JP7686433B2 - Switching Device - Google Patents

Description

This embodiment relates to a switching device for a shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material.

Conventionally, a braking device that limits the rotation speed of the drive shaft that raises and lowers the shielding material to a predetermined speed or less has been known as a technology for braking the operation of the shielding material in a shielding device (see Patent Document 1). This braking device can prevent components such as the weight bar and bottom rail at the lowest end of the shielding device from colliding with the floor surface with force when the shielding material descends under its own weight. However, with this technology, because the rotation of the drive shaft is constantly braked, a situation may arise in which the shielding material does not descend to the desired position under its own weight.

JP 2001-112616 A

We provide technology that allows the operating mechanism that opens and closes the shielding device to be switched and operated depending on the state of the shielding material.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is a switching device provided in a shielding device that opens and closes a shielding material, and includes a gear shaft to which the rotation of a drive shaft that raises and lowers the shielding material is input, a moving part that moves in the axial direction of the gear shaft in response to the rotation of the gear shaft, a transmission part that transmits the rotational force of the drive shaft to an operating mechanism that performs an operation related to the raising and lowering or opening and closing of the shielding material, or transmits a force generated in the operating mechanism to the drive shaft, and a switching part that switches between a transmission state in which transmission is performed by the transmission part and a non-transmission state in which the transmission is released in response to the movement of the moving part.

According to the present invention, the operating mechanism that performs the operations related to opening and closing the shielding device can be switched and operated depending on the state of the shielding material.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a configuration of a shading device according to a first embodiment. 1 is a schematic plan view perspective view showing a configuration of a shading device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a front view showing the shielding device with the bottom rail raised. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view perspective view showing a shielding device in which a first drive shaft is rotated. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the brake device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of the brake device. FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the internal configuration of the brake device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a moving unit. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a transmission unit. FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the brake device in a disengaged state. FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the brake device in a transmission state. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the shielding device in a state in which only the first brake is activated. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the brake device in a non-transmitting state. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 12. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the shielding device in a state in which the first brake and the brake device are activated. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the brake device in a transmission state. This is a cross-sectional view of line BB in Figure 15. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a shading device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of a brake device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the shielding device with the bottom rail in the lowermost position. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a shading device in which the slats are rotated. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the shading device with the slats raised; FIG. 13 is a schematic side view showing the shielding device with the bottom rail in an upper limit position. FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing the shading device when the shading device is lowered. 1 is a schematic side view showing a shading device in which a bottom rail descends under its own weight. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a shading device in which slats are rotated in an interlocking manner. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the shading device with the slats fully closed and the bottom rail in the lower end position.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a shading device in which the present invention is applied to a pleated screen equipped with two types of screens that can be raised and lowered as a shading material will be described as an example. Note that in this embodiment, the surface facing the room when the shading device is installed will be referred to as the front, the surface facing the outside of the room as the back, the direction consisting of the front and back as the front-to-back direction, and the longitudinal direction of the shading device as the left-to-right direction. Also, in this specification and drawings, components that have substantially the same functions will be given the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description.

First Embodiment
(Overall composition)
The overall configuration of the shading device according to the first embodiment will be described. Figures 1 and 2 are a front view and a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the shading device according to this embodiment, respectively. Note that Figure 1 shows the shading device in a state where the bottom rail is lowered to the lower end position, and only the inside of the head box is shown.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the shading device 1 according to this embodiment includes a head box 2, a bottom rail 31 as a first moving member, two lifting cords 32 formed in the shape of strings or tapes, a screen 33 as a first shading material, an intermediate bar 41 as a second moving member, two dimmer cords 42 formed in the shape of strings or tapes, a screen 43 as a second shading material, and an operation unit 5.

The head box 2 is formed in a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that defines an internal storage space, and is fixed to a window frame (not shown) or the like via multiple brackets 21. The head box 2 accommodates a first drive shaft 201A, two first winding drums 202A, a first stopper 203A, a first brake 204A, a second drive shaft 201B, two second winding drums 202B, a second stopper 203B, a second brake 204B, an interlocking gear 205, and a brake device 6.

The first drive shaft 201A, the two first winding drums 202A, the first stopper 203A, and the first brake 204A constitute a first drive system that raises and lowers the bottom rail 31. The second drive shaft 201B, the two second winding drums 202B, the second stopper 203B, and the second brake 204B constitute a second drive system that raises and lowers the intermediate bar 41. The interlocking gear 205 is configured to interlock the second drive system with the first drive system under a predetermined condition. In this embodiment, the first drive system is arranged on the rear side, and the second drive system is arranged on the front side, and the first drive system and the second drive system are arranged side by side with their positions different from each other in the front-rear direction. For example, the first drive system and the second drive system may be arranged side by side with their positions different from each other in the vertical direction, and the arrangement of the first drive system and the second drive system may be reversed in the front-rear direction or the vertical direction.

The first drive shaft 201A and the second drive shaft 201B are each a rectangular columnar member extending in the left-right direction, and are supported rotatably in the head box 2 with their axial centers oriented in the left-right direction. Here, the axial center of the first drive shaft 201A is located at the same position as and rearward of the axial center of the second drive shaft 201B in the vertical direction, and the positions of the axial centers are different in the front-rear direction.

The two first winding drums 202A are each inserted through the first drive shaft 201A so as to rotate integrally with the first drive shaft 201A, and one end of the corresponding one of the two lifting cords 32 is connected to the first drive shaft 201A so as to be able to be wound and unwound. The two second winding drums 202B are each inserted through the second drive shaft 201B so as to rotate integrally with the second drive shaft 201B, and one end of the corresponding one of the two dimming cords 42 is connected to the second drive shaft 201B so as to be able to be wound and unwound.

The first stopper 203A restricts the rotation of the first drive shaft 201A in the unwinding direction. The second stopper 203B restricts the rotation of the second drive shaft 201B in the unwinding direction. The first stopper 203A and the second stopper 203B are configured to be switchable between a state in which the rotation of the first drive shaft 201A and the second drive shaft 201B is restricted and a state in which the rotation is permitted, respectively.

The first brake 204A slows down the rotational speed of the first drive shaft 201A in the unwinding direction. The second brake 204B slows down the rotational speed of the second drive shaft 201B in the unwinding direction. The first brake 204A and the second brake 204B slow down the rotational speed of the first drive shaft 201A and the second drive shaft 201B, respectively, thereby mitigating the impact force generated when the bottom rail 31 and the intermediate bar 41 descend to the lower end position.

The bottom rail 31 is a member formed long in the left-right direction, to which the other ends of the two lifting cords 32 are connected, suspended from the head box 2 so as to be located at the lowest end of the shading device 1. The intermediate bar 41 is a member formed long in the left-right direction, to which the other ends of the two dimmer cords 42 are connected, suspended from the head box 2 so as to be located between the head box 2 and the bottom rail 31 in the up-down direction.

The screen 33 is a shielding member whose upper end is connected to the underside of the intermediate bar 41 and whose lower end is connected to the upper surface of the bottom rail 31, formed in a pleat shape that can be folded up and down, and through which two lifting cords 32 are partially inserted in the vertical direction. The screen 43 is a shielding member whose upper end is connected to the underside of the head box 2 and whose lower end is connected to the upper surface of the intermediate bar 41, formed in a pleat shape that can be folded up and down, and through which two dimmer cords 42 are partially inserted in the vertical direction.

The operation unit 5 has an endless operation cord 51, for example configured as a ball chain, and rotates the first drive shaft 201A and the second drive shaft 201B so as to raise and lower the bottom rail 31 and the intermediate bar 41 in response to the user's lifting and lowering operation of the operation cord 51.

(Structure of Brake Device)
The configuration of the brake device will be described. Fig. 3 is a front view showing the shielding device with the bottom rail raised. Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view perspective view showing the shielding device in which the first drive shaft rotates. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the brake device. Figs. 6 and 7 are a perspective view and a right side view, respectively, showing the internal configuration of the brake device. Figs. 8 and 9 are perspective views showing the configurations of the moving unit and the transmission unit, respectively. Figs. 10 and 11 are left side views showing the brake device in the non-transmitting state and the transmitting state, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the bottom rail 31 is raised, if the operation cord 51 of the operation unit 5 is pulled a predetermined distance and then released, the rotation restriction on the first drive shaft 201A by the first stopper 203A is released, and the bottom rail 31 descends to the lower end position by its own weight as shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the brake device 6 is connected to the first drive shaft 201A and reduces the rotation speed of the first drive shaft 201A before the bottom rail 31 reaches the lower end position. While the first brake 204A constantly reduces the rotation of the first drive shaft 201A in the unwinding direction, the brake device 6 reduces the speed according to the position of the bottom rail 31, specifically, the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft 201A. The amount of rotation here means the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft 201A required to lower the bottom rail 31 from the reference position to the current position. In other words, the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft 201A at the reference position is zero. The reference position may be the upper limit position or a predetermined position.

As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the brake device 6 includes a storage member 60, an input gear 61, a gear shaft 62, a support shaft 63, a switching unit 64, a moving unit 65, a transmission unit 66, and a brake 67. The storage member 60 is formed in a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and is a member that defines a storage space and is formed so as to be fixable to one end (the left side in Figures 1 to 4) within the head box 2. The storage space of the storage member 60 houses the input gear 61, the gear shaft 62, the support shaft 63, the switching unit 64, the moving unit 65, the transmission unit 66, and the brake 67.

The input gear 61 is a gear supported so as to rotate around an axis facing the left-right direction. The input gear 61 is connected to the first drive shaft 201A so as to be able to rotate together with the first drive shaft 201A, and the rotational force of the first drive shaft 201A is input to the input gear 61. The gear shaft 62 is positioned on the front side of the input gear 61, supported rotatably on the housing member 60 so that its axial direction faces the left-right direction, and is a member formed with a tooth profile that extends over almost the entire left-right direction. The gear shaft 62 is also arranged so as to mesh with the input gear 61 on the inner side in the left-right direction.

The support shaft 63 is positioned forward of the gear shaft 62 and has a shaft portion 630 and a protruding portion 631. The shaft portion 630 is a member that extends in the left-right direction, with its axial direction facing the left-right direction, and a screw groove is formed on the outer peripheral wall. The protruding portion 631 is formed so as to protrude inward in the left-right direction (lower right side in FIG. 6) from a wall portion that extends radially outward in the left-right direction of the shaft portion 630 (upper left side in FIG. 6).

The switching portion 64 is formed in a generally plate-like shape extending in the front-rear and left-right directions as a whole, and is a member provided in the housing member 60 so as to be movable only in the front-rear direction. The switching portion 64 is formed with a guide portion 641, and a bearing portion 642 (see FIG. 7) is formed behind the guide portion 641. The guide portion 641 is formed as a slit extending in the left-right direction and penetrating in the up-down direction, and has a non-transmission region R1 located on the inside in the left-right direction, a transmission region R2 located on the outside in the left-right direction relative to the non-transmission region R1, and a transition region R3 located between the non-transmission region R1 and the transmission region R2 in the left-right direction. The non-transmission region R1 is a slit that extends linearly in the left-right direction for a predetermined distance. The transmission region R2 is a slit that is located forward of the non-transmission region R1 and extends approximately linearly in the left-right direction for a predetermined distance. The transition region R3 is a slit that connects the non-transmission region R1 and the transmission region R2.

As shown in FIG. 8, the moving part 65 has a slide gear 651 and a slider 652. The slide gear 651 is a gear inserted and supported by the shaft part 630 of the support shaft 63 and formed to mesh with the gear shaft 62, and is formed with an engagement groove 651a, an insertion hole 651b, and a protrusion 651c. The slider 652 is a member formed to move along the guide part 641 of the switching part 64 by being pushed by the slide gear 651, and is formed with an engaged part 652a and a guided part 652b.

The engagement groove 651a is a groove formed so as to be recessed radially inward around the entire circumference of the slide gear 651. When the slide gear 651 is journaled on the support shaft 63 and the slider 652 is attached to the switching portion 64, the engaged portion 652a of the slider 652 is positioned within the engagement groove 651a. The engaged portion 652a is formed in a roughly U-shape corresponding to the engagement groove 651a, which allows the contact area to be increased when the engagement groove 651a engages with the slide gear 651 in the left-right direction without impeding the rotation of the slide gear 651.

The insertion hole 651b is a hole formed so that the shaft portion 630 of the support shaft 63 can be inserted therethrough, and the slide gear 651 is rotatably supported by the support shaft 63. A screw thread is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the slide gear 651 formed by the insertion hole 651b, which is engaged with a screw groove formed on the outer peripheral wall of the shaft portion 630. As a result, the slide gear 651 moves left and right when rotated, as shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the input gear 61 meshes with the gear shaft 62, and the gear shaft 62 meshes with the slide gear 651, so that the gear shaft 62 rotates in the opposite direction to the input gear 61, and the slide gear 651 rotates in the same direction as the input gear 61. In this embodiment, when the first drive shaft 201A is rotated in the unwinding direction, the slide gear 651 rotates clockwise when viewed from the right side surface, and moves outward in the left and right direction.

The guided portion 652b is formed at the lower end of the slider 652 and is formed so that it can be inserted into the guide portion 641 formed as a slit and can slide along the guide portion 641. When the slide gear 651 is moved in the left-right direction, the slider 652 is pushed by the slide gear 651 via the engaged portion 652a engaged with the engagement groove 651a, and the slider 652 moves in the left-right direction along the guide portion 641 of the switching portion 64.

The protrusion 651c is formed on the outer left-right side surface of the sliding gear 651 so as to protrude outward in the left-right direction. When the sliding gear 651 is moved outward in the left-right direction and reaches the outer left-right end of the support shaft 63, the protrusion 651c and the protrusion 631 of the support shaft 63 engage in the rotational direction of the sliding gear 651, preventing the sliding gear 651 from rotating and further moving outward in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 9, the transmission unit 66 has an annular portion 660, a first arm portion 661, a second arm portion 662, and an intermediate gear 663. The annular portion 660 is formed in an annular shape, and a cylindrical portion formed at the outer end of the gear shaft 62 in the left-right direction is inserted into the annular portion 660, so that the gear shaft 62 is supported by the gear shaft 62 so as to be rotatable around an axis facing the left-right direction. The first arm portion 661 is a member that extends radially from the annular portion 660 so as to be connectable with the switching portion 64 located below the annular portion 660, and a connecting shaft 661a extending inward in the left-right direction is provided at the tip. The second arm portion 662 is a member that is located behind the first arm portion 661 and extends radially from the annular portion 660 so as to form a predetermined angle with the first arm portion 661 with the center of the annular portion 660 as the apex, and a support shaft 662a extending inward in the left-right direction is provided at the tip.

In this embodiment, the brake 67 is configured as a centrifugal brake and has a main body 670 and a driven gear 671. The main body 670 is a member that defines a space inside, and this space contains a rotor (not shown) that rotates around an axis facing the left and right direction and is configured so that a brake shoe slides against the inner wall of the main body 670 due to centrifugal force. The driven gear 671 is connected to the rotor inside the main body 670 so as to be able to rotate together with it, and is configured to mesh with the intermediate gear 663. Note that the brake 67 may be any other type of reduction device as long as it generates a braking force that decelerates the rotational force. An example of this type of reduction device is an oil brake that generates a braking force by the resistance force of highly viscous oil.

The intermediate gear 663 is rotatably supported by the support shaft 662a, and is formed to mesh with the gear shaft 62 and the driven gear 671 of the brake 67, and is provided so as to be constantly meshed with the gear shaft 62. The transmission unit 66 is connected to the switching unit 64 by having the connecting shaft 661a rotatably fitted into the bearing portion 642 of the switching unit 64, whereby the transmission unit 66 rotates in response to the forward and backward movement of the switching unit 64.

The second arm 662 is arranged so that when the switching unit 64 is positioned forward, as shown in FIG. 10, the intermediate gear 663 and the driven gear 671 are separated, and when the switching unit 64 is moved rearward, as shown in FIG. 11, the intermediate gear 663 is moved upward and engages with the driven gear 671. When the intermediate gear 663 and the driven gear 671 engage with each other, the first drive shaft 201A is decelerated by the brake 67 via the intermediate gear 663, the gear shaft 62, and the input gear 61.

The gear shaft 62, the support shaft 63, and the slide gear 651 of the moving part 65 constitute a regulating mechanism. This regulating mechanism limits the movement range of the slide gear 651 on the shaft part 630 of the support shaft 63, thereby limiting the rotation range of the first drive shaft 201A, thereby limiting the lifting range of the bottom rail 31 and the screen 33 that are lifted and lowered by the first drive shaft 201A. In this embodiment, the lower end position of the bottom rail 31 is set by the regulating mechanism.

The switching unit 64, the slider 652 of the moving unit 65, and the transmission unit 66 constitute a switching mechanism. When the slider 652 of the moving unit 65 is guided in a region that is shifted in the front-rear direction from other parts of the guide unit 641 of the switching unit 64, the switching mechanism moves the moving unit 65 in the front-rear direction and switches the brake device 6 between a transmission state and a non-transmission state. When the brake device 6 is in the transmission state, the intermediate gear 663 of the transmission unit 66 meshes with the driven gear 671 of the brake 67, so that the braking force of the brake 67 is transmitted to the first drive shaft 201A. On the other hand, when the brake device 6 is in the non-transmission state, the transmission of the braking force of the brake 67 to the first drive shaft 201A is released. In this embodiment, the brake device 6 is set to be in the transmission state in a range (transmission region R2) corresponding to the lower end position of the bottom rail 31 set by the regulating mechanism.

(Operation of the brake device)
The operation of the brake device will be described. Figures 12 and 15 are front views showing the shielding device in a state where only the first brake is in operation and in a state where the first brake and the brake device are in operation, respectively. Figures 13 and 16 are perspective views showing the brake device in a non-transmitting state and a transmitting state, respectively. Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 12. Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 15.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the shading device 1, when the bottom rail 31 is lowered by its own weight and is at a position relatively far from the lower end position, the slider 652 of the moving part 65 is located within the non-transmission region R1 of the guide part 641 of the switching part 64 as shown in FIG. 13. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, the brake device 6 is in a non-transmission state in which the intermediate gear 663 and the driven gear 671 are separated and the first drive shaft 201A is not connected to the brake 67. In the non-transmission state, the rotation of the first drive shaft 201A in the shading device 1 is decelerated only by the first brake 204A.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, when the bottom rail 31 in the shading device 1 is lowered by its own weight and is in a position relatively close to the lower end position, the slider 652 moves beyond the transition region R3 in the guide portion 641 into the transmission region R2 as shown in FIG. 16. At this time, as shown in FIG. 17, the brake device 6 is in a transmission state in which the intermediate gear 663 and the driven gear 671 mesh and the first drive shaft 201A is connected to the brake 67. In the transmission state, the rotation of the first drive shaft 201A in the shading device 1 is further decelerated by the brake device 6.

In this way, with the brake device 6 according to this embodiment, the transmission state between the intermediate gear 663 and the driven gear 671 is switched depending on the amount of rotation of the first drive shaft 201A, so that the brake 67 can slow down the rotation of the first drive shaft 201A depending on the position of the bottom rail 31. In other words, the cooperation between the restriction mechanism and the switching mechanism allows the brake 67 to slow down the rotation of the first drive shaft 201A depending on the position of the bottom rail 31.

In this embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to a shading device 1 that has two screens 33, 43 as shielding materials, but the present invention can be applied to all shading devices in which the open/closed state of the shielding material can be controlled by rotating an axis member.

In addition, by appropriately changing the shape of the slits in the guide portion 641 in this embodiment, the position of the bottom rail 31 where the rotation of the first drive shaft 201A is further decelerated by the brake 67 can be determined as desired, allowing for flexible device design.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the bottom rail 31 descends to a predetermined position (near the lower end position), the brake 67 further decelerates the rotation of the first drive shaft 201A, but this can also be applied to other shading devices having a different configuration from the shading device 1. For example, if the shading device to which this is applied is a roll screen, when the screen is wound up on the winding pipe and the weight bar at the end of the screen rises to a predetermined position (near the upper end position), a similar regulating mechanism and switching mechanism may work together to activate the brake and decelerate the rotation of the winding pipe. This makes it possible to prevent the screen from being wound up too forcefully and the weight bar from jumping up.

Second Embodiment
(composition)
The configurations of the shielding device and the clutch device according to the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the shielding device according to this embodiment. Fig. 19 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the brake device according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 18, the shading device 1A according to this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it is configured as a horizontal blind and has a clutch device 6A instead of a brake device 6. The shading device 1A includes a head box 7, an operation unit 9 provided in the head box 7, a bottom rail 81, and a number of slats 82. Inside the head box 7, there are provided a first drive shaft 701 and a second drive shaft 702, two lifting drums 703 rotated by the first drive shaft 701, two rotating drums 704 rotated by the second drive shaft 702, and a clutch device 6A.

The operation unit 9 is provided on the right side of the head box 7 in FIG. 18, and includes an operation cord 91 and an operation rod 92 that hang down from the head box 7. The operation unit 9 rotates the first drive shaft 701 when the operation cord 91 is pulled, and rotates the second drive shaft 702 when the operation rod 92 is rotated around its axis. The operation cord 91 is configured to maintain its lower end position and to be wound up within the operation unit 9. The operation unit 9 rotates the first drive shaft 701 when the operation cord 91 is pulled greater than a predetermined distance. In addition, the operation unit 9 restricts the rotation of the first drive shaft 701 when the operation cord 91 is not being operated, and this restriction is released when the operation cord 91 is pulled less than the predetermined distance.

The slats 82 are supported by ladder cords 84 so that multiple slats 82 are arranged in the vertical direction between the head box 7 and the bottom rail 81. One end of the ladder cords 84 is connected to the rotating drum 704 and hangs down from the head box 7, and the other end is connected to the bottom rail 81, and is arranged in front of and behind the slats 82 so as to sandwich them, thereby supporting the slats 82 individually. The front and rear ladder cords 84 move relative to each other in the vertical direction in response to the rotation of the rotating drum 704, causing the slats 82 to tilt and rotate to a fully closed, horizontal (fully open) or semi-fully closed state, etc.

The bottom rail 81 is suspended and supported at the bottom end of the shading device 1A by connecting one end of a lifting cord 83, the other end of which is connected to a lifting drum 703 so that it can be wound and unwound. The bottom rail 81 is raised and lowered as the lifting cord 83 is wound and unwound by the lifting drum 703, which also raises and lowers the multiple slats 82.

The clutch device 6A differs from the brake device 6 in that the input gear 61 is omitted, that a gear shaft 62A is provided instead of the gear shaft 62, and that a clutch 68 is provided instead of the brake 67. The clutch 68 has a main body 680 and a driven gear 681. The driven gear 681 meshes with the intermediate gear 663 and inputs a rotational force to the main body 680. The main body 680 is connected to the second drive shaft 702, and transmits only the rotational force in one direction of the rotational force input by the driven gear 681 to the second drive shaft 702.

In this embodiment, the clutch 68 transmits only the rotational force in the rotational direction when the bottom rail 81 is lowered to the second drive shaft 702. In addition, the input gear 61 is omitted, and the gear shaft 62A is connected to the first drive shaft 701 so as to be able to rotate integrally with it. Therefore, when the rotation of the first drive shaft 701 is transmitted to the second drive shaft 702, the first drive shaft 701 and the second drive shaft 702 rotate in the same direction.

(operation)
The operation of the shading device according to the second embodiment will be described below. Figures 20 to 27 are schematic side views showing the shading device, and respectively show a state in which the bottom rail is in the lower end position, a state in which the slats are rotated, a state in which the slats are raised, a state in which the bottom rail is in the upper limit position, a state in which a lowering operation is performed, a state in which the bottom rail is lowered by its own weight, a state in which the slats are rotated in conjunction with each other, and a state in which the slats are fully closed and the bottom rail is in the lower end position.

As shown in FIG. 20, when the lifting and lowering of the slats 82 is stopped, as shown in FIG. 21, when the operator rotates the control rod 92 around its axis, the rotation of the second drive shaft 702 rotates the rotating drum 704, causing the slats 82 to tilt.

Also, as shown in FIG. 22, when the operating cord 91 is pulled by the operator more than a predetermined distance, the lifting drum 703 is rotated by the rotation of the first drive shaft 701, and the bottom rail 81 is raised. When this pulling operation is performed multiple times, the bottom rail 81 is raised to the upper end position as shown in FIG. 23.

Also, as shown in FIG. 24, when the operating cord 91 is pulled by the operator by a predetermined distance or less, the first drive shaft 701 is released from the restraint, and the bottom rail 81 descends under its own weight. As shown in FIG. 25, when the bottom rail 81 reaches near the lower end, the slider 652 in the clutch device 6A moves beyond the transition region R3 in the guide portion 641 into the transmission region R2. As a result, the clutch device 6A is in a transmission state in which the intermediate gear 663 and the driven gear 681 mesh with each other, and the first drive shaft 701 is connected to the clutch 68.

In the transmission state, the rotation of the first drive shaft 701 in the shading device 1A is transmitted to the second drive shaft 702 via the clutch 68, and as shown in FIG. 26, the lifting drum 703 and the rotating drum 704 rotate in conjunction with each other, which causes the bottom rail 81 to descend and the slats 82 to tilt, and as shown in FIG. 27, the bottom rail 81 stops at the lower end position and the shading device 1A enters a fully closed state.

In this way, the switching mechanism can switch not only the brake 67 but also the clutch 68. That is, the switching mechanism can switch between transmitting force to a drive shaft that raises and lowers the shielding material for an operating mechanism that raises and lowers the shielding material, i.e., performs operations related to opening and closing the shielding material, or transmitting force to the drive shaft by the operating mechanism. In addition, the rotation range of the first drive shaft 701 does not necessarily need to be restricted, and a switching device that switches the transmission state may be configured by a support shaft 63 that does not limit the movement range of the gear shaft 62, switching unit 64, moving unit 65, transmission unit 66, and slide gear 651.

The present invention can be embodied in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main characteristics thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted as limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and is not limited in any way by the text of the specification. Furthermore, all modifications, improvements, substitutions and alterations within the scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

1 Shielding device 6 Brake device 61 Input gear 62, 62A Gear shaft 63 Support shaft 64 Switching section 65 Moving section 66 Transmission section 67 Brake 68 Clutch

Claims (5)

A switching device provided in a shielding device that raises and lowers or opens and closes a shielding material,
a gear shaft to which the rotation of a drive shaft that raises and lowers the shielding material is input;
a moving part having a slide gear that meshes with the gear shaft and that is movably provided;
A support shaft that rotatably supports the slide gear;
a transmission unit that transmits a rotational force of the drive shaft to an operating mechanism that performs an operation related to raising and lowering or opening and closing the shielding material, or transmits a braking force generated by a reduction gear to the drive shaft;
a switching unit that switches between a transmission state in which transmission is performed by the transmission unit and a non-transmission state in which the transmission is released in response to movement of the moving unit,
The switching device is characterized in that the slide gear is screwed into the support shaft and moves in the axial direction of the support shaft in response to rotation of the gear shaft. the actuating mechanism has a first driven gear for operating the actuating mechanism;
the reduction gear has a second driven gear for transmitting a braking force generated by the reduction gear,
2 . The switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission portion has an intermediate gear that meshes with the gear shaft and that meshes with the first driven gear or the second driven gear when the switching device is in a transmission state. the switching portion is provided so as to be movable in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a guide portion that guides the moving portion is formed, the guide portion including a non-transmission region that guides the moving portion along the axial direction, and a transmission region that guides the moving portion along the axial direction at a different position on one side in the orthogonal direction relative to the non-transmission region,
The switching device according to claim 2 , wherein the transmission portion causes the intermediate gear to mesh with the first driven gear or the second driven gear when the switching portion is moved to the opposite side in the orthogonal direction. The switching device according to claim 3, characterized in that the moving part further includes a slider that is pushed by the slide gear and moves in the axial direction along the guide part. A switching device provided in a shielding device that raises and lowers or rotates a shielding material,
a gear shaft to which the rotation of a first drive shaft that raises and lowers the shielding material is input;
a moving part that moves in an axial direction of the gear shaft in response to rotation of the gear shaft;
A transmission unit that transmits a rotational force of the first drive shaft to a second drive shaft that rotates the shielding material;
a switching unit configured to switch between a transmission state in which transmission is performed by the transmission unit and a non-transmission state in which the transmission is released in response to movement of the moving unit.