Intelligent safety door

• US 10,519,705 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2016
• Issued: 12/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy Entrance Systems AB (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Assa Abloy Entrance Systems AB (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: van de Wiel, Pieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelly, Catherine A
• Application Number:
  US15/752,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20180245401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/42 Detection using safety edges
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/21 of identical elements, e.g. of identical compression springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/106 for garages
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/11 for industrial buildings
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6836 sensing obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/885 Braking mechanism activated by the bottom bar
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/08 Roll-type closures roller blinds E06B9/40; operating, guiding or securing devices or arrangements for roll-type closures E06B9/56; usable only as awnings E04F10/06
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/68 Operating devices or mechanisms, e.g. with electric drive
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/88 for limiting unrolling

Abstract

The present invention concerns a motorized door comprising an array of n detection cells distributed along the length of the leading edge, capable of detecting the presence and distance, Δx, from said detection cell of a body positioned between said detection cell and a distal transverse edge. The detection cells are coupled to a CPU which triggers different actions during the closing of the shutter, depending on the proportion, P=n1/n of the number, n1, of detection cells identifying the presence of a body at a same time located at a distance, Δx≤Δxs, wherein Δxs is a predefined safety distance. (a) if P≤Ps, wherein Ps is a predefined safety proportion, the detected body is considered as an accidental obstacle and the CPU is programmed to instantly stop the movement of the shutter; (b) if P>Ps, the CPU considers that the detected body is a distal transverse edge defining the end of the closure run, and orders to decrease the closing speed of the shutter until the leading edge contacts the distal transverse edge.

Claims

1. A motorized door for closing an area, said area being defined by a first and second lateral edges which extend parallel to a longitudinal axis, X1, by a proximal transverse edge extending parallel to a transverse axis, X2, normal to the longitudinal axis, X1, and a distal transverse edge, transverse to the longitudinal axis, X1, wherein said motorized door comprises:

(A) a shutter sized to close the area, and comprising a leading edge substantially parallel to the distal transverse edge of the area,

(B) a motorized driving mechanism configured to move the leading edge of the shutter along the longitudinal axis, X1, between an open position, wherein the leading edge is adjacent to the proximal transverse edge and a closed position, wherein the leading edge contacts the distal transverse edge, in a first direction to close said area and in a second direction to open said area;

(C) an array of n detection cells (s1, s2, . . . , sn), wherein n≥

2, distributed along the leading edge of the shutter, each respective detection cell of said array of n detection cells being adapted to detect and communicate to a processing unit (CPU) a presence of a body and a distance, Δ

x, from said respective detection cell measured along the longitudinal axis, X1, to the body positioned between said respective detection cell and the distal transverse edge,

(D) the processing unit (CPU) programmed to receive signals from each of the n detection cells and to trigger the following operations, in case a number n1 of the array of n detection cells, with n1≥

1, communicates to the CPU the detection of the presence of the body located at a distance, Δ

x, of less than or equal to a predefined safety distance, Δ

xs, from said detection cell, Δ

x<

Δ

xs, during the moving in the first direction of the shutter at a service closing speed, v1, from the open position towards the closed position,

(a) in case a proportion, P=n1/n, of respective detection cells of the array of n detection cells identifying the presence of the body at a same time located at the distance, Δ

x≤

Δ

xs, is less than or equal to a predefined safety proportion, Ps, (P≤

Ps) the CPU is programmed to instantly stop the movement of the leading edge in the first direction, and optionally reverse said movement into the second direction;

(b) in case the proportion, P, of respective detection cells of the array of n detection cells identifying the presence of the body at the same time located at the distance, Δ

x≤

Δ

xs, is greater than the safety proportion, Ps, (P>

Ps), the CPU is programmed to communicate a signal to progressively reduce the closing speed of the leading edge in the first direction, down to a stop upon contacting said body at Δ

x=0.

2. The motorized door according to claim 1, wherein the safety proportion, Ps, is from about 80% to about 100%.

3. The motorized door according to claim 1, wherein the array of n detection cells distributed along the leading edge of the shutter comprises at least 3 detection cells per metre of leading edge measured along the transverse direction, X2.

4. The motorized door according to claim 1, wherein the detection cells are selected among one or more of the following:

ultrasonic sensors, optical sensors, capacitor sensors, radar sensors, and radio-frequency sensors.

5. The motorized door according to claim 1, wherein in case P≤

Ps, and all of the n1 detection cells of the array of n detection cells having detected the presence of the body communicate to the CPU that said body is located at a distance, Δ

x, greater than the predefined safety distance, Δ

xs, from each of said detection cells, Δ

x>

Δ

xs, during the moving in the first direction of the shutter at the service closing speed, v1, from the open position towards the closed position, the CPU is programmed to trigger the following operations;

(a) in case the distance, Δ

x greater than the predefined safety distance, Δ

xs, is greater than a precautionary distance, Δ

xp, which is predefined, keep closing the door at the service closing speed, v1,

(b) in case the distance, Δ

x greater than the predefined safety distance, Δ

xs, is not greater than the precautionary distance, Δ

xp, reducing the closing speed to a reduced closing speed, v2<

v1.

6. The motorized door according to claim 1, wherein the service closing speed, v1, is from about 0.25 to about 1 m/s.

7. The motorized door according to claim 5, wherein the reduced closing speed, v2, is from about 40% to about 80% of v1.

8. The motorized door according to claim 1, wherein the safety distance, Δ

xs=v1·

t_imp, wherein t_imp is a safety impact time required for the leading edge to cover the distance, Δ

xs, at the service closing speed, v1, and wherein t_imp is from about 0.5 to about 3 s.

9. The motorized door according to claim 1, wherein in case the proportion, P≤

Ps, as defined in claim 1 (a), after instantly stopping the movement of the leading edge in the first direction, the CPU is programmed to reverse said movement into the second direction until the leading edge reaches a waiting position, Xw, where it stops for a waiting time, tw, before resuming its movement in the first direction as long as no body is detected by the detection cells.

10. The motorized door according to claim 9, wherein after instantly stopping N times the movement of the leading edge in the first direction, the CPU is programmed to reverse said movement into the second direction until the leading edge reaches the open position, wherein N is from 2 to 5 times.