Double-hingedawningarm.

1、Double-hinged awning armFIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention concerns an improved awning.RELATED ARTIn particular, the invention concerns an awning of the type which is provided with a roll-upshaft on which is wound a cloth which is fixed with one edge to a front which is supported bymeans of

2、 two or more articulated arms which are each formed of at least two arm parts whichare hinge-mounted to one another, such that the articulated arm can be folded together rounda pivot and can be opened.Traditionally, springs are provided in the articulated arms which tend to push open thearticulated

3、arms into their stretched position and consequently tend to push the front lathaway from the roll-up shaft, as a result of which the cloth stays constantly stretched whenbeing unrolled.When unrolled, the cloth of the awning always shows a certain slope so as to obtain a slopefor the drainage of rain

4、 water.Because of this slope, the free height under the front lath will be smaller than the height atwhich the roll-up shaft is suspended or fixed, so that consequently, the roll-up shaft will haveto be suspended at a height which is larger than the free height one wishes to obtain under thefront la

5、th when the awning has been completely unrolled.However, a problem hereby is that there is not always sufficient clearance available so as tosuspend the roll-up shaft at a sufficient height.This is for example the case with awnings which are attached to campers or with awningswhich are attached unde

6、r eaves or the like.In this case, there is often no sufficient free height under the awning cloth to make it possible,for example, to entirely open an outward opening door without making contact with the awningcloth or, in the case of a camper with a lateral slide-out room, to slide out said room su

7、fficientlyfar without being hindered by the presence of the sloping awning cloth.The present invention aims to remedy one or several of the abovementioned and otherdisadvantages.BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTo this end, the invention concerns an improved awning of the abovementioned type with twoor

8、 several articulated arms whereby the hinge of each articulated arm is a multiple hingewhich not only allows for a rotation around the above-mentioned pivot to fold together andopen the articulated arms, but which also at least allows for a rotation around a second pivotwhich is directed mainly cros

9、swise to the first pivot.Such a multiple hinge makes it possible for example for the arm parts, which are fixed to thefront lath, to bend down at an angle in relation to the other arm parts with which the articulatedarms are fixed to the awning or to a wall on which the awning is fixed.Thus, the awn

10、ing cloth will show a downward dip at the connecting line between the hinges ofthe articulated arms, and the stretched awning cloth will show two flat parts that are bent inrelation to one another, namely a first slanting part between the roll-up shaft and the dip and astronger sloping part between

11、the dip and the front lath.This offers the advantage that, for one and the same free height under the clearance lath,there will be more free height available under the awning cloth, such that, in the case of thepresent invention, there will be more clearance available under the awning cloth so as to

12、make it possible to entirely open an outward opening door or to entirely slide out a slide-outroom without being hindered by the awning cloth, even when the available height for fixing theroll-up shaft is limited, as is often the case.The above-mentioned hinges of the articulated arms are preferably

13、 provided with a guidewhich is such that, when opening the articulated arms, as a result of the awning cloth beingunrolled, thefront arm will automatically move at a set angle around the second pivot and, when rolling upthe cloth, it will turn back in the opposite sense at the same angle.BRIEF DESCR

14、IPTION OF THE DRAWINGSIn order to better explain the characteristics of the invention, the following preferredembodiment of an improved awning according to the invention is described by way ofexample only without being limitative in any way, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:FIG.

15、1 schematically represents an improved awning according to the invention whenunfolded, seen in perspective;FIG. 2 shows a detail of the part which is indicated by arrow F2 inFIG. 1, and seen in the direction of said arrow;FIGS. 3 to 4 show the part of FIG. 2 in different successive positions when ro

16、lling up theawning from FIG. 1;FIG. 5 shows a view according to arrow F5 in FIG. 4;FIG. 6 shows a view according to arrow F6 in FIG. 5;FIG. 7 shows a view as in FIG. 2, but for a variant of an awning according to the invention;FIG. 8 shows a view according to arrow F8 in FIG. 7;FIG. 9 shows yet anot

17、her variant.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERREDEMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTIONThe awning represented in FIG. 1 mainly consists of a casing2 whichis open on the front side and in which is provided a rotating roll-up shaft 3 onto which is fixed acloth4 with one edge and whereby thecloth 4 is partly rolled

18、up.The cloth 4 is fixed with an opposite edge to what is called a front lath 5 which is supported bymeans of two articulated arms6, whereinthe articulated arms6 are hinge-mounted to the above-mentionedcasing 2 with one far end 7 and wherein the front lath 5 is suspended in a hinged manner tothe othe

19、r far ends 8 of the articulated arms 6.The articulated arms6 are in this case each composed of two armparts, namely an arm part9 with which the arm6 is fixed to theawning casing 2, and what is called a front arm10 onto which thefront lath is hung respectively, each formed of a strut, which are hinge

20、-mounted 12 to oneanother.As is represented more in detail in FIGS. 2 to 6, the hinge12 isprovided with two coupling elements, namely a first coupling element 13 with which the hingeis fixed to the arm part9 and a secondcoupling element 14 with which the hinge is connected to a front arm 10 respecti

21、vely, andwhereby both coupling elements13 and 14 arehinge-mounted to one another by means of a connecting piece15 whichis hinge-mounted in the first coupling element13 by means of a firstpivot 16 and whereby the second coupling element14 is hinge-mountedon said connecting piece15 by means of a secon

22、d pivot17.The first coupling element13 is provided with two parallel ears18and 19 in between which the pivot16 is fixed.In the given example, the connecting piece15 is a bush-shapedelement which can rotate round the pivot16 between the ears 18 and19, and which is provided with a radially protruding

23、lip20 on whichthe second coupling element14 is hinge-mounted with the pivot17.The hinge 12 is provided with a stop21 which restricts the upwardrotational movement around the second pivot17 of the hinge12 andwhich has the shape of a downward protruding rib of an extended part 22 of the upper ear18, w

24、hich extended part22 extends in theprolongation of the first coupling element13.The first coupling element 13 further comprises a guide23 in theshape of a cylindrical bearing surface24 which is in this caseformed of the side edge of the lower ear19, whereas the secondcoupling element 14 is provided

25、with a co-operating follower25 inthe shape of a follower wheel26 which is provided in a freelyrotating manner at a distance under the second pivotof the hinge round a spindle 27 directed crosswise tothe direction of the second pivot 17.The cylindrical bearing surface has an axis X- parallel to the a

26、bove-mentioned first pivotX which is mainly16 of the hinge 12, andwhich is eccentrically shifted in relation to said first pivot16 inthe direction of the first coupling element13.The working of the awning1 according to the invention is very simpleand as follows.In the extended position of the awning

27、1 as represented in FIG. 1,the hinge 12 is in a position as shown in FIG. 2, whereby the front arm 10 assumes a positionenclosing a buckling angle A with the arm part 9 with which the articulated arm6-7 is fixedto the awningcasing.Due to the weight of the front arm 10 and of the front lath5, thefron

28、t arm 10 will indeed bend down around the second pivot17,whereby the front arm10 is maintained in this position as the secondcoupling element 14 rests with the follower wheel16 against thebearing surface 24.The cloth 4 is held up by the articulated arms6 and thereby shows adownward slope from the co

29、nnecting line28 between the hinges 12 ofboth arms 6.In this position, the stop21 prevents the front arm10 fromrevolving upward around the pivot17. This prevents the bent part29of the awning 1 between the above-mentioned connecting line28 andthe front lath5 from moving up, for example as a result of

30、a gust ofwind.It clear that, in the situation of FIG. 1, there is more free height available under the cloth4than in the case of a conventional awningwithout a slope, as is schematically represented by means of the dashed line 30 whichrepresents the stretching of the cloth 4 in the case of a convent

31、ional awning whose articulatedarms6 are equippedwith single hinges.When, starting from the position of the awning 1 corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cloth 4 isrolled up on the roll-up shaft 3, the front lath5 will be drawn to the awningcasing2 as a result thereof,such that the arm parts 9-10 will

32、 bend inward round the first pivot 16 of the hinge 12.This rotational movement round the pivot16 is illustrated by meansof arrow B in FIG. 3, which shows a position in which the coupling elements 13-14 are more orless at right angles in relation to one another.Because of the rotational movement from

33、 the position of FIG. 2 into the position of FIG. 3, thefront arm10 is forced to turnautomatically up around the second pivot17, as indicated by thearrow C, as the follower wheel26 rolls over the bearing surface24during this movement and said follower wheel26 is thus pushed awayfrom the pivot16 beca

34、use of the eccentric arrangement of the bearingsurface 24 in relation to the first pivot16.As the cloth is being rolled up further, the coupling elements arm parts 9-10 and the couplingelements13-14 that are connected theretowill turn even further towards each other until the articulated arms 6 are

35、folded up entirely orpractically entirely, as is illustrated in FIG. 4.The diameter and the eccentricity of the cylindrical bearing surface24 are selected such that, in the position of FIG. 4, the arm parts9-10 are parallel or mainly parallel, such that the folded-up articulated arm6 assumes aminima

36、l volume in this position, sincethis position corresponds to the situation in which the awning1 isrolled up entirely, whereby the front lath5 covers the opening ofthe casing 2 and the folded arms6 are entirely folded up in thecasing.When the cloth 4 is unrolled again, the arm partsthe influence of t

37、he movement of the follower wheel23 and which thus gets constantly closer toIt is clear that the guide, formed of the bearing surface24 and thefollower wheel 26, in view of the forced movement of the second coupling element 14around the second pivot17 when the articulatedarm 6 is folded open as of t

38、he double-folded position in FIG. 3, can also be realized inother ways, whereby for example the bearing surface must not necessarily becylindrical but may also have another shape or can be provided in another place.An example thereof is represented in FIGS. 7 and 8, whereby the guide23 and the stop

39、21 are made of one and the same bearing surface24 onthe bottom side of the protruding part22 and whereby this bearingsurface is provided with a slanting surface31. The follower wheel26is thereby provided on the top side of the second coupling element14on a shaft which is directed crosswise to the sh

40、aft and at a radial distance thereof.9-10 will move awayfrom one another around the first pivotthe springs in the articulated armsautomatically lowered round the pivot16, under the influence of6, and the front arm10 will be17 during said movement, under26 which rollsover the bearing surfacethe pivot

41、 16.The arm is in this case provided with a spring32 which tends toexert a force F which makes the second coupling element14 revolveupward around the pivot17 and thereby pushes the follower wheel26on the bearing surface 24.FIG. 9 shows a variant of the embodiment of FIG. 7, whereby the second pivot 17 issituated on the bottom side of the second coupling element 14 instead of on the topside as in