FR2750446A1 - Control and actuator for opening and closing doors and windows in buildings - Google Patents

Abstract

The actuator has a controllable motor (2) coupled (30) to the door or window, and detectors (4) that provide a signal indicating the state of the door or window. The detector signal is processed (5) and the control signals interpreted (5,11). The local signal processing and the control signal interpretation is done by a local programmed controller (5), which can be programmed remotely through a communications interface (10). A central computer (20) has input-output connections to the input-output connection of each of the local actuators. An alarm circuit (24) takes inputs from each of the local detectors.

Description

 The present invention relates to systems for controlling the operation of the closing elements of a dwelling or the like, such as a door, a French window, an oscillating swing, a tilting, a pivoting, a sliding, etc.

 It is well known that any building has openings which it is necessary to be able to close on demand. For this, each opening is provided with a closing element such as one of those which are recalled above. In the majority of cases, these closing elements are controlled manually, either to rotate them on hinges, or to translate them on rails by means of carriages or the like.

 Less usually, there are closing elements which can be moved from one position to another by means of a motor, for example controlled by a push button. I1 even exist for which the push button is replaced by a remote control.

 Taken individually, all these means of operating the closing elements of a dwelling or the like are satisfactory. But, when the building has a large number of closing elements, for example in the case of an office building, a hospital, etc., verification, if only for security reasons, closing all openings is a tedious task for staff. In addition, even if each person occupying or working in the building takes a relatively serious look at checking the closing of the openings in the room they usually occupy, you can never be sure that this check has been perfect.

 Also, the object of the present invention is to provide a system for controlling the operation of a closing element of an opening of a dwelling or the like, which largely overcomes the drawbacks mentioned above, which is practical and simple to carry out, and which can be adapted to the majority of closing elements suitable for installation in new buildings as well as to those which are already installed.

More specifically, the subject of the present invention is a system for controlling the operation of a closure element for the opening of a dwelling or the like, characterized in that it comprises:
controllable motor means,
means for coupling said controllable motor means with said closure element,
means for delivering at least one signal representative of the state in which said closure element is located,
means for processing said signal and preparing a control order, and
means for transmitting said command to said controllable motor means.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear during the following description given with reference to the drawings annexed by way of illustration, but in no way limiting, in which:
FIG. 1 represents the block diagram of an embodiment of a system for controlling an element for closing an opening of a dwelling or the like, according to the invention, and
FIG. 2 represents, in schematic form, a detail of the embodiment according to FIG. 1, in a particular application to a closure element constituted by a sliding.

 The two figures appended to this description represent the same embodiment of a control system for a closing element of an opening of a dwelling or the like, according to the invention, in an application to a closing element. consisting of a sliding.

Consequently, the same references designate the same means there, whatever the figure on which they appear and whatever the mode of representation of these means.

 It is firstly specified that the present invention can be applied to the control of all the closing elements of the openings of a dwelling or the like such as a door, a French window, an oscillating swing, a tilting, a pivoting, sliding, etc., whether these elements are mounted in translation or in pivoting.

 However, in order to simplify the present description, it will be given in the case of an embodiment of the system for controlling the operation of a closing element mounted in translation which technicians commonly call under the term sliding. Those skilled in the art will, from the teaching provided by this description, define the structure of the control system for any other closing element, in particular those mentioned above.

 The closing element schematically represented in 1 can be moved in any movement by means of a motor 2 controllable from a control input 3. This motor 2 can be of any type, electric, pneumatic, electromechanical, etc., and can be powered by any means of energy and even have autonomous means of energy.

 The control system for the closing element 1 then comprises means, schematically represented at 30, for coupling these controllable motor means 2 with the closing element 1. An advantageous example of embodiment of these coupling means 30 will be described below with reference to Figure 2 in the particular application to the control of the operation of a slide.

 The control system according to the invention comprises sensors 4 which make it possible to determine different parameters relating to the state of the closing element 1. Thus, there can be different sensors capable of delivering signals at their output. representative of the position of this closure element with respect to the corresponding opening, for example "closed position", "semi-open position", "fully open position", etc. There may also be sensors to check the state of the locking means, such as a lock or the like, of the closing element 1, or else for example to detect all the forces which may be exerted on this closing element, that these efforts are normal like those which are exerted by the users of the closure element, or abnormal like those which are exerted in the event of a break-in.

 The control system also comprises a local processing unit 5 capable of processing the signals delivered by the sensors 4 and of producing a command order signal. To do this, this local processing unit 5 comprises input means 6 which are connected by any means, wired, wireless, optical, etc., to the outputs 7 of the sensor means 4, and of the output means 8 on which the command order signal which it has produced is delivered.

 The control system then comprises means for transmitting the control order to the control input 3 of the controllable motor means 2. These means for transmitting the control order, schematically represented in 11, can be of any type, wired, wireless, optical, bus, etc.

 The local processing unit 5 can also comprise a programming control input 9 capable of being connected by any means 15 (as mentioned above, of the wired, radio, optical, etc. type) to a remote control unit 10 , for example an infrared remote control or the like.

This local processing unit 5 may even include a control input 32 to allow the control, for example, of the motor 2 using a push button 33 or the like.

 In the example described above, each closure element 1 is associated with a local processing unit 5. However, in particular in the type of closure element chosen by way of example in the present description, an opening 34 can have more than one closure element, for example two sliding elements as illustrated in FIG. 1. In this case, the local processing unit 5 comprises as many "inlet 6 - outlet 8" assemblies as that defined herein. before for the control of the operation of the closing element 1, as of closing elements. In the example illustrated, the opening 34 comprises two sliding elements, and the local processing unit 5 therefore comprises two sets of inputs 6 respectively referenced 6 'and 6 ", and two sets of outputs 8 respectively referenced 8' and 8 ".

 It is moreover very obvious that any dwelling or the like comprises several closing elements situated in different places. The control system then comprises as many local processing units S as there are places comprising closing elements because, as described above for the opening 34 comprising two sliding elements, it will be advantageous for the closing elements very close to each other. each other or located in the same place are associated with a single local processing unit 5, as shown in FIG. 1.

 The control system described above can also include, in the case of buildings such as hospitals, office buildings, etc., a centralized processing unit 20 comprising a plurality of inputs-outputs 21 respectively connected to inputs -outputs 22 of the local processing units 5. This centralized processing unit 20 is possibly associated with control and / or programming members 23, for example a computer programming keyboard.

 The control system can also include alarm means 24, the inputs 25 of which are connected to outputs 26 of the centralized processing unit 20.

 The local processing units and the centralized unit described above are essentially produced, for example, by means of microprocessors or the like.

 In the case of a hospital or the like, the remote control 10 associated with the closing element, for example, of the window of a room can be entrusted to the patient occupying this room. The patient can thus order at will the opening or closing of this window, the opening being of course allowed within safety limits. The orders possible at the level of the local processing unit can be modified and / or verified by means of the centralized processing unit, according to different events for the security of the building and / or the comfort of the occupants, for example in in the event of a storm, fire, air conditioning, break-in, etc. Alarms may be emitted and / or displayed (or audible if necessary) on the alarm display 24 in the event, for example, of a danger or the like situated at the level of the window of a sick room to resume example given above.

 As mentioned above, the control system comprises means, schematically represented at 30, for coupling the controllable motor means 2 with the closing element 1.

 An advantageous embodiment of these coupling means 30 are illustrated in FIG. 2 in the particular application to the control of a slide.

 A slide intended to close an opening 34 in a building is normally associated with this opening by means of a frame which is fixed to the walls 35 of the building, the frame generally consisting of an assembly, for example , of four profiles forming a frame. This frame comprises two lateral uprights 12, 13 usually vertical connected in the upper part by a horizontal crosspiece 42 (Figure 2) and in the lower part by a rail 14 (Figure 1).

 The slide moves on the rail 14 by means of carriages or the like which roll on this rail and it is guided in the upper part by the crosspiece 42 which, in known manner, is generally shaped as a slide 54.

 When the slide is mounted in a frame having the structure defined above, or in a functionally analogous structure, the means 30 for coupling the controllable motor means 2 to the slide 1 advantageously comprise a box 40 capable of being secured to the upper part 41 of the cross-member 42 and two rollers or drive wheels 45, 46 of a closed-loop belt 47 rotatably mounted around two axes 43 and 44 respectively in the box 40.

 These rollers 45, 46 can be of different types, for example friction rollers, gears or the like, etc., and the structure of the belt 47 will be adapted to the structure of the rollers. This belt can thus be of the "trapezoidal" type or the like, a chain or the like, etc.

 Similarly, the coupling means 30 may advantageously include tensioning means 52 of the belt 47 mounted in association with this belt so that the lower part 53 of the belt which is located between the two rollers is perfectly straight and taut.

 The two axes 43, 44 are defined so that they are substantially perpendicular to the plane in which the slide 1 translates. In addition, the position of these two axes in the box and the diameter of the two rollers 45, 46 are defined by so that the two rollers emerge from the box by an amount at least equal to the thickness of the crosspiece 42 which is located between the top 48 of the slide 1 and the box 40 when it is positioned, as illustrated in FIG. 2, on the upper part 41 of the cross member 42, so that the lower part 53 of the belt is outside the box 40 and can be located between the top 48 of the slide 1 and the bottom 55 of the slide 54.

 In this way, when we want to couple the motor 2 to the slide 1, we first make two grooves 50, 51 in the crosspiece 42 corresponding to the emerging parts of the two rollers 45, 46. We then place the box on the upper part 41 of the crosspiece 42 so that the two rollers 45, 46 respectively plunge into the two grooves 50, 51, then the belt 47 on the two rollers and the tensioner 52 so that the lower part 53 of the belt is located in the slide 54 formed in the crosspiece 42, between the bottom 55 of this slide and the top 48 of the slide 1 as mentioned above.

 The coupling means 30 also comprise means 60 for securing the slide 1 with at least one point 61 of the lower part 53 of the belt 47. These securing means are for example constituted by a "Y" shaped jumper or analogous whose base tab is secured to the belt 47 at this point 61 and whose side tabs are secured to the slide 1.

 In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the motor means 2 are advantageously constituted by an electric motor, the stator of which is fixed to the wall of the box and the rotor of which is connected by a shaft leading 63 to one of the two rollers, the roller 46 in the example illustrated, to drive it in rotation about its axis.

 To control the movement of the slide 1 on the rail relative to the chassis, the control commands developed in the local processing unit 5 are applied to the inputs of the motor to control its rotation in one direction or the other, in order to get the sliding maneuver in the desired direction.

 Of course, the electric motor will be of the "automatic declutching" type to avoid accidents during the operation of the slide, for example the pinching of a finger, of a hand, etc., in the event that it is applied a counter-reaction force greater than a given threshold value.

 The embodiment of the coupling means 30 illustrated in FIG. 2 is interesting because the motor 2 is fixed relative to the chassis and can therefore be easily supplied with electrical energy, for example by means of electrical wires connected to an energy source distant as for example the electric power of the sector.

 However, in certain cases, it may on the contrary be advantageous to couple the motor directly to the carriages which allow the slide to slide on the rail. The stator of the motor will then be fixed on the slide and the power supply will be obtained by the friction of two electrodes on two conductive wires which will, for example, be integrated in the rail.

Claims (9)

 1- System for controlling the operation of a closing element (1) of an opening (34) of a dwelling or the like, characterized in that it comprises:  controllable motor means (2),  means (30) for coupling said controllable motor means (2) with said closure element (1),  means (4) for delivering at least one signal representative of the state in which said closure element is located,  means (5) for processing said signal and developing a control order, and  means (5, 11) for transmitting said control command to said controllable motor means (2).  2. Control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the means (4) for delivering at least one signal representative of the state in which said closing element is located are constituted by at least one sensor (4).  3. Control system according to claim 2, characterized in that said sensor (4) is chosen from among sensors capable of delivering at their output a signal representative of the position of the closing element (1) relative to the 'corresponding opening, the state of the locking means of said closure element, the detection of the forces exerted on the closure element (1).  4. Control system according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the means (5) for processing said signal and developing a control order are constituted by a local processing unit (5).  5. Control system according to claim 4, characterized in that it further comprises a remote control unit (10) capable of being coupled to a programming control input (9) of said local processing unit (5) .  6. Control system according to one of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that it further comprises a centralized processing unit (20) comprising at least one input-output (21) connected to an input-output ( 22) of said local processing unit (5).  7. Control system according to claim 6, characterized in that it further comprises alarm means (24) whose inputs (25) are connected to outputs (26) of said centralized processing unit (20 ).  - Means for connecting the motor means to at least one of the rollers to drive it in rotation.  - means (60) for securing said slide (1) with at least one point (61) of the lower part (53) of said belt (47), and  - Said two axes (43, 44) being substantially perpendicular to the plane in which the slide (1) translates, the position of these two said axes in said box and the diameter of the two said rollers (45, 46) being defined so that the two rollers emerge from the box by an amount at least equal to the thickness of said crosspiece (42) lying between the top (48) of the slide (1) and the box (40) when it is positioned on the part upper (41) of said crosspiece (42), so that the lower part (53) of the belt is outside the box (40) and can be located between the top (48) of the slide (1) and the bottom ( 55) of the slide (54),  - a closed loop belt (47) mounted on the two said rollers,  - two drive rollers (45, 46) mounted to rotate about two axes (43, 44) respectively in the box (40),  - a box (40) secured to the upper part (41) of said crosspiece (42),  8. Control system according to one of claims 1 to 7, in the case of controlling the operation of a slide (1) associated with a frame consisting of a frame comprising at least one horizontal crosspiece (42) shaped in slide (54), said slide being mounted in translation in said slide, characterized in that the means (30) for coupling the controllable motor means (2) with the closing element (1) consist of:  9. Control system according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said motor means (2) are constituted by an "automatic declutching" motor.