AU2020223697A1

AU2020223697A1 - A power assist system for sliding panels

Info

Publication number: AU2020223697A1
Application number: AU2020223697A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Hani Jaber; Simon JABER; Anh Tuan PHAN
Original assignee: CiiLock Engineering Pty Ltd
Current assignee: CiiLock Engineering Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-26
Filing date: 2020-08-26
Publication date: 2021-03-18
Also published as: GB2588508A; GB2588508B; GB202013302D0; GB202013303D0; AU2020223698A1; GB2588285A; GB2588285B

Abstract

A motorised roller system for a movable closure includes a motorised wheel assembly and a user engagement interface. The motorised wheel assembly is attachable to the movable closure. The user engagement interface is positionable on the closure. The user engagement interface is engageable by the user in a first direction and in a second direction which is different to the first direction. Upon application of a user applied force on the engagement interface in the first direction, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a direction which is substantially aligned with the first direction. Upon application of a user applied force on the engagement interface in the second direction, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a direction which is substantially aligned with the second direction. 3/21 4 Cs

Description

3/21

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A power assist system for sliding panels

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a motorised roller system for a movable closure. In particular, although not exclusively, the invention relates to a user engagement interface for the movable closure, particularly for closures that may be considerably heavy.

Background of the invention

In relation to movable closures, particularly in the sliding door industry for residential houses (e.g. aluminium and glass door panels), one of the issues encountered is the high operational force that users must apply to move the door. The high operational force is an inevitable consequence of door weight and the seal compression. Among various methods for reducing operational force of a sliding door, a powered roller is generally a desired approach.

Many powered sliding door systems (generally powered by electrical motors) have been designed and widely used in commercial buildings such as shops, showrooms, company entrances, etc. Those systems normally have alarge driving unit installed above and externally to the door panel. When an object, such as a human or vehicle, approaches the door, this will be detected by a sensor (e.g. a proximity sensor) and the door will automatically move to an open position. The door will automatically move to the closed position if there is no moving object in the detection zone of the sensor within a certain time interval after opening.

Besides the use of proximity sensors, those systems also normally have a button/switch to open the door. When a user presses on that button once, the door will move to the open position, and once the user has passed the door or after a certain time interval, the door will automatically move to the closed position.

However, the above type/method of door operation is not suitable for residential houses for a number of reasons. One problem with the above described cases is that users may not desire the doors to have only two fixed positions (open and closed), and instead may desire to move the door to a position between the fully open and closed positions. Another problem is that some prior art systems include rather bulky systems installed externally to the door panel. This is aesthetically unpleasant, particularly within a residential house. There is also a problem with inadvertent opening and closing of the door in a system that relies on a proximity sensor.

Thus, it would be desirable to provide a motorised roller system for a movable closure that overcomes or at least ameliorates one or more of the above-mentioned problems. Alternatively to the above, it would be desirable to provide a motorised roller system for a movable closure which provides a design choice over those systems known in the prior art.

Reference to any prior art in the specification is not an acknowledgment or suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be understood, regarded as relevant, and/or combined with other pieces of prior art by a skilled person in the art.

Summary of the invention

In one aspect, the present invention provides a motorised roller system for a movable closure, the motorised roller system including: a motorised wheel assembly attachable to the movable closure; a user engagement interface positionable on the closure, the user engagement interface being engageable by the user in a first direction and in a second direction which is different to the first direction; wherein upon application ?0 of a user applied force on the engagement interface in the first direction, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a direction which is substantially aligned with the first direction, and wherein upon application of a user applied force on the engagement interface in the second direction, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a direction which is substantially aligned with the second direction.

Advantageously, in one form, the present invention assists a user in moving the closure by supplementing the user's applied force on the user engagement interface by motor-assisted movement of the closure. Thus, if a user applies a force in the first direction, the motorised wheel assembly is activated and assists in moving the closure in the first direction. Similarly, if a user applies a force in the second direction, the motorised wheel assembly is activated and assists in moving the closure in the second direction.

This is particularly advantageous in relation to movable closures, such as doors or windows, which are particularly heavy and normally require a great deal of force to move.

In another form, the motorised wheel assembly provides substantially the full motive power necessary to move the closure, while the user provides a nominal force or token gesture in the first or second direction as appropriate. This allows the user to intuitively interact with the door to seemingly push the door in the intended direction, while the full or substantially the full motive power is provided by the motorised wheel assembly.

The first direction may be towards an opening direction of the movable closure, whereas the second direction may be towards a closing direction of the movable closure. Thus, a user intending to open the closure can apply a force generally in the direction of opening the closure (e.g. the first direction) that leads to the motorised wheel assembly being activated and moving the closure in the opening direction. Alternatively, a user intending to close the closure can apply force generally in the direction of closing the closure (e.g. the second direction) that leads to the motorised wheel assembly being activated and moving the closure in the closing direction. There may be slight misalignment between the first and second directions and the respective movements of the closure to account for the operation of the user engagement interface e.g. where a pivoting user engagement interface is provided as discussed below.

The amount of force required by the user to activate the motorised wheel assembly ?0 after engaging the engagement interface can vary. For example, the user applied force may only be a touch, i.e. a very small applied force, or a minimum threshold level of force may need to be applied, e.g. about 20 N.

In a preferred embodiment, upon removal of the user applied force, the motorised wheel assembly is deactivated. Thus, in such an embodiment of the invention, the user may selectively move the closure between open and closed positions, or any position in between. For example, the user may wish to open the closure to a position before the fully open position. In such a case, the user can apply force on the user engagement interface in the opening direction. This will activate the motorised wheel assembly and thereby assist movement of the closure in the opening direction. Once the user decides that the closure has reached a desired level of opening, the user can cease to apply the force on the user engagement interface, thus deactivating the motorised wheel assembly and hence stopping further movement of the closure.

Similar to above, the removal of the user applied force may be achieved by no longer touching the engagement interface, or when the user applied force falls below the minimum threshold level of force. Another option is for the motorised wheel assembly to decelerate upon removal of the user applied force/user signalled intention with subsequent stopping.

The first and second directions may be opposite to one another.

In an embodiment, the user engagement interface includes a first portion and a second portion, the second portion being on an opposite side of the user engagement interface relative to the first portion, wherein the first portion receives the user engagement in the first direction and the second portion receives user engagement in the second direction.

Preferably, the user engagement interface is provided externally on a handle mounted on a front and/or rear face of the closure. In an embodiment, the handle may be configured to pivot about an axis that is parallel with the front and rear face of the closure. The handle may include a handle body including one or more, preferably two, switches, such as buttons, configured to activate the motorised wheel assembly when engaged. For example, the user may engage directly with the external surface of the handle, ?0 movement of which in a first or second direction causes at least one of the switches to be engaged. In an alternative embodiment, the switches may be mounted on the front and/or rear face of the closure, with the handle configured, upon suitable pivotal movement toward the first direction or the second direction, to engage the closure mounted switch.

The user engagement interface may take other forms than is described above. For example, the user engagement interface may include a touchpad, one or more switches/buttons located on the movable closure, a mechanical arrangement such as a lever, or one or more combinations of the above. Irrespective of the form of the user engagement interface, ultimately, the intention of the user engagement interface is to provide a user means to apply force or signal intention on the movable closure in a direction approximately corresponding to the intended direction of movement of the movable closure.

In a preferred embodiment, the motorised roller system further includes a controller operatively associated with the user engagement interface and the motorised wheel assembly, wherein the controller is configured to activate the motorised wheel assembly upon receiving a first signal from the user engagement interface and wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the motorised wheel assembly upon receiving a second signal from the user engagement interface. The controller may alternatively be configured to decelerate the motorised wheel assembly upon receiving the second signal.

In an embodiment, one or both of the motorised wheel assembly and the controller are configured to be installed within the extrusions of the movable closure (e.g. within one or more of the top rail, bottom rail and stiles). Such an embodiment can provide a more aesthetically pleasing solution as the motorised wheel assembly and controller are concealed within the extrusions of the movable closure, rather than being provided as bulky external components to the movable closure.

In an embodiment, the motorised wheel assembly is fully fitted within a frame of the movable closure.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a closure incorporating the motorised roller system as described above. The motorised roller system may be ?0 provided as new. Alternatively, the motorised roller system may be retrofitted into an existing closure.

Any of the features described in connection with other aspects of the invention may be incorporated into this aspect of the invention.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a motorised roller system for a movable closure, the motorised roller system including: a motorised wheel assembly attachable to the movable closure; a user interface which detects movement by the user in a first user direction and in a second user direction which is different to the first direction; wherein upon movement by a user in the first user direction, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a first closure direction, and wherein upon movement by the user in the second user direction, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a second closure direction which is opposite to the first closure direction.

For example, the user interface may comprise a sensor which detects movement of a user body part such as hand movement or digit movement in the first user direction and the second user direction. For example, a gesture sensor(s) may be provided on the closure which detects movement of the user body part in the first and second user directions such that the motorised wheel assembly moves the closure in first and second closure directions, respectively. Preferably, the first user direction is in substantial alignment with the first closure direction. Likewise, the second user direction is preferably in substantial alignment with the second closure direction.

The sensor may be operable to discriminate between different hand movements. For example, a small sweep of the hand in the first user direction may open the closure by a correspondingly small amount. On the other hand, a large sweep of the hand in the first user direction may open the closure by a correspondingly large amount. A full sweep of the hand, as detected by the gesture sensor may open the closure fully. Similar gestures in the second user direction may close the closure.

The user interface may also sense proximity of a user body part including user applied touch, force or non-touch within a zone around the sensor. The user interface may also sense subsequent lack of proximity of the user body part to enable the user to ?0 select the extent of opening/closing of the closure. For example, when the user moves their hand in the first user direction, the closure may move in the first closure direction while the user sustains their hand in proximity to the user interface. The user may then withdraw their hand from proximity to the sensor. Upon sensing lack of proximity of the user body part, the motorised wheel assembly may be deactivated and/or decelerated.

Preferably the user engagement interface is provided on the movable closure. This feature, together with proximity detection means that user's hand/body part will have to move along with the closure for continued operation of the motorised wheel assembly.In another variation, the user interface may be provided in the form of a remote sensor or a separate application ("app") provided on a smartphone, smartwatch or smartglasses for example. The direction of "swiping" or "dragging" or similar movement (as understood in the field of smartphones) causes opening and closing depending upon the user movement. For instance, swiping right may open the closure and swiping left may close the closure. The closure may also be moved to selected positions between fully open and closed positions. The application may provide a slider interface to enable the user to select the extent of opening/closing of the closure.

The application may further provide a toggle to enable the user to select between full opening and full closing of the closure.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a closure incorporating the motorised roller system as described above.

In yet a further aspect, the present invention provides a motorised roller system for a movable closure, the motorised roller system including: a motorised wheel assembly attachable to the movable closure; a first user interface provided on the movable closure which detects proximity of a user body part and subsequent lack of proximity of the user body part; a second user interface provided on the movable closure which detects proximity of a user body part and subsequent lack of proximity of the user body part; wherein upon detecting a body part in proximity to the first user interface, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a first closure direction until the first user interface detects lack of proximity of the user body part, and wherein upon detecting a body part in proximity to the second user interface, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a second closure direction, which is opposite to the first closure direction, until the second user interface detects lack of proximity of the user body part.

Proximity may include user applied touch or force or non-touch within a predetermined zone.

The movable closure recited in the aspects and embodiments of the invention described above can be of any suitable type, such as a door, windows, gate, etc. The closures may slide or swing. The closure may move horizontally, i.e. between left and right, vertically, i.e. between up and down, or swing.

As used herein, except where the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise" and variations of the term, such as "comprising", "comprises" and "comprised", are not intended to exclude further additives, components, integers or steps.

Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following description, given byway of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a movable closure in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention with a variety of different user engagement interface options;

Figure 2 is a partial perspective view of the movable closure of Figure 1 with only the first of the user engagement interface options and showing some components of a motorised roller system assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a front view of a motorised wheel assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a front perspective view of the motorised wheel assembly of Figure 3 without the housing;

Figure 5 is a top view of the motorised wheel assembly of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a front view of the motorised wheel assembly of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a bottom view of the motorised wheel assembly of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of the belt drive of the motorised wheel assembly of Figure 4;

Figure 9 is an exploded rear perspective view of the belt drive of the motorised wheel assembly of Figure 4;

Figure 9A is a front perspective view of another embodiments of a motorised wheel assembly without the housing;

Figure 9B is a front view of the motorised wheel assembly of Figure 9A;

Figure 9C is a top view of the motorised wheel assembly of Figure 9A;

Figure 9D is a partial top section view of a bevel gear arrangement of the motorised wheel assembly of Figure 9A;

Figure 9E is a front perspective view of the bevel gear arrangement of Figure 9D;

Figure 9F is a rear perspective view of a pulley for engagement with the bevel gear arrangement of Figure 9D;

Figure 10 is a front perspective view of a first user interface option in the form of a pivotable slimline handle in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 11 is a front view of the handle of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a section view taken along A-A in Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a transparent top view of the handle of Figure 10 in a non-engagement position;

Figure 14 is a transparent top view of the handle of Figure 10 when a user applied force has been provided substantially towards the right;

Figure 15 is a transparent top view of the handle of Figure 10 when a user applied force has been provided substantially towards the left;

Figure 16 is a transparent top view of a user engagement interface in the form a variant of the pivotable slimline handle shown in Figure 10, in a non-engagement position;

Figure 17 is a transparent top view of the handle of Figure 16 when a user applied force has been provided substantially towards the right;

Figure 18 is a transparent top view of the handle of Figure 16 when a user applied force has been provided substantially towards the left;

Figure 19 is a perspective view of the twisted belt part of the belt drive of an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 20 is a perspective view of the twisted belt part of the belt drive of an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 21 is a section view showing a twisted belt of a belt drive within a lower rail in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 22 is a rear perspective view of a twisted belt drive of a motorised wheel assembly of another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 23 is a top view of the twisted belt drive of Figure 22;

Figure 24 is a front view of the twisted belt drive of Figure 22;

Figure 25 are selected views of a user engagement interface in the form of a rotatable handle;

Figure 26 are selected views of a user engagement interface in the form of a fixed face-mounted handle;

Figure 27 are selected views of a user engagement interface in the form of a fixed recessed handle;

Figure 28A is an exploded view of a first variant of the fixed face-mounted handle of Figure 26, this first variant employing a tactile switch;

Figure 28B is an internal view of the handle shown in Figure 28A with the cover removed;

Figure 28C is a detailed view of A of Figure 28B;

Figure 29 is a second variant of the fixed face-mounted handle of Figure 26, this second variant incorporating a capacitive touch sensor;

Figure 30A is a third variant of the fixed face-mounted handle of Figure 26, this third variant incorporating open contacts with a conductive rubber pad, and shown with the cover removed;

Figure 30B is a detail B of the handle shown in Figure 30A;

Figure 31A is a fourth variant of the fixed face-mounted handle of Figure 26, this fourth variant incorporating a resistive touch sensor, and shown with the cover removed;

Figure 31B is a detail C of the handle shown in Figure 31A; and

Figure 32 are selected views of a touchless gesture sensor.

Detailed description of the embodiments

Movable Closure

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is provided a movable closure, which in this embodiment is in the form of a sliding door 10. As used herein, the vertical direction is to be understood in reference to the direction coinciding with the height dimension of the door 10, whilst front, rear, left side and right side will be understood in reference to the view shown in Figure 1.

The door 10 includes a series of extrusions that define the frame of the door 10. The frame includes a lower rail 12, an upper rail 14, leading stile 16, and trailing stile 18. Held within the frame components is glass panel 11. The door 10 further includes a handle 20 mounted on the leading stile 16 on which a user applies a force to move the door 10 between open and closed positions (and positions in between). It is to be understood for the depicted example that when a user applies a force on the handle 20 substantially towards the right, the door 10 will move in the opening direction, whereas when a user applies a force on the handle 20 substantially towards the left, the door will move in the closing direction. Various different forms of the handle 20 are shown in Figure 1. These different forms will be explained further below in connection with Figures 25-32.

Motorised Wheel Assembly

As can be seen in Figure 2, a motorised wheel assembly 40 is fitted into the lower rail 12 of the door 10, with wheels 44, 46 designed to engage a track (not shown) underneath the door 10. Fitted within the leading stile 16 is a power supply 22 and a control unit 24. The power supply provides power to one or more components of the handle 20 and the motorised roller 40. However, this is only one of a large number of possible implementations, as the motorised wheel assembly 40, the power supply 22 and the control unit 24 may be fitted in other parts of the door's frame. For example, in the case of a window or door that is intended to move in the vertical direction, the motorised wheel assembly may be contained in one or both of the trailing stile and leading stile.

The control unit 24 is operatively associated with handle 20 and motorised wheel assembly 40. One possible implementation, described in a co-pending application of the Applicant that claims priority from Australian provisional application 2019903119 (both of which are incorporated herein by reference), involves the control unit 24 being configured to receive a signal from the handle 20 when a suitable user applied force is detected. The control unit 24 then sends a signal to the motorised wheel assembly 40 in order to provide powered assistance for the opening or closing of the door 10. The signals may be sent between the components by any suitable wired or non-wired manner.

?0 Referring to Figures 3-7, which depict one embodiment of the motorised wheel assembly 40, it will be appreciated that the motorised wheel assembly 40 incorporates similar features to that disclosed in the Applicant's earlier international patent specifications W02011/100788, W02015/017878 and W02017/075669. The disclosures of these earlier specifications are hereby incorporated by reference.

The motorised wheel assembly 40 is substantially contained within a housing 42 (shown transparent in Figure 3), which is fitted in this example into the lower rail 12. The motorised wheel assembly 40 includes a motor 48, which drives a drive mechanism in the form of a belt drive 60, which in turn drives driven wheel 44. Driven wheel 44 is engaged with the wheel path, which in most cases is a track underlying the door 10. The driven wheel 44 is carried by a wheel carrier 54. A passive wheel 46 is also provided to help distribute the weight of the door 10. The passive wheel 46 is housed in the passive wheel carrier 56. The position of the wheel axes of the wheels 44, 46 are adjustable relative to the housing 42. This provides for selective height adjustment, self-levelling and load sharing as is explained in detail in the Applicant's earlier international patent specification W02017/075669, which is incorporated herein by reference. In short, the wheel carriers 54, 56 cooperate with separation member 58 and the slidable end constraint 30 to allow for selective height adjustment and self-levelling.

Motor

The motor 48 has a cylindrical body and is connected to a planetary gear drive 52. The planetary gear drive 52 and the belt drive 60 assist in reducing the speed of the overall drive system, which will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art as increasing the torque produced at the driven wheel 44. However, it is to be noted that the planetary gear drive 52 is optional, and that the belt drive 60 may be driven directly by motor 48, with the belt drive 60 adjusted accordingly to meet the requirements of a given design. The planetary gear drive 52 is mounted to a motor bracket 55 as best shown in Figure 4. The motor bracket 55 is formed from a series of connected block-shaped members that support on one end the planetary gear drive 52 and on the other end components of the belt drive 60. The motor bracket 55 is mounted to housing 42 by a number of fastening members (not shown) and includes an aperture, from which the output shaft (not shown) of the planetary gear drive 52 projects for engagement with the belt drive 60.

?0 It will be appreciated that the motor 48 produces rotational motion about an axis which is substantially parallel to the wheel path traversed by wheels 44, 46, this rotational motion being received by the planetary gear drive 52 as an input. The planetary gear drive 52 itself then produces rotational motion about the axis of its output shaft and this axis is also substantially parallel to the wheel path traversed by wheels 44, 46. Thus, one of the functions of the belt drive 60 is to convert the rotational motion about the axis of the shaft of the motor 48 and planetary gear drive 52 to rotational motion in a direction substantially orthogonal thereto, in order to drive driven wheel 44. Secondly, the function of the belt drive 60 is to further bring about a reduction in speed for the output of the belt drive 60. The principles of belt and pulley drive design are well known by those skilled in the art and need not be explained further here.

Belt Drive

Belt drive 60 will now be described with particular reference to Figures 8 and 9. It is noted that belt drive 60 provides at least two unique belt design arrangements that can be used alone or in combination as part of a suitable belt drive 60. It will be appreciated that the implementation of a belt drive, such as belt drive 60, in the limited space provided by the door frame (the lower rail 12 in the described embodiment) is a very difficult task. This is particularly so because of the fact that the output shaft of the motor 48 rotates about the longitudinal axis of the lower rail 12 and the output at the driven wheel 44 needs to be orthogonal to this. Further, as driven wheel 44 needs to engage the underlying track, the positioning of driven wheel 44 within the overall motorised assembly is dictated by the position of the track, i.e. driven wheel 44 is generally required to be positioned about half way between the front and rear sides of lower rail 12 in order to engage with the track. Thus, the amount of space either side of driven wheel 44 for any drive members is limited.

The inventors have managed to successfully design a belt drive that can be fully or substantially contained within the door frame and achieve the required performance objectives. For example, the belt drive can operate with a reduced level of noise (particularly beneficial in a residential setting), and in certain embodiments will not require lubrication or regular maintenance. Belt drives also have improved water resistance ?0 relative to metal gear drives, which are susceptible to corrosion upon exposure to water and other moist conditions.

Double belt arrangement

The first of these unique belt design arrangements utilises a "double-belt arrangement" to drive driven wheel 44. As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, space constraints are a major limiting factor in the design of drive/transmission systems installed within the frame of door 10. As the driven wheel 44 generally consumes a great deal of space (in the front to rear direction) within the frame and requires a suitable amount of torque in order to move door 10, there is a requirement that the transmission system is capable of being installed in the limited space afforded by the door frame and that the transmission system be capable of transferring the necessary amount of torque to driven wheel 44. The double-belt arrangement, which will be described in more detail below as part of belt drive 60, ensures that the necessary amount of torque is provided to the driven wheel 44 by utilising two belts to drive the driven wheel 44.

First double belt arrangement

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, there is mounted on the output shaft of the planetary gear drive 52 a motor pulley 62, which is the first pulley of the belt drive 60. Motor pulley 62 receives in a groove thereof a first end of twisted belt 64 (best seen in Figures 19 and 20). The second end of twisted belt 64 is received in rear groove 63 of double-grooved pulley 66. Shaft 61 of pulley 66 is journaled by a suitable bearing in housing 42. The axis of rotation of pulley 66 is orthogonal, i.e. 900, to the axis of rotation of motor pulley 62.

Pulley 66 receives in front groove 65 thereof a first end of belt 68. The second end of belt 68 is received in groove 71 of pulley 72. It will be appreciated that belt 68, when viewed from above, is offset towards the front of the lower rail 12 relative to an axis of travel of driven wheel 44. Pulley 72 is rotationally mounted on shaft 74, on which is also rotationally mounted pulley 76, both of which are journaled by suitable bearings in housing 42. Thus, pulleys 72, 76 rotate together with shaft 74.

Pulley 76 receives in groove 73 thereof a first end of belt 78. The second end of belt 78 is received in central groove 81 of triple-grooved pulley 82. Shaft 67 of pulley 82 is journaled by a suitable bearing in housing 42. It will be appreciated that belt 78, when viewed from above, is substantially aligned with the axis of travel of the driven wheel 44. ?0 This enables belt 78, upon rotation, to provide a balanced rotational load to triple-grooved pulley 82 through the engagement of belt 78 with central groove 81. Further, and more importantly, the location of belt 78 provides sufficient space on either side of driven wheel 44 for accommodating the double belt arrangement.

Pulley 82 receives in rear groove 83 thereof a first end of belt 86. Belt 86 will be understood as one of the two belts that form the double-belt arrangement. The second end of belt 86 is received in groove 91 of rear pulley portion 77, which is integrally formed with driven wheel 44. Similarly, pulley 82 receives in front groove 84 thereof a first end of belt 88. Belt 88 will be understood as the other of the two belts that form the unique double-belt arrangement. The second end of belt 88 is received in groove 93 of front pulley portion 79, which is also integrally formed with driven wheel 44. It will be appreciated that pulley portions 77, 79 may be separate pulleys and need not be integrally formed with driven wheel 44.

Belts 86 and 88 of the double-belt arrangement are substantially identical and arranged symmetrically on either side of driven wheel 44. This symmetry ensures that the driven wheel 44 is rotated smoothly in order to ensure and maintain suitable engagement between the driven wheel 44 and underlying track. It is noted that slippage avoidance between the driven wheel 44 and track can be implemented through acceleration or speed control of motor 48.

Whilst the above belt drive has been found to be suitable, alternative belt drive configurations may be used that deliver the necessary torque requirements of the overall drive system. One suitable transmission ratio is 32.4:1, wherein the planetary gear drive 52 provides a transmission ratio of 6.7:1, pulley 72 to pulley 66 provides a transmission ratio of 32:15, and pulleys 77,79 to pulley 82 provides a transmission ratio of 34:15. Other suitable transmission ratios can be provided.

Whilst a toothed belt and pulley system has been used in the depicted embodiment, it will be appreciated that the belt and pulley implementation of this drive system can be a non-toothed belt and pulley system.

Selective height adjustment and self-levelling

The axis of rotation 45 of the wheel 44 is adjustable relative to the housing 42 to enable selective height adjustment and self-levelling. This is explained in detail in the Applicant's already incorporated earlier international patent specification W02017/075669. The same principles apply here but with a belt drive.

Second double belt arrangement

Reference is now made to Figures 9A to 9C that illustrate another embodiment of a motorised wheel assembly 300 that utilises a double-belt arrangement. In some, generally more heavy-duty, applications, the overall drive system may be provided with a bevel-gear arrangement 310 instead of a twisted belt arrangement between motor 348 and driven wheel 344. As previously mentioned, it will be appreciated that the motorised wheel assembly 300 incorporates similar features to that disclosed in the Applicant's earlier international patent specifications as previously specified and incorporated by reference. It will also be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that many of the features of this embodiment are the same as or very similar to the features of the earlier embodiments and therefore require minimal further explanation.

The motorised wheel assembly 300 is substantially contained within a housing (not shown), which is fitted in this example into the lower rail 12. The motorised wheel assembly 300 includes motor 348, which drives a transmission system that includes both the bevel gear arrangement 310 and belt drive 360, which in turn drives driven wheel 344. Driven wheel 344 is engaged with the track underlying the door 10 as was the case in the previous embodiment. The driven wheel 344 is carried by a wheel carrier 354. A passive wheel 346 is also provided to help distribute the weight of the door 10. The passive wheel 346 is housed in the passive wheel carrier 356. The position of the wheel axes of the wheels 344, 346 are adjustable relative to the housing. This provides for selective height adjustment, self-levelling and load sharing as previously explained.

The motor 348 has a cylindrical body and is connected to a planetary gear drive 352. The planetary gear drive 352, the bevel gear arrangement 310, and the belt drive 360 assist in reducing the speed of the overall drive system, which will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art as increasing the torque produced at the driven wheel 344. Again, the planetary gear drive 352 is optional, and the bevel gear arrangement 310 may ?0 be driven directly by motor 348, with the bevel gear arrangement 310 and belt drive 360 adjusted accordingly to meet the requirements of a given design.

The planetary gear drive 352 is mounted to a motor bracket 355 as best shown in Figure 9A. The motor bracket 355 is a substantially planar, square body that supports at one end the planetary gear drive 352 and at the other end a coupling element 308. The coupling element 308 couples the output shaft (not shown) of the planetary gear drive 352 with an input shaft 314 of the bevel gear arrangement 310. The motor bracket 355 is mounted to the housing by a number of fastening members (not shown) and includes an aperture, from which the output shaft (not shown) of the planetary gear drive 352 projects for operative engagement with the bevel gear arrangement 310 through coupling 308.

It will be appreciated that motor 348 produces rotational motion substantially parallel to the wheel path traversed by wheels 344, 346, this rotational motion being received by the planetary gear drive 352 as an input. The planetary gear drive 352 itself then produces rotational motion about the axis of its output shaft and this axis is also substantially parallel to the wheel path traversed by wheels 344, 346. Thus, one of the functions of the bevel gear arrangement is to convert the rotational motion about the axis of the shaft of the motor 348 and planetary gear drive 352 to rotational motion in a direction substantially orthogonal thereto, in order to ultimately drive driven wheel 344. Secondly, the function of the bevel gear arrangement 310 and the belt drive 360 is to further bring about a reduction in speed for the output of the belt drive 360.

The bevel gear arrangement 310 will now be described with particular reference to Figure 9D. As will be appreciated, the bevel gear arrangement 310, like the twisted belt arrangement, transforms rotation about the longitudinal axis of the lower rail 12 provided by the motor 348 into rotation about an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the lower rail 12 in order to rotate the driven wheel 344. Bevel gear arrangement 310 includes a substantially L-shaped housing 312, the housing conforming substantially to the gear arrangement therein. The housing 312 includes a right-side opening 316, adjacent coupling element 308, for permitting passage of the input shaft 314 of the bevel gear arrangement 310. The input shaft 314 extends about the longitudinal axis of the lower rail 12 and is suitably journaled with the housing 312 to permit rotation of the input shaft 314 but prohibit translation thereof. Mounted at an inner end of the shaft 314 is a pinion 318. ?0 Pinion 318 rotates about an axis parallel with the longitudinal axis of shaft 314 and is operatively engaged with gear 320. Gear 320 is mounted at a rear end of output shaft 322, which extends orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 314 and is suitably journaled with the housing 312 to permit rotation of the output shaft 322 but prohibit translation thereof. It will be appreciated that the gear 320 and pinion 308 can be mounted to their respective shafts by a standard keyed arrangement. Alternatively, one or both of gear 320 and pinion 308 may be integrally formed with their respective shafts, thus eliminating the need for separate assembly of the gear and pinion with its respective shaft.

The housing 312 includes a front-side opening 324 for permitting passage of the output shaft 322 of the bevel gear arrangement 310. Each of the input and output shafts of the bevel gear arrangement are provided with a suitable oil seal ring in order to ensure that the housing is satisfactorily liquid sealed to prevent any lubricating fluid from leaking out of the housing and to stop any debris or contaminants entering the housing.

As best shown in Figure 9E, front wall 326 of housing 312 includes a circular recess 328 surrounding front-side opening 324. Recess 328 is configured to at least partially receive a rear, complementarily shaped surface 330 of a pulley 362 (Figure 9F) configured to be mounted on the output shaft 322 and act as the first pulley 362 of the belt drive 360. When the first pulley 362 is brought into position at least partially within the recess 328 of the housing 312 (so that at least a portion of the housing 312 overlaps the first pulley 362 when viewed along the vertical direction), the first pulley 362 is still permitted to rotate relative to the housing 312 (via output shaft 322), and, importantly, the first pulley 362 is positioned closer to the axis of travel of the driven wheel 344. Without such an overlapping arrangement between the first pulley 362 and housing 312 enabled by the recess 328 and complementarily shaped surface 330 of the first pulley 362, the first pulley would be disposed more forward, and thus lie along a longitudinal axis parallel to, but offset from the axis of travel of the driven wheel 344. This would necessitate additional pulleys and belts, extending the length of the overall drive system, in order to satisfactorily implement the double-belt arrangement.

Recess 328 can be created in housing 312 in any suitable manner known in the art. For example, a suitable portion of front wall 326 can be removed in order to create recess 328, or the housing 312 can be suitably cast with recess 328. Similarly, the complementarily shaped surface 330 of pulley 362 can be formed in any suitable manner ?0 known in the art, such as by machining the complementarily shaped surface onto one side of a standard pulley.

In relation to belt drive 360 of this embodiment, first pulley 362 receives in a groove 363 thereof a first end of belt 364. The second end of belt 364 is received in central groove 381 of triple-grooved interim pulley 382. Interim pulley 382 is mounted on shaft 367 and is journaled by a suitable bearing in the housing. Interim pulley 382 receives in rear groove 383 thereof a first end of belt 386. Belt 386 will be understood as one of the two belts that form the double-belt arrangement. The second end of belt 386 is received in groove 391 of rear pulley portion 377, which is integrally formed with driven wheel 344. Similarly, interim pulley 382 receives in front groove 384 thereof a first end of belt 388. Belt 388 will be understood as the other of the two belts that form the double-belt arrangement. The second end of belt 388 is received in groove 393 of front pulley portion 379, which is also integrally formed with driven wheel 344. It will be appreciated that pulley portions 377, 379 may be separate pulleys and need not be integrally formed with driven wheel 344.

As will be appreciated, the bevel gear arrangement 310 combined with the overlapping arrangement between the first pulley 362 and the bevel gear housing 312 ultimately simplifies the belt drive 360. This is because the belt drive 360 can be implemented with only three belts, with a single belt 364 driving the interim pulley 382, which ultimately carries the double belts 386, 388 and drives the driven wheel 344. Another advantage of this simplified design is the ability to reduce the overall length of the motorised roller assembly, that otherwise would need extending with further intermediate belts and pulleys to allow for the double-belt arrangement that drives the driven wheel 344. Other advantages associated with this embodiment of the invention includes greater durability, improved water proofing due to the sealed bevel gear housing 312, and the reduction of noise provided by a transmission system that utilises in part a belt drive relative to other forms of transmission systems (for example, an entire gear transmission system).

First twisted belt arrangement

Reverting to the first of the double belt arrangements briefly touched upon earlier, is the utilisation of a twisted belt arrangement in the belt drive 60. As mentioned previously, there is a need to convert the torque provided by the motor, where the output ?0 shaft thereof rotates about the axis of travel of the wheel, by approximately 900 in order to turn the drive wheel, which has an axis of rotation orthogonal to its axis of travel. Conventionally, particularly in applications such as motorised roller systems, various types of gear arrangements are utilised in order to make this conversion.

However, this embodiment has been designed to utilise a twisted belt arrangement in order to achieve this conversion as best shown in Figures 19 and 20. The implementation of a twisted belt 64 in such a limited space goes against conventional design wisdom because of the necessary dimensions of the pulleys and the expected load to be experienced by the twisted belt 64.

Conventionally, one general rule of thumb is that the centre to centre distance between two pulley wheels should be at least 5 * (D+W), where D is the diameter of the larger pulley (or one of the pulleys if the pulleys are of the same size) and W is the belt width. However, the inventors have managed to construct a belt transmission system that can be sized so that the centre to centre distance between the two pulleys is less than or equal to 5 times the diameter of the largest pulley (or the diameter of one of the pulleys in the event the diameters are equal). Thus, the twisted belt 64 of the belt drive 60 can have the centre to centre distance between pulleys 62 and 66 be smaller than is conventionally used, thereby allowing such a belt drive 60 to be used in a limited space application such as the one described in relation to the door 10.

In high load or high speed applications, the bending/twisting moment in the twisted belt 64 increases, and the general force in the twisted belt will tend to force the twisted belt off of the pulleys. Further support in such application can be provided to the twisted belt 64 in order to ensure that it maintains engagement with pulleys 62 and 66. One form of support can be provided by alignment pins 96 as shown in Figure 20. Alignment pins 96 are mounted either rotationally or non-rotationally to housing 42 and are disposed between pulleys 62 and 66, on either side of twisted belt 64. The alignment pins 96 can pinch or guide the crossing belts between the two pulleys towards each other. In some applications, it is preferable for the alignment pins 96 to be rotationally mounted, for example, to a frame or a housing fitted to the frame of the closure. This reduces friction between the alignment pins 96 and the belt, particularly as high load or high speed ?0 applications can experience a significant level of rubbing between the twisted belt 64 and the alignment pins 96.

Reference is now made to Figure 21, which shows lower rail 12 with pulleys 62 and 66 carrying twisted belt 64. Lower channel 110 of lower rail 12 provides a constrained design space in which the twisted belt 64 can be implemented as part of the belt drive 60. The height of the lower channel 110 must be greater than the centre to centre distance of pulleys 62, 66 and the radius of each pulley. This can be expressed generally to apply to any two pulleys used in such an arrangement by the following inequality:

C+(r+R)<H

(d+D) C+2<H 2

where: C = centre to centre distance between the two pulleys; d =diameter of smaller pulley; (pulley 62 in this example)

D =diameter of larger pulley; (pulley 66 in this example)

H =height of lower channel.

The design assumptions made are that the worst case scenarios are where the pulleys are of the same diameter, along with the centre to centre distance between the two pulleys being some multiple of the diameter of the pulleys. This can be expressed generally as follows:

(d +D) Assume C = n * d (worst case) => n* d + 2 < H 2

If d = D (worst case) => (n + 1) * d < H

H n < - -1()

where: n = the number of times the diameter of the larger of the first and second pulleys (or the diameter of the first or second pulley where the diameters are the same).

One example of a standard lower rail extrusion includes a height of the lower channel (H), such as lower channel 110, of 48 mm, with the use of a pulley of minimum diameter 8 mm. Based on the inequality (1) this provides:

48 n < - - 1 = 5 8

Thus, the shortest centre to centre distance between the first and second pulleys is less than about 5 times the diameter of the largest pulley.

In order to provide some clearance between the pulleys and ceiling of the lower channel of the lower rail, and to factor in the flanges of the pulleys, which are generally at least about 0.5 mm larger than the pulley in radius, the same inequality can be utilised with H=46 mm and d = 9 mm. This will provide n < 4.1. Thus, the shortest centre to centre distance between the first and second pulleys is less than about 4.1 times the diameter of the largest pulley in this example. These pulley sizes are significantly smaller than those being conventionally used in typical belt drives.

Second twisted belt arrangement

Another embodiment of a suitable twisted belt drive is provided in Figures 22 to 24. Unlike the twisted belt 64 in the embodiment of Figures 8, 9 and 19-21, where the arrangement enabled a one-step conversion of the rotational motion about the axis of the shaft of the motor 48 and planetary gear drive 52 to rotational motion in a direction substantially orthogonal thereto in order to drive driven wheel 44, the current embodiment uses a multi-step or multi-tiered approach to convert the rotational motion about the axis of the shaft of the motor 248 and planetary gear drive 252 to rotational motion in a direction substantially orthogonal thereto. In the embodiment depicted in Figures 22 to 24, a two-step approach has been utilised.

Mounted on the output shaft of the planetary gear drive 252 is a motor pulley 262, which is the first pulley of the belt drive 260. Motor pulley 262 receives in a groove thereof a first end of a first twisted belt 264. The second end of first twisted belt 64 is received in rear groove 263 of double-grooved pulley 266, which is mounted at an angle of about 300 to the horizontal of the axis of rotation of the motor shaft as best shown in Figure 23. Shaft 261 of pulley 266 is journaled by a suitable bearing in the housing (not shown). Thus, the axis of rotation of pulley 266 is about 300 to the axis of rotation of motor pulley 262. Pulley ?0 266 receives in front groove 265 thereof a first end of second twisted belt 268. The second end of second twisted belt 268 is received in front groove 271 of double-grooved pulley 272. Pulley 272 is rotationally mounted on shaft 274, and is journaled by suitable bearings in the housing. It will be appreciated that the axis of rotation of pulley 272 is rotated about 600 to the horizontal of the axis of rotation of pulley 266. Thus, the axis of rotation of pulley 272 is substantially orthogonal, i.e. 900, to the axis of rotation of motor pulley 262.

Implementation of the twisted belt arrangement in this multi-stepped approach means that the overall bending/twisting moment experienced by each twisted belt is less than in the case of using a single twisted belt to convert the rotational motion about the axis of the shaft of the motor 48 and planetary gear drive 52 to rotational motion in a direction substantially orthogonal thereto. It will be appreciated that many of the advantages already discussed regarding the twisted belt arrangement generally apply in this embodiment. Alignment pins, such as alignment pins 96, can also be used in this embodiment if desired.

The components used in the various embodiments described above should be suitable for their given application. For example, it is generally ideal for the components to be water resistant and/or corrosion resistant to withstand wet environments. Most of the components are either made of suitable metals, such as anodised aluminium, stainless steel, zinc, etc, or suitable plastic or polymer materials, such as hard plastics, nylon, etc. The belts may be made from any suitable material known in the art. For example, the belt may be made from a suitable rubber. One example is neoprene. This can be further reinforced with a suitable fibre material such as fibre glass or Kevlar.

User engagement interface #1 - rocking slimline handle

Reference is now made to Figures 10-15, which depict one embodiment of handle 20. Handle 20 includes a handle body 28, which is fixedly mounted to a front face of door 10 by fastening means (not shown) inserted through apertures 21 on the front face of handle body 28. However, handle body 28 may be mounted in any other suitable manner. The handle body 28 is elongated in the vertical direction and is generally in the form of a rectangular prism having inwardly tapered side portions 19 that meet at the front face 17 of the handle body 28 as best shown in Figure 12.

A cut-out 23 is provided on both the left and right side of the handle body 28 at the ?0 front end of the handle body 28. In the depicted embodiment, the cut-outs 23 are misaligned in the vertical direction. In other words, cut-out 23 on the left side of handle body 28 is in a different vertical position to cut-out 23 on right side of the handle body 28. The cut-outs 23 expose a switch 25 on each side of the handle body 28 which is fixed to the handle body 28. The switch 25 on the left side of the handle body 28 protrudes outwardly towards the left and beyond adjacent tapered end portion 19 of the handle body 28. Similarly, the switch 25 on the right side of the handle body 28 protrudes outwardly towards the right and beyond adjacent tapered end portion 19 of the handle body 28.

The switches 25, when depressed, are configured to activate the motor 48 that powers the motorised wheel assembly 40 and thus move the door 10. For example, when the switches are depressed, a signal can be sent to the control unit 24, which in turn sends a further signal to the motorised wheel assembly 40 to activate the motor 48.

The handle body 28 also includes a recess 27 on each side of the handle body 28. As best shown in Figure 11, the recesses 27 are positioned at the front end of the handle body 28, with one recess 27 positioned towards the lower end of the handle body 28 and the other recess 27 positioned towards the upper end of the handle body 28. Positioned in each recess is a spring plunger 29 that protrudes beyond adjacent tapered end portion 19 of the handle body 28.

Protruding from the upper and lower faces of the handle body 28 are pins 15. The pins 15 are aligned along the longitudinal axis of the elongated handle body 28, the longitudinal axis being parallel to the vertical axis. The function of the spring plunger 29 and pins 15 will be described below.

Also mounted at the rear end of handle body 28 is a cable gland 13 (see Figure 12) configured to attach wiring from the power supply 22 (and in some examples the control unit 24) to the handle 20.

Mounted to handle body 28 is a user engagement element 26. User engagement element 26 is in the form of a rectangular prism with an internal cavity configured to snuggly fit over or contain within it the handle body 28. The user engagement element 26 is made of a relatively rigid material, such as a suitable polymer or metal, and has concave ?0 side walls 31 that provide a more comfortable and ergonomic contact region for the user . As best shown in Figures 12 and 13, when user engagement element 26 and handle body 28 are assembled together, user engagement element 26 does not depress (at least not appreciably) either of switches 25 or spring plungers 29. It will be noted that user engagement element 26 does not surround the very rear end of handle body 28. This, along with pins 15, permits the user engagement element 26 to pivot about the vertical axis of pins 15.

When a user intends to move the door from a closed position to an open or partly open position (i.e. move the door from left to right as shown in Figure 1), the user will apply a force on the user engagement element 26 that causes the user engagement element 26 to pivot to the right (towards an open position) relative to the handle body 28.

This relative pivotal movement between the user engagement element 26 and the handle body 28 will cause the inner surface of the user engagement element 26 to push against both switch 25 and spring plunger 29 on the left side of handle body 28. The depression of switch 25 on the left side of handle body 28 will activate motor 48 by sending a signal to control unit 24, which in turn sends a signal to the motorised wheel assembly to activate the motor 48. This will power motorised wheel assembly 40 to move the door 10 to the right, i.e. substantially in the direction of the user applied force. This will also cause the spring plunger 29 on the left side to store potential energy.

When the user removes the applied force on the user engagement element 26, the spring plunger 29 will release its stored energy to move the user engagement element 26 back to its normal non-engagement position in which switch 25 is no longer depressed. This action will send a signal to the control unit 24, which in turn sends a signal to motorised wheel assembly 40 to, in this embodiment, deactivate motor 48 and cause the motorised wheel assembly 40 to cease movement of the door 10. Thus, the user can selectively move the door to the desired position, which may not necessarily be the fully open position but instead a partly open position.

When a user intends to move the door from an open or partly open position to a closed position or less open position (i.e. move the door from right to left in this example), the user will apply a force on the user engagement element 26 that causes the user ?0 engagement element 26 to pivot to the left (towards a closed position) relative to the handle body 28. This relative pivotal movement between the user engagement element 26 and the handle body 28 will cause the inner surface of the user engagement element 26 to push against both switch 25 and spring plunger 29 on the right side of handle body 28. This will cause the spring plunger 29 on the right side to store potential energy. The depression of switch 25 on the right side of handle body 28 will activate motor 48 by sending a signal to control unit 24, which in turn sends a signal to the motorised wheel assembly to deactivate the motor 48. This will power motorised wheel assembly 40 to move the door 10 to the left, i.e. substantially in the direction of the user applied force.

When the user removes the applied force on the user engagement element 26, the spring plunger 29 will release its stored energy to move the user engagement element 26 back to its normal non-engagement position in which switch 25 is no longer depressed.

This action will send a signal to the control unit 24, which in turn sends a signal to motorised wheel assembly 40 to, in this embodiment, deactivate motor 48 and cause the motorised wheel assembly 40 to cease movement of the door 10. Thus, the user can selectively move the door to the desired position, which may not necessarily be the fully closed position but instead, a less open position.

It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, handle body 28 may also be provided on the rear face of door 10, or that a single handle body 28 may be provided that is mounted to the door 10 and protrudes beyond both the rear and front face of the door 10, each side of which can have a separately mounted user engagement element as described above. In further alternative embodiments, handle body 28 may be the element of the handle 20 that is engaged by the user instead of requiring a separate element such as user engagement element 26.

As previously noted, rather than deactivating the motor 48 upon removal of the user applied force, the motor 48 may instead decelerate and thereby slow down movement of the door 10. In such an example, the door may decelerate until reaching either the fully open or fully closed positions, or decelerate until coming to a complete halt shortly after the user applied force was removed.

The above embodiments of the invention have been described in reference to some form of physical user engagement interface on which the user applies a force in ?0 order to cause activation of the motor 48. In such a case, the motorised wheel assembly 40 provides powered assistance to move the door 10. However, in other examples the motorised wheel assembly may provide substantially the full motive power necessary to move the closure, while the user provides a nominal force or token gesture in the first or second direction as appropriate. This allows the user to intuitively interact with the door to seemingly push the door towards the intended direction, while the full or substantially the full motive power is provided by the motorised wheel assembly 40. The level of force provided can be as minimal as a touch in the direction of the intended movement of the door 10. Such an implementation can use, in one example, a touchpad. In another example, a suitable sensor may be used to detect the touch.

In other embodiments, the token gesture can involve no contact at all. For example, a user interface may be provided on the door. The user interface may comprise a sensor which detects, for example, hand movement or digit movement in the appropriate direction.

The user interface may be provided in the form of a remote sensor or a separate application ("app") provided on a smart phone for example. In such an embodiment, the direction of "swiping" or "dragging" or similar movement causes opening and closing depending upon the user movement. For example, a digital slider bar may be provided to indicate the user's intended degree of opening of the door. Alternatively or optionally, suitable indication means, such as arrows, may be provided on the screen of a smart phone or other digital device that enable the user to indicate the direction of intended movement of the door e.g. left, right, up or down.

User engagement interface #2 - rocking slimline handle

In an alternative embodiment shown in Figures 16-18, switches 25 may instead be mounted directly to the door 10 rather than being positioned on handle body 28. In such an embodiment, pivotal movement of user engagement element 26 about the vertical axis will result in a rear end of the user engagement element 26, which may be suitably contoured, to contact one of the wall mounted switches 25. Thus, as shown in Figure 17, pivotal movement towards the right side (due to a user applied force substantially towards the right side) will result in the user engagement element 26 pivoting towards the right, thereby depressing the right side switch 25 mounted on the door 10 and activating the ?0 motor 48. This will cause motorised wheel assembly 40 to move the door towards the right, i.e. substantially in the direction of the user applied force.

Conversely, as shown in Figure 18, pivotal movement towards the left side (due to a user applied force substantially towards the left side) will result in the user engagement element 26 pivoting towards the left, thereby depressing the left side switch 25 mounted on the door 10 and activating the motor 48. This will cause motorised wheel assembly 40 to move the door towards the left, i.e. substantially in the direction of the user applied force.

Similar to the previous embodiment, once the user applied force has been released, the spring plungers 29 will release their stored energy and thereby move the user engagement element 26 back to its normal non-engagement position.

User engagement interface #3 - rotatable handle

Figure 25 are selected views of a user engagement interface in the form of a rotatable handle 20B. The handle 20B is rotatable about a pivot 405 mounted to housing 407 receivable within the leading stile 16. The handle 20B is pivotable about an axis perpendicular to door panel plane and is biased to return to a central upright home position by virtue of springs 401.

By rotating the handle, contact is made with the switches 402, 403. In figure 25C, in the neutral home position, neither of the switches 402, 403 are depressed and the door remains stationary. In figure 25D, the handle is rotated to the right and the top switch 402 is depressed with consequent opening of the door. In Figure 25 E, the handle is rotated to the left and the bottom switch 403 is depressed with consequential closing of the door.

User engagement interface #4 - fixed face-mounted handle

Figure 26 are selected views of a user engagement interface in the form of a fixed face-mounted handle 20C. As can be seen from Figures 26A and 26B, two buttons are disposed on the left-hand and right-hand sides of the handle 20C. Figure 28A shows the handle 20C with the cover 410 removed to reveal the internal body 412. As shown in Figure 28B, a resiliently flexible switch plate 414 is mounted within the internal body on each side of the internal body 412. The resiliently flexible switch plate 414 protrudes through corresponding openings in the cover 410 for user access. Thus, the resiliently ?0 flexible switch plate 414 is tactile in that the user can operate the switch 416 beneath the switch plate 414 and feel the operation of the switch 416.

User engagement interface #5 - fixed face-mounted handle

Figure 29 is a second variant of the fixed face-mounted handle of Figure 26, this second variant incorporating a capacitive touch sensor. The cover 410' is provided with two openings on either side, similar to the arrangement shown in Figure 28. A capacitive touch sensor 414'is provided on each side of the cover 410'.

User engagement interface #6 - fixed face-mounted handle

Figure 30A is a third variant of the fixed face-mounted handle of Figure 26, this third variant incorporating open contacts with a conductive rubber pad, and shown with the cover removed. This embodiment is similar in many respects to the embodiment shown in Figure 28. However, instead of the provision of switches 416 beneath the switch plates 414, the open contacts switches are closed by the conductive rubber pad 420 underneath the resiliently flexible switch plates 414' as shown in Figure 30B.

User engagement interface #7 - fixed face-mounted handle

Figure 31A is a fourth variant of the fixed face-mounted handle of Figure 26, this fourth variant similar in many respects to the third variant shown in Figure 30 and the first variant shown in Figure 28 but incorporating a resistive touch sensor, and shown with the cover removed;

User engagement interface #8 - fixed recessed handle

Figure 27 are selected views of a user engagement interface in the form of a fixed recessed handle with user operable switch plates 414" on either side of the recess as shown. The operation of the user operable switch plates 414"may be according to any of the variants of Figures 28 - 31

User engagement interface #9 - touchless gesture sensor

Figure 32 are selected views of a touchless gesture sensor 20E.

The typical control which may be effected by the touchless gesture sensor 20E includes:

• Moving a hand (swiping gesture) over the sensor from left to right or from right to left results in the door moving in the corresponding direction

• Keep hand in proximity over the sensor results in the door continuing on moving in the initiated direction.

• Move hand away from sensor results in the door stopping or decelerating followed by stopping.

This means user still has full control in respect of when the door moves and when door stop - in other words, the user has continuous control over the door movement.

The components used in the various embodiments described above should be suitable for their given application. For example, it is generally ideal for the components to be water resistant and/or corrosion resistant to withstand wet environments. Most of the components are either made of suitable metals, such as anodised aluminium, stainless steel, zinc, etc, or suitable plastic or polymer materials, such as hard plastics, nylon, etc.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

Claims

1. A motorised roller system for a movable closure, the motorised roller system including:

a motorised wheel assembly attachable to the movable closure;

a user engagement interface positionable on the closure, the user engagement interface being engageable by the user in a first direction and in a second direction which is different to the first direction, wherein upon application of a user applied force on the engagement interface in the first direction, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a direction which is substantially aligned with the first direction, and wherein upon application of a user applied force on the engagement interface in the second direction, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a direction which is substantially aligned with the second direction.

2. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 1 which is operable, such that, upon removal of the user applied force, the motorised wheel assembly is deactivated.

3. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 2 wherein the removal of the user applied force is achieved by no longer touching the engagement interface, or by the user applied force falling below a minimum threshold level of force.

4. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 1 which is operable such that, upon removal of the user applied force, the motorised wheel assembly decelerates with subsequent stopping.

5. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the motorised wheel assembly is operable to supplement the user's applied force on the user engagement interface to assist the user in moving the closure assembly.

6. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the motorised wheel assembly is operable to provide substantially the full motive power necessary to move the closure, while the user provides a nominal force or token gesture in the first or second direction.

7. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the first direction is towards an opening direction of the movable closure, whereas the second direction is towards a closing direction of the movable closure.

8. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the user applied force required to effect movement of the closure is a touch or a very small applied force.

9. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein a minimum threshold level of force is required to effect movement of the closure.

10. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the first and second directions are substantially opposite to one another.

11. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the user engagement interface includes a first portion and a second portion, the second portion being on an opposite side of the user engagement interface relative to the first portion, wherein the first portion receives the user engagement in the first direction and the second portion receives user engagement in the second direction.

12. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the user engagement interface is provided on a handle mounted on a front and/or rear face of the closure with the handle configured to pivot about an axis that is parallel with the front and rear face of the closure.

13. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the user engagement interface includes at least one switch, configured to activate the motorised wheel assembly when engaged.

14. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of claims 1-10 wherein the user engagement interface includes a touchpad, one or more switches/buttons located on the movable closure, a mechanical arrangement, or one or more combinations of the above.

15. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the motorised roller system further includes a controller operatively associated with the user engagement interface and the motorised wheel assembly, wherein the controller is configured to activate the motorised wheel assembly upon receiving a first signal from the user engagement interface and wherein the controller is configured to deactivate and/or decelerate the motorised wheel assembly upon receiving a second signal from the user engagement interface.

16. A motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein one or both of the motorised wheel assembly and the controller are configured to be installed within the extrusions of the movable closure.

17. A closure incorporating the motorised roller system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

18. A motorised roller system for a movable closure, the motorised roller system including:

a motorised wheel assembly attachable to the movable closure;

a user interface which detects movement by the user in a first user direction and in a second user direction which is different to the first direction,

wherein upon movement by a user in the first user direction, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a first closure direction, and wherein upon movement by the user in the second user direction, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a second closure direction which is opposite to the first closure direction.

19. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 18 wherein the user interface comprises a sensor which detects movement of a user body part in the first user direction and the second user direction.

20. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 19 wherein the sensor is a gesture sensor which is operable to discriminate between different user body part movements.

21. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 19 or 20 wherein the first user direction is in substantial alignment with the first closure direction and the second user direction is preferably in substantial alignment with the second closure direction.

22. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of the claims 18 - 21 wherein the user interface senses user body part proximity.

23. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of claims 18-22 wherein the user interface senses lack of proximity of the user body part to enable the user to select the extent of opening/closing of the closure.

24. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 23 which is operable, such that upon sensing lack of proximity, the motorised wheel assembly is deactivated and/or decelerated.

25. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 18 wherein the user interface is provided in the form of a remote sensor or a separate application ("app") provided on a smartphone, smartwatch or smartglasses or the like.

26. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 25 wherein the application provides a slider interface to enable the user to select the extent of opening/closing of the closure.

27. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 25 wherein the application further provides a toggle to enable the user to select between full opening and full closing of the closure.

28. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of claim 18-27 wherein the motorised wheel assembly is fully fitted within a frame of the movable closure.

29. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in any one of claim 18-24 wherein the user engagement interface is provided on the movable closure.

30. A closure incorporating the motorised roller system as claimed in any one of claims 18-29.

31. A motorised roller system for a movable closure, the motorised roller system including:

a motorised wheel assembly attachable to the movable closure;

a first user interface provided on the movable closure which detects proximity of a user body part and subsequent lack of proximity of the user body part;

a second user interface provided on the movable closure which detects proximity of a user body part and subsequent lack of proximity of the user body part;

wherein upon detecting a body part in proximity to the first user interface, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a first closure direction until the first user interface detects lack of proximity of the user body part, and

wherein upon detecting a body part in proximity to the second user interface, the motorised wheel assembly is operable to move the closure in a second closure direction, which is opposite to the first closure direction, until the second user interface detects lack of proximity of the user body part.

32. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 31 which is operable such that, upon detecting lack of proximity of the user body part, the motorised wheel assembly is deactivated or decelerated.

33. The motorised roller system for a movable closure as claimed in claim 31 or 32 wherein proximity includes user applied touch or force or non-touch within a predetermined zone.

14 26 Aug 2020

18 2020223697

16 11

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