U.S. patent application number 14/066325 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-01 for barrier control system with auxiliary power supply and auxiliary power supply for barrier control system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Gallen K.L. TSUI, Philip Y.W. TSUI. Invention is credited to Gallen K.L. TSUI, Philip Y.W. TSUI.
Application Number | 20140117757 14/066325 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50546373 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140117757 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TSUI; Philip Y.W. ; et
al. |
May 1, 2014 |
Barrier Control System with Auxiliary Power Supply and Auxiliary
Power Supply for Barrier Control System
Abstract
The invention relates generally to the field of barrier control
systems and in particular relates to barrier control systems, such
as a garage door opener, with auxiliary power supply and auxiliary
power supply for barrier control systems. A barrier control system,
such as a garage door opener, with an auxiliary power supply and an
auxiliary power supply for a barrier control system are described.
The auxiliary power supply includes a backup battery and a light
source that is operable on DC power. The auxiliary power supply
includes a sensor to detect whether a DC motor of the barrier
control system is powered by the backup battery, and switches on
the light source upon detecting the DC motor being powered by the
backup battery,
Inventors: |
TSUI; Philip Y.W.; (Fo Tan,
HK) ; TSUI; Gallen K.L.; (Brampton, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TSUI; Philip Y.W.
TSUI; Gallen K.L. |
Fo Tan
Brampton |
|
HK
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
50546373 |
Appl. No.: |
14/066325 |
Filed: |
October 29, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61719539 |
Oct 29, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
307/23 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07C 2009/00928
20130101; E05Y 2400/612 20130101; E05Y 2400/502 20130101; E05Y
2900/106 20130101; E05Y 2800/252 20130101; E05F 2015/435 20150115;
E05F 15/681 20150115; E05F 15/668 20150115; E05Y 2400/45
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
307/23 |
International
Class: |
H02J 9/06 20060101
H02J009/06 |
Claims
1. A barrier control system for controlling operation of a barrier
movement mechanism, the barrier control system comprising: a
microprocessor, said microprocessor receiving user command for
operating the barrier movement mechanism, a direct current ("DC")
motor for driving the barrier movement mechanism, energizing of the
DC motor being controlled by the microprocessor, a light source
that can draw DC current directly, an AC-DC converter unit for
converting alternating current ("AC") power supply to DC power
output, the DC motor being powered by said DC power output, and an
auxiliary power supply, said auxiliary power supply being
configured to supply backup power to the microprocessor, the light
source and the DC motor during power failure of said AC power
supply, said auxiliary power supply comprising: a backup battery
for supplying the backup power, and a sensor to detect the DC motor
being powered by the backup battery, wherein said microprocessor is
configured to cause the auxiliary power supply to energize the
light source for a pre-selected duration upon detection of the DC
motor being powered by the backup battery.
2. The barrier control system of claim 1, wherein the light source
comprises one or more light emitting diodes.
3. The barrier control system of claim 1, wherein the light source
is built into the auxiliary power supply.
4. The barrier control system of claim 1, wherein switching-on of
the light source is separately controllable.
5. The barrier control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor
detects a DC current drawn from the backup battery by the DC motor
to determine whether the DC motor is powered by the backup
battery.
6. The barrier control system of claim 1, wherein the barrier
control system is a garage door opener control system and the
barrier movement mechanism includes driving mechanism for opening
and closing a garage door.
7. The barrier control system of claim 1, wherein the backup
battery is electrically connected to the DC power output of the
AC-DC converter unit.
8. An auxiliary power supply for a barrier control system, said
barrier control system operating on AC power to control operation
of a barrier movement mechanism, the barrier control system having
a microprocessor, a DC motor controlled by the microprocessor for
driving the barrier movement mechanism, and an AC-DC converter unit
for converting AC power supply to DC power output, the auxiliary
power supply comprising: a backup battery for powering the
microprocessor and the DC motor during power failure of the AC
power, a second microprocessor powered by the backup battery, and a
sensor unit to detect the DC motor being powered by the backup
battery, wherein said second microprocessor is configured to switch
on a light source that draws DC current from the backup battery for
a pre-selected duration upon detection of the DC motor being
powered by the backup battery.
9. The auxiliary power supply of claim 8, wherein the light source
comprises one or more light emitting diodes.
10. The auxiliary power supply of claim 8, wherein the light source
is built into the auxiliary power supply.
11. The auxiliary power supply of claim 8, wherein the sensor unit
detects a DC current supplied to the DC motor to determine whether
the DC motor is powered by the backup battery.
12. The auxiliary power supply of claim 8, wherein the barrier
control system is a garage door opener control system and the
barrier movement mechanism includes driving mechanism for opening
and closing a garage door.
13. The auxiliary power supply of claim 8, wherein the backup
battery is electrically connected to the DC power output of the
AC-DC converter unit.
14. A barrier control system for controlling operation of a barrier
movement mechanism, the barrier control system comprising: a
microprocessor, said microprocessor receiving user command for
operating the barrier movement mechanism, a DC motor for driving
the barrier movement mechanism, energizing of the DC motor being
controlled by the microprocessor, a light source that can draw DC
current directly, an AC-DC converter unit for converting AC power
supply to DC power output, the DC motor being powered by said DC
power output, and an auxiliary power supply, said auxiliary power
supply being configured to supply backup power to the
microprocessor, the light source and the DC motor during power
failure of said AC power supply, said auxiliary power supply
comprising: a backup battery for supplying the backup power, and a
sensor to detect barrier movement, wherein said microprocessor is
configured to cause the auxiliary power supply to energize the
light source for a pre-selected duration upon detection of the
barrier movement.
15. The barrier control system of claim 14, wherein the sensor
detects a DC current drawn from the backup battery by the DC motor
to determine whether the barrier is moved by the DC motor.
16. The barrier control system of claim 14, wherein the sensor is a
light sensor that detects light path interruption by the door
movement.
17. The barrier control system of claim 16, wherein the sensor is
an infrared beam sensor.
18. The barrier control system of claim 14, wherein the barrier
control system is a garage door opener control system and the
barrier movement mechanism includes driving mechanism for opening
and closing a garage door.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/719,539, filed on Oct. 29, 2012,
which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
barrier control systems and in particular relates to barrier
control systems, such as a garage door opener, with auxiliary power
supply and auxiliary power supply for barrier control systems.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0003] Barrier control systems, such as a garage door opener,
generally operate on alternating current ("AC") power. During power
failure of AC power, a user would not be able to operate a barrier
control system. This could inconvenience a user, especially if the
barrier control system is a garage door opener, because the user
would not be able to enter or exit a garage. Auxiliary power supply
equipped with a backup battery for garage door opener has been
available for quite some time, which provides the advantage of
being able to operate the garage door opener during power failure.
However, these auxiliary power supplies available on the market
tend to provide power only to open and close garage door.
Generally, the backup battery delivers direct current ("DC")
voltage to a motor, which operates on DC power. However, another
major functional aspect of a garage door opener, i.e., illuminating
the interior of a garage, generally requires AC power to light up a
light bulb that is built into a garage door opener unit. Such a
backup battery, which provides only DC power, therefore cannot
directly power such an AC light bulb. Therefore, during power
failure, the garage door can be opened and closed if the garage
door opener is equipped with such an auxiliary power supply, but
there still will be no light.
[0004] To power the light bulb that is built into a garage door
opener unit, it requires AC power. A backup battery provides only
DC power. Therefore it would be necessary to provide additional
control elements in a circuitry to convert the DC power output from
a battery to AC current in order to power up the built-in light
bulb. In addition, as the DC motor and the AC light bulb require
different power sources, the auxiliary power supply would have to
supply AC power and DC power separately to the light bulb and the
DC motor, which tends to further increase the complexity and costs
of such an auxiliary power supply or garage door opener.
[0005] Therefore, there is a need to have an auxiliary power supply
solution so that the light can be turned on during power failure
when operating the barrier control system. The forgoing creates
challenges and constraints in providing such a barrier control
system. It is an object of the present invention to mitigate or
obviate at least one of the above mentioned disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0006] The present invention is directed to barrier control
systems, such as a garage door opener, with auxiliary power supply,
and directed to auxiliary power supply for barrier control systems.
In general terms, an auxiliary power supply includes a backup
battery that can be connected to a barrier control system
externally or integrated with a barrier control system. A pair of
wires connects the backup battery to the opener main unit. Under
normal operating conditions, the garage door opener unit is powered
by external AC power source and, at the same time, the garage door
opener unit charges the backup battery through the wires connecting
the battery and the opener unit. When external AC power experiences
a power failure, the backup battery will provide power to move a
movable barrier, such as to open and close a garage door; at the
same time, the backup battery also powers a separate light source,
which may be one or more light emitting diodes (or LEDs), to
illuminate the interior of the garage. A control circuitry can also
include a timer such as a countdown timer so the light source is
switched on only for a pre-set period of time.
[0007] In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a barrier
control system for controlling operation of a barrier movement
mechanism. The barrier control system comprises a microprocessor, a
DC motor for driving the barrier movement mechanism, a light source
that can draw DC current directly, an AC-DC converter unit for
converting AC power supply to DC power output to power the DC
motor, and an auxiliary power supply. The microprocessor receives
user command for operating the barrier movement mechanism and
controls the energizing of the DC motor, which is powered by the DC
power output. The auxiliary power supply is configured to
automatically supply backup power to the microprocessor, the light
source and the DC motor during power failure of the AC power
supply. The auxiliary power supply comprises a backup battery for
supplying the backup power, and a sensor to detect the DC motor
being powered by the backup battery. The microprocessor is further
configured to cause the auxiliary power supply to energize the
light source for a pre-selected duration upon detection of the DC
motor being powered by the backup battery.
[0008] In another aspect of the invention, there is provided an
auxiliary power supply for a barrier control system. The barrier
control system operates on AC power to control operation of a
barrier movement mechanism. The barrier control system has a
microprocessor, a DC motor controlled by the microprocessor for
driving the barrier movement mechanism, and an AC-DC converter unit
for converting AC power supply to DC power output to power the DC
motor. The auxiliary power supply comprises a backup battery for
powering the microprocessor and the DC motor during power failure
of the AC power, a second microprocessor powered by the backup
battery, and a sensor to detect the DC motor being powered by the
backup battery. The second microprocessor is configured to switch
on a light source that draws DC current from the backup battery for
a pre-selected duration upon detection of the DC motor being
powered by the backup battery.
[0009] In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a
barrier control system for controlling operation of a barrier
movement mechanism. The barrier control system comprises a
microprocessor, a DC motor for driving the barrier movement
mechanism, energizing of the DC motor being controlled by the
microprocessor, a light source that can draw DC current directly,
an AC-DC converter unit for converting AC power supply to DC power
output, the DC motor being powered by said DC power output, and an
auxiliary power supply. The auxiliary power supply is configured to
supply backup power to the microprocessor, the light source and the
DC motor during power failure of said AC power supply and comprises
a backup battery for supplying the backup power, and a sensor to
detect barrier movement. The microprocessor receives user command
for operating the barrier movement mechanism and is configured to
cause the auxiliary power supply to energize the light source for a
pre-selected duration upon detection of the barrier movement.
[0010] In other aspects the invention provides various combinations
and subsets of the aspects described above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0011] For the purposes of description, but not of limitation, the
foregoing and other aspects of the invention are explained in
greater detail by way of examples with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a prior art garage door opener with an internal
backup battery unit;
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a prior art garage door opener with external
backup battery unit;
[0014] FIG. 3 shows an auxiliary power supply unit attached to a
barrier control system;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating functional components
of a barrier control system with an auxiliary power supply unit as
shown in FIG. 3;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating functional components
of a barrier control system with built-in auxiliary power supply;
and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating functional components
of an example of a garage door opener control system with an
auxiliary power supply.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The description which follows and any embodiment described
therein are provided by way of illustration of an example, or
examples, of particular embodiment or embodiments of the principles
of the present invention. These examples are provided for the
purposes of explanation, and not limitation, of those principles
and of the invention. In the description which follows, like parts
are marked throughout the specification and the drawings with the
same respective reference numerals.
[0019] FIG. 1 shows a typical (prior art) garage door opener 100
with an internal backup battery unit. Garage door opener unit 100
is plugged into an external power outlet with a power cord 102.
Inside light cover 104 of garage door opener unit 100 is installed
a light source, such as a light bulb. Under normal operation, the
opener unit operates by AC power. A backup battery 106 (normally
installed inside cover 104 but shown in FIG. 1 outside light cover
104 for better illustration) can be connected to the opener unit by
a pair of wires, 108 and 110, connecting the positive and negative
terminals from the battery to the DC power terminals inside the
opener unit. During normal operation, power is transmitted through
the wires 108 and 110 to charge the backup battery. During power
failure, backup battery will deliver an alternative DC power to the
opener unit, replacing the DC power of the opener unit. The only
light source in this setup is the light bulb inside the light
cover. During power failure, the backup battery provides power only
to the DC motor. As no AC power is provided to the light bulb,
there will be no light during the opening or closing of the garage
door.
[0020] FIG. 2 shows a (prior art) garage door opener with an
external backup battery unit. A backup battery unit 202 is
connected to the garage door opener 200 with a wire harness 204,
which includes a pair of wires, one being positive and one being
negative, to provide electric connections between the battery
inside backup battery unit 202 and a DC power output inside the
opener. Wire harness 204 delivers DC power from the battery to the
opener unit during power failure, as well as power from the opener
to the battery for charging the battery during normal
operation.
[0021] FIG. 3 shows an auxiliary power supply unit 302 attached to
a barrier control system, such as garage door opener 300. Auxiliary
power supply unit 302 has an enclosure cover, which may be a
plastic or metal enclosure, and is mounted next to the garage door
opener unit 300. Inside the enclosure cover is installed a backup
battery unit (not shown). Light source 304 is mounted at a
location, such as the bottom of the backup battery unit, so that
the light source can provide suitable illumination of the garage
interior. Light source can be one or more light emitting diodes
("LEDs"), or any other suitable light sources that can draw DC
current directly from a backup battery. Barrier movement mechanism
306, which may comprise chains or belt and a power transmission
unit, delivers the power from the motor to move a movable barrier,
e.g., to open or close a garage door. The light source is switched
on for a fixed, pre-set period of time (e.g., a pre-selected
duration such as three minutes) when the garage door opener is
activated and powered by the backup battery inside auxiliary power
supply unit 302; alternatively or in addition, switching-on of the
light source is separately controllable, e.g., it may be turned on
with a specific user command transmitted from a hand held control
unit (not shown) or entered at a wall mounted control unit (not
shown).
[0022] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating functional components
of a barrier control system with an auxiliary power supply unit as
shown in FIG. 3. Barrier control system 400 may be a garage door
opener unit, and is powered by external AC power. Garage door
opener unit 400 includes a microprocessor 402. Microprocessor 402
controls all logics such as receiving wireless signals from a
receiver 404, decoding such wireless signal to verify whether the
received signal is from an authorized hand held control device, and
executing user commands received. AC-DC converter unit 406, or
rectifier, converts AC power supplied by external AC power to a DC
power output to power the DC components of the garage door opener
unit. The microprocessor is configured, i.e., programmed, to verify
that the received wireless signal is a valid signal. When the
signal is verified to be valid, the microprocessor is configured to
decode the signal and execute the command carried by the signal.
For example, when a command to open or close the garage door is
received, the microprocessor is configured to connect the DC power
output of AC-DC converter unit 406 to a DC motor 408 to energize
the motor, thus, drive the barrier movement mechanism 306 to open
or close the movable barrier, such as a garage door. Safety
measures 410 such as infrared beam sensor (for detecting door
movement) or entrapment protection system (for inhibiting movement
of door in unsafe conditions) will be energized to ensure the door
operates safely. A light source powered by external 120V AC power,
such as 120V AC light source 412, may also be turned on for a fixed
duration to provide illumination inside the garage.
[0023] Electric path 414, which may be electric wires, connects the
garage door opener unit 400 and auxiliary power supply unit 416
together. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, auxiliary power
supply unit is a unit separate from the garage door opener 400. In
another example, the auxiliary power supply unit can be integrated
with the garage door opener unit, as will be explained later. When
the auxiliary power supply unit 416 is a separate unit, it includes
a second microprocessor 418, which may be connected to and
communicate with the microprocessor 402 (the first microprocessor)
of the garage door opener unit 402.
[0024] More specifically, electric path 414 of the example shown in
FIG. 4 connects backup battery 420 of the auxiliary power supply
unit to the DC power output of the AC-DC converter unit 406 (shown
as through and switched by the microprocessors 402, 418, but not
necessary). The backup battery may be any suitable rechargeable
battery, such as a NiMH or a lead acid rechargeable battery. During
normal operation, this path conveniently provides DC power from the
garage door opener unit to charge the backup battery 420, so as to
keep it fully charged. During power failure of external AC power,
path 414 delivers DC power from the backup battery to DC components
in the garage door opener unit 400 to maintain their normal
operation.
[0025] However, the DC power of the backup battery 420 generally is
not able to power the 120V AC light bulb 412. To provide
illumination during power failure of external AC power, a separate
light source 422 is provided. The additional light source may be
one or more low voltage LEDs. Although in FIG. 4, the additional
light source 422 is shown to be built into auxiliary power supply
unit 416, it is understood that the light source 422 is not
required to be part of the auxiliary power supply. It only needs to
be able to draw DC current directly from the auxiliary power supply
and that its switch on or off can be controlled by a suitable
microprocessor (microprocessor 418 in this example). A sensor is
provided to detect whether the DC motor 408 is powered by the
backup battery 420 flowing through the DC motor. For example, a
current detection circuitry 424 may be used to detect output DC
current from backup battery 420. Alternatively, a movement
detector, such as the safety detection device or sensor 410, may
also be employed to detect barrier movement. During AC power
failure, the backup battery will provide DC power to the garage
door opener unit through the path 414. There will be significant DC
current drawn from the auxiliary power supply unit. When the output
DC current exceeds a threshold value, generally a value required to
energize the DC motor 408, the garage door opener unit is in
operation and powered by the backup battery. Upon detection of this
condition or simply the detection of barrier movement, the second
microprocessor 418 is configured to switch on the other light
source 422, while the DC motor is powered by the backup battery and
the garage door is in movement. In addition, the auxiliary power
supply unit may also include a timer, which can be conveniently
built into the second microprocessor 418. The second microprocessor
418 will start the timer, which may be a countdown timer, to turn
the light off after a specific period of time, such as 3
minutes.
[0026] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating functional components
of an example of a barrier control system similar to that shown in
FIG. 4, but with an auxiliary power supply unit integrated with the
garage door opener system, in one enclosure. In other words, the
components of the garage door opener unit 400 of FIG. 4 and the
auxiliary power supply unit are enclosed in or mounted to the same
housing. Because the auxiliary power supply unit is integrated into
the barrier control system, only one microprocessor 502 is needed.
Microprocessor 502 receives wireless signals from receiver 504,
decodes and verifies the signal, executes the command carried by,
i.e., encoded in the signal, and controls all other logics in the
same way as the first microprocessor 402 shown in FIG. 4. For
example, microprocessor 502 controls energizing of motor 506 by the
DC power output from an AC-DC converter 508, processing of sensor
signals from safety measures 510, and switching on and off of 120V
AC light source 508. In addition, microprocessor 502 also controls
energizing of a light source by connecting it directly to DC power
output from the built-in auxiliary power supply unit. Backup
battery 514 is shown to be electrically connected to the AC-DC
converter 508 through microprocessor 502 in this example, though it
is understood that it may be electrically connected to the AC-DC
converter 508 directly, in particular, connected directly to its DC
power output. As in the example illustrated in FIG. 4, this
connection allows the AC-DC converter 508 to charge the backup
battery 514 during normal operation. During power failure of
external AC power, backup battery 514 provides DC power to
components in the integrated garage door opener unit to maintain
their normal operation. However, similar to the example shown in
FIG. 4, backup battery 514 is not able to turn on the 120V AC light
bulb 512. As in the example shown in FIG. 4, a separate light
source 516, which may comprise one or more low voltage LEDs, is
provided. As such a light source draws DC current, backup battery
514 can energize the light source 516 directly. The microprocessor
502 may be configured to detect AC power failure, and upon its
detection, will turn on the low voltage LEDs when connecting the
motor 506 to the backup battery 514 during such failure. Of course,
a current detection circuitry (not shown) may still be provided to
sense the DC current supplied by the backup battery 514 to the DC
motor 506, and the current exceeding a threshold value may still be
a triggering signal to the microprocessor for it to switch on the
low voltage LED for the pre-selected duration, such as three
minutes. Alternatively or in addition, switch on of the light
source 516 may be triggered by detection of barrier movement
through a motion detector, such as an infrared beam sensor (not
shown in FIG. 5).
[0027] FIG. 6 shows in block diagram an example of a garage door
opener (GDO) control system with an auxiliary power supply. Its GDO
unit 602 includes motor control 604 for controlling when to
energize motor 606, which is powered by a transformer/rectifier
unit 608. Motor control 604 includes a first microprocessor (not
shown) for controlling all logics and executing user commands
received, among others.
[0028] Auxiliary power supply has its own microprocessor, or
microcontroller 610, which through battery supply control 612
controls whether to provide DC power from backup battery 614 to
motor 606, such as during an AC power failure, or to allow the GDO
unit's transformer/rectifier unit 608 to charge the backup battery
614 when there is no AC power failure. As described earlier,
current detection circuitry 616 may be used to detect DC power
supplied to the DC motor, thus to trigger the micro controller 610
to activate light control 618 to switch on LED light source 620
upon detection of powering of the motor by backup battery 614. This
may be detected by detecting the DC power (or DC current) exceeding
a threshold value. Light control circuitry 618 can also be used as
a countdown timer so the LED light source is switched on only for a
pre-set period of time. Alternatively or in addition, a door
movement detection device 622, such as a light sensor to detect
light path interruption by door movement, may be used to detect
movement of the garage door and, upon its detection, to trigger the
micro controller 610 to switch on LED light source 620 for a
pre-set period of time regardless whether the DC motor is powered
by the backup battery 614.
[0029] Various examples of an embodiment of the invention have now
been described in detail. Those skilled in the art will appreciate
that numerous modifications, adaptations and variations may be made
to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the
invention, which is defined by the appended claims. The scope of
the claims should be given the broadest interpretation consistent
with the description as a whole and not to be limited to any
embodiment set forth in the examples or detailed description
thereof.
* * * * *