INTELLIGENT AUTOCLOSE DOOR

• US 20170314319A1
• Filed: 10/16/2015
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entrematic Belgium NV (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Entrematic Belgium NV (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Bostyn, Frederic, Fauquette, Charles, Viseur, Bruno
• Granted Patent: US 10,385,606 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/40 Safety devices, e.g. detection of obstructions or end positions
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/765 using optical sensors using photoelectric cells E05F15/74
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/54 Obstruction or resistance detection
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/352 Frames; Posts
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/10 for buildings or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6836 sensing obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/11 Roller shutters
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/171 Rollers therefor; Fastening roller shutters to rollers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73215 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0753 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/167 comprising optoelectronic devices, e.g. LED, photodiodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0025 relating to coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0033 relating to semiconductor body packages
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0041 relating to wavelength conversion elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0091 : Scattering means in or on the semiconductor body or semiconductor body package H01L33/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/44 : characterised by the coatings, e.g. passivation layer or anti-reflective coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/486 : adapted for surface mounting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/501 : characterised by the materials, e.g. binder
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/505 : characterised by the shape, e.g. plate or foil
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/507 : the elements being in intimate contact with parts other than the semiconductor body or integrated with parts other than the semiconductor body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/54 : having a particular shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/56 : Materials, e.g. epoxy or silicone resin
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/58 : Optical field-shaping elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 : Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls

Abstract

The present invention concerns an auto-close door for closing an area (3) at least partially defined by a frame, said auto-close door comprising: A) A motorized driving mechanism (10) suitable for moving a leading edge (1L) of a shutter (1) in a first direction (a) to close said area defined within said frame and in a second direction (β) to open said area; B) Wave detection cells (5) suitable for detecting the presence of an obstacle within the area defined by the frame; and/or C) In addition or alternatively, an impact detector (6) suitable for detecting an impacting event with a leading edge of the shutter, D) A processing unit (CPU) programmed to carry out the following operations: a) Upon opening the area a first time by moving the leading edge of the shutter in said second direction (β), maintain the area open for an opening time (t1), after which b) close the shutter, c) Record whether an obstacle and/or an impacting event is detected by the wave detector or the impact detector, upon closing the shutter; d) Count the number (n), of obstacles and/or impacting events detected during a number (N), of repetitions of the cycle defined by steps (a) to (c), and if n/N>v_ref,1, wherein, v_ref,1, is a first control ratio, then the opening time (t1), is prolonged to a time, t2=t1+Δt2, wherein Δt2>0; (e) Repeat steps (a) to (d) with the values t1 or t2 determined in step (d).

Claims

1. Auto-close door for closing an area (3) at least partially defined by a frame, said auto-close door comprising:

(A) A motorized driving mechanism (10) suitable for moving a leading edge (1 L) of a shutter (1) in a first direction (α

) to close said area defined within said frame and in a second direction (β

) to open said area;

(B) Wave detection cells (5) suitable for detecting the presence of an obstacle within the area defined by the frame; and

/or

(C) In addition or alternatively, an impact detector (6) suitable for detecting an impacting event with the leading edge (1 L) of the shutter,

(D) A processing unit (CPU) programmed to carry out the following operations;

(a) Upon opening the area a first time by moving the leading edge of the shutter in said second direction (β

), maintain the area open for an opening time, t1, after which

(b) close the shutter,

(c) Record whether an obstacle and/or an impacting event is detected by the wave detector or the impact detector, upon closing the shutter;

(d) Count the number, n, of obstacles and/or impacting events detected during a number, N, of repetitions of the cycle defined by steps (a) to (c), and if an event frequency n/N>

ν

_ref,1, wherein, ν

_ref,1, is a first control ratio, then the opening time, t1, is prolonged to a time, t2=t1+Δ

t2, wherein Δ

t2>

0;

(e) Repeat steps (a) to (d) with the values t1 or t2 determined in step (d).

2. Auto-close door according to claim 1, wherein in step (d),

(i) If n/N<

ν

_ref,2, wherein, ν

_ref,2, is a second control ratio with ν

_ref,2≦

ν

_ref,1, then the opening time, t0, is reduced to a time, t0=t1−

Δ

t0, wherein Δ

t0>

0;

(ii) If ν

_ref,2≦

n/N≦

ν

_ref,1, then the opening time, t0, is maintained constant, and

in step (e), the cycle defined by steps (a) to (c) is repeated with the values t0, t1, or t2 determined in step (d).

3. Auto-close door according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a statistically representative number, N_min, of cycle repetitions defined by steps (a) to (c) must be carried out before the opening time is modified in step (e), and wherein N_min is preferably comprised between 1 and 30 cycles, more preferably between 10 and 20 cycles.

4. Auto-close door according to any of the preceding claims, wherein upon detection of an obstacle and/or an impacting event, an emergency procedure is initiated comprising stopping the closing of the shutter and preferably initiating the opening of the shutter to a waiting position, P_waiting.

5. Auto-close door according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the shutter comprises two lateral edges engaged in parallel guiding rails (7) defining two sides of the frame, and wherein the leading edge links the two lateral edges, and moves along the direction defined by the guiding rails upon closing and opening the shutter.

6. Auto-close door according to claim 5, further comprising means for monitoring the instantaneous position of the leading edge of the shutter in its closing/opening trajectory in the direction defined by the guiding rails (7).

7. Auto-close door according to claims 4 and 6, wherein the shutter closes at a speed, v1, and wherein, upon detection of an obstacle and/or an impacting event, the emergency procedure comprises the following steps:

(i) stoppage of the motor, and storage of the event position, P_event, followed by

(ii) opening of the shutter at a speed v2 as far as a waiting position, P_waiting, predetermined so as to leave sufficient space for removing the obstacle;

(iii) after a waiting time, Δ

t_waiting, in the waiting position, P_waiting, opening the shutter again at the speed, v1, as far as a predetermined position, P3, situated upstream of the event position P_event, at which point the speed of closing is reduced to the value v3, with 0<

v3<

v1;

(iv) if upon closing the shutter at the reduced speed, v3, no obstacle is detected at the position P_event, increasing the speed of closing to the value v1 until the shutter reaches a desired final position;

(v) if on the other hand upon closing the shutter at a reduced speed, v3, an obstacle is detected once again at the same position P_event, the cycle defined by steps (i) to (iii) is repeated and step (iv) is executed if the conditions defined therein are fulfilled;

(vi) if after a predetermined number, N_safe, of repetitions of said cycle the obstacle is still detected, opening the shutter at speed, v2, and stopping of the shutter at a predetermined stop position P_stop, until manual reactivation of the control system.

8. Auto-close door according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the means for monitoring the instantaneous position of the leading edge of the shutter are selected among the following:

Optical device suitable for counting a number of windows aligned along at least one lateral edge of the shutter;

or

Device for counting the number of revolution of the motor driving the opening/closing of the shutter.

9. Auto-close door according to any of claims 5 to 8, wherein,

at least one lateral edge of the shutter comprises a bead slideably engaged in an opening of the corresponding guiding rail (7) and which can be extracted therefrom under the action of a defined pulling force directed transversely to the guiding rail provoked for example by an impact upon closing the shutter, and wherein:

the auto-close door further comprises a means for reinserting into the guiding rail opening the bead that has been extracted therefrom, this means comprising a guide member which is positioned facing the guiding rail opening and which is designed so that, while the shutter is being opened, it deflects toward the guiding rail opening the bead that has been extracted from this guiding rail opening, wherein the guide member comprises at least one pair of rollers having fixed axes of rotation which are located symmetrically on each side of the mid-plane of the shutter, in the same plane substantially perpendicular to said mid-plane of the shutter and are directed obliquely with respect to said mid-plane of the shutter so that the rollers converge toward the bottom of the guiding rail opening and roll, as the shutter is moved in the opening direction, along the bead which has been extracted from the guiding rail opening, pushing it into the guiding rail opening.

10. Auto-close door according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the shutter and motorized driving mechanism are selected from:

(a) a flexible shutter wherein the motorized driving mechanism (10) drives the rotation of a drum (11) to move the leading edge (1 L) in the first direction (α

) to close the area by unwinding the flexible shutter from said drum, and to move it in the second direction (β

) to open said area by winding the flexible shutter about said drum;

(b) deformable shutter comprising panels (1p) hinged to one another parallel to the leading edge (1 L), wherein the motorized driving mechanism (10) drives the rotation of an axle about which the hinged panels rotate and change direction, or

(c) A rigid shutter, wherein the motorized driving mechanism (10) drives the rotation of an axle which moves the rigid shutter in the plane of said area in the first and second directions, preferably by means of a gear system;

cables, or chains.

11. Method for controlling the time an auto-close door according to any of claims 1 to 10 remains open before it is closed, said method comprising the following step:

(a) Upon opening the area a first time by moving the leading edge of the shutter in said second direction (β

), maintain the area open for an opening time, t1, after which

(b) close the shutter,

(c) Record whether an obstacle and/or an impacting event is detected by the wave detector or the impact detector, upon closing the shutter;

(d) Count the number, n, of obstacles and/or impacting events detected during a number, N, of repetitions of the cycle defined by steps (a) to (c), and if an event frequency n/N>

ν

_ref,1, wherein, ν

_ref,1, is a first control ratio, then the opening time, t1, is prolonged to a time, t2=t1+Δ

t2, wherein Δ

t2>

0;

(e) Repeat steps (a) to (d) with the values t1 or t2 determined in step (d).