JP7664825B2 - Remote control light receiving structure for electric shading device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a remote control light receiving structure for an electric shading device.

A conventional remote control light receiving structure for an electric shading device is shown in JP 2021-156029 A (Patent Document 1). The remote control light receiving structure for an electric shading device disclosed in this document is equipped with a light receiving unit including a light receiving element that receives a signal from a remote control, and the light receiving unit is provided on a bracket cover that is detachable from the left and right side brackets that support the winding pipe.

This allows the light receiving unit to be attached and detached to either the left or right side bracket, making it possible to operate the remote control without compromising reception sensitivity regardless of where the motorized roller blind is installed.

JP 2021-156029 A

However, in the conventional remote control light receiving structure of an electric shading device as disclosed in Patent Document 1, when switching the mounting position of the light receiving unit from left to right, it is necessary to switch the bracket cover itself between left and right, which leaves room for improvement in terms of workability.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a remote control light receiving structure for an electric shading device that allows the light receiving unit to be easily switched from left to right and improves workability.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a remote control light receiving structure for an electric shading device, comprising a light receiving unit that receives a signal from a remote control, and a pair of side caps that are provided at both ends of a head box that supports a shading material in a suspended manner, the light receiving unit can be installed inside, and that have an opening through which the light receiving unit can receive the signal, and the light receiving unit can be attached and detached to either of the pair of side caps.

With this configuration, the light receiving unit can be attached and detached to either of the pair of side caps, so the light receiving unit can be switched from left to right without having to switch the side caps themselves. This makes it easy to switch the light receiving unit from left to right, improving workability.

In addition, by installing the light receiving unit inside the side cap, rather than as a separate unit from the main body of the electric shading device, the above effects can be achieved without compromising the design.

The present invention can be applied in various ways. For example, the pair of side caps may further include a first cover and a second cover that can be attached and detached to either of the openings, and at least the first cover of the first and second covers may be capable of transmitting signals from the remote control. With this configuration, the design can be improved by attaching a cover to the opening of the side cap. In addition, in conjunction with switching the light receiving unit from left to right, the first cover that is capable of transmitting remote control signals can also be switched from left to right, so that a decrease in light receiving sensitivity due to the cover can be prevented. Furthermore, since there is no need to use different parts for the left and right sides, the above effect can be obtained without increasing the number of parts.

The light-receiving unit may be detachably attached to the opening while attached to the first cover. With this configuration, the light-receiving unit and the first cover can be attached and detached from the side cap as a unit, reducing the number of work steps and improving maintainability.

The first and second covers may differ from each other in at least one of the shape, size, and color. With this configuration, the user can easily recognize which side cap contains the light receiving unit just by looking at the cover. This prevents the user from becoming confused about which direction to point the remote control.

In addition, a wiring section may be further provided that can be routed within the head box so that the light receiving unit can be connected to the light receiving unit regardless of whether the light receiving unit is installed inside either of the pair of side caps. With this configuration, the light receiving unit can be easily switched between left and right even after assembly, since a single wire can be used to switch between left and right sides. In addition, the number of parts is reduced, leading to cost reduction.

The present invention provides a remote control light receiving structure for an electric shading device that allows the light receiving unit to be easily switched from left to right and improves workability. Other advantages of the present invention will be described in the description of the embodiment of the invention below.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the electric blind 100 of the present embodiment. 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining a pair of first and second side caps 140, 150, in which (a) is an oblique view showing the state in which the first and second side caps 140, 150 have been removed from the head box 130, and (b) is an oblique view showing the state in which the first and second side caps 140, 150 have been attached to the head box 130. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 2 is a side view of the first cover 170 and the light receiving unit 110. FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the second cover 180. 11 is a perspective view showing a process of attaching the first cover 170 and the light receiving unit 110 to the first side cap 140. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a process of attaching the second cover 180 to the second side cap 150. FIG. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the layout of the wire group (wiring section) 138, in which (a) shows the layout of the wire group 138 when the light receiving unit 110 is positioned on the left side, and (b) shows the layout of the wire group 138 when the light receiving unit 110 is positioned on the right side.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that in this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the configuration of an electric blind (electric shading device) 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a front view of the electric blind 100 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electric blind 100 comprises a light receiving unit 110 (see FIG. 2) that receives a signal from a remote control RC, and a pair of first and second side caps 140, 150 that are provided at both ends of a head box 130 that supports a slat (shielding material) 120 in a suspended manner, and have openings 142, 152 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) through which the light receiving unit 110 can be installed and through which the light receiving unit 110 can receive a signal, and the light receiving unit 110 is configured to be detachable from either of the pair of first and second side caps 140, 150. Each component will be described below.

The slats 120 are shielding materials that close the opening. As shown in FIG. 1, the slats 120 are supported in the vertical direction by multiple ladder cords 122 hanging down from the head box 130. The slats 120 rotate by tilting the ladder cords 122. The slats 120 can be raised and lowered by lifting cords 126 that hang down from the head box 130 and are connected to a bottom rail 124 that is positioned below the slats 120.

The head box 130 is fixed to a window frame, ceiling, or the like (not shown). Inside the head box 130, as shown in FIG. 1, there are provided a drum 131 to which the upper end of the ladder cord 122 is connected so as to be tiltable and to which the upper end of the lifting cord 126 is connected so as to be capable of being wound and unwound, a motor 132 that drives and rotates the drum 131, and a drive shaft 133 that transmits the driving force of the motor 132 to the drum 131.

In addition, the head box 130 includes a drive unit 134 that drives the motor 132, a control unit 135 that controls the drive of the drive unit 134, an encoder 136 that detects the direction and amount of rotation of the motor 132, a switching power supply 137 that converts AC power from a commercial power source into DC power for the motor and the control unit, and a wire set (wiring section) 138 that connects the light receiving unit 110 and the control unit 135.

The wire set 138 is arranged to be routed within the head box 130 so that it can be connected to the light receiving unit 110 regardless of whether the light receiving unit 110 is housed in the pair of first and second side caps 140, 150. As shown in FIG. 1, the head box 130 has a routing space CS in which the wire set 138 is routed so that it can be connected to the light receiving unit 110 regardless of whether the light receiving unit 110 is housed in the pair of first and second side caps 140, 150. The routing space CS is mainly composed of the space above the control unit 135 and the spaces between each component and the front wall of the head box 130.

An upper limit 139 is provided inside the head box 130 to detect when the slats 120 are folded up to their upper limit. The tip of the upper limit 139 protrudes below the head box 130 and comes into contact with it to detect when the slats 120 are folded up to their upper limit.

A power cord 160 connected to a switching power supply 137 extends from the head box 130. The power cord 160 is provided with a power connector 162 for connecting to a commercial power source. A pair of first and second side caps 140, 150 are detachably provided on both ends of the head box 130.

The light receiving unit 110 and the pair of first and second side caps 140, 150, which are characteristic components of this embodiment, will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the side caps. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Fig. 1.

The pair of first and second side caps 140, 150 cover both ends of the head box 130. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of first and second side caps 140, 150 are shaped to match the end shape of the head box 130, and are removably fitted to both ends of the head box 130. The pair of first and second side caps 140, 150 are configured symmetrically.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first side cap 140 and the second side cap 150 are provided with a first cover 170 and a second cover 180 that are interchangeable at the lower front corners. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the light receiving unit 110 is provided inside the first cover 170.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first side cap 140 has an opening 142 formed at the lower front corner. The first cover 170 is removably fitted into the opening 142. The first cover 170 is configured to protrude forward and downward from the front surface 140a and bottom surface 140b of the first side cap 140. The light receiving unit 110 is attached inside the first cover 170. This allows the light receiving unit 110 to be positioned as far forward and downward as possible with respect to the opening 142, thereby improving light receiving sensitivity.

As shown in FIG. 4, the second side cap 150 has an opening 152 formed at the lower front corner. The second cover 180 is removably fitted into the opening 152. The second cover 180 is configured to be flush with the front surface 150a and bottom surface 150b of the second side cap 150.

Here, the detailed configurations of the light receiving unit 110, the first cover 170, and the second cover 180 will be described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 5 is a side view of the first cover 170 and the light receiving unit 110. Fig. 6 is a side view of the second cover 180.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light receiving unit 110 has two light receiving elements 112, 114 arranged at a predetermined angle to one surface of the base 116. One light receiving element 112 faces forward of the first side cap 140, and the other light receiving element 114 faces downward of the first side cap 140. This improves the light receiving sensitivity. A connector 118 to which a wire set 138 is connected is provided on the other surface of the base 116.

The first cover 170 and the second cover 180 can be attached to and detached from either of the openings 142, 152 of the pair of the first side cap 140 and the second side cap 150. The first cover 170 is transparent to signals from the remote control RC. The first cover 170 and the second cover 180 are configured to differ from each other in at least one of the shape, size, and color.

5, the first cover 170 has an exposed portion 171 having a generally L-shape that is exposed from the opening 142, and a fitting portion 172 that protrudes from both ends of the exposed portion 171 and fits into the opening 142. The exposed portion 171 has a concave housing portion 173 that houses the light receiving elements 112 and 114. The fitting portion 172 has a recess 174 into which the base 116 fits, and a guide groove 175 that guides the base 116 to the recess 174. The end of the guide groove 175 on the recess 174 side is tapered, making it easier to guide the base 116 into the recess 174. As described above, the first cover 170 is capable of transmitting signals from the remote control RC.

6, the second cover 180 has a generally L-shaped exposed portion 181 exposed from the opening 152, and a fitting portion 182 protruding from both ends of the exposed portion 181 and fitting into the opening 152. As described above, the second cover 180 may be transparent to signals from the remote control RC, or may not be transparent to signals.

The process of attaching the first cover 170 and the light receiving unit 110 to the first side cap 140 and the process of attaching the second cover 180 to the second side cap 150 will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the process of attaching the first cover 170 and the light receiving unit 110 to the first side cap 140. Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the process of attaching the second cover 180 to the second side cap 150.

The process of attaching the first cover 170 and the light receiving unit 110 to the first side cap 140 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. First, the light receiving unit 110 is attached to the first cover 170 as shown by the arrow a in FIG. 7. The light receiving unit 110 is attached to the first cover 170 by sliding the base 116 along the guide groove 175 and fitting it into the recess 174. Then, the light receiving elements 112 and 114 are housed in the housing 173. Next, the first cover 170 with the light receiving unit 110 attached is fitted into the opening 142 from the inside of the first side cap 140 as shown by the arrow b in FIG. 7. Thus, the first cover 170 and the light receiving unit 110 are attached to the first side cap 140.

The first cover 170 can be attached to and detached from either the opening 142 of the first side cap 140 or the opening 152 of the second side cap 150. Therefore, it can be removed from the opening 142 of the first side cap 140 and attached to the opening 152 of the second side cap 150. Therefore, the light receiving unit 110 can be attached interchangeably to either the first side cap 140 or the second side cap 150.

The process of attaching the second cover 180 to the second side cap 150 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The second cover 180 is fitted into the opening 152 from the inside of the second side cap 150, as shown by the arrow c in FIG. 8. The second cover 180 is detachable from the opening 152 of the second side cap 150, and can also be removed and attached to the opening 142 of the first side cap 140.

Next, the wiring of the wire group 138 when the light receiving unit 110 is arranged in the first side cap 140 and the second side cap 150 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 shows the wiring of the wire group 138, where (a) shows the wiring of the wire group 138 when the light receiving unit 110 is arranged on the left side, and (b) shows the wiring of the wire group 138 when the light receiving unit 110 is arranged on the right side.

First, the wiring of the wire set 138 when the light receiving unit 110 is placed in the first side cap 140 on the left side of the head box 130 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9(a), the wire set 138 is bent leftward from the control unit 135 and passed through the wiring space CS between the switching power supply 137, which is the space above the control unit 135, and between each component and the front wall of the head box 130, and is guided into the first side cap 140, and connected to the connector 118 of the light receiving unit 110.

Next, the wiring of the wire set 138 when the light receiving unit 110 is disposed in the second side cap 150 on the right side of the head box 130 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9(b), the wire set 138 is bent leftward from the control unit 135, passed between the control unit 135 and the switching power supply 137, and bent rightward at a position where it passes through the drive unit 134. It is again passed through the wiring space CS between the control unit 135 and the switching power supply 137 and between each component and the front wall of the head box 130, and is introduced into the second side cap 150, and is connected to the connector 118 of the light receiving unit 110.

(Effects of the First Embodiment)
As described above, according to this embodiment, the light-receiving unit 110 is detachable from either of the pair of first and second side caps 140, 150, so the left and right sides of the light-receiving unit 110 can be swapped without swapping the pair of first and second side caps 140, 150 themselves. This makes it easy to swap the left and right sides of the light-receiving unit 110, improving workability.

In addition, by installing the light receiving unit 110 inside the first side cap 140, rather than as a separate unit from the main body of the electric blind 100, the above effects can be achieved without compromising the design.

In addition, the design can be improved by attaching the first and second covers 170, 180 to the openings 142, 152 of the pair of first and second side caps 140, 150. In addition, in conjunction with switching the light receiving unit 110 from left to right, the first cover 170, which is transparent to remote control signals, can also be switched from left to right, preventing a decrease in light receiving sensitivity due to the cover. Furthermore, since there is no need to use different parts for the left and right, the above effect can be achieved without increasing the number of parts.

In addition, the light receiving unit 110 and the first cover 170 can be attached and detached integrally to the first side cap 140, reducing the number of work steps and improving maintainability.

In addition, the first and second covers 170, 180 are different from each other in at least one of the shape, size, and color, so that the user can easily recognize which side cap the light receiving unit 110 is housed in just by looking at the cover. This prevents the user from becoming confused about which direction to point the remote control RC.

In addition, since the light receiving unit 110 can be switched between left and right sides with a single wire set 138, the light receiving unit 110 can be easily switched between left and right sides even after assembly. This also reduces the number of parts, which leads to cost reduction.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the attached drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an example. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modified or revised examples within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the first and second side caps 140, 150 are removed from the head box 130 to attach and detach the light receiving unit 110, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As long as the light receiving unit can be installed inside the first and second side caps, any design is possible. For example, the light receiving unit may be detachably attached to the first and second side caps from the outside. In such a configuration, the first and second side caps may be detachable from the head box, or may not be detachable.

In addition, the first and second covers 170, 180 are attached to the first and second side caps 140, 150, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As long as the light receiving unit can be housed inside the first and second side caps and the light receiving unit can receive a signal through the opening, any design is possible. For example, a configuration in which one or both of the first and second covers are not provided is also possible.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the first cover 170 is made transparent to signals from the remote control RC, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As long as at least the first cover is capable of transmitting signals from the remote control RC, both the first cover and the second cover may be made transparent to signals from the remote control RC.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the light receiving unit 110 is configured to be detachable from the opening 142 while attached to the first cover 170, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As long as the light receiving unit can be detachably provided on the first and second side caps, any design is possible. For example, the light receiving unit may be configured to be detachably attached directly to the first and second side caps without going through a cover.

In the above embodiment, the first and second covers 170, 180 are configured to differ from each other in at least one of the shape, size, and color, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As long as the first and second covers can be distinguished, they can be designed as desired. For example, one or both of the first and second covers may be marked.

In addition, in the above embodiment, one wire set 138 can be connected to the light receiving unit 110 regardless of whether it is installed inside the pair of first and second side caps 140, 150, but the present invention is not limited to this example. Any design can be used as long as the wire set can be connected regardless of whether the light receiving unit is placed on the left or right. For example, two wire sets may be provided, one on the left and one on the right.

The embodiments, application examples, and variations described above can be implemented in any suitable combination.

100 Electric blinds (electric shading devices)
110 Light receiving unit 112, 114 Light receiving element 116 Base 118 Connector 120 Slat (shielding material)
122 ladder cord 124 bottom rail 126 lifting cord 130 head box 131 drum 132 motor 133 drive shaft 134 drive unit 135 control unit 136 encoder 137 switching power supply 138 wire set (wiring section)
139 Upper limit 140 First side cap 140a Front surface 140b Bottom surface 142 Opening 150 Second side cap 150a Front surface 150b Bottom surface 152 Opening 160 Power cord 162 Power connector 170 First cover 171 Exposed portion 172 Fitting portion 173 Storage portion 174 Recess 175 Guide groove 180 Second cover 181 Exposed portion 182 Fitting portion CS Routing space RC Remote control

Claims (5)

a light receiving unit for receiving a signal from a remote control;
a pair of side caps provided at both ends of a head box that supports a shielding material, the side caps having an opening into which the light receiving unit can be housed and through which the light receiving unit can receive the signal;
Equipped with
A remote control light receiving structure for an electric shading device, wherein the light receiving unit is detachable from either of the pair of side caps. The pair of side caps further includes a first cover and a second cover that are detachable from either of the openings,
2. The remote control light receiving structure for an electric shading device according to claim 1, wherein at least the first cover of the first cover and the second cover is capable of transmitting a signal from the remote control. The remote control light receiving structure of the motorized shading device described in claim 2, characterized in that the light receiving unit is detachable from the opening while attached to the first cover. The remote control light receiving structure of the electric shading device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the first and second covers are different from each other in at least one of shape, size, and color. The remote control light receiving structure of an electric shading device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a wiring section that can be routed within the head box so as to be connectable to the light receiving unit regardless of whether the light receiving unit is housed in either of the pair of side caps.