HEADRAIL ASSEMBLY AND ARCHITECTURAL COVERING

Abstract

 A headrail assembly for an architectural covering is provided, the headrail assembly comprising a headrail extending longitudinally in a first direction, and having a sidewall extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a bottom wall extending in a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions; a wand connector configured to connect to a tilt wand; and a tilting mechanism disposed within the headrail, the tilting mechanism comprising a first intermediate gear mounted on the wand connector and configured to rotate about a first axis; a second intermediate gear meshing with the first intermediate gear and configured to rotate about a second axis; a worm gear configured to rotate coaxially with the second intermediate gear; and a tilt shaft gear meshing with the worm gear, and connected to a tilt shaft configured to control tilting of the architectural covering; wherein the first and second axes are parallel to each other and inclined relative to the second direction.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a headrail assembly for an architectural covering, and an architectural covering including such a headrail assembly.

[0002] An architectural covering, such as a venetian blind, typically comprises a headrail, and a plurality of vanes (or slats) which can be tilted independently of the raising and lowering of the blind. When the covering is installed, the headrail is typically disposed above the slats, and components disposed within the headrail which can control the movement (i.e. the raising, lowering, and tilting of the blind). The headrail itself and the components disposed within the headrail can be considered to be a "headrail assembly".

[0003] In some known arrangements, the tilting of the blind is controlled by a tilt wand, which is typically an elongate rod disposed outside of the headrail. The tilt wand can be manipulated (e.g. rotated about its longitudinal axis) by a user. The tilt wand is coupled to a wand connector, which in turn actuates a mechanism inside the headrail which can control tilting of the vanes or slats. Thus, the tilt wand is connected to the mechanism inside the headrail via the wand connector. Various arrangements for controlling the tilting of the vanes or slats are known. In some known arrangements, movement of the tilt wand is converted to rotation of a tilt gear, which is in turn connected to, or provided on, a tilt shaft. The tilt shaft is attached to tilt cords or tilt ladder tapes, which are attached to tilt spools. The cords or tapes pass through the headrail, and are connected to the vanes, which are thus tilted by movement of the tilt cords.

[0004] However, the need to connect the tilt gear to the tilt wand may result in a mechanism which takes up more space than desired. Further, in some known arrangements, the positioning of the wand connector and/or the tilt wand relative to the headrail (and in particular the angle at which the wand connector exits the headrail) may mean that either or both of the wand connector and the tilt wand may come into contact with the vanes, as illustrated below. This may interfere with both the operation of the vanes and the tilt wand.

[0005] It is thus desirable to provide an improved headrail assembly for architectural coverings which may at least partially address the problems above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] According to the present invention, there is provided a headrail assembly for an architectural covering, the headrail assembly comprising a headrail extending longitudinally in a first direction, and having a sidewall extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a bottom wall extending in a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions, a wand connector configured to connect to a tilt wand, and a tilting mechanism disposed within the headrail, the tilting mechanism comprising a first intermediate gear mounted on the wand connector and configured to rotate about a first axis, a second intermediate gear meshing with the first intermediate gear and configured to rotate about a second axis, a worm gear configured to rotate coaxially with the second intermediate gear, and a tilt shaft gear meshing with the worm gear, and connected to a tilt shaft configured to control tilting of the architectural covering, wherein the first and second axes are parallel to each other and inclined relative to the second direction.

[0007] Such an arrangement may provide a more compact tilting mechanism. Such an arrangement may also allow the headrail to be used with large vanes, without the wand connector or tilt wand interfering with the slats (and without the slats interfering with the operation of the wand connector or wand). This is because the angle between the first axis (i.e. the longitudinal axis of the wand connector) and the vertical can be larger compared to known arrangements, which may allow the wand connector and the tilt wand to clear (i.e. extend beyond without touching) the edges of the vanes where it exits the headrail, thus avoiding contact between the wand connector and the vanes. In turn, the positioning of the wand connector in this way may also prevent the tilt wand (which typically hangs vertically down from the wand connector) from contacting the vanes.

[0008] Optionally, the first and second axes are coplanar in a plane which is orthogonal to the first direction (i.e. extends parallel to the second and third directions). This may result in a more compact tilting mechanism, which may allow additional components to be positioned within the headrail, or more flexibility in the positioning of the tilting mechanism within the headrail.

[0009] Optionally, the angle of inclination relative to the second direction is 20-70 degrees. This angle may prevent the undesirable contact between the wand connector and the vanes described above, whilst also allowing smooth operation of the gear mechanism.

[0010] Optionally, the angle of inclination relative to the second direction is 30-50 degrees. Such an angle may be particularly preferable for blinds with wide slats.

[0011] Optionally, the first and second axes are inclined relative to the third direction. This may allow the advantages of the inclination of the gears described above whilst also allowing the wand connector to extend from a conventionally provided hole in the bottom surface of the headrail.

[0012] Optionally, the tilt shaft gear is configured to rotate about a third axis, and the first axis intersects the third axis.

[0013] Optionally, the first intermediate gear and the second intermediate gear are of the same diameter. This may further provide a compact mechanism whilst allowing convenient gearing ratios to be used.

[0014] Optionally, the gear ratio of the first intermediate gear and the second intermediate gear is 1:1.

[0015] Optionally, the tilting mechanism further comprises a friction brake configured to apply a reaction force to at least one of said gears, the reaction force being against rotation of said gear. This may prevent unwanted movement of the mechanism when the mechanism is not being actuated by the user.

[0016] Optionally, said friction brake is configured to apply a reaction force to the worm gear. Applying the reaction force to the worm gear in particular may minimise the amount of unwanted movement before the movement is prevented by the friction brake.

[0017] Optionally, the friction brake includes a radial slot, and the worm gear includes a radial protrusion configured to contact an interior surface of the radial slot to thereby apply the reaction force to the worm gear.

[0018] Optionally, the headrail includes a hole through which the wand connector extends.

[0019] Optionally, the hole is located in the bottom wall of the headrail. This may allow conventionally manufactured headrails to be used in the headrail assembly.

[0020] Optionally, the headrail assembly further comprises a tilt wand connected to the tilt wand connector. This may allow easy manipulation by the user to control tilting of the vanes.

[0021] Optionally, the tilt wand is connected to the tilt wand connector using a universal joint. This may provide a reliable and robust connection between the tilt wand and the wand connector.

[0022] According to the present invention, there is also provided an architectural covering comprising the headrail assembly as set out above.

[0023] Optionally, the architectural covering comprises a plurality of vanes, the tilting mechanism being configured to control the tilt of the vanes.

[0024] Optionally, the architectural covering comprises a tilt wand connected to the wand connector, wherein rotation of the tilt wand actuates the tilting mechanism to thereby control the tilt of the vanes. This may provide convenient operation for the user.

[0025] Optionally, the axes of the first and second intermediate gears are angled such that the first axis does not intersect the vanes. This may avoid contact between the wand connector and the vanes, and/or between the wand and the vanes.

[0026] Optionally, the architectural covering is a Venetian blind.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The invention will now be described, by way of non-limitative example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Figure 1a shows a side view of a known tilting mechanism;

Figure 1b shows a perspective view of a known architectural covering;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an architectural covering of the present invention;

Figure 3 shows a side view of a tilting mechanism of the present invention;

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the tilting mechanism shown in Figure 3; and

Figure 5 shows a section view through the tilting mechanism of Figures 3 and 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention relates to a headrail assembly for an architectural covering, and an architectural covering including a headrail assembly.

[0029] A section view of a known tilting mechanism for use in a headrail assembly for an architectural covering is shown in Figure 1a. The tilting mechanism 10 includes a wand connector 11, a worm gear 12, and a tilt shaft gear 13. The tilting mechanism is disposed within a headrail, thus forming a headrail assembly. A tilt wand (not shown) may be connected to the distal end of the wand connector 11.

[0030] In order to tilt the vanes of the architectural covering, the user rotates the tilt wand about its longitudinal axis, which causes the wand connector to rotate about its longitudinal axis A', as shown in Figure 1a. This rotation causes the worm gear 12, which is mounted coaxially with the tilt wand 11, to rotate about its axis (which is thus coincident with axis A'). When the worm gear 12 rotates, the tilt shaft gear 13, which meshes with that worm gear 12, rotates about its own axis as a consequence of meshing with rotating worm gear 12. The tilt shaft gear 13 is connected to a tilt shaft, which in turn controls the tilting of the vanes. The tilting of the vanes may be implemented by, for example, tilt cords which are connected to the tilt shaft, which are in turn connected to the vanes in a manner which allows the tilting to be controlled. Such tilt shaft, cord, and vane arrangements are well known in the art.

[0031] Figure 1b illustrates another known tilting mechanism 10' (similar to that described above) when installed in a headrail 13'. The tilting mechanism 10' and headrail 13' are combined with a plurality of slats 14' to form an architectural covering. It can be seen that, due to the width of the vanes 14' (i.e. the dimension in the direction marked "W" in Figure 1b), combined with the angle at which the wand connector 11' exits the headrail (which corresponds to the angle between the vertical and the longitudinal axis of the wand connector), the wand connector 11' is in contact with the vanes 14'. This may interfere with the operation of the wand connector and/or the vanes. Further, if the wand connector is in contact with the vanes, when a tilt wand (which typically hangs vertically down from the wand connector) is attached to the wand connector, the tilt wand may also be in contact with the vanes, and interfere with the operation of the vanes.

[0032] Figure 2 shows an architectural covering comprising a headrail assembly according to the present invention. The architectural covering 20 is a Venetian blind, which includes a headrail assembly 21 and a plurality of vanes 22 (also known as slats).

[0033] The headrail assembly 21 includes a headrail 23, a wand connector 24, and a tilting mechanism 25, which is disposed within the headrail 23. Figure 2 also depicts a tilt wand 26, which is connected to the wand connector 24 by a universal joint.

[0034] The headrail 23 extends longitudinally in a first direction. That is, the longitudinal direction (or the first direction) is the dimension in which the headrail is longest. When the architectural covering is installed, the longitudinal direction is typically the width of the architectural opening which the architectural covering covers. The headrail has two side walls which extend in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction. That is, when the headrail is installed, the side walls extend in a vertical direction as well as in the longitudinal direction. The headrail further includes a bottom wall extending in a third direction which is orthogonal to both the first and second directions. When the headrail is installed, this corresponds to the bottom wall extending in a horizontal direction (i.e. along the bottom of the headrail, orthogonal to the plane of the architectural opening) as well as the longitudinal direction. The first, second and third directions are indicated in Figures 2 and 3.

[0035] Similarly to the known arrangement of Figure 1a described above, rotation of the tilt wand 26 about its longitudinal axis results in rotation of the wand connector 24 about its longitudinal axis, which in turn actuates the tilting mechanism 25. The tilting mechanism 25 may then be connected to a tilt shaft (not shown), which in turn may control tilting of vanes 22. The tilting of the vanes may be achieved using any suitable arrangement associated with the tilt shaft, such as the tilt spools and tilt cords or tapes described above in relation to Figures 1a and 1b.

[0036] The tilting mechanism 25, a close up view of which is shown in Figures 3 and 4, comprises a first intermediate gear 31, a second intermediate gear 32, a worm gear 33, and a tilt shaft gear 34. Although in the views shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the gears in the tilting mechanism are exposed, it will be understood that a cover may be provided when the tilting mechanism 25 is installed in a headrail so that the gears are not visible.

[0037] The first intermediate gear 31 is mounted on the wand connector 24, and is configured to rotate about a first axis A. The wand connector 24 is located coaxially with the first intermediate gear 31, and arranged to rotate with the first intermediate gear 31. Thus, both the wand connector 24 and the first intermediate gear 31 are configured to rotate about the first axis A, which is the longitudinal axis of both components.

[0038] The second intermediate gear 32 meshes with the first intermediate gear 31, and is configured to rotate about a second axis B. The relationship between the first axis A and the second axis B will be described below.

[0039] The worm gear 33 is configured to rotate coaxially with the second intermediate gear 32 (i.e. about the second axis B). In other words, the second intermediate gear 32 and the worm gear 33 are connected together so that they rotate together about the same axis.

[0040] The tilt shaft gear 34 meshes with the worm gear 33, and is configured to rotate about a third axis C. Rotation of the tilt shaft gear may use any suitable arrangement to actuate the tilting of the vanes 22. For example, the tilt shaft gear 34 may be connected to a tilt shaft, which may have tilt cords or tapes attached to it, via tilt spools, so that rotation of the tilt shaft gear results in rotation of the tilt shaft, which in turn moves the tilt cords and results in tilting of the vanes 22.

[0041] Thus, to summarise the mechanical operation of the tilting mechanism, the first intermediate gear 31 (which rotates coaxially with the wand connector 24) meshes with the second intermediate gear 32, the second intermediate gear 32 rotates coaxially with the worm gear 33, and the worm gear 33 meshes with the tilt shaft gear 34. Thus, rotation of the wand connector 24 about its longitudinal axis results in rotation of the first intermediate gear 31, which results in rotation of the second intermediate gear 32, which results in rotation of the worm gear 33, which results in rotation of the tilt shaft gear 34. The rotation of tilt shaft gear 34 then causes tilting of vanes 22. Thus, rotation of the wand connector 24 allows the tilting of the vanes to be controlled via the tilting mechanism 25.

[0042] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the first axis A and second axis B are parallel to each other. It will also be noted from Figures 3 and 4 that both the first axis A and the second axis B are inclined (i.e. angled) relative to the vertical direction in the view shown in Figure 3. The vertical direction shown in Figure 3 is to the direction in which the side walls of the headrail extend, when the tilting mechanism is installed in the headrail (which corresponds to the second direction described above). This direction is typically the vertical, or gravitational direction, when the headrail is mounted in the conventional manner (i.e. with the longitudinal axis of the headrail extending substantially horizontally, above an architectural opening).

[0043] In the arrangement shown in Figures 3 and 4, both the first axis A and the second axis B are also inclined (i.e. angled) relative to the horizontal direction in the view shown in Figure 3. The horizontal direction shown in Figure 3 is to the direction in which the bottom wall of the headrail extends, when the tilting mechanism is installed in the headrail (which corresponds to the third direction described above).

[0044] The angle of inclination of the first and second axes relative to the second direction (i.e. from the side wall of the headrail, which is the vertical direction in the view of Figure 3) may be 20 to 70 degrees, or preferably 30 to 50 degrees. It will also be understood that the angle of inclination may instead be measured from the bottom wall of the headrail (i.e. the horizontal direction). When measured in this way, the angle of inclination may be 20 to 70 degrees or 40 to 60 degrees.

[0045] One advantage of the arrangement of the present invention is that, due to the layout of the gears, the angle relative to the vertical direction can be increased, compared to known arrangements such as those shown in Figures 1a and 1b. This is because, in the known arrangement above and shown in Figure 1, the worm gear, which mounted on the wand connector, is required to mesh with (i.e. directly connect to) the tilt shaft gear (which is fixed centrally in the headrail). This constrains the possible angles for the wand connector.

[0046] However, in the present invention, due to the arrangement of gears (including the first and second intermediate gears), which act as idler gears, the direct connection shown (and required) in the arrangement of Figure 1a is no longer necessary. This may allow the arrangement of gears to be designed to as to increase the angle of inclination (relative to the vertical when installed) of the wand connector, compared to known arrangements. Such an increase may allow the distal end of the wand connector (to which the tilt wand is typically attached) to clear, or extend beyond, the outer edges of the vanes. In turn, this may reduce the possibility that the wand connector is in contact with the vanes, or that, when a tilt wand is attached to the wand connector, the tilt wand and the vanes contact each other. Thus, the inclination of the axes may prevent the wand connector and the tilt wand from interfering with the operation of the vanes, and prevent the vanes from interfering with the operation of the wand connector and the tilt wand. This can be seen when comparing the known arrangement of Figure 1b and the arrangement of the present invention of Figure 2. This increase in angle may be particularly useful when slats which are large in the third direction (i.e. the direction parallel to the bottom wall of the headrail) are used.

[0047] When the tilting mechanism 25 is installed in the headrail, both the first axis A and the second axis B (and thus the first intermediate gear 31 and the second intermediate gear 32) are disposed at the same longitudinal position in the headrail. That is, the first axis A and the second axis B are co-planar in a plane which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the headrail. That is, the plane extends parallel to the side walls and the bottom wall (i.e. parallel to the second direction and the third direction). In other words, when the gears (and the axes) are viewed from the end of the headrail (i.e. looking parallel to the longitudinal direction), they appear to be side by side, distributed in the third direction. This may lead to a more compact tilting mechanism compared to arrangements where gears are located at different positions along the headrail in the longitudinal direction. This in turn may allow additional components to be positioned within the headrail, or more flexibility in the positioning of the tilting mechanism within the headrail.

[0048] As shown in Figure 3, the first axis A (i.e. the axis of the wand connector 24 and the first intermediate gear 31) intersects the third axis C (of the tilt shaft gear 34). Again, this may result in a mechanism which is more compact, compared to the known arrangement in Figure 1, where the axis of the wand connector 11 cannot intersect the axis of the tilt shaft gear 13, because the worm gear 12 (which is coaxial with the wand connector 11) is required to mesh with tilt shaft gear 12.

[0049] As shown in Figures 2-4, the first intermediate gear 31 and the second intermediate gear 32 are of the same diameter. It will be understood that in such an arrangement, the gear ratio of the first intermediate gear and the second intermediate gear may be 1:1. However, in some arrangements, other gear ratios may be used.

[0050] The tilting mechanism 25 may further comprise a friction brake configured to apply a reaction force to one of the gears. This may create extra friction in the gearing mechanism, which may prevent movement of the gears when no rotational force is applied by the user. In turn, this may prevent the gears (and eventually the slats) moving or "creeping" away from a desired position which has been set by the user.

[0051] In the arrangement shown in Figures 3-5, the friction brake applies a reaction force to the worm gear 33. In particular, as illustrated in Figure 5, which is a section view through the worm gear 33 and second intermediate gear, the friction brake takes the form of a radial slot 35 in the housing of the tilting mechanism, and the worm gear 33 includes a radial protrusion 36 which is configured to contact the radial slot. That is, the radial slot 35 and the radial protrusion 36 are sized so that they are in sliding contact with each other.

[0052] Friction caused by this contact applies the desired frictional reaction force to the worm gear, which in turn applies a reaction force to the other gears, and prevents unwanted movement of the mechanism. The radial protrusion 36 of the gear can be considered to form part of the friction brake.

[0053] Although the friction brake described above takes the form of a radial protrusion 36 on the worm gear 33 and corresponding radial slot 36, it will be understood that a similar radial protrusion may be (additionally or alternatively) provided on another gear, with a corresponding radial slot. Other types of friction brake may also be implemented in order to provide the reaction force described above.

[0054] When the tilting mechanism is mounted in a headrail, the wand connector 24 may pass through a hole 27 in the headrail. Although the hole 27 is partially hidden by one of the sidewalls of the headrail in Figure 2, it can nonetheless be seen that the wand connector is partially inside the headrail and partially outside the headrail, and thus passes through a hole in the headrail. Typically, the hole is provided in the bottom wall of the headrail (although in alternative arrangements it may be provided in the side wall of the headrail). The tilting mechanism of the present invention may have the advantage that, when installed in a headrail which has a hole positioned in a conventional position, the wand connector may be able to pass through the pre-existing hole, whilst at the same time increasing the angle of inclination of the wand connector relative to the vertical (or side) wall, as described above. This may allow the tilting mechanism to be retrofitted to existing headrails.

[0055] It will be noted that, in the view of Figure 2, the inclination of the first and second axes (of which the first axis is also the longitudinal axis of the first intermediate gear) is such that the first axis does not intersect the vanes 22. In turn, this inclination means that, when a tilt wand of suitable thickness is connected to the tilt wand connector, the tilt wand does not come into contact with the vanes 22, and thus allows easy operation of the tilt wand and unencumbered tilting of the vanes.

[0056] Although the arrangement shown in Figure 2 depicts the tilt wand 26 as connected to the tilt connector 24 using a universal joint, it will be appreciated that other arrangements of joint which allow the both the tilt wand 26 and the tilt connector 24 rotate about their respective longitudinal axes may also be used.

[0057] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that while the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. Features from any example or embodiment of the present disclosure can be combined with features from any other example or embodiment of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A headrail assembly for an architectural covering, the headrail assembly comprising:

a headrail extending longitudinally in a first direction, and having a sidewall extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a bottom wall extending in a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions;

a wand connector configured to connect to a tilt wand; and

a tilting mechanism disposed within the headrail, the tilting mechanism comprising:

a first intermediate gear mounted on the wand connector and configured to rotate about a first axis;

a second intermediate gear meshing with the first intermediate gear and configured to rotate about a second axis;

a worm gear configured to rotate coaxially with the second intermediate gear; and

a tilt shaft gear meshing with the worm gear, and connected to a tilt shaft configured to control tilting of the architectural covering;

wherein the first and second axes are parallel to each other and inclined relative to the second direction.

2. The headrail assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the first and second axes are coplanar in a plane which is orthogonal to the first direction.

3. The headrail assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the angle of inclination relative to the second direction is 20-70 degrees;
preferably wherein the angle of inclination relative to the second direction is 30-50 degrees.

4. The headrail assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the first and second axes are inclined relative to the third direction

5. The headrail assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the tilt shaft gear is configured to rotate about a third axis, and the first axis intersects the third axis.

6. The headrail assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the first intermediate gear and the second intermediate gear are of the same diameter.

7. The headrail assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein gear ratio of the first intermediate gear and the second intermediate gear is 1:1.

8. The headrail assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the tilting mechanism further comprises a friction brake configured to apply a reaction force to at least one of said gears, the reaction force being against rotation of said gear.

9. The headrail assembly of claim 8, wherein said friction brake is configured to apply a reaction force to the worm gear;
optionally wherein the friction brake includes a radial slot, and the worm gear includes a radial protrusion configured to contact an interior surface of the radial slot to thereby apply the reaction force to the worm gear.

10. The headrail assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the headrail includes a hole through which the wand connector extends;
optionally wherein the hole is located in the bottom wall of the headrail.

11. The headrail assembly according to any preceding claim, further comprising a tilt wand connected to the tilt wand connector;
optionally wherein the tilt wand is connected to the tilt wand connector using a universal joint.

12. An architectural covering comprising the headrail assembly of any preceding claim.

13. The architectural covering according to claim 12, comprising a plurality of vanes, the tilting mechanism being configured to control the tilt of the vanes;
the architectural covering optionally further comprising a tilt wand connected to the wand connector, wherein rotation of the tilt wand actuates the tilting mechanism to thereby control the tilt of the vanes.

14. The architectural covering according to claim 13, wherein the axes of the first and second intermediate gears are angled such that the first axis does not intersect the vanes.

15. The architectural covering of any of claims 12-14, wherein the architectural covering is a Venetian blind.

Drawing