Electricity: motive power systems – Automatic and/or with time-delay means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-06
2003-09-23
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Electricity: motive power systems
Automatic and/or with time-delay means
C318S466000, C318S016000, C318S051000, C318S062000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06624605
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to improvements in the area of powered door opening systems, methods and apparatus. The present invention has particular application for opening and closing garage doors.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mechanized door openers have become very prevalent in homes and many commercial establishments. These devices are designed to open the door upon receipt of a signal from a keyboard, horn, pressure of tires or footsteps on a sensor etc. Garage doors are a major market for many of these devices. Garage door openers have become ubiquitous in many communities. There are a number of problems with garage door openers, however. One of the problems with garage door openers is the issue of security. Until recently, many garage door openers had a limited number of security codes and as a result, there was a risk that-someone other that the home owner could open the garage by using the same manufacturer's transmitter. In addition, the security code was typically permanently installed in the garage door opener and lost transmitters could give unauthorized persons access to the premises.
A second issue with respect to garage door openers is the issue of injury to persons and property in the closing of the doors. Government standards require that there be at least two method of determining whether there is an obstruction in the path of travel. One common approach is the use of a light beam that passes from one side of the opening to the other. If an object or person is present in the path of travel, the light beam is broken and the downward travel of the door is halted. Insofar as the second means of determining whether there is an obstruction present, there are a number of approaches on the market. On approach that has been used is to ascertain whether the speed of the closing door has changed. These methods measure the speed and compare it to a base figure obtained from previous unobstructed closings. If the closure is taking longer the opener concludes there is an obstruction and terminates closure. Other approaches are also currently available.
Garage door opener setup is another area that can create problems for the installer. Once the garage door opener is installed on the door then the door opener must be adjusted so that the door reaches the ground surface on closing thus eliminating any gaps to permit ingress of vermin, cold air, and debris. Similarly, adjustment is also necessary to make sure (1) that the garage door will reverse its direction upon contact with a person or an obstruction; and (2) that the garage door is not damaged on closing because it is hitting the ground. Also needed to be adjusted after installation is the force of closure. Too great a closing force can injure a person or damage the door upon closing.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for opening and closing doors particularly garage doors.
It is an object of the invention to provide a garage door opener that has two upward speeds of travel, a first or initial lifting speed to provide quick opening of the door and a second slower speed to prevent damage to the door and or the opener as the door is raised.
It is another object of the invention to provide a garage door opener that has two downward speeds of travel, a first or initial speed to provide quick movement of the door to overcome inertia, and a second slower speed to provide a “soft stop” door closure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improved security for communication between the motor control unit and a handheld RF operational control unit and/or the RF linked operational control unit that is mounted on a structure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a garage door opener with an indoor panel functioning both as a control unit and a diagnostic information unit.
It is another object of the invention to provide a garage door opener with an indoor control panel designed in a modular fashion to provide control for two or more garage door openers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a garage door opener with a keyless entry panel that will control two or more individual openers even when the openers are placed in the vacation mode.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a garage door opener with an indoor control panel that connects to “off the shelf” motion sensors that cause an opener's built in lights to illuminate when motion is sensed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an improved garage door opener. More and more homes these days are provided with two or three garage doors. Garage door openers operate a single garage door. In applications where there is more than one garage door, the homeowner has to install multiple garage door openers and their respective control panels. With traditional garage door openers, each door opener had to have separate wiring extending from each garage door opener to their respective wall panel located in the garage. Running the wiring for this arrangement was time consuming and required running the wire from each opener to its respective control panel usually along one or more walls to the wall panel. In the present invention a second garage door opener can be wired directly to a first garage door opener and the second wall mounted control panel can be connected directly to the wall panel for the first garage door opener.
The garage door of the present invention is provided with a first microcontroller in the wall panel and a second micro controller in the drive unit. Each microcontroller has a digital bus and are connected by preferably three wires because of the volume of date that is transferred from microcontroller to microcontroller. A first wire is typically a return ground wire. The second wire is used for data transfer. The third wire is for a clock. In accordance with the present invention, there may be multiple up to a total of 256 motor control units, i.e., openers, or wall units that may be connected together. This permits the homeowner to locate the wall units at more than one location in the garage for additional convenience.
The garage door opener of the present invention also permits the door speed to vary during operation. One of the issues with many current garage door openers is the amount of time it takes the door to open and close. The present invention permits the door to open and close rapidly until a preselected distance from the end of travel is reached. For example, the garage door of the present invention operates downwardly at a higher rate of travel until a selected point is reached. At that point, the control logic signals the motor to slow the door so that the door does not impact the floor of the garage with a great force thereby risking damage to the door. Similarly, when the door is rising, the door initially travels at a higher rate of speed until a preselected distance from the end of door travel is reached. When that preselected distance is reached the control logic signals the motor to slow the door so that the door does not damage the garage door opener. For downward travel the preselected point for slowing the door can be any distance from the floor, however, a distance of about 18″ has been found satisfactory. For the travel of the door when it is opening, any distance may be selected. Usually about 12″ from the termination point has been satisfactory. The microcontroller of the present invention controls the motor speeds and constantly calculates where the door is and compares it to a figure in memory. When the appropriate location is reached, the microcontroller signals the motor to slow down by changing one of the output pins on the microcontroller.
The drive unit of the garage door opener of the present invention is provided with an optical sensor mounted on a gear wheel that is caused to rotate by the belt. The microcontroller counts the revolutions of the wheel as it is turned by the belt and knows where the door is. This permits the microcontroller to l
Dobis Erick L.
Pastor Donald
Piechowiak John
Powder Joel
St. Pierre James H.
Bodner & O'Rourke
Martin Edgardo San
Nappi Robert E.
O'Rourke Thomas A.
Telephonics Corporation
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