HK1168402B - Control module having a clutch for raising and lowering a window shade - Google Patents

Description

Control module for curtain

[ technical field ] A method for producing a semiconductor device

The invention relates to a curtain, which is provided with a control module, and a curtain sheet of the curtain can be lifted or lowered through the mutual connection of the control module and a driving shaft of the curtain.

[ background of the invention ]

The slats of window coverings come in many varieties, such as blind slats, roman slats, and honeycomb slats. When the curtain sheet of the curtain is lowered, the window can be shielded, the sunlight emitted into the room can be reduced, meanwhile, the room is improved in privacy, and the condition that others can see the room from the window can be prevented. When the curtain sheet of the window covering is raised, the user can see a complete and clear view through the window, and sunlight can be emitted into the room through the window. Generally, the curtain sheet is raised or lowered by operating the operating cord, and the user pulls the operating cord downward to raise the curtain sheet and releases the operating cord to lower the curtain sheet.

In the current window curtain, the operating cord of the window curtain is connected to the driving shaft at the inner side of the window curtain so as to raise or lower the curtain sheet. When the operating cord is pulled down, the drive shaft is caused to rotate and the support cord is retracted, thereby raising the curtain sheet. When the operating cord is released, the drive shaft is caused to rotate in the other, opposite direction to lower the curtain. However, when the number of the curtain sheets increases, the movable range of the operation cord may be considerably large, and when the curtain sheets are lifted, the length of the operation cord may be long.

In addition, when the length of the operating cord is too long, it looks very unattractive. But also creates a significant risk to many users, especially children. Since a too long operating cord is likely to entangle the neck of a small child to suffocate the small child. To avoid this danger, it is important to maintain the operating cord in a high position to avoid that a small child may hit the operating cord. But this is difficult to do with current day room blinds. Since generally the operating cord will be in a higher position when the curtain is folded up, but when the user pulls the operating cord down to unfold the curtain, the operating cord will be moved to a lower position, which may pose a danger to children when the operating cord swings in the lower position.

It is difficult for the user to naturally manipulate the long operation cord, and the user must move his/her arm to pull the operation cord downward. However, when the user's arm is fully extended and cannot pull the operating cord downward, the user must first release the operating cord, so that the released operating cord moves to a higher position, and then the user grasps the operating cord with his hand to pull the operating cord downward to move the curtain to a desired height. It takes time and is troublesome in operation.

[ summary of the invention ]

The invention relates to a novel control module for a curtain, through which a user can drive a curtain sheet to ascend and descend by a short operating rope. The control module is biased to a locking position to maintain the curtain in a desired unfolding state. The control module can be switched to the unlocking position by pulling an operating rope or a control rod, so as to allow the bottom rail of the curtain to automatically descend.

The window shade has a plurality of shade panels that can be raised or lowered by pulling an operating cord. The user can slightly pull the operating rope downwards to lower the curtain piece. If the user continuously pulls the operating cord downward, the curtain sheet can be lifted.

The curtain sheet can be raised by the operation steps of pulling and releasing the operation cord, in a manner similar to the ratchet technique. In particular, the user may pull on the cord to raise the curtain, release the cord to allow the cord to be retracted, and then continue to pull on the shade to raise the curtain. If necessary, the above steps can be repeated to raise the curtain sheet to a desired height. The length of the operating rope of the curtain provided by the invention is much shorter than that of the operating rope of the current curtain between the windows. According to one embodiment, the length of the operating cord may be shorter than half the height of the entire set of slats, for example, the length of the operating cord may be one third of the height of the entire set of slats, so that the user may pull the operating cord three times to raise the entire set of slats.

The invention provides a control module for a curtain, comprising:

a fixed shaft;

a drive shaft rotatable independently of the fixed shaft;

a brake mechanism disposed around the drive shaft, wherein the brake mechanism can lock or unlock the drive shaft to prevent or allow rotation of the drive shaft;

a rope drum, which is arranged on the fixed shaft and can rotate relative to the fixed shaft, wherein the rope drum is connected with an operation rope; and

a clutch mounted on the fixed shaft for coupling or decoupling the rope drum and the rotation of the driving shaft.

The curtain provided by the invention is provided with a clutch. Through the action of the clutch, a user can lift the curtain sheet by pulling the operating rope downwards, and the rope drum retracts the operating rope by releasing the operating rope. When the clutch is in a decoupled state with respect to the drive shaft, the movement of the operation cord being retracted does not move the curtain sheet, but the curtain sheet continues to be maintained at the original position. The user can raise the curtain by continuously pulling the operating cord downward until the curtain reaches a desired height.

When the operating cord is continuously pulled down, the brake mechanism in the control module is moved to a release position so that the drive shaft can rotate, and the clutch couples the cord reel with the drive shaft.

The brake mechanism is connected to a brake release member. By pulling the operating cord or lever downward, the brake release member is moved from an initial locked position to an unlocked position, and the brake mechanism is moved to the unlocked position, thereby unlocking the drive shaft and allowing the drive shaft to rotate. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the braking mechanism may include a spring, such as a coil spring. The spring tightens the adapter sleeve to lock the sleeve and prevent rotation of the adapter sleeve, thereby holding the drive shaft stationary and the shade panels in a fixed height position. When the operating cord is pulled, the brake release member moves the spring, thereby releasing the tightening of the adapter sleeve by the spring, and the adapter sleeve can be rotated.

The driving shaft is connected with the curtain sheet through a lifting rope. The driving shaft rotates to lift or lower the curtain sheet. When the clutch is in a coupling state, the rope drum can be driven to rotate by the operating rope, and the driving shaft is driven to rotate by the coupling of the clutch, so that the curtain sheet is lifted. When the clutch is in a decoupled state, the rope drum is not connected with the drive shaft and can rotate independently of the drive shaft. According to an embodiment of the invention, the clutch can selectively couple the adapter sleeve fixedly connected to the drive shaft with the rope drum. When the clutch is in the coupled state, the cord reel, the adapter sleeve, and the drive shaft may be rotated in synchronization to raise the curtain.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the clutch may include a first coupling member and a second coupling member. The first coupling piece and the second coupling piece are arranged on a fixed shaft and can rotate between a first position and a second position relative to the fixed shaft. In the first position, the outer peripheral surfaces of the first and second coupling members may form an enclosed guide track. In the second position, the outer peripheral surfaces of the first and second coupling members form a guide track having a stop zone. The clutch further includes a rolling element, such as a ball. When the first coupling piece and the second coupling piece rotate, the ball can displace along the guide track. When the balls reach the stopping area, the first coupling piece and the second coupling piece can synchronously rotate together, and the balls can abut against the radial clamping groove of the adapter sleeve in the rotating process. In this way, the clutch can couple the rope drum with the adapter sleeve. Therefore, the first coupling piece, the second coupling piece and the switching sleeve can synchronously rotate, so as to drive the driving shaft to rotate, and further to lift the curtain sheet.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the clutch may include a coupling member disposed on the fixed shaft. The coupling member has at least one boss and a plurality of teeth, and is capable of moving along the axial direction of the fixed shaft. The outer peripheral surface of the rope drum is provided with at least one guide track, the lug boss can move in the guide track, and the positions of the lug boss and the guide track can be interchanged. When the rope drum rotates towards a first direction, the coupling piece moves axially towards the adapter sleeve through the guiding action of the lug boss and the guiding track, so that the convex teeth of the coupling piece are meshed with the convex teeth of the adapter sleeve, and therefore, the clutch couples the rope drum with the sleeve, the rope drum, the coupling piece and the adapter sleeve can synchronously rotate, and the driving shaft is driven to rotate so as to lift the curtain sheet.

[ description of the drawings ]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a window covering with a control module.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the control module.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of a control module.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a first coupling member with which the clutch is provided.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a second coupling provided with the clutch.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of a braking mechanism provided with the control module.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an adapter sleeve provided with the control module.

Fig. 8 shows a front view of the adapter sleeve.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a brake release member provided in accordance with the control module.

FIG. 10 shows a side view of the brake release in the unlocked position.

Fig. 11 shows a side view of a rope drum provided with the control module.

Fig. 12 shows a front view of the cord reel and the first coupling of the clutch.

FIG. 13 shows a schematic view of the brake release member in the locked, upper position and the unlocked, lower position.

Fig. 14 shows a front view of the rope drum and the first coupling piece of the clutch rotating in the first direction.

Fig. 15 illustrates a front view of the radial rib of the first coupling member rotating toward the radial rib of the second coupling member.

Fig. 16 depicts a side view of a guide track formed between a first coupling and a second coupling with a keep-out zone.

Fig. 17 shows an expanded side view of a guide track formed with a keep-out zone between an outer surface of a first coupling and an outer surface of a second coupling of a clutch.

Fig. 18 shows a front view of the cord reel and the first coupling member of the clutch rotating in a second direction.

Fig. 19 illustrates a front view of the radial rib of the first coupling member abutting the radial rib of the second coupling member.

Fig. 20 shows a side view of a guide track formed without a stop region between a first coupling and a second coupling.

Fig. 21 shows an expanded side view of a guide track formed without a stop region between a first coupling and a second coupling.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a window covering with a control stick and control module.

FIG. 23A illustrates a side view of the window covering of FIG. 22 with the bottom rail in a raised position.

FIG. 23B depicts a side view of the window covering of FIG. 22 as the lever displaces the brake release from the locked position to the unlocked position.

FIG. 23C illustrates a side view of the window covering of FIG. 22 with the bottom rail in a lower position.

Fig. 23D illustrates a side view of the window covering of fig. 22 as the bottom rail is raised using the operating cord.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a window covering with a control stick and control module.

Fig. 25A illustrates a side view of the window covering of fig. 24 with the bottom rail in a raised position.

Fig. 25B illustrates a side view of the window covering of fig. 24 as the lever displaces the brake release from the locked position to the unlocked position.

FIG. 25C illustrates a side view of the window covering of FIG. 24 with the bottom rail in a lower position.

Fig. 25D illustrates a side view of the window covering of fig. 24 as the bottom rail is raised using the operating cord.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of a window covering with a control module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 illustrates an exploded view of the control module.

FIG. 28 depicts a side view of a control module.

FIG. 29A is a side view of a clutch having a coupling member according to another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 29B depicts a top view of the coupling of fig. 29A.

Fig. 29C depicts a front view of the coupling of fig. 29A.

FIG. 30 is a side view of a control module having a brake mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31A is a side view of an adapter sleeve in the control module.

Fig. 31B is a top view of the adapter sleeve of fig. 31A.

Fig. 31C illustrates a front view of the sleeve of fig. 31A.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of a brake release member provided to the control module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 33 shows a side view of the brake release member.

FIG. 34 is a side view of a control module with a cord reel according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 35 is a schematic view showing the locked and unlocked positions of the brake release member.

Fig. 36A is a schematic view illustrating the radial protrusion of the coupling member abutting against the first region of the guide track.

Fig. 36B shows a side view of the coupling lobe not coupling to the adapter sleeve lobe.

Fig. 37A illustrates a schematic view of the radial protrusion shifting from the first area to the second area of the guide track.

Fig. 37B is a schematic view illustrating the coupling element moving axially toward the adapter sleeve.

Fig. 38A is a schematic view illustrating the radial protrusion being displaced from the second region to the first region of the guide track.

Fig. 38B is a schematic view showing the coupling moving axially away from the adapter sleeve.

Window shade 10

Top rail 12 curtain sheet 14

Bottom rail 16 drive shaft 18

Operation rope 20 control module 22

Brake release member 26 of brake mechanism 24

Rope drum 28 clutch 30

Motor mechanism 32 housing 34

Support plate 36 cover 38

First coupling member 40 second coupling member 42

Spring 44 connectors 46, 48

Fixed shaft 49 rolling element 50

Radial flange 52 radial abutment 54

Radial rib 58 of slot 56

Extension 60 stop zone 61

Radial flange 62 guide track 64

Outer peripheral surfaces 66, 68 of the notch 65

First protruding end 72 of spring 70

Second projecting end 74 and sleeve 76

Central bore 77 radial pockets 78

Ring portion 82 of actuating lever 80

Through hole 84 and bolt 86

End 89 of control rod 87

Upper end 91

Window shade 100

Operating cord 120 window covering 114

Bottom rail 116 drive shaft 118

Control module 122 braking mechanism 124

Brake release member 126 cord reel 128

Clutch 130 motor mechanism 132

Housing 134 supports plate 136

Cover 138 coupling 140

Ring 171 sleeve 176

Ring portion 151 radial boss 152

The teeth 154 guide the track 156

First region 156a and second region 156b

First protruding end 172 of spring 170

Second raised end 174 central aperture 177

Lobe 178 actuating handle 180

Ring portion 182 has a through hole 184

[ detailed description ] embodiments

The invention can be implemented in numerous different embodiments. The embodiments shown in the drawings and described in detail below are preferred embodiments of the invention, however, the following description is only exemplary of the principles of the invention and should not be taken as limiting the invention.

Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a window covering 10. The window covering 10 may include a head rail 12, a plurality of panels 14, a bottom rail 16, a drive shaft 18, an operating cord 20, a control module 22, and a plurality of suspension cords (not shown) connected between the head rail 12 and the bottom rail 16. The window covering 14 may be opened when the bottom rail 16 is moved upward toward the top rail 12. The raising of the bottom rail 16 is controlled by operating cord 20 to retract the suspension cord connected between the top rail 12 and the bottom rail 16. The lowering of the bottom rail 16 is controlled by the operation cord 20 to unfold the suspension cord and turn the window covering 14 into a shielding state. Techniques for using a suspension cord to raise and lower a bottom rail to fold or unfold a window covering are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7275580 and U.S. Pat. No. 200800179017.

The type of the curtain sheet 14 is not limited. For example, a cloth curtain, a honeycomb curtain, a blind curtain or a curtain consisting of several mutually parallel slats can be used.

The kind of the top rail 12 is not limited. The head rail 12 is positioned at the top of the window covering 10 and is configured to house a drive shaft 18 and a control module 22. The bottom rail 16 is not limited in its kind and is provided at the bottom of the window covering 10. The operation of the operating cord 20 causes a suspension cord (not shown) to raise the bottom rail 16, thereby moving the curtain sheet 14 upward.

The driving shaft 18 defines a driving axis, and the driving shaft 18 is operatively connected to the bottom rail 16, i.e., the bottom rail 16 is moved up or down by the rotation of the driving shaft 18. For example, the suspension cord may be coupled to a plurality of spools (not shown) provided with the drive shaft 18, and rotation of the drive shaft 18 may cause the spools to wind the suspension cord, thereby raising the bottom rail 16 and the shade 14. It should be noted that any suitable or conventional construction for the spool may be used. In addition, the drive shaft 18 interfaces with the control module 22 such that the drive shaft 18 can raise or lower the curtain 14 depending on the emptying of the operating cord 20.

Referring to fig. 1-25, depending on the design of the window covering 10, a user may raise and lower the panels 14 by pulling on the operating cord 20. The user lowers the curtain 14 by pulling the operating cord 20 slightly downward, and then releasing the operating cord 20 causes the operating cord 20 to be displaced upward. However, the upward displacement of the operating cord 20 does not raise or lower the curtain 14, but instead maintains the curtain 14 at the current height. The user can continue to raise the curtain 14 by pulling the operating cord 20 downward.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the window covering 10 has a shorter operating cord 20, and the user can raise the window covering 14 by repeated actions of pulling and releasing the operating cord 20. The operating cord 20 may be shorter in length than half the height of the entire set of slats 14. When the length of the operating cord 20 is one third of the height of the entire set of the curtain sheet 14, the curtain sheet 14 can be completely raised by pulling the operating cord 20 three times. This operation is similar to a ratchet technique, such that a user may continue to raise the curtain 14 by pulling on the operating cord 20, releasing the operating cord 20 to allow the operating cord 20 to be retracted, and pulling on the operating cord 20 again. The above steps may be repeated until the curtain 14 is raised to a desired height. Therefore, the operating cord 20 used in the window covering 10 may be shorter than the operating cord of the current window covering.

To achieve the above operation, fig. 2 and 3 illustrate a control module 22 according to an embodiment of the invention. The control module 22 includes a brake mechanism 24, a brake release member 26, a cord reel 28, and a clutch 30. The control module 22 further comprises a motor mechanism 32, wherein the motor mechanism 32 can be a spring motor for driving the rope reel 28. The motor mechanism 32 may be located inside (as shown) or outside the control module 22. The control module 22 further includes a housing 34, a support plate 36, and a cover 38, wherein the housing 34, the support plate 36, and the cover 38 can enclose a plurality of different components inside the control module 22.

The clutch 30 may couple or decouple the rope drum 28 from the movement of the drive shaft 18. When the clutch 30 is in the decoupled state, the drive shaft 18 and the rope drum 28 can rotate relatively. For example, the rope drum 28 remains stationary, and the weight of the bottom rail 16 and the curtain 14 rotates the drive shaft 18 relative to the rope drum 28 to lower the curtain 14 and the bottom rail 16. Or the drive shaft 18 is kept stationary and the cord reel 28 is rotated to take up the operating cord 20. When the clutch 30 is in the coupled state, the cord reel 28 and the drive shaft 18 can be rotated synchronously to raise the curtain 14 and the bottom rail 16.

In this embodiment, the clutch 30 may be disposed between the braking mechanism 24 and the rope drum 28 and assembled with a fixed shaft 49. According to this embodiment, the clutch 30 may include a first coupling member 40, a second coupling member 42, a spring 44, two connecting members 46, 48, and a rolling element 50, such as a ball, 50. In some embodiments, the clutch 30 may further include an adapter sleeve 76.

Referring to fig. 3-5, the connecting members 46, 48 are fixed to a fixed shaft 49 (e.g., formed by a long rod) at intervals. The fixed shaft 49 is provided separately from the drive shaft 18, and the fixed shaft 49 is formed by extending the cover body 38 along the same axis of the drive shaft 18. The first coupling member 40 is pivotally connected to a portion of the connecting member 48, and the second coupling member 42 is pivotally connected to a portion of the connecting member 46, such that the first coupling member 40 and the second coupling member 42 can rotate around the axis of the driving shaft 18 relative to the fixed shaft 49, thereby switching the clutch 30 to be in the coupled state or the decoupled state.

Referring to fig. 4, the first coupling element 40 is generally cylindrical and mates with the second coupling element 42. More specifically, the first coupling member 40 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral surface 66 extending between the ends of the first coupling member 40. The outer peripheral surface 66 includes a recessed area extending around the first coupling member 40 and at least one notch 65 therein that at least partially defines the guide track 64 of the clutch 30. In one embodiment of the present invention, two notches 65 are provided and are disposed almost diametrically opposite to each other. The first coupling member 40 includes two opposing radial flanges 52 near the first end of the rope drum 28, and the rope drum 28 can be engaged with the radial flanges 52 to drive the first coupling member 40 to rotate synchronously when the rope drum 28 rotates. The first coupling member 40 includes at least one radial abutment 54 proximate the second end of the second coupling member 42, the radial abutment 54 being positioned proximate the notch 65 (see fig. 14). In one embodiment of the present invention, the radial abutment portions 54 are provided in two, respectively formed at almost opposite positions on the outer surface of the first coupling member 40 near the corresponding notches 65. The first coupling member 40 further includes at least one locking groove 56, and the locking groove 56 and the radial abutment 54 are spaced apart from each other. In one embodiment of the present invention, two slots 56 are formed in the first coupling member 40 at positions nearly diametrically opposite to each other, respectively, near the corresponding radial abutment 54.

Referring to fig. 5, the second coupling element 42 is substantially cylindrical and mates with the first coupling element 40. The second coupling member 42 is provided with two substantially diametrically opposed radial ribs 58, and each radial rib 58 has an outer peripheral surface 68 and an extension 60, the extension 60 extending from the radial rib 58 radially towards the center of the second coupling member 42.

As shown in fig. 21, when the first and second couplers 40 and 42 are assembled, a closed loop type guide track 64 extending around the first and second couplers 40 and 42 will be formed between the outer peripheral surface 66 of the first coupler 40 and the outer peripheral surface 68 of the second coupler 42. Then, each radial rib 58 can be moved to the corresponding notch 65 of the first coupling member 40, and the extension portion 60 can be removably inserted into the corresponding slot 56, so as to guide the first coupling member 40 and the second coupling member 42 to move relative to each other. Thereby, the radial ribs 58 may slide within the notches 65 to form or remove one or more stop zones 61 (shown in fig. 17) in the guide tracks 64.

Referring to fig. 6-8, adapter sleeve 76 is substantially cylindrical and is fixed to drive shaft 18 such that adapter sleeve 76 and drive shaft 18 rotate synchronously. The adapter sleeve 76 includes a central hole 77 and a radial slot 78, and the radial slot 78 is disposed inside the central hole 77 and is formed by extending linearly parallel to the rotation axis of the driving shaft 18. When the clutch 30 is assembled, the first coupling member 40 and the second coupling member 42 are disposed through the central hole 77 of the adapter sleeve 76, such that the guide track 64 overlaps with the radial slot 78 of the adapter sleeve 76, and the rolling element 50 is movably disposed in the guide track 64 and the radial slot 78.

When the clutch 30 is in the decoupled state, the rolling elements 50 can be relatively displaced along the radial catching grooves 78 and the guide tracks 64 formed around the first and second coupling members 40 and 42 by the rotation of the driving shaft 18 and the sleeve 76, wherein the driving shaft 18 and the sleeve 76 rotate independently of the rope drum 28, due to the relative position relationship of the first and second coupling members 40 and 42. When the clutch 30 is in the coupled state, the second coupling member 42 is movable relative to the first coupling member 40 in the rotational direction to a second position, such that the guide track 64 forms a recessed stopping area 61, wherein the position of the stopping area 61 is radially offset by a distance from the notch 65 (see fig. 17). Accordingly, the rolling elements 50 displaced along the guide tracks 64 and the radial pockets 78 are blocked by the blocking areas 61, so that the rotation of the rope drum 28 can be transmitted to the adapter sleeve 76 and the drive shaft 18 through the first coupling 40 and the second coupling 42. In another embodiment of the invention, the clutch 30 may also transmit the rotational motion from the rope drum 28 directly to the drive shaft 18.

Referring to fig. 11 and 12, the rope drum 28 is generally cylindrical, pivotally connected to the fixed shaft 49, and located near the first coupling member 40 at its side opposite to the second coupling member 42. The cord reel 28 is connected to the operating cord 20 such that the cord reel 28 can take up the operating cord 20 when rotated. The end of the rope drum 28 close to the first coupling member 40 is provided with at least one radial flange 62, and the radial flange 62 of the rope drum 28 can contact with the flange 52 of the first coupling member 40 to drive the rotation action of the clutch 30.

Referring to fig. 2, 11, and 12, the cord reel 28 is coupled to the motor mechanism 32, and the motor mechanism 32 can rotate the cord reel 28 to take up the operating cord 20. The motor mechanism 32 may be a torsion spring that is disposed within the interior cavity of the rope drum 28. The torsion spring has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is fixed to the fixed shaft 49, and the second end is fixed to the rope drum 28. The rope reel 28 is urged to rotate relative to the fixed shaft 49 in the direction of retracting the operation rope 20 by the elastic force of the torsion spring. According to other embodiments, the motor mechanism 32 may be disposed outside the control module 22 and used for driving the rope reel 28 to rotate reversely. In the above embodiment, the motor mechanism 32 is spaced apart from the control module 22, but the motor mechanism 32 is still connected to the rope reel 28 to drive the rope reel 28 to rotate toward the retracting operation rope 20.

Referring to fig. 2, 3, 6, 9, and 10, a brake mechanism 24 is disposed about the drive shaft 18, and the brake mechanism 24 may tighten and lock the drive shaft 18 or loosen and unlock to allow rotation of the drive shaft 18 in any direction. In the present embodiment, the braking mechanism 24 may include a spring 70, such as a coil spring. The spring 70 is generally cylindrical and is disposed around the adapter sleeve 76. The spring 70 extends outwardly to have a first protruding end 72 and a second protruding end 74. The first projecting end 72 is secured to the housing 34, while the second projecting end 74 is secured to the user-operated brake release member 26.

Referring to fig. 9 and 10, the brake release member 26 can be used to switch the brake mechanism 24 to be locked or unlocked. In one embodiment of the present invention, the brake release member 26 may include an annular ring 82 and an actuating lever 80, wherein the actuating lever 80 is connected to the ring 82 at an eccentric position and is firmly connected to the second protruding end 74 of the spring 70. The collar 82 is mounted coaxially with the drive shaft 18, but the collar 82 can be displaced independently of the drive shaft 18. The ring portion 82 is pivotally connected to a portion of the first coupling member 40, and the actuating lever 80 extends substantially parallel to the rotational axis of the drive shaft 18. When the brake release member 26 is in the locked position, the actuating lever 80 is in the upper position and the spring 70 of the brake mechanism 24 will tighten and lock the drive shaft 18. When the brake release member 26 is pulled downward from the locked position to a released position (i.e., the brake release member 26 is rotated at an angle relative to the drive shaft 18 and the first coupling member 40 of the clutch 30), the actuating lever 80 is displaced to a lower position, thereby pulling the second protruding end 74 to release the spring 70, allowing the drive shaft 18 to rotate.

An aperture 84 is provided at one end of the actuating lever 80, and a release mechanism is engageable within the aperture 84 to actuate the brake release member 26. Part of the operating cord 20 is slidably passed through the through hole 84, and a bolt 86 is connected to the operating cord 20, and the bolt 86 is engaged with the through hole 84. When the key 86 is engaged in the through hole 84, the user can displace the brake release member 26 to the release position by pulling the operating cord 20 slightly, so that the drive shaft 18 to be released can be rotated.

When the user does not operate cord 20, spring 70 of brake mechanism 24 tightens adapter sleeve 76 and prevents rotation of drive shaft 18, locking curtain 14 in a fixed position. According to another embodiment, the adapter sleeve 76 is not required and the spring 70 can directly tighten the drive shaft 18 and prevent it from rotating.

When a user wants to lower track 16, operating cord 20 is pulled slightly downward, displacing brake release 26 to the unlocked position and releasing spring 70, as shown in FIG. 13. The movement of the brake release member 26 to the release position is accomplished by moving the actuating lever 80 downward. In the illustrated embodiment, the actuator handle 80 is displaced to the lowered position by pulling the cord 20 slightly downward due to the engagement of the key 86 with the aperture 84. In other embodiments, the actuating handle 80 can be moved downward by pulling a lever 87 downward, wherein the lever 87 is separated from the operating cord 20 and the lever 87 is connected to the actuating handle 80. When the brake release 26 is in the unlocked position and the key 86 remains engaged with the aperture 84, the weight of the bottom rail 16 and the shade 14 stacked on the bottom rail 16 drives the drive shaft 18 to rotate relative to the cord drum 28 to deploy the suspension cord connected to the bottom rail 16. When the drive shaft 18 and the adapter sleeve 76 rotate to lower the track 16, the rope drum 28 is not moved, and the rolling element 50 is rolling-displaced along the radial catching groove 78 and the guide track 64 of the clutch 30 relative to the first coupling member 40, the second coupling member 42 and the adapter sleeve 76. In particular, when the bottom rail 16 descends, the spring 70 generates a resistance force to keep the first coupling member 40 and the second coupling member 42 stationary, so that the clutch 30 is kept in a decoupled state (i.e., a state in which there is no blocking area 61 in the guide rail 64). When the clutch 30 is in the uncoupled state, the radial rib 58 of the second coupling member 42 is disengaged from the radial abutment 54 located in the slot 65 of the first coupling member 40.

When the bottom rail 16 is moved downward to a desired height, the spring 70 will return to its original position by its own elastic force to move the brake release member 26 to the locked position and tighten the adapter sleeve 76, thereby preventing the drive shaft 18 and the sleeve 76 from rotating and locking the bottom rail 16 at the desired height.

Referring to fig. 14-17, when a user desires to lift bottom rail 16, operating cord 20 may be pulled downward, causing brake release 26 to move to the release position and release drive shaft 18 and adapter sleeve 76. When brake release 26 is in the unlocked position, continued pulling of operating cord 20 downward disengages key 86 from aperture 84, allowing operating cord 20 to extend from cord reel 28 and slide through aperture 84. As shown in fig. 14, rotation of the cord reel 28 in the direction of extending the operating cord 20 causes the radial flange 62 of the cord reel 28 to push the radial flange 52 of the first coupling member 40, thereby rotating the first coupling member 40 relative to the second coupling member 42 until the radial abutment 54 of the first coupling member 40 abuts the radial rib 58 of the second coupling member 42 (as shown in fig. 15), at which time the second coupling member 42 is in the second position such that the stop zone 61 is formed in the guide track 64 (as shown in fig. 16 and 17).

Further pulling down of the operating cord 20 will cause the cord reel 28 and the clutch 30 to rotate synchronously until the rolling element 50 reaches the stopping zone 61. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, two stopping areas 61 are formed in the guide rail 64 to limit the travel of the rolling element 50 to the stopping areas 61; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a single block area 61 may be formed in the guide rail 64. When the rolling element 50 reaches the stop zone 61, the clutch 30 is turned to the coupled state. Since the rolling element 50 abuts against the blocking area 61 and the catching groove 78 of the adapter sleeve 76 at the same time, the rope drum 28 can be rotated by pulling the operating rope 20 downward, and the rotation of the rope drum 28 is transmitted to the clutch 30 through the abutment of the two radial flanges 52, 62, and the rotation is transmitted from the clutch 30 to the driving shaft 18 through the abutment of the rolling element 50 against the catching groove 78 of the adapter sleeve 76 and the blocking area 61 of the clutch 30. Thus, by pulling the operating cord 20 downward, the cord reel 28 and the drive shaft 18 are rotated synchronously, thereby lifting the bottom rail 16.

The user may release operating cord 20 at any time, such as when bottom rail 16 reaches a desired height, or when operating cord 20 is fully extended from cord reel 28. When operating cord 20 is released, spring 70 returns to its tightened state against adapter sleeve 76 and actuating lever 80 is displaced upwardly to the locked position by the urging of spring 70. The tightening of the spring 70 locks and prevents the adapter sleeve 76 and drive shaft 18 from rotating, thereby locking the shade 14 at the desired height. At the same time, the motor spring 32 drives the rope reel 28 to rotate reversely to take up the operating rope 20.

Referring to fig. 18, as the drum 28 rotates in the opposite direction, the radial flange 62 of the drum 28 contacts and pushes the opposite radial flange 52 of the first coupling member 40, thereby synchronously driving the first coupling member 40 to rotate relative to the second coupling member 42.

Referring to fig. 19-21, rotation of the first coupling member 40 and the cord reel 28 causes the radial abutment 54 of the first coupling member 40 to displace along the radial rib 58 away from the second coupling member 42 until the first coupling member 40 reaches another abutment position and resumes the condition of the unobstructed area 61 in the guide track 64 (as shown in fig. 21). As shown in fig. 4, when the extension portion 60 abuts against the top edge 56A of the slot 56, the state of the guide track 64 where the block area 61 is removed can be restored. At this time, the clutch 30 is switched to the decoupled state, the motor mechanism 32 can further drive the rope reel 28 to rotate reversely to wind the operation rope 20, and the first coupling member 40 and the second coupling member 42 rotate synchronously. Since the blocking region 61 is not formed in the guide rail 64, the coupled rotation of the first and second coupling members 40 and 42 causes the rolling elements 50 to be displaced along the guide rail 64 and the catching grooves 78 of the sleeve 76. When the first coupling member 40, the second coupling member 42, and the cord reel 28 rotate and retract the operating cord 20, the adapter sleeve 76 and the drive shaft 28 are locked by the spring 70 and remain static. Therefore, when the cord reel 28 takes up the operating cord 20, the bottom rail 16 and the curtain sheet 14 can maintain their positions. After the cord reel 28 retracts part or all of the operating cord 20 (the cord reel 28 can retract the operating cord 20 continuously until the plug 86 is engaged with the through hole 84), the user can pull the operating cord 20 downwards again to lift the curtain sheet 14. The above steps may be repeated until the curtain 14 is raised to a desired height.

FIGS. 22-25D illustrate another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the window covering further includes a control rod 87 connected to the actuating handle 80. The operation of the lever 87 causes the brake release member 26 to move from the locking position to the release position. 23A-23D, the lever 87 has a cavity, and the operating cord 20 passes through the cavity inside the lever 87 and extends a distance beyond the end 89 of the lever 87. Referring to fig. 23A-23C, when a user desires to lower the bottom rail 16, the lever 87 can be pulled downward to move the brake release 26 to the unlocked position. When the control lever 87 is pulled down, the distance between the end 89 of the control lever 87 and the end of the operating cord 20 is slightly reduced. Since the lever 87 is connected to the actuating lever 80 like that of fig. 9 and 10, the bolt 86 like that of fig. 10 and 11 is not required and the operating cord 20 can be used to raise the bottom rail 16. As shown in FIG. 23D, when operating cord 20 is pulled downward to extend outside of lever 87, a downward force will be applied to the actuating lever such that brake release 26 is displaced to the unlocked position. As the operating cord 20 extends from the cord reel 28, the cord reel 28 may be driven to rotate, thereby driving the bottom rail 16 up as in the previous embodiment. When the operating cord 20 is pulled, the distance between the distal end 89 of the control lever 87 and the distal end of the operating cord 20 increases.

Fig. 24 and 25A-25D illustrate another embodiment, where a lever 87 is connected to the lower end 91 of the operating cord 20 adjacent to the plug 86. As shown in fig. 25A-25C, with the pin 86 engaged with the through hole 84, the lever 87 is pulled slightly downward to displace the brake release member 26 to the release position, thereby lowering the bottom rail 16. The user can raise the bottom rail 16 by continuously pulling the control rod 87 downward. As shown in fig. 25D, pulling the operating cord 20 via the control rod 87 causes the plug 86 to disengage from the through hole 84 and rotate the cord reel 28, thereby raising the bottom rail 16. Like the previous embodiment, this embodiment also has the operating cord 20, however, the additional control rod 87 is made of a hard material to facilitate handling and operation by the user.

Fig. 26 to 38 show a window covering 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. As with the embodiment of fig. 1-25, the window covering 100 is designed to allow a user to raise and lower the cover sheet 114 by pulling on the operating cord 120. In particular, the user may slightly pull down on the operating cord 120 to lower the curtain 114 and continuously pull down on the operating cord 120 to raise the curtain 114.

As with the previous embodiments, the window covering 100 may include a head rail 112, a set of shade panels 114, a bottom rail 116, a drive shaft 118, an operating cord 120, a control module 122, and a plurality of suspension cords (not shown).

Embodiments and operation of the control module 122 will be described with reference to fig. 27 and 28. The control module 122 includes a brake mechanism 124, a brake release member 126, a cord reel 128, and a clutch 130. The control module 122 may also include a motor mechanism 132, and the motor mechanism 132 is a spring motor for driving the rope reel 128 to rotate. In addition, the motor mechanism 132 may be disposed outside the control module 122. The control module 122 may also include a housing 134, a support plate 136, and a cover 138 with a retaining shaft 149 for enclosing the components of the control module 122.

The rope drum 128 can be coupled to or decoupled from the movement of the drive shaft 130 by means of a clutch 130. When the clutch 130 is in the decoupled state, the driving shaft 118 and the rope drum 128 can rotate independently, for example: the weight of bottom rail 116 and curtain 114 causes drive shaft 118 to rotate relative to rope drum 128, which remains stationary, to lower curtain 114 and bottom rail 116. Or the drive shaft 118 is locked in a stationary state and the cord reel 128 rotates and takes up the operating cord 120. When the clutch 130 is in the coupled state, the rotation of the rope reel 128 can be transmitted to the driving shaft 118 through the clutch 130, thereby raising the curtain sheet 114 and the bottom rail 116.

In this embodiment, the clutch 130 may be disposed between the braking mechanism 124 and the brake release member 126, and may couple or decouple the rope drum 128 with the driving shaft 118. The clutch 130 may include a coupling member 140 and a ring 171 having a gap. According to some embodiments, the clutch 130 may further include an adapter sleeve 176.

Referring to fig. 29A-29C, the coupling element 140 has a cylindrical ring portion 151 and an end facing the adapter sleeve 176, wherein the ring portion 151 of the coupling element 140 is sleeved around the rope drum 128 at the fixing shaft 149. As with the previous embodiment, the stationary shaft 149 is parallel to and coaxial with the drive shaft 118. Therefore, the coupling element 140 mounted on the fixed shaft 149 can rotate around the axis of the driving shaft 118 relative to the fixed shaft 149 and can slide along the axis of the driving shaft, so that the clutch 130 can be switched between the coupled state and the decoupled state.

The coupling 140 is generally cylindrical and mates with the adapter sleeve 176 and the rope drum 128. In particular, an outer surface extends between the two ends of coupling 140.

The ring portion 151 of the coupling element 140 has at least one radial protrusion 152 on an inner surface thereof, and the coupling element 140 is driven to rotate by the engagement of the rope reel 128 and the radial protrusion 152. The outer surface of the rope reel 128 is provided with a guide track 156, and the rope reel 128 is pivoted by the ring portion 151 of the coupling member 140 so that the radial boss 152 of the ring portion 151 is inserted into the guide track 156. As shown in fig. 36A, 37A and 38A, since the radial protrusion 152 is slidably connected to the guide rail 156, the radial protrusion 152 can be relatively displaced along the guide rail 156 when the rope reel 128 rotates. Rotation of the rope drum 128 is translated into axial movement of the coupling member 140 along the drive shaft 118 through the guiding action between the radial boss 152 and the guide track 156. As shown in fig. 34, the guide track 156 includes, for example, an arc-shaped first region 156a and a second region 156b, the arc-shaped center of the first region 156a is located on the axis of the driving shaft 118 and the fixed shaft 149, and the second region 156b is connected to the first region 156a and extends toward the coupling member 140. The number of guide tracks 156 corresponds to the number of radial bosses 152 provided with the coupling 140.

The coupling member 140 is provided with a plurality of teeth 154 at a second end thereof adjacent to the adapter sleeve 176, wherein the teeth 154 are provided on an outer surface of the coupling member 140 facing the adapter sleeve 176. The adapter sleeve 176 is also provided with a plurality of teeth 178 on its surface facing the teeth 154, and the engagement of the teeth 154 with the teeth 178 connects the clutch 130 to the adapter sleeve 176. As shown in fig. 36B and 37B, rotation of the cord reel 128 and the guiding action between the radial boss 152 and the guide track 156 causes the coupling element 140 to move axially along the drive shaft 118, such that the teeth 154 of the coupling element 140 can engage or disengage the teeth 178 of the adapter sleeve 176. When the teeth 154 of the coupling 140 engage the teeth 178 of the adapter sleeve 176, the clutch 130 is in the coupled state, and when the teeth 154 of the coupling 140 disengage the teeth 178 of the adapter sleeve 176, the clutch 130 is switched from the coupled state to the uncoupled state.

Referring to fig. 31A to 31C, the adapter sleeve 176 is substantially cylindrical and is fixed around the driving shaft 118, so that the sleeve 176 and the driving shaft 118 can rotate synchronously. The adapter sleeve 176 includes a central bore 177 and a plurality of teeth 178, the teeth 178 being formed on one end of the adapter sleeve 176. The teeth 178 of the adapter sleeve 176 can engage the teeth 154 of the coupling 140. When the clutch 130 is turned to the coupling state, the coupling member 140 is inserted into the central hole 177 of the adapter sleeve 176, so that the teeth 154 of the coupling member 140 are engaged with the teeth 178 of the adapter sleeve 176. Because each tooth 154, 178 is triangular in shape, the teeth 154, 178 can engage each other when the coupling 140 is rotated in one direction and the teeth 154 of the coupling 140 can disengage from the teeth 178 of the adapter sleeve 176 when the coupling 140 is rotated in the opposite direction.

When clutch 130 is in the uncoupled state, teeth 154 of coupling 140 disengage teeth 178 of adapter sleeve 176, allowing relative rotation between drive shaft 118 and rope drum 128, for example: the drive shaft 118 and sleeve 176 can rotate independently of the rope drum 128, which remains stationary, to lower the bottom rail 116; or the cord reel 128 may rotate independently of the drive shaft 118, which is maintained stationary, to take up the operating cord 120. To change the clutch 130 from the decoupled state to the coupled state, the operating cord 120 may be pulled, rotating the cord reel 128 and the coupling element 140. As the radial boss 152 is displaced to the second region 156b of the guide track 160, the coupling member 140 is also axially displaced toward the adapter sleeve 176. Thus, the teeth 154 of the coupling 140 can be displaced toward the adapter sleeve 176 and engage the teeth 178 thereof, and the clutch 130 is transferred from the uncoupled state to the coupled state. In this manner, rotation of the rope drum 128 is transmitted through the coupling 140 to the sleeve 176 and the drive shaft 118. It should be noted that other embodiments may remove the sleeve 176 and the clutch 130 may transmit the rotation of the rope drum 128 directly to the drive shaft 118.

Referring to fig. 34, the rope reel 128 is substantially cylindrical and is pivotally connected to the fixed shaft 149 near the coupling element 140. The cord reel 128 is connected to the operating cord 120 and can take up the operating cord 120 when rotated. Additionally, the rope reel 128 may also be coupled to the clutch 130 to connect to the driving shaft 118 through the clutch 130. The rope reel 128 is provided with at least one guiding track 156, the coupling element 140 is provided with at least one radial protrusion 152, and the radial protrusion 152 is assembled in the guiding track 156, so that the coupling element 140 can be driven to move axially when the rope reel 128 rotates. According to another embodiment, the rope drum 128 may be provided with at least three guiding tracks, the coupling member 140 may be provided with at least three radial protrusions, and the radial protrusions are respectively assembled with the guiding tracks. In addition, the positions of the guide track 156 and the radial boss 152 can be interchanged, i.e., the radial boss 152 is disposed on the rope drum 128 instead, and the guide track 156 is disposed on the coupling element 140 instead.

Referring to fig. 27 and 28, the cord reel 128 is coupled to a motor mechanism 132, wherein the motor mechanism 132 can drive the cord reel 128 to rotate in the direction of retracting the cord 128. According to this embodiment, the motor mechanism 132 is, for example, a torsion spring, and is assembled in the inside cavity of the rope drum 128. The torsion spring has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is fixed to the fixed shaft 149, and the second end is fixed to the rope drum 128. According to another embodiment, the motor 132 can also be disposed outside the control module 122 and used to drive the rope reel 128 to rotate reversely. In this embodiment, the motor mechanism 132 is a motor device that is separate from the control module 122, but is still connected to the rope drum 128 and can drive the rope drum 128 to rotate in the opposite direction.

Referring to fig. 27, 28 and 30, the braking mechanism 124 is disposed around the drive shaft 118. The brake mechanism 124 may lock the drive shaft 118 through tightening or may release and allow rotation of the drive shaft 118. In this embodiment, the braking mechanism 124 may include a spring 170, such as a torsion spring. The spring 170 is substantially cylindrical and has elasticity so as to tighten or loosen the driving shaft 118. The spring 170 is coaxially disposed with respect to the driving shaft 118 and includes a first protruding end 172 and a second protruding end 174 extending outwardly, wherein the first protruding end 172 is fixed to the housing 134. The second projecting end 174 is secured to the user-operable brake release member 126.

Referring to fig. 32 and 33, the user may operate the brake release member 126 to lock or unlock the brake mechanism 124. In one embodiment, the brake release member 126 may include a generally cylindrical ring 182 and an actuating lever 180. The actuating handle 180 is attached to the ring portion 182 at an off-center position and is secured to the second projecting end 174 of the spring 170. The ring portion 182 is coaxially disposed relative to the axis of the drive shaft 118, but is not entrained by the drive shaft 118. In this embodiment, ring portion 182 is ganged around, for example, a portion of the circumference of coupling 140, and actuating stem 180 extends approximately parallel to the axis of drive shaft 118. When the brake release member 126 is in the locked position, the brake mechanism 124 is in the upper position due to the action of the spring 170, and the spring 170 will tighten and lock the drive shaft 118. When the brake release member 126 is pulled downward from the locked position to the unlocked position, the actuating lever 180 will be displaced to the lower position, thereby pushing the second protruding end 174 toward the direction of releasing the spring 170 and releasing the drive shaft 118, allowing the drive shaft 118 to rotate.

An aperture 184 is formed in one end of the actuating lever 180, and a release mechanism is connected to the aperture 184 to actuate the brake release member 126. Part of the operating cord 120 passes through the through hole 184 in a sliding manner, and a bolt 186 capable of engaging with the through hole 184 is provided on the operating cord 120. With the latch 186 engaged with the aperture 184, the user can move the brake release member 126 to the release position by pulling the operating cord 120 slightly, thereby unlocking the drive shaft 118.

When spring 170 of brake mechanism 124 tightens adapter sleeve 176, drive shaft 118 is prevented from rotating and curtain 114 is locked in a fixed position without the user operating cord 120. According to another embodiment, the sleeve 176 may be removed and the spring 170 may directly tighten the drive shaft 118 to prevent rotation of the drive shaft 118.

As shown in FIG. 35, when a user desires to lower the bottom rail 116, the operating cord 120 is pulled slightly downward and the brake release member 126 is displaced to the release position, releasing the spring 170. The movement of the brake release member 126 to the unlocked position can be accomplished by moving the actuating lever 180 downward. According to this embodiment, when the bolt 186 is engaged with the through hole 184, the actuation handle 180 can be moved downward and the rope drum 128 can be rotated slightly by pulling the operation rope 120 slightly downward, wherein the radial protrusion 152 of the coupling element 140 can be maintained within the first region 156a of the guide track 156 during the slight rotation of the rope drum 128, and the tooth 154 of the coupling element 140 is disengaged from the tooth 178 of the adapting sleeve 176. According to other embodiments, a control rod 87 can be connected to the actuating handle 180, wherein the control rod 87 is separated from the operating cord 120, and the actuating handle 180 can be driven to move downward by pulling the control rod 87 downward. When the bolt 186 is engaged with the through hole 184 and the brake release member 126 is in the release position, the weight of the bottom rail 116 and the curtain 114 stacked on the bottom rail 116 can drive the driving shaft 118 to rotate, thereby extending the suspension rope connected to the bottom rail 116. When the driving shaft 118 and the adapter sleeve 176 rotate and lower the rail 116, the ring 171 tightly binds the coupling element 140 and generates a resistance force, so that the coupling element 140 maintains a state of being disengaged from the adapter sleeve 176, and the clutch 130 maintains a state of being disengaged.

When the bottom rail 116 moves downward to a desired height, the spring 170 returns to the state of tightening the adapter sleeve 176, and the brake release member 126 is displaced to the locking position by the spring 170, thereby locking the driving shaft 118 and the adapter sleeve 176, and locking the bottom rail 116 to the desired height.

Referring to fig. 36A-38B, when a user desires to raise bottom rail 116, operating cord 120 may be pulled downward to displace brake release member 126 to the unlocked position and unlock drive shaft 118 and adapter sleeve 176. When brake release 126 is in the unlocked position, pulling operating cord 120 downward will cause key 186 to disengage from aperture 184, allowing operating cord 120 to extend from cord reel 128 and slide through aperture 184. As seen in fig. 36A-37B, as the drum 128 rotates in a direction to extend the operating cord 120, the radial protrusion 152 of the coupling element 140 is displaced from the first region 156A to the second region 156B of the guide track 156, causing the coupling element 140 to be axially displaced toward the adapter sleeve 176. When the radial boss 152 reaches the stop position defined by the second region 156b, the teeth 154 of the coupling 140 engage the teeth 178 of the adapter sleeve 176 to shift the clutch 130 into the coupled state. Thus, rotation of the rope drum 128 is transmitted to the clutch 130 through the blocking position of the radial boss 152 on the guide track 156, and rotational motion is transmitted from the clutch 130 to the drive shaft 118 through the engagement of the teeth 154 of the coupling 140 with the teeth 178 of the adapter sleeve 176. Thus, by pulling the operating cord 120 downward, the cord reel 128 is driven to rotate and raise the bottom rail 116.

The user may release the operating cord 120 at any time, such as when the bottom rail 116 reaches a desired height, or when the operating cord 120 is fully extended from the cord reel 128. Subsequently, the spring 170 will return to its tightened state against the adapter sleeve 176 by its own elastic force, and the actuating lever 180 of the brake release member 126 is displaced upward to the locked position. Thus, sleeve 176 and drive shaft 118 are locked and shade 114 is maintained at the desired height. At the same time, the motor spring 132 will drive the cord reel 128 to rotate in reverse to take up the operating cord 120.

Referring to fig. 37A and 37B, when the rope reel 128 rotates in the reverse direction, the radial protrusion 152 is displaced from the second region 156B to the first region 156a, so that the teeth 154 of the coupling member 140 are disengaged from the teeth 178 of the adapter sleeve 176, and the clutch 130 is switched to the decoupled state. When the clutch 130 is in the decoupled state, the motor mechanism 132 can drive the rope reel 128 and the coupling member 140 to rotate reversely relative to the adapter sleeve 176 to take up the operation rope 120, wherein the adapter sleeve 176 is locked by the spring 170. As the cord reel 128 and coupling 140 continue to rotate, the operating cord 120 may be continuously retracted until the key 186 engages the aperture 184 of the actuating handle 180. When the coupling 140 and the cord drum 128 rotate in the direction of the retraction cord 120, the spring 170 locks the adapter sleeve 176 and the drive shaft 118. Since sleeve 176 is not coupled to coupling element 140 and cord reel 128, drive shaft 118 remains stationary during retraction of operating cord 120 by cord reel 128, thereby locking the position of bottom track 116 and window covering 114. After at least a portion of the operating cord 120 is retracted, the user may pull the operating cord 120 downward again to raise the curtain 114. The above operations may be repeated until the curtain 114 reaches a desired height.

As with the previous embodiments, the embodiment shown in fig. 26-38B may also be supplemented with a control rod 87, shown in fig. 22-23C, for lowering the bottom rail 116. A lever 87 is engageable with the actuating lever 80 and is configured to move the brake release member 26 to the release position. The control rod 87 is a substantially hollow rod. As shown in FIG. 23D, the operating cord 20 passes inside the lever 87, wherein by pulling the operating cord 20, the bottom rail 116 can be raised.

In addition, the embodiment shown in fig. 26-38B may have additional control rods 87 for lowering and raising the bottom rail 116. As shown in fig. 24 and 25A-25D, lever 87 may be connected to operating cord 20 at its lower end 91 proximate to plug 86. When the user pulls the control rod 87 slightly, the bottom rail 116 is driven to descend, and the bottom rail 116 is driven to ascend by continuously pulling the control rod 87.

The foregoing describes a number of different embodiments in accordance with the present invention, in which the various features may be implemented in single or in various combinations. Therefore, the present invention is disclosed as illustrative embodiments which illustrate the principles of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention to the disclosed embodiments. Furthermore, the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are only illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Variations or combinations of the other elements are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (18)

1. A control module for a window covering, comprising:

a fixed shaft;

a drive shaft rotatable independently of the fixed shaft;

a brake mechanism disposed around the drive shaft, wherein the brake mechanism can lock or unlock the drive shaft to prevent or allow rotation of the drive shaft;

a rope drum, which is arranged on the fixed shaft and can rotate relative to the fixed shaft, wherein the rope drum is connected with an operation rope; and

a clutch mounted on the fixed shaft, the clutch being capable of coupling or decoupling the rope drum and the rotation of the driving shaft, wherein the clutch further comprises:

a first coupling member and a second coupling member respectively installed on the fixing shaft and rotatable with respect to the fixing shaft, wherein the first coupling member is connected to the rope drum, a guide track is formed on a peripheral surface of the first coupling member and the second coupling member, and the first coupling member and the second coupling member are rotatable with respect to each other to form or remove a blocking area in the guide track;

a switching sleeve fixed with the driving shaft and provided with a clamping groove; and

a rolling element arranged on the guide track and the clamping groove.

2. The control module as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the rope drum is coupled with the rotation of the driving shaft, the rope drum and the driving shaft are driven to rotate synchronously in the direction of lifting the plurality of curtain sheets by the extension of the operation rope from the rope drum.

3. The control module of claim 1 wherein the drive shaft is rotatable relative to the rope drum in a direction to lower the plurality of slats when the clutch is in a decoupled state.

4. The control module of claim 1 wherein the brake mechanism comprises a spring that resists rotation of the drive shaft through tightening.

5. The control module as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a brake release member, wherein the brake release member is connected to the spring and is capable of switching the brake mechanism from the locked state to the unlocked state to release the binding of the spring to the drive shaft.

6. The control module as claimed in claim 5, wherein the operating cord is adapted to abut against the brake release member, such that the brake release member is movable downward by the operating cord to switch the brake mechanism from the locked state to the unlocked state.

7. The control module as claimed in claim 6 wherein the brake release member comprises an annular ring portion and an actuating lever, the ring portion and the driving shaft being coaxially disposed, the actuating lever being connected to the ring portion at an eccentric position and being rigidly connected to the spring, and the actuating lever being provided with a through hole for the operating cord to slidably pass through.

8. The control module as claimed in claim 7, wherein the operating cord is provided with a bolt, and the bolt is engaged with the through hole.

9. The control module as claimed in claim 5, wherein the brake release member is connected to a lever so that the brake release member can be moved downward by the operating cord to switch the brake mechanism from the locked state to the unlocked state.

10. The control module of claim 9 wherein the control rod is a hollow rod and the operating cord passes through the inside of the control rod.

11. The control module as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the stopping area is formed in the guide track, the rotation of the rope drum is transmitted to the driving shaft through the interference of the rolling element and the stopping area, so as to cause the driving shaft to rotate synchronously in the direction of raising the plurality of curtain sheets.

12. The control module as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the stopping region is removed from the guide track, the rolling element is displaceable relative to the first and second coupling members and the adapter sleeve guided by the guide track and the slot as the drive shaft rotates in a direction to lower the plurality of curtain sheets.

13. The control module of claim 1 wherein the slot is approximately parallel to the drive shaft.

14. The control module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rope reel is further connected to a torsion spring, and the rope reel is urged to rotate relative to the fixed shaft in a direction of retracting the operation rope by an elastic force of the torsion spring.

15. The control module of claim 1 wherein the fixed shaft is parallel to and has the same axis as the drive shaft.

16. A control module for a window covering, comprising:

a fixed shaft;

a drive shaft rotatable independently of the fixed shaft;

a brake mechanism disposed around the drive shaft, wherein the brake mechanism can lock or unlock the drive shaft to prevent or allow rotation of the drive shaft;

a rope drum, which is arranged on the fixed shaft and can rotate relative to the fixed shaft, wherein the rope drum is connected with an operation rope; and

a clutch mounted on the fixed shaft, the clutch being capable of coupling or decoupling the rope drum and the rotation of the driving shaft, wherein the clutch further comprises:

a switching sleeve fixed with the driving shaft and provided with a plurality of first convex teeth;

a coupling member mounted on the fixed shaft and capable of rotating and axially moving relative to the fixed shaft, wherein one side of the coupling member is provided with a plurality of second convex teeth;

the coupling piece is connected with the rope drum, so that the rotation of the rope drum can drive the coupling piece to axially displace towards the direction approaching to or leaving from the adapter sleeve, and the plurality of second convex teeth are meshed with or separated from the plurality of first convex teeth.

17. The control module as claimed in claim 16, wherein the adaptor sleeve and the drive shaft are driven to rotate synchronously in a direction to raise the plurality of curtain sheets by further rotation of the rope drum when the plurality of second teeth are engaged with the plurality of first teeth.

18. The control module as claimed in claim 16, wherein the rope drum is provided with a guide track and the coupling member is provided with a radial boss, wherein the radial boss is slidably disposed on the guide track.