Door closer with calibration mode

• US 8,415,902 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASSA ABLOY Accessories and Door Controls Group, Inc. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Yale Security Incorporated (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Burris, Charles E., Tadlock, Robert L. Jr., White, John, Gurley, Jason Scott, Faes, Steven Michael, McGinty, Joseph, Patterson, Wade
• Primary Examiner(s): Benson, Walter
• Assistant Examiner(s): AGARED, GABRIEL T
• Application Number:
  US12/761,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20110257796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 318/3, 700/275, 700/282, 16/52, 16/79
• US Class Current: 318/3
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/63 operated by swinging arms
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/102 with rack-and-pinion transmission between driving shaft and piston within the closer housing
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/22 Additional arrangements for closers, e.g. for holding the wing in opened or other position
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/227 mounted at the top of wings, e.g. details related to closer housings, covers, end caps or rails therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/232 by automatically acting means
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/434 Electromotors; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/499 Spring tensioners; Tension sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/646 continuous, e.g. closed loops
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/656 Chains
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/456 for programming, e.g. learning or AI [artificial intelligence]
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/616 Generators
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/11 by automatically acting means
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/22 of not identical elements of the same category, e.g. combinations of not identical springs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors

Abstract

A door closer with an automated calibration mode is disclosed. The door closer that can be self powered and includes a control unit to intelligently control a valve within the door closer to vary the operating characteristics of the door closer as needed. The control unit includes a calibration mode that can be invoked to match the control unit to the mechanical door closer assembly. A plurality of positional values being output encoders coupled to an arm of the door closer and the motor for the valve can be determined. The positional values from the encoders and the positions that they indicate can then be stored in a memory within the controller for use during normal operation of the door closer.

Claims

1. A processor-controlled method of calibrating a controller for a door closer, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of arm positional values being output by an arm encoder coupled to an arm of the door closer, each arm positional value corresponding to an angular position of the arm;

activating a motor to move a valve in the door closer to one of a plurality of positions;

determining a valve positional value being output by a valve encoder coupled to a valve of the door closer to produce a plurality of valve positional values, each valve encoder value corresponding to a position of the valve; and

storing the plurality of arm position values and the plurality of valve positional values in a memory within the controller for use during normal operation of the door closer.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically moving the arm of the door closer the determining of each arm positional value.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the plurality of arm positional values comprises a maximum clockwise value and a maximum counterclockwise value.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the plurality of valve positional values comprises at least one value for a mechanical stop.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

determining a known closed position for the valve at least in part in response to compressing and releasing a spring in the door closer; and

storing a closed position encoder value corresponding to the known closed position of the valve.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of the plurality of arm positional values is accomplished in response to a user moving the arm.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the plurality of arm position values comprises a maximum clockwise value and a maximum counterclockwise value.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the plurality of valve positional values comprises at least one value for a mechanical stop.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining a known closed position for the valve at least in part in response to compressing and releasing a spring in the door closer; and

storing a closed position encoder value corresponding to the known closed position of the valve.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code to be executed on a processor to implement method of calibrating a controller for a door closer, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of arm positional values being output by an arm encoder coupled to an arm of the door closer, each arm positional value corresponding to an angular position of the arm;

activating a motor to move a valve in the door closer to one of a plurality of positions;

determining a valve positional value being output by a valve encoder coupled to a valve of the door closer to produce a plurality of valve positional values, each valve encoder value corresponding to a position of the valve; and

storing the plurality of arm position values and the plurality of valve positional values in a memory within the controller for use during normal operation of the door closer.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the method further comprises automatically moving the arm of the door closer for determining the plurality of arm positional values.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the method further comprises:

determining a known closed position for the valve at least in part in response to compressing and releasing a spring in the door closer; and

storing a closed position value corresponding to the known closed position of the valve.

13. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the determining of the plurality of arm positional values is accomplished in response to a user moving the arm.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the method further comprises:

determining a known closed position for the valve at least in part in response to compressing and releasing a spring in the door closer; and

storing a closed position encoder value corresponding to the known closed position of the valve.

15. Apparatus for calibrating a controller for a door closer comprising:

means for determining a plurality of arm positional values being output by an arm encoder coupled to an arm of the door closer, each arm positional value corresponding to an angular position of the arm;

means for activating a motor to move a valve in the door closer to one of a plurality of positions;

means for determining a valve positional value being output by a valve encoder coupled to a valve of the door closer to produce a plurality of valve positional values, each valve encoder value corresponding to a position of the valve; and

means for storing the plurality of arm position values and the plurality of valve positional values in a memory within the controller for use during normal operation of the door closer.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising means for automatically moving the arm of the door closer to determine the plurality of arm positional values.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the method further comprises:

means for determining a known closed position for the valve at least in part in response to compressing and releasing a spring in the door closer; and

means for storing a closed position value corresponding to the known closed position of the valve.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the means for determining the plurality of arm positional values further comprises means for responding to a user moving the arm.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising:

means for determining a known closed position for the valve at least in part in response to compressing and releasing a spring in the door closer; and

means for storing a closed position encoder value corresponding to the known closed position of the valve.

20. A controller for a door closer comprising:

a connection for an arm encoder for coupling to an arm of the door closer to determine an arm positional value corresponding to an angular position of the arm;

a connection for a valve encoder for coupling to a valve of the door closer to determine a valve positional value corresponding to a position of the valve;

a memory to store arm positional values and valve positional values; and

control circuitry having a calibration mode, the control circuitry functionally connectable to the arm encoder and the valve encoder and connected to the memory, the control circuitry operable in the calibration mode to determine a plurality of arm positional values being output by the arm encoder, activate a motor to move the valve and determine a plurality of valve positional values being output by the valve encoder, and store the plurality of arm positional values and the plurality of valve positional values in the memory for use during normal operation of the door closer.

21. The controller of claim 20 wherein the control circuitry operates in the calibration mode under control of computer program code instructions in the controller.

22. The controller of claim 20 wherein the control circuitry operates in the calibration mode under control of computer program code instructions running in an external instruction execution platform.

23. The controller of claim 20 wherein the control circuitry operates in the calibration mode under control of computer program code instructions running in part in an external instruction execution platform and in part in the controller.

24. The controller of claim 20 wherein the plurality of arm positional values comprises a maximum clockwise value and a maximum counterclockwise value.

25. The controller of claim 24 wherein the plurality of valve positional values comprises at least one value for a mechanical stop.

26. The controller of claim 25 wherein the control circuitry is further operable to determining a known closed position for the valve at least in part in response to compressing and releasing a spring in the door closer.

27. A door closer having a calibration mode, the door closer comprising:

a spring;

a movable element configured to move in response to movement of a door, the movable element loading the spring;

a valve configured to control movement of hydraulic fluid around the movable element in response to a motor;

an arm encoder coupled to an arm of the door closer to determine an arm positional value corresponding to an angular position of the arm;

a valve encoder coupled to the valve of the door closer to determine a valve positional value corresponding to a position of the valve;

a memory to store arm positional values and valve positional values; and

control circuitry functionally connected to the arm encoder, the valve encoder and the memory, the control circuitry operable in the calibration mode to determine a plurality of arm positional values being output by the arm encoder, activate the motor to move the valve and determine a plurality of valve positional values being output by the valve encoder, and store the plurality of arm positional values and the plurality of valve positional values in the memory for use during normal operation of the door closer.

28. The door closer of claim 27 wherein the control circuitry operates in the calibration mode under control of computer program code instructions in the controller.

29. The door closer of claim 27 wherein the control circuitry operates in the calibration mode under control of computer program code instructions running in an external instruction execution platform.

30. The door closer of claim 27 wherein the control circuitry operates in the calibration mode under control of computer program code instructions running in part in an external instruction execution platform and in part in the controller.

31. The door closer of claim 27 wherein the plurality of arm positional values comprises a maximum clockwise value and a maximum counterclockwise value.

32. The door closer of claim 31 wherein the plurality of valve positional values comprises at least one value for a mechanical stop.

33. The door closer of claim 32 wherein the control circuitry is further operable to determining a known closed position for the valve at least in part in response to compressing and releasing the spring.