Patent classifications
E06B2009/6872
Stall Protection for a Motorized Window Treatment
A motor drive unit for driving a motor of a motorized window treatment may comprise software-based and hardware-based implementations of a process for detecting and resolving a stall condition in the motor, where the hardware-based implementation is configured to reduce power delivered to the motor if the software-based implementation has not first reduced the power to the motor. A control circuit may detect a stall condition of the motor, and reduce the power delivered to the motor after a first period of time from first detecting the stall condition. The motor drive unit may comprise a stall prevention circuit configured to reduce the power delivered to the motor after a second period of time (e.g., longer than the first period of time) from determining that a rotational sensing circuit is not generating a sensor signal while the control circuit is generating a drive signal to rotate the motor.
Low-power radio-frequency receiver
A low-power radio-frequency (RF) receiver is characterized by a decreased current consumption over prior art RF receivers, such that the RF receiver may be used in control devices, such as battery-powered motorized window treatments and two-wire dimmer switches. The RF receiver uses an RF sub-sampling technique to check for the RF signals and then put the RF receiver to sleep for a sleep time that is longer than a packet length of a transmitted packet to thus conserve battery power and lengthen the lifetime of the batteries. The RF receiver compares detected RF energy to a detect threshold that may be increased to decrease the sensitivity of the RF receiver and increase the lifetime of the batteries. After detecting that an RF signal is being transmitted, the RF receiver is put to sleep for a snooze time period that is longer than the sleep time and just slightly shorter than the time between two consecutive transmitted packets to further conserve battery power.
Motorized window treatment
A motorized window treatment may provide a low-cost solution for controlling the amount of daylight entering a space through a window. The window treatment may include a covering material (e.g., a cellular shade fabric or a roller shade fabric), a drive assembly for raising and lowering the covering material, and a motor drive unit including a motor configured to drive the drive assembly to raise and lower the covering material. The motorized window treatment may comprise one or more battery packs configured to receive batteries for powering the motor drive unit. The batteries may be located out of view of a user of the motorized window treatment (e.g., in a headrail or in a battery compartment). The motorized window treatment may use various power-saving methods to lengthen the lifetime of the batteries, e.g., to reduce the motor speed to conserve additional battery power and extend the lifetime of the batteries.
Methods for configuring and controlling the operation of a motorised drive device for a home automation unit, and associated unit and motorised drive device
A method for configuring a motorized drive device for a solar protection home automation unit includes a step of triggering the rolling-up of a screen from an unrolled position, in which the screen is relaxed, towards a rolled-up position. This method further includes a step of measuring a magnitude of an electrical current passing through an electric motor using a measurement device, a step of determining a first maximum value of the measured magnitude, indicative of a position of breakage of the arms of a screening device, and a step of determining a lowered end-of-travel position of the screen. The lowered end-of-travel position of the screen corresponds to a measured-magnitude value lower than the first maximum value. The lowered end-of-travel position of the screen lies before the position of breakage of the arms of the screening device, in the direction of unrolling of the screen.
Tracking a position of a motorized window treatment
Motorized window treatment systems are disclosed. A motorized window treatment system may include a covering material, a sensor circuit, and a control circuit. The sensor circuit may be configured to generate sensor signals indicative of a position of the covering material. The control circuit may be configured to determine a present sensor state of the sensor circuit, determine a predicted sensor state for the sensor circuit based at least in part on a power-down position recorded at a first time and a final position recorded at a second time, compare the predicted sensor state with the present sensor state, and determine a present position of the covering material based on the comparison of the predicted sensor state and the present sensor state. Methods of adjusting a position of a covering material of a motorized window treatment also are disclosed.
Wind safe door
The present invention concerns a motorized door for closing an area (3) at least partially defined by a frame, said Motorized door comprising: (A) a motorized driving mechanism (10) for moving a shutter between an open position (z=1) and a closed position (z=0) in a first direction () to close said area defined within said frame and in a second direction () to open said area; (B) a detection cell (5, 6) suitable for detecting an accidental event (e1), during the motion of the shutter. The motorized door further comprises a processing unit programmed to trigger a wind related safety function avoiding the yo-yo effect in case strong winds triggered the erroneous detection of an accidental event by the detection cell, said wind related safety function comprising the following steps: (C) a processing unit (CPU): (a) stop the movement of the shutter in the first direction (), and reverse said movement into the second direction () and, after a brief reverse time, t, of the order of 0.8 to 3.0 s, (b) stop said movement in the second direction () and reverse the movement back into the first direction () towards the closed position (z=0) of the shutter.
AUTOMATIC DOOR CONTROL SYSTEM
An automatic door control system includes a door element that rotates in response to a change in position of a door, a first door position sensor configured to output a position signal based on rotation of the door element, a controller and a control device. The controller incudes memory containing a target position corresponding to an intermediate position of the door between maximally open and maximally closed positions of the door, and a processor configured to monitor a current position of the door based on the position signal and stop rotation of the door element when the current position matches the target position. The control device is configured to set the target position in the memory through a wireless communication link with the controller.
AUTOMATIC DOOR CONTROL
An automatic door opening system includes an element that is rotatable to change a position of a door. A potentiometer is coupled to the element such that rotation of the element in one direction increases a resistance of the potentiometer and rotation of the element in the opposite direction decreases the resistance. A controller is configured to rotate the element concurrently with monitoring the resistance of the potentiometer, and to stop the rotation when the resistance of the potentiometer is indicative of a target position of the door.
Low-Power Radio-Frequency Receiver
A low-power radio-frequency (RF) receiver is characterized by a decreased current consumption over prior art RF receivers, such that the RF receiver may be used in control devices, such as battery-powered motorized window treatments and two-wire dimmer switches. The RF receiver uses an RF sub-sampling technique to check for the RF signals and then put the RF receiver to sleep for a sleep time that is longer than a packet length of a transmitted packet to thus conserve battery power and lengthen the lifetime of the batteries. The RF receiver compares detected RF energy to a detect threshold that may be increased to decrease the sensitivity of the RF receiver and increase the lifetime of the batteries. After detecting that an RF signal is being transmitted, the RF receiver is put to sleep for a snooze time period that is longer than the sleep time and just slightly shorter than the time between two consecutive transmitted packets to further conserve battery power.
Method for determining a fully extended position of a screening body of a screening device
A method for determining a fully extended position of a screening body (14) of a screening device (12) for a roof window. The screening device (12) comprises a control unit comprising a data storage device, an electric motor (18) comprising a tachometer (181), a roller tube (15), a screening body (14) and a first and a second spring element (164, 174). The method comprises the steps of driving the screening body (14) from a fully retracted position to a fully extended position, in which the spring elements (164, 174) are tensioned to a first tension level, T.sub.1, stopping the electric motor (18) at a point at which the spring elements (164, 174) are tensioned to a second tension level, T.sub.2, above the first tension level, T.sub.1, measuring the number of revolutions, R.sub.d, of the roller tube (15) necessary to drive the screening body (14) to the said position at which the motor (18) is stopped, storing the measured number of revolutions, R.sub.d, in the data storage device, measuring the number of revolutions, R.sub.b, of the roller tube, that a release of a tension corresponding to the difference, T, between the first tension level, T.sub.1, and the second tension level, T.sub.2, will cause the roller tube (15) to move back towards the fully retracted position, storing the number of revolutions, R.sub.b, in the data storage device, and calculating and storing in the data storage device a value R=R.sub.dR.sub.b.