Apparatus for the Automatic Raising and Lowering of Curtains, Blinds, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 6th Mar., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for the Automatic Raising and Lowering of Curtains,
Blinds, and the like.
I, EUGEN ROTH, of 38 Lohstrasse, Osnaburgh, in the German Empire,
Mechanician, do bereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
This invention relates to apparatus for the automatic raising and lowering of
curtains, blinds and the like and consists in the special construction of a contact
device to be operated by the suo.
Two transparent hollow bodies are arranged for making contact, one of which
is painted in a dark colour, or the smaller part of it is filled with opaque material,
for instance, cotton wool, or similar material and the other part is left quite
transparent.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I now proceed to
describe the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 shows a partial section.
The arrangement is as follows.
The axis of
An armature bis pivotted in supports e between a steel magnet a.
the armature b carries a small cog wheel d and a commutator e on which latter
slide contact brushes c¹. An axle W having a square front end rests also in the
supports or blocks c. The square end of the axle W engages with the curtain or
blind rod and carries a large cog wheel at the opposite end, which engages with
the small cog wheel d. The steel magnet a carries an axle g, on which is situated
a loose worm wheel r, which engages in a worm h and carries a disc i. The latter
is fixed to the axle and is pressed against the worm wheel r by a spring 22. The
worm wheel r and the disc i have projections m and n, which may be changed in
position by the rotation of the axle by means of the crank a in order to interrupt
the electric current at pleasure and to raise or lower the curtain or blind at will.
The disc i and the contact wheel r move between a forked contact lever. u, which
is moved to the right or left by means of projections m n whereby the current is
transmitted to the motor through the springs 8 and 9, from the spring contacts 7
and 10, or 10 and 11, and interrupted at the proper time.
The transparent hollow bodies a' ' are arranged outside the window, and are
thus exposed to the direct light from the sun. One of these hollow transparent
bodies 6 is painted black, or preferably, filled partially with a dark substance,
such as black wool, cotton-wool or the like, so that the rays of the sun heat the air
in the darker globe, while the rays of light pass through the entirely transparent
globe, and do not heat the air contained therein, for the purpose of alternately
making and breaking an electric current by the action of the sun; and to actuate
the motor accordingly so as to either raise a curtain or lower it.
These two hollow holes are arranged at the ends of a Ushaped tube c¹. Three
wires 4, 5 and 6 are fused into this tube. A column of mercury Q in the tube, on
which the air in the two globes acts, comes into contact with a wire 4, or 6
respectively and thus complete the circuit.
In the arrangement shown in the accompanying drawings the apparatus is as
when not exposed to the influence of the rays of the sun, that is to say the
apparatus is at rest. When then the rays of the suu strike the two hollow bodies,
the air in the dark globe b' expands for the before-mentioned reasons.
The
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page_text: expanded air forces up the column of mercury so as to contact against the wire 4,
whereby the circuit is closed.
The current then passes as follows:-
From the source B to the spring contact v, through the wire
and the column
of mercury Q to the wire 4, spring contact W through the circuit wire L to the
contact 7 and spring 8, thence in the sliding brush 2 to the motor, brush z', spring 9,
contact 10, and back through the circuit to the battery.
The motor now rotates, to the right for instance, until the projection m of the
disc pushes the contact lever u to the left, whereby contact between spring 8 and
contact piece 10, and between spring 9 and contact piece 11 is effected and the
before-mentioned circuit interrupted, while simultaneously a second circuit in the
motor is closed, which however is still open in the sun contact.
When the semi-spheres are no longer under the influence of the rays of the sun,
the tension of the air contained in the black hollow body b' is gradually reduced
to that of the air in the globe a¹ sɔ that the column of mercury returns into its
original position, thus closing the circuit for shade.
The current now passes as follows.
From the battery B to the contact piece v, wire 5, column of mercury Q, wire 6,
contact piece p, circuit R, contact piece 11, spring 9, sliding brush, through the
motor to the sliding brush z, spring 8, contact piece 10, and through the circuit A back
to the battery, the current thus passes in opposite direction to that previously indi-
cated. The motor therefore rotates to the left and "winds up" the curtain until the
projection n, pushes the contact lever to the right and the springs 8 and 10 on to
the contact pieces 7 and 10, whereby the circuit first described is interrupted.
At the same time the circuit in the motor for the sun is closed, while it remains
open in sun-contact.
These operations are repeated automatically whenever the sun rays act on the
hollow bodies or disappear therefrom, whether the temperature be low or high.
The wind has no influence thereon, because the heating effect of the rays of the sun
takes place only in the interior of the hollow bodies.
The arrangement may be devised so that the engaging and disengaging of the
motor is effected manually by means of a contact device, whereby the raising and
lowering of the curtain may be effected independently from the sun-contact.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1st. Apparatus for the automatic raising and lowering of curtains, consisting of
two hollow transparent bodies a¹ exposed to the sunlight, one of which is
painted dark, or, preferably filled partially, with opaque material, for instance
wadding, wool and the like, for the purpose of heating the air in the dark globe,
while the rays of the sun pass through the transparent globe and do not heat the
air therein, pressure being thus exerted upon a mercury column which closes an
electric circuit, breaks it again on the disappearance of the rays of the sun, and
closes another circuit, both in combination with an electro motor, which interrupts
the movement of the curtain.
2nd. In the apparatus claimed in Claim 1 the arrangement that the electro
motor after being interrupted in its movement, inserts the circuits which is open in
sun-contact, so that when the sun-contact closes the circuit, the electro motor is
forced to rotate in the opposite direction.
3rd. The arrangement of the apparatus claimed in Claim 1, so that the electro
motor is engaged, disengaged or changed by means of a contact device operated by
hand for the purpose of raising and lowering curtains.
Dated this 9th day of January 1807
FELL & JAMES,
Agents for the Applicant.