Awning control with multidimensional motion sensing

A retractable awning comprising

• a roller;
• a canopy attached along a first edge to the roller, wherein the canopy furls and unfurls about the roller;
• a pair of support arms that extend and retract and are mounted at first ends to a stable surface and support the canopy at second ends when the canopy is unfurled and the support arms are extended;
• a motor that drives the roller to furl and unfurl the canopy about the roller and thereby extend and retract the support arms;
• a lead rail supported by the second ends of the pair of support arms;
• a multidimensional motion detector having two or more signal outputs indicating an acceleration of a leading edge of a retractable awning in at least directions;
• and
• a microcontroller that receives the signal outputs from the multidimensional motion detector and determines, based upon comparison of the signal outputs to a threshold value, whether to generate a retraction control signal for the motor;
• wherein
• the multidimensional motion detector and the microcontroller are components of a singular motor control unit contained in a single housing and mounted on the lead rail;
• further wherein the multidimensional motion detector comprises a single accelerometer having three signal outputs indicating an acceleration of a leading edge of the lead rail in three substantially orthogonal directions;
• and
• the microcontroller receives the three signal outputs from the accelerometer and determines, based upon comparison of a weighted average of the signal outputs to the threshold value, whether to generate a retraction control signal for the motor.

A control system for controlling a motor for a retractable awning comprising

• a single accelerometer having three signal outputs indicating an acceleration of a leading edge of a retractable awning in three substantially orthogonal directions, each of the three substantially orthogonal directions corresponding to a respective one of said three signal outputs;
• and
• a processor that received the three signal outputs from the single accelerometer and determines, based upon comparison of the three signal outputs to a threshold value, whether to generate a retraction control signal for the motor that operates the retractable awning;
• wherein
• the control system, including both the single accelerometer and the processor, is contained in a single housing which is sized and configured for mounting on the leading edge of the retractable awning;
• wherein the single accelerometer having three signal outputs indicating an acceleration of a leading edge of a retractable awning in three orthogonal directions comprising a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, and a lateral direction relative to the leading edge of said retractable awning;
• said accelerometer further comprising at least one of a static component for measuring static acceleration of gravity and a dynamic component for measuring motion in said retractable awning;
• the processor receives the three signal outputs from the accelerometer and determines, based upon comparison of a weighted average of the three signal outputs to the threshold value, whether to generate a retraction control signal for the motor that operates the retractable awning.