Aperture closures

• US 6,188,198 B1
• Filed: 08/18/1999
• Issued: 02/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tucker Auto-Mation Zap Supply LLC
• Original Assignee: Bruce Stanley Gunton
• Inventors: Gunton, Bruce Stanley
• Primary Examiner(s): ROGERS, SCOTT A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luk, Lawrence
• Application Number:
  US09/377,370
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 320/117, 320/116, 160/188, 160/189, 160/199, 340/825.22, 340/825.12, 49/26, 49/27, 49/30, 493/40
• US Class Current: 320/117
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/41 Detection by monitoring transmitted force or torque E05F15/48 takes precedence; Safety couplings with activation dependent upon torque or force, e.g. slip couplings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/603 using rotary electromotors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/665 for vertically-sliding wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/686 by cables or ropes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/214 Disengaging means
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/244 by manual operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/652 Belts
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/654 Cables
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/668 Pulleys; Wheels
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/676 Transmission of human force
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/458 for generating service signals
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/614 charging thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/10 Adjustable or movable
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/246 with at least one element being redundant
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/252 the elements functioning only in case of emergency
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/426 against unauthorised use E05Y2400/51, E05Y2400/522 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/106 for garages
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2628 Door, window
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/44 responsive to the rate of change of electrical quantities
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 : Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 : Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/06 : with automatic change-over , e.g. UPS systems

Abstract

A sliding door mechanism controls a door 10 in the form of a series of horizontal slats articulated to the slats above and below to move from a closed position in a vertical plane, along between tracks 14, until open. The door is moved by cables winding on or off a cable drum 12 driven through a drive belt 16 by an electric motor 18. The motor is on a carriage mounted at 30 to allow the drive belt to be slackened to remove drive from the drum 12.

Control circuits 20 for the apparatus are described.

Claims

1. An aperture closure member control arrangement comprising electric drive means operable to drive the closure member, battery supply means operable to power the control arrangement and comprising a plurality of rechargeable cells, and power supply means operable to supply recharging current to the cells, there being switch means associated with the battery supply means and operable to connect the cells in parallel across the power supply when the cells are being charged, and to connect the cells in series with each other and with the drive means when powering the drive means, each cell of the battery supply means comprising a first terminal of a first polarity and a second terminal of a second polarity, the terminals of a first cell being connected across the power supply means during recharging, and the or each other cell having associated switch means operable to connect the first terminal either to the first terminal of the first cell during charging, or to the second terminal of another cell to form a series connection therewith when powering the drive means, and to connect the second terminal to the power supply means during charging, the supply to the drive means being taken from the second terminal of a cell selectable during operation of the arrangement to provide a selectable drive voltage.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, comprising a power supply providing regulated charging current.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the regulated charging current is provided as the collector-emitter current of an output transistor, regulation being achieved by adjustment of the base current.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the collector-emitter current of the output transistor is in series with a resistor, the resistor and base being shunted by a control transistor, whereby base current of the output transistor can be shunted by operation of the control transistor in dependence on the current flowing in the resistor.

5. An arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the base of the control transistor is connected to sense the output of the power supply, whereby to shunt base current away from the output transistor, thereby turning off the transistor in the event the output is shorted.

6. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the power supply provides regulated voltage and charging current.

7. An arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the output voltage is applied to the base of a transistor circuit which supplies base current to the output transistor.

8. An aperture closure member control arrangement comprising drive means operable to drive the closure member, and control means operable to count number of times the arrangement has been operated to open or close the aperture closure member and to modify operation in accordance with the count.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the drive means provides fast and slow modes for closing the closure member, the control means inhibiting fast closure after a predetermined numbers of counts has been reached.

10. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein closure is effected by a manual operation which is required to be more complex after a predetermined number of counts has been reached.

11. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the control means may be responsive to a reset sequence of manual operations to reverse the said modification to operation.

12. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the control means effects a count of operations to determine when maintenance of the arrangement is required, the control means providing a signal detectable by a user after maintenance has been determined to be required.

13. An aperture closure member control arrangement comprising drive means operable to drive the closure member by means of a rotating drive member and a drive belt, the drive means being mounted on a carriage movable to bring the drive member and belt into and out of engagement, the carriage having a mounting that allows free movement of the carriage during use of the arrangement, and there being control means which are manually operable to pull the carriage to a first position in which the drive member and belt are in engagement and to hold the carriage in said first position, or to release the carriage member to move to a second position in which the drive member and belt are out of engagement and the drive member is prevented from driving the drive belt.

14. An aperture closure member control arrangement comprising drive means operable to drive the closure member, and monitoring means operable to monitor variations in the load on the drive means, the monitoring means comprising signal generating means operable to provide first and second signals which vary in response to variations in the load, comparison means operable to compare the first and second signals, and time constant means operable to provide time constants which govern the responses of the signal generating means, the time constant means causing the second signal to be governed by a longer time constant than the first to cause the comparison result to vary in accordance with the rate of change of the load, and wherein limit means are provided to prevent the second signal passing a preset value.

15. An arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the limit means provides an upper limit for the second signal.

16. An arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the second signal is provided to the comparison means at a point connected to the potential divider tap by means of a diode, whereby the second signal is prevented from passing the voltage at the tap by more than the forward bias voltage of the diode.

17. An arrangement according to claim 16, wherein at least one component of the potential divider is adjustable to allow the preset value to be changed.