EP0839980B1 - 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 come in a variety of forms offered on the market. They differ under other by their electrical power, that is, for large, heavy garage doors are becoming more powerful Garage door operators required and offered as for small, lightweight garage doors. Future standards (IEC) require an additional safety device for garage door operators, for example a light barrier or a safety edge on the garage door if a certain Driving force of, for example, 150 N is exceeded. This means that a supplier then for small garage doors must offer a garage drive, the maximum one Driving force developed by 150 N, and that it is for larger Garage doors a second garage door operator with additional Must offer safety device for larger driving forces is designed. This is not just cumbersome in terms of manufacture and storage and expensive, but still has the disadvantage that in borderline cases it is often difficult to assess whether the "weaker" and cheaper garage door drive is sufficient or not. Because a buyer usually prefers then decides for a more cost-effective solution fear that it only turns out after assembly, that such a garage door drive is insufficient in terms of strength. He then has to be completely dismantled and be replaced by a stronger version. Both the additional assembly effort as well as the fact that the dismantled garage door operator no longer as 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 characteristic In contrast, features of the main claim Advantage that only a single version of a garage door operator can be used for all applications regardless of the required driving force. This not only leads to cost advantages in manufacturing and Warehousing, but there is also no risk of one Refitting due to insufficient drive power more. At the Garage door drive according to the invention is a drive motor provided the driving force for large and heavy garage doors is sufficient. Due to security regulations However, it is particularly electronic Means in its driving power or in its Driving force or in its driving torque on the prescribed value at which no additional Safety devices are required. Should it then turns out that the drive power is not is sufficient, a simple retrofit can be replaced by additional Installation of such an additional safety device respectively. When connecting the same Limitation of the drive motor automatically completely or to Part canceled, so that now a greater drive power or force is available without any Change to the drive motor or its control device would be required. That with the invention Solution also for smaller garage doors more powerful drive motor is used than would actually be required does not constitute an essential one Disadvantage, since stronger drive motors are hardly heavier or are more expensive. In the basic version for smaller ones Such garage door operators can continue to operate garage doors offered without expensive security devices become. Should this be necessary, one is easy retrofitting with little installation effort and relatively low cost possible. This will make a high one Security standard guaranteed.

By the measures listed in the subclaims are advantageous developments and improvements of garage door operator specified in the main claim possible.

The limiting means are advantageously operatively connected with the control device or form one Part of the same. You can advantageously as Phase control or as controllable or switchable Voltage or current source or as a voltage or current regulator or as switchable motor windings be trained.

To detect the operation of the control device with a connected Safety device and thus for automatic Actuation of the switching means serves in simple and inexpensive way a connecting element between the control device and the at least one additional one Safety device, this connecting element especially one designed as a code plug Can be plug on a connecting cable. Hereby there is an automatic switchover by simple Insert this plug into the control device, for example.

The limiting means are preferably by a Control electronics or realized by a microcomputer, this control electronics or this microcomputer in advantageously for testing the plug and / or the additional safety device connected to it is formed and the limiting means at positive Detection switches. The realization can thus in terms of circuitry or appropriate programming of the microcomputer.

In an alternative embodiment, the inserted plug one as a switching means in the Control device serving switching device can be actuated be, this connector in particular directly mechanical acts on the switching contacts of a changeover switch.

By actuating the switching means, either Switching to the maximum value of the work performance of the Drive motor or to a second safety value follow that above that when the switching means are not actuated effective security value. In a more elaborate one Design can also be done by connecting several additional safety devices different Activation levels of the switching means can be switched, through which the first safety value can be raised in stages is. Such an arrangement is particularly then desirable if, for example, for different graded drive powers or driving forces of the Various additional safety devices are prescribed.

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

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 over 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 embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is a drive motor 10 of a garage door drive for Movement of a garage door, not otherwise shown via an electronic control device 11 with a Supply voltage source 12 connected in the embodiment supplies the mains voltage. In the electronic Control device 11 becomes limiting means 13 to limit the drive power, the driving force or the drive torque of the drive motor 10 by controlled a microcomputer 14. This microcomputer 14 is still connected to a socket 15, in the one Code connector 16 can be inserted. The code plug 16 is only schematic with a connecting cable 17 connected light barrier arrangement 18, that in front of or behind the garage door as an additional safety device is attachable. As a further safety device can additionally or alternatively an electrical Contact bar 19 may be arranged on the garage door, the generates a switching process when the garage door against a Obstacle encountered. Such a light barrier arrangement 18 and such contact strips 19 are additional Safety devices for garage doors known per se.

The mode of operation of the garage door operator shown is that the drive motor 10 is so high Can generate drive power that practically all occurring Garage doors can be driven. If no additional safety device is provided, the socket 15 remains unused, that is, it is not Plug inserted. This fact is confirmed by the microcomputer 14 recognized, and accordingly it provides the limiting means 13 so that the driving power, the driving force or the drive torque of the drive motor 10 a security value is reduced, for example to a driving force of 150 N as a possible legal Maximum value for garage door operators if no additional Safety device next to this force or Torque limitation is provided.

A limiting means 13 is suitable, for example known phase control. Alternatively this can also be controlled or switched Voltage or current source can be provided, through which the Voltage or current for the drive motor 10 is limited will that limit the drive power, the Driving force or the driving torque to the desired Security value is done. One more way is to provide a voltage or current regulator, through which the motor voltage or motor current is regulated to the desired safety value. As The actual value can be either the motor voltage or the Motor current or directly the motor torque or the Serve driving force. Finally there is Possibility of switchable motor windings as limiting means provide a motor winding or a Motor winding area is designed so that the desired Limitation to the security value occurs.

Now it is necessary, for example for a large one Garage door to increase the drive power, this is it only in conjunction with an additional safety device possible, for example if a light barrier arrangement 18 and / or a contact strip 19 is provided. This additional security device, namely the light barrier arrangement 18 and / or the Contact strip 19, is by means of the connecting cable 17th and the code plug 16 by plugging into the socket 15 connected to the electronic control device 11. The socket 15 and any plugged into it Code connector 16 scanning microcomputer 14 now recognizes that an additional safety device is connected, and accordingly increases the effectiveness of the limiting means 13 completely or partially. With a complete Cancellation, the drive motor 10 is now full Driving force available, it is also possible now the drive power, the driving force or that Drive torque to a second safety value increase that is above the first safety value. The microcomputer therefore also serves as a switchover means for switching between different drive powers, Driving forces or driving torques.

The raising of the security value or the lifting of the The effect of the limiting agents can also be gradual respectively. For this purpose, the microcomputer 14 scans the connected one Safety device and determines to which it is. It increases the safety value accordingly for the limiting means 13. Instead of scanning the additional safety device via the Code connector 16 and the connecting cable 17 can also Code connector 16 itself can be scanned. To do this each security device has a different code connector 16 or a connector with its own code the microcomputer 14 the type of connected Safety device recognizes and according to the Security value increases. The coding of the code plug 16 can be an electronic, magnetic or mechanical Be coding. If the code plug 16 is pulled out, the limitation to the original first security value.

If the light path of the light barrier arrangement 18 during the operation of the drive motor 10, for example a person interrupts or bumps the contact strip 19 to an obstacle, a switching process is triggered which via the connecting cable 17 and the code plug 16 Microcomputer 14 is supplied. It then blocks the Drive motor 10 by switching off or interrupting the Motor current. The code plug 16 thus has a double one Task, namely the transmission of shutdown commands on the part of the at least one additional safety device and the transmission of the information to the Microcomputer 14 that an additional security device is connected, whereby the microcomputer the Driving power or the driving force of the motor 10 elevated.

Instead of a microcomputer 14 can of course also integrated or non-integrated control electronics be provided as without programming pure hardware device works.

In the simpler second exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an electronic control device 20 for the drive motor 10 takes the place of an electronic control device 11, which has a voltage source 22 with two supply voltages U ₁ and U ₂ as the limiting means 21, which alternatively has a fourth -pole switch 23 can be applied to the drive motor 10. 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. With the plug 25 inserted according to FIG. 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 opened and thereby the motor current to Drive motor 10 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, also in the second embodiment alternatively or additionally, a light barrier arrangement 18 as an additional safety device or another known additional safety device be provided.

The garage door drive shown in Fig. 1 can of course also with a DC drive motor 10 are operated, in which case the limiting means 13 have or is a rectifier arrangement followed by a rectifier arrangement. By both Embodiments can also be used instead of an AC supply voltage a DC supply voltage to step.

It is essential for the garage door drive according to the invention it that the control device 11 or 20 recognizes whether a additional safety device is provided. This can also be done wirelessly, for example, that additional security device communicates wirelessly Detection and switching signals to the control device 11 or 20, through which this on the one hand the presence of a additional safety device recognizes and dependent of which a higher or lower drive motor output sets, and by the other shutdown signals in the event of actuation of the additional Security device to be transmitted.

Claims (11)

1. Electric garage door drive having a drive motor for moving the garage door, characterized in that limiting means (13; 21) are provided for limiting the drive power, the drive force or the drive torque of the drive motor (10) to a safety value which lies below a maximum value, and in that a control device (11; 20) is provided for the drive motor (10) for connecting at least one additional safety device (18, 19) which switches off the drive motor (10) when it is triggered, the effect of the limiting means (13; 21) being cancelled, or at least a changed safety value of the limiting means being set, automatically by automatic switch-over means (23) of the electric garage door drive operating with a connected, additional safety device (18, 19).
2. Garage door drive according to Claim 1, characterized in that the limiting means (13; 21) are operatively connected to the control device (11; 20) or form a part thereof.
3. Garage door drive according Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the limiting means (13; 21) are designed as a phase control or as a controllable or switch-over voltage or power source or as a voltage or current regulator or as switch-over motor windings.
4. Garage door drive according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a connecting element (16; 25) is provided between the control device (11; 20) and the at least one additional safety device (18, 19) for detecting the operation with the safety device (18, 19) connected, and thus for automatically activating the switch-over means (23).
5. Garage door drive according to Claim 4, characterized in that the connecting element (16; 25) is a plug, designed in particular as a code plug, on a connecting cable (17; 24) .
6. Garage door drive according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an electronic control system or a microcomputer (14) is provided for controlling the limiting means (13) or at least forms a part of the limiting means.
7. Garage door drive according to Claim 6, characterized in that the electronic control system or the microcomputer (14) is designed to test the connecting element (16), designed as a plug, and/or the additional safety device (18, 19) which is connected thereto, and switches over the limiting means (13) in the event of a positive detection.
8. Garage door drive according to Claim 5, characterized in that a switching device which serves as switch-over means (23) in the control device (20) can be activated by the plugged-in plug which serves as connecting element (25).
9. Garage door drive according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a switching-over operation to the maximum value of the drive power of the drive motor (10) or to a second safety value which lies above the safety value which is effective when the switch-over means (23) are not activated takes place as a result of the switch-over means (23) being activated.
10. Garage door drive according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that various activation levels of the switch-over means (23), by means of which levels the first safety value can be raised incrementally, can be switched by the connection of a plurality of additional safety devices (18, 19).
11. Garage door drive according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an internal or external photoelectric barrier or an electric contact strip is provided on the garage door as additional safety device (18, 19).

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