WO2004007884A1

WO2004007884A1 - Control device for a roller shutter driving motor and method for automatically setting the end positions

Info

Publication number: WO2004007884A1
Application number: PCT/EP2003/007160
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marco Signorati
Original assignee: Stark S.R.L.
Priority date: 2002-07-11
Filing date: 2003-07-04
Publication date: 2004-01-22
Also published as: AU2003250886A1; ITMI20021522A1

Abstract

A method for automatically setting the limit positions in an assembly comprising a tubular gearmotor and a roller shutter member (2), by using existing mechanical stop members (7, 9). The gearmotor comprises a tubular body (5) housing a gearmotor unit (1) and a control unit (8) equipped with a microprocessor (10), a memory (M) and at least one control input (S) for the microprocessor (10). In accordance with the method, the gearmotor unit (1) is actuated through a switch (S1) for the rotation in both directions until the roller shutter member (2) abuts against each of said mechanical stop members (7, 9), with values representative of said positions being automatically stored in the memory (M) as limit positions. It is possible to erase the information regarding the limit positions through the direct control input (S) for the microprocessor (10).

Description

CONTROL DEVICE FOR A ROLLER SHUTTER DRIVING MOTOR AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY SETTING THE END POSITIONS

The present invention relates to assemblies or installations comprising a tubular gearmotor and a roller shutter member actuated by such gearmotor for closing openings in buildings and/or for the protection from sunlight. The roller shutter member can be for example a roller blind, a rolling shutter, a sunblind and the like fitted to windows or doors.

The general structure of these known assemblies comprises an electric motor and a gear reduction unit, in the following jointly referred to as a gearmotor, an electromagnetic brake unit and a unit for setting the limit (end) positions, all the above components being housed inside a single tubular member on/from which the roller shutter member is wound/unwound. The drive shaft of the reduction gear protrudes from one end of the tubular member while the other end is firmly secured to an anchor member or fixture such as for example the masonry housing the roller shutter box of a roller blind.

The drive shaft of the reduction gear transmits the rotary motion to the winding tube of the roller shutter member through a pulley to which it is keyed. In the known devices, the motor is usually a single-phase asynchronous motor equipped with two windings in order to obtain the rotation in both directions. The tubular member on which the roller shutter member is wound and which contains all the components is known as tubular gearmotor.

After the tubular gearmotor and the roller shutter member have been installed, the unit for setting the limit positions is used for defining the (winding and unwinding) end positions of the roller shutter member, i.e. the end positions that shall be reached when the switch controlling the raising and the lowering of the roller shutter member is actuated.

For setting the two limit positions there are known mechanical devices comprising two microswitches, one for each rotating direction, which are controlled (e.g. opened to stop the motor) in accordance with the angular position of the tube through an arrangement of threaded rods located inside the limit switch unit, such a device being mechanically controlled by the rotation of the annular crown of the winding tube. The setting of the limit positions is achieved by manually causing the motor rotation through external setting screws laterally located on the crown or through equivalent means. Such a setting method is long and does not allow a great accuracy.

Gearmotors with electronic setting of the limit positions have been suggested which nevertheless require additional cabling for the connection to an external programming keyboard and are therefore not compatible with existing roller shutter assemblies.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks and limitations of the prior art methods and roller shutter - gearmotor assemblies so as to render the setting of the limit positions an automatic, very simple and quick operation by using mechanical limit stop members already existing in the assembly.

The above objects are achieved through a method as claimed in claim 1. In accordance with a further aspect, the present invention comprises a roller shutter member/tubular gearmotor assembly as claimed in claim 6. Additional advantageous features are recited in the dependent claims.

The invention will now be disclosed hereinbelow with reference to the attached drawings of a preferred but non limiting example, in which: the Fig. 1 is a schematical view of a window to which a gearmotor/roller shutter member assembly according to the invention has been fitted;

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the control system; and

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of the top portion of the assembly.

Throughout all the figures the same references have been used to indicate components that are equal or substantially implementing equivalent functions. With reference to Figures 1 and 3, a winding tube 5 on which the roller shutter member 2 - e.g. a roller-blind - is wound houses a gearmotor assembly 1 comprising an electric motor and other components, and is fitted on the top of a window 3, schematically shown in Fig. 1 , with the roller blind 2 sliding in side guides 6. The tubular body 5 is usually housed inside a roller shutter box 11 protruding or not from the masonry. On the gearmotor body a push-button S is provided that can be reached by the operator during and after the installation, which push-button S constitutes a (or one of several) control input(s) to a microprocessor 10 controlling the gearmotor operation, as will be illustrated in detail hereibelow. The reference S will be used to designate both an actuating input to the microprocessor and the push-button or switch for generating a signal at such input.

A two-way switch S1 , for example a wall-mounted device, is further provided for controlling the winding and unwinding of the roller shutter 2 in use, by properly feeding the motor of the gearmotor assembly 1. In the normal operation of the arrangement, by operating the switch S1 it is possible to position the bottom end of the roller shutter 2 at any desired position between the two end or extreme positions defined as top and bottom limit positions. Hereinbelow, the terms motor and gearmotor are also used to indicate the shaft of the gearmotor assembly.

With particular reference now to the block diagram of Fig. 2, the control unit 8 of the assembly comprises a memory M and a microprocessor 10 connected to the gearmotor 1 (as a matter of fact to the motor of this latter) for controlling the rotation thereof, and consequently the winding and unwinding of the roller shutter 2. The gearmotor 1 is driven in a known manner through the switch S1 connected to the control unit 8 and, for simplicity sake, no supply connection has been shown in the Figure. The memory M associated with the microprocessor 10 is for example of the EEPROM type (electrically erasable programmable non-volatile ROM memory). In this memory, suitable operating programs and data are stored at the factory and further information concerning the limit positions are stored after the assembly has been installed on a window or another opening. The control input S, preferably implemented as a push-button, is a control input through which commands can be directly sent to the microprocessor 10.

The method of the invention for setting the limit positions in an automatic manner will now be illustrated, such method providing for storing in the control system the final positions of the roller shutter at which the electric motor shall be disabled even in case a pressure is maintained on the switch S1. This setting is usually accomplished after installing the assembly, and possibly at a later time to compensate for changes caused by the settling of the assembly in time. Firstly the switch S1 is actuated to cause the rotation of the gearmotor in one direction, for example upwards, with the consequent raising of the roller shutter 2 until it abuts against a mechanical stop member 7 on the top of each guide 6. This stop member is already provided in the assembly to prevent the roller shutter from coming out of the guides when being wound on the tubular body. This abutment position is automatically stored in the microprocessor memory M as a reference position, and then the switch S1 is released. Preferably, the reference data are processed before being stored, and more precisely the actually stored position is selected so as to differ from the real one by a small value by defect, for example by a 5° rotation from the actual position reached by the roller shutter, to avoid a mechanical collision in normal operation, that is the strike of roller shutter member against the stop.

The switch S1 is then actuated to start the rotation of the gearmotor in the opposite direction, that is downwards, thus causing the roller shutter 2 to descend until it stops against a lower or bottom stop 9 made up by the windowsill or the floor in the French window. On the roller shutter there are further mounted fastening members 12, 12 for rigidly connecting the roller shutter member to the tubular body 5, these members exerting a downwards push when the roller shutter abuts against the bottom stop member 9.

This bottom limit position is now automatically stored in the microprocessor memory as a number of steps counted from the reference position, i.e. the top limit position, and then the operator releases the switch S1 thus stopping the motor. Preferably, even the bottom limit position undergoes some processing before being stored in the microprocessor memory. Advantageously, the actually stored position is selected so as to be smaller than the real one by a small value (i.e. by defect), for example by a 5° rotation from the actual position reached by the roller shutter, to prevent a mechanical collision, that is the roller shutter hitting the windowsill, or the floor in a French window. Should it become necessary to erase the limit positions that have been set, it is sufficient to carry the switch S1 into an operating position (upwards or downwards) and to press the push-button S for at least three seconds. As a consequence, both the stored limit positions are deleted, and a new operating cycle of the switch S1 can be started for a new setting of the limit positions. Although the invention has been illustrated with reference to an actually preferred embodiment, it is generally susceptible of other applications and modifications which fall within the scope of the invention, as it will be evident to the skilled of the art.

Claims

1. A method for automatic setting the limit positions in an assembly comprising: a tubular gearmotor and a member (2) adapted to be wound around or unwound from said tubular gearmotor in accordance with the rotating direction of said gearmotor, a switch (S1 ) for causing the rotation of said gearmotor in both directions, said tubular gearmotor comprising a tubular body (5) housing a gearmotor unit (1 ) and a control unit equipped with a microprocessor (10), a memory (M) and at least one control input (S) for said microprocessor (10); at least one mechanical top stop member (7) and one mechanical bottom stop member (9) being provided for said roller shutter member (2); said method providing the following steps:

- actuating said gearmotor unit (1 ) for the rotation in one direction through said switch (S1 ) until the roller shutter member (2) reaches a first end position by abutting against one of said mechanical stop members (7, 9); - when reaching said first end position, automatically storing in said memory (M) a value representative of said reached position as a first limit position;

- releasing said switch (S1 );

- actuating said gearmotor unit (1 ) for the rotation in the opposite direction through said switch (S1 ) until the roller shutter member (2) reaches a second end position by abutting against the other of said mechanical stop members (7, 9);

- when reaching said second end position, automatically storing in said memory (M) a value representative of said reached position as a second limit position.

- releasing said switch (S1).

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the information concerning said first and second positions are processed before being stored in order to prevent a mechanical collision between said roller shutter member and said mechanical stop members (7, 9) during the normal use of the assembly.

3. A method as claimed in claims 1 or 2, characterised in that said first end position is the top limit position of said roller shutter.

4. A method as claimed in claims 1 or 2, characterised in that said first end position is the bottom limit position of said roller shutter.

5. A method as claimed in the preceding claims, characterised by further providing the step of erasing the stored information concerning said first and second positions through said microprocessor control input (S).

6. An assembly comprising a tubular gearmotor and a member (2) adapted to be wound around or unwound from said tubular gearmotor in accordance with the rotating direction of said gearmotor, said tubular gearmotor comprising: a switch (S1 ) for causing the rotation of said gearmotor in both directions, said tubular gearmotor comprising a tubular body (5) housing a gearmotor unit (1 ), a control unit (8) equipped with a microprocessor (10) and a memory (M) and at least one control input (S) for said microprocessor (10); at least one mechanical top stop member (7) and one mechanical bottom stop member (9) being provided for said roller shutter member (2); characterised in that said microprocessor (10) is programmed to store in the memory (M) of said microprocessor (10) - as limit positions - two values representative of the positions reached by said roller shutter member in abutment against said mechanical stop members (7, 9) in a first actuation cycle of said switch (S1 ), and to erase said information when both said control input (S) and switch (S1 ) are jointly actuated.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that said at least one control input (S) is implemented as a push-button arranged on said tubular body

(5).

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that said mechanical top stop member (7) is located on guides (6) along which said roller shutter member (2) slides.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that said mechanical bottom stop member (9) is the windowsill or the floor in a French window to which said assembly is fitted.