose, e.g. as a light screening device from e.g. incoming sun light. Thus, the cloth may be completely transparent but have a light-filtrating effect or it may be a cloth with less or more screening properties, i.e. any given degree of transparency, potentially chosen according to particular light spectmms or the cloth may serve to completely shut out any incoming light, such as a blackout curtain.

As mentioned, the rails 7 and 8 are designed in such a manner that the may guide the bottom bar 9 during movement and for this purpose, the bottom bar has been provided with means at both ends, 13 and 14 respectively, for cooperation with the rails 7 and 8 which includes the transfer of driving force between the bottom bar 9 and the rails 7 and 8 as will be described in detail at a later point.

The bottom bar 9 further comprises means for driving the bottom bar, said means being controllable by means of e.g. wirelessly transferred signals, e.g. from a remote control, said signals being intercepted by a receiver 12, e.g. a receiver of infrared or RF signals, said receiver 12 being located at front of the bottom bar 9 as shown. Also, this may be provided with an operating grip 11 for manual control of the screening device, said operating grip and its function being described in detail at a later point.

Fig. 2a shows a bottom bar 9 from the front, i.e. in the same direction as in fig. 1, and with the important features illustrated. Thus, it is shown that the bottom bar comprises at least one drive mechanism 20 which may comprise one or more electric motors, preferably DC motors, driven by power from a power supply unit 21. This power supply unit will preferably be in the shape of a battery pack which may comprise one or more batteries rechargeable or non-rechargeable, said battery pack being described in detail at a later point. The drive mechanism 20 may furthermore com- prise a transmission mechanism which may be integrated in said electric motor and whereby a driving force may be transferred to one or more drive wheels 22, potentially a passing shaft, which may, in turn, transfer the driving force to driving means, 23 and 24 respectively. These driving means, preferably in the shape of drive shafts, are placed at each end of the bottom bar 9, i.e. in immediate proximity of said means 13 and 14, for cooperation with the rails, 7 and 8 respectively. It is obvious that more than one driving mechanism 20 may be placed in a bottom bar, for example one at each end, said driving mechanisms being controllable in relation to each other, incl. being synchronized in relation to each other, but e.g. also in such a manner that roll- ing the screening up and down in non-rectangular windows, such as trapezoid or half-arched windows, may take place as well.

As shown in fig. 2a, the means 13 and 14 for cooperation with the rails are designed as separate parts attaching with a longitudinal rail or plate part 25, which runs in the longitudinal direction of the front of the bottom bar and which essentially extends in the entire height of the bottom bar in the shown embodiment. This rail or plate part 25 may thus form a basic part or a structural part of the bottom bar and the components of the bottom bar 9, such as the power supply unit 21, the drive mechanism 20, the suspension of drive shaft(s) etc., may be mounted either directly onto the plate or rail part 25 or indirectly though fastening means, fitting, housing parts or the like to the plate or rail part 25.

As mentioned, the means 13 and 14 for cooperation with the rails are designed as separate parts which is shown in fig. 2b in which the means 13 and 14 have been moved away from the plate or rail part 25. As can be seen, the plate or rail part 25 has been designed with means, 25a and 25b respectively, for mounting and/or fastening of drive means 13 and 14, e.g. end or flange parts as illustrated, which may be pushed into corresponding slots, grooves and/or support parts designed on the means 13 and 14 in such a manner that a sufficiently rigid connection between said parts is obtained. Furthermore, these controls 25a and 25b and/or the corresponding parts on the means 13 and 14 for cooperation with the rails may be provided with locking means, e.g. in the shape of snap locks or the like, so that the means 13 and 14 are fastened to the remaining part of the bottom bar 9, especially the plate or rail part 25.

As illustrated, the drive means 23 and 24, which may be designed as drive wheels as already mentioned, are carried in the corresponding means, 13 and 14 respectively, for cooperation with the rails in such a manner that the drive means 23 and 24 are removed with the respective means 13 and 14. This can be obtained by letting the ends of the drive shaft or axles 22 be releasably connected to the respective drive wheels 23 and 24 as shown in fig. 2b. Alternatively, the drive shafts, if there is more than one, may be fixedly connected to the drive wheels and releasably connected to one of the other parts of the transmission system. The power-transmitting releasable connection between the axle/axles and the other parts, such as the drive wheels, may e.g. be designed as a key and slot connection or by the axle pivots being designed with one or more straight edges, potentially polygonal in shape, and the axle holes in the drive wheels being in a corresponding design.

As shown by the dotted line in fig. 2b, the means 13 and 14 for cooperation with the rails may be divided into an inner part, 13a and 14b respectively, and an outer part 13b and 14b respectively, in which the drive means, 23 and 24 respectively, may be carried in the outer parts, 13b and 14b respectively, while the inner parts 13a and 14a respectively, serve as a connection of the means 13 and 14 cooperating with the rails with the other part of the bottom bar 9, and especially with the plate or rail part 25. Furthermore, the outer parts 13b and 14 b may be designed with means for control in relation to the rails 7 and 8, e.g. with control surfaces or the like. These parts will be described in detail at a later point.

Fig. 3 a shows a large-scale cross-section of the bottom bar 9 in fig. 2a along the line III-III so that the power supply unit 21, among other things, may be seen. Thus, the longitudinal plate or rail part 25 is shown with edge parts, 26 and 27, in the upper and lower parts on the inside for fixation of the components to the plate or rail part 25. At the top, the part 25 is provided with a profile part 28 which may serve to fasten the screening material, e.g. a cloth, to the bottom bar 9, since a bending of the end of the cloth around a bar or strip may be displaced in the sideways direction into the profile part 28 so that the end of the cloth is fastened herein as illustrated by the dotted lines in figs. 3a and 3b. At the bottom, the part 25 features en profile part 29 which may serve as a means of fixation of a sealing strip (not shown) which may engage with a frame part of the window so that a complete screening, even between the bottom bar 9 and e.g. the lower part of a window, may be achieved.

An encapsulating plate 30 forms the back wall and top of the bottom bar since this encapsulating plate may extend in the entire length of the power supply unit or potentially longer so that the entire bottom bar is encapsulated by this plate 30. However, it is also possible to use several separate encapsulating plates which may extend in tandem with each other along the bottom bar 9. In the shown embodiment, the encapsulating plate 30 extends at a length essentially corresponding to that of the power supply unit 21, and will be ended by end plates (not shown) extending up along the inside of the plate or rail part 25 and potentially fastened onto this.

At the upper part, the encapsulating plate 30 is fixed to a flange 32 on the plate or rail part 25, e.g. by means of rivets as illustrated. Other methods of fixation may be applied, which will be described later on, since this may involve a heat-conducting connection, as will also be described later on. The lower part of the encapsulating plate 30 has been provided with a hinge part 34 whereby the encapsulating plate 30 is connected to a bottom flap 35. This bottom flap attaches to said profile part 29 so that an inside cavity is formed in the bottom bar. The bottom flap 35 is furthermore provided with locking means 36 that may comprise one or two closing latch dis- placeable in the longitudinal direction as illustrated, which may be displaced in a groove in the bottom flap so that it/they may (dis)engage with corresponding locking means at the end(s) of the power supply unit 21, e.g. designed on or in the above- mentioned end plates. Finally, the purpose of the bottom flap 35 is to carry a battery pack comprising an appropriate number of batteries 37, e.g. four size D batteries, which may be positioned in a tubular piece 38 of e.g. a cardboard material. In this manner, it will be possible to arrange a number of batteries 37, e.g. type D, in continuation of each other in the tubular piece 38 which is shorter in length than the total length of the batteries, after which the battery pack may be placed in retainers and/or terminals. As shown, an essentially U-shaped retainer comprising two legs 39a and 39b may be placed on the bottom flap 35, said retainer 39 being designed according to prior art in a light resilient material. Preferably, two such retainers 39 may be placed on the bottom flap 35 at a distance of less than the total length of the battery pack 21. Alternatively, the tubular piece 38 may have a length which is less than the distance between the two retainers 39 so that the legs 39a and 39b of the two retainers clasp onto the outer casing of the battery pack whereby the tubular piece 38 solely serves as a means of positioning the batteries 37 in relation to each other. Flexible electrical terminals (not shown) may be placed in accordance with prior art at the ends of the battery pack 21 for establishment of an electrical connection with the end poles of the battery pack , said terminals being connected to the electrical circuit by means of flexible wires. Other embodiments are also possible such as integration of battery retainers and electrical terminals in single units.

As shown in fig. 3b, the bottom flap 35 may be opened in a downwards direction once the closing means 36 is operated, and the power supply unit 21 is dimensioned in such a manner that the battery pack 37 may pass freely by e.g. the profile part 29 so that the battery pack 37 may easily be removed or inserted when the bottom flap 35 is turned all the way down.

In connection with the use of a drive means according to the invention for windows, doors or similar building openings, and even if placed at a certain angle in relation to the vertical direction, this embodiment is particularly advantageous since it is only necessary to activate the closing means 36 after which the bottom flap 25 with the battery pack will open downwards due to gravity. Thus, the battery pack will be immediately visible and accessible for handling, just as reassembly of the battery pack subsequent to potential replacement of the batteries and the closing of the bottom flap will be easy for the user.

One embodiment of a rail 7 or 8 for use in connection with an embodiment of the invention will be described in the following with reference to figs. 4a and 4b, in which fig. 4a shows a large-scale cross-section of a rail 7,8 while fig. 4b shows a perspective view of a corresponding rail.

As shown in fig. 4a, the rail comprises a profile part 40 which may be manufactured in an appropriate material such as wood, potentially a metal such as aluminum, or of a plastic material or a composite material. On the one side, the profile part 40 features a sideways flange 41 and an essentially perpendicular flange 42 thereupon. These two serve for positioning of the rail in relation to e.g. the corner of a sash 3 as indicated. On the other side, the profile part 40 features a protruding part 43 extend- ing basically in parallel with a second protruding part 44 so that a space 45 is formed between these two parts. As indicated, this space 45 will be used to receive the lateral edges of the screening material 10 when moved up and down so that screening of the sides of e.g. a window or a door will be complete.

The upper side of the protruding part 44 has been designed with inwards hooking parts 46 and 47, so that a means 48 by means of which the driving force may be transferred to the rail by e.g. a drive wheel 23 and 24 as described, may be fastened in the profile part 40. In fig. 4b, this means 48 is illustrated by a rail, strip or ribbon- shaped means provided with transverse ribs, teeth or the like, e.g. be designed as a toothed bar which, in turn, may be divided into several smaller sections assembled into a coherent unit. For cooperation with this rail, strip or ribbon-shaped means, the drive means 23,24 may e.g. be provided with drive wheels, coated drive wheels with a coating which corresponds with the rail, strip or ribbon-shaped subject, drive wheels shaped as toothed wheels or the like. The rail, strip or ribbon-shaped means 48 may be designed in any appropriate material such as e.g. a plastic material or another synthetic material. Furthermore, the rail, strip or ribbon-shaped means 48 may be positioned in the longitudinal direction of the profile part 40, if necessary, by e.g. a mechanical lock, deformation of e.g. one or both of the hooked parts 46,47, potentially in one or more spots, or by other means such as gluing or the like.

Other embodiments of the rail, strip or ribbon-shaped subject 48 and/or drive means 23,24 are possible, just as the design of the profile part 40 allowing for other forms of power transfer to be conducted falls within the scope of the invention.

The profile part 40 may e.g. be designed in such a manner that a surface or a part hereof is designed with such power transfer in mind that a separate unit for this pur- pose may be avoided. Furthermore, it should be apparent that the two units may be manufactured in one single body if the profile part 40 and the means 48 are produced from the same material.

In the following, the inner 13a, 13b and the outer 13b and 14b means for cooperation with the guiding rails will be described in detail with reference to figs. 5a to 5d, incl. especially the associated function allowing manual operation of a drive means according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figs. 5a and 5b show an embodiment of the invention for an inner part, e.g. 13a, as it will appear from the plate or rail part 25 while at the same time showing an outer part 13b mounted to the inner part 13a. As illustrated, one of the sides will feature upright edge parts 51 that will form means for mounting on the plate or rail part 25 together with an encompassing upright edge part 52, e.g. by means of its means 25a. Furthermore, the top shows a profile part 53 which may fix the lower edges of a cloth or the like in a manner similar to that of the profile part 28 shown in fig. 3

The inside of the inner part features an axle hole 54 going through an axle stub 55 which, in turn, is carried in an axle bearing 56 going through the inner part of 13 a. As previously mentioned, the axle hole 54 has a means to ensure a power- transmitting connection with a drive shaft 22, said means being illustrated by a groove 54a in the shown embodiment. It should be understood that an outer part 13b will be present immediately behind the shown inner part 13a and that this outer part will partly be connected to the inner part 13a by means of a pin 58 which is moveable in a slot in the inner part 13a by means of a locking pin 60 mounted through a corresponding locking hole 61 in the inner part and by means of a turning pivot (not shown) embedded in a recess (seen from the other side of the inner part 13a) or an opening 62. Thus, it can be seen that it will only be possible to turn the outer part at a certain angle in relation to the inner part 13a around a center of rotation situated close to the recess 62 and/or the lower parts of the inner part 13 a.

Thus, in fig. 5b, the outer part 13b has been turned at maximum angle in relation to the inner part 13a. In this manner, a profile part 63 meant for fixation of the lower part of the cloth 10 and forming part of the outer part 13b can be seen. Furthermore, it can be seen that a return spring 57, shown in fig. 5a and carried by the pin 58 with legs designed as essentially circular periphery pieces extending around the axle bearing 56, will exercise a force against the turning of the inner and the outside parts in relation to each other and will seek to bring the two parts back into their initial positions. As shown in fig. 5b, the return spring 57 will be pulled away from the axle bearing 56 by the pin 58 once the inner and outer parts are turned in relation to each other while the legs of the return spring will be pressed away from each other by the stub-shaped axle bearing 56. Furthermore, it can be seen from fig. 5b that the locking pin 60 in this position would be moved over to the other side in the corresponding locking hole 61.

The return spring 57 could be designed in other manners than the one illustrated. For example, it would be possible to use leaf springs, helical springs shaped as pressure or tension springs, hairpin springs etc. Furthermore, it would be possible to use springs with different characteristics depending of the manner in which the drive means has been mounted, i.e. the angle at which it is mounted in relation to the verti- cal direction. If the mounting involves a strongly inclined position, the requirements to the spring power would not be as high as with a more vertical mounting since gravity at an inclined position will assist in bringing the drive means back to to its power-transmitting position. Also, it would be a great advantage in relation to strongly inclined mounting to have relatively limited spring force against which the drive means must be moved into another position allowing for manual operation since the spring force must be defeated by the user while also defying gravity. Op- eration will therefore be easier while at the same time maintaining the ability of the drive means to return to operational mode without problems. Furthermore, an adjustment or presetting device may be attached so that the spring force may be varied in relation to the mounting positions in question.

Figs. 5 c and 5d correspond to figs. 5 a and 5b, since fig. 5 c and 5d show the outer parts, e.g. 13 a, seen from the outside with the corresponding inner parts being mounted behind them. As is illustrated, the outer part will feature a pivotal body 66 with upright parts 65 which form the guiding parts as will be explained later. The upper part of these parts 65 has been provided with the previously mentioned profile part 63 and it should be understood that the parts engaging with the inner part, such as a pivot engaging with the recess 62, the locking pin 60 and the pin 58, will be connected to the back of the pivotal body 66. Figs. 5c and 5d also show a passing axle hole 54 and the axel stub 55 (shown in figs. 5a and 5b) will be connected to a drive wheel in the shape of at toothed wheel 64 as is also shown.

By turning the pivotal body 66, the guiding surfaces 65 will be moved away from the toothed wheel 64 and, as can be seen, thereby make the previously mentioned slot 59 accessible between the toothed wheel 64 and the body 66 which will be utilized later.

As will be understood, the toothed wheel 64 will engage with a guide rail 7 or 8, such as the rail, strip or ribbon-shaped means 48 shown in fig. 4, since the guiding surfaces 65 will be located in the space 45 between the protruding parts 43 and 44 and at the same time ensure that the toothed wheel 64 will engage with the toothed bar when the situation illustrated in fig. 5 c is relevant. Furthermore, it can be seen that once the inner and outer parts are turned in relation to each other, the control surfaces 65 and the protruding parts 43,44 will cause the toothed wheel 64 and the toothed bar 48 to disengage from each other. Fig. 6 shows a large-scale view of a section through the upper part of a door or a window, in which a drive means and a screening device according to an embodiment of the invention have been mounted, said section showing section NI-NI in fig. 1, with the exception of fig. 6 illustrating a position of the bottom bar 9 closer to the top box 6 than that illustrated in fig. 1 for reasons of clarity.

In the shown embodiment, the mounting is non-vertical as would be the case with e.g. a roof window or a skylight. The shown screening device may be used in con- nection with mountings over a broad area of angles ranging from vertical to horizontal positions.

For clarity reasons, fig. 6 solely shows the imperative parts of the invention and illustrates a section through a sash 2 and a frame 3, said frame 2 carrying a glass pane 4 illustrated by a single-layer glass but which may naturally be illustrated by any kind of known and commonly used type and nature of glass.

The upper frame 3 has been provided with a top box 6 and the side pieces of the sash have rails mounted such as e.g. the rail 7. Furthermore, the bottom bar 9 corresponds to that of the embodiment in fig. 3, said bottom bar being illustrated in a position somewhat below the top box 6. The top box 6 is designed in a box-like configuration which is made up by a profile rail 68 at the front which carries or is carried by a box part 67. Inside this, a screening device 10 is rolled onto a roller 69 which may be spring-powered in accordance with prior art (not shown) so that the cloth 10 may be pulled out against spring power and so that the cloth will roll back up by means of the spring power. The cloth 10 extends from the roller 69 and down through a slot or opening in the housing part 67, after which it extends all the way down to the bottom bar 9 where it has been fixed to the profile part 28 (shown in figs. 3a and 3b) as previously explained. As shown, the edge of the cloth 10 will extend down towards the bottom bar 9 and between the protruding parts 43 and 44 of the rail 7 so that efficient screening at the sides of the screening device 10 is also obtained as previously mentioned. The up and down movements of the bottom bar 9 will, as previously mentioned, be obtained by the drive mechanism comprising an electrical motor (or more) and a transmission mechanism via which at least one drive shaft transfers a rotating motion to the drive wheels (not shown here) which will transfer the motion to the rail 7 and especially to the side surface of the protruding part 44 and the ribbon-shaped means 48 in this particular embodiment.

Since a drive means according to the invention will often be used in connection with movements, at least partially in the direction of gravity, and/or under the influence of other forces such as spring power against which a screening device is rolled down, it should be noted that the drive mechanism will often comprise a self-locking construction. This may e.g. be in the form of a worm gear drive, appropriately dimensioned planet gear or other forms of locks incorporated in the drive mechanism, transmission or electrical motor etc. In this manner, the drive means will not be able to make any unintentional moves, e.g. due to gravity from the position into which is has actively been brought.

Even when a drive mechanism is not provided with a self-locking construction, any manual operation by means of which the bottom bar is sought/attempted pushed up or down in relation to the top box would be unpractical and difficult since the drive mechanism, transmission, electrical motor etc. must be driven due to the fact that the drive means, e.g. drive wheels, engage with the guide rails. This disadvantage may be avoided according to the invention by having a construction exemplified by the embodiment described above in relation to figs. 5a and 5d and it will be seen that pressure exercised on the upper part of the bottom bar in the inwards direction, e.g. by affecting the operation grip 11 (not shown in fig. 6) inwardly, will result in the function described in fig. 5 being activated. As shown by the dotted lines in fig. 6, the bottom bar 9 will thus rotate around a point at its lower part, whereby the drive means, incl. e.g. the drive wheels 34,24 or the toothed wheel 64, will disengage from the guide rails 7,8, and in particular from the ribbon-shaped means or the toothed bar 48. Hereafter, the bottom bar 9 may easily be moved up or down without parts of the transmission, pinion or motor etc. having to move.

Once the desired position has been located, the grip is released, e.g. the grip against the operational grip 11, after which the bottom bar 9 will resume its normal position under the influence of spring power from the return spring 57. This return movement may furthermore be encouraged by gravity which can be seen from fig. 6. When the point of rotation of the mutual movement between the inner 13 a, 14a and outer parts 13b, 14b, is situated at the lower part of the bottom bar, and especially to the right in the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the weight of the batteries, profile parts, control circuit, motor and transmission mechanisms etc. will seek to move the bottom bar back to the starting point. This will be even more pronounced when the mounting in question of the drive mechanism is angled in relation to the vertical direction so that the effect of gravity will provide the greatest effect when moving back to the starting point when the issue is one of mounting in e.g. a roof window mounted in a plane close to the horizontal. However, this means that the effect to be exercised manually must be exercised on the bottom bar 9 and/or the operation grip handle 11 in this situation must be proportionately greater in order to be able to carry out the manual positioning of the drive means, i.e. the bottom bar 9.

Furthermore, it can be seen from fig. 6 in connection with fig. 5 that the profile part 63 shown in figs. 5b, 5c and 5d will have the function of holding on to the lower part of the cloth 10 which will move in the space 45 (fig. 4a) at the side. Once the bottom bar 9 is tipped inwards at the top, the cloth will naturally be pulled down, lead by the profile part 28 (fig. 3). This means that the edge of the cloth will be forced to disengage from the rail 7 or 8 since it would otherwise come into conflict with the protruding parts 43 and 44 of the rails 7 and 8. This is prevented by the profile part 63 which will hold the very rim of the cloth 10 inside the rail 7 or 8, i.e. the inner space 45, so that the cloth will not be damaged or come loose from the rail once the bottom bar 9 is tipped to manual operation. Whether the bottom bar 9 is in its upper position or is more or less guided downwards, any light and especially sunlight coming through the glass, will hit the back, lower side and/or upper side of the bottom bar 9, whereby it will be heated. This results in the inside of the bottom bar 9 and the parts incorporated herein, such as espe- daily the battery pack 37, being exposed to heat by the incoming light. Furthermore, if the bottom bar 9 is moved away from the top box 6, a space 70 between the bottom bar 9, the cloth 10, the top box 6 and the glass 4 will emerge, in which heat generated by the incoming light falling on the cloth 10, the top box 6 and partly the bottom bar 9, will be trapped. As can be seen, the free space solely consists of a narrow passage 71 through which the heat may escape only with difficulty, especially since no form of air circulation is possible here. The narrow passage 71 is a consequence of the depth of the bottom bar which has to be significantly deep to comprise a battery pack, among others, and due to the fact that the depth of the sash 3 will determine how far from the glass the bottom bar 9 may be placed in the construction.

All in all, this means that the inside of the bottom bar 9 and in particular the inner power supply unit 21 with the battery pack 37 will be exposed to fairly high temperatures.

In order to overcome this problem the encapsulating plate 30 has been designed in such a manner that it is capable of leading heat energy from both the inner space in the bottom bar 9 and from the inner space 70. The encapsulating plate 30 may thus be designed in a material with relatively good heat-conducting properties such as e.g. aluminum. As has been explained previously, the encapsulating plate 30 is mounted to the upper part of the plate or rail part 25, e.g. by means of riveted joints 33 or similar means, whereby heat energy may be conducted to the plate or rail part 25. Furthermore, an appropriately large overlap between the encapsulating plate 30 and the part (32; fig. 3a) of the plate or rail 25 to which the encapsulating plate 30 is connected may be made so that good heat conduction may be obtained.

The heat energy may thus be transferred to the plate or rail part 25 facing free space, i.e. a room, a living room or a similar room, in which the temperature will be rela- tively low compared to the temperature in the space 54, on the surface of inside the bottom bar 9, and especially the power supply unit. The heat energy will thus be conducted from the plate or rail part 25 which will feature a relatively large heat- dissipating area since it extends in the entire length and height of the bottom bar 9. Furthermore, this effect may be enhanced by the plate or rail part 25 being designed in a material with good heat-conducting properties such as e.g. aluminum, just as the surface of the plate or rail part 25 may be designed with respect to particularly good heat-dissipating properties such as ribs, black surface etc.

With the embodiments described above, tests have shown that the temperature inside the power supply unit 21, and therefore also the temperature of the battery pack, may be reduced significantly, e.g. by as much as approx. 10°C, in comparison with known constructions that have not been designed in accordance with the invention. This will result in a considerable extension of the effective operating time of a given battery pack since the amount of energy to be drained from a battery pack is reduced significantly at relatively high operating temperatures. Thus, it will often be the case with known constructions that the temperatures in a space between a screening device and the glass may exceed 80-90°C which, in turn, will lead to a correspondingly high temperature in a power supply unit with such a construction. In connection with the invention, the operating temperatures for the battery pack are reduced to levels ensuring long durability, e.g. an effective operating time in excess of a year, when using four type D batteries at a specified operational need of an average of two operating cycles (one roll-down and one roll-up every day).

Yet another advantage of the invention will be described in the following with reference to fig. 7, in which fig. 7a shows a top box 6 and a bottom bar 9 as they would be delivered to the user for retrofitting in e.g. a window. In order to ease the mounting, these two parts have been tied together by means of a transportation fittings 80 which may be arranged near each end as is illustrated. These transportation and/or mounting fittings will, as will be described in detail, hold the top box and the bottom bar together while the top box is mounted in e.g. the window, for example by means of fittings not illustrated and mounted in the window beforehand. Once the top box has been mounted, the guide rails 7,8 or the like, by means of which the bottom bar may be moved up and down, may be mounted in the window, possibly also by means of non-illustrated fittings e.g. at the lower part of the window, by positioning the rails or the like in the upper part by means of the top box and at the same time brought to engage with the means 13 and 14 for cooperation with the rails. Hereafter, the transport fittings 80 may be dismounted and the operating device may principally be put into use.

However, problems may arise during mounting of the guide rails 7,8 or the like once these have to be brought to engage with the means 13 and 14 for cooperation with the rails, since the power-transmitting connection may result in resistance, especially where self-locking mechanisms are concerned, whereby mounting will practically be impossible. In order to overcome this problem, transportation fittings according to the invention feature an additional obstructing part shown in fig. 7a which is mounted at a connecting part 81 and which will be described in detail with reference to fig. 7b.

Fig. 7b shows the transportation and mounting fittings 80 from the side and it can be seen that one end has been provided with jaws 82 and 83 which together define a clamping gap 84 capable of capturing and fixing the lower edge of the front side of the top box, e.g. the plate or rail part 68. The other end is provided with clamping means 85 and 86 which together are capable of capturing the lower part of the front side of the bottom bar, e.g. the plate or rail part 25, so that the bottom bar and the top box are held together.

As shown, the connecting part 81 is connected to an obstructing pin 87 designed in such a manner that it may be positioned in the outer parts 13b or 14b of the means 13 and 14 for cooperation with the rails so that these parts will be locked in a position in which manual operation is possible. It will be possible to position the obstructing pin 87, as can be seen from fig. 5d, in the part of the slot 59 which is accessible once the innerl3a and the outer 13b parts are twisted in relation to each other against the spring force of the spring 57. Afterwards, the inner and outer parts will be fixed in the position allowing for manual operation and in which a guide rail may be mounted in the means 13 or 14 for cooperation with the rails 7,8 without problems.

The transportation and mounting fitting will be placed in said position by the supplier and once both the top box and the guide rails have been mounted, the fitting(s) may be removed, incl. the obstructing pin 87, after which the outer part 13b or 14b will retract to the position in which the drive means 23,24 or 64 will engage with the rails 7 and 8 so that the operating device will be ready for operation.

Said transportation and mounting fitting may be manufactured in an appropriate plastic material and may thus advantageously be manufactured in one single coherent piece by e.g. a molding process.

Another aspect of the embodiment of the invention whereby the effective operation time of a given power supply unit may be increased will be explained in detail in the following with reference to fig. 8 showing an example of a power supply and control circuit incorporated in a drive means and/or an screening device according to the invention.

As illustrated, control of the drive means may take place by means of a remote control 90 of the known kind with operational buttons, e.g. a button 91 for stopping an ongoing movement of the drive means, a button 92 for moving the drive means in one direction and an button 93 for moving the drive means in another direction.

As previously mentioned, the signals are received from a remote control 90 by a receiver 94 which may be designed as part of the control circuit generally referred to as 94. From here, the corresponding signals are sent to a drive mechanism 20, meaning one or more electrical motors, e.g. DC motors and associated transmission mechanisms, gearings etc. The movement is then transferred via mechanical transmission generally referred to as 95 and which comprises drive shaft(s), drive means, incl. e.g. drive wheels 23,24, and rails 7,8 or similar constructions to which the driving force is transferred. From the power supply unit 21, which may preferably comprise one or more batteries as already mentioned, e.g. in the form of a battery pack, power is led to the drive mechanism/electrical motor 20 and to the control circuit 94. It is also possible to only have a power supplying connection from the power supply unit 21 to the control circuit 94, from which the energy supply is then led to the drive mechanism/electrical motor 20. As shown, feed-back to the control circuit 94 may take place from the drive mechanism/electrical motor 20 which may comprise a signal indicating the motor current which may be used for detecting when the drive means have reached an end stop in the form of e.g. a bottom stop or a top stop or of detecting that the drive means has been blocked or is somehow not operating normally, after which the control circuit may react accordingly, e.g. by stopping the movement of the drive means or any attempt to move.

As illustrated by 96, the control circuit may actually be physically incorporated in or mounted on/next to the drive mechanism 20, or it may, as also illustrated by 97, be incorporated in or mounted on/next to the power supply unit 21, e.g. in the free space, which will be present in the space defined by the plate or rail part 25 shown in fig. 3, the encapsulating plate 30 and the bottom flap 35. Other possible mounting methods will naturally also be possible, just as it will be apparent that the control circuit may comprise more units which may be appropriately positioned.

Furthermore, the control circuit 94 comprises a functional part 98, an energy saving circuit serving to limit energy consumption by the drive means, consumption of idle energy and thereby also the stand-by loss. Normally, the control circuit will be in a mode in which it will be ready for immediate reaction to a received signal from the remote control 90 so that the drive means will react quickly. By means of the functional part 98, the control circuit 94 will shift into a resting mode, a "sleep mode" when a predetermined amount of time shows no activity in relation to the drive means, in which power consumption is significantly reduced, e.g. by making certain control and measuring circuits powerless. The energy saving circuit 98 will comprise a timer function so that activation of the receiving circuit (12) takes place in a brief interval Tw at a predetermined periodicity of the period T in order to determine whether a control signal is transmitted from the remote control 90. If so, the energy saving circuit 98 will initiate start-up of the other necessary functions in the control circuit 94 and potentially the drive mechanism 20.

By applying such an energy saving circuit 98, it will be advantageous to design the remote control in such a manner that transmitted signals will be of a certain minimum duration, Tmin, and to design the energy saving circuit 98 in such as manner that during the period of time, Tmin, it comprises at least one of said time intervals in which control for received signals is made. Thus, Tmin will be greater than or equal to T, whereby it is ensured that any signal transmitted from the remote control 90 will lead to action.

As mentioned, the energy saving circuit 98 may be designed in such a manner that it shifts into resting mode or "sleep mode" following a certain period of inactivity. Alternatively or simultaneously, the energy saving circuit 98 may be designed in such a manner that it shifts into resting mode during certain times of day, e.g. at night. Furthermore or alternatively, it is possible to design a storage unit in relation to the circuit for storage of activation times and potentially the frequency of activations for the past couple of days, weeks etc. so that the energy saving circuit may be designed to assume a resting mode of short or long periods of time during which no previous activities have been carried out.

Other possibilities for control inputs for said energy saving circuit may be applied as well. The room may be provided with a sensor or a similar circuit capable of detecting human presence, e.g. in the form of a movement sensor, so that the resting mode will only be assumed when no presence of persons is detected, possibly for a certain predetermined period of time. In a similar manner, it would be possible to picture an intelligent (activity learning) system capable of adjusting/controlling screening de- vices independently on the basis of various sensor registration parameters (pressure, temperature, light intensity, etc.) Naturally with the possibility of manual operation. In the previous, the invention has been described in relation to a specific example, in which a screening device has been designed in such a manner that it may be mounted in relation to existing building openings, windows, doors or the like, only requiring mounting of a top box which is held together with a bottom bar during mounting and with two side rails being mounted and fixed to the building opening, the window or the like. Immediately hereafter, the screening device make be put into use, potentially following the insertion of batteries.

Meanwhile, the invention may be used in other connections. Thus, the invention may be used in connection with ready-made constructions featuring a top box and/or side- guiding surfaces which have not been incorporated/mounted beforehand in the window or door instead of separate drive rails.

Furthermore, a drive means according to the invention may be used in other respects as it may e.g. hold other objects such as light screens in connection with transparent roof surfaces, in connection with green houses etc, and basically anyplace in which a drive means is needed for parallel guidance or if exposed to great heat impacts with damaging and/or negative consequences resulting therefrom.

Thus, the drive means may be used to hold/pull other than cloth materials. For example, windows and doors may involve Venetian blinds to be pulled up and down by the drive means. Also, curtains to be folded by means of "winding/coiling" may be relevant, as will insect screens etc.

Furthermore, it should be mentioned that the previous refers to a plate or rail part 25 and it must be understood that this includes any kind of shape by means of which it may serve to conduct heat from the back of a unit comprising a power supply etc. to the front or an area around the front from which the heat may be led to a cooler medium such as the air. Thus, the plate or rail part 25 does not have to extend in the entire length and/or height of the bottom bar, just as it does not have to be a continuous body. Furthermore, it may be composed from several subjects which are connected in a heat-conducting connection. Finally, it should be noted that the previously mentioned heat-conducting connection between the plate or the rail part 25 and the encapsulating plate 30 is exemplified by an overlap between the two subjects and a mechanical connection by means of rivets or the like. Other forms of connections may also be applied such as screw connections, welding, soldering or similar connections, deformation connections and/or glue connections. Furthermore, it is apparent that the distance between e.g. spot-wise connections may be varied with respect to the specific circumstances and the desired heat-conducting properties, just as the number and the dimensions of such connec- tions may be varied according to the needs. A potential overlap between the two subjects may also be varied and additional heat-conducting means such as heat- conducting paste etc. may be used depending on the planarity and/or the roughness of the two subjects.

List with reference numbers

1 Window

2 Frame

3 Sash

4 Glass

5 Handle

6 Top box

7,8 Rail

9 Bottom bar

10 Screening device

11 Operational grip

12 Receiver

13,14 Means for cooperation with rail

13,a,14a Inner part of means for cooperation with rail

13b, 14b Outer part of means for cooperation with rail

20 Drive mechanism

21 Power supply package

22 Drive shaft

23,24 Drive means, drive wheels

25 Rail or plate part

25a,25b Means for mounting

26,27 Edge parts on rail or plate part 25

28 Profile part at top

29 Profile part at bottom

30 Encapsulating plate

32 Flange on plate or rail part 25

33 Rivet

34 Hinge part

35 Bottom flap

36 Closing means Battery

Tubular piece

Battery holder a, 39b Legs of battery holder

Profile part

Sideways flange

Perpendicularly positioned flange , 44 Protruding parts

Inner space , 47 Inward projecting parts

Ribbon-shaped means

Upright edge parts

Encompassing upright edge parts

Profile part

Axle hole a Groove

Axle stub

Axle bearing

Return spring

Slot

Locking pin

Locking hole

Aperture

Profile part

Toothed wheel

Upright parts

Pivotal body

Box part

Profile rail

Roller Inner space

Passage from inner space 7(

Transport fitting

Connecting part , 83 Jaws

Clamping gap , 86 Clamping means

Obstructing pin

Remote control ,92,93 Remote control buttons

Control circuit

Mechanical transfer ,97 Examples of coherent units

Energy saving circuit

Claims

1. Drive means comprising an electrical motor, a power supply unit and a transmission mechanism, said drive means being moveable between a first position and a second position and adjustable in these positions and in any position between these positions,

characerized by

- the drive means (9) comprising a rail or plate part (25) extending at least partly in the longitudinal direction of the drive means, said rail or plate part being positioned near a first outer side of the drive means (9), and an encapsulating part (30) for at least part of the drive means (9) being positioned with at least part of its surface near a second outer side of the drive means, and said rail or plate part (25) and said encapsulating part (30) being connected to each other in a heat-conducting connection.

2. Drive means according to claim lcharacerized by the drive means com- prising a longitudinal support structure and said rail or plate part (25) constituting a part thereof so that the rail or plate part essentially makes up said first outer side of the drive means (9).

3. Drive means according to claim lor2characerized by said encapsulating part (30) forming at least part of a housing for said power supply unit (21).

4. Drive means according to claim 3characerized by said power supply part (21) comprising one or more electrical batteries (37).

5. Drive means according to claim 3or4characerized by said encapsulating part (30) also forming an encapsulation for other elements of the drive means (9).

6. Drive means according to one or more of claims lto5characerized by said encapsulating part (30) being at least partially manufactured in a plate material.

7. Drive means according to one or more of claims ltoδcharacerized by said rail or plate part (25) and/or said encapsulating part (30) being manufactured in a material with good heat-conducting properties, e.g. metals such as aluminum or other light metals and/or light alloys.

8. Drive means according to one or more of claims lto7characerized by the said heat-conducting connection being established by means of a mechanical connection comprising e.g. riveted joints (33), screw connections, welding, soldering or similar connections, deformation connections and/or glue connections and potentially also the application of additional heat-conducting means such a heat- conducting paste etc.

9. Drive means according to one or more of claims ltoδcharacerized bya control circuit (94,98) for the drive means (9) being designed in such a manner that this is shifted into a power-saving mode when inactive, after which tests for receipt of potential control signals are carried out at certain predetermined intervals, and by the detection of such a received control signal resulting in said control circuit reactivating the drive means.

10. Screening device for screening of building openings, windows, doors or the like, said screening device comprising a screening material (10), which is rolled up, folded, gathered or the like in a first position when inactive and which is connected at its free end to a drive means (9) moveable in relation to said first position, c h a r a cerized by the drive means (9) being designed as specified in one or more of claims 1 to 9.

11. Screening device according to claim lOcharacerized by the screening device comprising a top box (8) positioned near said first position and by said drive means being moveable in a plane which is essentially parallel with a plate (4), glass or the like in said building, door, window or the like.

12. Screening device according to claim lOorllcharacerized by said sec- ond outer side of the drive means (9) facing said plate (4), glass or the like.

13. Screening device according to claim 10, llorl2characerized by said encapsulating part (30) being positioned near said plate, glass (4) or the like.

14. Screening device according to one or more of claims 10tol3characerized b y said first outer side of the drive means facing away from said plate, glass (4) or a similar element placed in said building opening, door, said window or the like.

15. Screening device according to one or more of claims 10 to 14characerized b y the drive means (9) being moveable in relation to said first position by means of guide rails (7,8) placed at the sides of said building opening, door, said window or the like, and by the drive means comprising drive means (23,24) for cooperation with said guide rails (7,8).

16. Method of manual operation of a drive means and in particular a drive means for a screening device for a building opening, a door, a window or similar elements c h a racerized by the drive means or at least part of it being manually moveable from a first state to a second state, after which the desired adjustment of the drive means may be carried out.

17. Method according to claim lOcharacerized by the drive means or at least said part of it in the first state being in a power-transmitting connection with one or more elements in relation to which the drive means is moveable by means of a drive mechanism and by said manual movement from the first state to the second state resulting in disruption of the power-transmitting connection.

18. Drive means comprising a drive mechanism comprising e.g. an electrical motor and a transmission mechanism, said drive means being moveable between a first position and a second position and adjustable in these positions and at any position in between these positions by means of said drive mechanism characerized by the drive means or at least part of it being manually moveable from a first state to a second state, and the drive means being manually moveable to a desired position of the drive means in said second state.

19. Drive means according to claim 18characerized by the drive means or at least said part of this in the first state being in a power-transmitting connection with one or more elements in relation to which the drive means is moveable by means of a drive mechanism, and by said manual adjustment from said first state to said second state resulting in disruption of the power-transmitting connection.

20. Drive means according to claim 18orl9characerized by said drive means comprising a device, preferably a spring device, which will seek to bring the drive means or at least said part of it back into the first state when in the second state.

21. Drive means according to one or more of claims 18 to 20 characerized b y the drive means comprising a longitudinal support structure with means (13,14) at its ends to cooperate with one or more elements (7,8) in relation to which said drive means is moveable by means of a drive mechanism, said means (13,14) for cooperation comprising means whereby the power-transmitting connection may be disrupted.

22. Drive means according to one or more of claims 18to21characerized b y the drive means cooperating with the guide rails (7,8) placed at the sides of said building opening, door, window or the like, and by the drive means comprising drive means (23,24) by means of which power can be transferred to the guide rails.

23. Drive means according to claim 22 characerized by the drive means comprising means that will engage with at least one of the guide rails when the drive means is affected in a direction essentially perpendicular to the movement of the drive means between said adjustable positions, whereby the power-transmitting connection is disrupted.

24. Screening device for screening of a building opening, a window, a door or the like, said screening device comprising a screening material (10) which is rolled up, folded, gathered or the like when inactive in a first position and which is connected at its free end to a drive means (9) moveable in relation to said first position c h a r a c e r i z e d b y the drive means (9) being designed in accordance with one or more of claims 18 to 23.

25. Mounting fitting for use during transportation or mounting of a drive means and/or a screening device according to one or more of claims 18 to 24, said mounting fitting (80) comprising means (82,83,84,85,86) for keeping a top box and a bottom bar relatively positioned, and by the mounting fitting (80) also comprising means (87) to ensure that the drive means is maintained in said second state in which a power-transmitting connection is disrupted.