Method for the control of the opening and closing process of electrically-driven device

• US 5,543,693 A
• Filed: 05/31/1994
• Issued: 08/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Spieker, Reinhold, Janca, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Wysocki, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US08/251,898
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 318/280-286, 318/466-470, 49/26, 49/28, 49/29, 49/30, 49/138, 160/291, 160/292, 160/293.1
• US Class Current: 318/283
• CPC Class Codes: F16P 3/12 with means, e.g. feelers, which in case of the presence of a body part of a person in or near the danger zone influence the control or operation of the machine F16P3/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0851 for motors actuating a movable member between two end positions, e.g. detecting an end position or obstruction by overload signal

Abstract

A method for the electronic monitoring and control of the opening and closing processes of an electrically driven device with an anti-jam facility for use in motor vehicles. The device includes an electric motor connected to a vehicle electrical system and an electric motor being operable in two directions assigned to the device. The device is capable of influence directly by means of electric operating elements or indirectly by means of a sensor apparatus which determines the parameters associated with the device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the opening and closing processes of a device, the device being driven by an electric motor operable in two rotational directions the motor being capable of influence directly by means of electric operating elements or indirectly by means of a sensor apparatus which determines a plurality of parameters associated with the device including displacement direction, displacement position and displacement speed, via control electronics containing a microprocessor with a counting facility, the method comprising:

generating a sensor signal (S) having positive edges corresponding to rotational motion of the motor;

measuring a time period (Tp) of the sensor signal (S);

calculating a switch-off period (Ta) using the time period (Tp) of the sensor signal (S);

establishing a reverse point (tr) indicative of a change in rotational direction of the electric motor (1) using the switch-off period (Ta) as a threshold value therefor;

calculating a time period (Tu) starting from reverse point (tr);

calculating a time period (Tu1) starting from reverse point (tr);

measuring a time period (Tp+1) of the sensor signal (S);

comparing the switch-off period (Ta) in synchronization with the time period (Tp+1) of the sensor signal (S);

reversing the rotational direction of the motor when the time period (Tp+1) of the sensor signal (S) exceeds the switch-off period (Ta);

adjusting the counting facility in a first direction in response to a positive edge appearing in the sensor signal (S) before the passing of the time period (Tu); and

adjusting the counting facility in a second direction in response to a positive edge appearing in sensor signal (S) after the passing of the time period (Tu1).

2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the operational voltage of the motor is used for the calculation of switch-off period (Ta).

3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that sensor element (5) is in the form of a Hall effect sensor.

4. The method of claim 1 or claim 2 characterized in that sensor element (5) is in the form of a light barrier.

5. The method of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the path to be travelled by the device during the opening and closing processes is divided into three portions (9,10,11), namely a first portion (9) from completely open to approximately half open, a second portion (10) from approximately half open to almost completely closed and in a third portion (11) from almost completely closed to completely closed, whereby the plurality of parameters are only taken into consideration if the device is positioned within the second portion (10).

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting the counting facility in the first direction in response to a positive edge appearing in the sensor signal (S) when the switch-off period (Ta) exceeds the time period (Tp+1) of the sensor signal (S); and

adjusting the counting facility in the second direction in response to a positive edge appearing in the sensor signal (S) when the time period (Tp+1) exceeds the switch-off period (Ta).