Patent ID: 8339086

Claim:
A system for synchronizing movement of a plurality of roller shades each disposed at a first position to a common second position, each of the plurality of roller shades including a flexible shade material having a lower end and a rotatably supported roller tube windingly receiving the flexible shade material, the system comprising: a master controller; a plurality of optical assemblies each configured for obtaining information related to the position of an associated one of the plurality of roller shades, each of the plurality of optical assemblies comprising an optical sensor configured for capturing an image frame of the flexible shade material of the associated one of the plurality of roller shades at a plurality of linear positions along the flexible shade material as the lower end of the flexible shade material moves between the first position and the common second position; and a plurality of motor assemblies each configured for: receiving the position information from an associated one of the plurality of optical assemblies, receiving a master shade movement time from the master controller, and moving the associated one of the plurality of roller shades from the first position to the common second position in response to the received position information so that the associated one of the plurality of roller shades arrives at the common second position simultaneously with the other of the plurality of roller shades in a time equal to the master shade movement time.