EP0771923A2 - Movement monitor for a single or multiple panel door or gate - Google Patents

Abstract

The monitoring method involves interrupting the door (3) movement if an obstruction is encountered. A physical operating parameter is measured during door movement depending on the movement distance or time. A movement interruption signal is generated if the measured value for the actual movement deviates from the desired value by greater than a defined amount, the desired value having been measured and stored during unobstructed operation. The derivative of the movement parameter is formed against distance or time for each measurement value. An interruption signal is generated if the current value for the movement characteristic differs to a defined extent from the corresp. value of a desired movement characteristic.

Description

The invention relates to a method for monitoring the movement of a drivable, one- or multi-part door or gate leaf according to the preamble of claim 1 and a device for carrying out the method according to the preamble of claim 14.

Such a method and such a device are known from EP-B1-0 083 947. The monitoring device disclosed therein is based on the basic idea that the actual profile of the force required to drive the door leaf is continuously compared with a target profile over the transfer path. If the difference between the actual profile and the target profile exceeds a predetermined amount, an interrupt signal is generated which switches off the drive of the door leaf or reverses its direction of movement. The target profile is recorded and stored at least once before the gate is put into operation for an unobstructed normal operation along the transfer route.

Such a monitoring system already points towards other known monitoring devices, such as flexible ones Beaded electrical contacts, improved hazard protection. Nevertheless, even with such a monitoring device, cases can still arise in which the criterion for generating the interrupt signal is not sufficiently sensitive. If the edge of the door leaf hits soft obstacles, for example, the movement force for moving the door leaf increases more slowly than a hard obstacle, so that a longer period of time passes until the interruption signal is triggered. If, for example, the edge of the door leaf bumps into the lateral groin area of a person who accidentally gets into the path of movement during the movement of the door leaf, the interruption signal from the monitoring device is sometimes not triggered sufficiently early.

The object of the invention is therefore to monitor the transfer movement between the open position and the closed position of gates or doors of the type in question as sensitively as possible for a deviation from normal operation.

Starting from a method of the generic type, this object is achieved according to the invention by the characterizing features of patent claim 1. The solution according to the invention consists in that, in addition to the known method, a derivation of the actual profile of a physical operating variable of the door movement after the transfer path is formed at each scanned point and that an interrupt signal is also generated if a criterion according to the determined derivation is not met is. The target course of the relevant physical operating variable is recorded and stored at least once before the gate is put into operation for an unobstructed normal operation along the transfer route.

The advantages achieved with the invention are in particular in that the monitoring device is equally sensitive to hard objects and / or soft objects when it hits the gate. Compared to a monitoring device of the generic type, this improvement can be achieved with relatively little effort.

To form the actual change course and / or the target change course, the first derivative is preferably formed after the transfer route or according to the time, but higher derivatives can also be used.

The difference value to be specified, by which the actual change course must deviate from the target change course in order to signal the obstacle, is dependent on the one hand on external influences such as wind influences, slight icing and the like, on the other hand it takes into account minor changes in the outlet resistance. According to a preferred embodiment, a fixed difference value is predetermined beforehand over the entire movement sequence, but in principle the difference value can also be dimensioned differently over the transfer route, in particular to compensate for the different wind impairments depending on the movement route achieved.

In principle, the set course and the actual course can be derived from different physical operating variables of the advance movement, but preferably the same physical output variables will be evaluated for both values.

According to a preferred embodiment, the target profile is recorded and stored only after the door has been installed at the place of use and the target change profile is then determined and also stored. This allows the operating conditions that actually occur under normal conditions with the actually prevailing environmental influences in a realistic manner. Since the operating conditions change over time due to wear or the like, the target profile can be newly recorded and saved after certain operating intervals of the door, and a new target change profile can be determined therefrom. Of course, it is also possible to predefine and save the target course during manufacture, depending on the type of door. The target change history can also be determined and saved once, but it is also possible that the target change history is determined anew during operation with each movement of the door leaf on the basis of the target history.

The route-dependent determination of a physical operating variable of the door leaf movement can be carried out in different ways. The driving force of the door leaf is preferably taken as a basis, which in turn can be determined via a direct force measurement or also via a torque measurement. A preferred way of measuring the torque is to determine the angle of rotation between two elastically coupled coupling elements which are connected in series in the course of the driving force path. However, it is also possible to monitor the power of an electric drive motor in a known manner or, if the voltage is constantly applied, the current supplied.

If the above-mentioned measured variables of a physical operating variable of the movement of the door leaf as a function of the transfer path are recorded, it is necessary for this that the transfer path itself is also determined by a suitable measuring device. For this purpose, a pulse generator is preferably used, which is also driven by the drive motor. In conjunction with two switching elements that detect the opening position and the closing position of the door leaf, the momentary position on the transfer line can be determined with the pulse generator within the resolution accuracy of the given pulses.

According to a further preferred embodiment it is provided that the speed of movement of the door leaf is taken as a measure of a physical operating quantity of the movement. The movement speed is no longer recorded depending on the transfer route, but depending on the time. A speed profile, which is also recorded as a function of time, serves as the target profile for an unobstructed normal operation. A tachometer generator or a pulse generator, which is driven by the door drive, can be used to measure the speed of movement. While the pulses emitted by the pulse generator still have to be derived in a frequency proportional to the speed, the tachometer generator already supplies a voltage proportional to the speed of movement of the gate.

Another solution according to the invention to the above object consists in a device for carrying out the method according to the invention with the features listed in claim 14.

According to its basic structure, the device consists of a door drive, a measuring element for measuring the transfer path, a measuring element for measuring a physical operating variable of the gate movement, a control unit with memories for the measured variables and a differentiating element.

According to a preferred embodiment, the control unit consists of a microcontroller on which corresponding memories and AD converters are already integrated. The differentiator is preferably also implemented on the microcontroller in the form of software logic. But it is also conceivable that the differentiator consists of an analog differentiator, the signal of which is also fed to an AD converter. In any case, the differentiator must be designed so that the current derivative of the input signal in question is reliably determined regardless of short-term noise disturbances.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the door drive consists of an electric motor. The power supplied by the electric motor can be used directly as a measure of a physical operating variable of the door movement. If the voltage is constantly applied, the current supplied to the electric motor can also serve as the basis for a physical operating variable, the current measured thereby being approximately a measure of the torque delivered by the electric motor.

According to a further preferred embodiment it is provided that the interruption signal generated by the control unit results in the electric motor being switched off. But it is also possible that the drive direction of the door drive is reversed due to an interruption signal, which can be done in a suitable electric motor by reversing the polarity of the supply voltage or by a suitable gear.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Darstellung eines über Kopf bewegbaren Garagentors mit einem Blockschaltbild des erfindungsgemäßen Überwachungssystems und

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung eines Impulsgebers auf einer elastischen Kupplung.

Further details and advantages of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing. In this shows:

Fig. 1

a schematic representation of a garage door movable overhead with a block diagram of the monitoring system according to the invention and

Fig. 2

is a schematic representation of a pulse generator on an elastic coupling.

The garage door from FIG. 1 has two vertical struts 1, at the upper end of which two track rails 2 are connected, in which the door leaf 3 is guided. The door leaf 3 is further articulated to the struts 1 with a linkage, not shown, so that the door leaf can be opened and closed with an overhead movement. In addition, compensating springs are provided which largely compensate for the dead weight of the door leaf during the movement and which keep the door leaf defined in its end positions. The drive system designated 4 consists overall of a drag chain drive with a drag chain 5 to which the door leaf 3 is articulated and which is guided over the deflection roller 6 and over a drive roller, not shown. The drive roller is located in the drive unit 7 and is driven by the electric motor 9 via a gear. Also driven by the electric motor 9 is a pulse generator 8 which is mounted on an elastic coupling and which emits a pulse after a certain angle of rotation.

The entire system is controlled by the control unit 10, which consists of a microcontroller with integrated memory and AD converters. The output signal of the control unit 10 leads to an amplifier 11 which supplies the electric motor 9 with the necessary power via a current measuring element 12. The input variables of the control unit include the measurement variables 8a and 12a, the switching signals 13a and 14a and input signals 15, which are not specified in more detail, and which may include signals from an operating unit and also a voltage supply.

The signal 8a of the pulse generator is evaluated by the control unit in connection with signals from the switching elements 13 and 14.

The switching elements are actuated by the door leaf 3 in its end positions, that is in each case in the vertical and in the horizontal position. The signals 13a and 14a therefore each serve as start-stop signals in order to ensure reliable integration of the signal 8a.

Figure 2 shows a possible embodiment of the pulse generator 8. In an axial cross section and in a radial section, a coupling is shown, which is provided between the drive wheel of the drag chain 5 and the output of the drive motor 9. The driven coupling half 20 is designed as a torsionally flexible coupling member with a radial intermediate layer between the toothing and the hub, for example in the form of a rubber ring 21. The driven coupling half 22 has teeth 23 on its radial circumference, which are scanned by the inductive transmitter 24. When the clutch rotates, the inductive transmitter 24 emits corresponding pulses due to the periodic change in the inductance.

With such an elastic coupling, it is also possible to determine the torque delivered by the electric motor 9 by measuring the angle of rotation between the driven coupling half 20 and the driven coupling half 22. In the present exemplary embodiment, however, this is done by the current measuring element 12, which measures the current supplied to the electric motor. The evaluation of the measurement signals 8a and 12a is described below:

Before the door drive is started up, the target curve of the motor current is recorded for an unobstructed normal operation depending on the transfer route. For this purpose, the signals 8a and 12a are read into the microcontroller via AD converters at the same sampling times and stored in such a way that an assignment of values of the same times is possible. Together with the control program of the drive control, the target curve thus recorded is stored in the EPROM so that the values can be loaded into the main memory each time the microcontroller is reset.

During an opening or closing movement of the door leaf, an actual profile of the motor current depending on the transfer path is recorded in accordance with the target profile. For each actual value recorded, a calculation procedure is run through before the next actual value is recorded, that is to say within a sampling period, which checks whether there are inadmissible deviations from the target curve and whether an interrupt signal must be generated accordingly.

For this purpose, each recorded actual value is first compared with the corresponding target value for the same values of the transfer route. If the actual value deviates from the target value by a predetermined amount, an interrupt signal is generated by the microcontroller, which results in the drive direction of the door leaf being reversed.

If, on the other hand, the actual curve lies within a permissible range, the derivation is formed in a next step for the currently recorded actual value depending on the transfer route. Various methods are conceivable for this, the simplest of which consists in forming a difference between the currently recorded actual value and the previously recorded actual value. If the actual values are particularly noisy, the previous values may need to be smoothed before the difference is formed. For this purpose, a certain number of previously recorded actual values are interpolated with a predetermined function before the interpolated function Derivative is formed. The currently determined derivation is included in an actual change history, which is compared with a target change history. This target change history was likewise determined and stored before start-up based on the target history already recorded using the method just described. If the actual change value deviates from the target change value by a predetermined amount, an interrupt signal is generated, which in turn results in a reversal of the drive direction of the door leaf.

According to the method described above, the already known criterion between the target profile and the actual profile is supplemented by an additional criterion between the target change profile and the actual change profile, which allows a more precise assessment for generating an interruption signal. Of course, other criteria are conceivable in addition to the derivation criterion, in particular the target curve can be compared more and more precisely with the actual curve by forming further derivatives. The limit here is the noise behavior of both signals already mentioned, as a result of which a minimum tolerance range between the actual profile and the target profile is required so that the interrupt signal is not triggered undesirably.

In addition to the described method for recording the target and the actual profile depending on the transfer route, it is also possible to record the actual and target profile depending on the time. The prerequisite for this is that the transfer path of the door leaf does not change over time. To do this, it would have to be ensured that frictional influences as well as other disturbing influences are negligible. This can be taken into account due to the fact that the target course is re-recorded after regular maintenance intervals. If the interference is negligible, sometimes it can the current sensor 12 can be dispensed with by determining the speed profile of the door leaf over time from the signal of the pulse generator 8.

Claims (21)

Method for monitoring the movement of a drivable, one-part or multi-part door or gate leaf of a door or a gate, in particular an overhead gate, along the transfer path between the open and the closed position and interruption of this movement, in particular by switching off and on of the drive in the event of an obstacle in the movement path against which the door leaf runs, with the following steps: an actual course of a physical operating variable of the movement of the door leaf that actually occurs as a function of the transfer route or the time is recorded, - An interruption signal for the interruption of the movement of the monitored door leaf is generated when the currently recorded value of the actual course of the corresponding value of a target course in a predetermined Dimension deviates, the target course being recorded and stored on the basis of a physical operating variable at least once before the gate is put into operation for an unobstructed normal operation along the transfer route or the time, characterized by the following steps: an actual course of change that actually occurs as a function of the transfer route or the time is determined in that the derivation based on the transfer route or the time is formed for each recorded value of the actual course, - An interruption signal for the interruption of the movement of the monitored door leaf is generated when the currently determined value of the actual change history deviates from the corresponding value of a target change history to a predetermined extent, the target change history being based at least once before the door is put into operation is set and saved on the target course. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the first derivative is formed as the derivative after the transfer route or the time. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the permissible deviation of the actual change course from the target change course over the transfer route or over time is determined to be constant. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that that the permissible deviation of the actual change course from the target change course over the transfer route or over time is determined as a function of further influencing variables, preferably as a function of wind influences. Method according to one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the actual profile and / or the actual change profile is derived from the same physical operating variables, by querying the target profile and / or the target change profile was recorded beforehand. Method according to one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the target course for the obstacle-free normal operation is recorded and stored after installation of the gate at the place of use and that the target course of change is determined and stored from the target course. Method according to one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the target profile is recorded and saved anew after certain operating intervals of the door and that a new target change profile is determined and stored therefrom. Method according to one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the actual profile and / or the target profile is determined by measuring the driving force as a function of the transfer route or the time. Method according to one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the actual profile and / or the target profile is determined by measuring the drive torque as a function of the transfer route or the time. Method according to one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the actual profile and / or the target profile is determined by measuring the angle of rotation between two rotating elements, which are arranged one behind the other in the course of the driving force profile, as a function of the transfer route or the time becomes. Method according to one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the actual profile and / or the target profile is determined by measuring the electric drive line of an electric drive unit for the door leaf as a function of its transfer path or the time. Method according to one of claims 1-6, characterized in that the actual profile and / or the target profile is determined by measuring the speed of movement of the door leaf as a function of time. Method according to one of claims 1-12, characterized in that the transfer path is determined by a pulse generator in connection with one or more limit switches. Device for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1-13, with a door drive, with a measuring element (8) for measuring the transfer distance, with a measuring element (12) for measuring a physical operating quantity of the door movement, with a memory for storing the through Measuring elements (8) and (12) determined target course and / or actual course depending on the transfer route or the time and with a control unit for evaluating the target course and the actual course and for generating a Interrupt signal,
characterized by that the control unit has a differentiator that generates a target change profile from the target profile and / or an actual change profile from the actual profile as a function of the transfer route or the time, that the target change profile and / or the actual change profile can be stored in the memory and that the target change course and the actual change course can be evaluated by the control unit. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that the control unit consists of a microcontroller. Apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the measuring element (8) consists of a pulse generator. Device according to one of claims 14-16, characterized in that the door drive is an electric motor. Apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the measuring element (12) is based on a measurement of the current supplied to the electric motor with a constant voltage. Device according to one of claims 15-18, characterized in that the signals of the measuring elements (8) and (5) are converted into digital signals by corresponding AD converters. Device according to one of claims 14-19, characterized in that the interruption signal results in the door drive being switched off. Device according to one of claims 14-20, characterized in that the interruption signal results in a reversal of the drive direction of the door drive.

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