Systems and methods for controlling the operation of a movable panel wall system

A system which monitors for an object adjacent a movable wall panel system suspended from an overhead track, the monitoring system comprising:

• a plurality of wall panels rotatably coupled together and each including a first end and a second end, spaced-apart from the first end, and a panel face extending between the first end and the second end, the plurality of wall panels being movable between an extended configuration wherein the panel faces of the plurality of wall panels are generally coplanar with a wall plane and a retracted configuration wherein the panel faces of the plurality of wall panels are transverse to the wall plane;
• a drive system coupled to at least one of the plurality of wall panels to move the plurality of wall panels along the overhead track to one of the extended configuration and the retracted configuration;
• a control system coupled to drive system to control the drive system to move the plurality of wall panels to one of the extended configuration and the retracted configuration and to deactivate the drive system, the control system comprising
• at least one monitoring system positioned to monitor at least one area adjacent the plurality of wall panels on a first side of the wall plane, the at least one monitoring system adapted to detect the object in the least one area, the at least one monitoring system providing a monitoring output indicating the detection of the object in the least one area;
• an operator interface positioned on a second side of the wall plane, the operator interface capable of receiving a request to move the plurality of wall panels to one of the extended configuration and the retracted configuration, the operator interface providing a request output indicating the request to move the plurality of wall panels to one of the extended configuration and the retracted configuration;
• and
• a controller operatively coupled to the at least one monitoring system to receive the monitoring output and the operator interface to receive the request output, the controller activating the drive system based on the request output and the monitoring output and deactivating the drive system based on the monitoring output, the operator interface including a touch screen interface.