US 12,411,506 B2Granted

Door closer with power close

AssigneeASSA ABLOY Accessories and Door Controls Group, Inc.

InventorDustin Lawhon

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A door closer may utilize a door closing device (e.g., spring) and a force adjustment device (e.g., a motor) in order to allow for manual door opening and assisted door closing. During operation, as a door is manually opened, the spring is loaded (e.g., compressed or tensioned) above its pre-loaded closed position state. Once manual opening is completed, the spring that is loaded during opening begins returning to the pre-loaded closed position state, and thus, moves the door automatically towards the closed position. Depending on the pre-loaded spring setting, the closing force of the door may not be enough to close the door, or to close the door with the preferred force. As such, during closing a controller may engage a motor not to drive the door directly, but to increase the pre-load of spring to increase the closing force in order to allow the door to close as preferred.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A door closer, the door closer comprising:

a closing device, wherein the closing device is configured to aid in closing a door by providing a closing force to the door;
and
a force adjustment device comprising a motor, wherein the force adjustment device is operatively coupled to the closing device;
a position sensor, wherein the position sensor is used to determine a position of the door;
and
a controller operatively coupled to the motor and the position sensor, wherein the controller comprises:
one or more memory devices with computer-readable program code stored thereon;
and
one or more processing devices operatively coupled to the one or more memory devices, wherein when executed the computer-readable program code is configured to direct the one or more processing devices to:
determine when the door is in a position other than in a closed position, and is stopped or is operating at a speed that is slower than a closing speed set for the door;
and
control the motor to increase the closing force until the door is in the closed position or until the door is operating at the closing speed set for the door.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/511,970Filed 16 Nov 2023 · continuation
Priority: 12 Sep 2019
Published: US 2024/0111315 A14 Apr 2024
Granted: 9 Sep 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification24 codes

E05F 3/00
Closers or openers with braking devices
G05D 15/01
Control of mechanical force or stress; Control of mechanical pressure: characterised by the use of electric means
E05F 1/10
Spring-actuated , e.g. for horizontally sliding wings: for swinging wings , e.g. counterbalance
E05F 3/222
Mechanical power-locks, e.g. for holding the wing open or for free-moving zones: electrically operated

Family

Application62/899,434Us provisional application · filed 12 Sep 2019
Application17/018,075Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Sep 2020
US 2024/0111315 A1Pre-grant publication · published 4 Apr 2024
US 11,829,164 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2021/0079704 A1Published application
US 12,411,506 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.