Automatic door control system

• US 6,751,909 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2002
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stanley Works Limited (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Stanley Works Limited (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ranaudo, Anthony R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Redman, Jerry
• Application Number:
  US10/060,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20020104266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 491/41, 493/33, 493/34, 493/35, 495/06
• US Class Current: 49/506
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2628 Door, window
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37632 By measuring current, load of motor

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic door systems related to a fail safe method of controlling an automatic door operating system. One aspect of the present invention provides a method for controlling an electric motor of an automatic door system, the motor being operatively connected to a door panel to enable the motor to perform a door moving operation wherein the motor moves the door panel between the open and closed positions thereof using an electric power signal delivered to the motor from an electric power supply. Another aspect of the present invention provides a machine readable medium encoded with a plurality of machine executable instruction sequences for performing a method for controlling an electric motor of an automatic door system. Another aspect of the invention provides a control system for an automatic door system, the automatic door system including a door panel mounted for movement during a door moving operation between open and closed positions.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an electric motor of an automatic door system, said motor being operatively connected to a door panel to enable said motor to perform a door moving operation wherein said motor moves said door panel between open and closed positions thereof using an electric power signal delivered to said motor from an electric power supply, said motor being communicated to a motor controller that controls the electric power signal delivered to said motor to control said door moving operation, said door system including a redundancy cut-off switch connected between said motor and said motor controller, said redundancy cut-off switch being movable between (a) an open position disabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor and (b) a closed position enabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor through said redundancy cut-off switch, said method comprising:

while said motor controller is delivering said electric power signal to said motor through said redundancy cut-off switch in said closed position thereof to affect said door moving operation, monitoring said door moving operation for an occurrence of a predetermined condition;

responsive to detecting the occurrence of said predetermined condition, (a) causing said motor controller to terminate the delivery of said electric power signal from said electric power supply to said motor and (b) affecting movement of said redundancy cut-off switch from said closed position thereof to said open position thereof to ensure termination of the delivery of the electric power signal in the event the electric power signal is not terminated by said controller.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring said door moving operation comprises monitoring an amplitude of the current of the electric power signal being delivered to said motor;

and wherein said predetermined condition is the amplitude of said electric power signal increasing above a predetermined level, thus indicating that movement of said door panel between said open and closed positions thereof is obstructed.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring said door moving operation comprises monitoring a speed at which said door panel moves between said open and closed positions thereof;

and wherein said predetermined condition is when the speed at which said door panel moves between said open and closed positions thereof is greater than a predetermined level.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein monitoring said speed at which said door panel moves between said open and closed positions thereof is performed indirectly by monitoring a speed of said motor.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein automatic door system comprises an encoder adapted to transmit a pulse signal for each unit of door panel movement;

and wherein said monitoring the speed at which said door panel moves between said open and closed positions thereof is performed by measuring a time interval between subsequent pulse signals transmitted by said encoder.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said encoder transmits said pulse signal for each unit of rotational movement of a rotor of said motor which is operatively connected to said door panel, thus indirectly transmitting said pulse signal for each unit of door panel movement.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said automatic door system further comprises a processor communicated to said motor controller, and wherein said switch is a relay comprising an inductive coil communicated to said processor and a switching element in series between said motor and said motor controller, said switching element being movable between (a) an open position disabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor to thereby provide the open position of said switch and (b) a closed position enabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor to provide the closed position of said switch, said switching element being biased to said open position thereof and being movable to said closed position thereof by an application of a switch controlling electric power signal to said coil such that applying said switch controlling electric power signal to said coil causes said switching element to move from said open position thereof to said closed position thereof and terminating the application of said switch controlling electric power signal to said coil causes said switching element to move from said closed position thereof to said open position thereof;

said monitoring said door moving operation for an occurrence of a predetermined condition being performed by said processor;

said causing said motor controller to terminate the delivery of said electric power signal from said electric power supply to said motor being performed by said processor instructing said motor controller to terminate delivery of said electric power signal responsive to said processor detecting the occurrence of said predetermined condition;

said moving said switch from said closed position thereof to said open position thereof to ensure termination of the delivery of electric power signal in the event the electric power signal is not terminated by said controller being performed by said processor terminating the application of the switch controlling electric power signal to the coil of said relay responsive to detecting the occurrence of said predetermined condition, thereby causing said switching element to move to said open position thereof to disable the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said automatic door system is a sliding automatic door system with said door panel being movable generally rectilinearly between said open and said closed positions.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said automatic door system is a swinging automatic door system with said door panel being movable in a swinging manner between said open and closed positions.

10. A method for controlling an electric motor of an automatic door system, said motor being operatively connected to a door panel to enable said motor to perform a door moving operation wherein said motor moves said door panel between open and closed positions thereof using an electric power signal delivered to said motor from an electric power supply, said motor being communicated to a motor controller that controls the electric power signal delivered to said motor to control said door moving operation, said door system including a switch connected between said motor and said motor controller, said switch being movable between (a) an open position disabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor and (b) a closed position enabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor, said method comprising:

while said motor controller is delivering said electric power signal to said motor to affect said door moving operation, monitoring said door moving operation for an occurrence of a predetermined condition;

responsive to detecting the occurrence of said predetermined condition, (a) causing said motor controller to terminate the delivery of said electric power signal from said electric power supply to said motor and (b) affecting movement of said switch from said closed position thereof to said open position thereof to ensure termination of the delivery of the electric power signal in the event the electric power signal is not terminated by said controller;

wherein said monitoring said door moving operation comprises monitoring an amplitude of the current of the electric power signal being delivered to said motor; and

wherein said predetermined condition is the amplitude of said electric power signal increasing above a predetermined level, thus indicating that movement of said door panel between said open and closed positions thereof is obstructed.

11. A method for controlling an electric motor of an automatic door system, said motor being operatively connected to a door panel to enable said motor to perform a door moving operation wherein said motor moves said door panel between open and closed positions thereof using an electric power signal delivered to said motor from an electric power supply, said motor being communicated to a motor controller that controls the electric power signal delivered to said motor to control said door moving operation, said door system including a switch connected between said motor and said motor controller, said switch being movable between (a) an open position disabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor and (b) a closed position enabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor, said method comprising:

while said motor controller is delivering said electric power signal to said motor to affect said door moving operation, monitoring said door moving operation for an occurrence of a predetermined condition;

responsive to detecting the occurrence of said predetermined condition, (a) causing said motor controller to terminate the delivery of said electric power signal from said electric power supply to said motor and (b) affecting movement of said switch from said closed position thereof to said open position thereof to ensure termination of the delivery of the electric power signal in the event the electric power signal is not terminated by said controller;

wherein said monitoring said door moving operation comprises monitoring a speed at which said door panel moves between said open and closed positions thereof; and

wherein said predetermined condition is when the speed at which said door panel moves between said open and closed positions thereof is greater than a predetermined level.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein monitoring said speed at which said door panel moves between said open and closed positions thereof is performed indirectly by monitoring a speed of said motor.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein automatic door system comprises an encoder adapted to transmit a pulse signal for each unit of door panel movement;

and wherein said monitoring the speed at which said door panel moves between said open and closed positions thereof is performed by measuring a time interval between subsequent pulse signals transmitted by said encoder.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said encoder transmits said pulse signal for each unit of rotational movement of a rotor of said motor which is operatively connected to said door panel, thus indirectly transmitting said pulse signal for each unit of door panel movement.

15. A method for controlling an electric motor of an automatic door system, said motor being operatively connected to a door panel to enable said motor to perform a door moving operation wherein said motor moves said door panel between open and closed positions thereof using an electric power signal delivered to said motor from an electric power supply, said motor being communicated to a motor controller that controls the electric power signal delivered to said motor to control said door moving operation, said door system including a switch connected between said motor and said motor controller, said switch being movable between (a) an open position disabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor and (b) a closed position enabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor, said method comprising:

while said motor controller is delivering said electric power signal to said motor to affect said door moving operation, monitoring said door moving operation for an occurrence of a predetermined condition;

responsive to detecting the occurrence of said predetermined condition, (a) causing said motor controller to terminate the delivery of said electric power signal from said electric power supply to said motor and (b) affecting movement of said switch from said closed position thereof to said open position thereof to ensure termination of the delivery of the electric power signal in the event the electric power signal is not terminated by said controller;

wherein said automatic door system further comprises a processor communicated to said motor controller, and wherein said switch is a relay comprising an inductive coil communicated to said processor and a switching element in series between said motor and said motor controller, said switching element being movable between (a) an open position disabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor to thereby provide the open position of said switch and (b) a closed position enabling the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor to provide the closed position of said switch, said switching element being biased to said open position thereof and being movable to said closed position thereof by an application of a switch controlling electric power signal to said coil such that applying said switch controlling electric power signal to said coil causes said switching element to move from said open position thereof to said closed position thereof and terminating the application of said electric power signal to said coil causes said switching element to move from said closed position thereof to said open position thereof;

said monitoring said door moving operation for an occurrence of a predetermined condition being performed by said processor;

said causing said motor controller to terminate the delivery of said electric power signal from said electric power supply to said motor being performed by said processor instructing said motor controller to terminate delivery of said electric power signal responsive to said processor detecting the occurrence of said predetermined condition;

said moving said switch from said closed position thereof to said open position thereof to ensure termination of the delivery of electric power signal in the event the electric power signal is not terminated by said controller being performed by said processor terminating the application of the switch controlling electric power signal to the coil of said relay responsive to detecting the occurrence of said predetermined condition, thereby causing said switching element to move to said open position thereof to disable the delivery of the electric power signal from said motor controller to said motor.