Process for driving electric motor-operated awnings
Assigneeelero GmbH
InventorsHermann Wolfer, Dieter Walddoerfer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
By monitoring the load of the electric motor, it can be reliably determined when the electric motor runs up against a stop in the starting position of the awning, etc. The electric motor turns off automatically and resets an internal counter. When the awning, etc., is being extended, a certain number of pulses is counted per rotation of the electric motor, and after a certain predetermined count value is reached, which indicates that the awning, etc., has arrived at end position, the electric motor is turned off. Because the counting device is reset in the starting position, the electric motor automatically compensates for any change which may have occurred in the length of the fabric of the awning, etc., the next time an actuation is carried out.
Claims7
A system for automatically compensating for dimensional changes in driven devices, operated by electric motors wherein the motor actuates the driven device in a extension cycle from a starting position to an end position and in a retraction cycle from the end position to the starting position, comprising:
- means for counting the pulses generated by the motor during the extension cycle;
- means for deactivating the motor as soon as a predetermined number of pulses defining the end position has been counted;
- means for reactivating the motor for the retraction cycle;
- means for monitoring motor load during the retraction cycle and deactivating the motor when the motor load reaches a predetermined level;
- and
- means for resetting the pulse counting means when the load of the motor reaches said predetermined level.
A method for automatically compensating for dimensional changes in driven mechanisms, which are motor-driven from a starting position through an extension cycle to an end position and in a retraction cycle activated from the extended end position back to the starting position, consisting of the steps of:
- counting motor pulses starting from zero during the extension cycle by a pulse counting means;
- deactivating the motor when a predetermined number of pulses defining the end position has been reached during the extension cycle;
- reactivating the motor to initiate a retraction cycle and during the retraction cycle measuring the motor-current phase shift to determine motor load;
- deactivating the motor when the motor load reaches a predetermined level;
- and
- resetting the pulse counting means to zero when the load of the motor reaches said predetermined load whereby the motor automatically compensates during the next cycle for any dimensional changes in the driven mechanism.
A system for automatically compensating for dimensional changes in driven devices, operated by electric motors wherein the motor actuates the driven device in a extension cycle from a starting position to an end position and in a retraction cycle from the end position to the starting position, comprising:
- means for counting the pulses generated by the motor during the extension cycle;
- means for deactivating the motor as soon as a predetermined number of pulses defining the end position has been counted;
- means for reactivating the motor for the retraction cycle;
- means for monitoring motor load during the retraction cycle and deactivating the motor when the motor load reaches a predetermined level;
- means for resetting the pulse counting means when the load of the motor reaches said predetermined level;
- and
- means for monitoring torque of the electric motor and masking it out during the extension and retraction cycles and activating it just before the driven device reaches the start position as it is being retracted.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.