Networked door closer and auto-operator

• US 10,078,930 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2016
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlage Lock Company LLC (Allegion PLC)
• Original Assignee: Schlage Lock Company LLC (Allegion PLC)
• Inventors: Kvinge, Kenneth A., Tamer, Samir M.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUIN, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US15/270,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20180082503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 340 57
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/08 With time considerations, e.g. temporary activation, valid time window or time limitations
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00904 for hotels, motels, office buildings or the like

Abstract

An access control system for a plurality of door operators that are each respectively coupled to one of a plurality of doors providing an entrance to or exit from a building. A system controller monitors the status of each of the doors real time and controls the operation of each of the door operators based on the monitored status. The system controller adjusts the status of one or more door operators as a function of the determined status of one or more other door operators. Door operator commands are provided by the system controller to selected door operators to, for example, extend the opening time of one or more doors due to current activity by other door closers. The system controller is configured adjust the status of an entire group of doors or a sub-group group of doors depending on the status of the door operators.

Claims

1. A method of operating a plurality of door operators that are each configured to control a status of a door, the method comprising:

identifying a current status of each of the plurality of door operators;

identifying a changed status for at least one of the plurality of door operators;

modifying or maintaining the current status of at least one other of the plurality of door operators based on the changed status; and

providing a schedule of door operator statuses including a plurality of scheduled status changes scheduled over a period of time for each door operator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the current status and the changed status includes one of a door open status, a door closed status, a door locked status, a door unlocked status, and a door change in direction status.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the changed status includes identifying the changed status for each of the plurality of doors.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing the identified changed status for each of the plurality of doors.

5. A method of operating a plurality of door operators that are each configured to control a status of a door, the method comprising:

identifying a current status of each of the plurality of door operators;

identifying a changed status for at least one of the plurality of door operators;

modifying or maintaining the current status of at least one other of the plurality of door operators based on the changed status; and

providing a schedule of door operator statuses, wherein the provided schedule includes a plurality of scheduled status changes scheduled over a period of time for each door operator; and

wherein the scheduled status change is configured to modify or maintain the current status of a door operator.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining a pattern of the identified changed status for the at least one of the plurality of door operators;

and

providing a modified schedule of door operator statuses.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising adjusting the plurality of door operators based on the modified stored schedule.

8. A method of operating a plurality of door operators that are each configured to control a status of a door, the method comprising:

identifying a current status of each of the plurality of door operators;

identifying a changed status for at least one of the plurality of door operators; and

modifying or maintaining the current status of at least one other of the plurality of door operators based on the changed status; and

providing a plurality of sensors at each of the doors, wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least one of a pressure sensor providing a pressure signal, an environment sensor providing an environmental signal, a heat sensor providing a heat signal, a smoke sensor providing a smoke signal, a motion sensor providing a motion signal, an accelerometer providing an acceleration signal, and a people counter providing a count of people; and

wherein each of the current status and the changed status includes one of a door open status, a door closed status, a door locked status, a door unlocked status, and a door change in direction status.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a schedule of door operator statuses, wherein the stored schedule includes a plurality of scheduled status changes scheduled over a period of time for each door operator;

and

wherein the scheduled status change is configured to modify or maintain the current status of a door operator.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising overriding the schedule of door operator statuses based on a receipt of one of the signals from one of the plurality of sensors.

11. A method of operating a plurality of door operators that are each configured to control a status of a door, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of door operators configured to be located at one of a plurality of doors;

providing a schedule for door operator statuses, wherein the schedule is configured to include a plurality of scheduled status changes scheduled over a period of time for each door operator, and wherein the scheduled status changes are configured to modify the status of a door operator;

identifying a current status of each of the plurality of door operators;

identifying a changed status for a first portion of the plurality of doors; and

modifying or maintaining the current status of a second portion of the plurality of doors based on the identified changed status.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining a pattern of the identified changed status;

and

modifying the schedule of door operator statuses based on the changed status.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising adjusting the plurality of door operators based on the modified stored schedule.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing a plurality of sensors with at least one disposed at each of the doors, wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least one of a pressure sensor providing a pressure signal, an environment sensor providing an environmental signal, a heat sensor providing a heat signal, a smoke sensor providing a smoke signal, a motion sensor providing a motion signal, an accelerometer providing an acceleration signal, and a people counter providing a count of people.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising overriding the schedule of door operator statuses based on a receipt of one of the signals from one of the plurality of sensors.

16. An access control system for controlling the status of a plurality of doors according to a method of operating a plurality of door operators that are each configured to control a status of a door, the method comprising:

identifying a current status of each of the plurality of door operators;

identifying a changed status for at least one of the plurality of door operators; and

modifying or maintaining the current status of at least one other of the plurality of door operators based on the changed status; and

wherein the access control system comprises;

the plurality of door operators configured to change the status of the plurality of doors, wherein each of the door operators includes an actuator, a sensor, a transceiver, and processor operatively connected to the actuator, the sensor, and the wireless transceiver; and

a master controller operatively connected to each of the plurality of door operators, wherein the master controller includes a memory configured to store program instructions, the master controller configured to execute the stored program instructions to perform the steps of identifying the current status of each of the plurality of door operators, identifying the changed status for the at least one of the plurality of door operators, and modifying or maintaining the current status of the at least one other of the plurality of door operators based on the changed status.

17. The access control system of claim 16, wherein the master controller is further configured to execute stored program instruction to change the status of each of the doors based on a schedule of door operator statuses, wherein the schedule includes a plurality of scheduled door operator status changes scheduled over a period of time for each door operator to change the status of the door operator at a predetermined time.

18. The access control system of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of sensors with at least one of the plurality of sensors disposed at each of the doors, wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least one of a pressure sensor providing a pressure signal, an environment sensor providing an environmental signal, a heat sensor providing a heat signal, a smoke sensor providing a smoke signal, a motion sensor providing a motion signal, an accelerometer providing an acceleration signal, and a people counter providing a count of people.

19. The access control system of claim 16, wherein the identifying a changed status includes identifying a time period over which the identified changed status occurs.

20. The access control system of claim 19, wherein the modify the current status of at least one other of the plurality of door operators includes modifying the current status based on the identified time period.

21. The access control system of claim 16, wherein the identifying a changed status includes identifying a changed status from a closed position to an open position, and wherein the modifying the current status of the at least one other of the plurality of door operators includes modifying the current status from a closed position to an open position after the at least one of the plurality of door operators has changed to the open position.

22. The access control system of claim 21, further comprising modifying the status of the at least one of the plurality of door operators changes from the open position to the closed position after the at least one other of the plurality of door operators changes to the open position.

23. A method of operating a plurality of door operators that are each configured to control a status of a door, the method comprising:

identifying a current status of each of the plurality of door operators;

identifying a changed status for at least one of the plurality of door operators;

modifying or maintaining the current status of at least one other of the plurality of door operators based on the changed status;

providing a schedule of door operator statuses;

providing at least one sensor at each of the doors; and

overriding the schedule of door operator statuses based on receipt of a signal from the sensor.

24. A method of operating a plurality of door operators that are each configured to control a status of a door, the method comprising:

identifying a current status of each of the plurality of door operators;

identifying a changed status for at least one of the plurality of door operators;

modifying or maintaining the current status of at least one other of the plurality of door operators based on the changed status; and

providing at least one sensor at each of the doors, wherein the at least one sensor includes a pressure sensor providing a pressure signal, an environment sensor providing an environmental signal, a heat sensor providing a heat signal, a smoke sensor providing a smoke signal, a motion sensor providing a motion signal, an accelerometer providing an acceleration signal, and a people counter providing a count of people.