Barrier operator system and method with obstruction detection

• US 20080079810A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Chamberlain Group LLC
• Original Assignee: The Chamberlain Group, Inc. (The Chamberlain Group LLC)
• Inventors: Fitzgibbon, James J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,558,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/152
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 13/24 Safety devices in passenger lifts, not otherwise provided for, for preventing trapping of passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 29/005 Applications of security monitors
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0012 Devices monitoring the users of the elevator system
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

At least one of an area to protect and an area to ignore are marked using a visual indicator. The area to protect and the area to ignore are in proximity to a moveable barrier operator system. Visual inputs from a camera representative of the visual indicator are received and evaluated to automatically distinguish between the area to protect and the area to ignore. An evaluation area of the camera is limited so as to coincide with substantially only with the area to protect. Thereafter, it is determined whether an obstruction exists in the evaluation area of the camera. The evaluation area may be recorded and used for future determinations as to whether obstructions exist in the pathway of the barrier.

Claims

1. A method for detecting an obstruction in a pathway of a barrier comprising:

marking at least one of an area to protect and an area to ignore using a visual indicator, the area to protect and the area to ignore being in proximity to a moveable barrier operator system;

receiving visual inputs from a camera representative of the visual indicator;

evaluating the visual inputs to automatically distinguish between the area to protect and the area to ignore;

limiting an evaluation area of the camera so as to coincide with substantially only with the area to protect; and

determining whether an obstruction exists in the evaluation area of the camera.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising recording the evaluation area.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator comprises a manual walk-through of at least one of the area to protect area and the area to ignore.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the evaluating comprises actuating the evaluating via a remote control.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the actuating comprises starting, stopping or halting.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator comprises a manual walk around of a border of at least one of the area to protect and the area to ignore.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator comprises a physical marker that is associated with at least one of the area to protect and the area to ignore.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the physical marker has a characteristic selected from a group comprising:

a predetermined shape, a predetermined dimension, a predetermined intensity, and a predetermined color.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the physical marker is formed from a material selected from a group comprising tape, paint, and string.

10. The method of claim 1 comprising determining an evasive action to take when an obstruction is determined to exist.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the evasive action is selected from a group comprising halting a movement of the barrier and reversing a movement of the barrier.

12. A movable barrier operator system comprising:

a camera having a field of view;

a barrier;

a controller coupled to the camera and the barrier, the controller receiving visual inputs from the camera, the controller being programmed to distinguish between an area to protect and an area to ignore in proximity to a moveable barrier operator system based upon the received visual inputs representative of a manually formed visual indicator, the controller programmed to distinguish between the area to protect and the area to ignore based upon characteristics of the manually formed visual indicator and to responsively limit an evaluation area of the field of view of the camera so as to coincide with substantially only the protected area, the controller programmed to determine whether an obstruction exists in the evaluation area.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the controller is programmed to perform an evasive action at the barrier in order to avoid the obstruction.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the evasive action is an action selected from a group comprising halting a movement of the barrier and reversing a movement of the barrier.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the manually formed visual indicator comprises a human walk-through of at least one of the area to protect and the area to ignore.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein a remote control causes the actuation of the controller to detect the walk-through.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the actuation comprises starting, stopping or halting.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the visual indicator comprises a manual walk around of a border of at least one of the area to protect and the area to ignore.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the visual indicator comprises a physical marker that is associated at least one of the protected area and the unprotected area.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the physical marker has a characteristic selected from a group comprising:

a predetermined shape, a predetermined dimension, a predetermined intensity, and a predetermined color.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the physical marker is made using a material selected from a group comprising tape, paint, and string.

22. The system of claim 12 wherein the barrier is selected from a group comprising a garage door, a swinging door, a swinging gate, a sliding gate, and shutters.

23. The system of claim 12 wherein the controller is further programmed to store the evaluation area in a memory for future obstruction detection.

24. A method of operating a moveable barrier operator system comprising:

marking an area of interest, the area of interest in proximity to a moveable barrier operator system;

obtaining a first group of visual images from a camera, the first group of visual images including the area of interest; and

subsequently ignoring objects visually indicated by the camera to be outside of the area of interest.

25. The method of claim 24 comprising determining an evasive action to take when an obstruction is determined to exist in the pathway of a barrier in the barrier operator system.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the evasive action is selected from a group comprising halting a movement of the barrier and reversing a movement of the barrier.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein marking comprises manually walking through the area of interest.

28. The method of claim 24 wherein marking comprises a manual walk around of the area of interest.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein marking comprises marking the area of interest using a physical marker.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the physical marker has a characteristic selected from a group comprising:

a predetermined shape, a predetermined dimension, a predetermined intensity, and a predetermined color.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the physical marker is formed from a material selected from a group comprising marking tape, paint, and string.