Motorized Roller Shade Artificial Stops

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Solution Overview

Problem

Motorized roller shades face issues with noise, battery life, counterbalancing, manual operation, and installation complexity, particularly due to the use of hard stops and external limit switches, which can be costly and prone to failure.

Innovation Solution

A motorized roller shade system with a DC gear motor and microprocessor-controlled internal components, including a battery tube and end caps, that sets operational limits using artificial stops and counts revolutions to determine positional control, eliminating the need for external wiring and hard stops.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If hard stops are used to set operational limits, then the motor can be controlled to stop at specific positions, but noise increases and battery life decreases due to additional current required to stall the motor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositional controlVSAvoidbattery life
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical hard stop system with an electronic control system using a microprocessor and encoder. The microprocessor counts encoder pulses to determine motor position and commands the motor to stop at predetermined positions without physical contact, eliminating the need for hard stops and their associated noise and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the motor's own encoder to provide positional feedback and control. The microprocessor reads pulse signals from the encoder to determine the motor's current position and automatically commands stopping at predetermined positions, making the system self-regulating without external mechanical intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Measurement precision

If hard stops are used to set operational limits, then the motor can be controlled to stop at specific positions, but noise increases due to mechanical contact and wear

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositional controlVSAvoidnoise
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical hard stop system with an electronic control system using a microprocessor and encoder. The microprocessor counts encoder pulses to determine motor position and commands the motor to stop at predetermined positions without physical contact, eliminating the need for hard stops and their associated noise and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If external limit switches are used to set operational limits, then the operational range can be defined, but installation complexity increases and reliability decreases due to additional components that can fail

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational limitsVSAvoidinstallation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the limit switching function from external mechanical limit switches and integrates it into the motor control system. The microprocessor uses encoder pulse counting to internally determine when the shade reaches predetermined positions, eliminating the need for external limit switches and their associated installation complexity and potential failure points.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines the positional sensing function (previously performed by external limit switches) with the motor control system. The encoder and microprocessor work together to provide both motion control and limit detection in a single integrated system, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying installation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Adaptability or versatility

If battery power is used to remove wiring requirements, then installation flexibility improves, but noise increases and battery life decreases due to motor stalling current requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation flexibilityVSAvoidbattery life
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical hard stop system with an electronic control system using a microprocessor and encoder. The microprocessor counts encoder pulses to determine motor position and commands the motor to stop at predetermined positions without physical contact, eliminating the need for hard stops and their associated noise and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the motor's own encoder to provide positional feedback and control. The microprocessor reads pulse signals from the encoder to determine the motor's current position and automatically commands stopping at predetermined positions, making the system self-regulating without external mechanical intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS9018868B2High efficiency roller shade and method for setting artificial stops
Publication Date: 2015.04.28 THE WATT STOPPER
  • US9018868B2 patent drawing
  • US9018868B2 patent drawing
  • US9018868B2 patent drawing

AI summary

The present invention advantageously provides a motorized roller shade that includes a shade tube, a motor/controller unit and a power supply unit. The motor/controller unit is disposed within the shade tube, and includes a bearing, rotatably coupled to a support shaft, and a DC gear motor. The output shaft of the DC gear motor is coupled to the support shaft such that the output shaft and the support shaft do not rotate when the support shaft is attached to the mounting bracket.