FLEXIBLE WALL COVERING SYSTEM WITH VANES AND DRIVE MECHANISMS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS

Abstract: The invention relates to flexible wall cowering systems of wall panels provided with an array of tiltable vanes for instance to be used as sun blinds in front of windows or for various decorative purposes. The invention furthermore relates to various kinds of drive mechanisms for such panels. Two different kinds of drive mechanisms are disclosed: one comprising separate motors for moving the panels across the wall and for manipulation the vanes in the panels and one comprising only one motor serving the dual purpose of movement of the panel relative to the wall and for manipulating the vanes. The invention finally discloses guide and suspension systems for such panels.

Description: FLEXIBLE WALL COVERING SYSTEM WITH VANES AND DRIVE MECHANISMS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a flexible wall-covering system comprising a plurality of movable panels that can be used for covering the facades of houses, factories, high-rise buildings etc. and particularly to such panels provided with vanes and to drive mechanisms for such systems, panels and vanes. DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART Screening or protective devices for walls or openings in walls with or without operating or securing mechanisms such as shutters, movable grill, screens or other constructions affording protection against light, in particular against sunshine and similar screens for privacy or appearance such as Venetian blinds, louver windows and roller shades are known within the art. Some of these types of panels have been arranged slidable with respect to an opening or a window to be covered (US A 4,457,106) or allowing another restricted movement of the panel with respect to the wall (EP A 622 501). It is also known from GB A 1 ,143,511 to provide image-shifting signs on fixed constructions comprising a number of rotatably mounted display members which have three display-member surfaces, provided with an image strip- forming part of an image which can shift or change for another image by rotation of the display members. All such kinds of panels have traditionally been fixed to the wall structure or have had only limited mobility, and have therefore limited the versatility of the appearance and use of the facade of the buildings upon which they are used. The trend in modern high-rise buildings is to use large window areas that require screens against sunlight. This problem has hitherto been solved by providing fixed screens, shutters or Venetian blinds. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION It is the object of the present invention to provide a versatile wall-covering system of the kind referred to initially, which system provides increased flexibility. This object is achieved in accordance with claim 1 by providing a flexible wallcovering system comprising a plurality of movable panels, a panel-bearing and guiding system for suspending the panels from the wall, wherein the panels are movable in at least one direction along the surface of the wall. Because the panels can be moved along the entire surface of a certain wall section, a greater versatility is provided in changing the appearance of the wall. During the day the panels may be placed in front of the window sections for shading and during the dark hours the panels could be move one next to another to from a large information display arrangement. The movable panels may be in the form of any of the known fixed panels such as sun screens, shutters, louver windows, Venetian blinds, shaded sheets, solar cells, display arrangement, etc. Specifically the panels comprises a rigid frame, which may be at least partially hollow in order to accommodate various drive mechanisms etc. and a plurality of parallels distributed vanes extending over the major part of the surface of the panel. The panels can be arranged on the outside, the inside, or alternatively between two (glass) layers in buildings that are equipped with a so-called "climate zone". It is a further object of the present invention to provide various simple and easily operable drive mechanisms for such a system, some of these drive mechanisms being appropriate in some circumstances and other drive mechanisms being appropriate in other circumstances. Two fundamentally different kinds of drive mechanisms may be utilised. Either separate drive mechanisms for moving the panels across the wall surface and for manipulating the vanes of the separate panels can be used, but it is also possible to devise a combined drive mechanism for the panels and the vanes, thus utilising only a single drive means or actuator for both purposes. Embodiments of each of these kinds of drive mechanisms will be described in the detailed description of the invention. According to a first embodiment of the present invention each of said panels comprises an outer frame, an array of a plurality of rotatably mounted parallel vanes extending over the opening defined by the frame and separate drive mechanisms for moving the panel along the wall and for manipulating the vanes. The drive mechanism for moving the panel along the wall comprises a motor means connected to and possibly housed within the frame of the panel. The motor means is coupled to said panel-bearing and guiding system by means of a chain, wire, belt or similar means, which means are firmly connected to said panel-bearing and guiding system and interacts with the motor means via coupling to a wheel provided on the drive axle of the motor means. Specifically a toothed belt interacting with a corresponding tooth wheel on the drive axle of the motor means could be used. Utilising this drive system for the panels the panels can be moved across the wall over a certain distance, which distance can be determined by the position of the points of attachment of the belt, chain etc. to said panel-bearing and guiding system. According to this embodiment of the invention a plurality of vanes are rotatably mounted beside each other and having two opposite surfaces, each vane being provided with a pair of rotation axles disposed at the opposite ends thereof, and the drive mechanism for manipulating the vanes comprises a drive motor and a transmission in order to rotate the vanes synchronously, the drive motor being connected through a axle to two cranks which are positioned with a rotational shift with respect to one another in the range from 20 to 160°, each of these cranks being connected to a connecting rod that extends along the opposite sides of the frame, each vane being provided with a crank at each of its rotation axles, said cranks being arranged at a same rotational shift as the cranks connected to the drive motor, said cranks driving the vanes being connected to the respective connecting rod. According to a second embodiment of the invention utilising a combined drive mechanism for moving the panels along the wall and for manipulating the vanes each of the panels comprises an outer frame, an array of rotatably mounted parallel vanes extending over the opening defined by said frame, and a combined drive mechanism, the rotatably mounted vanes comprising two opposite surfaces, each of said vanes being provided with a longitudinally extending shaft for pivotable attachment to the frame, where said drive mechanism comprises an actuator connected to said frame by means of a first coupling means for displacing said frame along a distance over the wall, where said coupling member is connected to each of said longitudinally extending shafts via a second coupling means so that a displacement of at least a part of said first coupling means relative to the frame causes said longitudinally extending shaft to rotate about its longitudinal axis, whereby said vanes undergo a corresponding rotation. According to this embodiment of the invention, the advantageous effect is thus attained, that it is possible to manipulate each of the panels of the system with only one actuator means, this actuator means both providing for the displacement of the panel over the surface of the wall and also for the angular adjustment (tilt) of the vanes of the panel. The actuator means is not limited to one specific type of actuator, such as an electric motor, and the actuators of each panel could in practice be remote controlled by appropriate means. In fact the drive mechanisms could even be manually operated if desired. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following detailed description of a number of exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a view of a wall provided with the system with the panels in a first position; Figure 2 is a view of a wall provided with the system with the panels in a second position; Figure 3 is a view of a single panel in detail showing the drive mechanism for the vanes according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 3a is a side elevational view of a lower and upper portion of two adjacent panels in detail showing the drive mechanism for the panel according to the first embodiment of the invention; Figure 3b is a view from above of a single panel in detail showing the drive mechanism for the panel according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 4 is a sectional view of details of a vane and corresponding drive mechanism according to the first embodiment of the invention; Figures 5a to 5c are views on different embodiments of the panel; Figure 6 is a view in section of the embodiment in which the panels are arranged between two glass surfaces; Figure 7a is a schematic perspective view of one displaceable wall panel provided with a plurality of vanes and a combined drive mechanism according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 7b is a schematic side elevational view of the displaceable wall panel shown in Figure 7a; Figure 7c is an enlarged schematic view of a detail in Figure 7b; Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of one displaceable wall panel with combined drive mechanism according to a third embodiment of the invention; Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of one displaceable wall panel with combined drive mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; and Figure 10a, b and c shows further examples of a system of displaceable wall panels according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION There follows a detailed description of a wall cowering system according to the invention and of various embodiments of drive mechanisms either using two separate drive motor, one drive motor for moving the panels across desired portions of a wall etc. and one for manipulating the vanes of the panels (the first embodiment) or using a combined drive mechanism with only one drive motor for both the movement of the panel and for manipulation of the vanes (the second, third and fourth embodiment). Of these various embodiments the three latter ones are considered preferred embodiments at the time of filing the present application, but which one of these would be preferred in practice could depend on the actual circumstances, i.e. on the specific layout of the wall cowering system. Referring to figure 1 there is shown a wall 2 of a building construction forming a faςade that is built up of glass areas 3 and non-glass areas 5. The facade is provided with a plurality of exterior panels 6. These panels are movable in a horizontal direction along the wall 2. The movement of the panels 6 is not limited to covering and uncovering a single window 4 or glass area 5 or other element of the wall 2 but instead the panels 6 can be moved along a major part of the wall 2. The panels 2 shown in Figure 1 are rectangular frames 1 provided with horizontal vanes 8. These panels 6 may serve as blinds to protect against the sunlight on one hand, but also to provide optical effects such as information display, e.g. in the form of advertisements or signs, or provide a certain look for pure aesthetic considerations. The movable panels 6 are suspended from the wall 2 by guide rails 13 which can either be designed as shown in figure 3a or as shown in figure 7b and 7c, where the rail 13 according to figure 3a has been replaced by a housing for the guide and drive system 40 provided with appropriate guide means 13, 43, 44, 45. Each panel is provided with a first drive motor 10 that can be an electric motor, although other drive means may also be employed, provided with a tooth-wheel 7. The tooth-wheel 7 engages a tooth-belt 9 that is fixed to the rail 13. A schematic view of this system is shown in figure 3b, where the tooth-belt 9 is passed around and in engagement with the tooth-wheel 7 and directed by a pair of rollers T on the inner portion of the frame, which rollers directs the belt in such a manner that the belt extends approximately parallel with the guide rail 13. The belt 9 is fixed at either ends hereof to protrusions 13' provided at appropriate locations along the rail 13. The electric motor 10 is powered through electric contacts (not shown) at the rails and the control of the electric motor 10 can be performed through a remote control (not shown), preferably in the form of a radiographic remote control or alternatively an infrared remote control. The frames are suspended from a rail 13 by means of castors. Returning to figure 1 the lower part of the movable panels is suspended by a second rail 13 disposed parallel to the other rails a distance corresponding to the height of the panels. The system as shown comprises more than two rails in order to accommodate a number of panels at different height levels. Details of the connection between the rail 13 and the panel 6, the drive motor 10 and the tooth- belt 9 are shown in figure 3a. The movability of the panels 6 offers an additional flexibility to the appearance and function of the facade of a building that has not been known hitherto. In an office building, the movable panels may e.g. be used for protection from sunlight during the day as shown in figure 1 by placing them in front of the window sections and be used for creating a large information screen for advertisement or information purposes during night and evening by moving the panels together as shown in figure 2. Preferably, the vanes 8 in the panels 6 are rotatable over 180 °, so that each side of the vanes 6 can be turned to the front of the facade. One side of the vanes 6 might e.g. be plain metal while the other side of the vanes are provided with such image parts that together form an image which can be used for information or advertisement purposes. Thus, as in the above example of an office building, it will be possible to turn the vanes 6 in the evening with their side with the advertisement image and arrange the movable elements together as shown in Figure 2 to form one large image. During the next day, when there will be a need for shading from sunlight, the vanes are turned back 180° and the movable panels are arranged in front of the respective windows 4 again as shown in figure 1. According to the first embodiment of the invention a drive mechanism for manipulating the vanes 8 as shown in Figure 3 is provided in order to allow a 180° rotational movement of the vanes 8. The panel frame 1 comprises a plurality of rotatably mounted vanes 8 which are located beside each other and which have two surfaces 11 ; 12 (see figure 4). On each surface 11 ; 12, an image or an image strip forming part of an image which can shift or change for another image by rotation of the vane 8 is provided. Each vane 8 is provided with a pair of rotation axles disposed at the opposite ends thereof, preferably by a through going shaft. A second drive motor 16 and a transmission 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 , 22 rotate the vanes 8 synchronously, the drive motor 16 being connected to a shaft 21 extending over the width of the frame 1 and provided with first and second cranks 17; 18 which are positioned with a 90° rotational shift with respect to one another. Each of these cranks 17, 18 are connected to a connecting rod 19, 20 that extends along the opposite sides of the frame 1. Each vane 8 is provided with a third crank 22 at each of its rotation axles. These cranks 22 are also arranged at a 90° rotational shift. The cranks 22 driving the vanes 8 are connected to the respective connecting rod 17, 18. Thus, a drive mechanism is formed which does not have the problem of a "dead" point as known from single crank, piston-crank drive constructions. According to a preferred embodiment, vanes 8 are made of extruded aluminium profiles having a lens-shaped cross-section as shown in Figure 4. This Figure also illustrates the drive mechanism in dashed lines. The vanes are connected to the shaft 14 and rotating in unison with the latter. The lens-shaped cross-section gives the extruded aluminium vanes 8 a high bending resistance, which are therefore stable and robust. The vanes 8 can of course be arranged vertically instead of horizontally within the frame 1 and an example of this is shown in figure 8 in connection with the description of a combined drive mechanism. The frames may be provided with other arrangements than a row of vanes. Examples of other arrangements are shown in Figure 5a to 5c. Figure 5a shows a roller-shade 23 arranged in the frame 1 in which fabric or film 24 is wrapped around a roller (not shown) disposed at one side of the frame 1 and is operated by winding and unwinding. Part of the fabric or film 24 can be more transparent than other parts or provided with different images for informational advertisement purposes. By wrapping or UN-wrapping the part of the fabric or film 24 with the desired characteristics can be selected. Figure 5b shows another embodiment in which solar cells are carried by the frame 1. These solar cells 25 are preferably be provided on one side of large vanes so that the solar cell function can be turned off and on, by rotating the vanes so that the solar cell side of the vane faces the wall. Thus this kind of panel 6 can be used as energy source and sunscreen during the day and whilst the vanes are turned around during the dark hours display an image. According to another embodiment as shown in figure 5c the panels 6 are carrying more complicated information display systems in the form of a monito26. According to other embodiments (not shown) the panels are carrying a fixed film or sheet, for example a dark fabric provided with small perforations, or a semi- transparent dark film for shading purposes. The panels may alternatively be provided with metal sheet or armoured plate for security purposes. The system may also be provided with one or more service panels that have a cleaning or maintenance function. A window cleaning panel which is equipped with a detergent tank, spray nozzles for applying the detergent to the windows and a wiper fore frying and polishing the window after the detergent applications step. The wall covering system may comprise several different types of panels as described above. A preferred embodiment of the system one set of parallel rails is provided at one side of the wall, to allow vertical movement of the panels, so that the panels can be moved from one level to another. This embodiment is particularly useful for use with service panels such as the window-cleaning panel. The invention is not limited to panels that are arranged at the outside of the building wall. It is also possible to provide the panels between the wall and a glass outer surface as shown in figure 6. Another possibility is to arrange the panels on the side of the wall facing the interior of the building (not shown). Referring now to figure 7 through 9 a detailed description of three different embodiments of the displaceable wall panels with associated combined drive mechanisms according to the invention are described. Furthermore, some possible layouts of systems comprising such panels are presented in figure 10. With reference to fig. 7a there is shown a schematic perspective view of the displaceable wall panel with vanes according to a second embodiment of the invention. The frame 1 of the wall panel comprises an upper horizontal portion V and vertical side portions 1" which portions are made at least partially hollow in order to accommodate various functional components of the system to be described in the following. The panel as a whole is slidably mounted on an appropriate system of guide rails 13 (Figure 7b) enabling the panel to be displaced a sudden distance over for instance a facade of a building. To facilitate this displacement the frame 1 of the panel is provided with a number of rail wheels 39 positioned on the upper portion 1" of the frame 1. The frame may at its lower portion be provided with similar wheels cooperating with appropriate rails or alternatively be provided with rollers 40 as shown in Figure 7b. The rail 13 and appropriate guide means for the rollers 40 are - together with a drive motor 27 and corresponding drive means 28, 29 and 30 - located within a suitable housing 41 , which can be attached to the facade of the building. In the embodiment shown in Figure 7b the roller 40 is confined within a longitudinally extending guide channel 43, so that the roller 40 is in abutment with an abutment surface 44 formed by one vertical wall of the guide channel 43. The panel is furthermore prevented from swinging outwards from the facade of the building due to for instance the influence of wind forces by the other vertical wall of the guide channel 43, in the Figure referred to as the outer retaining surface 45 of the guide channel 43. The guide channel 43 containing the roller 40 is shown enlarged in Figure 7c. The horizontal displacement (as indicated by the arrow D in Figure 1) is accomplished by means of a drive motor 27, which via suitable drive and chain wheels 29, 30 drives a chain 28. This chain 28 is connected to a pivotable arm 32 via attachment means 31 , which may also serve as a chain tightening means known per se. The arm 32 is pivotally mounted about a vertical pivot axis 33 attached to the upper portion 1 ' of the frame 1. A wire 34 is attached to the arm 32 at a point in the vicinity of that end of the arm 32 that is housed within the upper portion V of the frame 1. The wire 34 passes over a wheel 35 and down into the hollow interior of one of the side portions 1 " of the frame 1 , where it is attached to the upper end of a vertically displaceable bar 36. The frame is in the vertical direction provided with a number of horizontal vanes 8 pivotable positioned on corresponding longitudinal shafts 14 and at one longitudinal end provided with cranks 37, the other end of which are pivotable connected to said vertically disposed displaceable bar 36. A vertical displacement of the bar 36 makes the vanes tilt within predetermined angular limits. In practice the range of tilt angel of the vanes with respect to the horizontal orientation of the vanes will be limited to - 90 degrees < α < + 90 degrees in order to avoid a dead point from which point it will not be possible to tilt the vanes by displacement of the bar 36. The lower end of the displaceable bar 36 is coupled to the lower portion of the frame by means of a tension spring 38. The system of cranks 37 and displaceable bar 36 shown in Figure 7a could also be replaced by a rack and pinion system by replacement of the cranks 37 with gear wheels and the bar 36 with a corresponding rack in engagement with the gear wheels. In practice only a mechanism giving rise to an appropriate rotation of the shafts 14 in synchronism with the pivotable movement of the arm 32 could in principle be used. The function of the displaceable wall panel according to the invention can be described by the following example, where the panel initially is positioned beside a window, which is to be covered by the panel, i.e. the window is located immediately to the right of the panel as depicted in Figure 7a. As a first step the motor 27 is activated, whereby the chain 28 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow C and thereby displacing the arm 32 translationally. The translational displacement of the arm 32 causes a corresponding displacement of the panel, and this displacement continues until a mechanical stop (not shown) is reached, whereby a further displacement of the panel is prevented. During this displacement the end of the arm 32 housed within the upper portion 1 ' of the frame 1 has been located at the position A in Figure 7a, and throughout this displacement the vanes 8 have remained tilted at the angle β relative to the horizontal. Provided the motor 27 is still activated after the panel has reached the above mentioned mechanical stop, the chain 28 continues to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow C, whereby the arm 32 pivots about its vertical axis 33. This rotation of the arm 32 causes the attachment point of the arm with the wire 34 to be shifted from the position A relative to the frame, in which position it has remained throughout the displacement of the panel as described above, towards the position B relative to the frame. Thus the rotation of the arm 32 about its pivot axis 33 causes the wire 34 to raise the bar 36 against the force exerted by the tension spring 38, thus causing the vanes 8 to undergo a certain rotation about their longitudinal axes 14. If the motor 27 is stopped, the vanes 8 remain at this angular position. Thus by changing the sense of rotation of the motor drive shaft, the angular position of the vanes 8 can be adjusted within limits that as previously mentioned must be kept within -90 < β < 90 degrees. In practice, limits somewhat less than +/- 90 degrees, for instance +/- 80 degrees should be chosen. This can for instance be accomplished by means of suitably positioned mechanical stops within the upper horizontal portion 1 ' of the frame limiting the rotation of the arm 32 about its pivot axis 33 although other means for limiting β may also be conceived. When it is desired to remove the panel from the window, the sense of rotation of the drive shaft of the motor 27 is reversed compared to the initial sense of rotation, whereby the vanes gradually resumes their original angular orientation, e.g. approximately +80 degrees, corresponding to the end of the arm 32 resuming its position A in the upper portion 1' of the frame 1, whereafter a further movement of the chain in the direction opposite to the arrow C will result in the panel being displaced away from the window, finally resuming its original position beside the window. It is understood that various means for remote controlling the actuator 2 could be employed in practice without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Referring to Figure 8, there is shown a third embodiment of the displaceable wall panel according to the invention. The embodiment shown in Figure 8 corresponds to the one shown in Figure 7a and 7b except that the vanes 8 have been oriented vertically about vertical shafts 14 rotatably attached to the upper and lower portions of the frame 1. This orientation of the vanes 8 may advantageously be used for instance in situations where disturbing light reflections for instance from neighbouring buildings are to be blocked out. Also the alternative orientation of the vanes 8 as compared with the orientation in Figure 7 may provide desirable aesthetic effects, either by using the panels according to this alternative embodiment on their own or through appropriate combinations with the panels according to the first embodiment shown in Figure 7. As mentioned in connection with the description of the first of the above embodiments of the present invention, the range of tilt angel of the vanes with respect to the horizontal orientation of the vanes will in practice be limited to - 90 degrees < α < 90 degrees in order to avoid a dead point, from which point it will not be possible to rotate the vanes by displacement of the bar 36. This problem is solved by the fourth embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 9. According to this embodiment, the vanes 8 are positioned in the frame 1 along horizontally oriented shafts 14 and these shafts are interconnected for simultaneous rotation via cranks 37 pivotally connected to a vertically displaceable bar 36 in principle in the same manner as in the above second embodiment of the invention. In the fourth embodiment, however, the wire from the first pivotable arm 32 is not connected directly to said displaceable bar 36 but instead to a tilt-wheel 42 provided on one end of the shaft 14 of one of the vanes 8. In Figure 9 the tilt-wheel 42 is provided on the end of the shaft 14 opposite the end where the shaft is connected to the bar 36 by means of the crank 37, but the tilt-wheel 42 could in principle also be provided at the same end of the shaft 14 as the crank 37. The wire 34 is according to this embodiment of the invention wound around the tilt-wheel 42 at least once and the distal end of the wire relative to the pivotable arm 32 is provided with a biasing means 38, which in practice could be a tension spring as shown in Figure 9. By applying the tilt mechanism according to the third embodiment of the invention the tilt of the vanes is not limited to - 90 degrees < α < 90 degrees as in the first two embodiments. Provided the maximal cross-sectional extension of the vanes and the distance between their individual shafts are chosen properly, it is possible according to this third embodiment of the invention to rotate the vanes a full 360 degrees and even more about their longitudinal axis. By proper dimensioning of the system of vanes 8 and their relative positioning in the frame 1 it is possible according to this embodiment practically to prevent light from outside to penetrate the system of vanes and reach the inside of the building and vice versa. Furthermore, different aesthetic effects may be obtained by rotating the vanes more that 180 degrees about their longitudinal axes, thus exposing opposite sides of the vanes. Although the fourth embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 9 only comprises a single tilt wheel 42, it would in practice of cause be possible to provide more than one of the shafts 14 of the vanes 8 with tilt wheels if it is for instance found that slippage between the wire 34 and the tilt wheel 42 causes problems in a practical implementation of the drive system according to the invention. Referring to Figure 10a, b and c, there are shown various examples of systems comprising a number of displaceable panels as described above but it is understood that other systems comprising such panels are also conceivable. Referring to Figure 10a, there is shown a system comprising four windows 4 and associated displaceable panels 6, where each of the windows 4 by the provision of appropriate drive means as described in the preceding sections can be covered by the corresponding panel. In the Figure the four windows are placed immediately adjacent each other, but the windows could of cause also be positioned at a certain distance - both horizontally and vertically - from each other with the panels in their non-covering positions placed between the windows. Furthermore, a panel of twice the height or width of the windows could de used, thus making it possible to cover for example the four windows shown in the Figure with the aid of only two panels. Referring to Figure 10b, two adjacent windows could also be covered by two corresponding adjacently positioned panels, which are moved together by a common drive mechanism. The drive mechanism could for instance also be provided with two separate motors M1 and M2, for instance located at opposite ends of the drive chain, if one motor is insufficient to drive the combined system of panels. Furthermore, the windows may not necessarily by positioned immediately adjacent each other, but could be positioned at a certain distance d from each other, provided a correspondent distance is provided between the corresponding panels. Referring to Figure 10c, there is finally shown a system of windows that may be covered by corresponding panels by displacement of these panels vertically instead of horizontally. Although a number of different embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in the preceding parts of the detailed description, it is understood that a person skilled in the art may conceive other embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. It is thus for instance possible to apply other activator means than the electric motors 10, 16, 27 used in the above description just as the specific reference to a chain 28 or a wire 34 should not have a limiting effect on alternative choices of such means. A purely manually operated activation system may also be employed. It is furthermore possible to locate the mechanical stops referred to above not only at the end of a window which is to be covered by the panel but at any position along the direction of displacement of the panel. It is thus possible to cover only a portion of e.g. a window. In fact, a number of such stops may be provided along the displacement path of the panel, and these stops can be made remote controllable to increase the flexibility of the system. It is also possible to provide these stops with suitable lock mechanisms so that it will not be possible from outside to remove the panel from the window. The panel may thus also serve as a protection against theft. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 1. Frame 2. Wall 3. Glass area 4. Window 5. Non-glass area 6. Panel 7. Tooth wheel 8. Vane 9. Tooth belt 10. First drive motor 11. Surface 12. Surface 13. Guide rail for frame 14. Shaft of vane 15. Castors 16. Second drive motor 17. First crank 18. Second crank 19. First connecting rod 20. Second connecting rod 21. Shaft of second drive motor 22. Third crank 23. Roller-shade 24. Fabric/film 25. Solar cell 26. Monitor 27. Third drive motor 28. Drive chain 29. Drive wheel 30. Chain wheel 31. Attachment means of chain 32. Pivotable arm 33. Pivot axis for pivotable arm 34. Wire 35. Wheel 36. Displaceable bar 37. Crank 38. Tension spring 39. Rail wheel 40. Roller 41. Housing for guide and drive system 42. Tilt wheel 43. Guide channel for roller 44. Abutment surface for roller 45. Outer retaining surface

Claims: C L A I M S: 1. A flexible wall covering system comprising a plurality of movable panels (6) and a panel bearing and guiding system (13; 41 , 43, 44, 45) for suspending the panels from the wall, wherein the wall panels (6) are movable in at least one direction along the surface of the wall. 2. A flexible wall covering system according to claim 1 wherein the panel bearing and guiding system (13; 41 , 43, 44, 45) comprises a plurality of parallel rails (13). 3. A flexible wall covering system according to claim 1 wherein the panels (6) suspended from a single rail (13) can be moved together with their sides adjacent to form a single composite panel. 4. A flexible wall covering system according to claim 1 wherein the movable panels (6) are provided with an actuator (10; 27) for moving the panel along the wall. 5. A flexible wall covering system according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of one or more of the panels (6) is formed by an array of rotatable vanes (8). 6. A flexible wall covering system according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of one or more of the panels (6) is formed by a fabric or film wherein the fabric or film is preferably wrapped around a roller 7. A flexible wall covering system according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of one or more of the panels (6) is formed by solar cells, preferably provided on at least one side of the vanes. 8. A flexible wall covering system according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of one or more of the panels (6) is formed by a fixed plate or sheet, preferably an armoured plate. 9. A flexible wall covering system according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of one or more of the panels is formed by a monitor 10. A flexible wall covering system wherein at least one of the panels is provided with window cleaning equipment. 11. Method of controlling the appearance of a facade by providing a plurality of movable panels (6) that can be moved along a major part of the wall. 12. Method according to claim 11 , characterised by the step of moving the panels together to form one large composite panel. 13. Method according to claim 11 , characterised by the step of moving the panels over dedicated areas of the wall such as openings or windows. 14. Displaceable wall panel comprising an outer frame (1), an array of a plurality of rotatably mounted parallel vanes (8) extending over the opening defined by the frame (1) and a drive mechanism, the rotatably mounted vanes (8) being located beside each other and having two opposite surfaces (11, 12), each vane (8) being provided with a pair of rotation axles (14) disposed at the opposite ends thereof, the drive mechanism comprising a drive motor (16) and a transmission in order to rotate the vanes (δ)synchronously, the drive motor (16) being connected through a axle to two cranks (17, 18) which are positioned with a rotational shift with respect to one another in the range from 20 to 160°, each of these cranks (17, 18) being connected to a connecting rod (19, 20) that extends along the opposite sides of the frame (1), each vane (8) being provided with a crank (22) at each of its rotation axles, said cranks being arranged at a same rotational shift as the cranks connected to the drive motor (16), said cranks driving the vanes (8) being connected to the respective connecting rod (19, 20). 15. Displaceable wall panel comprising an outer frame (1 ), an array of plurality of rotatably mounted parallel vanes (8) extending over the opening defined by the frame (1) and a drive mechanism, the rotatably mounted vanes being located beside each other and having two opposite surfaces (11 , 12), each vane (8) being provided with a pair of rotation axles (14) disposed at the opposite ends thereof, the drive mechanism comprising a drive motor (16) and a transmission in order to rotate the vanes (8) synchronously, wherein the vanes (8) are extruded metal profiles with a hollow lens-shaped cross-section. 16. Displaceable wall panel comprising an outer frame (1), an array of rotatably mounted parallel vanes (8) extending over the opening defined by said frame (1) and a drive mechanism, the rotatably mounted vanes (8) comprising two opposite surfaces (11 , 12), each of said vanes (8) being provided with a longitudinally extending shaft (14) for pivotable attachment to the frame (1), characterised in that said drive mechanism comprises an drive means (27) connected to said frame (1) by means of a first coupling means for displacing said frame (1) along a distance over the wall, where said first coupling means is connected to each of said longitudinally extending shafts (14) via a second coupling means, so that a displacement of at least a part of said first coupling means relative to the frame (1) causes said longitudinally extending shaft (14) to rotate about its longitudinal axis, whereby said vanes (13) undergo a corresponding rotation. 17. Displaceable wall panel according to claim 16, characterised in that said first coupling means comprises an endless chain (28) acted on by said drive means (27) and passed over a drive wheel (29) and a chain wheel (30), where said chain (28) is attached by an attachment means (31 ) to an arm (32) pivotally coupled to said frame (1) by a shaft with pivot axis (33). 18. Displaceable wall panel according to claim 17, characterised in that said second coupling means comprises a wire (34) one end of which is connected to the end of said arm (32) opposite said attachment means (31), the wire (34) being furthermore connected to said longitudinally extending shafts (14) of the vanes (8) for rotation hereof via cranks (37), which cranks (37) are biased by a biasing means (38). 19. Displaceable wall panel according to claim 18, characterised in that each of said cranks (37) are interconnected for simultaneous rotation by means of a displaceable bar (36). 20. Displaceable wall panel according to claim 16, characterised in that said second coupling means comprises cranks (37) attached to each of said longitudinally extending shafts (14) of the vanes (8) for rotation hereof, where each of said cranks (37) are interconnected by means of a displaceable bar (36) for simultaneous rotation of said cranks (37), and where said end of said cranks (37) opposite said attachment means (31) is pivotably connected to said displaceable bar (36). 21. Displaceable wall panel according to claim 17, characterised in that said second coupling means comprises a wire (34) one end of which is connected to the end of said arm (32) opposite said attachment means (31), the wire (34) being furthermore connected to at least one of said shafts (14) of the vanes (8) for rotation hereof by means of a tilt wheel (42), where the shafts (14) are furthermore interconnected for simultaneous rotation hereof by means of cranks (37) interconnected by means of said displaceable bar (36). 22. Displaceable wall panel according to claim 18, characterised in that said biasing means (38) is a tension spring. 23. Displaceable wall panel according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said drive means are electric motors (10, 16, 27). 24. Displaceable wall panel according to claim 23, characterised in that said electric motors (10, 16, 27) are remote controllable. 25. Displaceable wall panel according to any of the preceding claims, where said frame (1) is provided with a plurality of rail wheels (39) for co-operation with corresponding guide rails (13) in fixed relationship to the wall, enabling the panel (6) to be displaced over the wall. 26. Displaceable wall panel according to any of the preceding claims, where said frame (1 ) is furthermore provided with rollers (40) for co-operation with a corresponding guide channel (43) in fixed relationship to the wall, said rollers (40) being confined to move within said guide channel (43). 27. A flexible wall covering system comprising a plurality of displaceable wall panels (6) according to any of the preceding claims and a system of guide rails (13) and guide channels (43) for suspending the panels from the wall, wherein the wall panels (6) are movable in at least one direction along the surface of the wall. 28. A flexible wall covering system according to claim 27, where said drive means (27), chain (28), drive wheel (29), chain wheel (30), rails (13) and guide channels (43) are comprised within a suitable housing (41), which can be attached to a wall. 29. A flexible wall covering system according to claims 27 or 28 comprising at least one stop for each of said panels, by means of which stop the displacement of said panels (6) along said guiding rails (13) is limited to a predefined extent. 30. First guide means for suspending and guiding movable panels, said guide means comprising a guide rail (13) for engagement with one or more corresponding rail wheels (39) on said panels. 31. Second guide means for limiting a displacement of at least a portion of said panels perpendicularly to the wall, said second guide means comprising a guide channel (43) for engagement with corresponding means (40) provided on said panels. 32. Third guide means for suspending and guiding movable panels and for limiting the displacement of at least a portion of said panels perpendicularly to the wall comprising said first guide means according to claim 30 and said second guide means according to claim 31.

Inventors: DAHL SVEND-ERIK, KRAB JOERGEN, MOELLER BRENT, DAHL, SVEND-ERIK, KRAB, JOERGEN, MOELLER, BRENT
Applicants: ART ANDERSEN AS, DAHL SVEND ERIK, KRAB JOERGEN, MOELLER BRENT, ART ANDERSEN A/S, DAHL, SVEND-ERIK, KRAB, JOERGEN, MOELLER, BRENT
Application year: 2001
Main classification: E06B9
IPC codes: E06B7