NL2036421B1

NL2036421B1 - Sectional door

Info

Publication number: NL2036421B1
Application number: NL2036421A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Ter Beek Anthon
Original assignee: Condoor Group B V
Priority date: 2023-12-05
Filing date: 2023-12-05
Publication date: 2025-06-17

Abstract

Sectional door (1) comprising a door blade (2) and a door cable (3) that is connected to the door blade (2) and to 5 an electric motor (7) for opening and closing of the sectional door (1), wherein the connection of the door blade (2) to the electric motor (7) is through a rotatable drum (4, 5, 6) that is driven by the electric motor (7), wherein the electric motor is a frequency controlled motor (7) which is connected to a 10 controller (8) that determines the instantaneous rotational speed of the electric motor (7) depending on an actual radius of the drum (4, 5, 6) which is present at a position where the door cable (2) is at the verge of losing contact or of coming into contact with the drum (4, 5, 6).

Description

Sectional door

The invention relates to a sectional door comprising a door blade and a door cable that is connected to the door blade and to an electric motor for opening and closing of the sectional door, wherein the connection of the door cable to the electric motor 1s through a drum that is driven by the electric motor.

US 5,698,073 A discloses such a sectional door with a reversible motor and a cable to be wound about reels representing the drum. The drum of this known sectional door has a constant radius. Although US 5,698,073 A is silent about the type of reversible motor used, it is common in the prior art to apply an asynchronous electric motor. It can further be remarked that the drum that is conventionally applied in the prior art is not always a drum with a constant radius, which is known as a normal system. In the prior art also a so-called vertical system and a so-called high system may be applied, wherein the radius of the drum is not constant. The speed of opening or closing of the door blade is then variable. The opening or closing position of the door blade is in the prior art constantly monitored using an encoder.

It is an object of the invention to provide a sectional door wherein the speed of opening or closing of the door blade is controllable at a desired value, which is particularly beneficial in safety zones which require a limited opening or closing speed.

In accordance with the invention a sectional door is proposed having the features of one or more of the appended claims.

In a first aspect of the invention the electric motor is a frequency controlled motor which 1s connected to a controller that determines the instantaneous rotational speed of the electric motor depending on an actual radius of the drum which is present at a position where the door cable is at the verge of losing contact or of coming into contact with the drum.

With the invention it is possible to accurately control the closing or opening speed of the door blade, when the sectional door is provided with a drum that is selected from a group of embodiments, comprising a. a first embodiment wherein the radius of the drum is constant (a normal system); b. a second embodiment wherein a first part of the drum has a constant first radius, and a second part adjacent to the first part of the drum has an increasing second radius, which second radius has a lowest value that is equal to the first radius (a high system); and

C. a third embodiment which has a linearly increasing radius from one end to another end of the drum so as to provide the drum with a conical shape (a vertical system).

According to the invention the closing or opening speed of the door blade is controllable by controlling the instantaneous rotational speed of the electric motor. Or in other words: The door blade speed can be 'compensated' by arranging that the drive by the electric motor will rotate faster or slower to compensate for the conical part of the drum. The result is a constant door blade speed providing the advantage of a higher speed in comparison with the (too) slow smaller diameters of the drum in the prior art solution, compared to a slower speed in the traditionally (too) fast larger diameters of the drum in the prior art solution.

To make accurate control of the closing or opening speed of the door blade possible, it is preferable that the position where the door cable is at the verge of losing contact or of coming into contact with the drum is continuously monitored by keeping track of the number and direction of rotations of the drum. This provides the further advantage that a user can indicate a desired degree of opening of the door blade, for instance to lift the door to a specific height, such as 2 m.

The accompanying drawing, which is incorporated into and forms a part of the specification, illustrates one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serves to explain the principles of the invention.

The drawing is only for the purpose of illustrating one or more embodiments of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention.

In the drawing: —figure 1 shows schematically three possible embodiments of the sectional door of the invention; figure 2 shows the different drums that may be used in the three embodiments of the sectional door of the invention shown in figure 1; and figure 3 shows the position of the door cable on the drum when the door blade is opened or closed.

Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are applied, these numerals refer to the same parts.

Figure 1 depicts from left to right three possible embodiments of the sectional door 1 of the invention, to note a vertical system, a high system, and a normal system. Each of said systems has a door blade 2 and a door cable 3 that is connected to the door blade 2 and to an electric motor 7 for opening and closing of the sectional door 1. The connection of the cable 3 with the electric motor 7 is through a drum 4, 5, © (see figure 2) that is driven by the electric motor 7. The connection of the cable 3 with the drum 4, 5, 6 is not shown in the drawing, but this is self-evident for the skilled person and requires no further elucidation. Possible embodiments of the drum 4, 5, 6 that correspond to the above-mentioned vertical system, high system, and normal system of the sectional door 1 are shown in figure 2, i.e. from right to left a. a first embodiment wherein the radius of the drum 4 is constant (normal system); b. a second embodiment wherein a first part 5° of the drum 5 has a constant first radius, and a second part 577 adjacent to the first part 5’ of the drum 5 has an increasing second radius, which second radius has a lowest value that is equal to the first radius (high system); and

Cc. a third embodiment which has a linearly increasing radius from one end 6’ to another end 6°’ of the drum 6 so as to provide the drum 6 with a conical shape (vertical system).

Figure 3 depicts for each of the drums 4, 6, 6 shown in figure 2 the position where the door cable 3 is at the verge of losing contact or of coming into contact with the drum 4, 5, 6, which position each time corresponds to the door blade 2 being closed or being opened. It is clear that depending on the type of drum 4, 5, 6 that is applied, the radius of the drum 4, 5, 6 at the location where the door cable 3 still has contact with the drum 4, 5, 6 will differ, and that this different radius impacts the speed of closing or opening of the door blade 2.

In order to make the closing or opening speed of the door blade 2 controllable, according to the invention the electric motor is selected to be a frequency controlled motor 7 which is «connected to a controller § that determines the instantaneous rotational speed of the electric motor 7 depending on an actual radius of the drum 4, 5, 6 which is present at the position where the door cable 2 is at the verge of losing contact or of coming into contact with the drum 4, 5, 6. In connection therewith the position where the door cable 3 is at the verge of losing contact or of coming into contact with the drum 4, 5, 6 is continuously monitored by keeping track of the number and direction of rotations of the concerning drum 4, 5, 6.

Embodiments of the present invention can include every combination of features that are disclosed herein independently from each other. Although the invention has been discussed in the foregoing with reference to exemplary embodiments of the invention, the invention is not restricted to these particular embodiments which can be varied in many ways without departing from the invention. The discussed exemplary embodiments shall therefore not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance therewith. On the contrary the embodiments are merely intended to explain the wording of the appended claims without intent to limit the claims to these exemplary embodiments. The scope of protection of the invention shall therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims only, wherein a possible ambiguity in the wording of the claims shall be resolved using these exemplary embodiments.

Variations and modifications of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and equivalents. The entire disclosures of all references, applications, patents, and publications cited above are hereby incorporated by reference. Unless specifically stated as being “essential” above, none of the various components or the interrelationship thereof are essential to the operation of the invention. Rather, desirable results can be achieved by substituting various components and/or reconfiguration of their relationships with one another.

Optionally, embodiments of the present invention can include a general or specific purpose control computer or distributed system programmed with computer software implementing steps described above, which computer software may be in any appropriate computer language, including but not limited to C++, FORTRAN, ALGOL, BASIC, Java, Python, Linux, assembly language, microcode, distributed programming languages, etc. One or more processors and/or microcontrollers can operate via instructions of the computer code and the software is preferably stored on one or more tangible non- transitive memory-storage devices.

Aspects of the invention are itemized in the following section. 1. Sectional door (1) comprising a door blade (2) and a door cable (3) that is connected to the door blade (2) and to an electric motor (7) for opening and closing of the sectional door (1), wherein the connection of the door cable (3) to the electric motor (7) is through a rotatable drum (4, 5, 6) that

- fH - is driven by the electric motor (7), characterized in that the electric motor is a frequency controlled motor (7) which is connected to a controller (8) that determines the instantaneous rotational speed of the electric motor (7) depending on an actual radius of the drum (4, 5, 6) which is present at a position where the door cable (2) is at the verge of losing contact or of coming into contact with the drum (4, 5, 6).

2. Sectional door according to claim 1, characterized in that the drum (4, 5, 6) is selected from a group of embodiments, comprising a. a first embodiment wherein the radius of the drum (4) is constant;

b. a second embodiment wherein a first part (57) of the drum (5) has a constant first radius, and a second part (577) adjacent to the first part of the drum (5) has an increasing second radius, which second radius has a lowest value that is equal to the first radius;

c.a third embodiment which has a linearly increasing radius from one end (6') to another end {6} of the drum (6) so as to provide the drum (6) with a conical shape.

3. Sectional door according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the closing or opening speed of the door blade (2} is controllable by controlling the instantaneous rotational speed of the electric motor (7).

4. Sectional door according to any one of claims 1 — 3,

characterized in that the position where the door cable (2) is at the verge of losing contact or of coming into contact with the drum (4, 5, 6) is continuously monitored by keeping track of the number and direction of rotations of the drum (4, 5, 6).

Claims

- 7 = CONCLUSIONS

1. Sectional door (1) comprising a door leaf (2) and a door cable (3) connected to the door leaf (2) and to an electric motor (7) for opening and closing the sectional door (1), the connection of the door cable (3) to the electric motor (7) being made via a rotatable drum (4, 5, 6) driven by the electric motor (7), characterised in that the electric motor is a frequency-controlled motor (7) connected to a controller (8) which determines the instantaneous speed of the electric motor (7) depending on an actual radius of the drum (4, 5, ©) present at the point where the door cable (2) is about to lose contact or come into contact with the drum (4, 5, ©).

2. Sectional door according to claim 1, characterised in that the drum (4, 5, 6) is selected from a group of embodiments, comprising a. a first embodiment in which the radius of the drum (4) is constant;

b. a second embodiment wherein a first portion (5!) of the drum (5) has a constant first radius, and a second portion (5'') adjacent to the first portion of the drum (5) has an increasing second radius, said second radius having a minimum value equal to the first radius; and c. a third embodiment having a linearly increasing radius from one end (6') to another end (6'') of the drum (6) giving the drum (6) a conical shape.

3. Sectional door according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the closing or opening speed of the door leaf (2)

adjustable 1s by controlling the instantaneous rotation speed of the electric motor (7).

4. Sectional door according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the position where the door cable (2) is about to lose contact or come into contact with the drum (4, 5, 6) is continuously monitored by recording the number of revolutions and the direction of rotation of the drum (4, 5, 6).