Patent Publication Number: US-2019200468-A1

Title: Tubular motor for a closure system

Description:
The present invention relates to a tubular motor for a shutter system as well as a shutter system comprising such a tubular motor. 
       FIG. 1  shows a tubular motor  100  of the prior art for a roller blind that comprises a panel  102  fixed to a winding tube  104  of axis X and around which said panel  102  winds in order to rise. The panel  102  is fixed to the winding tube  104  by means of fixing elements. Only one end of the winding tube  104  is shown here. 
     The tubular motor  100  comprises a drive tube  106  comprising a tube  120  in which drive means  112  are fixed, including at least one motor, and for example also a brake and a reduction gear. 
     The tube  120  is coaxial with the winding tube  104  and disposed inside the latter after assembly. 
     The drive means  112  have a drive shaft  122  that constitutes a motor shaft driven by the motor and to the end of which a plug  123  (here a male plug) is fixed that cooperates with a socket  125  (here a female socket) of the winding tube  104 . Thus the rotation of the drive shaft  122 , in one direction or the other, causes the rotation of the winding tube  104  and therefore, according to the direction, the descent or rise of the panel  102 . 
     The drive shaft  122  and the plug  123  emerge through one of the ends of the tube  120 . 
     The tubular motor  100  also comprises a flange  108  that is mounted fixed in the box of the roller blind and a bearing  110  fixed to the flange  108  coaxial with the axis X and on which the other end of the tube  120  is fitted and fixed. 
     The drive tube  106  also comprises control means  114  having a printed circuit  113  and electronic components installed on the printed circuit  113 , which are intended to control the motor and are enclosed here in a shell consisting here of two half-shells  116   a - b  fixed to one another and housed in the tube  120 . The two half-shells  116   a - b  are fixed to the drive means  112  and to the tube  120 . The printed circuit  113  is fixed in the two half-shells  116   a - b  and is therefore fixed with respect to the drive means  112  and to the tube  120 . 
     The two half-shells  116   a - b  are positioned alongside and in line with the flange  108 . 
     In order to provide the control and power supply of the control means  114  from the outside, the drive tube  106  also comprises a first connector  118  that is removably housed in a housing  124  of the flange  108  and comprises a plurality of terminals  132 , here three in number, wherein each terminal  132  is connected to an electrical conductor  126 . The electrical conductors  126  form together an electrical supply control cable that is moreover connected to an electrical power source and a control means such as a button, in order to supply and control, in rising or descent, the control means  114  and the drive means  112 . 
     The control means  114  also comprise a second connector  128  installed on the printed circuit  113 . The second connector  128  comprises a plurality of windows in each of which an electrical contact is arranged, in particular a metal leaf. Each window receives the bared end of an electrical conductor in the form of a flexible wire  130 , here three in number. The other bared end of each flexible wire  130  is inserted in one of the terminals  132  through a housing hole  124 . Each flexible wire  130  corresponds to an electrical conductor  126 . 
     When the tubular motor  100  is assembled, assembly of the flexible wires  130  is manual, which may cause a delay in production and an extra cost. 
     One object of the present invention is to propose a tubular motor for a shutter system that does not have the drawbacks of the prior art and in particular allows robotic assembly. 
     To this end, a tubular motor for a shutter system is proposed, said tubular motor comprising:
         a drive tube integrating drive means and control means intended to electrically control and supply the drive means;   a flange fixed to the drive tube and having a housing emerging through holes on the same side as the control means,   a first connector housed in the housing and, for each hole, having a terminal aligned with said hole,       

     the control means comprising a printed circuit and a second connector installed on the printed circuit and comprising a plurality of windows in each of which an electrical contact is arranged, 
     the tubular motor being characterised in that it also comprises a block that comprises:
         a base, and   for each terminal, an angled pin fixed to the base,       

     wherein a first end of each pin is inserted in one of the windows of said second connector and wherein a second end of each pin is inserted in a terminal through a hole. 
     Advantageously, the base is disposed between the angles of the pins and the first ends that are inserted in the second connector. 
     Advantageously, the drive tube comprises a stop disposed opposite the windows of the second connector, and the base is arranged between the windows and the stop. 
     The invention also proposes a shutter system comprising:
         a winding tube,   a panel fixed to the winding tube, and   a tubular motor according to one of the aforementioned variants and housed inside the winding tube.       

    
    
     
       The features of the invention mentioned above, as well as others, will emerge more clearly from a reading of the following description of an example embodiment, said description being given in relation to the accompanying drawings, among which: 
         FIG. 1  shows in perspective an exploded view of a tubular motor of the prior art, 
         FIG. 2  shows in perspective an exploded view of a tubular motor according to the invention, 
         FIG. 3  shows a schematic view of a connection without angular offset, and 
         FIG. 4  shows a schematic view of a connection with angular offset. 
     
    
    
       FIG. 2  shows a tubular motor  200  for a roller blind similar to the one of the prior art shown in  FIG. 1 . The same elements therefore bear the same references and the functioning is identical except with regard to the method of connection between the first connector  118  and the second connector  128 . 
     The roller blind thus comprises:
         a winding tube  104 ,   a panel  102  fixed to the winding tube  104 , and   a tubular motor  200  having a tube  120  housed inside the winding tube  104 .       

     The tubular motor  200  comprises a drive tube  106  with drive means  112  that are electrically controlled and supplied by the control means  114  that are housed in a shell consisting of two half-shells  116   a - b  fixed to one another. The drive means  112  and the control means  114  are integrated in the drive tube  106 . 
     The tubular motor  200  also comprises the flange  108  and the bearing  110  fixed to the flange  108 . The flange  108  is fixed to the drive tube  106  by means of the bearing  110  on which the tube  120  of the drive tube  106  is fitted. The control means  114 , including the printed circuit  113 , are fixed to the tube  120  by means of two half-shells  116   a - b  that are positioned alongside and in line with the flange  108 . 
     The flange  108  also has a housing  124  emerging through holes on the same side as the control means  114 . 
     In order to provide the control and power supply of the control means  114  from the outside, the drive tube  106  also comprises the first connector  118 , which is housed removably in the housing  124  of the flange  108  and comprises, for each hole, a terminal  132 , here three in number, aligned with the hole. 
     Each terminal  132  is connected to an electrical conductor  126 . The electrical conductors  126  form together an electrical supply and control cable that is moreover connected to an electrical power source and a control means such as a button, in order to supply and control in raising or descent the control means  114  and the drive means  112 . 
     The control means  114  also comprise a second connector  128  installed on the printed circuit  113 . The second connector  128  comprises a plurality of windows in each of which an electrical contact is disposed, in particular a metal leaf. 
     The tubular motor  200  also comprises a block  230  that comprises:
         a base  232 , and   for each terminal  132 , an angled pin  234  fixed to the base  232 .       

     The pins  132  also being secured to the base  232 , the block  230  is a rigid element that can easily be manipulated by robot and can therefore be fitted in an automated fashion. 
     Thus, during assembly, the block  230  is placed in the second connector  128  by inserting a first end of each pin  234  in a window of said second connector  128 . 
     Next, the flange  108  associated with the bearing  110  is placed by movement parallel to the axis X and therefore the second end of each pin  234  is inserted in a hole in the housing  124  provided for this purpose. 
     The first connector  118  can then be positioned in the housing  124  and each terminal  132  then receives one of the second ends of each pin  234  through one of the holes. 
     The other elements of the tubular motor  200  are assembled in a similar manner to those of the tubular motor  100  of the prior art. Naturally variants are possible, such as for example different forms for the male plug  123  and the female socket  125 . 
     It is also possible to have more than three pins  234  according to the electrical commands or the information to be sent to the control means  114 . 
     The installation in the form of two half-shells  116   a - b  may also be different. 
       FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  each show a side view of the connection between the holes of the housing  124  and therefore of the first connector  118  and the second connector  128  when the block  230  is in place. 
     When the tubular motor  200  is assembled, it may happen that an angular offset about the axis X exists between the control means  114  and the flange  108 , and therefore more particularly between the second connector  128  and the first connector  118 . 
       FIG. 3  shows the assembly without angular offset and  FIG. 4  shows the assembly with an example of angular offset. 
     In  FIG. 3 , there is no angular offset and the first ends of each pin  234  are all pressed over the same length into the windows of the second connector  128 . 
     In  FIG. 4 , there is an angular offset, which is conventionally less than 5°, and, according to the position of the pin  234 , the pressing into the window of the second connector  128  may be greater or lesser. 
     The flexibility of the electrical contacts makes it possible to guarantee electrical contact and the dimensions of the holes make it possible to ensure penetration of each pin  234  even in the case of angular offset. 
     In the embodiment of the invention presented here, the base  232  is arranged between the elbows of the pins  234  and the first ends that are inserted in the second connector  128 . 
     The base  232  thus limits the angular and linear movements allowable for the block  230 , in particular because of the presence of a stop  302  that is secured to the drive tube  106  and here more precisely of the half-shell  116   b  and which comes above the base  232 . Thus the stop  302  prevents the pins  234  coming out of the second connector  128  because the base  232  abuts under the stop  302 . 
     Thus, in general terms, the drive tube  106  comprises the stop  302 , which is arranged opposite the windows of the second connector  128 , and so that the base  232  is arranged between the windows and the stop  302 . 
     Preferentially, the stop  302  is at a maximum of 2 mm from the base  232 . 
     The invention applies in the same way to any shutter system comprising a winding system and a windable panel, such as for example an awning, a coilable screen, an indoor blind or a garage door.