Cable drum cable tensioner and methods in a movable barrier system
AssigneeGMI Holdings, Inc.
InventorRobert E. Thomas, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A movable barrier system for operating a movable barrier may include a torsion tube configured to rotate and a cable drum comprising a cable connectable to the movable barrier. The cable drum may be configured to rotate relative to the torsion tube. The movable barrier system may further include a sensor configured to detect the angular displacement or a force between the torsion tube and the cabled drum and send a signal when the angular displacement or the force changes. The movable barrier system may further include a controller in communication with the sensor and configured to stop rotation of the torsion tube in response to the signal.
Claims20
A movable barrier system for operating a movable barrier comprising:
- a torsion tube configured to rotate;
- a cable drum on the torsion tube, the cable drum configured to rotate relative to the torsion tube;
- a cable disposed on the cable drum and configured to connect to the movable barrier;
- a sensor which detects an angular displacement between the rotation of the torsion tube and the rotation of the cable drum or a force between the torsion tube and the cable drum and sends a signal when the angular displacement or the force changes;
- and
- a controller in communication with the sensor and configured to stop rotation of the torsion tube in response to the signal.
A movable barrier system for operating a movable barrier comprising:
- a torsion tube configured to rotate in a first direction;
- a cable drum on the torsion tube, the cable drum configured to rotate in the first direction and a second direction and configured to rotate relative to the torsion tube in a manner that changes an angular displacement between the torsion tube and the cable drum;
- a cable disposed on the cable drum and configured to connect to the movable barrier;
- a displacement coupler configured to oppose rotation of the cable drum in the second direction when the cable drum rotates relative to the torsion tube;
- and
- a sensor which communicates a signal to a controller when the angular displacement between the rotation of the torsion tube and the rotation of the cable drum or a force between the torsion tube and the cable drum changes.
A method for operating a movable barrier in a movable barrier system, the method comprising:
- providing a torsion tube and a cable drum, the cable drum being positionable on the torsion tube;
- rotating the torsion tube and the cable drum in a first direction with an about equal angular velocity;
- allowing the angular velocity of the cable drum to decrease in a manner that an angular displacement between the rotation of the torsion tube and the rotation of the cable drum increases;
- and
- selectively communicating a signal from a sensor to a controller to stop movement of the movable barrier when the angular displacement reaches a threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.