Power drive for a venetian blind

Claim 1

In a venetian blind drive and control, a reversible rotary direct current electric motor, a source of direct current connected to drive said motor, switch means in the motor circuit operable to select the direction of motor rotation and to determine the increment of movement in either direction, a speed reduction gear train driven by said motor selectively in either direction in accordance with the direction of motor rotation, an output shaft for said gear train, a cross shaft for said blind in axial alignment with and coupled at all times to said output shaft and connected to the slats of the venetian blind to provide a predetermined tilt adjustment for the latter between predetermined opposite closure positions by a partial revolution of said cross shaft, a separate limit switch connected directly in a branch of the power circuit of said motor for each direction of operation of the motor, and separate abutment means generally carried by and rotatable with at least one of said shafts to actuate corresponding of said limit switches to open the motor circuit and stop said motor upon said shafts reaching a limit of rotation corresponding to a predetermined position of blind operation in either of the selected directions.