Garage door operation control apparatus

• US 4,365,250 A
• Filed: 04/15/1980
• Issued: 12/21/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kenji, Tokunaga, Takeshi, Yonekura, Seiji, Matsuoka, Shigeru, Suzuki, Mituo
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Thomas A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US06/140,672
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 340/694-696, 340/539, 340/506, 340/531, 340/534, 340/540, 340/541, 340/164 R, 340/825.37, 340/825.32, 340/825.31, 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 455/352, 455/353, 455/603, 364/550, 49/25, 49/31, 318/16, 318/266, 318/466, 318/467, 318/468, 318/469, 318/581
• US Class Current: 340/5.71
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/668 for overhead wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/106 for garages

Abstract

A garage door operation control apparatus includes a door operating system for opening and closing the main door of a garage, a main detection circuit for detecting the open or closed condition of the main door, an auxiliary detection circuit for detecting an open condition of a window or an auxiliary door of the garage, a fire in the garage or generation of a special gas therein, an alarm and a signal processing circuit. Electrical signals from the detection circuit are logically analyzed thereby to control the door operating system and the alarm.

Claims

1. A garage door operation control apparatus comprising:

door operating means for operating a main door of a garage to effect opening and closing operation thereof between upper and lower positions;

command means for ordering the operation of said main door;

means including a lower limit switch and an upper limit switch for detecting a lower limit position and an upper limit position of said main door;

auxiliary detector means for detecting at least one abnormal condition including the opening of a garage window, the opening of an auxiliary door, the occurrence of a fire in the garage and the generation of a special gas in the garage;

a lamp for illuminating the inside of the garage;

an alarm; and

electrical control means electrically connected to said door operating means, said command means, said lower limit switch, said upper limit switch, said auxiliary detector means, said lamp and said alarm;

wherein said electrical control means comprises;

means for controlling said door operating means to operate said main door when said electrical control means receives a command signal for the main door operation from said command means;

means for controlling said door operating means to stop said main door when said electrical control means receives a detected signal representative of the presence of said main door at one of said lower and upper limit positions from said lower limit switch and said upper limit switch;

means for turning on said lamp during a predetermined time in connection with the control of said door operating means; and

means for turning on said lamp and said alarm when said electrical control means simultaneously receives a detected signal representative of said lower limit position of said main door from said lower limit switch and a detected signal representative of said abnormal condition from said auxiliary detector means.

2. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electrical control means comprises means for turning on said lamp and said alarm when said electrical control means simultaneously receives said detected signal representative of said lower limit position of said main door from said lower limit switch and a detected signal representative of the opening of said garage window or said auxiliary door from said auxiliary detector means.

3. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electrical control means comprises means for controlling said door operating means to open said main door when said electrical control means receives a detected signal representative of the occurrence of said fire or the generation of said special gas while said electrical control means does not receive a signal representative of said upper limit position of said main door from said upper limit switch.

4. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electrical control means comprises means for intermittently turning on said alarm while said door operating means is controlled by said command signal from said command means to move said main door to said lower limit position.

5. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said alarm is installed in a residence.

6. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 1 or 5, wherein said alarm is a buzzer.

7. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said buzzer includes volume change-over means for controlling the volume of the sound produced therefrom.

8. A garage door operation control apparatus comprising:

door operating means for operating a main door of a garage to effect opening and closing operation thereof between upper and lower positions;

command means for ordering the operation of said main door;

main detector means for detecting a lower limit position and an upper limit position of said main door;

auxiliary detector means for detecting at least one abnormal condition including the opening of a garage window, the opening of an auxiliary door, the occurrence of a fire in the garage and the generation of a special gas in the garage;

a lamp for illuminating the inside of the garage;

an alarm; and

electrical control means electrically connected with said door operating means, said command means, said main detector means, said auxiliary detector means, said lamp and said alarm;

wherein said electrical control means comprises;

means for controlling said door operating means to operate said main door when said electrical control means receives a command signal for the main door operation from said command means;

means for controlling said door operating means to stop said main door when said electrical control means receives a detected signal representative of one of said lower and upper limit positions from said main detector means;

means for turning on said lamp during a predetermined time in connection with the control of said door operating means; and

means for turning on said lamp and said alarm when said electrical control means simultaneously receives a detected signal representative of said lower limit position of said main door from said main detector means and a detected signal representative of said abnormal condition from said auxiliary detector means.

9. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said electrical control means comprises means for controlling said door operating means to open said main door when said electrical control means receives a detected signal representative of the occurrence of said fire or the generation of said special gas while said electrical control means does not receive a signal representative of said upper limit position of said main door from said main detector means.

10. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said electrical control means comprises means for intermittently turning on said alarm while said door operating means is controlled by said command signal from said command means to move said main door to said lower limit position.

11. In a garage door operation control apparatus comprising door operating means for operating a main door of a garage to effect opening and closing thereof, command means for selectively ordering the operation of said main door, main detector means for detecting the operating condition of said main door, auxiliary detector means for detecting at least one abnormal condition including a garage window open, an auxiliary door open, a fire in the garage and generation of a special gas, alarm means, and electrical control means electrically connected to said door operating means, said command means, said main detector means, said auxiliary detector means and said alarm means to effect control of said door operating means and said alarm means;

the improvement wherein said electrical control means includes signal processing means for controlling said alarm means by logically analyzing electrical signals produced from said main detector means and said auxiliary detector means, including means for actuating said alarm means only in response to simultaneous application thereto of an electrical signal indicating the closed condition of said main door as derived from said main detector means and an electrical signal indicating an abnormal condition from said auxiliary detector means.

12. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said main detector means includes upper limit switch means for producing an output indicating the presence of the main door at a fully open position and lower limit switch means for producing an output indicating the presence of the main door at a fully closed position, said means for actuating said alarm means being connected to receive the output of said lower limit switch means and said auxiliary detector means.

13. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said electrical control means further includes means for controlling said door operating means to open said main door when said electrical control means receives an output from said auxiliary detector means representative of the occurrence of a fire or the generation of a special gas while said electrical control means does not receive said output from said upper limit switch means.

14. A garage door operation control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said electrical control means further includes means for intermittently turning on said alarm while said door operating means is controlled by said command means to move said main door toward its fully closed position.