[0001] The present invention relates to a linear motor type curtain opening and closing
device, particularly to a linear motor type curtain opening and closing device of
a ring runner type.
[0002] A linear motor is currently used at a curtain rail to electrically open and close
a curtain in residence, an office building, a hotel and the like. An explanation will
be given of the structure of a linear motor in reference to Fig. 6.
[0003] Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing constituent parts of a linear motor. The linear
motor is constituted by stators 40A and 40B incorporated in an outer rail 220, a movable
element 50 incorporated in the outer rail 220 abrasively in the longitudinal direction,
a strip-like cable 30 accommodated at an upper wall of the outer rail 220. The section
of the outer rail 220 is formed substantially in an inversed-U shape. The stators
40A and 40B each comprising a permanent magnet 42 and a yoke 44 along the longitudinal
direction are incorporated in the outer rail 220. Further, the movable element 50
is provided with three armatures 52A, 52B and 52C in a substantially cylindrical shape
and is abrasively mounted in the outer rail 220.
[0004] A forefront runner 74 is connected to the lower end of the movable element 50 via
a metal piece, not illustrated. The lower end of the forefront runner 74 is projected
downwardly from an opening 220h of the outer rail 220. Wheels 74a attached to the
forefront runner 74 are constituted to roll over horizontal pieces 220g formed at
the lower end of the outer rail 220. Runners 76 for hanging a curtain, not illustrated,
are arranged at the inside of the outer rail 220 along with the forefront runner 74.
[0005] According to the linear motor type curtain rail, the rail (outer rail 220) is uncovered
and curtain hook hanging portions of the runners 74 and 76 are exposed from the opening
220h at the lower side of the rail. According to the curtain rail, it is devised that
the outer rail 220 is not seen by attaching the upper end of the curtain, not illustrated,
at a position higher than the upper end of the outer rail 220.
[0006] Currently, ring-like runners referred to as ring runners are arranged to the outer
periphery of a rail in a manual type curtain rail and the ring runners are positively
shown along with the curtain rail whereby an accent is constituted in view of design.
[0007] Here, when the curtain runners of the so-called ring runner type are driven by a
rotating motor, it is anticipated that a large rotating motor needs to be arranged
at the side portion of the rail, arrangement of a wire for tracting the ring runners
at the inside of the rail becomes complicated and the curtain may not be manually
opened or closed.
[0008] Meanwhile, when the curtain runners of the ring runner type are driven by the linear
motor shown by Fig. 6, it is conceived as illustrated by Fig. 7 that a ring runner
80 connected to the movable element 50 is inclined at the start of running and is
twisted in respect of the outer rail 220 whereby the ring runner 80 cannot be driven
smoothly.
[0009] The linear motor of the present invention is achieved in order to solve the above-described
problem and it is an object of the present invention to provide a linear motor type
curtain opening and closing device capable of smoothly running ring runners.
[0010] In order to achieve the above-described object, a linear motor type curtain opening
and closing device of the present invention comprises:
a rail main body incorporating stators;
a movable element running in the rail main body; and
a plurality of ring-like runners fitted movably to an outer periphery of the rail
main body along the rail main body capable of hanging a curtain, characterized in
that
a forefront ring-runner among the plurality of ring-like runners is fixed to the movable
element.
[0011] According to the linear motor type curtain opening and closing device of the present
invention, the forefront ring-like runners is fixed to the movable element and accordingly,
in running the movable element, the forefront ring-like runner moving along with the
movable element is not inclined and is not twisted in respect of the rail main body.
[0012] Fig. 1(A) is a sectional view of a linear motor according to a first embodiment and
Fig. 1(B) is a side view of the linear motor.
[0013] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of constituent parts of the linear motor shown by Fig.
1.
[0014] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing attachment of a ring runner to a movable element.
[0015] Figs. 4(A) and 4(B) are side views showing opening and closing operation of a curtain
by a linear motor according to the first embodiment where Fig. 4(A) shows a state
before opening and closing a curtain and Fig. 4(B) shows a state of opening and closing
the curtain.
[0016] Fig. 5(A) is a sectional view of a linear motor according to a second embodiment
and Fig. 5 (B) is a side view of the linear motor.
[0017] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of constituent parts of a linear motor according to
a conventional technology.
[0018] Fig. 7 is a side view showing opening and closing operation of a curtain by the linear
motor of the conventional technology.
[0019] An explanation will be given of embodiments implementing the present invention in
reference to the drawings as follows.
[0020] Fig. 1(A) is a sectional view of a linear motor 10 constituting a linear motor type
curtain opening and closing device according to a first embodiment and Fig. 1(B) is
a side view thereof. Further, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing constituent parts
of the linear motor 10. According to the linear motor 10, a ring runner 80 is fixed
to a movable element 50 running in the linear motor 10.
[0021] An explanation will firstly be given to the constitution of the linear motor according
to the first embodiment. As shown by Fig. 1(A), the linear motor is constituted by
stators 40A and 40B incorporated in an outer rail 20 and the movable element 50 incorporated
in the outer rail 20 abrasively in the longitudinal direction. The outer rail 20 is
formed in a cylindrical shape and a pair of magnet fitting grooves 20e each having
a section in a channel-like shape are provided at intermediate portions in the up
and down direction of the outer rail 20.
[0022] The stators 40A and 40B each comprising a permanent magnet 42 and a yoke 44 are incorporated
in the respective magnet fitting grooves 20e in the longitudinal direction. The permanent
magnet 42 on the side of the stator 40A is formed with a plurality of magnetized portions
42A, 42B, 42C,... (refer to Fig. 2) in the longitudinal direction and the respective
magnetized portions 42A, 42B, 42C,... are magnetized in the thickness direction of
the permanent magnet 42. In this case, magnetizing polarities of the respective magnetized
portions which are mutually contiguous to each other in the respective magnetized
portions 42A, 42B, 42C,..., are mutually reversed.
[0023] Meanwhile, the permanent magnet 42 on the side of the stator 40B is similarly magnetized
in the thickness direction and magnetizing polarities of contiguous respective magnetized
portions are mutually reversed. Also, respective two opposed magnetic poles of the
magnetized portions of the permanent magnets 42 on the side of the stator 40A and
on the side of the stator 40B which are opposed to each other, are provided with reverse
polarities.
[0024] A cable fitting groove 20C for incorporating a strip-like cable 30 is formed at the
upper portion of the outer rail 20 as illustrated by Fig. 1(A). The cable 30 is provided
with a flexible insulating film and two electrode patterns 30A and 30B are formed
in a pattern shape interposing a narrow gap 30C in a broken line along the longitudinal
direction as shown by Fig. 2. The electrode patterns 30A and 30B each is formed by
a copper foil of the illustrated shape and is constituted to repeat at a predetermined
pitch to correspond to the couple of permanent magnets 42.
[0025] As shown by Fig. 2, a movable element 50 is provided with a head wall 56 having an
elongated plate shape and the head wall 56 is mounted abrasively on respective upper
walls 20j of the two left and right magnet fitting grooves 20e in the longitudinal
direction as shown by Fig.1(A).
[0026] As shown by Fig. 2, the movable element 50 is provided with a body 58 having a rectangular
parallelepiped shape and the body 58 is hung from the central portion in the left
and right direction of the head wall 56 and between respective two opposed ends of
the two left and right magnet fitting grooves 20e movably in the longitudinal direction
(refer to Fig. 1(A)). As shown by Fig. 2, the body 58 is provided with three armatures
52A, 52B and 52C each having a substantially cylindrical shape. As shown by Fig. 1
(A), each of the armatures 52A, 52B and 52C is provided with a core 59 made of iron
and the axial direction of the core 59 is in parallel to the magnetizing direction
of the respective magnetized portions of the permanent magnets 42 of the stators 40A
and 40B (that is, orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the two permanent magnets
42). A coil 57 is wound around the outer periphery of the core 59 and pole magnetisms
of the both ends of the core 59 are determined in accordance with the polarity of
a direct current voltage applied on brushes 54 connected to the coil 57.
[0027] Further, the pair of brushes 54 are respectively projected from portions of the upper
face of the head wall 56 corresponding to the respective armatures 52A, 52B and 52C
and front ends thereof are brought into contact with either of the two electrode patterns
30A and 30B of the cable 30 as shown by Fig. 2.
[0028] Fig. 3 is a view magnifying a lower end portion of a ring runner 80. A ring runner
80 is integrally formed by a synthetic resin and is constituted by an attaching portion
80B horizontally extended to be able to fix to the movable element 50, a ring portion
80C surrounding the outer periphery of the outer rail 20 as shown by Fig. 1(A), a
connecting portion 80D for connecting the attaching portion 80B and the ring portion
80C, and a hanging portion 80A for hanging a curtain arranged at the lower end of
the ring portion 80C. The connecting portion 80D is extended downwardly from an opening
groove 20h formed at the lower end of the outer rail 20 to support the ring portion
80C as shown by Fig. 1(A).
[0029] As illustrated by Fig. 3, screw holes 50a, 50b and 50c are perforated at the lower
end of the movable element 50. Meanwhile, screw holes 80a, not illustrated, 80b and
80c are perforated also at the attaching portion 80B of the ring runner 80. The ring
runner 80 is fixed to the movable element 50 by fastening screws 84 to the screw holes
50a, 50b and 50c and the screw holes 80a, 80b and 80c.
[0030] Next, an explanation will be given of opening and closing operation of a curtain
by the linear motor of the first embodiment in reference to Fig. 4 (A) and Fig. 4(B).
The forefront ring runner 80 at the left end in Fig. 4(A) is fixed to the movable
element 50 as explained above in reference to Figs. 1(A), 1(B), 2 and 3 and other
ring runners 82A, 82B and 82C are fitted abrasively to the outer rail 20. Also, a
curtain 90 hangs down from the ring runners 80, 82A, 82B and 82C via curtain hooks.
[0031] When an opening and closing switch, not illustrated, of the curtain is operated and
electricity is supplied to the cable 30 shown by Fig. 2, current is made to flow to
the respective armatures 52A, 52B and 52C of the movable element 50 via the brushes
54 and magnetic fluxes are generated. A thrust in the right direction of Fig. 4 (A)
is generated in the movable element 50 by the mutual action of the magnetic fluxes
of the respective armatures 52A, 52B and 52C and the permanent magnets 42 whereby
running in the right direction is started. The forefront ring runner 80 is moved in
the right direction along with the running of the movable element 50 and presses the
ring runner 82A, 82B and 82C arranged on the right side by being brought in contact
therewith as shown by Fig. 4(B) by which the ring runners 82A, 82B and 82C are moved
horizontally in the right direction on the outer rail 20 whereby the curtain 90 is
opened.
[0032] According to the linear motor of the first embodiment, different from the linear
motor of the conventional technology described above in reference to Fig. 7, the ring
runner 80 is fixed to the movable element and therefore, the ring runner 80 is not
inclined and is not twisted in respect of the outer rail. Therefore, the curtain 90
can be opened and closed by abrasively moving the ring runner 80 smoothly on the outer
rail 20.
[0033] An explanation will be given successively of a second embodiment of the present invention
in reference Fig. 5.
[0034] Fig. 5(A) shows a sectional view of a linear motor 110 constituting a linear motor
type curtain opening and closing device according to the second embodiment and Fig.
5(B) shows a side view thereof. Although in the above-described first embodiment,
the outer rail 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape, according to the second embodiment,
an outer rail 120 is formed in a shape of a square prism. Incidentally, with regard
to the second embodiment, the same reference notations are used in respect of members
similar to those in the first embodiment and an explanation thereof will be omitted.
[0035] A ring runner 180 is integrally formed by a synthetic resin and is constituted by
an attaching portion 180B horizontally extended to be able to fix to the movable element
50, a rectangular ring portion 180C surrounding the outer periphery of the outer rail
20, a connecting portion 180D for connecting the attaching portion 180B and the ring
portion 180C and a hanging portion 180A for hanging a curtain arranged at the lower
end of the ring portion 180C. The connecting portion 180D is extended downwardly from
an opening groove 120h formed at the lower end of the outer rail 120 to support the
ring portion 180C. Similar to the first embodiment explained above in reference to
Fig. 3, the ring runner 180 is fixed to the movable element 50 by fastening screws
to screw holes, not illustrated, of the movable element 50 and screw holes, not illustrated,
formed at the attaching portion 180B of the ring runner 180.
[0036] Also in the linear motor of the second embodiment, the ring runner 180 is fixed to
the movable element 50 and therefore, the ring runner 180 is not inclined and is not
twisted in respect of the outer rail 120 in opening and closing the curtain. Therefore,
the ring runner 180 is abrasively moved smoothly on the outer rail 120 whereby a curtain
can be opened and closed.
[0037] Incidentally, although in the first embodiment, the example of using the cylindrical
outer rail 20 and the ring-like ring runner 80 has been described and according to
the second embodiment, the example of using the outer rail 120 having a square prism
shape and the ring runner 180 having a square shape has been described, it is possible
in the present invention to use outer rails having various shapes of a triangular
shape, a pentagonal shape, a hexagonal shape and the like and ring runners having
various shapes surrounding outer peripheries of the outer rails. Also, although the
magnet movable type linear motor is exemplified in the first and the second embodiments,
the present invention is naturally applicable to a linear motor of a coil movable
type.
[0038] As described above, according to the linear motor type curtain opening and closing
devices of the present invention, the ring runner is fixed to the movable element
and therefore, the ring runner is not twisted in respect of the outer rail 20 whereby
the curtain can be opened and closed smoothly.