Motor assemblies for architectural coverings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12139967-B2
Application number	US-202217936085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2022
Priority date	Apr 19, 2019
Publication date	Nov 12, 2024
Grant date	Nov 12, 2024

Abstract

Example motor assemblies for architectural coverings are described herein. An example architectural covering assembly includes an architectural covering movable between an upper limit position, a lower limit position, and a transition limit position between the upper limit position and the lower limit position. The example architectural covering assembly also includes a motor, a consumer touchpoint, and an architectural covering controller. In response to detecting a first gesture at the consumer touchpoint, the architectural covering controller is to activate the motor to move the architectural covering to the transition limit position and stop, and in response to detecting a second gesture at the consumer touchpoint, different from the first gesture, the architectural covering controller is to activate the motor to move the architectural covering through the transition limit position and to the upper limit position or the lower limit position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An architectural covering assembly comprising:
a headrail;
a first rail and a second rail movable between (i) a first pre-stored position at which the first rail and the second rail are adjacent to the headrail, (ii) a second pre-stored position at which the first rail is adjacent to the headrail and the second rail is away from the headrail, and (iii) a third pre-stored position at which the first rail and the second rail are adjacent to each other and away from the headrail; and
a controller configured to:
determine an input requesting a movement operation; and
cause, based on the input, movement of the first rail and the second rail between the first pre-stored position and the third pre-stored position through the second pre-stored position and, based on a type of the input, with or without stopping at the second pre-stored position.

2. The architectural covering assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
a first covering coupled with the first rail, wherein causing the movement comprises causing the first covering to retract to the first pre-stored position or extend to the third pre-stored position.

3. The architectural covering assembly of claim 2 further comprising:
a second covering coupled with the second rail, wherein causing the movement comprises causing the second covering to retract to the first pre-stored position or extend to the third pre-stored position.

4. The architectural covering assembly of claim 3 , wherein the first covering is coupled with the headrail, wherein the second rail is coupled with the first rail, and wherein the first rail is positioned between the headrail and the second rail.

5. The architectural covering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the type of the input indicates that the movement operation is to forgo stopping at the second pre-stored position, and wherein causing the movement comprises:
causing the second rail to move from being adjacent to the headrail to being at a distance away from the headrail and stopping upon the second rail being at the distance; and
causing, automatically after the second rail is at the distance, the first rail to move from being adjacent to the headrail to being adjacent to the second rail.

6. The architectural covering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the type of the input indicates that the movement operation is to stop at the second pre-stored position, wherein the input comprises a first input and a second input, and wherein the movement is caused by:
receiving the first input;
causing, based on the first input, the second rail to move from being adjacent to the headrail to being at a distance away from the headrail and stopping upon the second rail being at the distance;
receiving the second input after the stopping; and
causing, based on the second input, the first rail to move from being adjacent to the headrail to being adjacent to the second rail.

7. The architectural covering assembly of claim 1 , wherein causing the movement comprises:
causing the second rail to move from being adjacent to the headrail to being at a distance away from the headrail and stopping upon the second rail being at the distance; and
causing, automatically after a pre-stored amount of time from the stopping has elapsed, the first rail to move from being adjacent to the headrail to being adjacent to the second rail.

8. The architectural covering assembly of claim 1 further comprising a memory that stores the first pre-stored position, the second pre-stored position, the third pre-stored position, and a fourth pre-stored position, and wherein the controller is further configured to cause, based on additional input, the first rail and the second rail to move between the first pre-stored position and the second pre-stored position through the fourth pre-stored position.

9. A method implemented by an architectural covering assembly, the method comprising:
receiving an input requesting a movement operation; and
causing, based on the input, movement of a first rail and a second rail of the architectural covering assembly between a first pre-stored position and a third pre-stored position through a second pre-stored position and, based on a type of the input, with or without stopping at the second pre-stored position, wherein:
at the first pre-stored position, the first rail and the second rail are adjacent to a headrail of the architectural covering assembly,
at the second pre-stored position, the first rail is adjacent to the headrail and the second rail is away from the headrail, and
at the third pre-stored position, the first rail and the second rail are adjacent to each other and away from the headrail.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
determining the type of the input, wherein the type indicates that the movement operation is to forgo stopping at the second pre-stored position, and wherein causing the movement comprises:
causing the first rail to move from being at a first distance away from the headrail to being adjacent to the headrail and stopping upon the first rail being adjacent to the headrail; and
causing, automatically after the first rail is adjacent to the headrail, the second rail to move from being at a second distance away from the headrail to being adjacent to the first rail.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
determining the type of the input based on a sequence of activation of controls, wherein the type indicates that the movement operation is to forgo stopping at the second pre-stored position, and wherein causing the movement.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
determining the type of the input based on an activation time of a control, wherein the type indicates that the movement operation is to forgo stopping at the second pre-stored position, and wherein causing the movement.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
determining that the activation time meets a threshold time period, wherein a memory of the architectural covering assembly stores the first pre-stored position, the second pre-stored position, the third pre-stored position, and the threshold time period.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
activating, based on the type of the input, at least one of a visible indicator or an audible indicator to signal the type of the input.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
determining the type of the input, wherein the type indicates that the movement operation is to forgo stopping at the second pre-stored position; and
activating an indicator to signal that forgoing of the stopping at the second pre-stored position.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the indicator is activated for a pre-stored amount of time, wherein a memory of the architectural covering assembly stores the first pre-stored position, the second pre-stored position, the third pre-stored position, and the pre-stored amount of time.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the indicator is activated while the second rail moves from being from being adjacent to the headrail to being at a distance away from the headrail and is deactivated upon the second rail being at the distance.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, upon execution by one or more processors of an architectural covering assembly, cause the architectural covering assembly to perform operations comprising:
receiving an input requesting a movement operation; and
causing, based on the input, movement of a first rail and a second rail of the architectural covering assembly between a f

Assignees

• Hunter Douglas

Inventors

• Anthony James M
• Dann Kevin M
• Huber Daniel A
• Brayford Paul A
• Lorenz Douglas J
• Kolozs James
• Holt Ronald
• Nelson Todd
• Yenzer Shelby Jared
• Cooper Charles Culver Gidden
• Zagone Peter
• Wisecup Stephen T
• Pruegner Jan
• Witt Robert
• Schierz Joerg

Classifications

• E06B2009/6809

  Control · CPC title

• E06B9/42

  Parts or details of roller blinds, e.g. suspension devices, blind boxes (brackets or adjustable mountings for roller blinds and drawable curtains A47H1/13) · CPC title

• E06B2009/405

  Two rollers · CPC title

• E06B2009/2452

  moving independently · CPC title

• E06B2009/6845

  sensing position · CPC title