Rail for an architectural covering
AssigneeHunter Douglas Industries BV
InventorsNicolaas Dekker, Ralph Steenbergen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rail, such as a head rail, for an architectural covering. The rail includes a housing having elongate walls extending along a length of the housing and defining therebetween a width of the housing. A drive shaft is rotatable about a drive axis extending along the length of the housing and is configured to wind and unwind lift cords of the architectural covering. A spring assist module, e.g. a spring motor has an output shaft rotatable about an output axis with rotation of the drive shaft. The spring motor is mounted in the housing with the output axis parallel to the drive axis, but offset from the drive axis with respect to the width of the housing and the output shaft is connected directly to the drive shaft for rotation therewith.
Claims34
A rail for an architectural covering, said rail comprising:
- a housing having front and rear walls extending in a lengthwise direction along a length of said housing, said front and rear walls spaced apart in a widthwise direction and defining therebetween a width of said housing;
- a drive shaft rotatable about a drive axis extending in the lengthwise direction of said housing;
- a spring assist module having an output shaft rotatable about an output axis, said spring assist module mounted in said housing with said output axis parallel to said drive axis but offset from said drive axis in the widthwise direction of said housing;
- and
- a coupling member coupled between said output shaft to said drive shaft, said coupling member including a first end, an opposed second end, and a middle portion extending between said first and second ends, said first end of said coupling member coupled to said output shaft for rotation therewith about said output axis, said second end of said coupling member coupled to said drive shaft for rotation therewith about said drive axis;
- wherein said first end of said coupling member is axially moveable relative to said output shaft along said output axis and said second end of said coupling member is axially moveable relative to said drive shaft along said drive axis when torque is being transmitted through said coupling member.
A rail for an architectural covering, comprising:
- a housing having opposing front and rear walls extending in a lengthwise direction along a length of said housing, said front and rear walls spaced apart in a widthwise direction and defining therebetween a width of said housing;
- a drive shaft rotatable about a drive axis extending in the lengthwise direction of said housing;
- and
- a spring assist module having a casing and an output shaft rotatable about an output axis, said output shaft coupled to said drive shaft for rotation therewith, said spring assist module including a spring assist motor having a spring tape unwindable from a storage axis parallel with said output axis of said spring assist module and configured to wind resiliently around said output shaft with rotation of said output shaft;
- wherein:
- said spring tape has an output end connected to said output shaft and a storage end which is not connected to any shaft and winds freely around said storage axis;
- said casing of said spring assist module includes an outer wall defining an exterior of said spring assist module, said outer wall including a curved inner surface along an interior of said spring assist module which guides said spring tape when winding around said storage axis;
- and
- said outer wall of said casing is configured to extend at least partially outside of said housing when said spring assist module is installed relative to said housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.