Process for initializing a motorized roller shutter

• US 7,468,591 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2004
• Issued: 12/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Somfy Sas (Somfy SA)
• Original Assignee: Somfy Sas (Somfy SA)
• Inventors: Bruno, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro; Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US10/911,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20050039863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 318466-470, 318/474, 318/476, 318/264, 318/265, 318/266, 318/283, 318/286, 318/430, 160/130, 160/133, 49/31, 49/36, 49/38
• US Class Current: 318/467
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6836 sensing obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6845 sensing position
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6872 using counters to determine shutter position
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/80 Safety measures against dropping or unauthorised opening; Braking or immobilising devices; Devices for limiting unrolling securing devices or arrangements for direct manual operation E06B9/78
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/425 Teaching successive positions by numerical control, i.e. commands being entered to control the positioning servo of the tool head or end effector
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36467 Teach and store time needed from open to closed and closed to open position
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45015 Roller blind, shutter

Abstract

In the initialization process for the control of the movement of a motorized roller shutter, the travel of the shutter between its two extreme positions is divided into different segments and each segment end is allocated a duration of shutter movement in a first direction between this segment end and a first reference position and a duration of shutter movement in a second direction between this segment end and a second reference position.

Claims

1. An initialization process, for determining the position of a screen and for the control of the movement of said screen (2) designed to move between two extreme positions, the screen being associated with a control unit (4) which comprises a clock (6), a memory (5) and a logic processing unit (9) and which controls an actuator (3) driving the screen (2), in which process

the travel of the screen between the two extreme positions is divided into different segments and

each segment end is allocated a duration of screen movement in a first direction between the segment end and a first reference position and a duration of screen movement in a second direction between the segment end and a second reference position,

wherein each position of the screen is determined by the duration separating the screen from at least a reference position.

2. The initialization process as claimed in claim 1, in which the reference positions are lower and upper extreme positions.

3. The initialization process as claimed in claim 1, in which the first reference position and the second reference position coincide.

4. The initialization process as claimed in claim 1, in which the movement durations are allocated to the segment ends by a computation algorithm that includes a theoretical curve of the load as a function of the position of the screen.

5. The initialization process as claimed in claim 1, in which the movement durations are allocated to the segment ends by a computation algorithm that includes a curve of the load as a function of the position of the screen defined by learning.

6. The initialization process as claimed in claim 1, in which the segments are of approximately the same length.

7. The initialization process as claimed in claim 1, in which the segments are so defined that the variation of the load of the screen is approximately constant on each of the segments.

8. A process for controlling the movement of a screen initialized by the process as claimed in claim 1, in which the position of the screen is determined by the movement durations separating it from the reference positions, the latter being calculated from a last known position, from the time and from the direction of movement from this last position and from the movement durations associated with the ends of the segments.

9. The control process as claimed in claim 8, in which the actuator is operated at reduced speed on the approach to the extreme positions of the screen.

10. A screen device (1) designed to move between two extreme positions, a control unit (4) for controlling which comprises a clock (6), a memory (5) and a logic processing unit (9) and controls an actuator (3) driving the screen (2), in which device the logic processing unit executes logic comprising:

dividing travel of the screen between the two extreme positions into different segments; and

allocating to each segment end a duration of screen movement in a first direction between the segment end and a first reference position and a duration of screen movement in a second direction between the segment end and a second reference position,

wherein each position of the screen is determined by the duration separating the screen from at least a reference position.

11. The screen device (1) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the said device comprises a power supply (7) delivering a stable direct-current voltage and wherein the actuator (3) has an internal resistance with low sensitivity to temperature.