EP0839980A1 - Electrical garage door drive - Google Patents

Abstract

The drive motor of a garage door actuator is coupled to a controller Ä11Ü supplied with mains electricity Ä12Ü. The controller has a motor power limiting stage Ä13Ü that is controlled by a microprocessor Ä14Ü. Coupled to the microprocessor is a coded plug and socket Ä15,16Ü that connects with electrical Ä19Ü or optical Ä18Ü sensors for additional protection. The drive motor power limiting device is designed as a phase-control device or as a voltage or current regulator or as switchable motor windings.

Description

STATE OF THE ART

The invention relates to an electric garage door drive with a drive motor for moving the garage door.

Electric garage door operators are available in a variety of forms on the market. They differ, among other things, in their electrical performance, which means that more powerful garage door drives are required and offered for large, heavy garage doors than for small, lightweight garage doors. Future standards (IEC) require an additional safety device for garage door drives, for example a light barrier or a safety edge on the garage door, if a certain driving force of 150 N, for example, is exceeded. This means that a supplier must then offer a garage drive for small garage doors that develops a maximum driving force of 150 N, and that he must offer a second garage door drive with additional safety device, which is designed for larger driving forces, for larger garage doors. This is not only cumbersome and expensive in terms of manufacture and storage, but also has the disadvantage that it is often difficult to assess in borderline cases whether the "weaker" and less expensive garage door drive is sufficient or not. Since a buyer usually prefers to opt for a more cost-effective solution, it is then to be feared that it will only become apparent after assembly, that such a garage door drive is insufficient in terms of strength. It then has to be completely dismantled and replaced by a stronger version. Both the additional assembly work and the fact that the garage door drive which is removed again is no longer new, leads to a considerable additional cost and there is a risk of liability claims.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

The garage door drive according to the invention with the characterizing features of the main claim has the advantage that only a single version of a garage door drive can be used for all applications, regardless of the required driving force. This not only leads to cost advantages in production and storage, but there is also no longer any risk of re-assembly due to insufficient drive power. In the garage door drive according to the invention, a drive motor is provided, the driving force of which is also sufficient for large and heavy garage doors. Due to safety regulations, however, it is limited in particular by electronic means in its drive power or in its drive force or in its drive torque to the prescribed value, at which no additional safety devices are required. If it then turns out that the drive power is not sufficient, simple retrofitting can be carried out by additionally installing such an additional safety device. When connecting the same, the limitation of the drive motor is automatically completely or partially removed, so that a greater drive power or force is now available without any change to the drive motor or its control device being necessary. That in the inventive solution also for smaller garage doors more powerful drive motor than would actually be required does not represent a significant disadvantage, since stronger drive motors are hardly heavier or more expensive. In the basic version for smaller garage doors, such a garage door drive can continue to be offered without expensive safety devices. Should these be necessary, simple retrofitting is possible with little installation effort and relatively low costs. This ensures a high security standard.

The measures listed in the subclaims allow advantageous further developments and improvements of the garage door drive specified in the main claim.

The limiting means are expediently in operative connection with the control device or form part of the same. They can advantageously be designed as a phase control or as a controllable or switchable voltage or current source or as a voltage or current regulator or as switchable motor windings.

A connection element between the control device and the at least one additional safety device is used in a simple and cost-effective manner to identify the operation of the control device with a connected safety device and thus for the automatic actuation of the switching means, this connection element in particular being a plug on a connection cable designed as a code plug. This results in an automatic switchover by simply plugging this connector into the control device, for example.

The limiting means are preferably by a Control electronics or realized by a microcomputer, wherein this control electronics or this microcomputer is advantageously designed to test the plug and / or the additional safety device connected to it and switches the limiting means upon positive detection. This can be implemented in terms of circuitry or by appropriate programming of the microcomputer.

In an alternative embodiment, the plug-in plug can also be used to actuate a switching device serving as a switching means in the control device, this plug acting in particular directly mechanically on the switching contacts of a switch.

By actuating the switching means, either a switchover to the maximum value of the power output of the drive motor or to a second safety value can follow, which is above the safety value effective when the switching means are not actuated. In a more complex embodiment, different actuation levels of the switchover means can also be switched by connecting a plurality of additional safety devices, by means of which the first safety value can be raised in stages. Such an arrangement is particularly desirable when, for example, different additional safety devices are prescribed for different graded drive powers or drive forces of the drive motor.

An inner or outer light barrier on the garage door and / or an electrical contact strip on the garage door is provided in particular as an additional safety device.

DRAWING

Fig. 1

ein Blockschaltbild eines ersten Ausführungsbeispiels eines Garagentorantriebs, bei dem in der Steuereinrichtung mikrorechnergesteuerte Begrenzungsmittel vorgesehen sind,

Fig. 2

ein zweites Ausführungsbeispiel, bei dem die Begrenzungsmittel als mittels eines mechanisch betätigbaren Schalters umschaltbare Spannungsquellen ausgebildet sind, und

Fig. 3

den mechanisch betätigbaren Schalter in seiner zweiten Schaltstellung, die ohne angeschlossene zusätzliche Sicherheitseinrichtung vorliegt.

Two embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and explained in more detail in the following description. Show it:

Fig. 1

2 shows a block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of a garage door drive, in which microcomputer-controlled limiting means are provided in the control device,

Fig. 2

a second embodiment in which the limiting means are designed as voltage sources which can be switched by means of a mechanically actuated switch, and

Fig. 3

the mechanically actuated switch in its second switching position, which is present without an additional safety device connected.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the first exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a drive motor 10 of a garage door drive for moving a garage door, which is otherwise not shown, is connected via an electronic control device 11 to a supply voltage source 12 which supplies the mains voltage in the exemplary embodiment. Limiting means 13 for limiting the driving power, the driving force or the driving torque of the drive motor 10 are controlled in the electronic control device 11 by a microcomputer 14. This microcomputer 14 is also connected to a socket 15 into which a code plug 16 can be inserted. The code plug 16 is connected via a connecting cable 17 to a light barrier arrangement 18, which is only shown schematically and which can be attached in front of or behind the garage door as an additional safety device. In addition or as an alternative, an electrical safety device can be used Contact strip 19 may be arranged on the garage door, which generates a switching process when the garage door hits an obstacle. Such a light barrier arrangement 18 and such contact strips 19 are known per se as additional safety devices for garage doors.

The mode of operation of the garage door drive shown is that the drive motor 10 can generate such a high drive power that practically all existing garage doors can be driven. If no additional safety device is provided, the socket 15 remains unused, that is, no plug is inserted. This fact is recognized by the microcomputer 14 and he accordingly adjusts the limiting means 13 so that the drive power, the driving force or the driving torque of the drive motor 10 is reduced to a safety value, for example to a drive force of 150 N as a possible legal maximum value for garage door drives, if no additional safety device is provided in addition to this force or torque limitation.

A phase angle control known per se is suitable as the limiting means 13. Alternatively, a controllable or switchable voltage or current source can be provided, by means of which the voltage or the current for the drive motor 10 is limited in such a way that the drive power, the drive force or the drive torque is limited to the desired safety value. Another possibility is to provide a voltage or current regulator by means of which the motor voltage or the motor current is regulated to the desired safety value. Either the motor voltage or the motor current or directly the motor torque or the driving force can serve as the actual value. Finally there is Possibility of providing switchable motor windings as the limiting means, a motor winding or a motor winding area being designed such that the desired limitation to the safety value occurs.

If it is now necessary to increase the drive power for a large garage door, for example, this is only possible in conjunction with an additional safety device, for example if a light barrier arrangement 18 and / or a contact strip 19 is provided. This additional safety device, namely the light barrier arrangement 18 and / or the contact strip 19, is connected to the electronic control device 11 by means of the connecting cable 17 and the code plug 16 by plugging it into the socket 15. The microcomputer 14 scanning the socket 15 and the code plug 16 possibly inserted therein now recognizes that an additional security device is connected and accordingly cancels the effect of the limiting means 13 completely or partially. In the event of a complete cancellation, the drive motor 10 now provides its full drive force, it also being possible to increase the drive power, the drive force or the drive torque to a second safety value which is above the first safety value. The microcomputer therefore also serves as a switching means for switching between different drive powers, drive forces or drive torques.

The increase in the security value or the removal of the effect of the limiting means can also take place in stages. For this purpose, the microcomputer 14 scans the connected safety device and determines which it is. Accordingly, it increases the safety value for the limiting means 13. Instead of scanning the additional safety device via the Code connector 16 and the connecting cable 17, the code connector 16 itself can be scanned. For this purpose, each safety device has a different code plug 16 or a plug with its own code, via which the microcomputer 14 recognizes the type of the connected safety device and raises the safety value accordingly. The coding of the code plug 16 can be an electronic, magnetic or mechanical coding. If the code plug 16 is pulled out, the limitation to the original first security value automatically occurs again.

If the light path of the light barrier arrangement 18 is interrupted, for example by a person, during the operation of the drive motor 10 or if the contact strip 19 encounters an obstacle, a switching process is triggered which is fed to the microcomputer 14 via the connecting cable 17 and the code plug 16. This then blocks the drive motor 10 by switching off or interrupting the motor current. The code plug 16 thus has a dual function, namely the transmission of shutdown commands from the at least one additional safety device and the transmission of the information to the microcomputer 14 that an additional safety device is connected, as a result of which the microcomputer increases the drive power or the driving force of the motor 10 .

Instead of a microcomputer 14, it is of course also possible to provide integrated or non-integrated control electronics which operate without programming as a pure hardware device.

In the simpler second exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an electrical control device takes the place of an electronic control device 11 20 for the drive motor 10, which has a voltage source 22 with two supply voltages U ₁ and U ₂ as the limiting means 21, which can alternatively be applied to the drive motor 10 via a 4-pole switch 23. The two supply voltages U ₁ and U ₂ are formed from the mains voltage by the voltage source 22 and can be AC voltages or DC voltages.

In this exemplary embodiment too, an additional safety device, which is designed here as a contact strip 19, can be connected to the control device 20 via a connecting cable 24 and a plug 25 by plugging the latter into a socket 26. 2, this pushes four switching elements 34 - 37 of the changeover switch 23, which are mechanically coupled to one another, into the switching positions shown. While the switching elements 34, 35 responsible for the lower supply voltage U ₁ are open, the switching elements 36, 37 responsible for the higher supply voltage U _{2 are} closed, so that this higher supply voltage U ₂ is applied to the drive motor 10. However, one of the connecting lines to the drive motor 10 is interrupted and connected to two contact elements 29, 30, which are in electrical connection with two mating contacts 31, 32 of the plug 25 when the plug 25 is inserted. These two mating contacts 31, 32 are connected to one another via a switch 33 in the contact strip 19. This switch 33 is closed when the contact strip 19 is not actuated, so that a pole of the supply voltage U _{2 is} connected to the drive motor 10 via the contact elements 29, 30, the mating contacts 31, 32 and the switch 33.

If the contact strip 19 encounters an obstacle, the switch 33 is opened and the motor current to the drive motor 10 is thereby interrupted.

If no additional safety device is connected to the control device 20, there is no plug 25 in the socket 26, and the changeover switch 23 is in the switching position shown in FIG. 3, in which the switching elements 34-37 are held by spring force. Here, the higher supply voltage U _{2 is} interrupted, and the lower supply voltage U ₁ is supplied via the switching elements 34, 35 to the drive motor 10, so that due to the lower supply voltage U _{1 this has} only a limited drive power available and the drive power or the driving force or the drive torque is limited to the safety value.

Of course, alternatively or additionally, a light barrier arrangement 18 can be provided as an additional safety device or another known additional safety device in the second exemplary embodiment.

The garage door drive shown in FIG. 1 can of course also be operated with a direct current drive motor 10, in which case the limiting means 13 have a rectifier arrangement, or a rectifier arrangement is connected downstream of this. In both exemplary embodiments, a DC supply voltage can also take the place of an AC supply voltage.

It is essential for the garage door drive according to the invention that the control device 11 or 20 recognizes whether an additional safety device is provided. This can also be done wirelessly, for example, which means that the additional safety device wirelessly transmits detection and switching signals to the control device 11 or 20, by means of which the control device 11 or 20 detects the presence of one recognizes additional safety device and, depending on this, sets a higher or lower drive motor power, and by means of which, in addition, shutdown signals are transmitted in the event that the additional safety device is actuated.

Claims (11)

Electric garage door drive with a drive motor for moving the garage door, characterized in that limiting means (13; 21) are provided for limiting the drive power, the driving force or the drive torque of the drive motor (10) to a safety value which is below a maximum value, and in that a Control device (11; 20) for the drive motor (10) is prepared for connecting at least one additional safety device (18, 19) which switches off the drive motor (10) when it is triggered, automatic switching means (23) in operation with an additional safety device connected ( 18, 19) the effect of the limiting means (13; 21) is at least partially canceled. Garage door drive according to claim 1, characterized in that the limiting means (13; 21) are in operative connection with the control device (11; 20) or form part of the same. Garage door drive according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the limiting means (13; 21) are designed as phase control or as controllable or switchable voltage or current source or as voltage or current regulator or as switchable motor windings. Garage door drive according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a connecting element (16; 25) between the control device (11; 20) and the at least one additional safety device (18, 19) for detecting operation with a connected safety device (18, 19) and so that the automatic actuation of the switching means (23) is provided. Garage door drive according to claim 4, characterized in that the connecting element (16; 25) is a plug, in particular a code plug, on a connecting cable (17; 24). Garage door drive according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that control electronics or a microcomputer (14) is provided for controlling the limiting means (13) or forms at least part of the limiting means. Garage door drive according to Claim 6, characterized in that the control electronics or the microcomputer (14) is designed to test the connecting element (16) in the form of a plug and / or the additional safety device (18, 19) connected thereto, and the limiting means (13) are positive Detection switches. Garage door drive according to claim 5, characterized in that a switching device serving as switching means (23) in the control device (20) can be actuated by the plug-in plug serving as connecting element (25). Garage door drive according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that When the switching means (23) are actuated, there is a switchover to the maximum value of the drive power of the drive motor (10) or to a second safety value which is above the safety value effective when the switching means (23) are not actuated. Garage door drive according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, by connecting several additional safety devices (18, 19), different actuation levels of the switching means (23) can be switched, by means of which the first security value can be raised in stages. Garage door drive according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an inner or outer light barrier and / or an electrical contact strip is provided on the garage door as an additional safety device (18, 19).

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