Motorized window shade system

In combination:

• an elongated reelable shade comprising first and second opposite ends, first and second spaced support brackets, said second support bracket being removably connected to said second end of said elongated reelable shade for supporting said reelable shade from a fixed support, an electrical drive motor having an output shaft for rotating said elongated reelable shade around its axis to selectively reel and unreel said shade, an electrical circuit for energizing and operating said motor, the electrical circuit including a controller coupled to and controlling the operation of said motor, and a coupler for removable coupling said output shaft of said motor to said first end of said elongated reelable shade, a single housing having said first bracket fixed thereto, said single housing containing and supporting said motor, said electrical circuit and said coupler, said coupler comprising an output driver which removable receives said first end of said shade with rotatable driving relationship,
• the fixed support having a vertical surface area which is covered and uncovered by the unreeling and reeling respectively of said shade,
• and further wherein said electric motor is a multi-pole permanent magnet reversible DC motor, and wherein said motor has a cogging force at multiple angular positions of said output shaft when said motor is deenergized, which cogging force is sufficient to overcome a rotational force produced on said reelable shade due to the weight of a downwardly hanging portion of an unreeled shade.

In combination:

• an elongated reelable shade comprising first and second opposite ends, first and second spaced support brackets, said second support bracket being removably connected to said second end of said elongated reelable shade for supporting said reelable shade from a fixed support, an electrical drive motor having an output shaft for rotating said elongated reelable shade around its axis to selectively reel and unreel said shade, an electrical circuit for energizing and operating said motor, the electrical circuit including a controller coupled to and controlling the operation of said motor, and a coupler for removably coupling said output shaft of said motor to said first end of said elongated reelable shade, a single housing having said first bracket fixed thereto, said single housing containing and supporting said motor, said electrical circuit and said coupler, said coupler comprising an output driver which removably receives said first end of said shade with rotatable driving relationship,
• said elongated reelable shade comprising a conventional roller shade having a support pin fixed to its said second end, which support pin is rotatable receivable by said second bracket;
• said reelable shade having a coupling socket fixed to said first end thereof which is removably connectable to said coupler;
• and further wherein said elongated reelable shade comprises a hollow tube which receives an elongated coil spring which is coaxial with said tube;
• one end of said spring being fixed to a rectangular cross-section barb which is adapted to be fixed to a slot in a conventional shade bracket whereby said spring may be wound in response to the unreeling of said shade in said conventional bracket;
• said support pin being fixed to said barb and being rotatable within said second bracket, thereby to deactivate the action and effect of said spring during the reeling and unreeling of said shade.

In combination:

• an elongated reelable shade comprising first and second opposite ends, first and second spaced support brackets, said second support bracket being removably connected to said second end of said elongated reelable shade for supporting said reelable shade from a fixed support, an electrical drive motor having an output shaft for rotating said elongated reelable shade around its axis to selectively reel and unreel said shade, an electrical circuit for energizing and operating said motor, the electrical circuit including a controller coupled to and controlling the operation of said motor, and a coupler for removably coupling said output shaft of said motor to said first end of said elongated reelable shade, a single housing having said first bracket fixed thereto, said single housing containing and supporting said motor, said electrical circuit and said coupler, said coupler comprising an output driver which removably receives said first end of said shade with rotatable driving relationship;
• and further wherein said coupler comprises a hexagonal ball formed on an end of a shaft driven by said drive motor to be coupled to said first end of said elongated reelable shade and a hexagonal socket fixed to said first end of said elongated reelable shade for releasably receiving said hexagonal ball despite angular misalignment between the axis of rotation of said hexagonal ball and the axis of rotation of said reelable shade.

In combination:

• an elongated reelable shade comprising first and second opposite ends, first and second spaced support brackets, said second support bracket being removably connected to said second end of said elongated reelable shade for supporting said reelable shade from a fixed support, an electrical drive motor having an output shaft for rotating said elongated reelable shade around its axis to selectively reel and unreel said shade, an electrical circuit for energizing and operating said motor, the electrical circuit including a controller coupled to and controlling the operation of said motor, and a coupler for removably coupling said output shaft of said motor to said first end of said elongated reelable shade, a single housing having said first bracket fixed thereto, said single housing containing and supporting said motor, said electrical circuit and said coupler, said coupler comprising an output driver which removably receives said first end of said shade with rotatable driving relationship;
• said controller including "raise" and "lower" switches for manually actuating the drive motor;
• and
• further wherein the controller includes a program switch and a microprocessor, the program switch being coupled to the microprocessor, the program switch enabling a shade upper and lower level limit to be programmed.

In combination:

• an elongated reelable shade comprising first and second opposite ends, first and second spaced support brackets, said second support bracket being removably connected to said second end of said elongated reelable shade for supporting said reelable shade from a fixed support, an electrical drive motor having an output shaft for rotating said elongated reelable shade around its axis to selectively reel and unreel said shade, an electrical circuit for energizing and operating said motor, the electrical circuit including a controller coupled to and controlling the operation of said motor, and a coupler for removably coupling said output shaft of said motor to said first end of said elongated reelable shade, a single housing having said first bracket fixed thereto, said single housing containing and supporting said motor, said electrical circuit and said coupler, said coupler comprising an output driver which removably receives said first end of said shade with rotatable driving relationship;
• a shade limit switch with a shade limit switch actuator positioned adjacent the path of said shade as said shade reels and unreels;
• said switch being coupled to said controller and being operated in response to the movement of said shade to first and second limit positions whereby, when either of said first or second limit switch positions is reached, said switch is operated and said motor is stopped,
• said shade limit switch actuator including a pivotally mounted shade limit lever arm;
• said shade limit lever arm having an end disposed adjacent the path of movement of said shade;
• the free end of said shade having an enlarged hem liner along its edge, said hem liner at the free end of said shade engaging and rotating said shade limit lever arm when said free end of said shade reaches said shade limit lever arm while said shade is being reeled;
• said limit switch actuator including a pivotally mounted shade full extension limit lever arm;
• said shade full extension limit lever arm having an end disposed adjacent to but spaced from the outer periphery of said reelable shade and being removed from the path of said shade when said shade is being unreeled from one side of the shade reel, but being disposed in the path of said shade after said shade has been fully unreeled and when continuous unreeling causes said shade to reel in an opposite direction over the shade reel, thereby to activate said shade limit switch to stop said motor,
• the controller including "raise" and "lower" switches for manually activating the drive motor,
• further wherein the controller includes a program switch and a microprocessor, the program switch being coupled to the microprocessor the program switch enabling a shade upper and lower limit to be programmed.

An elongated reelable window shade adapted for motor operation by an external motor drive;

• said shade comprising an elongated rigid tubular barrel having an elongated shade reeled thereon;
• one end of said barrel having a drive coupler connected thereto for removable connection to a motor drive;
• the opposite end of said barrel containing an interior elongated torsion spring having an exterior rectangular barb connector for connection to the slot of a conventional shade mounting bracket;
• and a circular pin with a low friction outer surface and having a slot in one end surface thereof which is force-fitted onto the end of said barb;
• said circular pin being coaxial with said barrel and said spring.

In combination, a plurality of spaced reelable shades, a plurality of reversible drive motors separate from and connected to one end of respective ones of each of said shades, a control circuit for operating each of said drive motors from a common power source;

• and a communication circuit for interconnecting each of said control circuits to operate each of said plurality of reversible motors so that their respective shades are reeled and unreeled in a predetermined synchronism with one another;
• a respective unitary housing for each of said reversible drive motors and their respective control circuits;
• each of said housings containing at least first and second four-wire jacks coupled to their respective communication circuit;
• each said four-wire jacks having first, second, third and fourth lateral connectors disposed side by side and extending therefrom wherein the application of a signal connecting the first and second or third and fourth connectors causes the drive of said motor in a first direction and the application of a signal connecting said first and third or said second and fourth connectors causes the drive of said motor in an opposite direction;
• a four-wire cable connected from a four-wire jack of a first of said jacks in a first of said housings to a four-wire jack of a first of said jacks in a second of said housings;
• the connection of said four wire cable being polarity insensitive.

In combination:

• an elongated reelable shade comprising first and second opposite ends, first and second spaced support brackets, said second support bracket being removably connected to said second end of said elongated reelable shade for supporting said reelable shade from a fixed support, an electrical drive motor having an output shaft for rotating said elongated reelable shade around its axis to selectively reel and unreel said shade, an electrical circuit for energizing and operating said motor, the electrical circuit including a position sensing means for sensing the position of said reelable shade, a controller coupled to and controlling the operation of said motor, and a coupler for removably coupling said output shaft of said motor to said first end of said elongated reelable shade, a single housing having said first bracket fixed thereto, said single housing containing and supporting said motor, said electrical circuit and said coupler, said coupler comprising an output driver which removably receives said first end of said shade with rotatable driving relationship, and further including a shade limit switch positioned adjacent the path of said shade as said shade reels and unreels;
• said switch being coupled to said controller and being operated in response to the movement of said shade to a first extreme position, whereby when said first extreme position is reached, said switch is operated, said motor is stopped, and said position sensing means is reset.