Patent Publication Number: US-2023151682-A1

Title: Motorized window treatment

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 63/264,136, filed Nov. 16, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     A window treatment may be mounted in front of one or more windows, for example to prevent sunlight from entering a space and/or to provide privacy. Window treatments may include, for example, roller shades, roman shades, cellular shades, venetian blinds, or draperies. A roller shade may typically include a flexible shade fabric wound onto an elongated roller tube. A venetian blind may comprise a number of slats spaced apart vertically between a headrail and a bottom bar. A cellular shade may comprise a cellular fabric extending between a headrail and a bottom bar located at a lower end of the cellular fabric. The headrails of venetian blinds and cellular shades may be mounted to a structure surrounding the window by one or more mounting brackets. 
     Venetian blinds and cellular shades may comprise mechanisms for raising and lowering the bottom bar. For example, the venetian blinds and cellular shades may comprise one or more lift cords that extend from the headrail to the bottom bar for lifting the bottom bar. In addition, the headrails of the venetian blinds and cellular shades may each comprise a drive shaft coupled to one or more spools around which the lift cords are wound. For example, the drive shaft may be rotated in first and second directions to wind and unwind the lift cords to thus raise and lower the bottom bar, respectively. 
     Such a window treatment may be motorized. For example, a motorized window treatment may include a motor drive unit configured to rotate the drive shaft to raise and lower the bottom bar. In addition, the motorized window treatment may comprise one or more batteries for powering the motor drive unit and/or electrical wiring coupled to an external power source for powering the motor drive unit. The components of the motorized window treatment, such as the headrail, the brackets, the motor drive unit, the batteries, and/or the electrical wiring may be concealed by a fascia or installed in a pocket out of view. 
     SUMMARY 
     As described herein, a motorized window treatment may include a covering material, a motor drive unit, a headrail, a cover, and one or more mounting brackets. The motor drive unit may be adapted to control the covering material between a fully-raised and a fully-lowered position. The headrail may be configured to enclose the motor drive unit. The covering material may be configured to descend from the headrail when operated from the fully-raised to the fully-lowered position. The headrail may include a battery holder for receiving at least one battery for powering the motor drive unit. The cover may be elongate between a first end of the headrail and the second end of the headrail. The cover may include a rear plate and a top plate extending substantially perpendicular to the rear plate. The cover may be configured to enclose at least an upper portion and a rear portion of the headrail. The top plate may be configured to extend over the upper portion of the headrail when the headrail is attached to the mounting bracket(s). The top plate may comprise a plurality of ribs extending from an inner surface of the top plate. The plurality of ribs may extend substantially parallel to the rear plate. The cover may include a front lip that extends at an angle from the top plate. The motorized window treatment may include end covers that cover the first and second ends of the head rail. 
     The headrail may include a front portion that is removably attachable thereto. The front portion may include an upper clip configured to engage an upper surface of the headrail. The front portion may further include an intermediate clip configured to engage a channel defined by the headrail. The upper clip and the intermediate clip may be configured to resist a threshold force applied to the front portion in a direction away from the headrail. The intermediate clip may define a T-shaped cross-section. 
     The cover may be metallic (e.g., at least partially metallic). The cover may define a notch. The cover may comprise a non-metallic plate that is configured to be secured within the notch. The notch and the non-metallic plate may be configured to enable wireless messages to be received by the motorized window treatment. For example, the motorized window treatment may include a wireless communication circuit that is configured to receive the wireless messages. The wireless messages may include one or more commands for controlling the motorized window treatment. The mounting brackets may be configured to secure the motorized window treatment to a structure. The mounting brackets may include a biasing member and a release button. The biasing member may be configured to engage a lower lip of the cover to bias the respective mounting bracket toward the top plate of the cover. The biasing member may be configured to wedge the respective mounting bracket between the lower lip and one or more of the plurality of ribs such that the respective mounting bracket is removably attached to the cover without the use of fasteners. The mounting brackets may be configured to receive fasteners that extend through the cover and into the structure for mounting the motorized window treatment to the structure. At least a portion of the biasing member may extend beyond a lower edge of the mounting bracket. The biasing member may include an arm that extends from a rear sheet of the mounting bracket. The biasing member may further include a curved portion that is curved away from a plane defined by the rear sheet. The biasing member may further include a tip that is configured to abut the lower lip of the cover. The mounting bracket may include a pair of links that connect the biasing member to the rear sheet. The mounting bracket may further include slots on opposed sides of the biasing member. The slots may be configured to enable relative movement of the biasing member with respect to the rear sheet. 
     The mounting brackets may further include a release button configured to extend through a gap between the headrail and the top plate of the cover when the motorized window treatment is in an operating position. The gap may be defined between a front portion of the headrail and the front lip of the cover. A width of the gap may be maintained substantially constant along a length of the motorized window treatment, for example, by the biasing member biasing the mounting bracket against the top plate. The release button may be configured to be operated to adjust the motorized window treatment into a service position in which access is provided to the at least one battery. The release button may be configured to be pushed towards the rear plate to release the motorized window treatment from the operating position. The mounting brackets may remain coupled to the cover and the headrail may remain attached to the mounting brackets when the motorized window treatment is in the service position. The mounting brackets may include a latch that is coupled to the release button. The latch may be configured to secure the motorized window treatment in the operating position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a motorized window treatment system having a battery-powered motorized window treatment. 
         FIG.  2    is a top perspective view and  FIG.  3    is a bottom perspective view of the battery-powered motorized window treatment of  FIG.  1    with a cellular shade fabric in a fully-raised position. 
         FIG.  4    is a front view of the battery-powered motorized window treatment of  FIG.  1    with a front portion of a headrail removed and the cellular shade fabric in a lowered position. 
         FIG.  5    is a partially exploded view of the battery-powered motorized window treatment of  FIG.  1    showing a shade assembly detached from mounting brackets. 
         FIG.  6    is a partially exploded view of the battery-powered motorized window treatment of  FIG.  1    showing the mounting brackets detached from the cover. 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-section view of the battery-powered motorized window treatment of  FIG.  1    taken through one of the mounting brackets. 
         FIGS.  8 A and  8 B  are perspective views of the mounting bracket of the battery-powered motorized window treatment of  FIG.  1    shown in a locked position. 
         FIGS.  8 C and  8 D  are perspective views of the mounting bracket of the battery-powered motorized window treatment of  FIG.  1    shown in an open position. 
         FIGS.  8 E and  8 F  are perspective views of the mounting bracket of the battery-powered motorized window treatment of  FIG.  1    shown with a rotating portion removed. 
         FIGS.  9 A and  9 B  are perspective views of another mounting bracket for use with the battery-powered motorized window treatment of  FIG.  1   , where the mounting bracket is shown in a locked position. 
         FIGS.  9 C and  9 D  are perspective views of the mounting bracket of  FIGS.  9 A and  9 B  shown in an open position. 
         FIGS.  9 E and  9 F  are perspective views of the mounting bracket of  FIGS.  9 A and  9 B  shown with a rotating portion removed. 
         FIG.  10    is a simplified block diagram of a motor drive unit of a battery-powered motorized window treatment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a motorized window treatment system  100  having a battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  mounted in an opening  102 , for example, in front of a window  104 . The battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  comprises a covering material  112 , for example, a cellular shade fabric as shown in  FIG.  1   . For example, the covering material  112  may comprise a plurality of cells that are formed when two sheets of fabric are attached to each other. The cells of the covering material  112  may extend horizontally across the width of the covering material  112 . The covering material  112  has a top end connected to a headrail  114  (e.g., via upper plate  123  shown in  FIG.  7   ) and a bottom end connected to a bottom bar  116  (e.g., via lower plate  121  shown in  FIG.  7   ). The bottom bar  116  may be a weighted bar (e.g., a hembar) attached to the bottom end of the covering material  112 . The covering material  112  may hang in front of the window  104 , and may be adjusted between a fully-raised position P FULLY-RAISED  (e.g., a fully-open position) and a fully-lowered position P FULLY-LOWERED  (e.g., a fully-closed position) to control the amount of daylight entering a room or space. The cells of the covering material  112  may successively expand and contract when the covering material  112  is operated between the fully-raised position and the fully-lowered position. Alternatively, the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  could be mounted externally to the opening  102  (e.g., above the opening) with the covering material  112  hanging in front of the opening and the window  104 . In addition, the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  could alternatively comprise other types of covering materials, such as, for example, a plurality of horizontally-extending slats (e.g., a Venetian or Persian blind system), pleated blinds, a roller shade fabric, or a Roman shade fabric. 
       FIG.  2    is a top perspective view and  FIG.  3    is a bottom perspective view of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  with the covering material  112  in the fully-raised position P FULLY-RAISED .  FIG.  4    is a front view of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  with a front portion  117  of the headrail  114  removed and the covering material  112  in a lowered position (e.g., a partially-lowered position or the fully-lowered position P FULLY-LOWERED ). 
     The motorized window treatment  110  may comprise a motor drive unit  120  for raising and lowering the bottom bar  116  and the covering material  112  between the fully-raised position P FULLY-RAISED  and the fully-lowered position P FULLY-LOWERED . By controlling the amount of the window  104  being covered by the covering material  112 , the motorized window treatment  110  is able to control the amount of daylight entering the room. The headrail  114  of the motorized window treatment  110  may comprise an internal side  122  and an opposite external side  124 , which faces the window  104  that the covering material  112  is covering. The motor drive unit  120  may comprise a drive unit button  126 , which may be positioned adjacent the internal side  122  of the headrail  114  and may be actuated when a user is configuring the motorized window treatment  110 . The drive unit button  126  may be made of, for example, a clear material, such that the drive unit button may operate as a light pipe to conduct illumination from inside the motor drive unit  120  to thus be provide feedback to the user of the motorized window treatment  110 . 
     The motorized window treatment  110  may comprise lift cords  130  that extend from the headrail  114  to the bottom bar  116  for allowing the motor drive unit  120  to raise and lower the bottom bar (e.g., control the covering material between the fully-raised position and fully-lowered position). The motor drive unit  120  may include an internal motor  150  that may be coupled to drive shafts  132  that extend from the motor drive unit  120  on each side of the motor drive unit  120  and are each coupled to a respective lift cord spool  134 . The lift cords  130  may be windingly received around the lift cord spools  134  and fixedly attached to the bottom bar  116 , such that the motor drive unit  120  is able to rotate the drive shafts  132  to raise and lower the weighting element. The motorized window treatment  110  may further comprise two constant-force spring assist assemblies  135 , which are each coupled to the drive shafts  132  adjacent to one of the two lift cord spools  134 . Each of the lift cord spools  134  and the adjacent constant-force spring assist assembly  135  may be housed in a respective lift cord spool enclosure  136  as shown in  FIG.  4   . Alternatively, the motor drive unit  120  could be located at either end of the headrail  114  and the motorized window treatment  110  could comprise a single drive shaft that extends along the length of the headrail and is coupled to both of the lift cord spools  134 . 
     The battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  may also comprise a plurality of batteries  138  (e.g., four D-cell batteries), which may be electrically coupled in series. The series-combination of the batteries  138  may be electrically coupled to the motor drive unit  120  for powering the motor drive unit  120 . The batteries  138  may be housed inside the headrail  114  and thus out of view of a user of the motorized window treatment  110 . Specifically, the batteries  138  may be mounted in two battery holders  139  located inside the headrail  114 , such that there are two batteries in each battery holder as shown in  FIG.  4   . Alternatively, the motor drive unit  120  could comprise more batteries (e.g., six or eight) coupled in series or batteries of a different kind (e.g., AA batteries) coupled in series. 
     The battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  may comprise a cover  140 . The cover  140  may be elongate between a first end  111  of the headrail  114  and a second end  113  of the headrail  114 . The cover  140  may be configured to enclose at least a portion of the headrail  114 . The cover  140  may be metallic (e.g., at least partially metallic). The cover  140  may comprise a top plate  142  and a rear plate  144 . The top plate  142  may extend substantially perpendicular to the rear plate  144 . The top plate  142  may be configured to extend over an upper portion of the headrail  114 . The rear plate  144  may be configured to extend over a rear portion of the headrail  114 . The rear portion of the headrail may face the structure. The cover  140  (e.g., the top plate  142 ) may comprise a front lip  141 . The front lip  141  may be distal from the rear plate  144 . The front lip  141  may extend at an angle from the top plate  142 . The front lip  141  may define a curved cross-section that is configured to be angled toward the headrail  114 , for example, when the headrail  114  is coupled to the cover  140 . 
     The battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  may comprise end covers  118 . The end covers  118  may be configured to be removably attached to respective ends of the headrail  114 . The end covers  118  may be configured to enclose openings at the respective ends of the headrail  114 . 
     The battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  may comprise a shade assembly  115 . The shade assembly  115  may comprise the headrail  114 , the covering material  112 , the motor drive unit  120 , the drive unit button  126 , the batteries  138 , the battery holder(s)  139 , the lift cord(s)  130 , the lift cord spool(s)  134 , the lift cord spool enclosure(s)  136 , the drive shafts  132 , the bottom bar  116 , and/or the end covers  118 . 
     The battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  may comprise one or more release buttons  172 . The release buttons  172  may be configured to be operated to adjust the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the shade assembly  115 ) into a service position, for example, from an operating position. For example, the headrail  114  may be pulled away from the cover  140  to operate the shade assembly  115  into the service position. When the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the shade assembly  115 ) is in the service position, access may be provided to at least one of the plurality of batteries  138 . For example, one or more of the battery holders  139  may be accessible when the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the shade assembly  115 ) is in the service position. The plurality of batteries  138  may be inaccessible when the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the shade assembly  115 ) is in the operating position. The release buttons  172  may extend through a gap  155  between the cover  140  and the headrail  114 . For example, the release buttons  172  may extend through the gap  155  between the top plate  142  and the headrail  14  when the shade assembly  115  is in the operating position. The release buttons  172  may be configured to be pushed towards the rear plate  144  to release the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the shade assembly  115 ) from the operating position. The gap  155  may be defined by the front portion  117  of the headrail  114  and the front lip  141  of the cover  140 . The front portion  117  of the headrail  114  may be a plate that is removably attachable thereto. The release buttons  172  extending through the gap  155  may provide a simple and reliable release mechanism to release the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  from the operating position to the service position, for example, to change one or more of the batteries  138  and/or access other components housed within the headrail  114 . 
       FIG.  5    is a partially exploded view of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  showing the shade assembly  115  detached from mounting brackets  170  of a mounting assembly  165 .  FIG.  6    is a partially exploded view of the mounting assembly  165  with the mounting brackets  170  detached from the cover  140 .  FIG.  7    is a cross-section view of the battery powered motorized window treatment  110  taken through one of the mounting brackets  170 . The battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  may comprise two or more of the mounting brackets  170 . For example, the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  may comprise a mounting assembly  165 . The mounting assembly  165  may be configured to secure the shade assembly  115  to a structure. The mounting assembly  165  may comprise the mounting brackets  170  and the cover  140 . The mounting brackets  170  may be configured to secure the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  to a structure (e.g., through the cover  140 ). The shade assembly  115  (e.g., the headrail  114 ) may be configured to be coupled to the mounting brackets  170 . 
     The shade assembly  115  may include a lower plate  121  attached to a lower portion of the covering material  112  and an upper plate  123  attached to an upper portion of the covering material  112 . The lower plate  121  may be captively secured within the bottom bar  116 , for example, to secure the covering material  112  to the bottom bar  116 . The upper plate  123  may be captively secured within the headrail  114 , for example, to secure the covering material  112  to the headrail  114 . The lower plate  121  and the upper plate  123  may be rigid strips of plastic that are inserted into top and bottom cells of the covering material  112  to connect the covering material  112  to the headrail  114  and the bottom bar  116 , respectively. 
     The front portion  117  may comprise features to engage the headrail  114  such that the front portion  117  is removably secured to the headrail. The front portion  117  may define an upper clip  125  that is configured to engage an upper surface  119  of the headrail  114 . The front portion  117  may define an intermediate clip  127  that is configured to engage a channel  109  defined by the headrail  114 . The intermediate clip  127  may have a T-shaped cross-section, for example, as shown in  FIG.  7   . The upper clip  125 , the intermediate clip  127 , the upper surface  119 , and/or the channel  109  may extend from the first end  111  of the headrail  114  to the second end  113  of the headrail  114 . It should be appreciated that these features are not limited to this geometry. For example, one or more of the upper clip  125 , the intermediate clip  127 , the upper surface  119 , and/or the channel  109  may be discontinuous between the first end  111  of the headrail  114  and the second end  113  of the headrail  114 . The intermediate clip  127  and the upper clip  125  may prevent the front portion  117  from becoming detached from the headrail  114 . For example, the intermediate clip  127  and the upper clip  125  may be configured to resist a threshold force that is applied to the front portion  117  in a direction away from the headrail  114 . 
     Each of the mounting brackets  170  may be configured to be coupled to the cover  140 . For example, the mounting bracket  170  may be configured to be removably attached to the cover  140  without the user of fasteners. The cover  140  may define a lower lip  146  that extends along a lower edge of the rear plate  144 . The lower lip  146  may extend from the rear plate  144  in the same direction as the top plate  142  extends from the rear plate  144 . For example, the lower lip  146  may extend substantially perpendicular to the rear plate  144  and substantially parallel to the top plate  142 . 
     Each of the mounting brackets  170  may define a biasing member, such as a tab  184 . The tab  184  may extend from a lower edge (e.g., distal from the release button  172 ) of the respective mounting bracket  170 . The tab  184  may be configured to engage the lower lip  146  of the cover  140  to bias the respective mounting bracket  170  toward the top plate  142  of the cover  140 . For example, the mounting bracket  170  may be justified upwards via bending of the tab  184 . The tab  184  bending may allow the height of the mounting bracket  170  to match the height of the cover  140 , for example, regardless of known tolerances. The tab  184  biasing the respective mounting bracket  170  toward the top plate  142  may removably attach the respective mounting bracket  170  to the cover  140 . The top plate  142  may define a plurality of ribs  143  that extend from an inner surface  152  of the top plate  142 . The plurality of ribs  143  may extend substantially in respective planes that are parallel to a plane the rear plate  144 . The tab  184  may be configured to wedge the respective mounting bracket  170  between the lower lip  146  and the top plate  142  (e.g., one or more of the plurality of ribs  143 ), for example, such that the respective mounting bracket  170  is removably attached to the cover  140  without the use of fasteners. For example, an upper surface  184  of the respective mounting bracket  170  may abut one or more of the plurality of ribs  143  when the mounting bracket  170  is removably attached to the cover  140 . When each of the mounting brackets  170  are wedged between the lower lip  146  and the top plate  142 , an installer may secure the respective mounting brackets  170  to the structure using fasteners that extend through the cover  140  (e.g., the rear plate  144  and/or the top plate  142 ). For example, each of the mounting brackets  170  may be configured to receive one or more fasteners (not shown) that extend through the cover  140  and into the structure for mounting the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  to the structure when the respective mounting bracket  170  is removably attached to the cover  140 . The tab  184  may be configured to provide for easy installation by temporarily securing the respective mounting bracket  170  to the cover  140  such that the installer does not have to hold the respective mounting bracket  170  in place while driving the fasteners through the respective mounting bracket  170  and cover  140  into the structure. 
     The headrail  114  may remain attached to the mounting brackets  170  when the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the headrail  114 ) is in the service position. For example, the mounting brackets  170  may support the headrail  114  while the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  is in the service position. The mounting brackets  170  may remain coupled to the cover  140  when the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  is in the service position. 
     The gap  155  between the cover  140  (e.g., the front lip  141 ) and the headrail  114  (e.g., the front portion  117 ) may define a width D 1  that is substantially constant along a length of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the headrail  114 ). For example, the tab  184  biasing the mounting bracket  170  toward the top plate  142  may maintain the width D 1  of the gap  155  substantially constant along the length (e.g., the entire length) of the shade assembly  115  and/or headrail  114 , which may improve the aesthetic appearance of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110 . 
     The cover  140  may be configured to enclose at least a portion of the upper portion of the headrail  114  and at least a portion of a rear surface  124  of the headrail  114  as well as the mounting brackets  170  (e.g., to improve the aesthetic appearance of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110 ). The top plate  142  may be configured to cover an upper surface  168  of the mounting brackets  170 . The cover  140  may define a notch  148 . The notch  148  may extend across a portion of the top plate  142  and the rear plate  144 . The cover  140  may comprise a non-metallic plate  150  that is configured to be secured within the notch  148 . For example, the non-metallic plate  150  may cover the notch  148  when secured to the top plate  142  and/or the rear plate  144 . The metallic portion of the cover  140  may prevent radio-frequency (RF) signals (e.g., carrying messages) from being communicated therethrough. The non-metallic plate  150  may be configured to enable RF signals to be transmitted and/or received therethrough by a wireless communication circuit of the motor drive unit  120  (e.g., such as a communication circuit  225  shown in  FIG.  10   ) of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110 . The messages received via the RF signals may include one or more commands for controlling the motor drive unit  120  of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110 . Although the notch  148  and non-metallic plate  150  are shown extending across the top plate  142  and the rear plate  144 , it should be appreciated that the notch  148  and non-metallic plate  150  are not limited to the geometry shown. For example, the notch  148  and non-metallic plate  150  may alternatively extend only along the top plate  142  or only along the rear plate  144 . The cover  140  may prevent dust and debris from entering the headrail  114  which may adversely impact operation of the components housed therein. 
       FIGS.  8 A and  8 B  are perspective views of the mounting bracket  170  shown in a locked position.  FIGS.  8 C and  8 D  are perspective views of the mounting bracket  170  shown in a service position.  FIGS.  8 E and  8 F  are perspective views of a mounting portion  174  of the mounting bracket  170 . The mounting bracket  170  may comprise the release button  172  that may be pushed to release the headrail  114  from the locked position, such that the headrail  114  may be rotated into the service position and the batteries  138  may be accessed. The release button  172  may be configured to be located above the headrail  114 . For example, the release button  172  may extend through the gap  155  defined between the headrail  114  (e.g., the top plate  142 ) and the cover  140 . The headrail  114  may be flexible enough, such that the release buttons  172  of the mounting brackets  170  may be actuated one at a time in order to release the headrail  114  from the locked position. Accordingly, the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  may be released from the locked position to enter the service position without the use of tools. Alternatively, the release buttons  172  may be implemented as pull-tabs or the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  could comprise latches that require tools to be unlatched. 
     The mounting bracket  170  may comprise the mounting portion  174  and a rotating portion  175  that is rotatably coupled to the mounting portion  174  via an axle  176  (e.g., an axle rod). The mounting portion  174  may be configured to be coupled to the cover  140  for securing the motorized window treatment  110  to the structure. For example, the mounting potion  174  may be mounted to a vertical surface or a horizontal surface via fasteners (not shown) received through vertical mounting holes  178  or horizontal mounting holes  179 , respectively. The rotating portion  174  may comprise a lip  180  and a clip  182  for connecting to the headrail  114  of the motorized window treatment  110 . The lip  180  may be an upper lip that is configured to engage an upper portion of the headrail  114 . For example, an internal portion of the headrail  114  may be adapted to rest on the lip  180 . The clip  182  may be configured to engage a lower portion of the headrail  114  such that the shade assembly  115  is removably attached to the mounting bracket  170 . For example, the lower portion of the headrail  114  may be adapted to snap into the clip  182 . The release buttons  172  may be configured to be operated to pivot the rotating portion  174  from the locked position when the shade assembly  115  is in the operating position to the open position when the shade assembly  115  is in the service position. When a user operates the release button  172 , the rotating portion  174  may pivot about the axle rod  176  thus rotating the top of the headrail  114  towards the user into the service position, such that the batteries  138  may be accessed. 
     The mounting portion  174  may comprise the tab  184 . The tab  184  may extend from a lower portion of the mounting portion  174 . The mounting portion  174  may comprise a rear sheet  171 . The rear sheet  171  may define a lower edge  173 . At least a portion of the tab  184  may extend beyond the lower edge  173  of the mounting portion  174 . The tab  184  may extend from the rear sheet  171 , for example, via a pair of links  177 . The links  177  may be configured to connect the tab  184  to the rear sheet  171 . The links  177  may enable the tab  184  to flex with respect to the rear sheet  171  (e.g., as shown in  FIG.  7   ), for example, such that the mounting bracket  170  is biasable toward the top plate  142  of the cover  140 . Although the figures show a pair of links  177  connecting the tab  184  to the rear sheet  171 , it should be appreciated that any number of links  177  may be used to connect the tab  184  to the rear sheet  171 . 
     The tab  184  may define an arm  183  that extends from the rear sheet  171 . For example, the arm  183  may extend from the links  177 . The arm  183  may be substantially parallel to the rear sheet  171 . The tab  184  may define a tip  187  that is configured to abut the lower lip  146  of the cover  140 . For example, the tab  184  may be configured to engage the lower lip  146  of the cover  140  to bias the mounting bracket  170  against the top plate  142  of the cover  140 . The width D 1  of the gap  155  may be maintained substantially constant along a length of the shade assembly  115  by the tab  184  biasing the mounting bracket  170  against the top plate  142 . The tip  187  may be configured to be substantially parallel to the lower lip  146 , for example, when the tab  184  is bent and the tip  187  abuts the lower lip  146 . The tab  184  may define a curved portion  185  that is curved away from a plane defined by the rear sheet  171 . For example, the curved portion  185  may curve toward the direction that the upper surface  168  of the mounting bracket  170  extends. The tip  187  may define a substantially horizontal portion (e.g., a contact portion) that is substantially perpendicular to the rear sheet  171 . The mounting portion  174  may define slots  189  on opposed sides of the tab  184  (e.g., the arm  183 ). For example, the slots  189  may extend between the tab  184  (e.g., the arm  183 ) and the rear sheet  171 . The slots  189  may enable relative movement of the tab  184  with respect to the rear sheet  171 . 
     The mounting portion  174  may comprise two spring arms  181  that contact the rotating portion  175 . The spring arms  181  may contact the rotating portion  175  to provide a controlled movement of the motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the shade assembly  115 ) when the headrail  114  is released from the locked position and the rotating portion rotates about the axle rod  176  into the service position. Alternatively, the rotating portion  175  may comprise one or more spring arms for contacting the mounting portion  174 , for example, to provide a controlled movement of the motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the shade assembly  115 ) when the headrail  114  is released from the locked position. 
     The mounting bracket  170  may further comprise a latch  186  that locks the rotating portion  175  in the locked position, and releases the rotating portion  175  to allow the headrail  114  to move into the service position in response to an actuation of the release button  172 . The latch  186  may comprise a notch  188  and an elongated spring member  192  adapted to push against a tab  194  of the mounting portion  174  to hold the notch  188  against a locking surface  190  of the rotating portion  175  to thus hold the rotating portion  175  in the locked position. For example, the elongated spring member  192  may be configured to engage the tab  194  when the rotating portion is in the locked position. When the release button  172  is pushed towards the rear plate  144 , the latch  186  may rotate about a rivet  195 , a pin  196  travels through a channel  198  to guide the movement of the latch  186 , and the spring member  192  flexes against the tab  194 . Accordingly, the notch  188  of the latch mechanism  186  may no longer contact the locking surface  190  of the rotating portion  175 , such that the rotating portion  175  and the headrail  114  are able to rotate freely about the axle rod  176 . When the shade assembly  115  is operated from the service position to the operating position, the rotating portion  174  may pivot about the axle rod  176  until the latch  186  (e.g., the elongated spring member  192 ) presses against the tab  194  of the mounting portion  174  to hold the notch  188  against the locking surface  190  of the rotating portion  175 . 
       FIGS.  9 A- 9 F  illustrate another mounting bracket  270  that may be deployed as the mounting brackets  170  of the mounting assembly  165  of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  shown in  FIGS.  1 - 7   .  FIGS.  9 A and  9 B  are perspective views of the mounting bracket  270  shown in a locked position.  FIGS.  9 C and  9 D  are perspective views of the mounting bracket  270  shown in a service position.  FIGS.  9 E and  9 F  are perspective views of a mounting portion  274  of the mounting bracket  270 . The mounting bracket  270  may comprise a release button  272  that may be pushed to release the headrail  114  from the locked position, such that the headrail  114  of the motorized window treatment  110  may be rotated into the service position and the batteries  138  may be accessed. The release button  272  may be configured to be located above the headrail  114 . For example, the release button  172  may extend through the gap  155  defined between the headrail  114  (e.g., the top plate  142 ) and the cover  140 . The headrail  114  may be flexible enough, such that the release buttons  272  of the mounting brackets  270  may be actuated one at a time in order to release the headrail  114  from the locked position. Accordingly, the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  may be released from the locked position to enter the service position without the use of tools. Alternatively, the release buttons  272  may be implemented as pull-tabs or the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  could comprise latches that require tools to be unlatched. 
     The mounting bracket  270  may comprise the mounting portion  274  and a rotating portion  275  that is rotatably coupled to the mounting portion  274  via an axle  276  (e.g., an axle rod). The mounting portion  274  may be configured to be coupled to the cover  140  for securing the motorized window treatment  110  to the structure. For example, the mounting potion  274  may be mounted to a vertical surface or a horizontal surface via fasteners (not shown) received through vertical mounting holes  278  or horizontal mounting holes  279 , respectively. The rotating portion  274  may comprise a lip  280  and a clip  282  for connecting to the headrail  114  of the motorized window treatment  110 . The lip  280  may be an upper lip that is configured to engage an upper portion of the headrail  114 . For example, an internal portion of the headrail  114  may be adapted to rest on the lip  280 . The clip  282  may be configured to engage a lower portion of the headrail  114  such that the shade assembly  115  is removably attached to the mounting bracket  270 . For example, the lower portion of the headrail  114  may be adapted to snap into the clip  282 . The release buttons  272  may be configured to be operated to pivot the rotating portion  274  from the locked position when the shade assembly  115  is in the operating position to the open position when the shade assembly  115  is in the service position. When a user operates the release button  272 , the rotating portion  274  may pivot about the axle rod  276  thus rotating the top of the headrail  114  towards the user into the service position, such that the batteries  138  may be accessed. 
     The mounting portion  274  may comprise a biasing member, such as an arm  284 . The arm  284  may extend from a lower portion of the mounting portion  274 . The mounting portion  274  may comprise a rear sheet  271  and sidewalls  277 . For example, the sidewalls  277  may extend on opposed sides of the rear sheet  271 . The rear sheet  271  may define a lower edge  273 . At least a portion of the arm  284  may extend beyond the lower edge  273  of the mounting portion  274 . The arm  284  may extend from one of the sidewalls  277  of the mounting portion  274 , for example, proximate to the lower edge  273 . The arm  284  may be configured to flex with respect to the rear sheet  271 , for example, such that the mounting bracket  270  is biasable toward the top plate  142  of the cover  140 . For example, the arm  284  may be cantilevered from one of the sidewalls  277  of the mounting portion  274 . 
     The arm  284  may define a tip  287  that is configured to abut the lower lip  146  of the cover  140 . For example, the arm  284  may be configured to engage the lower lip  146  of the cover  140  to bias the mounting bracket  270  against the top plate  142  of the cover  140 . The width D 1  of the gap  155  may be maintained substantially constant along a length of the shade assembly  115  by the arm  284  biasing the mounting bracket  270  against the top plate  142 . The arm  284  may define a tab  285  extending from a rear surface of the arm  284  adjacent to the tip  287 . The tab  285  may defined a slanted portion  289  configured to facilitate installation of the mounting bracket  270  into the cover  140 . The slanted portion  289  may be slanted (e.g., slanted upward) toward the rear sheet  271  from a plane defined by the arm  284 . For example, the slanted portion  289  may be configured to contact the lower lip  146  of the cover  140  to cause the arm  284  to flex towards the rear sheet  271  of the mounting portion  274  as the mounting bracket  270  is installed in the cover  140 . 
     The mounting portion  274  may comprise two spring arms  281  that contact the rotating portion  275 . The spring arms  281  may contact the rotating portion  275  to provide a controlled movement of the motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the shade assembly  115 ) when the headrail  114  is released from the locked position and the rotating portion rotates about the axle rod  176  into the service position. Alternatively, the rotating portion  275  may comprise one or more spring arms for contacting the mounting portion  174 , for example, to provide a controlled movement of the motorized window treatment  110  (e.g., the shade assembly  115 ) when the headrail  114  is released from the locked position. 
     The mounting bracket  270  may further comprise a latch  286  that locks the rotating portion  275  in the locked position, and releases the rotating portion  275  to allow the headrail  114  to move into the service position in response to an actuation of the release button  272 . The latch  286  may comprise a notch  288  and an elongated spring member  292  adapted to push against a tab  294  of the mounting portion  274  to hold the notch  288  against a locking surface  290  of the rotating portion  275  to thus hold the rotating portion  275  in the locked position. For example, the elongated spring member  292  may be configured to engage the tab  294  when the rotating portion is in the locked position. When the release button  272  is pushed towards the rear plate  144 , the latch  286  may rotate about a rivet  295 , a pin  296  travels through a channel  298  to guide the movement of the latch  286 , and the spring member  292  flexes against the tab  294 . Accordingly, the notch  288  of the latch mechanism  286  may no longer contact the locking surface  290  of the rotating portion  275 , such that the rotating portion  275  and the headrail  114  are able to rotate freely about the axle rod  276 . When the shade assembly  115  is operated from the service position to the operating position, the rotating portion  274  may pivot about the axle rod  276  until the latch  286  (e.g., the elongated spring member  292 ) presses against the tab  294  of the mounting portion  274  to hold the notch  288  against the locking surface  290  of the rotating portion  275 . 
       FIG.  10    is a simplified block diagram of a motor drive unit  300  of a battery-powered motorized window treatment (e.g., the motor drive unit  120  of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110 ). The motor drive unit  300  may include a motor  310  (e.g., a direct-current motor) that may be coupled to a drive shaft having one or more lift cord spools (e.g., such as the lift cord spools  134  shown in  FIG.  4   ) of the battery-powered motorized window treatment for raising and lowering a covering material (e.g., the covering material  112 ). The motor drive unit  300  may include a motor drive circuit  312  (e.g., an H-bridge drive circuit) that receives a bus voltage V BUS  and may generate a pulse-width modulated (PWM) voltage for driving the motor  310 . The bus voltage V BUS  may be produced across a bus capacitor C BUS . The motor drive unit  300  may include a power supply  314  that may receive the bus voltage V BUS  and generates a supply voltage V CC  for powering the low-voltage circuitry of the motor drive unit. The motor drive unit  300  may be configured to receive an input voltage V IN  from, for example, an external power supply, such as a direct-current (DC) supply and/or an alternating-current (AC) supply. Additionally or alternatively, the motor drive unit  300  may be powered by one or more batteries and/or a photovoltaic power source, such as a solar cell. 
     The motor drive unit  300  may include a control circuit  320  for controlling the operation of the motor  310 . The control circuit  320  may include, for example, a microprocessor, a programmable logic device (PLD), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or any suitable processing device or control circuit. The control circuit  320  may be configured to generate one or more drive signals VDR for controlling the motor drive circuit  312 . The one or more drive signals VDR may be configured to control the rotational speed and/or direction of rotation of the motor  310 . 
     The motor drive unit  300  may include a rotational position sensor, such as, for example, a Hall effect sensor (HES) circuit  322 , which may be configured to generate one or more Hall effect sensor signals V S1 , V S2 . The one or more Hall effect sensor signals V S1 , V S2  may indicate a rotational speed and/or a direction of the motor  310  to the microcontroller. The rotational position sensor may include other suitable position sensors, such as, for example, magnetic, optical, and/or resistive sensors. The control circuit  320  may be configured to determine a rotational position of the motor  310  (e.g., and lift cord spools  134 ) in response to the Hall effect sensor signals V S1 , V S2  generated by the HES circuit  322 . The control circuit  320  may be configured to determine a present position of the covering material (e.g., bottom bar such as the bottom bar  116  shown in  FIGS.  1 - 5   ) in response to the rotational position of the motor  310  and/or lift cord spools (e.g., such as the lift cord spools  134  shown in  FIG.  4   ). The control circuit  320  may be coupled to a memory  324  (e.g., a non-volatile memory). The present position of the covering material and/or limits for controlling the position of the covering material (e.g., a fully open position and/or a fully closed position) may be stored in the memory  324 . The operation of a motor drive circuit and a Hall effect sensor circuit of an example motor drive unit is described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. 5,848,634, issued Dec. 15, 1998, entitled MOTORIZED WINDOW SHADE SYSTEM, and commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,839,109, issued Nov. 23, 2010, entitled METHOD OF CONTROLLING A MOTORIZED WINDOW TREATMENT, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     The motor drive unit  300  may include a communication circuit  325  that may allow the control circuit  320  to transmit and receive communication signals, e.g., wired communication signals and/or wireless communication signals, such as radio-frequency (RF) signals. For example, the communication circuit  325  may be a wireless communication circuit that is electrically coupled to an antenna  345  for transmitting and/or receiving the communication signals. The control circuit  320  may be configured to control the motor  310  to control the movement of the covering material in response to a shade movement command received from the communication signals received via the communication circuit  325 . The motor drive unit  300  may also include an actuator  326  (e.g., a mechanical tactile switch) that may be actuated in response to actuations of a button (e.g., the drive unit button  126  of the motor drive unit  120 ). For example, the control circuit  320  may be responsive to actuations of the actuator  326  during configuration of the motor drive unit  300 . The motor drive unit  300  may include a light source  328  (e.g., one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs)) that may be controlled by the control circuit  320 , for example, to illuminate an indicator (e.g., the drive unit button  126  of the motor drive unit  120 ) to provide feedback to the user of the battery-powered motorized window treatment. 
     The motor drive unit  300  may comprise a compartment  364  (e.g., which may be an example of one of the battery holders  139  of the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  shown in  FIG.  4   ) that is configured to receive a DC power source. The DC power source may be one or more batteries  360 . In addition, alternate DC power sources, such as a solar cell (e.g., a photovoltaic cell), an ultrasonic energy source, and/or a radio-frequency (RF) energy source, may be coupled in parallel with the one or more batteries  360 , or in some examples be used as an alternative to the batteries  360 . The alternate DC power source may be used to perform the same and/or similar functions as the one or more batteries  360 . In this example, the compartment  364  may be configured to receive one or more batteries  360  (e.g., four “D” batteries), such as the batteries  138  shown in  FIG.  4   . The batteries  360  may provide a battery voltage V BATT  to the motor drive unit  300 . 
     While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the battery-powered motorized window treatment  110  having the covering material  112 , the concepts of the present invention could be applied to other types of motorized window treatments, such as, for example, Roman shades and Venetian blinds. An example of a Roman shade system is described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0294438, published Nov. 25, 2010, entitled ROMAN SHADE SYSTEM, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. An example of a Venetian blind system is described in greater detail in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0125543, published May 24, 2012, entitled MOTORIZED VENETIAN BLIND SYSTEM, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.