Door Safety System, Method for Operating a Door Safety System, and Transport Means

Abstract

A door safety system (3) for a door (2), having a safety component (10) arranged on a movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) of the door (2) and a supply component (11) arranged on a stationary door frame (5) of the door (2) for supplying energy to the safety component (10). The safety component (10) has an electric energy store (12) which is designed to autonomously supply electric energy to the safety component (10) when the door (2) is open, and the safety component (10) and the supply component (11) are designed to electrically charge the electric energy store (12) of the safety component (10) when the door (2) is closed.

Claims

1. A door safety system (3) for a door (2), having a movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) and an immovable door frame (5), comprising: a safety component (10) arranged on the movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) of the door (2), and the safety component (10) has an electrical energy store (12); and a supply component (11) which is arranged on the immovable door frame (5) of the door (2) and the supply component (11) supplies the safety component (10) with electricity; and wherein the electrical energy store (12) autonomously supplies the safety component (10) with electrical energy when the door (2) is in an open state relative to the immovable door frame (5); and wherein the safety component (10) and the supply component (11) electrically charge the electrical energy store (12) of the safety component (10) when the door (2) is in a closed state relative to the immovable door frame (5).

2. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 1, and wherein the safety component (10) Is designed to protect living beings or objects.

3. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising: a light barrier (13) for detecting living beings or objects in a closing region of the door (2).

4. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising: an actuator device (7) to move the movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) relative to the immovable door frame (5); and wherein the safety component (1) Initiates transmission of an interruption signal (16) to the actuator device (7) in order to interrupt an automatic closing operation of the door (2) by the actuator device (7).

5. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the electrical energy store (12) of the safety component (10) is a rechargeable battery pack with at least one rechargeable battery cell.

6. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the safety component (10) and the supply component (11) are designed to electrically charge the electrical energy store (12) of the safety component (10) wirelessly, in the closed state of the door (2).

7. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising: a contact element arranged on the movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) and electrically connected to the safety component (10); and a mating contact element arranged on the immovable door frame (5) and the mating contact element is electrically connected to the supply component (11) and contacts the contact element on the movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) when the door (2) is in the closed state; and the safety component (10) and the supply component (11) electrically charge the electrical energy store (12) of the safety component (10) of the door (2).

8. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising: a control component (22) for controlling and/or monitoring the safety component (10); and the control component (22) is arranged on the immovable door frame (5); and wherein the safety component (10) and the control component (22) are designed to communicate bidirectionally and wirelessly with one another.

9. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 8 and wherein the safety component (10) and the control component (22) wirelessly interchange electrical data signals with one another.

10. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 9 and wherein the safety component (10) and the control component (22) wirelessly interchange the electrical data signals using a radio standard.

11. A door (2), in particular an automatic door (2) of a transport means (1) comprising: an immovable door frame (5) carried by the transport means (1); a movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) at least partially movably carried by the immovable door frame (5); and a door safety system (3) having, a safety component (10) arranged on the movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) of the door (2) and the safety component (10) has an electrical energy store (12), and a supply component (11) which is arranged on the immovable door frame (5) of the door (2) and the supply component supplies the safety component (10) with electricity, and wherein the electrical energy store (12) autonomously supplies the safety component (10) with electrical energy when the door (2) is in an open state relative to the immovable door frame (5), and wherein the safety component (10) and the supply component (11) electrically charge the electrical energy store (12) of the safety component (10) when the door (2) is in a closed state relative to the immovable door frame (5).

12. The door (2) as claimed in claim 11 and wherein the transport means is an omnibus (1), a rail vehicle, an aircraft, a cable car or an elevator car.

13. The door (2) as claimed in claim 11 and wherein the movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) is in the form of a door leaf.

14. The door (2) as claimed in claim 11 and wherein precisely two movable door elements (4, 4a, 4b) are provided; and wherein each of the precisely two movable door elements (4, 4a, 4b) has a corresponding safety component (10) which is supplied with electricity by the supply component (11) of the immovable door frame (5).

15. The door (2) as claimed in claim 11 and further comprising: an actuator device (7) arranged on the immovable door frame (5) to automatically open and close the movable door element (4, 4a, 4b).

16. A transport means (1), in particular an omnibus (1) or a rail vehicle comprising: at least one door (2), in particular an automatic door (2) of the transport means (1); an immovable door frame (5) carried by the transport means (1); a movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) at least partially movably carried by the immovable door frame (5); and a door safety system (3) having, a safety component (10) arranged on the movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) of the door (2), and the safety component (10) has an electrical energy store (12), and a supply component (11) which is arranged on the immovable door frame (5) of the door (2) and the supply component supplies the safety component (10) with electricity, and wherein the electrical energy store (12) autonomously supplies the safety component (10) with electrical energy when the door (2) is in an open state relative to the immovable door frame (5), and wherein the safety component (10) and the supply component (11) electrically charge the electrical energy store (12) of the safety component (10) when the door (2) is in a closed state relative to the immovable door frame (5).

17. A method for operating a door safety system (3) of a door (2), the method comprising the steps: providing an immovable door frame (5) of the door (2); providing a movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) that is at least partially movable relative to the immovable door frame (5); providing a safety component (10) arranged on the movable door element (4, 4a, 4b); providing a supply component (11) arranged on the immovable door frame (5) of the door (2) to supply electricity to the safety component (10); providing an electrical store (12) that autonomously supplies electrical energy to the safety component (10) when the door (2) Is in an open state; and electrically charging the electrical store (12) by means of the supply component (11) when the door (2) is in a closed state.

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising: a safety contact strip (14) for detecting a collision of the movable door element (4, 4a, 4b) with a living being or an object.

21. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising: an optical, acoustic or haptic signal generator (15) for warning living beings.

22. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the safety component (10) and the supply component (11) are designed to electrically charge the electrical energy store (12) of the safety component (10) inductively, when the door (2) is in a closed state.

23. The door safety system (3) as claimed in claim 9 and wherein the safety component (10) and the control component (22) wirelessly interchange the electrical data signals using a radio standard within an ISM band.

Description

[0102] In the drawing:

[0103] FIG. 1 schematically shows an omnibus having a plurality of doors which re equipped with a door safety system according to the invention;

[0104] FIG. 2 schematically shows a door according to the invention having a door frame, two movable door elements and advantageous electronic components of the door safety system;

[0105] FIG. 3 schematically shows a block diagram of the electronic components of the door frame; and

[0106] FIG. 4 schematically shows a block diagram of the electronic components of one of the movable door elements.

[0107] FIG. 1 schematically shows a side view of an omnibus 1 having a plurality of automatic doors 2 which may be equipped with a door safety system 3 (cf. FIG. 2) according to the invention that is described in detail below.

[0108] The invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 purely by way of example for use with an omnibus 1. In principle, the invention is suitable for use with any door, but in particular for use with a door 2 of a transport means. An omnibus 1 or a rail vehicle may preferably be provided. However, the transport means may also be an aircraft, a cable car or an elevator car, for example.

[0109] The door 2 may have any design in principle and respectively has at least one movable door element 4, 4a, 4b and an immovable door frame 5. The door frame 5 is the framework of the door element 4, 4a, 4b. The door frame 5 may be fastened to a surrounding structure or may merge into a surrounding structure or may be formed in one part with a surrounding structure. A plurality of doors 2 may therefore also have a common door frame 5, for example. In the context of the invention, the door frame 5 may also be interpreted as a synonym for a component that is immovable relative to the door elements 4, 4a, 4b, in particular if the door frame 5 is not an independent, delimited assembly which can be uniquely assigned to the door 2. In the exemplary embodiment, the door frame 5 merges into the body 6 of the omnibus 1. If reference is therefore made below to the fact that a particular electronic component or other component is arranged on the door fame 5, this component may fundamentally also be arranged at another immovable location in the omnibus 1 or on the body 6 of the omnibus 1; however, the electronic component or other component is preferably situated as close as possible to the movable door elements 4, 4a, 4b and particularly preferably on the door frame 5 proper.

[0110] The omnibus 1 illustrated by way of example in FIG. 1 has a front door 2, for which precisely one movable door element 4 is provided, and a middle door 2 and a rear door 2 which each have precisely two door elements 4a, 4b. The door elements 4, 4a, 4b are each in the form of door leaves.

[0111] FIG. 2 shows a detail enlargement of one of the double doors 2 of the omnibus 1 from FIG. 1. In this case, a first door element 4a in a closed state and a second door element 4b in an open state are shown purely by way of example. In order to automatically open or close the door elements 4a, 4b, an actuator device 7 is arranged on the immovable door frame 5.

[0112] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the actuator device 7 respectively has an electric motor 8 with a respective pivot arm 9 for each door element 4a, 4b (illustrated using dashed lines in FIG. 2 since the electric motor 8 and the pivot arm 9 are situated on the inside of the omnibus 1). In principle, it is also possible to provide only a single electric motor 8 which synchronously opens or closes both door elements 4a, 4b. However, the flexibility when actuating the door 2 may be increased if a separate electric motor 8 is used for each of the door elements 4, 4b. The mechanical structure when using two electric motors 8 can also be simplified.

[0113] The door safety system 3 illustrated has a safety component 10 on each of the movable door elements 4a, 4b of the door 2. The immovable door frame 5 of the door 2 also respectively has a corresponding supply component 11 (however, the supply component 11 assigned to the second door element 4b is concealed by the open door element 4b in FIG. 2).

[0114] The electronic components are illustrated using dashed lines in FIG. 2 and are generally accommodated in the door elements 4a, 4b or in the door frame 5. The electronic components may possibly be covered by additional housing components. The electronic components may also be electromagnetically shielded, but it should be ensured that the wireless energy and data transmission described below is not impaired thereby.

[0115] Each of the safety components 10 has an electrical energy store 12 which is designed to autonomously supply the safety component 10 with electrical energy in the open state of the door 2. In the closed state of the door 2, the corresponding supply component 11 can electrically charge the electrical energy store 12 of the assigned safety component 10. This makes it possible to dispense with cable harnesses between the stationary door frame 5 and the movable door elements 4, 4a, 4b for the purpose of supplying energy to their safety components 10.

[0116] The safety component 10 is preferably designed to protect living beings or objects. Various safety systems, in particular also in combination with one another, can be provided for this purpose. For example, the safety component 10 may have a light barrier or a light curtain 13 for detecting living beings or objects in the closing region of the door 2, a safety contact strip 14 for detecting a collision of the door element 4, 4a, 4b with a living being or an object and an optical, acoustic or haptic signal generator, for example the light strip 15 illustrated, for warning living beings.

[0117] The safety component 10 may be designed to transmit an electrical interruption signal 16 to the actuator device 7 used to move the door element 4, 4a, 4b or to the electric motors 8 of said actuator device or to initiate transmission of an interruption signal 16 in order to interrupt an automatic closing operation of the door 2. The principle of generating or triggering the interruption signal 16 is explained in yet more detail below.

[0118] The electrical energy store 12 of the safety component 10 may be, in particular, in the form of a rechargeable battery pack with at least one rechargeable battery cell. A lithium ion rechargeable battery pack with a plurality of rechargeable battery cells, for example four rechargeable battery cans in a series circuit, is preferably provided.

[0119] The safety component 10 and the supply component 11 are designed to electrically charge the electrical energy store 12 of the safety component 10 wirelessly, inductively in the exemplary embodiment using suitable coifs 17, in the closed state of the door 2. In the closed state of the door 2, the cob 17 are positioned sufficiently close to one another and are aligned with one another in such a manner that electrical energy can be transmitted from the supply component 11 to the safety component 10. As soon as the door 2 is opened, the coifs 17 move away from one another as a result of the opening movement of the door element 4, 4a, 4b until it is no longer possible to transmit energy. After this time in particular, however, the safety component 10 of the door element 4, 4a, 4b can supply itself with electrical energy by means of the energy store 12. The time windows in which the door 2 is not closed (for example is being opened or is completely open) and therefore also cannot be supplied with electricity by the door fame 5 can therefore be advantageously bridged.

[0120] In order to charge the electrical energy store 12, the safety component may have a suitable charging device or a battery management system (BM) 18.

[0121] Energy can be supplied from the supply component 11 to the vehicle electrical system or a vehicle current source 21 (cf. FIG. 3), for example a vehicle battery, via an electrical supply line 20. This is relatively easily possible since the supply component 11 is arranged so as to be immovable relative to the body 6.

[0122] As an alternative to wirelessly transmitting energy between the supply component 11 and the safety component 10, contact-based energy transmission may also be provided in principle. For this purpose, the safety component 10 and the supply component 11 may be designed to electrically charge the electrical energy sore 12 of the safety component 10 of the door 2 by virtue of a contact element (not illustrated) arranged on the door element 4, 4a, 4b and electrically connected to the safety component 10 making contact with a mating contact element (not illustrated) arranged on the door frame 5 and electrically connected to the supply component 11 in the closed state of the door 2. However, this variant of the invention is not preferred.

[0123] A control component 22 is optionally provided on the door frame 5 for the purpose of controlling and/or monitoring the safety component 10. The safety component 10 and the control component 22 are designed to wirelessly interchange electrical data signals with one another, for example signals from the light curtain 13 or from the safety contact strip 14. The control component 22 may therefore detect, for example, whether the door elements 4, 4a, 4b have collided with an object, after which the control component 22 can transmit the interruption signal 16 for stopping the movement of the door 2 to the actuator device 7 or to the electric motors 8.

[0124] Provision may also be made for the control component 22 to forward the data signals from the safety component 10 only to corresponding control units and to not evaluate said data signals itself. The control component 22 can then be used as a mediator in order to bridge the wireless signal path. Existing electronics can therefore be retrofitted in a comparatively simple manner. The principle is explained in more detail below on the basis of FIG. 4.

[0125] However, the control component 22 may also directly forward an interruption signal 16 generated by the safety component 10. For this purpose, a control device 23 of the safety component 10 may itself already evaluate the information or data from the individual safety systems, that is to say from the light curtain 13 and the safety contact strip 14, for example.

[0126] In addition, the control component 22 can actuate the electronic components of the safety component 10, for example the light strip 15. Bidirectional communication can therefore also be provided.

[0127] The safety component 10 and the control component 22 are preferably designed to wirelessly interchange the data signals using a radio standard, in particular using a radio standard within the ISM band. The control component 22 preferably produces a WLAN radio network, into which individual radio modules 24 of the safety components 10 can dial for the purpose of transmitting data.

[0128] In order to illustrate the electrical connection of the door safety system 3, FIGS. 3 and 4 show, byway of example, block diagrams of the electronic components of the door frame 5 and of the supply component 11 and the control component 22 (FIG. 3) and of the movable door element 4, 4a, 4b and the safety component 10 (FIG. 4).

[0129] The individual electronic components are illustrated only by way of example in combination with one another in FIGS. 3 and 4. In particular, Individual electronic components may also be dispensed with or combined with further electronic components. In particular, the voltage values described should also be understood merely as an example.

[0130] Data signals are illustrated using dashed lines in FIGS. 3 and 4 and supply signals are illustrated using sold lines.

[0131] The vehicle current source 21 which has already been mentioned and can provide a nominal electrical DC voltage of 24 volts, for example, can be used to supply electrical energy to the supply component 11 and the control component 22. The supply line 20 can lead to one or more supply components 11 which can transmit the electrical energy to the respective corresponding wireless energy receiver 19 (d. FIG. 4) of the safety component 10 when the door 2 is closed (for example using the cols 17 illustrated in FIG. 2). Each door element 4a, 4b Is therefore preferably supplied with electricity by a separate supply component 11 of the door frame 5. If only one door element 4 is provided. It is possible to dispense with the upper supply component 11 in FIG. 3, for example.

[0132] Individual control units of the door safety system may likewise be supplied by the vehicle current source 21 for the purpose of controlling and/or monitoring the respective safety systems of the safety components 10. For example, itis possible to provide a first control unit 25 for controlling and/or monitoring the light curtain 13, a second control unit 26 for controlling and/or monitoring the light strip 15 and a third control unit 27 for controlling and/or monitoring the safety contact strip 14.

[0133] The control component 22 may also be suppled by the vehicle current source 21. The control component 22 may have a control device 26 which is communicatively connected to the individual control units 25, 26, 27. The control device 28 may be wirelessly connected to the safety components 10 of the door elements 4, 4a, 4b via a radio module 29, in particular in order to forward the data from the light curtain 13 and from the safety contact strip 14, which are captured by the respective safety components 10, to the first control unit 25 and the third control unit 27 and in order to forward the control signals for actuating the light strip 15 from the second control unit 26 to the light strip 15 of the respective door element 4, 4a, 4b. The control component 22 is therefore used as a mediator between the wireless path. This makes it possible to advantageously dispense with a direct cable connection which is usually required between the safety systems of the protection component 22 and the individual control units 25, 26, 27.

[0134] Voltage converters, in particular DC/DC converters, can also be used to supply energy to the individual electronic components arranged in the door fame 5. By way of example, a buck converter 30 is illustrated for the purpose of supplying the control component 22 in FIG. 3 in order to provide, for example, a nominal supply voltage of 5 volts for the purpose of supplying the control component 22. The buck converter 30 may also be integrated in one of the supply components 11, for example.

[0135] As is clear from the block diagram in FIG. 4, the electronic components of the safety component 10 are fundamentally supplied with electricity via the electrical energy store 12 of the safety component 10, wherein the energy store 12 can be electrically charged by the electrical supply voltage of 19 to 20 volts, for example, received by the wireless energy receiver 19, using a charging device or a battery management system 18 (at least if the door 2 is closed).

[0136] The battery management system 18 can forward the voltage from the energy store 12, a rechargeable battery pack in the present case, to a DC/DC converter, for example a boost converter 31, which supplies the further electrical components with electricity, for example with a nominal DC voltage of 24 volts corresponding to the supply voltage of the vehicle current sources 21. A buck converter 30 may optionally also again be provided in order to supply further electronic components with a nominal voltage of 5 volts, for example.

[0137] A so-called balancer 32 may optionally be provided in order to provide a uniform charge distribution between a plurality of rechargeable battery cells of the rechargeable battery pack and possibly also an overcharging and deep-discharge protection system. The balancer 32 or the overcharging protection/deep-discharge protection system may also be part of the battery management system 18.

[0138] The safety component 10 may have the control device 23 which has already been mentioned and is connected to the radio module 24 in order to wirelessly communicate with the control device 28 of the door frame 5 via the radio module 29 of the control component 22. As a result, the data can be interchanged between the light curtain 13 and the first control unit 25, between the light strip 15 and the second control unit 26 and between the safety contact strip 14 and the third control unit 27.

[0139] The radio modules 24, 29 and the control units 23, 28 can therefore replace a conventional cable connection between the electronic components of the door fame 5 and the movable door elements 4, 4a, 4b.