EP1041238B1 - Diagnostic process for testing the functioning of at least a motorised closing system, like a roller shutter or comparable - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing the operation of one or more motorized closing systems, each comprising a motor, in particular a roller shutter.

It is increasingly common to motor closure systems, especially roller shutters of a home, this, of course, for the sake of comfort, but also to gain security.

However, such a motorization, compared to a manual solution, may cause malfunctions in the closure system which may be difficult, at times, to determine the cause.

In particular, when, for example, a shutter, no longer responds to a closing command or opening this may be due to a mechanical problem, electrical or electronic.

Thus, many of these motorized roller shutters are currently likely to be controlled remotely, via a radio remote control or infrared type. In this case, a closing or opening command made by the user via the control box may not be transmitted to the shutter for various reasons, for example due to a polluted environment by unwanted waves or simply because the power supply battery of the transmitter is discharged. It is also possible that the control box does not work or that the receiver at the shutter is faulty.

The origin of the failure can also come from the engine which is associated, usually, a thermal safety whose function, precisely, to control the cutoff of the motor power supply in case of overheating of the latter. Here again, this thermal safety may be faulty.

Similarly, some of these motorized roller shutters are equipped with obstacle detection devices whose function, in particular, during the closing operation of the shutter to ensure the engine stop in case, in the path of this rolling shutter, came to present any obstacle. Here again, such sensors, essentially with regard to electrical components, are likely to cause a non-operation of the roller shutter.

Finally, the failure can be of mechanical origin, but it is understandable, in view of the preceding explanations that it is necessary, before one comes to dismantle the mechanism itself of the shutter, that one is able to determine the origin, especially if it results from an electrical and / or electronic failure.

In a house with several of these motorized closing systems, such as roller shutters, it is quite common to have, also control means offering the possibility to the user to control, simultaneously, the closing or opening of the group or a subgroup of roller shutters. It is understood, in these conditions, that in case of malfunction it is still necessary to verify that an order transmitted by the central control results in each of the shutters scheduled to be controlled.

In such a configuration and to prevent a user, after the transmission of a group order, having to individually verify that each shutter has executed the order transmitted, it is still expected that these shutters are to even to transmit, at the central control, a signal allowing the user to know, from the place where the order was issued, if all the shutters are, for example, properly closed.

Here again this transmission can be done either by waves infrared hertzian or the like, either wired. Especially in this case there are cases where the carrier current technology is used. It is, in fact, to transmit control commands or information from one place to another through the power supply network of the home.

In particular, it has been imagined installations where each roller shutter is able to be controlled, individually, from a control box of its own, the transmission being of the non-wired type, that is to say that the control box is in the form of an issuer capable of communicating with a receiver associated with each of the shutters. Furthermore, from each of these control boxes, it is possible, through an appropriate control instruction, to simultaneously control a group or a subgroup of roller shutters. In this particular case, the control unit at which the user acts, first transmits his order to the roller shutter with which it is associated which rolling shutter interprets this order as a group command and transmits, in particular by carrier current, this order to the other shutters covered by the order.

Finally, once the order, for example closure, executed by these other shutters, they retransmit information good performance rolling shutter that sent them this order. The latter coming to close itself at that moment informs the user that the other shutters have executed the order and are closed. If, on the contrary, this roller shutter, which is associated with the control unit through which the user has transmitted a group closure instruction, does not close, this user is informed that a problem has occurred on at least one of the rolling shutters.

It is understandable that in such a situation a malfunction can still be linked to a transmission problem between the rolling shutters by power line and that if the last shutter does not close the causes can be multiple and variety.

Of course, we already know many home automation systems with more or less important features, but do not implement diagnostic methods for determining the origin of a failure of a device. before dismantling.

Thus, it is known from the document EP-A-0 874 343 a home automation system consisting of equipping each of the equipment that can be controlled in a home of a transceiver to which can be addressed a remote control screen. More particularly, when this remote control is directed towards a device and a defined command button is operated, the transceiver device of this device transmits an identification signal towards said remote control resulting in the display on the screen of the latter of the various features that can be ordered. Then, by acting on the remote control on one or the other of the arrows, the user can select the function on which he wishes to intervene.

Note that the devices are interconnected by a bus line through which the remote control can still address an equipment that is not in its receiving range. More precisely, in each of the rooms of the dwelling, and on this bus network, is connected a transceiver device which is necessarily within the range of the remote control when it is in said room. Under these conditions, the user controls himself, at the screen of his remote control, the display of the features of the device on which he wishes to intervene. Then, once the selection has been made, it transmits, via the remote control, the control command to the transceiver device of the room where it is, this device coming, in turn, retransmitting the order to the targeted device through the bus line.

It is also known from EP-A-0 513 443 another home automation system consisting of connecting, through a bus line, all electrical appliances in a home that can be managed from a PC central. There is also provided a remote control capable of acting directly, by an appropriate transmission system, on remote control equipment. Under these conditions, the central unit can be informed of their change of state, either by means of the remote control, or by communicating, in a wired manner or by means of a transmission-reception system, with these different devices able to be remote controlled.

Obviously, such home automation systems are inadequate to address the problem.

The present invention is therefore intended to meet this need to identify the origin of a malfunction of a motorized closure system through a particularly powerful diagnostic process and, especially, to easy and fast implementation.

• à enregistrer, sous forme codée électroniquement, au niveau d'une mémoire d'unité de gestion du fonctionnement du moteur dudit système, un ou plusieurs événements au fonctionnement ou non fonctionnement du moteur, le cas échéant à l'aide de capteurs appropriés ;
• à raccorder à ladite unité de gestion, par l'intermédiaire de moyens de raccordement filaires ou non, un outil de test apte à lire le contenu des données stockées en mémoire ;
• à procéder à l'interprétation des données recueillies au travers d'une unité de traitement interne ou externe à l'outil de test afin d'émettre une information claire sur la nature du ou des défauts détectés.

For this purpose, the invention relates to a method for diagnosing the operation of at least one motorized closure system consisting of:

• recording, in an electronically coded form, at a management unit memory of the operation of the engine of said system, one or more events during operation or non-operation of the engine, where appropriate using appropriate sensors;
• to connect to said management unit, via wire connection means or not, a test tool suitable for read the contents of the data stored in memory;
• to interpret the data collected through a processing unit internal or external to the test tool in order to send clear information on the nature of the detected fault (s).

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description relating to an exemplary embodiment.

• la figure 1 est une représentation schématisée d'un système de fermeture motorisé, en particulier un volet roulant autorisant la mise en oeuvre du procédé de diagnostic conforme à l'invention ; la figure 2 représente, de manière schématisée, une installation comportant plusieurs de ces systèmes de fermeture motorisés ; la figure 3 est une représentation schématisée d'un exemple de réalisation d'un outil de test, plus particulièrement adapté pour tester une installation telle que représentée dans la figure 2.

The understanding of this description will be facilitated in view of the attached drawing in which:

• Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a motorized closure system, in particular a shutter allowing the implementation of the diagnostic method according to the invention; Figure 2 shows schematically an installation comprising several of these motorized closure systems; FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a test tool, more particularly adapted for testing an installation as represented in FIG. 2.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the present invention relates to the field of motorized closure systems specifically for the building. Thus, these systems have been shown, indicatively in the form of shutters 1; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D with which is associated, individually, a control box 2; 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D. The link between this control box on which the user is intended to intervene and the corresponding shutter may be of the wired type or may be provided, as is usually done, by radio transmission, infrared or the like.

It is obvious that the malfunction of such a shutter 1; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D can have different origins and, in particular, it can be related to electrical or electronic problems in the management of the operation of the engine 3. In particular to such electric motors 3 is associated, usually, a thermal safety 4 which can be, alone, the cause of the failure. Similarly, these shutters 1; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D are often equipped with an associated obstacle detection sensor 5, either at the last deck blade or at a lateral slide. This sensor, if it is defective, can also prevent the operation of this shutter. But the problems can be related to a simple power failure, at this roller shutter or the control unit often operating with a battery.

• à enregistrer sous forme codée électroniquement, au niveau d'une mémoire 6 d'une unité de gestion 7 du fonctionnement du moteur 3 dudit système 1 ; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, un ou plusieurs événements liés au fonctionnement dudit moteur 3, le cas échéant au travers de capteurs appropriés ;
• à raccorder à ladite unité de gestion 7 par l'intermédiaire de moyens de raccordement 8 filaires ou non, un outil de test 9 apte à lire le contenu des données stockées en mémoire 6 ;
• et, en fin de compte, à interpréter les données recueillies au travers d'une unité de traitement interne ou externe à l'outil de test afin d'émettre une information claire pour un opérateur sur la nature du ou des défauts détectés.

Also, according to the invention, it has been devised a method for diagnosing the operation of at least one of these motorized closure systems consisting of:

• to record in electronic coded form, at a memory 6 of a management unit 7 of the operation of the engine 3 of said system 1; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, one or more events related to the operation of said motor 3, where appropriate through appropriate sensors;
• to connect to said management unit 7 via connecting means 8 wire or not, a test tool 9 able to read the contents of the data stored in memory 6;
• and, ultimately, interpreting the collected data through a processing unit internal or external to the test tool to emit clear information to an operator about the nature of the detected fault (s).

The memory 6 of a management unit 7 can be subdivided into as many fault counters as desired. In particular, it can be recorded, in electronically coded form, the number of times that the operation of the motor 3 has been interrupted under the influence of thermal safety 4 or of a presence sensor obstacle 5, or even the number of times that engine 3 has been stopped, simply, through the end-of-travel detectors.

Similarly it can be stored in the memory 6, any parameter capable of giving an indication of the operating conditions of the engine 3, particularly if one of its windings is or not faulty.

The memory 6 may also be provided capable of recording the various events relating to the transmission of an order from the control unit 2; 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D.

The diagnostic method according to the invention provides, again, a step of connecting the test tool 9, in a wired or non-wired manner, to said control unit 2 in order to record an order transmitted through the latter, simultaneously , the order perceived by the management unit 7 of the motorized closure system to identify a transmission fault.

In the context of a configuration as shown in Figure 2, corresponding to an installation comprising several motorized locking systems, here represented in the form of shutters 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D to which it is possible to transmit a group order, or by means of a specific control box or through any one of the control boxes 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D corresponding to each of these shutters 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, it is provided, preferentially, by means of wired or non-wired connecting means connecting the test tool 9 to this control box concerned, the grouped order transmitted to compare it with the order received by the different components. and stored in their respective memory 6 whose test tool 9 is able to read the content.

The method according to the invention and the operation of the test tool for its implementation will be better understood from the following description relating specifically to this FIG. 2 represents several roller shutters 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D with which a control box 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D is associated, for transmitting at least one opening or closing control command. In particular, the transmission between a control box and a shutter is performed by radio waves, infrared or the like.

Moreover, these shutters 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D are connected to a power supply network 13 through which they are able to transmit information by carrier current. In particular, from a control unit 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D it is possible through an order transmitted to the roller shutter which is directly associated with it, respectively 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, to communicate with the other shutters of the group or to a sub-group of shutters to ensure the control closing and / or opening, simultaneously, several shutters from such a control box 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D.

Note that such a configuration also allows these other roller shutters controlled from a specific control unit, to transmit feedback information, for example, a good order execution information.

In such a configuration, the diagnostic method therefore consists in recording in electronically coded form at the level of the memory 6 of the management units 7 of the operation of the motor 3 of each of the rolling shutters of the events relating to the latter, in particular, the state in which is this roller shutter, open or closed, the number is the origin of the various commands of stopping operation of the engine 3 etc .... At the level of this memory 6 is still recorded the nature of the order recently received through the associated control box, and, if necessary, the nature of the last order that has been transmitted by carrier current by another shutter. The method consists, then, in connecting to said management unit 7 of each of these rolling shutters 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D a test tool 9 by means of connection means 8 which present themselves, advantageously, in the form of a mains plug 14 adapted to be connected by carrier current, these shutters. Indeed, in such a configuration, these necessarily include means of encryption and decryption for precisely, as the case may be, to emit on this power supply network 13 an information train intended for other rolling shutters or on the contrary, to receive and decrypt information transmitted by power line and which is intended for them.

Of course, the test tool 9 also includes such an encryption-decryption unit 15 for communicating through this network 13 with the shutters 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, this, at the same time, for go read the contents of their memory 6 or to detect any power transmission.

It is still possible to envisage non-wired connection means 8 between the test tool 9 and these management units 7 of the roller blinds 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, in particular if the latter are connected to each other by means of such non-wire transmission means.

Insofar as a control unit 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D communicates with its shutter 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D by radio waves or the like and therefore, said shutter 1 is necessarily equipped with a suitable receiver said connection means 8 may also be in the form of a transmitter associated with the test tool 9 which is then able to transmit information to the receiver of the management unit 7 of a roller shutter 1A, 1B , 1C, 1D determined. Once this transmission is established, this same test tool can communicate with each of the other rolling shutters powerline and using the encryption and decryption unit necessarily equipping the shutter with which it communicates directly.

Conversely, in order to gather information, at the level of of this test tool 9, data in memory 6 of each of the shutters 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, it is sufficient to equip said shutter with which it communicates directly, by radio waves, infrared or other, a transmitter capable of transmitting, to a receiver of the test tool 9, said data corresponding to the same rolling shutter, but also the data of the memories of the other shutters collected by power line.

In particular, it is possible to use the receiver which is necessarily equipped with such a shutter to use it as a transmitter by controlling the control of the oscillator of this receiver via the microcontroller 10 that includes a management unit 7.

Finally, the emitter of the test tool 9 first transmits, via the receiver of the shutter, an order to send the information to the microcontroller 10, which microcontroller 10, coming to execute, controls the oscillator of the receiver for this transmission of the requested information. In order for this to work, it is sufficient to approach this test tool 9 close enough to the rolling shutter to which it is intended to be connected directly, knowing that the connection to the other shutters is effected through the same rolling shutter, by power line. .

In such a configuration, this test tool 9 comprises, in spite of everything, means of connection to the power supply network 13, in order firstly to measure the degree of pollution of this network. This consists of detecting whether a current carrier signal other than those transmitted by the closure systems is likely to disturb the operation of the latter.

Such a connection makes it possible, again, to make a comparison between current carrier signals transmitted between the shutters and those perceived and recorded at their respective memory 6.

In the same way, this test tool 9 advantageously comprises wave receiving means 16 of a nature identical to the communication existing between a control box 2; 2A, 2B, C and a shutter 1; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, or even between the various shutters if they are intended to communicate with each other otherwise than by wire, so as to detect whether in the environment where a transmission by radio waves, infrared or other , is not polluted by parasitic waves are not able to disturb this communication.

The test tool 9 may be provided with display means 11 capable of informing the user of the nature of the defect or defects identified through the data found in the memories 6 of the roller shutters or the various disturbing phenomena detected.

Advantageously, such viewing means 11 take a simple configuration of a plurality of LEDs 11A, 11B, 11C ... to which is associated a clear legend allowing rapid interpretation. In particular, the test tool 9 comprises, in this case, an internal processing unit 12A, which is able to decrypt the contents of the memories 6 or to interpret other measurements to control the ignition or the extension of this or that indicator 11A, 11B, 11C constituting direct information for this operator.

However, this test tool 9 can still be connected to an external processing unit 12. In this case, this test tool 9 may advantageously be equipped with a modem 17 for transmitting, via a telecommunication network 18, the information it has collected during a test cycle. This makes it possible to envisage, in particular, remote maintenance of such an installation comprising several motorized closing systems.

Claims (8)

1. Process for diagnosing the operation of one or several motorised closing systems (1 ; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) each comprising a motor (3), in particular for a roller blind, characterised in that:

   - at the level of a memory (6) of a control unit (7) for the operation of the motor (3) of said system (1 ; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) are stored, in an electronically encoded way, one or several events related to the operation of this motor (3) ;

   - to said control unit (7) is connected, through cable or wireless connecting means (8), a test tool (9) capable of reading the contents of the data in the memory (6) ;

   - there is proceeded to interpreting the data collected through a processing unit internal (12A) or external (12) to the test' tool (9), in order to transmit a clear information for an operator on the nature of the detected default or defaults.
2. Diagnostic process according to claim 1, characterised in that :

   - in the memory (6) of the control unit {7) of a motorised closing system (1 ; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) is also stored the order transmitted from a control casing (2 ; 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D) ;

   - the test tool (9) is connected by cable or wireless to said control casing (2 ; 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D), in order to store an order transmitted through the latter, with a view to identifying a transmission default.
3. Diagnostic process according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the user is informed on the nature of the default or defaults identified through the data stored in the memories (6) of the control unit (7) of the motorised closing systems (1 ; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) or also on the various detected disturbing phenomena by means of a plurality of signal lamps (11A, 11B, 11C) to which is associated a clear legend for interpretation at the level of the test tool (9).
4. Diagnostic process according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that communication with the test tool (9) occurs through wave-receiving means (16) of an identical nature as the communication between a control casing (2 ; 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D) and a motorised closing system (1 ; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) and/or between various motorised closing systems (1 ; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D), with a view to detecting the emission of spurious waves.
5. Diagnostic process according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the information collected by the test tool (9) during a cycle is transmitted by a telecommunication network (18) thanks to a modem.
6. Diagnostic process according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that communication with the test tool (9) occurs by carrier current and by means of an adapted encrypting and decrypting unit, through the electric-current supply network of said system (1 ; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D).
7. Diagnostic process according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that :

   - to the microcontroller (10) of the control unit (7) is transmitted, through a transmitter associated to this test tool (9), an order for sending at least the information contained in its memory (6) ;

   - and the control, through this microcontroller (10), of the oscillator of a receiver a motorised closing system (1 ; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) comprised for receiving a transmission from the transmitter of a control casing (2 ; 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D), with a view to the transmission by this receiver of the requested information.
8. Diagnostic process according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the various motorised closing systems (1 ; 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) are connected by carrier current and the test tool (9) is connected to one of the systems for reading, through this system, the contents of the memory (6) of the control unit (7) corresponding to each of the motorised closing systems (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D).

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