Lutron Electronics Company, Inc.

Mark A Walker

Lawrence R Carmen, Jr

David J Dolan

Joseph M Nichols

David A Kirby

Jason Scott Gottschall

Joel Elwood Hibshman

Michael S Kokolus

Lawrence R Carmen

A system for controlling a roller shade having a roller tube windingly receiving a shade fabric varies roller tube rotational speed for constant linear shade speed. The desired linear shade speed, roller tube diameter and shade fabric thickness and length are stored in a memory for use by a microprocessor. Preferably, the roller tube rotational speed is varied by the microprocessor depending on shade position determined by signals from Hall effect sensors. The microprocessor maintains a counter number that is increased or decreased depending on direction of rotation. Based on the counter number, the microprocessor determines shade position and a corrected rotational speed for the desired linear shade speed. Preferably, the microprocessor controls roller tube rotational speed using a pulse width modulated signal. The system may be used to control first and second roller shades having roller tubes of differing diameters or shade fabrics of varying thicknesses.

System for controlling a roller shade fabric to a desired linear speed

Control system for uniform movement of multiple roller shades

System for controlling roller tube rotational speed for constant linear shade speed

A coupling assembly for a multiple-tube roller shade includes a support assembly for rotatably supporting and connecting adjacently located tube-end portions and a clutch mechanism providing relative rotation therebetween. The support assembly includes a tube-end fitting and a torque-transferring drive transfer member contacting the tube. The clutch mechanism includes first and second clutch members respectively engaged and separated in closed and opened positions. A pull bar is translatable within one of the shafts and is moved by a draw pin received in aligned openings of the second clutch member, the shaft and the pull bar. The shaft openings are elongated for movement of the second clutch member between the closed and opened positions. An adjustment member threadedly engages the tube-end fitting for vertical adjustment of the fitting with respect to a support panel. The tube-end fitting is secured to a bracket having elongated openings for horizontal adjustment.

System for coupling roller shade tubes

An insert having a peripheral contact surface is received by a roller tube channel to engage a shade fabric. The insert is adjustable to compress the shade fabric within the channel. The insert may include a body having opposite side edges and at least one elongated slot. The insert member may include pivotable prongs or deflectable slot walls adjacent the slots. Pivoting of the prongs or deflection of the slot walls urges the body toward a channel side wall to compress the shade fabric. The insert may, alternatively, include a body having diametrically opposite portions respectively defining a curved outer periphery and a planar outer periphery, the body being wider between the curved portions. The insert is pivotable about an axis to grip the shade fabric between a channel side wall and one of the curved portions of the body.

System for securing a shade fabric to a roller tube

A weighting assembly for a roller shade fabric includes an elongated hem bar having opposite open ends and defining an internal cavity communicating with the open ends. A spline secured to an end of the fabric is slidingly received in a pocket defined within the cavity through one of the ends. The pocket includes an opening communicating with the rest of the cavity for passage of the fabric to an exterior through an elongated slot in the hem bar. After the fabric is wrapped on an exterior surface of the hem bar, a portion of the fabric is fed into the cavity through the slot to form a loop for slidingly receiving an elongated rod through one of the ends. The rod has a diameter that is greater than a width of the slot to prevent removal of the rod through the slot.

Roller shade weighting assembly

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Whitehall, PA, United States of America

Mark A Walker