Umbrella assembly having a modularized drive module
An umbrella assembly with a drive module assembly that comprises a plurality of modularized units, including a separate power supply unit and a separate drive unit. The modularized units are removably/detachably attached in a stacked structure of the overall drive module using quick connect couplings. The interfacing top and bottom sides of the adjacent modularized units are provided with complementary electrical connection terminals. The drive module is structurally and operatively coupled to the frame structure of the canopy of the umbrella assembly to operate to open/extend or close/collapse the canopy between an opened configuration and a closed configuration, by varying the distance between the upper hub and the lower hub of the frame structure.
1 . A motorized umbrella assembly, comprising:
a support structure;
a canopy comprising:
a frame structure supported by the support structure, and
a flexible canopy material supported on the frame structure; and
a centralized drive module comprising a plurality of modularized units each having a separate housing configured to be removably/detachably stacked into a stacked structure of the overall drive module, wherein the housings of adjacent modularized units in the stack structure are removably/detachably attached to one another with a bottom side of one modularized unit removably/detachably attached to a top side of another modularized unit in the stacked structure, thereby one or more modularized units may be optionally omitted from or added to the stacked structure to form the overall drive module, and wherein the drive module is structurally and operatively coupled to the frame structure to operate to open/extend or close/collapse the canopy between an opened configuration and a closed configuration,
wherein the modularized units of the drive module comprise:
a modularized drive unit comprising a drive motor and associated drive transmissions; and
a modularized power supply unit removably/detachably attached to the drive unit,
wherein the power supply unit supplies electrical power to the drive module.
2 . The motorized umbrella assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the modularized units are configured to be removably/detachably stacked into the stacked structure of the overall drive module using quick connect couplings provided on the respective housings comprising complementary quick connect features provided at the top and bottom sides of respective housings of the modularized units to facilitate quick connect couplings of adjacent modularized units without requiring using handtools or with minimal use of handtools, thereby facilitating quick removably/detachably coupling between the bottom side of one modularized unit to the top side of another modularized unit, to facilitate configuring a stack of modularized units removably/detachably attached to form the overall drive module, and wherein the interfacing top and bottom sides of the adjacent modularized units are provided with complementary electrical connection terminals.
3 . The motorized umbrella assembly as in claim 2 , wherein the quick connect features comprises complementary features at the top and bottom sides of the respective housings of the modularized units to facilitate quick connect mating or turn couplings of adjacent modularized units.
4 . The motorized umbrella assembly as in claim 3 , wherein the quick connect features at the top and bottom sides of the respective housings of the modularized units are similar to facilitate interchangeability of the modularized units for stacking in a desired order of the modularized units in the stacked structure.
5 . The motorized umbrella assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the power supply unit has a power supply housing having a top side and a bottom side and the drive unit has a drive housing having a top side and a bottom side, and wherein the bottom side of the power supply housing is configured to be removably/detachably attached to the top side of the drive housing, and wherein the interfacing surfaces of the top side of the drive housing and the bottom side of the power supply housing have complementary electrical connection terminals.
6 . The motorized umbrella assembly as in claim 5 , wherein the drive unit or the power supply unit comprises a control unit.
7 . The motorized umbrella assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the frame structure comprises:
a support hub assembly having an upper hub and a lower hub below the upper hub, wherein the upper hub is connected to the support structure;
a plurality of longitudinal long ribs, wherein each long rib has an end removably coupled to the upper hub at an upper end of the support hub assembly;
a plurality of longitudinal short ribs, each comprising a first end pivotally coupled to a location along a corresponding long rib and a second end removably coupled to the lower hub at a lower end of the support hub assembly,
wherein the canopy material is supported on the long ribs, spanning over the long ribs,
wherein the drive module operates to open/extend or close/collapse the frame structure of the canopy between the opened configuration and the closed configuration by varying the distance between the upper hub and the lower hub to pivot the short rib relative to the long rib, whereby the canopy is closed/collapsed when the lower bub is lowered away from the upper hub, and the canopy is opened/extended when the lower hub is raised towards the upper hub,
wherein the drive motor is operatively coupled to the lower hub via a pulley and a cable that runs through a hole provided in the upper hub and having a distal end connected to the lower hub, wherein the drive motor is operated to wind the cable onto the pulley to raise the lower hub towards the upper hub to open the frame structure of the canopy, and to unwind the cable from the pulley to lower the lower hub away from the upper hub to close the frame structure of the canopy, and
wherein the lower hub is lowered under the weight of the collapsible frame structure of the umbrella assembly as tension in the cable is released by unwinding from the pulley as driven by the drive motor.
8 . The motorized umbrella assembly as in claim 7 , wherein the top side of the upper hub is provided with quick coupling features, whereby the quick coupling features at the bottom of the motor drive unit matches the quick coupling features at the top side of the upper hub to facilitate quick coupling of the bottom side of the stacked drive module to the top side of the upper hub of the frame structure of the canopy.
9 . The motorized umbrella assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the modularized units of the drive module further comprise a modularized sensor unit removably/detachably attached to the power supply unit, wherein the sensor unit has a bottom side that is configured to be removably/detachably attached to the top of the power supply housing.
10 . The motorized umbrella assembly as in claim 9 , wherein the sensor unit comprises at least one of a wind sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor, temperature sensor, tilt sensor, motion sensor, oscillation sensor, and wherein separate sensors or combination of sensors are embodied in separate modularized units, thereby a user can customize the configuration of the umbrella assembly with desired sensors.
11 . The motorized umbrella assembly as in claim 1 ,
wherein the frame structure comprises:
a support hub assembly having an upper hub and a lower hub below the upper hub, wherein the upper hub is connected to the support structure;
a plurality of longitudinal long ribs, wherein each long rib has an end removably coupled to the upper hub at an upper end of the support hub assembly;
a plurality of longitudinal short ribs, each comprising a first end pivotally coupled to a location along a corresponding long rib and a second end removably coupled to the lower hub at a lower end of the support hub assembly,
wherein the canopy material is supported on the long ribs, spanning over the long ribs, and
wherein the support structure comprises one of:
(a) a central support post extending through the lower hub and having an upper distal end supporting the upper hub of the frame structure, and wherein the long ribs and short ribs of the frame structure extends away from the central post in the opened configuration, and
(b) a side support post and a side support arm cantilevered and extending from the side support post, wherein an extended end of the side support arm supports the upper hub of the frame structure, and wherein the frame structure is on one side of the side support post, wherein a distal end of the side support arm is slidably coupled to the side support post to facilitate the distal end to slide up and down the side support post when the frame structure of the canopy opens and closes, respectively, wherein the support structure further comprises a support brace having one end pivotally attached to the top of the side support post and another end pivotally attached to a location along the side support arm.
12 . A motorized umbrella assembly, comprising:
a support structure;
a canopy comprising:
a frame structure supported by the support structure, and
a flexible canopy material supported on the frame structure; and
a centralized drive module comprising a plurality of modularized units each having a separate housing configured to be removably/detachably stacked into a stacked structure of the overall drive module, wherein the housings of adjacent modularized units in the stack structure are removably/detachably attached to one another with a bottom side of one modularized unit removably/detachably attached to a top side of another modularized unit in the stacked structure, thereby one or more modularized units may be optionally omitted from or added to the stacked structure to form the overall drive module, and wherein the drive module is structurally and operatively coupled to the frame structure to operate to open/extend or close/collapse the canopy between an opened configuration and a closed configuration,
wherein the modularized units further comprise a modularized solar panel unit removably/detachably attached to the top side of the sensor unit or the power supply unit, wherein the solar panel unit includes a solar panel and a casing that has a bottom side provided with quick connect features to the adjacent modularized unit.
13 . A modularized drive assembly for an umbrella assembly, comprising:
a plurality of modularized units, each having a separate housing configured to be removably/detachably stacked into a stacked structure of the overall drive assembly, wherein the housings of adjacent modularized units in the stack structure are removably/detachably attached to one another with a bottom side of one modularized unit removably/detachably attached to a top side of another modularized unit in the stacked structure, thereby one or more modularized units may be optionally omitted from or added to the stacked structure to form the overall drive assembly,
wherein the plurality of modularized units includes:
a drive unit which comprises a drive motor and associated drive transmissions; and
a power supply unit removably/detachably attached to drive unit wherein the power supply unit supplies electrical power to the drive module, and wherein the drive unit is structurally and operatively coupled to a frame structure of a canopy of the umbrella assembly to operate to open/extend or close/collapse the canopy between an opened configuration and a closed configuration.
14 . The modularized drive assembly as in claim 13 , wherein the modularized units are configured to be removably/detachably stacked into a stacked structure of the overall drive module using quick connect couplings, thereby facilitating quick removably/detachably coupling between the bottom side of one modularized unit to the top side of another modularized unit, to facilitate configuring a stack of modularized units removably/detachably attached to form the overall drive module, and wherein the interfacing top and bottom sides of the adjacent modularized units are provided with complementary electrical connection terminals.
15 . The modularized drive assembly as in claim 14 , wherein the modularized units are provided with quick connect features at the top and bottom sides of respective housings of the modularized units to facilitate quick connect couplings of adjacent modularized units.
16 . The modularized drive assembly as in claim 15 , wherein the quick connect features at the top and bottom sides of the respective housings of the modularized units are similar to facilitate interchangeability of the modularized units for stacking in a desired order of the modularized units in the stacked structure.
17 . The modularized drive assembly as in claim 16 , wherein the interfacing surfaces of the top side of the drive housing and the bottom side of the power supply housing have complementary electrical connection terminals.
18 . The modularized drive assembly as in claim 13 , wherein the modularized units further comprise a modularized sensor unit removably/detachably attached to the power supply unit, wherein the sensor unit has a bottom side that is configured to be removably/detachably attached to the top of the power supply housing.
19 . The modularized drive assembly as in claim 13 , wherein the modularized units further comprise a modularized solar panel unit removably/detachably attached to the top side of the sensor unit or the power supply unit, wherein the solar panel unit includes a solar panel and a casing that has a bottom side provided with quick connect features to the adjacent modularized unit.