Automatic door with position-dependent force limiting
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of controlling the motion of a moveable door, comprising:
- detecting a current position of a door;
determining a direction that the door is moving with respect to a closed position of the door;
determining a distance between the detected current position of the door and the closed position of the door if the direction that the door is moving is determined to be toward the closed position;
decreasing a maximum amount of force that is available to the door for its motion if the distance between the detected current position and the closed position is less than a threshold value;
determining whether the detected current position of the door is ahead of or behind an expected position of the door; and
decreasing the maximum amount of force that is available to zero if the detected current position of the door is determined to be behind the expected position of the door and the distance between the detected current position and the closed position is less than the threshold value.
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Abstract
A method of controlling the motion of a moveable door includes determining the direction that the door is moving with respect to its anticipated closed position, and based on the direction, regulating an amount of force that is available to the door for its motion. The method may further include monitoring the position of the door as it is moving, and adjusting the motion of the door and regulating the amount of force available to the door for its motion, based on the calculated difference between the door'"'"'s position as detected during monitoring and its expected position.
17 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method of controlling the motion of a moveable door, comprising:
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detecting a current position of a door; determining a direction that the door is moving with respect to a closed position of the door; determining a distance between the detected current position of the door and the closed position of the door if the direction that the door is moving is determined to be toward the closed position; decreasing a maximum amount of force that is available to the door for its motion if the distance between the detected current position and the closed position is less than a threshold value; determining whether the detected current position of the door is ahead of or behind an expected position of the door; and decreasing the maximum amount of force that is available to zero if the detected current position of the door is determined to be behind the expected position of the door and the distance between the detected current position and the closed position is less than the threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An automatic door with position-dependent torque limiting, comprising:
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a door configured to have a fully opened position and a closed position; a force generating element connected to the door such that force generated by the force generating element is applied to the door to move the door toward its fully opened position or closed position; a position sensing device configured to detect a current position of the door, and further configured to generate an output based on the detected current position of the door; and a control system operatively connected to the force generating element and configured to set acceleration of the door based upon the output from the position sensing device, and further configured to regulate the amount of force generated by the force generating element based upon the generated output from the position sensing device, wherein the control system is further configured to; determine a distance between the detected current position of the door and the closed position of the door; determine whether the detected current position is ahead of or behind the expected current position of the door; set the acceleration according to the determined distance and the determination of whether the detected current position is ahead of or behind the expected current position of the door; and regulate a maximum amount of force that is available to move the door according to the determination of whether the detected current position is ahead of or behind the expected current position of the door. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A control system for controlling the motion of a moveable door, comprising:
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a direction detector configured to detect a direction of a door; a position detector configured to detect a current position of the door; and a control unit configured to operate a force generating element based on signals from the direction and position detectors, wherein the control unit is further configured to; receive a signal from the direction detector indicating which direction the door is moving with respect to a closed position of the door; and determine a distance between the detected current position of the door and the closed position of the door if the direction that the door is moving is detected to be toward the closed position; decrease a maximum amount of force that is available to the door for its motion if the distance between the detected current position and the closed position is determined to be less than a threshold value; determine whether the detected current position of the door is ahead of or behind an expected position of the door; and decrease the maximum amount of force that is available to zero if the detected current position of the door is determined to be behind the expected position of the door. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for performing a method of controlling the motion of a moveable door, the method comprising:
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detecting a current position of the door; determining a direction that the door is moving with respect to a closed position of the door; determining a distance between the detected current position of the door if the direction that the door is moving is determined to be toward the closed position; decreasing a maximum amount of force that is available to the door for its motion if a the distance between the detected current position and the closed position is determined to be less than the threshold value; determining whether the detected current position of the door is ahead of or behind and expected position of the door; and decreasing the maximum amount of force that is available to zero if the detected current position of the door is determined to be behind the expected position of the door. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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Specification