A transmitter

Abstract

An apparatus 450 for opening or closing one of a plurality of motorised aperture closures comprises: a transmitter 456; at least three buttons 451-454; and a controller connected to the at least three

Description

Field The present disclosure relates to transmitters. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to transmitters for opening or closing one or more motor controlled aperture closures of a plurality of motor controlled aperture closures, for example industrial doors within a work site such as a warehouse or a factory. Summary According to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provided an apparatus for opening or closing one of a plurality of motorised aperture closures, wherein the apparatus comprises: a transmitter; at least three buttons; and a controller, operatively connected to the at least three buttons and the transmitter, wherein: in response to a user simultaneously pressing two of the at least three buttons, the controller is configured to select one of a plurality of signal groups, wherein each signal group comprises a plurality of signals; and in response to the user subsequently pressing one of the at least three buttons, the controller is configured to select one of the plurality of signals from the selected signal group; wherein: each of the groups of signals is associated with a group of motorised aperture closures of the plurality of motorised aperture closures, and each of the signals within a particular group of signals is associated with one motorised aperture closures within the respective group of motorised aperture closures; and wherein the controller is further configured to cause the transmitter to transmit the selected signal to open or close the associated one of the plurality of motorised aperture closures. In one or more embodiments, each button of the apparatus comprises indicia to identify the button and its associated signal. In one or more embodiments, each pair of buttons of the apparatus that are associated with a signal group comprises indicia to identify the pair of buttons and their associated signal group. In one or more embodiments, the apparatus comprises fewer than 6, 8 or 10 buttons. In one or more embodiments, the apparatus comprises four buttons. In one or more embodiments the apparatus is for use with a fork-lift truck. The plurality of motorised aperture closures may be a plurality of industrial doors. There is also provided a vehicle comprising any apparatus disclosed herein. In one or more embodiments, the apparatus is within reach of a driving position, such that an operator of the vehicle may be able to safely operate the apparatus while driving the vehicle. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a method for opening or closing one of a plurality of motorised aperture closures by using at least three buttons, the method comprising: in response to a user simultaneously pressing two of the at least three buttons, selecting one of a plurality of signal groups, wherein each signal group comprises a plurality of signals; and in response to the user subsequently pressing one of the at least three buttons, selecting one of the plurality of signals from the selected signal group; wherein each of the groups of signals is associated with a group of motorised aperture closures of the plurality of motorised aperture closures, and each of the signals within a particular group of signals is associated with one motorised aperture closures within the respective group of motorised aperture closures; and causing the transmitter to transmit the selected signal to open or close the associated one of the plurality of motorised aperture closures. Brief Description of the Drawings One or more embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an example work site comprising a plurality of doors; Figure 2 shows an example plurality of doors which may be used within the example work site of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows an example apparatus which may be used to control the plurality of doors in the example work site shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 shows an example apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 5 shows an example plurality of doors, which are compatible with the embodiment of the present disclose shown in Figure 4; and Figure 6 illustrates schematically a method for opening or closing one of a plurality of industrial doors by using at least three buttons, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Description Many workers, such as Fork-lift truck (FLT) drivers, are required to open numerous motorised aperture closures on some work sites, such as industrial doors in a warehouse or a factory. For security and safety reasons, among others, the motorised aperture closures are typically required to remain shut. In the case of industrial doors, this may be to only allow authorised personnel and vehicles to pass. For the interest of understanding, the following disclosure will describe embodiments in relation to a vehicle driver who is required to open one or more industrial doors in a work site. It is to be understood that the below-described apparatus and methods may be applied to any other form of motorised aperture closures, such as any windows or any doors. In order to maintain efficiency, it is beneficial for the vehicle driver to be able to open the appropriate door without leaving the vehicle. Previous ways of providing this functionality have utilised devices such as key-fobs or hand transmitters to remotely open doors, but these devices tend to get damaged or lost in an industrial setting. Due to the security requirement that the work site doors should remain closed, it is important that the transmitter is able to open only the correct door. One way of providing this functionality is to include a large number of buttons on the transmitter, for example one button per door. As a result, the vehicle driver must look at the transmitter in order to select the correct button in order to open or close the correct door. This can distract the driver from their operation of the vehicle and present a safety hazard, as well as increasing the likelihood of damage to goods. Additionally, in many cases the driver may be wearing thick gloves, which can impede their ability to dextrously select the correct button (especially if the buttons are small or if there are too many of them), which may further increase the time in which the driver is distracted. Such transmitters may also increase driver frustration and reduce their overall efficiency. Figure 1 shows an example work site 100 comprising two buildings, each comprising a plurality of doors. The first building (shown as BUILDING ONE in the Figure) contains a first plurality of doors 111, 112, 113, 114. The second building (shown as BUILDING TWO in the Figure) contains a second plurality of doors 115, 116, 117, 118. The work site 100 includes a vehicle 101, which is schematically shown as a forklift truck in Figure 1. The vehicle includes an apparatus 150 configured to control each door of each plurality of doors independently of the other doors within the respective plurality of doors. The apparatus 150 includes a transmitter configured to transmit signals such that it can control each door of the respective plurality of doors. In this example, a driver of the vehicle 101 uses the apparatus 150 to select one of the first plurality of doors 111, 112, 113, 114 for opening. After the vehicle 101 has passed through the doorway of the opened selected door, the door may be closed by any suitable means. For example, the door may close after a predetermined period of time, a controller with a sensor may detect that the vehicle has completed its journey through the doorway and subsequently close the door, or the driver may use the apparatus 150 again to close the door. Figure 2 shows an example plurality of doors which may be used within the example work site of Figure 1. Each door of the plurality of doors 211, 212, 213, 214 shown in Figure 2 comprises indicia 215, 216, 217, 218 to identify it as such. In this example numbers are used, however other indicia may be used, such as colours or letters. Figure 3 shows an example apparatus 350 which may be used to control a plurality of doors in the example work site shown in Figures 1 and 2. The apparatus 350 includes a transmitter 356 and a controller 357. As shown, the transmitter 356 is a wireless transmitter. The apparatus 350 also includes one button corresponding to each door of the plurality of doors. Therefore, in this embodiment, the apparatus 350 includes four buttons 351, 352, 353, 354. When the user presses one of the buttons 351, 352, 353, 354, the controller 357 causes the transmitter 356 to transmit a signal which is associated with the corresponding door. That is, the transmitted signal is encoded with an identifier (in some cases a unique identifier) that corresponds to the selected door, such that a receiver associated with that door will process the signal and then open (or in some examples close) the door. Whereas receivers associated with other doors which also receive the signal will not open (or close) because the identifier does not match the identifiers which are associated with the other doors. The apparatus 350 may include indicia 361, 362, 363, 364 to identify the button 351, 352, 353, 354, and thereby also identify the associated signal that is transmitted when the button is pressed. These indicia can help a new driver to learn the positions of the buttons 351, 352, 353, 354 and to quickly remind an experienced driver, if they forget. In some examples, the work site may include a large number of doors, such that it would be impractical to use one button for each door. In these examples, each signal of the apparatus 350 may be used to control a group of doors (which is a subset of the overall plurality of doors) within the work site. In these examples, every door within the group of doors is configured to open when it receives the signal which is associated with that group of doors. That is, every door within the group of doors will react to the same signal identifier as each other, but every door within a different group of doors will react to a different signal identifier. In order to prevent the opening of multiple doors simultaneously, the groups of doors may be positioned within the work site such that multiple doors within the same group of doors are far away from each other, or are otherwise unlikely to receive a signal which was intended for a different one of the same group of doors. That is, at any given time, the apparatus should be within range of only one of the doors in each group of doors such that only that door that is in range will be opened. Attention will now be drawn back to Figure 1, wherein an example of this is provided. In this example, the work site 100 of Figure 1 shows two buildings, building one and building two, each having four doors that are controllable by the apparatus 150. The apparatus 150 in this example is a remote-control wireless transmitter having four control buttons, each initiating a unique separate code to activate each of the four doors in both building one and building two. In this example, button 1 controls door 111, button two controls door 112, button 3 controls door 113 and button 4 controls door 114. These same four buttons also control the four doors in building two in a similar arrangement, whereby button 1 controls door 115, button 2 controls door 116, button 3 controls door 117 and button four controls door 118. Each set of doors controlled by the same button may have a colour identifier painted on the door, to aid the driver in identifying which button to press to operate the related door that his vehicle is approaching. By way of example: the doors which respond to button 1 having a red identifier, may have a red marker; the doors related to button 2 having a yellow identifier, may have a yellow marker; the doors related to button 3 having a green identifier, may have a green marker; and the doors related to button 4 having a blue identifier, may have a blue marker. In other examples, any other suitable indicia may be used for each set of doors controlled by the same button. In this example, each of the doors controlled by each button is positioned such that it is generally out of signal range of each other door that is controlled by the same button. Therefore, only the closest door to the apparatus 150, which is controlled by a particular button, will normally respond when the particular button is pressed. It is evident that one transmitter 150 may be used to control multiple doors on a work site providing each set of four doors are out of signal range of the other coded related doors. However, in practice, although a work site may have been arranged such that multiple doors are unlikely to be opened simultaneously, it is still possible for this to occur. This can present a risk to security and / or safety, for example. Figures 4 and 5 show an example apparatus and a plurality of doors, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which address this problem. Figure 4 shows an example apparatus 450, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 450 is for opening or closing one of a plurality of doors. That is, the apparatus 450 is configured to control one door of the plurality of doors at any one time. As will be discussed in detail below, in this example the plurality of doors are split into groups of four. Each group is represented by a different letter (A, B, C, D), and each door within a group is represented by a different number (1, 2, 3, 4). The apparatus 450 includes a wireless transmitter 456 and at least three buttons. In this example, the apparatus 450 includes four buttons 451, 452, 453, 454, but it will be appreciated that any number of buttons which is at least three may be suitable. The apparatus 450 also includes a controller 457, operatively connected to the buttons 451, 452, 453, 454 and the transmitter 456. In response to a user simultaneously pressing two of the buttons, the controller 457 is configured to select one of a plurality of signal groups, wherein each signal group comprises a plurality of signals. In response to the user subsequently pressing one of the buttons, the controller 457 is configured to select one of the plurality of signals from the selected signal group. Each of the groups of signals is associated with a group of doors of the plurality of doors (i.e., a subset of the plurality of doors), and each of the signals within a particular group of signals is associated with one door within the respective group of doors. That is, each signal is encoded with an identifier (in some cases a unique identifier) that corresponds to the corresponding door, such that a receiver associated with that door will process the signal and then open (or in some examples close) the door. Whereas receivers associated with other doors which also receive the signal will not open (or close) because the identifier does not match the identifiers which are associated with the other doors. Each signal is also classified as part of a group of signals, wherein each signal within the group of signals includes an identifier which corresponds to one door within the corresponding group of doors. In this example, a group of doors can be selected by a user simultaneously pressing a pair of buttons that are adjacent to each other either horizontally or vertically. The pairs of buttons that are diagonally adjacent to each other are not assigned to a group of doors in this example. More generally, however, any pairs of buttons may be assigned to a group of doors including one or more of: those that are adjacent to each other in any direction, those that are adjacent to each other horizontally; those that are adjacent to each other vertically; those that are adjacent to each other diagonally; and those that are not adjacent to each other. In this way, some or all of the different pairs of buttons may be associated with one of the plurality of signal groups. After the signal is selected, the controller 457 causes the transmitter 456 to transmit the selected signal. In other words, to open a particular door within a particular group of doors, the driver first presses two buttons simultaneously to select the group of doors and then presses a single button to open the particular door within the selected group of doors. In this way, a relatively large number of doors may be opened individually, using a relatively small number of buttons. This reduces the safety / security risk presented by opening multiple doors, but retains the advantages associated with using only a relatively small number of buttons, as explained above. Figure 5 shows an example plurality of doors 511, 512, 513, 541, which are compatible with the apparatus of Figure 4. The plurality of doors 511, 512, 513, 514 have been grouped into a number of groups of doors. Each door of the plurality of doors 511, 512, 513, 514 includes indicia 515, 516, 517, 518 to identify the group of doors which it is associated with. In this example, letters are used, but any other suitable indicia may be used, such as colours or numbers. Each door of the plurality of doors 511, 512, 513, 514 includes indicia 519, 520, 521, 522 to uniquely identify the door within its associated group of doors. In this example, numbers are used, but any other suitable indicia may be used, such as letters or shapes. Attention will now be drawn to Figure 4. Each pair of buttons of the apparatus 450 that are associated with a signal group comprises indicia 471, 472, 473, 474 to identify the pair of buttons and their associated signal group. Additionally, each button 451, 452, 453, 454 of the apparatus 450 includes indicia 461, 462, 463, 464 to identify the button and its associated signal. The apparatus indicia 461, 462, 463, 464, 471, 472, 473, 474 corresponds to the door indicia 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522 shown in Figure 5. In this way, the driver can be certain of which door each button-press sequence corresponds to. For example, in order to open the door 511 labelled 'Al', the driver first simultaneously presses the pair of buttons 451, 452 which correspond to the signal group 'A', and then the driver presses the button 451 which corresponds to the signal '1'. In another example, to open the door 513 labelled 'B2', the driver first simultaneously presses the pair of buttons 453, 454 which correspond to the signal group 'B', and then the driver presses the button 452 which corresponds to the signal '2'. In the example shown in Figures 4 and 5, the apparatus 450 includes four buttons 451, 452, 453, 454 and there are four signal groups 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D'. This means that in this example embodiment, sixteen unique doors can be opened using the apparatus 450. The number of signal groups may be programmed based on the individual requirements of a particular work site. For example, a work site may include eight doors, and as such only two signal groups would be required for a four-button apparatus. In another example, a work site may include twenty-four doors, and as such six signal groups would be required fora four-button apparatus. In a six-group-four-button apparatus, the pairs of buttons may be defined such that each pair of adjacent buttons is associated with a signal group (this includes pairs of horizontally, vertically, and diagonally adjacent buttons). In other embodiments, other numbers of buttons, which are greater than three, may be used, and the button-pairs may be defined as appropriate. In some embodiments, the apparatus 450 is fixed to a vehicle. That is, the vehicle can be said to include the apparatus 450. In this way, the apparatus 450 cannot be dropped or lost, and the risk of damage by other means is reduced. In some embodiments, the apparatus 450 is within reach of a driving position of the vehicle, such that the driver can safely operate the apparatus 450 while driving the vehicle. For example, the apparatus 450 may be located within a metre of the seat and the steering wheel. In other examples, the apparatus 450 may be located within 50cm or 25cm of the seat and / or the steering wheel. In examples where the vehicle is a FLT, the apparatus 450 may be fixed to the engine cover at the side of the seat. In any case, the apparatus 450 may be fixed to the vehicle such that the driver can operate the apparatus 450 without needing to look, stretch, rotate or otherwise exert their body significantly. Advantageously, because the apparatus 450 is within reach of the driver, the buttons are relatively large and the control sequence is relatively simple, the apparatus 450 requires only a second or two to operate, and as such minimal time is wasted. It is advantageous that the number of buttons 451, 452, 453, 454, is low because a vehicle driver is able to easily remember the position of each button 451, 452, 453, 454 on the body of the apparatus 450. For instance, the apparatus 450 may include fewer than 6, 8 or 10 buttons. This means that the driver can quickly select the correct button without needing to look at the apparatus 450, which would distract the driver from driving the vehicle. Additionally, the buttons 451, 452, 453, 454 can be made relatively large. For example, each button may have a diameter of at least 1cm, at least 2 cm, or at least 5cm, although other button sizes are possible. This can further improve the ability of the driver to locate the correct button by touch, even if they are wearing thick gloves. In some examples, the buttons can be made to protrude from the body of the apparatus 450, for example by 5mm or 10mm, although other button heights are possible. The buttons may provide sensory feedback, such as a click, when pressed. In some examples, one or more buttons may have different shapes to one another for easy identification by touch, for example one or more buttons may have a different shaped face or include protruding members. In any case, the driver may instinctively be able to correctly identify the buttons by touch from regular use, even while they are wearing thick gloves and without needing to look at the buttons. The apparatus 450 may also include a notification device 455, such as a light emitting device or a sound emitting device, to notify the user that a signal group has been selected, and / or that a signal has been sent. The notification device 455 may provide a different notification depending on which signal group has been selected, or which signal has been sent, such as a different sound or light colour. Figure 6 illustrates schematically a method 680 for opening or closing one of a plurality of industrial doors by using at least three buttons, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The steps which are illustrated in boxes with solid lines are performed by an apparatus, such as the one of Figure 4. The steps in dashed lines are performed by a user of the apparatus. In response to a user simultaneously pressing two of the at least three buttons 681, the method 680 includes selecting one of a plurality of signal groups 682, wherein each signal group comprises a plurality of signals. In response to the user subsequently pressing one of the at least three buttons 683, the method 5 includes selecting one of the plurality of signals from the selected signal group 684. Each of the groups of signals are associated with a group of doors of the plurality of doors. That is, each group of signals is associated with a different group of doors than each other group of signals. In addition, each of the signals within a particular group of signals are associated with one door within the io respective group of doors. Finally, the method includes causing the transmitter to transmit the selected signal to open or close the selected door 685.

Claims

1. An apparatus for opening or closing one of a plurality of motorised aperture closures, wherein the apparatus comprises:a transmitter;at least three buttons; anda controller, operatively connected to the at least three buttons and the transmitter, wherein:in response to a user simultaneously pressing two of the at least three buttons, the controller is configured to select one of a plurality of signal groups, wherein each signal group comprises a plurality of signals; andin response to the user subsequently pressing one of the at least three buttons, the controller is configured to select one of the plurality of signals from the selected signal group;wherein:each of the groups of signals is associated with a group of motorised aperture closures of the plurality of motorised aperture closures, andeach of the signals within a particular group of signals is associated with one motorised aperture closures within the respective group of motorised aperture closures; andwherein the controller is further configured to cause the transmitter to transmit the selected signal to open or close the associated one of the plurality of motorised aperture closures.

2. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein each button of the apparatus comprises indicia to identify the button and its associated signal.

3. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein each pair of buttons of the apparatus that are associated with a signal group comprises indicia to identify the pair of buttons and their associated signal group.

4. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus comprises fewer than 6, 8 or 10 buttons.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus comprises four buttons.

6. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus is for use with a fork-lift truck.

7. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of motorised aperture closures is a plurality of industrial doors.

8. A vehicle comprising the apparatus of any preceding claim.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is within reach of a driving position, such that an operator of the vehicle can safely operate the apparatus while driving the vehicle.

10. A method for opening or closing one of a plurality of motorised aperture closures by using at least three buttons, the method comprising:in response to a user simultaneously pressing two of the at least three buttons, selecting one of a plurality of signal groups, wherein each signal group comprises a plurality of signals; andin response to the user subsequently pressing one of the at least three buttons, selecting one of the plurality of signals from the selected signal group; whereineach of the groups of signals is associated with a group of motorised aperture closures of the plurality of motorised aperture closures, andeach of the signals within a particular group of signals is associated with one motorised aperture closures within the respective group of motorised aperture closures; andcausing the transmitter to transmit the selected signal to open or close the associated one of the plurality of motorised aperture closures.

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