Garage door opener

• US 6,181,095 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KDS Controls Incorporated
• Original Assignee: KDS Controls Incorporated
• Inventors: Telmet, Juhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nappi, Robert E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duda, Rina I.
• Application Number:
  US09/405,034
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 318/266, 318/480, 318/468, 318/469, 49/252.8, 250/200, 250/206, 250/221, 250/222.1, 250/559.12, 340/556
• US Class Current: 318/480
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/00 Power-operated mechanisms for wings motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/434 with cameras or optical sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/487 Fault detection of safety edges
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/452 for saving energy
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/50 Fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/61 Power supply
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/814 Sound emitters, e.g. speakers
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/822 Light emitters, e.g. LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/45 in or on the fixed frame
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/106 for garages
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00785 by light
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00928 for garage doors
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A power actuated door opener is disclosed with a beam break system for detecting obstructions in a door opening. A transmitter includes a beam emitter and emitter drive circuit for transmitting a train of emitter pulses to a receiver. The receiver includes a pulse detector circuit with a beam detector for producing detector pulses in response to emitter pulses impinging on the detector. The emitter drive circuit and the pulse detector circuit are synchronously coupled with each other and the pulse detector circuit produces a normal output signal only if the detector receives a pulse which is in synchronism with an emitter pulse. The receiver includes an annunciator which produces an audible and a visible warning signal when the pulse detector circuit produces a fault output signal. The audible annunicator is a piezoelectric crystal mounted in the receiver housing with a cover plate operating as a sounding board.

Claims

1. In a door operator of the type comprising a power actuator for opening and closing a door, a control circuit for controlling energization and deenergization of the power actuator, a beam break system having a beam transmitter including a beam emitter for transmitting a pulsed beam of radiant energy across the doorway of said door and a beam receiver including a beam detector for receiving said pulsed beam, said control circuit including a pulse detector circuit for controlling energization of said power actuator in response to an obstruction of said beam or misalignment of said transmitter and receiver, the improvement wherein said control circuit comprises:

an emitter drive circuit for generating emitter drive pulses and having an output coupled with said beam emitter for energizing said emitter to emit said pulsed beam as a train of transmitter pulses,

said pulse detector circuit having an input coupled with said beam detector,

a synchronizing coupling between said emitter drive circuit and the pulse detector circuit and means in said pulse detector circuit for producing a normal control signal when a transmitter pulse is received by said beam detector in synchronism with an emitter drive pulse and for producing a fault control signal in the absence of receipt of a transmitter pulse by said beam detector in synchronism with an emitter drive pulse,

and means responsive to said normal control signal for enabling energization of said power actuator and responsive to said fault control signal for disenabling energization of said power actuator.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 including:

enabling means in said emitter drive circuit for producing enabling pulses for periodically enabling generation of an emitter drive pulse,

a first pulse generating means responsive to each occurrence of a beam detector output pulse in synchronism with an emitter drive pulse for generating said normal control signal, said normal control signal being a first train of signal pulses having a first predetermined pulse rate and duration,

and means for applying said normal control signal to said emitter drive circuit for inhibiting said emitter drive pulse upon occurrence of a signal pulse until the next enabling pulse.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 including:

an annunciator circuit coupled with said pulse detector circuit and responsive to said fault control signal for producing a perceptible warning signal,

said annunciator circuit comprises an LED and an LED drive circuit for energizing said LED,

and means for applying said normal control signal to said LED drive circuit for repeatedly deenergizing said LED, said first train of signal pulses having a pulse rate and duration such that said LED produces light which appears steady to the human eye.

4. The invention as defined in claim 2 including:

a second pulse generating means responsive to the absence of a beam detector output pulse in synchronism with an emitter drive pulse for generating said fault control signal as a second train of signal pulses having a second predetermined pulse rate and duration,

means responsive to said fault control signal for inhibiting said first pulse generating means from generating said normal control signal,

and means coupled with said LED drive circuit and responsive to said fault control signal for repeatedly deenergizing said LED,

said second train of signal pulses having a pulse rate and duration such that said LED produces light which appears intermittent to the human eye.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein:

said annunciator circuit includes an audible signal generator,

and means coupled with said audible signal generator and responsive to said fault control signal for repeatedly energizing said audible signal generator, said second train of signal pulses having a pulse rate and duration such that said audible signal generator produces an intermittent audible warning signal.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 including:

an audio signal drive circuit coupled with said audible signal generator,

and means for disenabling said audio signal driver circuit for intermittently interrupting said second train of signal pulses.

7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said control circuit is implemented in an application specific integrated circuit.

8. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said control circuit is implemented in a microprocessor.

9. In a door operator of the type comprising a power actuator for opening and closing a door, a control circuit for energization or deenergization of the power actuator, said control circuit being disposed in a housing and supported on a circuit board, a beam break system having a beam transmitter for emitting a beam of radiant energy across the doorway of said door and a receiver for receiving said beam, said receiver including a detector coupled with said control circuit for deenergizing said power actuator in response to an obstruction or misalignment of said beam, the improvement comprising:

an annunicator including an audible signal generator,

said audible signal generator comprising a piezoelectric crystal mounted on said circuit board in said housing,

said housing including a cover plate,

and said piezoelectric crystal being acoustically coupled with said cover plate for amplification of the sound generated by said crystal.

10. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein:

said piezoelectric crystal is mounted by a layer of foam plastic between one face of said crystal and the printed circuit board and by a layer of foam plastic between the other face of said crystal and said cover plate, said cover plate being secured with said housing in a position to compress the foam pads whereby the acoustic coupling is enhanced.

11. A method of aligning the beam transmitter and beam receiver in a door operator which comprises a power actuator for opening and closing a door, a control circuit for controlling energization and deenergization of the power actuator, a beam break system having a beam transmitter including a beam emitter for transmitting a beam of radiant energy across the doorway of said door and a beam receiver including a beam detector for receiving said beam, said control circuit including a detector circuit having an input coupled with said beam detector and including means for producing a normal control signal when the transmitter beam is received by the beam detector and producing a fault control signal when the transmitter beam is not received by the beam detector, and means responsive to said normal control signal for enabling energization of said power actuator and responsive to said fault control signal for disenabling energization of said power actuator, and an annunciator circuit coupled with said detector circuit and responsive to said fault control signal for producing an warning signal, said method including the steps of:

activating the beam transmitter for transmitting a beam,

activating the beam receiver for receiving a beam,

if there is a warning signal, adjusting the alignment of the transmitter and the receiver so that there is no warning signal, and

fastening the position of said transmitter and receiver in the alignment in which there is no warning signal.