Motorized drive unit assembly for a shade system

A motor drive unit assembly for a motorized shade system having a covering material, the motor drive unit assembly comprising:

• a motor having a drive shaft;
• an output member rotatable about a drive axis, such that rotation of the output member about the drive axis causes the covering material to move;
• and
• a clutch assembly that is operatively coupled between the drive shaft of the motor and the output member;
• wherein the clutch assembly is configured to couple the drive shaft to the output member when the motor initiates rotation of the drive shaft in a rotational direction about the drive axis, and to decouple the drive shaft from the output member when the drive shaft ceases rotating in the rotational direction, thereby enabling manual rotation of the output member about the drive axis and manual positioning of the covering material.

A motor drive unit assembly for a motorized shade system having a covering material, the motor drive unit assembly comprising:

• an output member that is rotatable about a drive axis that extends along a first direction, such that rotation of the output member about the drive axis causes the covering material to move;
• a motor having a drive shaft that rotates about the drive axis;
• an input member having a base that is configured to couple to the drive shaft and an input member body that extends from the base along the first direction, the input member body including a sidewall that defines a first channel and a first recess that extends through the sidewall along a second direction that is transverse to the first direction;
• a mandrel that is coupled to the output member and that is configured to rotate about the drive axis, the mandrel disposed within the first channel;
• and
• a spring that is disposed about the mandrel, the spring having a first configuration wherein the mandrel is rotatable relative to the spring and a second configuration wherein the spring is engaged with the input member and tightened about the mandrel so as to couple the drive shaft to the output member, such that the drive shaft and the output member are rotatable in a first rotational direction about the drive axis or in a second rotational direction about the drive axis that is opposite the first rotational direction.

A motorized drapery system comprising:

• an elongate track configured to be coupled to a structure adjacent a window;
• a belt that is rotatably mounted within the track;
• a car that is positioned within the track such that the car is coupled to the belt, the car being configured to attach to a drapery fabric;
• and
• a motor drive unit assembly that is operatively coupled to the belt, the motor drive unit assembly including a motor having a drive shaft, an output member that is operably coupled to the belt, and a clutch assembly that is coupled between the drive shaft and the output member,
• wherein the clutch assembly is configured to couple the drive shaft to the output member when the motor initiates rotation of the drive shaft in a rotational direction, and to decouple the drive shaft from the output member when the drive shaft ceases rotating in the rotational direction, such that the drapery fabric can be moved manually.

A method of moving a covering material of a motorized shade system, the method comprising:

• actuating a motor of the motorized shade system to rotate a drive shaft of the motor, wherein rotation of the drive shaft operatively couples an input member attached to the drive shaft to an output member that is operatively coupled to the covering material, such that the input member and the output member rotate together, thereby causing the output member to move the covering material along a first direction;
• and
• manually moving the covering material while the motor is rotating the drive shaft,
• wherein manually moving the covering material causes the output member to disengage from the input member, such that the output member is freely rotatable relative to the input member.

A clutch assembly for a motor drive unit assembly, the clutch assembly comprising:

• an input member that is rotatable about a drive axis, the input member having a base and an input member body that extends from the base along a first direction, the input member body including a sidewall that defines a first channel and a first recess that extends through the sidewall along a second direction that is transverse to the first direction;
• a mandrel that is rotatable about the drive axis, the mandrel disposed within the channel of the input member body;
• and
• a spring that is disposed about the mandrel, the spring having a first configuration wherein the mandrel is rotatable relative to the spring and a second configuration wherein the spring is engaged with the input member and tightened about the mandrel so as to couple the input member to the mandrel for rotation of the mandrel and the input member in a first rotational direction about the drive axis or in a second rotational direction about the drive axis that is opposite the first rotational direction.