The invention relates to a screening system comprising a beam and two parallel support rails, which beam is supported in its end portions by said parallel support rails, and which beam is arranged to be driven along said parallel support rails.

Background

Screening systems of different types are widely used in windows, doors or the like to block out sun light or to screen off a space. Such systems exist both in manually operated versions and in automatic or semi-automatic versions.

Most of the automated screening systems include a string system for moving sun shading parts. There are however drawbacks with such string systems. One major disadvantage is the risk of entanglement of the strings and another disadvantage is the strangling risk for small children involved with the strings. Further, systems including strings, such as Venetians blinds systems, are arranged to lie horizontally in a vertical space. Another drawback of most strings systems is that is only possible to adjust the lower part of the set of Venetian blinds .

Lately, screening systems that does not include strings have been produced. One such system is described in WO 2013/068773 Al . In this system battens are arranged in parallel rails. Preferably two battens are arranged to e.g. support the upper and lower part, respectively, of a set of Venetian blinds or similar shades. A friction block is arranged at each end of the battens so as to keep both ends of the batten fixed in the corresponding rail. The ends of each batten are individually adjustable such that the battens may be tilted with respect to the parallel rails. The system is thus advantageous in the flexibility of the adjustment possibilities of both the upper and lower batten. Further the system may be arranged with the battens in a vertical position where they be moved horizontally. This is not possible with string systems.

The flexibility of the system may however also be a problem. Since there is no indication that tells the operator when the battens are level, it is very probable that the battens will not be level. This problem is accentuated in a system where a plurality of systems are arranged next to each other, e.g. in adjacent windows. In such cases it is nearly impossible to adapt all systems at the same height and in line with each other. Further, with the systems arranged next to each other any differences in height and especially in inclination will be most apparent at a distance from the systems.

There is a need of a beam and rail system in which the above problems are addressed and in which the beam may be easily adapted with respect to the rails without risking of putting it in an unfunctional and/or anaesthetic position.

Summary of the invention

An object of the invention is to provide a beam and rail system in which the beam may be arranged to be driven along said rails in a safe and reliable manner, and without risking of putting it in an

unfunctional and/or anaesthetic position.

This object is achieved by the invention according to claim 1, which relates to a screening system comprising a beam and two parallel support rails each comprising a contact rim, which beam is supported in its end portions by said parallel support rails. The beam is a separate part that is arranged to be separated from the support rails and comprises two drive gears arranged in each end of the beam, each drive gear being arranged to interact with the contact rim along the respective support rail such that the beam may be driven along said parallel support rails, wherein said gears are interconnected with each other so as to not permit individual movement of said gears. With the arrangement according to the invention the beam will not risk to be tilted. Further, the beam according to the invention is well adapted to be used both in a manual or a motorised system with small efforts of adaptation. The fact that the beam is a separate part that is arranged to be separated from the support rails is advantageous since it makes it possible to have all the logic arranged inside the beam, wherein the rail is as simple as possible, only including a contact rim and optionally an opposed panel. The opposed panel may very well be a rim of a window or the like, such that only the contact rim needs to be added to the window construction to make it possible to arrange a beam at the window.

In a typical use of the invention an upper beam is arranged in a pair of rails to carry shades such as e.g. a set of Venetian blinds or the like, wherein a lower beam arranged in the same rails will function as a lower support for the shades . The system is mainly intended for windows and may be scaled to any existing window, such as ordinary windows of a width of about 60 cm, or larger glass construction with a height and width of several meters. The system may also be scaled down to small windows of the size of 10 cm. The weight of the beam is of course dependent of size and is preferably below 10 kg for a large system. The system may be arranged in any direction as long as the shades are adapted therefore. A shades system may be arranged between two window panes and may in such a case be controlled by means of screening system in accordance with the invention arranged outside the window panes and connected to the shades system by means of magnets.

In one embodiment of the invention each end of the beam may be controlled between an operation mode in which the gears are adapted to be in contact with the contact rim and a release mode in which the gears are adapted to be released from the contact rim and in which the beam may be released from inside the rail. In another embodiment of the invention the gears are interconnected by means of a rod passing from one end of the beam to the other inside a beam housing.

In yet another embodiment the gears and the contact rims include teeth that are arranged to interact with each other.

In one embodiment the beam includes a stop function that will keep the beam from moving, and wherein the stop function may be released such that the beam may be moved along the rails substantially without friction. The stop function may comprise a mechanical lock that may be moved between a blocking position in which it blocks at least one drive gear from rotation, and a non-blocking position in which it does not interfere with the drive gears, and wherein the beam may be moved along the rails substantially without friction in the non-blocking position. This system is advantageous as the power needed to move the beam will be substantially reduced with respect to a prior art system.

In another embodiment the beam includes a stop function that will keep the beam from moving, and wherein the stop function comprises a friction block of which the friction exceeds the weight of the beam and that needs to be overcome in order to move the beam along the rails .

In one embodiment at least one motor is arranged to drive the drive gears. The motor may also function as the stop function in that it has an inherit resistance that will keep the beam from moving when the motor is at rest.

In one embodiment the inherit resistance may be overridden by hand power, such that the beam may be moved along the rails by means of hand power whenever the motor is at rest.

In another embodiment separate motors are arranged to drive one drive gear each. The motor may be an electric motor wherein an electric power source may be arranged on the beam in order to drive the motor. In yet another embodiment of the invention the beam includes electrical contacts at its end portion and wherein the support rails include electric connectors that run along the support rails for supplying the beam with electric energy via said electrical contacts. The inventive system may include a plurality of beams which may be driven separately via said electrical contacts along said support rails .

The rails may have a U-shaped cross section with a base section and two mutually opposed and parallel panels, between which the beam is arranged to be housed, the contact rim being arranged along one of said parallel panels.

In one specific embodiment the beam includes a releasable fixation piece, which is arranged to be located between one panel of a rail and the beam in order to press the gear on the beam towards the contact rim, and wherein the fixation piece may be released in order to allow for the gears to be released from the contact rim and the beam to be released from inside the rail.

In another specific embodiment the beam includes a tilting mechanism by means of which the gears may be tilted out of contact with the contact rim such that the beam may be released from inside the rail.

In yet another specific embodiment the beam includes a spring mechanism by means adapted to press the gears of the beam towards the contact rim, and wherein the spring mechanism may be released in order to allow for the gears to be released from the contact rim and the beam to be released from inside the rail.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the figures and from the detailed description of the shown embodiment.

Short description of the drawings

In the following detailed description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, of which: Pig. 1 is a perspective view of a screening system according to a general embodiment of the invention.

Pig. 2 shows a screening system according to a first motorised embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 shows a screening system according to a first manual embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 shows a fixation piece of the first embodiment of the

invention;

Fig. 5 shows an end part of a beam according to the first embodiment, from above;

Fig. 6 shows the end part of the beam of fig. 5, from below;

Fig. 7 is a side view of a screening system according to a first embodiment of the invention in a fixed mode;

Fig. 8 is a side view of a screening system according to a first embodiment of the invention in a released mode;

Fig. 9 is a view from below of a screening system according to a first embodiment of the invention in a fixed mode;

Fig. 10 is a view from below of a screening system according to a first embodiment of the invention in a released mode;

Fig. 11 is a side view of a screening system according to a second embodiment of the invention in a fixed mode;

Fig. 12 is a side view of a screening system according to a second embodiment of the invention in a released mode;

Fig. 13 is a side view of a screening system according to a third embodiment of the invention in a fixed mode;

Fig. 14 is a side view of a screening system according to a third embodiment of the invention in a released mode; Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a screening system according to a fourth, electrified embodiment; and

Fig. 16 is a schematic view of a beam of screening system according to the fourth embodiment.

Detailed description of the shown embodiment of the invention

In fig. 1 a screening system according to a general embodiment of the invention is shown. The screening system includes a beam 10 and two parallel support rails 30. The beam 10 is arranged to be supported at its end portions by said parallel support rails 30. The beam 10 comprises a housing 11, which in the shown embodiment has a quadratic cross section. At the ends of the beam 10 two drive gears 12 are arranged, which extend outside the housing 11. See e.g. figures 2 and 3. Each drive gear 12 is arranged to interact with a contact rim 31 arranged inside the support rails 30 such that the beam may be driven along said parallel support rails 30. The drive gears 12 are

interconnected to each other so as to not permit individual movement of only one of the drive gears 12. This interconnection will make sure that the beam will remain orthogonal with respect to the support rails 30 at all times. One possible application of the screening system is to be located in a rectangular structure such as e.g. a window. The beam housing 11 houses functions of the beam 10 and has a sober and discrete appearance. For instance the housing 11 may have a

rectangular, quadratic, oval or circular cross section. In the shown embodiment the housing 11 has a close to quadratic cross section. The shown rails 30 have a G-shaped cross section. In practice the rails may preferably have a U-shaped cross section with a base section 34 and two mutually opposed and parallel panels 33, between which the beam is arranged to be housed, the contact rim 31 is arranged along one of said parallel panels 33. The G-shaped rails 30 in the shown embodiment are completed with a safety rim 32, which is parallel to the panels 33 and which is connected to one of the panels 33 via the connection rim 35. See also figure 9. The contact rim 31 is arranged inside, i.e. closer to the base section 34, with respect to the safety rim 32. In practice, the rail 30 may consist of one contact rim 31 only, i.e. with no parallel panels or base section. This is possible e.g. if the beam 10 is to be arranged between two window panes where the window panes will constitute the two mutually opposed and parallel panels 33 between which the ends of the beam will be supported. The rail 30 is preferably made in aluminium, but may also be made in any other metal or in a plastic material.

The beam 10 may either be a motorised beam or a manually driven beam that is adapted to be controlled by manpower. In figure 2 a motorised beam 10 is shown on location inside a support rail 30. In the figure the housing 11 is transparent so as to reveal the inside of the beam 10. In the shown embodiment the drive gear 12 is a toothed gear, which is arranged to interact with the contact rim 31 arranged inside or in connection to the support rail 30. In order to interact with the drive gear 12 the contact rim 31 of the shown embodiment is also toothed. The drive gear 12 is also in meshing contact with a secondary gear 13. See also figures 9 and 10. The secondary gear 13 is driven by a motor 18 via a gear box 24. Both the motor 18 and the gear box 24 are arranged in a support structure 15. See figures 7 and 8. The support structure 15 may form an integral part of the beam housing 11.

A rod 14 is arranged to connect the two drive gears 12, such that the rod 14 and the drive gears 12 forms a rack pinion. In the shown embodiment there is one secondary gear 13 that is connected to one drive gear 12 at one end part of the beam 10. The rod 14 makes sure that the interconnected drive gears 12 will be simultaneously driven. There may however also be two secondary gears 13 driven by two motors. In such a case the motors need to be synchronised.

A power source 19, e.g. in the form of batteries is arranged inside the beam 10. The power source 19 is arranged to feed the motor 18. If there are two motors it is of course possible to have a power source for each motor 18 or one shared power source. The power source is also arranged to feed a control unit 25, such as a circuit board. The control unit is connected to a rotation sensor 26 arranged to monitor the movement of the rod 14 and the drive gears 12, in order to position the beam 10 along the rails. An additional power source for the motor 18 of the beam 10 may also be arranged. An advantageous additional power source would be a solar cell driven by solar energy. This may be particularly advantageous when the beam 10 is arranged to control a sun shading system. Such systems may be automatic in the sense that they are controlled by the sun and triggered by the strength of the sun light. A light sensor could be arranged to monitor the strength of the sun light. For instance, when the sun light is stronger than a set threshold the control unit 25 will instruct the motor (s) 18 to drive the gears 12 so as to pull out the shades. At that point there will naturally be enough sun light to drive the motor (s) on solar energy. Such a system may also need a battery that will be charged by the solar energy, such that when the strength of the sun light reaches below a threshold there will be energy stored in the battery such that the sun shade may be retracted. Also, a contact interface may be arranged along the rail so as to continuously provide the system with electricity. In another embodiment a contact point may be arranged in one point of the rails, at which contact point the batteries 19 of the beam 10 may be charged. Such a contact is preferably arranged at one end, e.g. the bottom of one of the rails. The system includes a stop function such that the beam will remain unaffected by gravity or other moderate forces acting on the beam. This stop function may be a natural part of the motor (s) 18, such that the inherent resistance of the motors will make sure that the beam will not move unintentionally. However, any other type of stop function, such as a solenoid controlled mechanical lock may be used.

An apparent advantage of the motorised system, apart from the fact that it provides an automated system is that it makes it possible to locate the system where it serves its purpose best, e.g. on the outside of a window to minimise heat inflow, inside a window or between window panes. The motorised system may be remote controlled by means of a telephone app, a remote control or any other available control system.

The system may however include an override system such that the beam may be moved without the use of the motor. The override system is of course dependent on the type of stop function that is used. If the stop function consists of a solenoid controlled mechanical lock then the override system would include a means for moving the solenoid, manually or electrically, into a non-blocking position. If, as in the shown embodiment, the stop function is created by the inherent resistance of the motors this may be overridden by the use of plain hand power, such that the beam may be moved up or down against the resistance of the motor. It is to be noted that the interconnection between the gears 12 will still be active such that the both sides of the beam 10 will move at the same rate up and down the rails, even when controlled of hand power.

It may not be desired to override the motors. As an alternative the beam may be provided with sensors that are adapted to detect a pressure on the beam, e.g. from the hand of a user. In such a system the pressure sensor may signal the presence of pressure to a micro controller that governs the motor to move in the direction of the pressure, for as long as the pressure is upheld or until a pressure is detected in the opposite direction.

In figure 3 a manual system is shown. The mid part of the housing 11 is removed so as to reveal the rod 14 inside the housing. The manual system does not include a motor. Instead the system includes a stop function that will keep the beam from moving. The stop function may be released by hand such that the beam 10 may be moved along the rails 30. The stop function may comprise a friction lock that is overridden by manpower, i.e. by the provision of a force that exceeds the friction force. The friction force needs to be sufficient to keep the beams from falling of their own weight. There are a number of known friction locks available to a person skilled in the art, why no specific system is illustrated in the figures, and the invention is not limited any particular system.

Also, the stop function may be comprised of a mechanical stop arranged to block the drive gears 12 from moving. The mechanical stop may consist of a block pin that may be moved between a blocking position and a non-blocking position. In the blocking position the block pin will be in contact with a drive gear 12 so as to block it from rotation. Preferably, a mechanical stop is arranged at each drive gear 12.

The beam comprises two end parts 17, one at each end of the beam 10. A fixation piece 16 is arranged to each end part 17 in order to keep the drive gear 12 pressed against the contact rim 31, see figure 9.

The fixation piece 16 is shown in a perspective view in figure 4. It comprises a first support flange 16a, which is arranged to laterally support the beam 10 and a second support flange 16b, which is arranged to axially support the beam 10. One fixation piece 16 is arranged at each side of the beam 10. The fixation pieces 16 will keep the beam 10 from moving axially and laterally, and make sure that the gears 12 are in close contact with the contact rims 31. Hence, the only allowed movement for the beam 10 is upwards and downwards along the rails. Further, due to the interconnection between the drive gears 12, the beam 10 may only be moved orthogonally along the rails 30.

In figure 5 a fixation piece 16 is shown at location on an end part 17. The fixation piece includes a recess 27 adapted to receive a peg 28 arranged on the upper and lower side of the end part 17 of the beam 10. The peg 28 is in the shown embodiment arranged closer to one side of the end part 17 than the other. Further, the recess 27 of the fixation piece 16 is oblong such that it may be arranged on either side of the end part 17 and still receive the peg 28. This increases the flexibility of the beam system such that the beam may be arranged upside down and with either end of the beam in either rail.

The fixation of a beam end inside a rail 30 is further shown in figures 7-10. As is visible in figures 9-10 a safety rim 32 may be arranged to run adjacent the contact rim 31. The safety rim 32 will prevent the drive gear from moving out of the rail 30. Normally, the safety rim will not be needed since the interconnection between the drive gears 12 will prevent the beam from tilting and as long as the beam will be orthogonal with respect to the rails 30 it will not risk falling out of either of the rails 30. However, the end part 17 and fixation piece may very well be arranged with a gap with respect to the base section 34 of the rails 30, in which case the safety rim 32 may serve a purpose to keep the beam from falling out of the rail 30.

Whenever the beam 10 is to be released from the rails the fixation piece 16 will be pulled upwards with respect to the end portions 11 of the beam 10 as is shown in figure 8. With the fixation piece 16 removed, as is shown in figure 10, the beam 10 may be moved such that the drive gear reaches out of contact with the contact rim 31 and past the edge of the safety rim 32 such that it may be pulled out of the rail 30. The removal of the fixation piece 16 creates a gap between the end portion 11 and the base section 34 of the rail 30. This gap is big enough to allow for the beam 10 to be diagonally tilted such that it may be removed from inside the rails 30. Namely, normally the rails 30 are arranged opposite each other, each comprising an end wall, such that they may not be moved along the axial length of the beam 10.

Hence, when the fixation pieces 16 are removed at both ends the beam 10 may be tilted such that it may be removed from the rails 30.

In figures 11 and 12 a second embodiment of the inventive beam 10 is shown. As in the first embodiment the beam 10 of the second embodiment includes two drive gears 12 that are arranged to interact with a contact rim 31 inside the rail 30. As in the first embodiment the drive gears 12 may be interconnected by means of a rod 14. Unlike the gears of the first embodiment the drive gears 12 of this second embodiment are not toothed. Instead they are provided a smooth surface with a relatively high friction coefficient such that they will not slide with respect to the contact rim 31. They may however just as well be toothed gears interacting with a toothed contact rim 31.

A tilting arrangement is provided and includes a tilt handle 20 that is manoeuvrable between two positions. In figure 11 the tilt handle 20 is located in a first position, in which the tilting arrangement is tilted such that the drive gears 12 are in contact with the contact rim 31. In figure 12 the tilt handle is located in a second position, in which the tilting arrangement is tilted such that the drive gears 12 are not in contact with the contact rim 31, and such the beam 10 may be removed from inside the rails 30. The rails 30 may be identical to the rails of the first embodiment, i.e. including a contact rim 31 inside a safety rim 32.

The tilting arrangement is arranged to tilt about the motor axle. The motor (s) 18 are arranged to drive a secondary gear 13, which is in contact with a drive gear 12, which in turn is interconnected to the drive gear at the opposite side via a rod 14. The motor (s) 18 are arranged in a support structure 15, whereby the tilting arrangement may be arranged to be tilted around the secondary gear 12. Further though, a locking mechanism (not shown) may be arranged to lock the tilting arrangement, at least in the first position in which the drive gears 12 are in contact with the contact rim 31. Apart from the differences apparent from figures 11 and 12 the beam according to the second embodiment may be include the same features as the beam according to the first embodiment, manual or motorised.

In figures 13-14 a third embodiment of the beam 10 is shown. This embodiment includes a spring loaded structure 21 which forces the drive gears 12 into contact with the contact rim 31 by means of at least one spring 22. In the shown embodiment two springs 22 are arranged. Tracks or guides 23 are arranged inside the beam housing 11 to guide the spring loaded structure 21 between a contact position and a non-contact position.

In figure 9 the spring loaded structure 21 is shown in the contact position and figure 10 the spring loaded structure 21 is shown in the non-contact position. Apart from the differences apparent from figures 9 and 10 the beam according to the second embodiment may be include the same features as the beam according to the first embodiment.

In figure 15 a screening system according to a fourth embodiment is shown. The screening system according to the fourth embodiment differs from the other embodiments in that the rails 30 and the beams 10 are especially adapted to a motorized solution with connectors 51-53 arranged inside one of the support rails 30. In one embodiment connectors may be arranged inside both of the support rails 30, e.g. for providing one beam 10 each with electric power. In another embodiment electric power is provided in one support rail 30 and a ground connection is provided in the other support rail 30.

In the shown embodiment a first and a second connector 51 and 52, respectively are provided in one of the support rails 30, and a ground connector 53 is provided between these connectors 51 and 52. The connectors are arranged to run along the total runnable length of the support rail 30, such that the beams will be energized no matter where along the support rails they are located.

As indicated in figure 16 the beam 10 includes electrical contacts 41- 43 at its end portion. A system may include a plurality of beams 10, preferably two beams, which may be driven separately via said electrical contacts 41-43 along said support rails 30. The individual driving of the plurality of may be achieved in that each beam is allocated a specific connector along one of the rails, such that an applied voltage to a specific connector will only affect and drive the beam with the electrical contact allocated to that specific connector. In the embodiment shown in figure 16 the individual provision of electric power is however solved in another manner. Each beam

comprises a first and a second electric contact 41 and 42,

respectively. Further, the beam includes a ground contact 43. The connectors 51 and 52 of the rail are provided with a continuous voltage of e.g. 6 volts. A H-bridge 44 is arranged inside the beam in order to control the electric output to the motor 18. Typically, the motor 18 is driven in one direction with a positive voltage, such as +6 volts, and in in the opposite direction with a negative voltage, such as -6 volts. The H-bridge 44 is controlled by a micro controller 45. The H-bridge 44 and the micro controller 45 are individually fed from the electrical contacts 41-43 with 6 volts. The micro controller 45 is programmable such that the beam may be controlled in a

predefined manner. For instance it may be controlled by the light. A light sensor 46 may be arranged on the outside of the beam 10. Inside the beam 10 a light sensor output unit 47, which is in contact with the light sensor 46, is arranged to deliver signals to the micro controller 45. The micro controller 45 is programmed to govern the motor 18 according to inputs from the light sensor and from a communication unit 48. The communication is wirelessly connected, e.g. via wifi, Bluetooth or the like, to a distant communication device such as a controller or a remote control.

For instance, the micro controller 45 may be programmed to

automatically lower a beam in a first light condition, and to raise the same beam in a different light condition. Typically, the micro controller may be programmed to screen off a window when the light is stronger than a certain threshold. The communication may however receive orders that overrides said programmed movement such that shades may be up when the weather is bright, or down when it is dark by a command from the distant communication device.

Optionally, the beam does not comprise a light sensor. Instead other parameters may control the movement of the beam or a centralised light sensor may be arranged at a remote location to govern the movement of a plurality of beams arranged in a plurality of windows or the like.

An angle encoder 40 is arranged to monitor the movement of the drive gear 12 and to communicate rotational movement to the micro controller 45 in order to continuously monitor the position of the beam 10.

Thereby the system will always know the current position of the beam 10. The position of a beam may also be signalled to the distant communication device, which may also be provided with a display for monitoring said position to an operator.

Above, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. The invention is however not limited to these

embodiments. It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention comprises further embodiments within its scope of

protection, which is defined by the following claims.