Motor-driven roller blind

• US 5,540,269 A
• Filed: 04/01/1994
• Issued: 07/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aliade
• Original Assignee: Plumer (Societe Anonyme)
• Inventors: Plumer, Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Blair M.
• Application Number:
  US08/221,794
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 160/1, 160/2, 160/3, 160/188, 160/310, 160/133, 49/26, 49/28, 318/467
• US Class Current: 160/3
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6836 sensing obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6845 sensing position
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/84 against dropping
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/88 for limiting unrolling

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor-driven roller blind comprising, on the one hand, an apron rolling up onto and unrolling from a winding shaft inside which is accommodated a tubular-type driving gear-motor and, on the other hand, means providing an electrical signal representative of the movement of the apron and an electrical-signal processing unit capable of acting on the running of the driving gear-motor, viz. to control the stopping of same in the event an obstacle is present. As a matter of fact, said means providing an electrical signal representative of the movement of the apron are comprised of at least one inductive sensor extending at least partly along the path followed by the apron, this inductive sensor being capable of creating an electromotive force under the action of the passing of a permanent magnet associated with the lower portion of the apron, which electromotive force is detected by the processing unit.

Claims

1. A motor-driven roller blind comprising:

an apron formed by a juxtaposition of slats at least hingedly joined to each other and including ends moving in side slides;

a winding shaft around which said apron rolls up and unrolls from;

a tubular-type driving gear-motor accommodated inside said winding shaft;

means for providing an electrical signal representative of the movement of said apron;

an electrical-signal processing unit capable of stopping the running of said driving gear-motor in the event that an obstacle is present, wherein said means for providing an electrical signal comprises at least one inductive sensor extending at least partly along a path followed by said apron, and wherein said apron includes a lower portion provided with a permanent magnet capable of creating an electromotive force when passing said inductive sensor.

2. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit controls the stopping of the running of said driving gear-motor as soon as said processing unit detects the passing of a current through said driving gear-motor and the absence of voltage at terminals of said inductive sensor.

3. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit controls the stopping of the running of said driving gear-motor upon detecting a reversal of the electromotive force, during the unrolling of said apron, and thus a reversal of the voltage at the terminals of said inductive sensor which is not due to a voluntary control of reversal of the motion of said apron by a user.

4. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, wherein said inductive sensor comprises an inductance coil having terminals connected to said processing unit, and said inductance coil is wound onto a magnetic support.

5. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 4, wherein said magnetic support comprises a cross-section small enough to allow said inductive sensor to be positioned inside one of said side slides while still permitting movement of said ends of said slats along said side slides.

6. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, wherein said inductive sensor is installed near a bottom end of said side slats.

7. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, wherein said permanent magnet comprises anisotropic ferrite, and said permanent magnet is installed inside and at an end of one of said slats at a lower portion of said apron, in front of said inductive sensor.

8. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, wherein said inductive sensor comprises an inductance coil including a lower portion having a larger number of windings for amplification of an electrical signal to control the arrival of said apron at the lower travel end.

9. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, wherein said means for providing an electrical signal controls the stopping of the driving of said gear-motor when said apron arrives at a lower travel end.

10. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, wherein said inductive sensor has a length determined so that when said apron is at an upper travel end, said inductive sensor no longer senses said permanent magnet, leading to an absence of electromotive force detected by said processing unit and stopping of the running of said driving gear-motor.

11. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, comprising flexible leaf type switches actuated by the passing of said permanent magnet in order to control, directly or through the processing unit, the stopping of the running of said driving gear-motor when said apron arrives at the lower travel end and at the upper travel end.

12. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 4, wherein said magnetic support comprises a hollow metal tube.

13. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 7, wherein said permanent magnet is installed inside the bottom most of said slats.

14. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 7, wherein said permanent magnet is installed inside the second to the bottom most of said slats.

15. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, wherein said means for providing an electrical signal controls the stopping of the driving of said gear-motor when said apron arrives at an upper travel end.

16. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, wherein said inductive sensor has a length determined so that when said apron is at a lower travel end, said inductive sensor no longer senses said permanent magnet, leading to an absence of electromotive force detected by said processing unit and stopping of the running of said driving gear-motor.

17. A motor-driven roller blind according to claim 1, comprising inductive sensors actuated by the passing of said permanent magnet in order to control, directly or through the processing unit, the stopping of the running of said driving gear-motor when said apron arrives at the lower travel end and at the upper travel end.