Patent Publication Number: US-2021172247-A1

Title: Electric roller shade

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to an electric roller shade, and more particularly to an electric roller shade which is capable of charging a power supply device which provides electric power. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Generally, most electric roller shades have a motor for providing a driving force to rotate the roller tube. The power supply designed for conventional electric roller shades has a power plug that comes out from one end of the roller tube and is electrically connected to the motor; the power plug can be connected to a mains power socket, whereby to provide electric power to the motor. However, this kind of electric roller shade would have an adverse influence on the aesthetics of interior design due to the exposed cables. Furthermore, if the position where an electric roller shade is installed is remote from the mains power socket, an extension cord which connects the mains power socket and the vicinity of the installation position of the electric roller shade has to be applied to connect the power plug, thereby providing electric power to the electric roller shade. However, using an extension cord is inconvenient for users. In some countries with strict power regulations, extension cords may even require a licensed professional to perform the installation. This inconvenience also reduces users&#39; willingness to select electric roller shades. 
     To address the problems previously described, some electric roller shades use batteries to provide electric power to the motor. In such cases, batteries, like the motor, can be installed in the roller tube of a roller shade; alternatively, the batteries can also be installed at a concealed position between the upper edge of the entire electric roller shade and the window frame. Either way, the use of batteries can solve the problems that the aesthetics may be marred by exposed cables and consumers&#39; preferences for electric roller shades may be reduced because of the inconveniences in constructing the extension cords. However, after using this kind of battery-powered electric roller shade for a period of time, the battery may drain, making the electric roller shade inoperable, and therefore the battery must be replaced. No matter where the batteries are installed, e.g., in the roller tube of a roller shade, or between the upper edge of the entire electric roller shade and the window frame, the batteries are located at the top end of the window frame. Users may have to use a ladder or similar tools to reach the height of the top end of the window frame just to replace the batteries, which is rather bothersome. 
     Therefore, to overcome the above-mentioned known problems, electric roller shades still need a solution for conveniently charging the batteries after the electric roller shade is installed, so that the batteries could have sufficient electric power to supply to the motor for lowering and retracting the covering material. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objective of the present invention is to provide an electric roller shade. With a charging connector disposed on the blocking plate and electrically connected to the power supply device, a connection position capable of charging the power supply device is provided. Also, by connecting the external charging unit to the charging connector, the power supply device could be charged directly. Thus, the problem of the inconvenience in replacing batteries of conventional electric roller shades could be solved. Moreover, when the charging unit is connected to the charging connector, they could remain connected by themselves, and the electric power could be transmitted from the charging unit to the power supply device. The user may charge the power supply device through the charging connector without the need to support the charging unit by hand or any additional support. After the charging is completed, the charging unit could be detached from the charging connector. 
     To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an electric roller shade including a roller shade assembly, a mounting assembly, a blocking plate, and a charging assembly. The roller shade assembly includes a covering material, a roller tube, a motor, and a power supply device, wherein the covering material is connected to and wound around the roller tube. The motor is adapted to be driven by the power supply device to drive the roller tube to rotate, whereby to retract or release the covering material. The mounting assembly includes two support brackets, and the roller tube is disposed between the two support brackets. The blocking plate is connected to the mounting assembly in a fixed manner relative to the mounting assembly. The charging assembly includes a charging connector and a charging unit. The charging connector is disposed on the blocking plate and electrically connected to the power supply device, wherein the charging unit and the charging connector are detachably and correspondingly connected to each other. When the charging unit is connected to the charging connector, the charging connector transmits electric power from the charging unit to the power supply device. 
     With the charging connector disposed on the blocking plate and electrically connected to the power supply device, a connection position could be provided out of the roller shade assembly to connect the charging unit, and the power supply device could be charged thereby. Also, the power supply device may be charged by connecting the external charging unit to the charging connector. Thus, the inconvenience in replacing batteries for conventional electric roller shade could be eliminated. In this way, when the user connects the charging unit to the charging connector, the electric power of the charging unit could be transmitted to the power supply device through the charging connector, whereby to charge the power supply device. In addition, once the user connects the charging unit to the charging connector, the charging unit could remain connected to the charging connector by itself without needing to be supported by hand, additional supports, or other external forces. After the charging procedure of the power supply device is completed, the charging unit could be detached from the charging connector to keep the electric window covering aesthetic and safe. 
     These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electric roller shade of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the charging unit and the charging connector are engaged with each other; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the electric roller shade of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the charging unit and the charging connector are disengaged from each other; 
         FIG. 3A  is a partial enlarged view of the electric roller shade of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein a part of the case of the charging connector is presented transparently; 
         FIG. 3B  is a side view of the electric roller shade of the embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a partial enlarged view of the electric roller shade of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein a part of the fixing seat of the charging unit is presented transparently; 
         FIG. 5  is a partial sectional view of the electric roller shade of the embodiment of the present invention seen from the rear, wherein the charging unit and the charging connector are engaged with each other; 
         FIG. 6  is a partial sectional view of the electric roller shade of the embodiment of the present invention seen from the rear, wherein the charging unit and the charging connector are disengaged from each other; 
         FIG. 7  is a partial enlarged view of the electric roller shade of the embodiment of the present invention, wherein a part of the fixing seat of the charging unit is presented transparently; 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of  FIG. 7 , wherein a part of the fixing seat of the charging unit is removed; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an electric roller shade of another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the charging unit and the charging connector are engaged with each other; and 
         FIG. 10  is another perspective view of the electric roller shade of another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the charging unit and the charging connector are disengaged from each other. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 8 , the electric roller shade  1  includes a roller shade assembly  10 , a mounting assembly  20 , a charging assembly  30 , and a blocking plate  40 . As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the roller shade assembly  10  includes a covering material  12 , a roller tube  14 , a motor (not shown), and a power supply device (not shown). The motor and the power supply device are disposed in the roller tube  14  and electrically connected to each other. The power supply device provides electric power to the motor, and the motor is driven by the electric power to drive the roller tube  14  to rotate around the longitudinal axis of the roller tube  14 . However, the installation positions of the motor and the power supply device are not limited to the above. In practice, one or both of the power supply device and the motor may also be installed outside the roller tube but near the position of the roller tube. One end of the covering material  12  is connected to the roller tube  14 . When the roller tube  14  is rotating, the covering material  12  could be wound around the roller tube  14  to get retracted or released from the roller tube  14  to be lowered. 
     The mounting assembly  20  includes a mounting bracket  21  and two support brackets  22 , wherein the two support brackets  22  are respectively connected to two ends of the mounting bracket  21 . The roller tube  14  is disposed between the two support brackets  22 , and two ends of the roller tube  14  are respectively connected to the two support brackets  22  to be supported thereby. The blocking plate  40  includes a front decorative valance  41 , which is connected to the mounting bracket  21  and disposed in front of the roller tube  14 , so that the front decorative valance  41  is fixed relative to the mounting bracket  21  and covers the front of the roller tube  14 . In practice, the front decorative valance  41  may also be directly connected to one or both of the support brackets  22  without being connected to the mounting bracket  21 , in a manner that the front decorative valance  41  is fixed relative to the support brackets  22  and covers the roller tube  14 . In other words, the objective of providing the front decorative valance  41  that is fixed relative to the mounting assembly  20  and covers the front of the roller tube  14  could also be achieved in this way. In the present embodiment, the front decorative valance  41  may be used to cover at least a part of the roller shade assembly  10 , so that the appearance of the electric roller shade  1  may be more compact and beautiful. Specifically, when the electric roller shade  1  is lowered, the front decorative valance  41  may cover the roller tube  14  and part of the covering material  12  which is still wound around the roller tube  14 , and may therefore only expose another part of the covering material  12  that has been released from the roller tube  14 . 
     The charging assembly  30  is adapted to supply electric energy to the power supply device for charging. In the embodiment of the present invention, the charging assembly  30  includes the charging connector  32  and the charging unit  34 , as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 . The charging connector  32  is disposed on the blocking plate  40  and electrically connected to the power supply device. In the present embodiment, the charging connector  32  is disposed on a side surface  411 , facing the roller shade assembly  10 , of the front decorative valance  41  of the blocking plate  40 , and is electrically connected to the power supply device disposed in the roller tube  14  through a conductive wire  31 , as shown in  FIG. 3A . 
     In  FIG. 3B , the front decorative valance  41  has a side surface  411  and a guide slot  412  disposed on the side surface  411 . The charging connector  32  has a flange  323 , which may be correspondingly connected to and fixed in the guide slot  412 , so that the charging connector  32  is fixedly disposed on the front decorative valance  41 . In the present embodiment, the charging connector  32  is covered by the front decorative valance  41 , so the aesthetics of the appearance of the front decorative valance  41  would not be marred. In  FIG. 3A , the charging connector  32  has an electric power input member  322  and a first fixing member  324  which are disposed adjacent to each other. In the present embodiment, the first fixing member  324  is, as an example, a magnetic member having a magnetic force or a magnetic member that could be attracted by magnetic force. The first fixing member  324  may be a magnet or a magnetic attracting material (such as an iron sheet). The charging connector  32  has a recessed slot  321 , and the electric power input member  322  and the first fixing member  324  are provided corresponding to the slot  321 . The electric power input member  322  is a recessed-type connector, such as a socket, of which an interface may be exposed through the slot  321 , while the first fixing member  324  is embedded in a bottom of the slot  321 . However, this is not a limitation of the present invention. 
     In  FIG. 4 , the charging unit  34  includes a fixing seat  341 , an electric power output member  342 , a shaft body  343 , and a second fixing member  344 . In the present embodiment, both the second fixing member  344  and the first fixing member  324  are magnetic members having magnetic force or magnetic members that could be attracted by magnetic force. However, the second fixing member  344  and the first fixing member  324  must be able to attract each other. For example, the first and the second fixing members  324 ,  344  are both magnets, so they can be attracted by each other; or, one of them is a magnet and the other is a metal that can be magnetically attracted. The fixing seat  341  has an engaging portion  3411  and an insert portion  3412  which are disposed at opposite positions. The engaging portion  3411  is connected to one end of the shaft body  343 . The electric output member  342  and the second fixing member  344  are disposed adjacent to each other at the insert portion  3412 . In the present embodiment, the insert portion  3412  has an opening  3412   a , and a part of the electric power output member  342  protrudes out of the surface of the insertion portion  3412  through the opening  3412   a ; the second fixing member  344  is disposed within the insertion portion  3412 . Regarding the structural configuration of the present embodiment, the insertion portion  3412  of the fixing seat  341  and the slot  321  of the charging connector  32  are correspondingly provided, and the slot  321  may accommodate at least a part of the insert portion  3412 . When the insert portion  3412  goes into the slot  321 , the insert portion  3412  matches the slot  321  to get connected in pairs. At the same time, the electric output member  342  and the electric power input member  322  may be connected to each other in pairs, while the first fixing member  324  and the second fixing member  344  may be paired by attraction. With these configurations, the charging unit  34  may be connected to the charging connector  32  in a detachable manner. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  at once.  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6  are both partial sectional views of the electric roller shade  1  seen from the rear. The electric output member  342  is a protruding-type connector, such as a plug, but is not limited thereto. When the insert portion  3412  of the charging unit  34  is inserted into and connected to the slot  321  of the charging connector  32 , the electric power output member  342  may be inserted into the electric input member  322 , establishing an electrical connection. In practice, the design of connectors of the electric power input member  322  and the electric power output member  342  is not limited thereto. Any design that can establish an electrical connection when the electric power input member  322  and the electric power output member  342  are connected should be included. In the present embodiment, the number of the first fixing member  324  is two, each of which is respectively disposed adjacent to one of two sides of the electric power input member  322 . Also, the number of the second fixing member  344  is two, each of which is respectively disposed adjacent to one of two sides of the electric power output member  342 . When the electric power output member  342  and the electric power input member  322  are connected, the first fixing member  324  and the second fixing member  344  may be mutually attracted at the same time and get connected, so that the insert portion  3412  could be firmly engaged within the slot  321 , and the stability of the connection between the electric power input member  322  and the electric power output member  342  would be improved. In addition, through the connection of the first fixing member  324  and the second fixing member  344 , the charging unit  34  could still remain connected to the charging connector  32  even if the charging unit  34  is not supported by hand, object, or any other external forces. In the present embodiment, although the first fixing member  324  and the second fixing member  344  are represented by members capable of being magnetically attracted by each other, it should be realized that they may also be any kind of fixing members that can be detachably and correspondingly connected, such as tightly fitted fixing members having complementary shapes, which may also provide the effect of keeping the charging unit  34  connected to the charging connector  32  while they can still be easily separated. Therefore, the first fixing member  324  and the second fixing member  344  are not limited to be magnetic members. 
     In  FIG. 5 , the shaft body  343  includes an electric power transmission circuit  3432  which is electrically connected to the electric power output member  342 . In the present embodiment, the shaft body  343  may accommodate a battery-type power supply device therein or may be directly connected to an external electric power source (such as mains electricity or a portable charger). The electric power P could be transmitted to the electric power output member  342  through the electric power transmission circuit  3432 . If a user wants to charge the power supply device of the electric roller shade, he/she could hold and move the shaft body  343  of the charging unit  34  to have its insert portion  3412  inserted into and connected to the slot  321  of the charging connector  32 , without the need to use a ladder or similar tools. Since the first fixing member  324  and the second fixing member  344  are attracted and connected to each other, the insert portion  3412  could be firmly connected to the slot  321 . Meanwhile, the correspondingly provided electric power output member  342  and the electric power input member  322  are also electrically connected, so that the electric power P transmitted to the electric power output member  342  could be transmitted to the power supply device through the electric power input member  322 , whereby to charge the power supply device. After the user holds and moves the shaft body  343  to have the charging unit  34  and the charging connector  32  correspondingly engaged, the charging unit  34  and the charging connector  32  may remain firmly connected through the attraction force and connection generated and established between the first fixing member  324  and the second fixing member  344 , and therefore the user could let go the shaft body  343  and leave it at where it is. In this way, while the power supply device is being charged, the charging unit  34  could remain connected to the charging connector  32  by itself, and would not need the support from hands, external forces, or any additional supporter. 
     In the present embodiment, the electric power output member  342  and the electric power input member  322  are connectors having physical electrical connection, but this is not a limitation of the present invention. The electric power output member  342  and the electric power input member  322  may also be the type that transmits electric power through induction coils. In the manner of transmitting electric power by induction, the electric power output member  342  only needs to be adjacent to the electric power input member  322 , and does not need a physical electrical connection. That is, after the user holds the shaft body  343  and moves the charging unit  34  to have the insert portion  3412  of the charging unit inserted into and connected to the slot  321  of the charging connector  32 , the insert portion  3412  may be firmly connected into the slot  321  through the attraction and connection between the first fixing member  324  and the second fixing member  344 . At this time, the electric power output member  342  is correspondingly adjacent to the electric power input member  322 , and the electric power P could be transmitted from the electric power output member  342  to the electric power input member  322  through induction coils. 
     In  FIG. 6 , when a user holds the shaft body  343 , without using a ladder, and moves the charging unit  34  in a direction away from the charging connector  32  until the first fixing member  324  and the second fixing member  344  are no longer attracted by and connected to each other, the charging unit  34  is detached from the charging connector  32 . At this time, the electric power P of the electric power output member  342  would no longer be transmitted to the electric power input member  322 , and the electric power P supplied to the power supply device would be therefore stopped. That is, the charging procedure of the power supply device is terminated. 
     Next, please refer to  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 . The charging unit  34  further includes a cushion member  345 . The cushion member  345  is disposed between the shaft body  343  and the engaging portion  3411  of the fixing seat  341 . In the present embodiment, one end of the cushion member  345  is connected to the shaft body  343  while the other end is connected to the engaging portion  3411 . In the present embodiment, the cushion member  345  is a vibration-absorbing spring, and the shaft body  343  and the engaging portion  3411  are respectively equipped with a fixing pin (not shown) to fix two ends of the spring. When the charging unit  34  is connected to the charging connector  32 , and the shaft body  343  is shaken by an external force (e.g., being accidentally hit by the user), the vibration could be absorbed by the spring to avoid affecting the attraction and connection between the first fixing member  324  of the charging connector  32  and the second fixing member  344  of the charging unit  34 , as well as the corresponding connection between the electric power output member  342  and the electric power input member  322  or the stability in the vicinity. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 . The blocking plate  40  of the electric roller shade  2  includes an end plate  42 . The end plate  42  is disposed at one end of the roller tube  14  of the roller shade assembly  10 . Specifically, in the present embodiment, the end plate  42  is disposed between one end of the roller tube  14  and the support bracket  22 . The end plate  42  is connected to the roller tube  14 , the support bracket  22  is connected to the endplate  42 , and the charging connector  32  is disposed at a bottom surface  421  of the end plate  42 . Accordingly, the conductive wires used for the interconnection established between the charging connector  32  and the power supply device disposed inside the roller tube  14  may be hidden in the end plate  42  and the roller tube  14  instead of being exposed. In  FIG. 10 , the slot  321  of the charging connector  32  is formed by recessing the bottom surface  421  of the end plate  42 . The electric power input member  322  is disposed in the slot  321 . Furthermore, as in the previous embodiment, a first fixing member (not shown) may be embedded in the slot  321 . When the insert portion  3412  of the charging unit  34  in  FIG. 10  is inserted into the slot  321 , the electric power output member  342  would be in direct contact with the electric power input member  322  and generate an electrical connection to transmit electric power by the corresponding connection between the first fixing member (not shown) of the charging connector  32  and the second fixing member  344  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) of the charging unit  34 ; alternatively, the electric power output member  342  could be located adjacent to the electric power input member  322  without physical contact to transmit the electric power in an inductive manner, as shown in  FIG. 9 . At this time, the charging unit  34  and the charging connector  32  could remain in a connected state by themselves, and the electric power of the charging unit  34  could be transmitted to the power supply device through the electric power output member  342  and the electric power input member  322 , whereby to charge the power supply device. 
     By the design of the present invention, the electric roller shade could provide a connection position for charging the power supply device through a charging connector which is electrically connected to the power supply device. Also, the charging connector of the power supply device is disposed at the front decorative valance or the end plate of the blocking plate in a manner that the charging connector is exposed out of the roller shade assembly without affecting the overall appearance and the mounting of the electric window blind. In addition, since the power supply device could be charged through the connection of the external charging unit and the charging connecter, the troublesome and burdensome task in replacing the batteries of conventional electric roller shades or in arranging wires to use the mains electricity could be resolved. Also, when the charging unit is connected to the charging connector, they could remain in a connected state by themselves, and the electric power could be transmitted from the charging unit to the power supply device. In other words, a user may charge the power supply device through the charging connector without using hands or any additional supporter to support the charging unit, making it easy to perform the charging operation. After the charging is completed, the charging unit may be detached from the charging connector to maintain the overall aesthetics and safety of the electric window blind. 
     It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.