EP2853651B1

EP2853651B1 - Outdoor awning

Info

Publication number: EP2853651B1
Application number: EP14186247.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lucio Barbieri
Original assignee: Gibus SpA
Current assignee: Gibus SpA
Priority date: 2013-09-30
Filing date: 2014-09-24
Publication date: 2016-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 2034-09-24
Also published as: ITPD20130270A1; EP2853651A1

Description

Field of application

The present finding regards an outdoor awning according to the preamble of the independent claim number 1.
The present awning is intended to be employed for covering external surfaces, protecting them from weathering agents and in particular from the sun and rain.
The present awning is indicated for the obtainment of pergolas, verandas and more generally cover structures, both in gardens of private homes and in open public spaces, such as restaurants, hotels, bathing establishments or other structures.
The aforesaid awning can be anchored to the building wall, ceiling or truss, or it can be of isolated type, being supported by a dedicated support structure of self-bearing type. The awning can also be associated with lateral closures in order to better protect the covered setting from weathering agents and create a greater separation with the outside environment.
The awning, subject of the present finding, therefore falls within the industrial field of the production of awnings for covering outdoor settings.

State of the art

Known on the market are numerous solutions of outdoor awnings comprising a support structure which is fixed to the ground and/or abutted against an external wall or the ceiling of a building. Such support structure is provided with two lateral longitudinal members between which a covering sheet is suspended adapted to protect an underlying ground surface.
The two longitudinal members are generally supported at the desired elevation with respect to the ground by columns or walls. More in detail, the lateral longitudinal members, at a front end thereof, are supported by two front vertical columns, and at a rear end thereof are supported by two rear vertical columns or they are fixed to a vertical wall or to a ceiling, in particular for example of a building adjacent to the surface to be covered.
The covering sheet, typically made of fabric, is sustained between the lateral longitudinal members above the area to be covered, and can be moved between a collected position, in which it frees the space defined between the two lateral longitudinal members, leaving the underlying ground surface uncovered, and an extended position, in which it is extended to cover the underlying ground surface.
In particular, outdoor awnings are known of the so-called "roller" type, which comprise a sequence of rollers that support the covering sheet and are mounted transverse between the lateral longitudinal members. In particular, the rollers are slidably engaged at the ends thereof in guides arranged on the lateral longitudinal members themselves, by means of slide trolleys or similar slidable guide means. Such rollers are free to rotate around the central axis thereof such that each roller can wind a corresponding sheet section therearound.
Awnings of this known type are described for example in the patents DE 3728913 A1 according to the preamble of claim 1 and EP 0 860 578 .
More in detail, the awning described herein comprises a frontal drive crosspiece, slidably mounted on the guides of the longitudinal members in front of the sequence of rollers.
The sheet of such awning is constituted by a plurality of separate sheet portions, including a rear sheet portion, fixed to the support structure of the awning and constrained to a first roller, a front sheet portion, fixed to the frontal drive crosspiece and constrained to the latter of the sequence of rollers, and a plurality of intermediate sheet portions interposed between the front and rear sheet portions.
Each of the intermediate sheet portions is constrained at front and rear end edges thereof to two consecutive rollers. More in detail, each sheet portion is susceptible of being wound, for a front section thereof, on the front roller, and for a rear section thereof on the rear roller to which it is constrained.
Each of the rollers is provided with an internal cavity in which elastic return means are housed that are susceptible of causing the rotation of the roller, in order to wind the sheets constrained to the roller therearound.
The awnings of known type described briefly above, such as the awning described in the patent EP 0 860 578 , have in practice shown that they do not lack drawbacks.
The main drawback lies in the fact that often the winding does not take place in a complete manner for all the sheet portions.
In fact it frequently happens that the winding of one or more of the sheet portions does not occur to an equal extent by the two adjacent rollers which support each of such portions, such that one of the two rollers winds a longer section of the sheet portion while the other winds a shorter section thereof. Given that each roller, by means of the rotation thereof, winds around itself a section of the same length of the two sheet portions constrained thereto, that stated above means that the roller which winds a section shorter than the sheet portion drawn by the adjacent roller is stopped at the end of the winding of the aforesaid shorter section, hence the corresponding section of the other sheet portion constrained thereto is not completely wound.
Such drawback is due to the fact that during the movement of the sheet towards the collected position, the winding of the sheet portions around the respective rollers might not occur in a strictly sequential manner starting from the first frontal roller, up to the final rear roller.
Hence, it often happens that some intermediate rollers are driven in rotation before the roller placed frontally with respect thereto has completed the winding of the corresponding sections of the sheet portions constrained thereto.
The lack of complete winding of some portions of the sheet of the awning results rather unaesthetic.
A further drawback of the roller awning described briefly above consists of the fact that the front and rear sheet portions must be shorter than the remaining intermediate sheet portions, and in particular they must have a length equal to half the length of the intermediate sheet portions in order to be completely wound around the respective rollers.
Such difference in the length of the intermediate and front and rear sheet portions confers a rather unaesthetic appearance to the awning.

Presentation of the finding

In this situation, the problem underlying the present finding is therefore that of eliminating the drawbacks of the solutions of known type mentioned above, by providing an outdoor awning which is entirely reliable in operation.
A further object of the present finding is to provide an outdoor awning which assures the complete winding of each of the sheet portions.
A further object of the present finding is to provide an outdoor awning which is structurally simple and inexpensive to obtain.
A further object of the present finding is to provide an outdoor awning which has an aesthetically pleasing appearance both when its sheet is arranged in extended position, and when it is arranged in collected position.
A further object of the present finding is to provide an outdoor awning which requires simple and quick maintenance.
These and other objects are all reached by the outdoor awning according to the enclosed claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The technical characteristics of the finding, according to the aforesaid objects, can be clearly found in the contents of the below-reported claims and the advantages thereof will be clearer in the following detailed description, made with reference to the enclosed drawings, which represent several merely exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments of the invention, in which:

figure 1 shows a top rear perspective view of the outdoor awning, subject of the present finding, in accordance with a first embodiment;
figure 2 shows a bottom rear perspective view of the outdoor awning illustrated in figure 1;
figure 3 shows a detail of the awning according to the present finding as illustrated in figure 2 and relative to a longitudinal guide of provided lateral longitudinal members;
figure 4 shows a detail of the awning illustrated in figures 1 and 2, relative to a plurality of provided rollers arranged in a collected position;
figure 5 shows a detail of the awning illustrated in figures 1 and 2, relative to a covering sheet sustained by a plurality of provided rollers and provided intermediate profiles;
figure 6 shows a detail of the awning according to the present finding relative to a longitudinal guide of a lateral longitudinal member with some parts removed in order to better illustrate other parts;
figure 7 shows a detail of the awning according to the invention, relative to a covering sheet sustained by a plurality of provided rollers and provided intermediate profiles in accordance with a different embodiment;
figures 8-10 show a detail respectively in a lateral perspective view, in a top view and in a bottom view relative to a plurality of provided rollers arranged in a collected position;
figures 11 and 12 show two details of the awning according to the invention relative to provided slide trolleys that engage the ends of the rollers and the intermediate profiles to the longitudinal guides of the longitudinal members.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment

With reference to the enclosed drawings, reference number 1 indicates an outdoor awning, subject of the present finding.
The present awning 1 is indicated for the obtainment of pergolas, verandas and more generally cover structures of outdoor settings, such as gardens of private homes and open public spaces such as restaurants, hotels, bathing establishments etc.
In accordance with the embodiments illustrated in the enclosed figures, the outdoor awning 1, subject of the present finding, comprises a support structure 2 provided with at least two longitudinal members 3 parallel to and side-by-side each other, each of which longitudinally extended along a main extension direction X between a front end 4 thereof and an opposite rear end 5 thereof and it is provided with a longitudinal guide 8 parallel to the main extension direction X.
The aforesaid awning 1 can be anchored to a building wall or to the ceiling or to a truss and may be sustained with the aid of two or more columns or walls, or it can be of isolated type, as in the embodiment illustrated in the enclosed figures. In the latter case, the support structure 2 comprises four or more columns 6 set on the ground.
The awning 1 according to the present invention also comprises a plurality of rollers 7 and one or more covering sheets 9 connected to the plurality of rollers 7. The rollers 7 are mounted parallel to each other on the support structure 2 transverse to the longitudinal members 3, slidably engaged at their ends 7' and 7" to the longitudinal guides 8 of the longitudinal members 3 advantageously by means of respective first slide trolleys 11' and 11". The rollers 7 are susceptible of rotating around the central axis Z thereof.
In particular, in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in the enclosed figures, the awning 1 comprises only one covering sheet 9, nevertheless it being intended that the same awning 1 can comprise two or more sheets, supported for example by the rollers 7 one on top of the other and spaced from each other, without departing from the protective scope defined by the present patent.
The rollers 7 are movable between a collected position A in which the sheet 9 supported thereby substantially frees the space defined between the longitudinal members 3 leaving the underlying ground surface uncovered, and an extended position B, in which the sheet 9 supported thereby is extended to cover the underlying ground surface.
More in detail, the awning 1 comprises drive means adapted to allow the movement of the rollers 7 between the collected position A and the extended position B. Advantageously such drive means comprise a front drive bar 10 slidably engaged at its ends 10' and 10" with the longitudinal guides 8 of the longitudinal members 3, preferably by means of respective second slide trolleys 12' and 12". The front drive bar 10 is controlled to be moved along the longitudinal members 3 by compacting or spacing the rollers 7, respectively towards the collected position A and the extended position B.
More in detail, in accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the awning 1, the front bar 10 is controlled in moving by two drive belts, each wound around a first and a second transmission pulley rotatably constrained to the support structure 2 respectively at the front 4 and rear 5 ends of the longitudinal members 3.
In particular, each drive belt is housed within a corresponding member of the longitudinal members 3 and bears, fixed, the second slide trolley 12' or 12" of the end of the front drive bar 10 constrained to the longitudinal guide 8 of such longitudinal member 3.
In operation, the second transmission pulleys are driven to rotate around a rotation axis thereof by means of a motor or manually (e.g. by means of a control rod engaged through an articulation with the shaft of the second pulleys) in order to move the drive belts to advance in a first advancement sense, in order to drive the front drive bar 10 towards the front ends 4 of the longitudinal members 3, driving the rollers 7 therewith towards the extended position B by means of the sheet 9 constrained to the rollers 7 themselves, and in a second opposite advancing sense in order to drive the front drive bar 10 towards the rear ends 5 of the longitudinal members 3, driving the rollers 7 towards the collected position A.
The drive means also comprise return means, not illustrated, arranged on each of the rollers 7 and adapted to drive in rotation the roller 7 itself so that the latter winds the covering sheet 9 around itself.
Advantageously, the return means are of elastic type and for example comprise a helical spring. More in detail, each of the rollers 7 is provided with a central shaft 13, which is preferably extended only for an end section of the roller 7, and with a peripheral casing 14 mounted coaxially on the central shaft 13, e.g. by means of bearings, and susceptible of rotating with respect to the latter in order to wind the covering sheet 9 around itself, or unwind the same. The spring is connected to the central shaft 13 and to the peripheral casing 14, i.e. in particular it is fixed at a first end thereof to the shaft 13 and at a second end thereof to the casing 14. As will be better specified hereinbelow, the spring is adapted to drive in rotation the peripheral casing 14 with respect to the central shaft 13 in order to cause the winding of the covering sheet 9 around the peripheral casing 14.
In accordance with the idea underlying the present invention, the awning 1 also comprises a plurality of intermediate profiles 15 mounted on the support structure 2 parallel to the rollers 7, each slidably engaged at its ends 15' and 15" with the longitudinal guides 8 of the longitudinal members 3, advantageously by means of respective third slide trolleys 16' and 16", as is better explained hereinbelow. Each of the intermediate profiles 15 is interposed between two rollers 7 arranged in succession and is connected to the covering sheet 9. In particular, each of the rollers 7 is susceptible to wind the section 17 of the covering sheet 9 around itself or unwind the same, such section 17 comprised between the two intermediate profiles 15 adjacent thereto for the movement of the rollers 7 respectively towards the collected position A or towards the extended position B.
More in detail, each roller 7 constrains the section 17 of the covering sheet 9 comprised between the two intermediate profiles 15 in an intermediate position by separating the latter into two parts susceptible of being wound, one inside the other, around the roller itself.
The awning 1 according to the present invention therefore comprises a sequence of rollers 7 and intermediate profiles 15, arranged in alternating succession with respect to each other.
The covering sheet 9 is connected both to the intermediate profiles 15 and to the rollers 7.
The solution developed in accordance with the present invention therefore allows solving the problems demonstrated by the roller awnings of the prior art. The presence of intermediate profiles 15, interposed between the rollers 7 and connected to the sheet 9, allows dividing the sheet 9 into a plurality of substantially independent sections 17, susceptible of being wound around a specific roller 7, without running the risk that some of such sections 17 of sheet 9 be wound around a different roller, in such a manner preventing the consequent complete winding of all the sheet sections. Therefore, it can no longer occur, as in roller awnings of the prior art, that one of the rollers during the movement towards the collected position can wind a part of the sheet intended for winding around a roller adjacent thereto, given that each of the sections 17 intended for a specific roller 7 is separated from the remaining sections by means of an intermediate profile 15.
In operation, in order to bring the rollers 7 from the collected position A towards the extended position B in order to extend the sheet 9 above the area that one intends to cover, the front drive bar 10 is driven to advance towards the front ends 4 of the longitudinal members 3 by means of the drive belts. The traction force exerted by the front drive bar 10 on the sheet wound around the first front roller sets a rotation to the first roller, against the return action exerted by the return means, causing the unwinding of the sheet itself.
In order to bring the rollers 7 from the extended position B to the collected position A, the belts are driven to move the front drive bar 10 back towards the rear ends of the longitudinal members 3, such that the return action exerted by the return means on the roller 7 brings the latter to rotate around the central axis Z thereof, winding the corresponding sheet parts around itself, until the corresponding intermediate profiles 15 adjacent to the roller 7 reach near the roller 7 itself.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the covering sheet 9 comprises a plurality of separate sheet portions 17', separate from each other, each of which constrained at a first transverse end edge 17a thereof to one of the rollers 7 and at a second transverse end edge 17b thereof to one of the intermediate profiles 15 and susceptible to being wound around the roller 7.
Of course, a first front sheet portion 17' will be constrained at the second transverse end edge 17b thereof to the front drive bar 10 and at the first transverse end edge 17a thereof to the first frontal roller of the sequence of rollers. The last rear sheet portion 17' will be constrained at the second transverse end edge 17b thereof to the support structure 2 of the awning 1 and preferably to a fixed rear bar 18 and at a first transverse end edge 17a thereof to the last rear roller of the sequence of rollers.
Each of the sections 17 of sheet 9 intended to be wound around one of the rollers 7 thus comprises two separate sheet portions 17', susceptible of being wound one inside the other around the roller 7.
The fact that the sheet 9 comprises a plurality of separate portions 17' allows an easier assembly and an easier maintenance of the awning 1, given that if necessary it can also be removed and the single sheet portions of interest possibly substituted.
The present invention also allows obtaining all sheet portions 17' of a same length, without it being necessary, as in the roller awnings of the prior art, to provide the awning 1 with a rear sheet portion and a front sheet portion with smaller length than the intermediate sheet portions in order to ensure the complete winding thereof around the respective roller.
In accordance with the embodiment illustrated in particular in Figures 3-6, the separate sheet portions 17' are engaged with the rollers 7 in diametrically opposite positions, so as to define a single plane when the sheet is completely extended, as is clearly visible in Figure 5.
Advantageously, the intermediate profiles 15 can have a shape similar to the shape of the rollers 7, i.e. in particular of the peripheral casing 14 of the latter, so as to confer to the awning 1, when the rollers are in extended position B, a uniform appearance, as can be appreciated in particular in Figure 2.
In accordance with a further embodiment illustrated in Figures 7-10, each of the intermediate profiles 15 comprises a front face 25 and a rear face 35 counter-shaped with respect to the rollers 7 adjacent thereto and, in particular, concave. The front 25 and rear 35 faces of two intermediate profiles 15 arranged in succession therefore jointly define a seat 19 adapted to receive the roller 7 interposed therebetween, when the rollers are arranged in collected position A, as illustrated in Figure 8, in such a manner protecting the sheet portions 9 wound around the rollers 7 themselves. Advantageously, each of the intermediate profiles 15 also comprises an upper face 20 which connects on the upper part its front face 25 and its rear face 35. The upper faces 20 of the intermediate profiles 15 are susceptible of being arranged side-by-side each other, in particular sealingly, when the rollers 7 are in the collected position A.
The upper faces 20 of the intermediate profiles 15 therefore jointly define a protection cover adapted to protect the sheet wound around the rollers when the latter are in the collected position A, as illustrated in Figure 9.
In such a manner, for example, it is not necessary to provide the support structure 2 of the awning 1 with a protection roof, extended along a smaller section of the longitudinal members starting from their rear ends 5, and below which the rollers 7 and the intermediate profiles are intended to be collected when the rollers are arranged in the collected position A.
More in detail, each of the front 25 and rear 35 faces of the intermediate profiles 15 preferably comprises at least one first connection portion 21 which is substantially extended starting from the upper face 20. The front face 25 or the rear face 35 of each intermediate profile 15 (or possibly also both faces) bears, fixed, at the first connector portion 21 a gasket 22 susceptible to sealingly abut against the first connector portion 21 of the front face 25 or rear face 35 opposite thereto of the adjacent intermediate profile 15 when the rollers 7 are in the collected position A.
In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the awning 1 according to the present invention, the rollers 7 and the intermediate profiles 15 are mounted tilted on the support structure 2 with respect to a horizontal reference plane π.
In particular each of the rollers 7 and intermediate profiles 15 is preferably arranged with a first of the ends thereof at a lower height than the height of the second of the ends thereof. This advantageously allows the drainage of rain water in the direction of one of the lateral longitudinal members 3. The lateral longitudinal members 3 can for such purpose be provided with suitable roof gutters for the collection and downflow of the rain water that drained from the sheet 9.
The first ends of the rollers 7 and of the intermediate profiles 15 arranged at a lower height than the height of the second ends are in such case connected to the respective trolleys, preferably by means of a lowering bracket 24.
Advantageously, in order to allow a correct rotation of the rollers 7 even when the latter are mounted tilted on the support structure 2, the ends 7' and 7" of each roller 7 are connected to the respective trolley by means of a hinge 25.
Preferably the return means of the rollers 7 are in such case mounted in proximity to the second of the ends 7' of each roller 7, i.e. in proximity to the end placed at a higher elevation, in order to prevent possible rain water that leaks inside the roller from remaining stagnant at the return means and possibly damaging the latter.
One or more of the intermediate profiles 15 can advantageously bear, mounted, one or more lighting devices, preferably of LED type, as is illustrated for example in Figures 7, 8 and 10.
The finding thus conceived therefore achieves the aforesaid objects.
Of course, in the practical achievement thereof, it can also assume shapes and configurations that are different from that illustrated above, without departing from the present protective scope according to the claims.
In addition, the size, shape and materials used can be of any type according to requirements.

Claims

Outdoor awning, which comprises:
- a support structure (2) provided with at least two longitudinal members (3) parallel to each other, each of which longitudinally extended along a main extension direction (X) and provided with a longitudinal guide (8) parallel to said main extension direction (X);

- a plurality of rollers (7) mounted parallel to each other on said support structure (2) transverse to said longitudinal members (3), slidably engaged at the ends (7', 7") thereof to the longitudinal guides of said longitudinal members (3) and susceptible of rotating around the central axis (Z) thereof;

- at least one covering sheet (9) connected to said plurality of rollers (7);
said rollers (7) being movable between a collected position (A) in which said at least one sheet (9) supported thereby substantially frees the space defined between said longitudinal members (3), leaving the underlying ground surface uncovered, and an extended position (B), in which said at least one sheet (9) supported thereby is extended to cover the underlying ground surface;
characterized in that it also comprises a plurality of intermediate profiles (15) mounted on said support structure (2) parallel to said rollers (7), each slidably engaged at its ends (15', 15") to the longitudinal guides (8) of said longitudinal members (3), each of said intermediate profiles (15) being interposed between two of said rollers (7) in succession and being connected to said at least one covering sheet (9).
Outdoor awning according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a front drive bar (10) slidably engaged at its ends (10', 10") to the longitudinal guides (8) of said longitudinal members (3), such front drive bar (10) controlled to be moved along said longitudinal members (3) by compacting or spacing said rollers (7), each of said rollers (7) being provided with return means adapted to drive said roller (7) in rotation in order to wind said at least one covering sheet (9) around it.
Outdoor awning according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of said rollers (7) is susceptible of winding around itself or unwinding the section (9') of said at least one covering sheet (9) comprised between the two intermediate profiles (15) adjacent thereto for the movement of said rollers (7) respectively towards said collected position (A) or towards said extended position (B).
Outdoor awning according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one covering sheet (9) comprises a plurality of separate sheet portions (17'), each of which constrained at a first transverse end edge (17a) thereof to one of said rollers (7) and at the second transverse end edge (17b) thereof to one of said intermediate profiles (15) and is susceptible of being wound around said roller (7).
Outdoor awning according to claim 4, characterized in that said separate sheet portions (17') are engaged with said rollers (7) in diametrically opposite positions, so as to define a single plane when the sheet is completely extended.
Outdoor awning according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said intermediate profiles (15) comprises a front face (25) and a rear face (35) which are counter-shaped with respect to the rollers (7) adjacent thereto, and in particular are concave.
Outdoor awning according to claim 6, characterized in that each of said intermediate profiles (15) comprises an upper face (20) which connects said front face (25) and said rear face (35) on the upper part, the upper faces (20) of the intermediate profiles (15) being susceptible of being arranged side-by-side each other, in particular sealingly, when said rollers (7) are in said collected position (A).
Outdoor awning according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said rollers (7) and said intermediate profiles (15) are mounted tilted on said support structure (2), with respect to a horizontal reference plane (π).
Outdoor awning according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of said intermediate profiles (15) bears, mounted, one or more lighting devices (23).