Method and apparatus for monitoring and / or regulating door operation - Patents.com

Abstract

A method and apparatus for monitoring and / or adjusting door operation is disclosed that includes processor circuitry for executing instructions to monitor a position of a door panel associated with a door system, detect when a beam from a photo eye sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected, non-triggered state based on the position of the door panel, and generate an alert or notification indicating the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected, non-triggered state.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001]

[0001] This patent claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 185,838, filed May 7, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference into this application.

[0002] This disclosure relates generally to doors, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for monitoring and / or regulating the operation of doors. [Background technology]

[0003]

[0003] Various power doors have movable door panels for selectively blocking and unblocking passage through a doorway. Door panels come in a variety of forms and operate in a variety of ways. Some examples of door panels include roll-up panels (e.g., soft or flexible sheets), rigid panels, flexible panels, vertical translating panels, horizontal translating panels, translating and tilting panels, swinging panels, segmented articulated panels, panels with multiple folding segments, multi-layered insulated panels, and various combinations thereof, including doors formed of multiple panels. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0004] [Figure 1] 1 is an exemplary door system constructed in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary door system of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram similar to FIG. 2, but showing an example position, orientation, and / or field of view of an example sensor in an example adjustment position. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the example door system of FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is another exemplary door system constructed in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the example door system of FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is another exemplary door system constructed in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein, with an exemplary door panel in an exemplary open position. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the example door system of FIG. 7 taken along line 8-8 of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but showing the exemplary door panel in an exemplary closed position. [Figure 10] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the example door system of FIG. 9 taken along line 10-10 of FIG. [Figure 11] 10 illustrates an example implementation of the example controller of FIG. 1, FIG. 5, FIG. 7, and / or FIG. 9. [Figure 12] 2 illustrates an example implementation of the example remote server of FIG. 1. [Figure 13] 12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 14] 12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 15] 12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 16] 12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 17] 12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 18] 12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 19]12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 20] 12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 21] 12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 22] 12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 23] 12 is a flowchart representing machine-readable instructions and / or example operations for implementing the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example processing platform including processor circuitry configured to execute example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations of FIGS. 13-23 to implement the example controllers of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the processor circuit of FIG. 24. [Figure 26] FIG. 25 is a block diagram of another exemplary implementation of the processor circuit of FIG. 24. [Figure 27] 2 is a block diagram of an example software distribution platform (e.g., one or more servers) for distributing software (e.g., software corresponding to the example machine-readable instructions of FIGS. 13-23) to client devices associated with end users and / or consumers (e.g., for license, sale, and / or use), retailers (e.g., for sale, resale, license, and / or sublicense), and / or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) (e.g., for inclusion in products distributed to retailers and / or other end users, such as direct buy customers). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0005]

[0021] The drawings are not necessarily to scale. Generally, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings and the accompanying description to refer to the same or similar parts. As used herein, connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, joined) can include intermediate members between the elements referenced by the connection reference and / or relative movement between those elements, unless otherwise indicated. Thus, a connection reference does not necessarily mean that the two elements are directly connected and / or in fixed relationship to each other. As used herein, stating that any part is "in contact" with another part is defined to mean that there are no intermediate parts between the two parts.

[0006]

[0022] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term "above" refers to the relationship of two portions to the Earth. A first portion is above a second portion if the second portion has at least one portion between the Earth and the first portion. Similarly, as used herein, a first portion is "below" a second portion if the first portion is closer to the Earth than the second portion. As previously mentioned, the first portion can be above or below the second portion, with no other portions in between, the first portion and the second portion in contact, or the first portion and the second portion not in direct contact with each other.

[0007]

[0023] As used in this patent, a statement that any component (e.g., a layer, film, area, region, or plate) is in some way on another component (e.g., disposed on, positioned on, disposed on, or formed on, etc.) indicates that the reference component is in contact with the other component or that the reference component is on the other component with one or more intermediate components therebetween.

[0008]

[0024] Unless otherwise indicated, descriptors such as "first," "second," "third," and the like are used herein without negatively or otherwise implying any sense of priority, physical order, placement within a list, and / or ordering, but are merely used as labels and / or arbitrary names to distinguish elements to facilitate understanding of the disclosed examples. In some instances, the descriptor "first" may be used to refer to an element in the detailed description, but the same element may be referenced in the claims with a different descriptor, such as "second" or "third." In such instances, it should be understood that such descriptors are used, for example, only to clearly identify elements that may otherwise share the same name.

[0009]

[0025] As used herein, "approximately" and "about" modify their objects / values ​​to recognize the potential existence of variations that occur in real applications. For example, "approximately" and "about" may modify dimensions that may not be exact due to manufacturing tolerances and / or other real-world imperfections, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, "approximately" and "about" may indicate that such dimensions may be within a tolerance of + / - 10%, unless otherwise specified in the following description. As used herein, "substantially real-time" refers to near-instantaneous occurrence recognizing that there may be real-world delays in computation time, transmission, etc. Thus, unless otherwise specified, "substantially real-time" refers to real-time + / - 1 second.

[0010]

[0026] As used herein, a "processor circuit" is defined to include (i) one or more dedicated electrical circuits configured to perform a particular operation and including one or more semiconductor-based logic devices (e.g., electrical hardware implemented by one or more transistors), and / or (ii) one or more general-purpose semiconductor-based electrical circuits programmable with instructions to perform a particular operation and including one or more semiconductor-based logic devices (e.g., electrical hardware implemented by one or more transistors). Examples of processor circuits include microcontrollers and integrated circuits, such as programmable microprocessors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) on which instructions can be instantiated, central processor units (CPUs), graphic processor units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), XPUs, or application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). For example, an XPU may be implemented by a heterogeneous computing system that includes multiple types of processor circuits (e.g., one or more FPGAs, one or more CPUs, one or more GPUs, one or more DSPs, etc., and / or combinations thereof) and an application programming interface (API) that can assign computing tasks to those of the multiple types of processor circuits that are best suited to perform the computing tasks.

[0011]

[0027] Industrial powered door systems are frequently used in warehouses, material handling facilities, and other industrial environments. Often, such door systems include a controller that can operate the door (e.g., open or close) in response to user input and / or feedback from one or more sensors in the door system. In addition to providing feedback to trigger door operation, sensors in the door system can be implemented to monitor and / or affect the operation of the door system in other ways. For example, sensor feedback indicating traffic on one side of the door can generate a warning signal (e.g., light, sound, etc.) on the other side of the door. As another example, sensors can monitor the space within an open doorway and prevent the door from closing if a person or object is detected within the doorway.

[0012]

[0028] Examples disclosed herein utilize existing sensors and / or new / additional sensors associated with the door system to collect data that can be analyzed (e.g., in combination, alone, etc.) to gain insight into the operating status of the door system, to gain insight into conditions of the surrounding environment, and / or to facilitate adjustments to the operation of the door system in ways that can improve efficiency, increase safety, and / or reduce wear and / or damage to door system components.

[0013]

[0029] 1-3 show an exemplary door system 100 for a door 101 including a door panel 102 in a fully open position to allow traffic (e.g., pedestrians, fork trucks, etc.) to pass through a doorway. In this example, the door panel 102 is a flexible sheet or curtain including side edges that are retained within channels 104 of respective left and right guides or tracks 106. The door panel 102 in the illustrated example moves up and down in the tracks between a fully open position (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1 ) and a fully closed position (e.g., when the door panel 102 prevents passage through the doorway). In the illustrated example, movement of the door panel 102 relative to the doorway is accomplished by wrapping or wrapping the door panel 102 around a roller, drum, or mandrel 108 housed in a housing 110 adjacent (e.g., as described above) to the doorway. More specifically, in this example, the rollers 108 are driven by a motor control unit 112 having a motor 114 that rotates the rollers 108 in a first rotational direction to retract and roll up the door panel 102 toward a fully open position (e.g., as shown), or in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to deploy and unfold the door panel 102 to a fully closed position (e.g., a position in which the passage through the doorway is blocked by the door panel 102). In some examples, rather than being wrapped around the rollers 108, the side edges of the door panel 102 may be driven by the motor 114 along a storage track located proximate (e.g., as described above) to the doorway for storing the door panel 102 when the door panel 102 is in the fully open position. In such examples, the storage track proximate (e.g., as described above) to the doorway may follow any suitable path (e.g., linear, curved, coiled, etc.).

[0014]

[0030] In some examples, the operation, speed, and / or direction of rotation of the motor 114 may be controlled by a controller 116 communicatively coupled to the motor 114. In some examples, control signals from the controller 116 are provided directly to the motor 114. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, input signals to the motor 114 are provided from a motor control unit 112, which functions as a separate controller from the controller 116 shown in FIG. 1. The input signals from the motor control unit 112 may be based on or independent of the control signals provided from the controller 116. In some examples, the motor control unit 112 (and / or the motor 114) provides feedback to the controller 116 to indicate a status of the motor 114 and / or associated components (e.g., rotational speed, current draw, rotational position (e.g., as indicated by the encoder 115), etc.).

[0015]

[0031] In this example, the controller 116 includes one or more buttons or switches 118 for receiving user input that can activate and / or direct operation of the door system 100. Additionally, the exemplary controller 116 of the depicted example includes a display screen 120 for providing a visual output to a user indicating the status of the door system 100, particular components of the door system 100, and / or any other relevant information. In some examples, the display screen 120 may be a touch screen that allows a user to provide input to the controller 116. In some such examples, the physical buttons or switches 118 may be omitted.

[0016]

[0032] As shown in the illustrated example, the controller 116 is communicatively coupled to various sensors associated with the door system 100 to receive further inputs (e.g., sensor feedback) that the controller 116 can process to monitor and / or adjust the operation of the components of the door system 100. For example, in the illustrated example, the door system 100 includes one or more disengagement sensors 122. The exemplary disengagement sensors 122 are configured to detect when one or both side edges of the door panel 102 are displaced or pulled (e.g., disengaged) from the channel 104 of the track 106 due to a collision with the door panel 102. In some examples, the disengagement sensor 122 can detect the extent (e.g., amount) to which the door panel 102 is pulled from the channel 104. Additionally, in some examples, the disengagement sensor 122 can detect the height of the partially open position of the door panel 102 at the time the disengagement event occurs (e.g., the height of the bottom edge of the door panel 102 relative to the ground at the time of the collision). In the illustrated example, the disengagement sensor 122 is located near the top end of the track 106. However, in other examples, the departure sensor 122 may be located at a different point (e.g., an intermediate point) along the track 106. In some examples, the departure sensor 122 (e.g., multiple departure sensors) may be distributed at different points along the track 106. Further, in some examples, the departure sensor 122 may be located inside the channel 104 of the track 106 and / or may be incorporated into a side edge of the door panel 102. Examples of departure sensors 122 and related departure detection systems are described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17 / 016,019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0017]

[0033] Generally, a departure event is the result of a collision with the door panel 102 by a fork truck 123 or other vehicle passing through the doorway while the door panel 102 is in a position that blocks at least a portion of the doorway (e.g., a partially open position). There may be cases where a collision occurs but the door panel 102 does not actually separate from the truck 106. In some examples, such a door collision event can still be detected by the departure sensor 122 and / or other sensors (e.g., an inverted edge sensor that detects when the leading edge of the door panel 102 contacts an object other than the ground). Multiple factors may contribute to the occurrence of a departure event, such as, for example, the door panel 102 opening too slowly, opening too slowly, and / or closing too quickly. In response to detecting a departure event using the departure sensor 122, the controller 116 of the illustrated example generates an alert or notification to relevant personnel so that the operation of the door system 100 can be adjusted (e.g., to open faster, open faster, and / or open longer in response to the approaching fork truck 123). In some examples, the controller 116 automatically (eg, without direct human input) adjusts the operation of the door system 100 in response to detecting a disengagement event.

[0018]

[0034] In some examples, determining what to adjust and / or how to adjust the door system operation can be based on feedback from other sensors. For example, in the illustrated example, the door system 100 includes a ranging sensor 124 (e.g., a radio detection and ranging (RADAR) sensor, a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor, etc.) on either side of the doorway that scans the area adjacent to the doorway to detect oncoming traffic. Additionally or alternatively, the door system 100 in the illustrated example includes an infrared-based motion and / or presence sensor 125 to detect motion near the doorway and / or the presence of oncoming traffic. When traffic is detected, the ranging sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125 send a signal to the controller 116, which in turn sends a signal to the motor control unit 112 to activate the motor 114 and move the door panel 102. The ranging sensor 124, the motion sensor 125, the button or switch 118, and / or any other mechanism that can trigger the activation of the door panel 102 are generally referred to herein as door activation sensors. Relatively frequent impacts to the door panel 102, thereby causing relatively frequent breakaway events, may indicate that the ranging sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125 are detecting traffic too late, such that there is insufficient time for the door panel 102 to fully open and provide a clear passage for traffic through the doorway. In such an instance, the position, orientation, and / or field of view of one or more of the sensors 124, 125 may need to be adjusted so that traffic is detected sooner and collisions with the door panel 102 are reduced.

[0019]

[0035] In other scenarios, the ranging sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125 may activate the door 101 based on traffic that was not attempting to pass through the doorway, but was simply passing and / or approaching the door 101 and then circling to proceed in a different direction (e.g., away from the doorway) without passing through the doorway. Opening the door panel 102 in response to detecting traffic when the traffic does not eventually pass through the doorway is referred to herein as a malfunction. In the illustrated example, the malfunction is detected by monitoring feedback from one or more photo eye sensors 134, 136 positioned near the lower portion (e.g., bottom) of the doorway (e.g., after activation of the door system 100). More specifically, the photo eye sensors 134, 136 in the illustrated example are configured to be tripped or triggered when an object is detected passing through a beam extending (e.g., interrupted or blocked) between the corresponding emitter 134a, 136a and receiver 134b, 136b of the sensor 134, 136. Thus, if the door system 100 is in the open position but the photo-eye sensors 134, 136 are not activated within a threshold time after the door system 100 moves to the open position (and / or until the door 101 moves to the closed position), it is an indication that an object has not passed through the doorway and a malfunction may be inferred. A malfunction may contribute to energy losses because opening the door 101 when it is not actually needed may release conditioned air, thereby requiring the cooling and / or heating system to work harder to maintain a desired temperature. Thus, to conserve energy, it may be necessary to adjust the position, orientation, and / or field of view of one or more of the sensors 124, 125 so that traffic not attempting to pass through the doorway is not inadvertently detected, thereby triggering the opening of the door panel 102 (e.g., a malfunction).

[0020]

[0036] Thus, there may be a number of different reasons why the controller 116 may determine that the ranging sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125 (or any other sensor) may need to be adjusted. In some examples, the controller 116 may identify the need for such an adjustment based on feedback from the sensors (e.g., the departure sensor 122, the ranging sensor 124, the motion sensor 125, and / or the photo eye sensors 134, 136) and generate an alert or notification that is provided to relevant personnel to respond by making the appropriate adjustment.

[0021]

[0037] In other examples, the controller 116 can automatically make adjustments by operating a sensor adjustment system 126 that can change the position, orientation, and / or field of view (e.g., sensing area and / or associated sensing range) of the sensor. For illustrative purposes, the exemplary sensor adjustment system 126 is shown and described in connection with the distance sensor 124 of FIG. 1. However, any of the aspects of the sensor adjustment system 126 described herein can be suitably adapted for implementation in connection with the motion sensor 125 and / or any other sensor described herein. The sensor adjustment system 126 of the illustrated example includes an actuator for moving or translating the distance sensor 124 along a rail or track 128 of the sensor adjustment system 126, thereby allowing the position of the distance sensor 124 to be changed relative to the remainder of the door system 100. In the illustrated example, the track 128 extends vertically so that the distance sensor 124 can be moved up and down (e.g., as shown by the different positions of the distance sensor 124 on the right side of the doorway (as shown in the drawings) in FIGS. 2 and 3). However, in other examples, the track 128 can be positioned horizontally or in any other suitable direction (e.g., diagonally). Furthermore, in some examples, the sensor adjustment system 126 can include multiple tracks and / or other mechanisms to allow the distance sensor 124 to move in two dimensions (e.g., both vertically and horizontally) or three dimensions (e.g., in a plane parallel to the door panel 102 in the closed position or in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door panel 102 in the closed position). The sensor adjustment system 126 in the illustrated example includes an orientation actuator 130 that can pan and / or tilt the distance sensor 124 so that the distance sensor 124 can be pointed in different directions (e.g., as shown by the different inclinations of the distance sensor 124 to the right of the doorway (as shown in the drawings) in Figures 2 and 3). Additionally or alternatively, the sensor adjustment system 126 may include an adjustable opening or window 132 that can be resized to adjust the field of view of the ranging sensor 124 (e.g., as shown by the different angle of view 202 of the ranging sensor 124 to the left of the doorway in Figures 2 and 3).Additionally or alternatively, the sensor adjustment system 126 may include one or more optical elements (eg, lenses) for adjusting the field of view by zooming in or out.

[0022]

[0038] In some examples, sensors can be used to detect and monitor the speed of traffic passing through a doorway. A fork truck 123 traveling too fast can strike the door panel 102 and cause a breakaway, even if the door 101 is actuated in time based on properly placed sensors. Even if a collision does not occur, monitoring traffic speed can be useful for other safety purposes and / or to gain a greater understanding of how traffic moves through a doorway associated with the door system 100. Additionally or alternatively, sensors can be used to determine traffic direction, which can also be useful for understanding traffic patterns and flow through doorways.

[0023]

[0039] In some examples, a ranging sensor 124 implementing LiDAR sensing can determine the speed and / or direction of a detected object by monitoring a number of different sensing regions (e.g., safety zones, operating zones, presence zones, etc.) defined by a number of different laser planes emanating from the sensor at different angles. In some examples, LiDAR measurements are made with respect to each of the laser planes. Because the angles of the laser planes are different, traffic passes through the planes at different times. Thus, by tracking the time at which each laser plane is crossed, traffic speed can be calculated. More specifically, the speed can be calculated by dividing the distance between the laser planes (e.g., determined by the angle between the planes) by the time difference between separate (e.g., adjacent) road cross sections of the laser planes. Similarly, the direction of traffic can be determined based on the order in which each laser plane is crossed. For example, assume that the laser planes define three different zones, including (1) a safety zone closest to the entrance / exit, (2) an operating zone furthest from the entrance / exit, and (3) a presence zone between the other two zones. In such an example, if an object is detected in the activation zone before being detected in the safety zone, it can be inferred that the object is moving towards a doorway. In contrast, if the safety zone is the first zone to be activated followed by other zones, it can be inferred that the detected object is moving away from the doorway.

[0024]

[0040] Additionally or alternatively, the motion sensor 125 can be set in a unidirectional detection mode to detect traffic in a configured direction. If detection of both traffic approaching and traffic moving away from the doorway is desired, two separate motion and / or presence sensors 125 can be configured for unidirectional detection, where the direction of motion detection is opposite to that of the other sensor.

[0025]

[0041] In some examples, the photo eye sensors 134, 136 can be used to determine the speed and / or direction of traffic. In this example, the photo eye sensors 134, 136 include emitters 134a, 136a and corresponding receivers 134b, 136b that communicate with the controller 116. In other examples, one or both of the photo eye sensors 134, 136 can be retroreflective sensors with emitters and receivers housed in the same housing. Door systems often include one photo eye to detect when someone or something is passing through a doorway to prevent the door from closing. However, in the examples disclosed herein, there is a series of at least two photo eye sensors 134, 136 arranged side-by-side in the direction of travel through the doorway, separated by a fixed distance stored in the memory of the controller 116. Similar to the separate laser planes or associated sensing areas of the ranging sensor 124, each photo eye sensor 134, 136 is activated or triggered at slightly different times as traffic passes through the doorway due to the spacing or distance of the sensors 134, 136. By tracking the time that each sensor 134, 136 is activated and dividing the distance between the sensors by the time difference, the controller 116 can determine traffic speed. Similarly, by tracking the order in which the successive sensors 134, 136 are activated, the direction of traffic can also be determined.

[0026]

[0042] In the illustrated example, the photo eye sensors 134, 136 are located on the same side of the doorway. However, in other examples, the speed and / or direction of traffic can be determined based on the time difference between traffic detected between one of the photo eye sensors 134, 136 on one side of the doorway and a separate photo eye sensor 138 on the other side of the doorway. In such examples, one of the photo eye sensors 134, 136 can be omitted. In other examples, all three sensors can be used for redundancy. As shown in the illustrated example, the photo eye sensor 138 on the other side of the doorway communicates from the controller 116 to a second controller 140 that is also on the other side of the doorway. In some such examples, the first controller 116 is in communication with the second controller 140 such that the sensor feedback data collected by the two controllers 116, 140 can be used together. In other examples, the photo eye sensor 138 (and / or any other sensors) on the other side of the doorway can communicate directly with the first controller 116 (eg, the second controller 140 can be omitted).

[0027]

[0043] In some examples, different sensors can be positioned to independently detect the direction of traffic on both sides of the door at the same time. For example, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, separate distance sensors 124 are positioned on both sides of the door to monitor traffic on both sides of the door. Similarly, in some examples, separate motion or presence sensors 125 can be positioned on both sides of the door. In some examples, the distance sensors 124 are used to detect motion and / or presence such that separate motion or presence sensors 125 are not necessary. Monitoring traffic on both sides of the door in this manner can provide information regarding how often traffic approaches the door from both sides at the same time, thus creating the possibility of a collision (e.g., a near miss). By tracking the near misses over time, adjustments can be made to traffic flow and / or other safety measures.

[0028]

[0044] The photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138 can be used to determine other information regarding the operation of the door system 100 and / or the amount of traffic passing through it. As previously described, any of the photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138 can be used to detect a malfunction (in conjunction with data indicating that the door 101 has been operated (e.g., triggered by the distance sensor 124, the motion sensor 125, a person pressing an appropriate button or switch 118 on the controller 116, etc.)). A malfunction indicates that traffic did not pass through the doorway while the door panel 102 was open. In some instances, the photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138 can detect that traffic did pass through, but that the traffic left the doorway well before the door panel 102 was closed. That is, the photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138 can initially detect traffic passing through the doorway immediately after the door 101 is opened, but shortly thereafter no longer detect traffic while the door panel 102 remains open until it is eventually closed. A relatively long period of time during which no traffic is detected after traffic is initially detected may indicate that the door panel 102 has been open for longer than is necessary to allow traffic through. Thus, in some examples, the controller 116 may adjust the reclose timer of the door 101, thereby shortening the duration that the door 101 is open to save energy costs.

[0029]

[0045] In some examples, rather than tracking the duration that the door panel 102 is open but nothing is detected as crossing the beam of the photo eye sensors 134, 136, the controller 116 can additionally or alternatively track the duration that something is detected as crossing the beam of the photo eye sensors 134, 136. In some examples, the door panel 102 will remain open as long as something is detected by the photo eye sensors 134, 136, ensuring that the door panel 102 does not close on something or someone that would trip the photo eye sensors 134, 136. However, if something is detected for a relatively long period of time (e.g., exceeding a threshold), the controller 116 can generate an alert or notification and / or record an excessively long open time and / or record that an object is in the doorway that has not moved for at least the threshold length.

[0030]

[0046] In some examples, one or more sensors can be used to distinguish between pedestrian traffic and fork trucks. More specifically, in some examples, the ranging sensor 124 can determine the size of an object within the laser plane generated by the ranging sensor 124 to infer or determine the type of traffic (e.g., pedestrian or fork truck). Additionally or alternatively, the photo eye sensors 134, 136 at the base of the truck 106 cannot directly determine the type of traffic, but in some examples, another photo eye sensor 142 (including a transmitter 142a and a receiver 142b) is placed at a height higher than the typical height of most humans (e.g., over 6 feet) but lower than the typical height of the fork truck 123. When placed at such a height, a pedestrian passes under the beam of the photo eye sensor 142 when passing through a doorway without activating the sensor. In contrast, when the fork truck 123 passes through a doorway, the fork truck 123 activates the photo eye sensor 142, which sends a corresponding signal to the controller 116. As a result, depending on whether the controller 116 receives a signal from the elevated photo eye sensor 142, the controller 116 can determine whether the traffic corresponds to pedestrian traffic or vehicular traffic. In particular, to distinguish a pedestrian from a false alarm (traffic not passing through the doorway), another sensor (e.g., one of the photo eye sensors 134, 136 at the base of the track 106) can be used in combination with the elevated photo eye sensor 142 to verify that something or someone has actually passed through the doorway.

[0031]

[0047] In some examples, feedback from the sensors can indicate other types of information regarding the operation of the example door system 100. For example, various sensors associated with the motor control unit 112 (e.g., current sensors, torque sensors, rotational speed sensors, and / or encoder position sensors (e.g., encoder 115)) can indicate the speed at which the door panel 102 moves when moving to an open or closed position. In some examples, this sensor feedback data can be compared to a commanded speed provided by the controller to the motor control unit 112. The difference between the commanded speed and the actual speed at which the door panel 102 moves can indicate the presence of high friction between the door panel 102 and the track 106 due to wind load or pressure on the door panel, maintenance, and / or other issues. Feedback from the current sensors can also be used to detect an increase in the current used to drive the motor, indicating that the motor 114 is working harder due to the presence of high friction based on wind load or pressure and / or other issues. Furthermore, high friction and / or other issues due to wind load or pressure can additionally or alternatively be detected by wind and / or pressure sensors. Thus, in some examples, when such a problem is detected, the controller 116 may trigger the generation of an alert and / or a notification to maintenance personnel to investigate the problem. In some examples, the above sensor feedback data may be combined with data from other sensors, such as the departure sensor 122 and / or the back-up sensor 144, to gain further insight into the status of the door system 100. In some examples, the back-up sensor 144 corresponds to a photo eye sensor transmitter 144a and a corresponding photo eye sensor receiver 144b that generate a beam that extends in front of and behind the door panel 102. In normal operation, the beam is not interrupted and remains spaced apart from the door panel 102. However, in situations where the door panel 102 is prevented from moving down the track 106 while deploying towards the closed position (e.g., during a high friction scenario and / or if there is any other occlusion), the door panel 102 backs up and crosses the beam of the back-up sensor 144.When the controller 116 receives a signal from the back-up sensor 144 indicating that the door panel 102 is back-bagged, the controller 116 determines that there is something preventing the door panel 102 from moving freely, such as a wind load, a pressure load, a maintenance issue, or the like.

[0032]

[0048] In some examples, the controller 116 can monitor the stopping position of the door panel 102 over time to detect potential wear of the drop brakes of the door system 100. More specifically, as the drop brakes begin to wear, the door panel 100 may take longer to stop and therefore travel farther than the intended distance before coming to a complete stop. In other words, brake wear may cause the actual stopping position of the door panel 102 to overshoot the intended, commanded, or desired stopping position. In some examples, the stopping position is determined based on feedback from the encoder position of the motor control unit 112. In some examples, once wear is detected (based on a change in the stopping position of the door panel 102 relative to the commanded stopping position), the stopping position of the door panel 102 may be adjusted to account for the longer time required for the drop brakes to bring the door panel to a complete stop, such that the actual stopping position corresponds to the intended or desired stopping position, despite the fact that wear is indicating that the brakes are operating less efficiently. Further, in some examples, if the amount of wear exceeds a threshold (e.g., as determined based on the stop position being adjusted beyond the threshold), the controller 116 may generate an alert and / or notification to maintenance personnel to mechanically adjust and / or replace the braking system.

[0033]

[0049] In some examples, a brake failure may result in the door panel 102 moving (e.g., falling under its own weight) when no movement is expected (e.g., the door panel 102 is intended to be stationary in an open position). Such a brake failure presents a potential hazard to traffic passing through an associated doorway and a risk of damage to the door panel 110 and / or other components associated with the door 101. In some examples, the controller 116 may determine that such a brake failure has occurred by monitoring movement of the door panel 102 when it is expected to be stationary (e.g., not moving). More specifically, in some examples, when the door panel 102 is in an open position, the controller 116 monitors feedback from the encoder 113 of the motor control unit 112. If movement is detected, the controller 116 actuates the motor 114 to engage an associated drive system with the door panel to prevent the door panel 102 from free falling. Additionally, in some examples, the controller 116 drives the door panel 102 to a fully closed position and, once in the fully closed position, switches the door 101 to a fault state with the door panel 102 in a locked position, preventing the door 101 from opening until the brake fault can be resolved. Further details regarding the implementation of brake fault monitoring are provided below in conjunction with FIG.

[0034]

[0050] In some examples, rather than responding to a detected maintenance fault, the controller 116 may monitor feedback from various sensors to identify potential preventative maintenance (e.g., anticipating a potential fault before it occurs so that corrective action can be taken). In some examples, the controller 116 may implement the corrective action automatically. In other examples, the controller 116 may generate alerts and / or notifications to maintenance personnel to implement any appropriate corrective action.

[0035]

[0051] As a particular example, in some cases, a torque sensor and / or rotational speed sensor associated with the motor 114 is used to determine the amount of torque and / or rotational speed (or frequency used to determine the speed of an AC motor) required to move the door panel 102 while the brakes are applied to prevent movement. If the torque and / or speed required to overcome the brakes meets (e.g., exceeds) a threshold, the controller 116 can infer that the brakes are functioning properly. However, if the torque and / or speed required to overcome the brakes and cause movement does not meet (e.g., is below) a threshold, the controller 116 can infer that the brakes are beginning to wear or fail. In some such examples, the amount of torque and / or speed applied to overcome the brakes can be recorded over time along with a shift (e.g., reduction) in the torque and / or speed over time indicative of brake wear. In other examples, rather than applying torque and / or speed until the door panel 102 moves, the controller 116 can drive the motor with a torque and / or speed that is a threshold amount less than the threshold amount described above (so that the door panel does not move if the brakes are in good working condition), but sufficient to move the door panel 102 when a faulty brake is applied (e.g., worn). In such examples, brake wear and / or failure is determined when movement of the panel 102 is detected, and the brakes are confirmed to be in good working condition when no movement is detected. In the aforementioned examples, the torque and / or speed thresholds can be determined when new brakes are first installed and / or calibrated by applying the brakes and then monitoring the torque and / or speed required to overcome the new brakes to move the door panel 102. In such examples, the torque and / or speed required to overcome the brakes is established as a baseline or threshold for subsequent preventative maintenance testing. In some examples, the maintenance testing is performed as part of every opening cycle of the door 101.In other examples, such maintenance tests are performed on a schedule (e.g., after a threshold time and / or after a threshold number of cycles) and / or at any other time (e.g., when initiated by maintenance personnel). Further details regarding performing preventive maintenance tests for brake wear and / or failure are provided below in connection with FIG. 23.

[0036]

[0052] In some examples, feedback from one or more of the sensors associated with the door system 100 may be used to improve security of the facility in which the door system 100 is implemented. For example, in some examples, the distance sensor 124, the motion sensor 125, the photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138, 142, 144, and / or the inverted edge sensor may be used when the door system 100 is not in use (e.g., after several hours) to infer the possibility that someone is attempting to tamper with and / or access the door. More specifically, the controller 116 monitors feedback from one or more of these sensors when the door system 100 is not in use and is not expected to be used. If feedback from the sensors indicates movement near the door and / or otherwise indicates that someone is attempting to use the door system 100 during such time periods, the controller 116 may generate an alert and / or notification indicating that there is an unexpected and / or potentially unauthorized use of the door system. In some such examples, the controller 116 may generate and / or maintain a schedule of operation of the door system 100 to identify when to analyze the sensor feedback for such situations. In some examples, such schedules may be entered by a user via buttons or switches 118 and / or display screen 120. In some examples, a person may attempt to tamper with the door by attempting to log into the controller 116 to change door settings (whether during normal use hours or not). In some examples, the controller 116 may lock out a user for a set amount of time after a threshold number of failures to enter the correct password. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 116 may generate a warning and / or notification that a person has not entered the correct password a threshold number of times.

[0037]

[0053] In the illustrated example, the first and second controllers 116, 140 are in communication with a remote server 146. In some examples, one of the two controllers 116, 140 only communicates with the remote server 146 indirectly via the other controller. Furthermore, in some examples, one of the two controllers 116, 140 may be omitted entirely. For purposes of illustration, only direct communication between the first controller 116 and the remote server 146 is described. More specifically, in some examples, the first controller 116 transmits values ​​corresponding to operational and / or status parameters associated with the door system 100. In some examples, such information includes the internal state of the controller 116 itself. In some examples, the information provided to the remote server 146 includes sensor feedback data obtained from one or more of the motor control unit 112, the departure sensor 122, the ranging sensor 124, the motion and / or presence sensor 125, the photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138, 142, the backup sensor 144, and / or any other sensors associated with the door system 100. Additionally, in some examples, the information provided to the remote server 146 includes user input data received via the buttons or switches 118 and / or the display screen 120 (if the screen is touch sensitive).

[0038]

[0054] In some examples, the controller 116 can analyze the sensor feedback data and provide the results of the analysis to the remote server 146 for further analysis and / or to take further action. For example, the controller 116 can determine that an alert and / or notification needs to be provided to relevant personnel based on an analysis of feedback from different ones of the sensors disclosed herein. In some examples, the controller 116 can send the alert and / or notification (along with any relevant information) to the remote server 146, which then distributes the alert and / or notification to the relevant recipient of the alert and / or notification. In other examples, the controller 116 sends the alert and / or notification directly to the relevant recipient independent of the remote server 146. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the remote server 146 can perform an analysis on the sensor feedback data independent of any analysis and then perform any appropriate action based on the results of the analysis. For example, rather than the controller monitoring the sensor feedback data over time to detect issues that may trigger an alert, the remote server 146 can perform this function directly. In some examples, some functions of the controller 116 and the remote server 146 may be duplicated and / or redundant. In other examples, the processing and / or handling of sensor feedback data, and what is done based on the analysis of such data, may be split between the controller 116 and the remote server 146. In some examples, the remote server 146 obtains sensor feedback data and / or the results of analyzing such data from multiple different controllers 116 associated with different door systems 100 and / or other systems within the facility. In this manner, the remote server 146 can aggregate data from different sources and perform higher level analysis on the data to identify trends and / or other relationships that would not otherwise be possible.

[0039]

[0055] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the exemplary door system 100 of FIG. 1. More specifically, FIG. 4 shows a partial cutaway view of the track 106 on the right side (as shown) of the doorway of FIG. 1, with the door panel 102 extending partway down the track 106. In some examples, a similar arrangement can be implemented on the other track 106 on the opposite side of the doorway. The front of the track 106 is cut away to show individual tabs or protrusions 402 distributed along the side edges of the door panel 102. The tabs 402 are positioned along the side edges of the door panel 102 and hold the door panel 102 in the track as it moves between the open and closed positions. In this example, the tabs 402 are positioned completely within the track 106. In other examples, at least a portion of the tabs 402 extend from the track 106.

[0040]

[0056] In some examples, the tabs 402 are attached to the door panel 102 by any suitable attachment mechanism 404 (e.g., screws, bolts, pins, rivets, etc.) that extend through holes in the door panel 102. In some examples, the tabs 402 on the front side of the door panel 102 are attached to corresponding tabs on the back side of the door panel 102 through corresponding holes.

[0041]

[0057] In the illustrated example of FIG. 4, one of the tabs 402 is missing or removed from the door panel 102 (as represented by dashed line 406), thereby exposing a corresponding hole 408. As long as the tab 402 is at least partially disposed within the track 106 (or completely within the track 106 in the illustrated example), it may be difficult to identify when the tab 402 is dislodged or otherwise missing. In some examples, as described above, the disengagement sensor 122 used to detect disengagement may additionally or alternatively be used to detect the absence of one or more of the tabs 402. More specifically, in this example, the disengagement sensor 122 is implemented with a photo eye that emits a beam in a direction across the door panel 102. As a result, when the door panel 102 is closed (or partially closed as shown in the illustrated example), the beam is crossed or blocked (e.g., triggered). A departure event may be detected when the door panel 102 is pushed off the track 106 such that it no longer intersects the beam of the departure sensor 122 when it is expected to do so (e.g., because the door panel 102 has not moved to a fully open position in which the leading edge of the door panel 102 is above the departure sensor 122). In the illustrated example of FIG. 4, the departure sensor 122 is aligned with a tab 402, and more specifically, with a hole 408 used to attach the tab 402 to the door panel 102. As a result, if a tab 402 is missing, thereby exposing the corresponding hole 408, the beam emitted by the departure sensor 122 will pass through the hole 408 for a relatively short period of time as the hole 408 passes through the departure sensor 122. Thus, a signal from the departure sensor 122 indicating that the beam was not momentarily interrupted (e.g., an unexpected non-triggered condition) may be used to detect the absence of any of the tabs 402. Additionally, in some examples, the position of the door panel 102 at the time the signal is received (e.g., based on an encoder) can be used to determine the vertical position on the door panel 102 where the missing tab 402 is detected as missing.In some examples, detection of a missing tab 402 is distinguished from detection of a departure event (both of which include the beam of the departure sensor 122 becoming uninterrupted or unblocked while the door panel 102 is in a closed or partially closed position) based on the duration that the beam of the departure sensor 122 is uninterrupted or unblocked. In particular, the hole 408 is relatively small and passes the departure sensor 122 relatively quickly as the door panel 102 moves. As a result, a missing tab 402 may be inferred when the beam is uninterrupted or unblocked for only a limited period of time (e.g., less than 500 milliseconds, less than 200 milliseconds, etc.) and / or for only a limited change in the position of the door panel 102 (e.g., equal to or less than the width of the hole 408). If the beam remains uninterrupted or unblocked for a longer period of time and / or while the door panel 102 moves a greater distance, a signal reporting an uninterrupted or unblocked beam may be inferred to represent a departure event. As used herein, a condition in which the beam becomes unblocked or unblocked at an unexpected time (e.g., when the leading edge of the door panel 102 is below the beam and the door panel 102 is expected to block, interrupt, or break the beam) is referred to herein as an unexpected non-triggering condition or state.

[0042]

[0058] In the illustrated example of FIG. 4, the leading edge of the door panel 102 includes a loop seal 410. The loop seal 410 is formed from a sheet of material that is attached to the front of the door panel 102, looped under the door panel 102, and attached to the rear of the door panel 102. In some examples, the loop seal 410 includes any suitable filler material disposed inside a cavity formed by the loop seal 410. In some examples, the loop seal 410 is empty on the inside. The loop seal 410 is resiliently deformable such that when the door panel 102 moves to the closed position, the loop seal 410 deforms as it sealingly engages with the floor to provide a seal between the two sides of the door panel 102. In some examples, the loop seal 410 is relatively large to provide a proper seal along the leading edge of the door panel 102. As a result, as shown in the illustrated example, the loop seal 410 extends substantially up to the track 106 but does not extend into the track. As a result, air can leak at the corners of the door panel 102. In some examples, to reduce such leakage, the leading edge of the door panel 102 includes a secondary corner seal 412 that extends (e.g., is small enough to extend) into the track 106 toward the side edges of the door panel 102. In some examples, the corner seal 412 is also a loop seal formed from a sheet of material that loops under the bottom edge of the body of the door panel 102 to deformably seal against the floor when the door panel 102 is in the closed position.

[0043]

[0059] Just as the tab 402 may fall off or otherwise be missing, the corner seal 412 may fall off, be lost, or simply wear away. Furthermore, the missing or worn corner seal 412 may not be immediately noticed due to its relatively small size and / or location at the side edge of the door panel 102 that extends into the track 106. Thus, in some examples, the disengagement sensor 122 may be used in addition to or instead of this to automatically detect when the corner seal 412 is missing or worn away. In particular, if the corner seal 412 is missing, as the door panel 102 moves to the fully open position, the beam emitted by the disengagement sensor 122 becomes uninterrupted sooner than expected (e.g., a non-triggered condition). In some examples, a missing corner seal 412 may be distinguished from a disengagement event based on the position of the door panel 102 (almost fully open) when the beam becomes uninterrupted (e.g., a non-triggered condition), making the disengagement event less likely. Additionally or alternatively, a missing corner seal 412 may result in the beam of the departure sensor 122 not being broken in the same location each time the door panel 102 cycles between the open and closed positions (e.g., a non-triggered condition). Thus, in some instances, a missing corner seal 412 may be identified when a departure event is detected near the fully open position for a threshold number of consecutive door cycles (e.g., an unexpected non-triggered condition).

[0044]

[0060] FIG. 5 is another exemplary door system 500 constructed in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein. A cross-sectional view of the exemplary door system 500 is shown in FIG. 6. The exemplary door system 500 of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 is substantially similar to the door system 100 of FIG. 1. Thus, the same components are identified using the same reference numbers. However, the exemplary door systems 100, 500 differ in that the door system 500 of FIG. 5 includes an array of height sensors 502 for detecting the height of an object approaching the door 101. In some examples, the array of height sensors 502 corresponds to an array of photo eyes that generate a beam at an angle relative to the doorway. In the illustrated examples of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the beam is also inclined relative to the floor. As a result, the height at which an object (e.g., a pedestrian, a fork truck, etc.) crosses the beam changes as the object approaches or moves away from the door. For example, in the illustrated example of FIG. 6, a person 602 is shown pushing a cart 604 toward the door 101, with the cart 604 having an item 606 extending from the cart 604 a significant distance in front of the person 602. As the person 602 approaches the door 101 (e.g., moving to the left as shown in the illustrated example of FIG. 6), the item 606 on the cart 604, which is located at a relatively low height (e.g., near the midpoint of the person's 602 legs), crosses the beam of the array of height sensors 502 before the person reaches the beam. As a result, the detected height of the approaching object is determined to be relatively low (e.g., near the midpoint of the person's 602 legs). As the person 602 continues to approach the door 101, the height at which the item 606 is crossed begins to rise as the higher stacked item 606 on the cart 604 comes within the path of the beam. As the person 602 enters the path of the beam, the height at which the beam is crossed continues to rise until it reaches the top of the person's 602 head. At a particular point in time shown in the illustrative example of FIG. 6, the height at which the beams are intersected is near the middle of person's 602 arm.

[0045]

[0061] In the illustrated example, the array of height sensors 502 determines the distance from the sensor at which the beam is intersected by an object (e.g., based on the time of flight of the beam and the corresponding reflection from the object). In some examples, the distance from the sensor to the point where the object intersects the beam is measured in the direction of the beam (e.g., at an angle relative to the doorway). Based on this distance information, the known height of the sensor 502, and the known angle of the beam, the height at which the beam is intersected can be calculated. In some examples, the height sensor 502 performs this calculation, which is then transmitted to the controller 116. In other examples, the height sensor 502 transmits the detected distance of the object intersecting the beam, and the controller 116 calculates the corresponding height. In either case, the controller 116 uses the height information to adjust the opening height of the door panel 102 (e.g., based on the detected or calculated height value). That is, rather than opening the door panel 102 to a preset height assumed to be higher than an object (e.g., pedestrian, fork truck, etc.) expected to pass through the doorway, the controller 116 dynamically adjusts the position (e.g., open position) of the door panel 102 based on the detected height of the object passing through the doorway. Additionally or alternatively, the rate of change of the height at which the beams of the array of height sensors 502 are intersected indicates the speed at which the object is approaching the doorway. Thus, in some examples, the controller 116 uses the rate of change of the height information to adjust or control the speed at which the door panel 102 opens. Dynamically adjusting the height and / or speed of the door panel 102 based on the detected height and / or approach speed of the approaching object allows the door panel 102 to not open more than necessary and / or faster than necessary to allow the object to pass through. This approach can improve efficiency by reducing the amount of conditioned (e.g., heated or cooled) air on one side of the door panel 102 from mixing with unconditioned or otherwise conditioned air on the other side.

[0046]

[0062] In some examples, the controller 116 moves the leading edge 608 of the door panel 102 according to changes in the detected height at which the beams of the array of height sensors 502 are intersected. Thus, as shown in the illustrated example of FIG. 6, the leading edge 608 of the door panel 102 is at a height corresponding to the middle of the arm of the person 602 at which the beams of the array of height sensors 502 are intersected. In particular, this is high enough to pass through a doorway where the leading edge of the article 606 has already begun to pass under the door panel 102, as shown in the illustrated example. As the person 602 continues to approach the door 101, the door panel 102 rises accordingly to intersect the beams at a higher point. In some examples, the controller 116 can control the height of the leading edge 608 of the door panel 102 to a threshold distance (e.g., 6 inches) above the detected height at which the beams are intersected to provide some clearance for the person 602 (or other object) passing through the doorway.

[0047]

[0063] In some examples, the beams associated with different sensors in the array of height sensors 502 can be intersected at different heights. In some such examples, the controller 116 uses the highest detected point as the expected height of an object passing through the doorway. In some examples, as shown in FIG. 6, separate arrays of height sensors 610 are positioned on opposite sides of the doorway to generate beams in opposite directions, allowing the height of the leading edge 608 of the door panel 102 to be dynamically adjusted in response to traffic approaching the door from the opposite direction. Furthermore, in some examples, height information collected by the controller 116 for objects approaching from one side of the door can be used in conjunction with height information collected by the other array of height sensors 502, 610 on the other side to adjust the closure of the door panel 102. That is, in some examples, the controller 116 generates a height profile of objects approaching the door 101 based on the height information provided over time by the array of height sensors 502. A similar height profile can be expected to be detected by the other array of height sensors 610 on the other side of the door 101 as the object passes through the doorway and moves away from the door 101 on the other side. Based on the height profile generated during the object's approach, the controller 116 can predict the height profile of the object as it leaves the other side and can therefore adjust the height of the door panel 102 accordingly. For example, the controller 116 can close the door panel 102 partway from the top height it was open to if the controller 116 knows, based on the height profile, that the highest part of the object has already moved away from the doorway.

[0048]

[0064] In some examples, rather than controlling the door height to match (within some threshold) the height at which the beams of the array of height sensors 502 are intersected, the controller 116 may initially drive the door panel 102 to a preset height at a relatively high speed as soon as an object is detected (e.g., regardless of the detected height). Once the door panel 102 has risen to the preset height, the controller 116 may adjust the height of the door panel 102 higher as needed for taller objects based on the detected height from the array of height sensors 502.

[0049]

[0065] In this example, the array of height sensors 502 is located on the front of the housing 110 for the rollers 108 (FIG. 1). However, the array of height sensors 502 can be located in any suitable location. For example, in some examples, the array of height sensors 502 is embedded or otherwise integrated into the housing 110. In other examples, the array of height sensors 502 is located on the underside of the housing 110 (e.g., in front of the door panel 102). In other examples, the array of height sensors 502 is mounted on a wall and / or any other structure (e.g., above or below the sensor adjustment system 126) that is separate from the housing 110. In some examples, a different mechanism other than an array of photo eyes can be implemented to detect the height of approaching objects. For example, in some examples, a laser surface emitted by the ranging sensor 124 can be used in a similar manner to separate the beams of the array of height sensors 502 described above.

[0050]

[0066] The particular arrangement of the array of height sensors 502 is useful for detecting the height of an object so as to control the height of a vertically moving door panel (e.g., door panel 102 in the illustrated example). A similar arrangement of sensors can be implemented to detect the width of an object approaching a horizontally moving door. In particular, rather than detecting the distance of the object from the sensors, the controller 116 determines the width of the object based on the number and / or spacing of beams intersected as the object approaches the horizontally translated door panel. In another example, instead of using a generally horizontally arranged array of height sensors 502 (as shown in FIG. 5), one or more vertically arranged arrays of width sensors can be arranged on the sides of a horizontally translated door panel to detect the width of an approaching object, as described in more detail below in connection with FIGS. 7-10.

[0051]

[0067] 7-10 show an example door system 700 constructed in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein, including two horizontally translating door panels 702, 704. The examples disclosed herein may be equally applicable to a single translating door panel or a translating door system having three or more door panels. In the illustrated example, the door panels 702, 704 are suspended from a panel carrier 706 that may roll, slide, or otherwise move along an overhead track system 708. In some examples, the door panels 702, 704 of the door system 700 are moved between an open position (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8) and a closed position (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10) by a motor control unit 710. In this example, the motor control unit 710 is controlled by the controller 116.

[0052]

[0068] As shown in the illustrated example, the door system 700 includes two arrays of width sensors 712, 714. In some examples (as shown in Figures 8 and 10), the arrays of width sensors 712, 714 correspond to an array of photo eyes that generate beams at an angle to the doorway. In the examples shown in Figures 7-10, the beams are approximately non-perpendicular (e.g., approximately parallel) to the floor. In this example, separate arrays of width sensors 712, 714 are positioned on either side of the doorway, with their respective beams angled toward a convergence point in front of the center of the door. As a result, the distance on either side of an object (e.g., a pedestrian, a fork truck, etc.) from the respective arrays of width sensors 712, 714 at the point where the beams of the sensors intersect can be detected. Based on this distance information, the width of the object can be determined in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the array of height sensors 502. Additionally, although not shown in FIGS. 7-10, one or more of the sensors 122, 124, 125, 134, 136, 138, 144, and 502 may be suitably adapted for implementation in connection with the example door system 700 of FIGS.

[0053]

[0069] Many horizontally translating door systems, such as the exemplary door system 700 of FIGS. 7-10, include a seal 716 attached near the side edge of the door panel 702, 704 that is furthest from the doorway when the panel 702, 704 is in the open position. As shown in the illustrated example of FIGS. 8 and 10, the seal 716 extends away from the door panel 702, 704 toward the wall that the door panel 702, 704 translates against. Further, in this example, the seal 716 is configured to space away from the wall that the door panel 702, 704 is in the open position (FIG. 8). However, the seal 716 sealingly engages with a protrusion 718 on the wall when the door panel 702, 704 is in the closed position (FIG. 10). In some examples, the protrusion 718 extends around the perimeter (e.g., three edges) of the doorway. In some such examples, the door panel 702, 704 may also include a seal that extends along its top edge to sealingly engage an upper portion of the protrusion. In some examples, the positions of the seal 716 and the protrusion 718 can be reversed, that is, in some examples, the seal 716 is attached to the wall and extends outwardly from the wall to engage the protrusion 718 of the door panels 702, 704.

[0054]

[0070] Repeated opening and closing of the door panels 702, 704 repeatedly engages and disengages the seal 716 from the protrusion 718. The repeated engagement of the seal 716 with the protrusion 718 can result in wear of the seal 716 and / or the protrusion 718 over time. In some examples, the controller 116 detects such wear based on a change in the current used to drive the motor associated with the motor control unit 710. More specifically, as the seal 716 and / or the protrusion 718 wear, the force required to drive the two components into sealing engagement decreases. Thus, if a current sensor in the motor control unit 710 provides feedback to the controller 116 indicating that the current used to drive the motor when the door is in or near a closed position meets (e.g., is below) a threshold value that is below a default or expected value (e.g., measured when the seal 716 is first deployed), the controller 116 determines that there is wear of the seal and / or the protrusion. In some such instances, the controller 116 triggers or generates an alert and / or notification to maintenance personnel to investigate the problem.

[0055]

[0071] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an example controller 116 of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, and / or 9 for controlling the operation of any one of the example door systems 100, 500, 700 of FIGS. 1-10. The controller 116 of FIG. 11 may be instantiated (e.g., created an instance, caused to exist for any length of time, realized, performed, etc.) by a processor circuit such as a central processing unit that executes instructions. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 116 of FIG. 11 may be instantiated (e.g., created an instance, caused to exist for any length of time, realized, performed, etc.) by an ASIC or FPGA configured to perform operations corresponding to the instructions. Thus, it should be understood that some or all of the circuitry of FIG. 11 may be instantiated at the same or different times. Some or all of the circuitry may be instantiated, for example, in one or more threads executing simultaneously on hardware and / or serially on hardware. Additionally, in some examples, some or all of the circuitry of FIG. 11 may be implemented by one or more virtual machines and / or containers executing on a microprocessor.

[0056]

[0072] 1, 5, 7, and / or 9, some or all of the components of the controller may also be implemented in the second controller 140. As shown in FIG. 11, the example controller 116 includes an example device interface circuit 1102, an example remote server interface circuit 1104, an example time stamp circuit 1106, an example data logging circuit 1108, an example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110, an example performance adjustment analysis circuit 1112, an example performance control circuit 1114, an example communication interface circuit 1116, and an example memory 1118.

[0057]

[0073] The exemplary equipment interface circuit 1102 enables communication between the controller 116 and equipment associated with the door system 100. That is, in some examples, the controller 116 can provide instructions and / or commands to different equipment associated with the door system 100, such as the motor control unit 112 and / or the sensor conditioning system 126, via the equipment interface circuit 1102. Additionally, the controller 116 can receive feedback from sensors associated with the equipment via the equipment interface circuit 1102. In some examples, the equipment interface circuit 1102 includes a user interface through which a user can provide input to the controller 116 to direct its operations (e.g., via the buttons or switches 118 and / or the display screen 120). In some examples, the equipment interface circuit 1102 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes the equipment interface instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23.

[0058]

[0074] The example remote server interface circuit 1104 enables communication between the controller 116 and the remote server 146. That is, in some examples, the controller 116 transmits or reports sensor feedback data and / or other information to the remote server 146 via the remote server interface circuit 1104. Additionally, in some examples, the controller 116 can receive information, instructions, and / or commands from the remote server 146 via the remote server interface circuit 1104. In some examples, the remote server interface circuit 1104 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes remote server interface instructions and / or is configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0059]

[0075] The example time stamp circuit 1106 time stamps the sensor feedback data obtained via the instrument interface circuit 1102 and stores such data in the example memory 1118. The example data logging circuit 1108 logs the sensor feedback data in the memory 1118 with an associated time stamp provided by the example time stamp circuit 1106. Additionally or alternatively, the example data logging circuit 1108 can provide the time stamped sensor feedback data to the remote server 146 via the remote server interface circuit 1104. In some examples, the time stamp circuit 1106 is instantiated by a processor circuit executing a time stamp instruction and / or configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23. In some examples, the data logging circuit 1108 is instantiated by a processor circuit executing a data logging instruction and / or configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23.

[0060]

[0076] The example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 analyzes feedback signals or data from sensors associated with the door system 100 and / or associated time stamp data to enable the controller 116 to determine the state and / or condition of associated equipment and / or the environmental and use conditions of the area surrounding the door system 100. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes sensor feedback analysis instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23. In some examples, the controller 116 can generate appropriate commands and / or instructions to the equipment based on the analysis of the sensor feedback and time stamp data by the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110. For example, the controller 116 can adjust the speed, timing, direction, and / or other aspects of the motor 114 to regulate the movement of the door panel 102. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 116 may adjust the position, orientation, and / or field of view of one or more of the sensors 122, 124, 125, 134, 136, 138, 144 associated with the door system 100 based on the output of the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110. Further, in some examples, the controller 116 may generate an alert and / or notification based on the analysis of the sensor feedback and timestamp data. In some examples, the alert and / or notification may be visually represented via the display screen 120 of the controller 116. In some examples, the controller 116 may activate a separate output device (e.g., a light, a bell, a horn, etc.) to indicate the alert and / or notification. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the controller 116 may transmit the alert and / or notification to the remote server 146. In some examples, the controller 116 may not perform a particular action in response to the analysis of the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110. However, in some examples, the sensor feedback, the time stamp data, and / or the results of the analysis of the sensor feedback and the time stamp data may be stored in memory 1118.In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 can analyze such historical data to identify trends, patterns, and / or changing conditions that emerge over time.

[0061]

[0077] As a specific example, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 can analyze feedback and associated timestamps from at least two of the photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138 to determine the speed and / or direction of traffic passing through the doorway. In other examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines the speed and / or direction of traffic using one or more of the distance sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 analyzes sensor feedback data indicative of the direction of traffic on either side of the doorway to detect potential collisions and / or near misses. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 analyzes feedback from the elevated photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138 in conjunction with feedback from at least one of the photo eye sensors 142 at the base of the doorway to distinguish between pedestrians and fork trucks passing through the doorway.

[0062]

[0078] In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 analyzes the actuation time for opening the door (based on timing of feedback from the distance sensor 124, the motion sensor 125, and / or other actuation systems) in conjunction with feedback from the departure sensor 122 to determine whether the actuation time contributes to a collision with the door panel 102 leading to an actuation event. For example, if the number of departure events relative to the total number of door cycles (e.g., opening and closing of the door 101) exceeds a threshold, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 can determine that the door 101 is occurring too late in actuation. In some examples, the number of departure events within a threshold time (independent of the total number of door cycles) can be used as an indication that the door 101 is acting too late. The sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 can evaluate the timing of the door actuation using sensors other than the departure sensor 122. For example, in some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 can determine the time between actuation and when the beams of the photo eye sensor 134 at the base of the doorway are crossed to indicate the amount of time between actuation and when traffic reaches the doorway. In some such instances, if this period falls below a threshold, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 may determine that the door 101 is being actuated too late. On the other hand, if the period of time between actuation and traffic actually passing through the doorway exceeds a threshold, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 may determine that the door 101 is being actuated too early.

[0063]

[0079] In some examples, analysis of the sensor feedback data to determine whether the door 101 opened too early (and thus remained open too long) or too late (and thus a collision occurred) may additionally or alternatively be performed by the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112. In some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes motion adjustment analysis instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23. In some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 uses a determination that the door 101 opened too early or too late to recommend a change in the position, orientation, and / or field of view of an associated sensor that triggered the too-late or too-early actuation. In some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 generates an alert and / or notification indicating the need for an adjustment to the sensor. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may automatically (e.g., without direct human input) adjust the position, orientation, and / or field of view of an associated sensor by generating commands and / or instructions to an associated sensor adjustment system 126. In some examples, the performance adjustment analysis circuit 1112 can incrementally adjust the sensor and then monitor any changes over a set period of time and then make further adjustments to refine (e.g., continuously) the configuration of the sensor to improve performance.

[0064]

[0080] While the sensors may be adjusted to reduce breakaway events, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may determine to adjust the sensors and / or other aspects of the door system 100 based on other detected conditions and / or factors. For example, rather than opening too soon or too late, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 and / or the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may determine that the door panel 102 remained open too long because a sensor erroneously detected the presence of traffic near the doorway. Similarly, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 and / or the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may determine that the door panel 102 moved to an open position even though no traffic was passing (e.g., a malfunction) because a sensor erroneously triggered the door 101 by detecting traffic merely passing near the door 101. In some such instances, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may again indicate that the associated sensor needs to be adjusted and / or may automatically adjust such sensor.

[0065]

[0081] Other factors that contribute to disengagement events (leading to damage and / or wear to the door panel 102), malfunctions (leading to energy inefficiencies), and / or over-opening of the door (leading to energy inefficiencies) are other than the door opening or closing at the wrong time based on the location, orientation, and / or field of view of the sensor triggering such opening and / or closing. For example, traffic may be moving too fast, the door re-close timer may be set too long, the motor may be running slowly based on an incorrect configuration, increased friction between the door panel 102 and the track 106, and / or other reasons. Thus, in some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may analyze sensor feedback data indicative of traffic speed and / or the operating state of the motor 114 when determining to adjust the sensor. In some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may determine to adjust control parameters of the motor 114 (e.g., adjust a re-close timer, commanded speed, stop position, etc.) in addition to or instead of adjusting the sensor. In some examples, such a determination may be provided to engineers and / or maintenance personnel to implement the adjustment. In other examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may perform such adjustments automatically without user input.

[0066]

[0082] The example operation control circuit 1114 controls the operation of equipment associated with the door system 100. That is, in some examples, the operation control circuit 1114 generates instructions and / or commands for the equipment based on the output of the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 and / or the operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112. In some examples, the operation control circuit 1114 generates a graphical user interface for controlling and / or defining a user interface rendered on the display screen 120 of the controller 116. In some examples, the operation control circuit 1114 generates alerts and / or notifications that are sent to the remote server 146 and / or other remote computing devices (e.g., mobile devices) of associated individuals. In some examples, such alerts and / or notifications are sent directly to the remote computing devices via the example communication interface circuit 1116. For example, the communication interface circuit 1116 can send email messages and / or SMS messages to one or more designated computing devices. In some examples, the alerts and / or notifications can be sent to the remote server 146 via the remote server interface circuit 1104, which then distributes the messages to other remote computing devices. In some examples, the remote server interface circuit 1104 and the communication interface circuit 1116 may be separate components of the controller 116. In other examples, the remote server interface circuit 1104 and the communication interface circuit 1116 may correspond to the same component. In some examples, the operation control circuit 1114 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes operation control instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as represented by the flowcharts of Figures 13-23. In some examples, the communication interface circuit 1116 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes communication instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as represented by the flowcharts of Figures 13-23.

[0067]

[0083] An example manner of implementing the controller 116 of Figures 1, 5, 7, and / or 9 is illustrated in Figure 11, although one or more of the elements, processes, and / or devices illustrated in Figure 11 may be combined, divided, rearranged, omitted, eliminated, and / or implemented in any other manner. Additionally, the example instrument interface circuit 1102, example remote server interface circuit 1104, example time stamp circuit 1106, example data logging circuit 1108, example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110, example performance adjustment analysis circuit 1112, example performance control circuit 1114, example communications interface circuit 1116, example memory 1118, and / or, more generally, the example controller 116 of Figure 11 may be implemented by hardware alone or in combination with software and / or firmware. Thus, for example, the exemplary equipment interface circuit 1102, the exemplary remote server interface circuit 1104, the exemplary time stamp circuit 1106, the exemplary data logging circuit 1108, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110, the exemplary performance adjustment analysis circuit 1112, the exemplary performance control circuit 1114, the exemplary communications interface circuit 1116, the exemplary memory 1118, and / or, more generally, the exemplary controller 116 may be implemented by a processor circuit, an analog circuit, a digital circuit, a logic circuit, a programmable processor, a programmable microcontroller, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), and / or a field programmable logic device (FPLD) such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Furthermore, the example controller 116 of FIGS. 1, 5, 7, and / or 9 may include one or more elements, processes, and / or devices in addition to or instead of those shown in FIG. 11, and / or may include two or more of any or all of the illustrated elements, processes, and devices.As used herein, the phrase "in communication," including variations thereof, encompasses direct communication and / or indirect communication via one or more intermediate components and does not require direct physical (e.g., wired) communication and / or constant communication, but rather further includes selective communication at periodic intervals, scheduled intervals, aperiodic intervals, and / or one-time events.

[0068]

[0084] In some examples, the device includes a means for logging data. For example, the means for recording data may be implemented by a data logging circuit 1108. In some examples, the data logging circuit 1108 may be instantiated by a processor circuit, such as the example processor circuit 2412 of FIG. 24. For example, the data logging circuit 1108 may be instantiated by the example microprocessor 2500 of FIG. 25 executing machine-executable instructions, such as those implemented by at least blocks 1308, 1312, 1320, 1324, 1326, 1328 of FIG. 13 and blocks 1410, 1414, 1420, 1422, 1426, 1430 of FIG. 14. In some examples, the data logging circuit 1108 may be instantiated by a hardware logic circuit, which may be implemented by an ASIC, XPU, or FPGA circuit 2600 of FIG. 26 configured to perform operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions. Additionally or alternatively, the data logging circuitry 1108 may be instantiated by any other combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, the data logging circuitry 1108 may be implemented by at least one or more hardware circuits (e.g., processor circuits, discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuits, FPGAs, ASICs, XPUs, comparators, operational amplifiers (opamps), logic circuits, etc.) configured to execute some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or to perform some or all of the operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions without executing software or firmware, although other structures are suitable as well.

[0069]

[0085] In some examples, the apparatus includes means for analyzing the sensor feedback data. For example, the means for analyzing the sensor feedback data may be implemented by the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 may be instantiated by a processor circuit, such as the example processor circuit 2412 of FIG. 24. 20, blocks 2104 and 2106 of FIG. 21, blocks 2204 and 2210 of FIG. 22, and block 2308 of FIG. 23. For example, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 may be instantiated by example microprocessor 2500 of FIG. 25 executing machine-executable instructions such as those implemented by at least blocks 1302, 1304, 1306, 1314, 1316, 1322, 1326, and 1328 of FIG. 13, blocks 1402, 1408, 1412, 1418, and 1428 of FIG. 14, blocks 1902, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1916, and 1918 of FIG. 19, blocks 2002 and 2004 of FIG. 20, blocks 2104 and 2106 of FIG. 21, blocks 2204 and 2210 of FIG. 22, and block 2308 of FIG. 23. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 may be instantiated by hardware logic circuitry, which may be implemented by the ASIC, XPU, or FPGA circuitry 2600 of FIG. 26 configured to perform operations corresponding to machine-readable instructions. Additionally or alternatively, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 may be instantiated by any other combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 may be implemented by at least one or more hardware circuits (e.g., processor circuits, discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuits, FPGAs, ASICs, XPUs, comparators, operational amplifiers (op-amps), logic circuits, etc.) configured to execute some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or to execute some or all of the operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions without executing software or firmware, although other structures are suitable as well.

[0070]

[0086] In some examples, the apparatus includes a means for analyzing data for adjusting operations associated with the door system. For example, the means for analyzing data may be implemented by a motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112. In some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may be instantiated by a processor circuit, such as the example processor circuit 2412 of FIG. 24. For example, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may be instantiated by the example microprocessor 2500 of FIG. 25 executing machine-executable instructions as implemented by at least block 1432 of FIG. 14, blocks 1502, 1504, 1506, 1510, 1512 of FIG. 15, blocks 1602, 1604, 1606, 1610, 1612 of FIG. 16, blocks 1702, 1704, 1706, 1710, 1712 of FIG. 17, and blocks 1802, 1804, 1806, 1810, 1812 of FIG. 18. In some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may be instantiated by hardware logic circuitry, which may be implemented by the ASIC, XPU, or FPGA circuitry 2600 of FIG. 26 configured to perform operations corresponding to machine-readable instructions. Additionally or alternatively, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may be instantiated by any other combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may be implemented by at least one or more hardware circuits (e.g., processor circuits, discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuits, FPGAs, ASICs, XPUs, comparators, operational amplifiers (op-amps), logic circuits, etc.) configured to execute some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or to execute some or all of the operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions without executing software or firmware, although other structures are suitable as well.

[0071]

[0087] In some examples, the apparatus includes a means for controlling operation of the door system. For example, the means for controlling operation may be implemented by the operation control circuitry 1114. In some examples, the operation control circuitry 1114 may be instantiated by a processor circuit, such as the example processor circuitry 2412 of FIG. 24. 20, blocks 2202, 2206, 2208, 2212, 2214, 2216, 2218 of FIG. 21, and blocks 2302, 2304, 2306, 2310, 2312 of FIG. 22. In some examples, the operation control circuitry 1114 may be instantiated by hardware logic circuitry, which may be implemented by the ASIC, XPU, or FPGA circuitry 2600 of FIG. 26 configured to perform operations corresponding to machine-readable instructions. Additionally or alternatively, the operation control circuitry 1114 may be instantiated by any other combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, the operation control circuitry 1114 may be implemented by at least one or more hardware circuits (e.g., processor circuits, discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuits, FPGAs, ASICs, XPUs, comparators, operational amplifiers (op-amps), logic circuits, etc.) configured to execute some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or to execute some or all of the operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions without executing software or firmware, although other structures are suitable as well.

[0072]

[0088] In some examples, the apparatus includes a means for storing data. For example, the means for storing data may be implemented by the memory 1118. In some examples, the memory 1118 may be instantiated by a processor circuit, such as the example processor circuit 2412 of FIG. 24. For example, the memory 1118 may be instantiated by the example microprocessor 2500 of FIG. 25 executing machine-executable instructions as implemented by at least block 2102 of FIG. 21. In some examples, the memory 1118 may be instantiated by a hardware logic circuit, which may be implemented by the ASIC, XPU, or FPGA circuit 2600 of FIG. 26 configured to perform operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions. Additionally or alternatively, the memory 1118 may be instantiated by any other combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, memory 1118 may be implemented by at least one or more hardware circuits (e.g., processor circuits, discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuits, FPGAs, ASICs, XPUs, comparators, operational amplifiers (opamps), logic circuits, etc.) configured to execute some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or to perform some or all of the operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions without executing software or firmware, although other structures are similarly suitable.

[0073]

[0089] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the remote server 146 of FIG. 1. The remote server 146 of FIG. 12 may be instantiated by a processor circuit such as a central processing unit that executes instructions (e.g., creates an instance, exists for any length of time, realizes, performs, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, the remote server 146 of FIG. 12 may be instantiated by an ASIC or FPGA configured to perform operations corresponding to instructions (e.g., creates an instance, exists for any length of time, realizes, performs, etc.). Thus, it should be understood that some or all of the circuitry of FIG. 12 may be instantiated at the same or different times. Some or all of the circuitry may be instantiated, for example, in one or more threads running simultaneously on hardware and / or serially on hardware. Additionally, in some examples, some or all of the circuitry of FIG. 12 may be implemented by one or more virtual machines and / or containers running on a microprocessor.

[0074]

[0090] As shown in FIG. 12, the example remote server 146 includes an example controller interface circuit 1202, an example time stamp circuit 1204, an example data logging circuit 1206, an example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208, an example performance adjustment analysis circuit 1210, an example report generation circuit 1212, an example communication interface circuit 1214, and an example memory 1216.

[0075]

[0091] The example controller interface circuit 1202 of FIG. 12 enables communication with the controllers 116, 140 and other similar controllers associated with other doors and / or other equipment. That is, the controller interface circuit 1202 receives sensor feedback data, or any other type of data collected and reported by the controller 116 of the door system 100. Such data may be aggregated from multiple controllers associated with different doors in a facility and stored in the memory 1216 for subsequent analysis and / or processing. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the controller interface circuit 1202 transmits instructions, commands, and / or other types of information to the controller 116. In some examples, the controller interface circuit 1202 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes controller interface instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23.

[0076]

[0092] The example time stamp circuit 1204 of FIG. 12 provides similar functionality to the time stamp circuit 1106 of the controller 116 described above in connection with FIG. 11. In some examples, the time stamp circuit 1204 of FIG. 12 is a replica of the time stamp circuit 1106 of FIG. 11. In some examples, the time stamp circuit 1106 may be omitted from the controller 116 of FIG. 11. In some examples, the time stamp circuit 1204 may be omitted from the remote server 146 of FIG. 12. In some examples, the example data logging circuit 1206 of FIG. 12 logs the time stamped data in the example memory 1216, regardless of whether the data is time stamped by the example time stamp circuit 1106 of FIG. 11 or the example time stamp circuit 1204 of FIG. 12. In some examples, the time stamp circuit 1204 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes time stamp instructions and / or is configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23. In some examples, the data logging circuitry 1206 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes data logging instructions and / or is configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0077]

[0093] In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes sensor feedback analysis instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23. The example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 of FIG. 12 provides similar functionality to the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 of the controller 116 described above in connection with FIG. 11. Furthermore, in some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 in the remote server 146 shown in FIG. 12 also analyzes sensor feedback data (and associated timestamps) associated with one or more other door systems different from the door system 100 of FIG. 1. Furthermore, in some such examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 compares sensor feedback data (and associated timestamps) aggregated from multiple different door systems. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 of FIG. 12 is a replica of the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 of FIG. 11. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 can be omitted from the controller 116 of FIG. 11. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 can be omitted from the remote server 146 of Figure 12. In some examples, the data logging circuit 1206 logs data output by the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 of Figure 11 and / or the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 of Figure 12.

[0078]

[0094] The example motion coordination analysis circuit 1210 of FIG. 12 provides similar functionality to the motion coordination analysis circuit 1112 of the controller 116 described above in connection with FIG. 11. In some examples, the motion coordination analysis circuit 1210 of FIG. 12 is a replica of the motion coordination analysis circuit 1112 of FIG. 11. In some examples, the motion coordination analysis circuit 1112 may be omitted from the controller 116 of FIG. 11. In some examples, the motion coordination analysis circuit 1210 may be omitted from the remote server 146 of FIG. 12. In some examples, the motion coordination analysis circuit 1210 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes motion coordination analysis instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23.

[0079]

[0095] The example report generation circuit 1212 of FIG. 12 generates alerts, notifications, and / or reports indicative of the results of the aggregated sensor feedback data and / or analysis of the sensor feedback data. In some examples, the report generation circuit 1212 relays and / or incorporates alerts and / or notifications generated by the operation control circuitry 1114 of the controller 116 of FIG. 11. In some examples, the report generation circuit 1212 can provide the alerts, notifications, and / or reports to a web server to display the information on one or more web pages accessible to relevant personnel. Additionally or alternatively, the report generation circuit 1212 can generate alerts, notifications, and / or reports that are sent directly to the computing devices of relevant personnel via the example communication interface circuit 1214. For example, the communication interface circuit 1214 can send email messages and / or SMS messages to one or more designated computing devices. In some examples, the report generation circuit 1212 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes report generation instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23. In some examples, the communications interface circuitry 1214 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes communications interface instructions and / or is configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0080]

[0096] 1 is illustrated in FIG 12, one or more of the elements, processes, and / or devices illustrated in FIG 12 may be combined, divided, rearranged, omitted, eliminated, and / or implemented in any other manner. Additionally, the example controller interface circuit 1202, the example time stamp circuit 1204, the example data logging circuit 1206, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208, the example performance adjustment analysis circuit 1210, the example report generation circuit 1212, the example communication interface circuit 1214, the example memory 1216, and / or, more generally, the example remote server 146 of FIG 1 may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, and / or any combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. Thus, for example, the example controller interface circuit 1202, the example time stamp circuit 1204, the example data logging circuit 1206, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208, the example performance adjustment analysis circuit 1210, the example report generation circuit 1212, the example communications interface circuit 1214, the example memory 1216, and / or, more generally, the example remote server 146 may be implemented by one or more analog or digital circuits, logic circuits, programmable processors, programmable controllers, graphic processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), and / or field programmable logic devices (FPLDs).When reading any of the apparatus or system claims of this patent to cover purely software and / or firmware embodiments, at least one of the exemplary controller interface circuit 1202, the exemplary time stamp circuit 1204, the exemplary data logging circuit 1206, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208, the exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1210, the exemplary report generation circuit 1212, the exemplary communication interface circuit 1214, and / or the exemplary memory 1216 are expressly defined hereby to include a non-transitory computer-readable storage device or storage disk, such as a memory, digital versatile disk (DVD), compact disk (CD), Blu-ray disk, etc., containing software and / or firmware. Furthermore, the exemplary remote server 146 of FIG. 1 can include one or more elements, processes, and / or devices in addition to or instead of those shown in FIG. 12 and / or can include two or more of any or all of the shown elements, processes, and devices. As used herein, the phrase "in communication," including variations thereof, encompasses direct communication and / or indirect communication via one or more intermediate components and does not require direct physical (e.g., wired) communication and / or constant communication, but rather further includes selective communication at periodic intervals, scheduled intervals, aperiodic intervals, and / or one-time events.

[0081]

[0097] 13-23 are flow charts illustrating example hardware logic circuits, machine readable instructions, hardware implemented state machines, and / or any combination thereof for implementing the controller 116 of FIG. 1, FIG. 5, FIG. 7, FIG. 9, and / or FIG. 11. Although described with reference to the controller 116, as previously mentioned, many of the functions of the controller 116 may additionally or alternatively be performed by the controller 140 and / or the remote server 146. Thus, in some examples, one or more of the blocks of one or more of FIG. 13-23 may be implemented by the controller 116 and / or the remote server 146 in addition to or instead of the controller 140. The machine readable instructions depicted in FIG. 13-23 may be one or more executable programs or parts of executable programs for execution by a processor circuit, such as the processor circuit 2412 shown in the example processor platform 2400 described below in connection with FIG. 24 and / or the example processor circuit described below in connection with FIG. 25 and / or FIG. 26. The program may be embodied in software stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, such as a compact disc (CD), a floppy disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SDD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-ray disk, or a volatile memory (e.g., any type of random access memory (RAM) or the like) or a non-volatile memory (e.g., Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), FLASH memory, HDD, SSD, etc.) associated with a processor circuit located in one or more hardware devices, or the entire program and / or parts thereof may be executed by one or more hardware devices other than a processor circuit and / or may be embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware. The machine-readable instructions may be distributed across multiple hardware devices and / or executed by two or more hardware devices (e.g., a server and a client hardware device).For example, the client hardware device may be implemented by an end-point client hardware device (e.g., a hardware device associated with a user) or an intermediate client hardware device (e.g., a Radio Access Network (RAN)) gateway that may facilitate communication between a server and an end-point client hardware device. Similarly, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include one or more media located in one or more hardware devices. Additionally, although the exemplary program is described with reference to the flowcharts illustrated in FIGS. 13-23, many other ways of implementing the exemplary controller 116 may alternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be changed, and / or some of the described blocks may be modified, eliminated, or combined. Additionally or alternatively, any or all of the blocks may be implemented by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., processor circuits, discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuits, FPGAs, ASICs, comparators, operational amplifiers (op amps), logic circuits, etc.) configured to perform the corresponding operations without executing software or firmware. The processor circuitry may be distributed across different network locations and / or may be distributed locally on one or more hardware devices (e.g., a single core processor (e.g., a single core central processing unit (CPU)), a multi-core processor on a single machine, multiple processors distributed across multiple servers in a server rack, multiple processors distributed across one or more server racks, CPUs and / or FPGAs located within the same package (e.g., the same integrated circuit (IC) package, or two or more separate housings, etc.).

[0082]

[0098] The machine-readable instructions described herein may be stored in one or more of a compressed format, an encrypted format, a fragmented format, a compiled format, an executable format, a packaged format, and the like. The machine-readable instructions described herein may be stored as data or data structures (e.g., as part of instructions, code, a representation of code, and the like) that can be utilized to create, manufacture, and / or generate machine-executable instructions. For example, the machine-readable instructions may be stored fragmented in one or more storage devices and / or computing devices (e.g., servers) located at the same or different locations of a network or collection of networks (e.g., in a cloud, an edge device, and the like). The machine-readable instructions may require one or more of installation, modification, adaptation, updating, combination, supplementation, configuration, decryption, decompression, unpacking, distribution, reallocation, compilation, and the like to make them directly readable, interpretable, and / or executable by computing devices and / or other machines. For example, the machine-readable instructions may be individually compressed, encrypted, and / or stored in multiple portions stored on separate computing devices, and when decoded, decompressed, and / or combined, form a set of machine-executable instructions that perform one or more operations that can together form a program as described herein.

[0083]

[0099] In another example, machine-readable instructions may be stored in a state readable by a processor circuit, but require the addition of a library (e.g., a dynamic link library (DLL)), a software development kit (SDK), an application programming interface (API), etc., to execute the machine-readable instructions on a particular computing device or other device. In another example, the machine-readable instructions may need to be configured (e.g., stored settings, data input, recorded network addresses, etc.) before the machine-readable instructions and / or corresponding programs can be executed in whole or in part. Thus, a machine-readable medium, as used herein, may include machine-readable instructions and / or programs regardless of the particular format or state of the machine-readable instructions and / or programs, whether stored, otherwise at rest, or in transit.

[0084]

[0100] The machine-readable instructions described herein may be expressed by any past, present, or future command language, scripting language, programming language, etc. For example, the machine-readable instructions may be expressed using any of the following languages: C, C++, Java, C#, Perl, Python, JavaScript, HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Structured Query Language (SQL), Swift, etc.

[0085]

[0101] As previously mentioned, the exemplary operations of FIGS. 13-23 may be implemented using executable instructions (e.g., computer and / or machine readable instructions) stored on one or more non-transitory computer and / or machine readable media, such as optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, HDDs, flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), CDs, DVDs, caches, any type of RAM, registers, and / or any other storage devices or storage disks on which information is stored for any duration (e.g., long term, permanently, short term, for temporary buffering, and / or for caching information). As used herein, the terms non-transitory computer readable medium, non-transitory computer readable storage medium, non-transitory machine readable medium, and non-transitory machine readable storage medium are expressly defined to include any type of computer readable storage device and / or storage disk, to exclude propagating signals, and to exclude transmission media. As used herein, the terms "computer readable storage device" and "machine readable storage device" are defined to include any physical (mechanical and / or electrical) structure that stores information but excludes propagating signals and excludes transmission media. Examples of computer-readable and machine-readable storage devices include any type of random access memory, any type of read-only memory, solid-state memory, flash memory, optical disks, magnetic disks, disk drives, and / or Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) systems. As used herein, the term "device" refers to a physical structure, such as a machine and / or electrical equipment, hardware, and / or circuitry, that may or may not be configured with and / or manufactured to execute computer-readable, machine-readable, or the like instructions.

[0086]

[0102] "Including" and "comprising" (and all forms and tenses thereof) are used herein to be open-ended terms. Thus, whenever a claim uses any form of "including" or "comprising" (e.g., comprises, includes, comprising, including, having, etc.) as a preamble or in any type of claim recitation, it is to be understood that additional elements, terms, etc. may be present without departing from the scope of the corresponding claim or recitation. As used herein, the phrase "at least" is open-ended just as the terms "comprising" and "including" are open-ended when used as a transitional term, for example, in the preamble of a claim. The term "and / or," when used in the form A, B, and / or C, for example, refers to any combination or subset of A, B, C, such as (1) A alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) A and B, (5) A and C, (6) B and C, or (7) A, B and C. When used herein in the context of describing a structure, component, item, object, and / or thing, the phrase "at least one of A and B" is intended to refer to an implementation that includes either (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, when used herein in the context of describing a structure, component, item, object, and / or thing, the phrase "at least one of A or B" is intended to refer to an implementation that includes either (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. When used herein in the context of describing the execution or performance of a process, instruction, action, activity, and / or step, the phrase "at least one of A and B" is intended to refer to an implementation that includes either (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B.Similarly, when used herein in the context of describing the execution or performance of a process, instruction, action, activity, and / or step, the phrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer to an implementation that includes either (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B.

[0087]

[0103] As used herein, singular references (e.g., "a", "an", "first", "second", etc.) do not exclude plural references. The term "a" or "an" object as used herein refers to one or more of that object. The terms "a" (or "an"), "one or more", and "at least one" are used interchangeably herein. Furthermore, although individually recited, a plurality of means, elements or method actions may, for example, be performed by the same entity or object. Furthermore, although individual features may be included in different examples or claims, these may conceivably be combined, and inclusion in different examples or claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and / or advantageous.

[0088]

[0104] The example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations of FIG. 13 begin at block 1302, where the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 monitors sensors for traffic approaching the door 101. In some examples, the sensors being monitored correspond to one or more of a button or switch 118 (or other manual door actuation mechanism), a touch screen 120 of the controller 116, a distance sensor 124, and / or a motion or presence sensor 125. In block 1304, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether approaching traffic is detected. If not, control returns to block 1302. If so, control proceeds to block 1306, where the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether traffic is approaching from both sides of the door. If so, control proceeds to block 1308, where the example data logging circuit 1108 records a potential collision or near miss. Control then proceeds to block 1310, where the motion control circuit 1114 opens the door panel 102 of the door 101. In some examples, in response to detecting a potential collision or near miss, the motion control circuitry 1114 may generate an alert (e.g., trigger a bell, horn, light, etc.) to notify individuals on either side of the doorway that traffic is approaching from the other side. Returning to block 1306, if the example sensor feedback analysis circuitry 1110 determines that traffic is not approaching from both sides of the door, control proceeds directly to block 1310 to open the door panel 102.

[0089]

[0105] In block 1312, the example data logging circuit 1108 (in conjunction with the example time stamp circuit 1106) records the time of the door actuation. In block 1314, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 monitors a photo eye sensor adjacent to the doorway. The photo eye sensor can correspond to any of the photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138, 142. In block 1316, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether traffic passing through the doorway is detected. In some examples, traffic passing through the doorway is detected based on at least one beam of the photo eye sensor 134, 136, 138, 142 being crossed or interrupted. If traffic passing through the doorway is not detected (e.g., the photo eye sensor is not activated), control proceeds to block 1318, where the operation control circuit 1114 determines whether the reclose timer has elapsed. If not, control returns to block 1316. If the reclose timer has elapsed (and no traffic was detected passing through the doorway at block 1316), control proceeds to block 1320 where the example data logging circuitry 1108 records the malfunction. In some examples, the particular sensor that triggered the operation of the door 101 is associated with the log entry of the malfunction so that it can be linked to the particular sensor that triggered the operation. Correlating this information is useful in identifying which sensor needs to be adjusted if it is likely the cause of the malfunction. After recording the malfunction, control proceeds to block 1424 of FIG. 14 where the motion control circuitry 1114 closes the door panel 102.

[0090]

[0106] Returning to block 1316, if the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that traffic has been detected passing through the doorway, control proceeds to block 1322, where the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the photo eye sensor beams have been crossed (e.g., suspended) for the first time since the door 101 was opened. If so, control proceeds to block 1324, where the example data logging circuit 1108 (in conjunction with the example time stamp circuit 1106) records the time when the photo eye sensor beams were first crossed. Control then proceeds to block 1326. If the traffic detected by the photo eye sensor is not the first instance of traffic detected since the door 101 was opened, control proceeds directly to block 1326. In block 1326, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 (in conjunction with the example data logging circuit 1108) determines and records the speed of the traffic. In some examples, the traffic speed is determined based on the time difference between the beams of two separate photo eye sensors and the known distance between the sensors. In other examples, the speed may be determined based on feedback from the ranging sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125. In block 1328, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 (in conjunction with the example data logging circuit 1108) determines and records the direction of traffic. In some examples, the direction of traffic is determined based on the order of the beams of two separate photo eye sensors and the known distance between the sensors. In other examples, the direction may be determined based on feedback from the ranging sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125. Control then proceeds to block 1402 of FIG. 14.

[0091]

[0107] In block 1402, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the photo eye sensor beams are still crossed (or broken). The controller 116 determines that an object or something is still in the path of the doorway such that the door panel 102 cannot be safely closed in response to one of the photo eye sensor beams being in a crossed or broken state. Thus, if the photo eye sensor beams are crossed, control proceeds to block 1404 where the example operation control circuit 1114 determines whether a threshold time has elapsed since the beams were first crossed (as logged in block 1324 of FIG. 13). If not, control returns to block 1402. If the threshold time has elapsed, control proceeds to block 1406 where the example operation control circuit 1114 generates a warning indicating that the door 101 has been open too long (e.g., for a period of time longer than the threshold time, for an excessive period of time) and / or that an object is present in the doorway. In some examples, this warning can be generated locally by the door to inform individuals near the door of the situation. Additionally or alternatively, the operational control circuitry 1114 may provide an alert to the remote server 146 to send the alert to relevant personnel. Thereafter, in block 1408, the example sensor feedback analysis circuitry 1110 determines whether the photo eye sensor beam is still crossed (e.g., in an interrupted state). If so, control remains at block 1408. If the beam is no longer crossed (e.g., traffic has moved away from the entrance and / or the beam is not interrupted), control proceeds to block 1410, where the example data logging circuitry 1108 (in conjunction with the example time stamp circuitry 1106) records the time that traffic left the photo eye sensor beam. Returning to block 1402, if the sensor feedback analysis circuitry 1110 determines that the photo eye sensor beam is not crossed (e.g., not interrupted), control proceeds directly to block 1410.

[0092]

[0108] In block 1412, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether a disengagement event was detected (e.g., based on feedback from the disengagement sensor 122). If so, control proceeds to block 1414, where the example data logging circuit 1108 (along with the example time stamp circuit 1106) records the disengagement event. In some examples, the particular sensor that triggered the operation of the door 101 is associated with the log entry of the disengagement event, so that the event can be linked to the particular sensor that triggered the operation. Correlating this information is useful to identify which sensor needs to be adjusted if the cause of the disengagement event is (e.g., frequent). After recording the disengagement event, control proceeds to block 1416. If a disengagement event is not detected in block 1412, control proceeds directly to block 1416. In block 1416, the operation control circuit 1114 determines whether the re-close timer has elapsed. If not, control returns to block 1314 of FIG. 13 to continue monitoring the photoeye sensor. If the reclose timer has elapsed, control proceeds to block 1418, where the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the beam of the high photo eye sensor 142 was crossed during the door cycle. If so, control proceeds to block 1420, where the example data logging circuit 1108 labels the traffic as a fork truck. Control then proceeds to block 1424. If in block 1418 the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that the beam of the high photo eye sensor 142 was not crossed (e.g., uninterrupted), control proceeds to block 1422, where the example data logging circuit 1108 labels the traffic as a pedestrian. Control then proceeds to block 1424. Although the high photo eye sensor 142 is described as being used to distinguish between a fork truck and a pedestrian, in other examples, similar determinations can be made based on feedback from the ranging sensor 124.

[0093]

[0109] In block 1424, the example motion control circuit 1114 closes the door panel 102. In block 1426, the example data logging circuit 1108 (along with the example time stamp circuit 1106) records the time the door panel 102 begins to close. In block 1428, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether to reverse the door panel 102. In some examples, reversing the door movement (e.g., reopening the door when it is closed) can be determined based on feedback from a reversing edge sensor on the door panel 102, based on feedback from one of the photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138 that is activated, based on feedback from the exit sensor 142, based on feedback from the back-up sensor 144, based on input from one of the buttons or switches 118, and / or based on further traffic detected by the ranging sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125. If the door panel 102 should be reversed, control proceeds to block 1430 where the example data logging circuit 1108 (along with the example time stamp circuit 1106) records the time of the door reversal. Control then proceeds back to block 1310 of FIG. 13 to open the door panel 102. If the door panel 102 should not be reversed, the door panel 102 returns to the fully closed position and control proceeds to block 1432 where the example operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 analyzes the data for adjustments to the operation of the door 101. An example implementation of block 1432 is provided in further detail below in connection with FIGS. 15-18. In block 1434, the operation control circuit 1114 determines whether to continue. If so, control proceeds back to block 1302 of FIG. 13. If not, the example process of FIGS. 13 and 14 ends.

[0094]

[0110] 15-18 are flowcharts representing example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations that may be executed to implement block 1432 of FIG. 14. Any one of the flowcharts of FIG. 15-18 may be implemented independently of the others. Thus, in some examples, an implementation of block 1432 of FIG. 14 corresponds to a particular one of FIG. 15-18. In some examples, an implementation of block 1432 of FIG. 14 may include more than one or even all of FIG. 15-18. In some examples, one or more of FIG. 15-18 may implement each iteration through the process of FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. In other examples, one or more of FIG. 15-18 may be implemented periodically or aperiodically.

[0095]

[0111] The example program of FIG. 15 begins at block 1502, where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines the duration between the door actuation time (logged at block 1308 of FIG. 13) and the time the photo eye sensor beam was first crossed (logged at block 1324 of FIG. 13). In some examples, the duration can correspond to the current cycle of the door. In other examples, the duration can be an average or median duration based on an analysis of multiple cycles of the door over some relevant period (e.g., an hour, a day, a week, a month, etc.) and / or some relevant number of cycles (e.g., the last 10 cycles, 120 cycles, 100 cycles, etc.). In block 1504, the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether the duration meets (e.g., is less than or equal to) a threshold value. In some examples, the threshold value is defined based on the time it takes for the door panel 102 to move from a fully closed position to a fully open position. If the threshold is met, control proceeds to block 1506 where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to generate an alert and / or notification. If so, control proceeds to block 1508 where the motion control circuit 1114 generates an alert and / or notification indicating the time between the door operation and traffic passing through the doorway and / or indicating the need to adjust the sensor. Control then proceeds to block 1510. Returning to block 1506, if the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines not to generate an alert and / or notification, control proceeds directly to block 1510.

[0096]

[0112] In block 1510, the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to automatically adjust the sensor that triggers the door 101 actuation. In some examples, this determination is made automatically without human input. In other examples, this determination is made based on feedback from a user in response to the alert and / or notification generated in block 1508. If an adjustment should be made, control proceeds to block 1512 where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 automatically adjusts the sensor. More specifically, in some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 generates one or more commands and / or instructions that are provided to the sensor adjustment system 126 associated with the sensor to be adjusted. In some examples, the nature of the command and / or instruction and / or the particular sensor to be adjusted is determined based on which sensor triggered the door actuation and / or other sensor feedback data related to the door opening. The example process of FIG. 15 then ends and returns, completing the process of FIGS. 13 and 14. Returning to block 1510, if the sensor is not automatically adjusted (e.g., it is left to a technician or maintenance personnel to make the adjustment), the example process of Figure 15 ends and returns to complete the processes of Figures 13 and 14. Similarly, if at block 1504 it is determined that the threshold has not been met, the example process of Figure 15 ends and returns to complete the processes of Figures 13 and 14.

[0097]

[0113] The example program of FIG. 16 begins at block 1602, where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines the duration between the time the photo eye sensor was last cleared (logged at block 1410 of FIG. 14) and the time the door panel begins to close (logged at block 1426 of FIG. 14). In some examples, the duration can correspond to the current cycle of the door (e.g., the duration from when a fully closed door moves to a fully open position to when it returns to a fully closed position). In other examples, the duration can be an average or median duration based on an analysis of multiple cycles of the door over some relevant period of time (e.g., an hour, a day, a week, a month, etc.) and / or some relevant number of cycles (e.g., the last 10 cycles, 120 cycles, 100 cycles, etc.). In block 1604, the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether the duration meets (e.g., exceeds) a threshold value. If the threshold value is met, control proceeds to block 1606, where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to generate an alert and / or notification. If so, control proceeds to block 1608 where the operation control circuitry 1114 generates a warning and / or notification indicating that the re-closure timer is too long (e.g., exceeds a threshold duration of time). Control then proceeds to block 1610. Returning to block 1606, if the example operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines not to generate a warning and / or notification, control proceeds directly to block 1610.

[0098]

[0114] In block 1610, the example operational adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to automatically adjust the re-close timer. In some examples, this determination is made automatically without human input. In other examples, this determination is made based on feedback from a user in response to the alert and / or notification generated in block 1608. If an adjustment should be made, control proceeds to block 1612, where the example operational adjustment analysis circuit 1112 automatically adjusts the re-close timer. The example process of FIG. 16 then ends and returns, terminating the processes of FIGS. 13 and 14. Returning to block 1610, if the re-close timer is not automatically adjusted (e.g., it is left to a technician or maintenance personnel to make the adjustment), the example process of FIG. 16 ends and returns to complete the processes of FIGS. 13 and 14. Similarly, if it is determined in block 1604 that the threshold is not met, the example process of FIG. 16 ends and returns to complete the processes of FIGS. 13 and 14.

[0099]

[0115] The example program of FIG. 17 begins at block 1702 where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines the number of disengagement events within a given time period (recorded at block 1414 of FIG. 14). In some examples, the number is a count of disengagement events in the given time period. In other examples, the number may be a ratio, percentage, or percentage of disengagement events to all cycles of the door during the given time period. In some examples, the given time period corresponds to some relevant period (e.g., an hour, a day, a week, a month, etc.) and / or some set of relevant cycles (e.g., the last 10 cycles, 120 cycles, 100 cycles, etc.). In block 1704, the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether the number meets (e.g., exceeds) a threshold value. If the threshold value is met, control proceeds to block 1706 where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to generate an alert and / or notification. If so, control proceeds to block 1708 where the performance control circuit 1114 generates an alert and / or notification indicating the number of disengagement events and / or indicating the need to adjust the sensor. Control then proceeds to block 1710. Returning to block 1706, if the example performance adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines not to generate an alert and / or notification, control proceeds directly to block 1710.

[0100]

[0116] In block 1710, the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to automatically adjust the sensor that triggers the door 101 actuation. In some examples, this determination is made automatically without human input. In other examples, this determination is made based on feedback from a user in response to the alerts and / or notifications generated in block 1708. If an adjustment should be made, control proceeds to block 1712 where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 automatically adjusts the sensor. More specifically, in some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 generates one or more commands and / or instructions that are provided to the sensor adjustment system 126 associated with the sensor to be adjusted. In some examples, the nature of the command and / or instruction and / or the particular sensor to be adjusted is determined based on which sensor triggered the door 101 actuation and / or other sensor feedback data related to the opening of the door 101. The example process of FIG. 17 then ends and returns, completing the processes of FIGS. 13 and 14. Returning to block 1710, if the sensor is not automatically adjusted (e.g., it is left to a technician or maintenance personnel to make the adjustment), the example process of Figure 17 ends and returns to complete the processes of Figures 13 and 14. Similarly, if at block 1704 it is determined that the threshold has not been met, the example process of Figure 17 ends and returns to complete the processes of Figures 13 and 14.

[0101]

[0117] The example program of FIG. 18 begins at block 1802, where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines the number of malfunctions (recorded at block 1320 of FIG. 14) within a given time period. In some examples, the number is a count of malfunctions in the given time period. In other examples, the number may be a ratio, proportion, or percentage of malfunctions relative to all cycles of the door 101 during the given time period. In some examples, the given time period corresponds to some related period (e.g., an hour, a day, a week, a month, etc.) and / or some related set of cycles (e.g., the last 10 cycles, 120 cycles, 100 cycles, etc.). In block 1804, the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether the number meets (e.g., exceeds) a threshold value. If the threshold value is met, control proceeds to block 1806, where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to generate an alert and / or notification. If so, control proceeds to block 1808 where the performance control circuitry 1114 generates warnings and / or notifications indicating the number of malfunctions and / or indicating the need to adjust the sensor. Control then proceeds to block 1810. Returning to block 1806, if the example performance adjustment analysis circuitry 1112 determines not to generate warnings and / or notifications, control proceeds directly to block 1810.

[0102]

[0118] In block 1810, the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to automatically adjust the sensor that triggers the door 101 actuation. In some examples, this determination is made automatically without human input. In other examples, this determination is made based on feedback from a user in response to the alerts and / or notifications generated in block 1808. If an adjustment should be made, control proceeds to block 1812 where the example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 automatically adjusts the sensor. More specifically, in some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 generates one or more commands and / or instructions that are provided to the sensor adjustment system 126 associated with the sensor to be adjusted. In some examples, the nature of the command and / or instruction and / or the particular sensor to be adjusted is determined based on which sensor triggered the door 101 actuation and / or other sensor feedback data related to the opening of the door 101. The example process of FIG. 18 then ends and returns, completing the processes of FIGS. 13 and 14. Returning to block 1810, if the sensor is not automatically adjusted (e.g., it is left to a technician or maintenance personnel to make the adjustment), the example process of Figure 18 ends and returns to complete the processes of Figures 13 and 14. Similarly, if at block 1804 it is determined that the threshold has not been met, the example process of Figure 18 ends and returns to complete the processes of Figures 13 and 14.

[0103]

[0119] The example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations of FIG. 19 may be implemented in conjunction with, in parallel with, and / or independently of any of the example programs represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-18. The example program of FIG. 19 begins at block 1902 where the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 monitors feedback from the departure sensor 122. In this example, the departure sensor 122 is a photo eye that emits a beam that is crossed by the door panel 102 when not in a fully open position, as described above in connection with FIG. 4. In block 1904, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 monitors the position of the door panel 102. In some examples, the position of the door panel 102 is monitored based on feedback from an encoder associated with the motor 114. In block 1906, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the beam from the departure sensor 122 is detected when it is expected to be blocked based on the position of the door panel 102. In some examples, the beam is expected to be blocked whenever the position of the door panel 102 is such that the leading edge of the door panel 102 is below the level of the beam. In some examples, the departure sensor 122 is located near the top of the track 106 used to guide the door panel 102 such that the beam is expected to be blocked during most of the door cycle except when the door panel 102 is at or near the fully open position. If the beam is not detected when not expected, control returns to block 1902. If the beam is detected when it is expected to be blocked, control proceeds to block 1908.

[0104]

[0120] In block 1908, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the beam is detected over less than a threshold when not expected (e.g., an unexpected non-triggered condition). In some examples, the threshold is a time threshold (e.g., 500 ms, 200 ms, etc.). In some examples, the threshold is a threshold distance of movement of the door panel 102 (e.g., corresponding to the width of the hole 408 used to secure the tab 402 to the door panel 102). If the beam is detected over less than the threshold, control proceeds to block 1910. If the beam is detected over at least the threshold, control proceeds to block 1918.

[0105]

[0121] In block 1910, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the leading edge of the door panel 102 is greater than a threshold distance below the location of the departure sensor when the beam is detected. In some examples, the threshold distance is the distance between the bottom edge of the door panel 102 and the hole 408 in the bottommost tab 402. By comparing the position of the door panel 102 to a position within this threshold, the controller 116 can distinguish between a beam that is detected by passing through the hole 408 (e.g., if the tab 402 is missing) and a beam that is detected due to a missing corner seal 412 at the bottom edge of the door panel 102. Thus, if the leading edge of the door panel is greater than the threshold distance below the departure sensor 122, control proceeds to block 1912, where the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that the tab 402 of the door panel 102 is missing. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 calculates the location of the missing tab 402 based on the position of the door panel 102 when the beam is detected. Control then passes to block 1920. If the leading edge of the door panel is less than or equal to the threshold distance below the departure sensor 122, control passes to block 1914.

[0106]

[0122] In block 1914, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the beam is detected for a threshold number of consecutive cycles when the door panel 102 is in a similar position (e.g., the leading edge is within a threshold distance of the departure sensor 122). The threshold may be any suitable number (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). If the beam is detected for a threshold number of consecutive cycles when the door panel 102 is in a similar position (e.g., an unexpected non-trigger condition), control proceeds to block 1916. Otherwise, control proceeds to block 1918. In some examples, block 1916 can be omitted such that control proceeds directly to block 1914 (which is substantially the same as setting the threshold number of consecutive cycles to 1). In block 1916, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that the corner seal 412 of the door panel 102 is missing. Control then proceeds to block 1920.

[0107]

[0123] At block 1918, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that a breakaway event has occurred. At block 1920, the example operation control circuit 1114 generates an alert and / or notification indicating a determination of the significance of the detected beam (e.g., a determination at any one of blocks 1912, 1916, or 1918). Control then proceeds to block 1922 to determine whether to continue the process. If so, control returns to block 1902. If not, the example process of FIG. 19 ends.

[0108]

[0124] The example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations of FIG. 20 may be implemented with, in parallel with, and / or independently of any of the example programs represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-19. The example program of FIG. 20 begins at block 2002 where the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 monitors feedback from an array of sensors (e.g., the array of height sensors 502 or the array of width sensors 712, 714). In block 2004, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines the speed, height, and / or width of an object intersecting the path of a beam generated by the array of sensors. In block 2006, the example motion control circuit 1114 determines whether to move the door panel 102 based on the height and / or width of the object. In some examples, no movement of the door panel 102 is necessary because the door panel 102 is already in a position that provides adequate clearance for the object based on the detected height and / or width. If the door panel is not to be moved, control returns to block 2002. If the door panel should be moved based on the height and / or width of the object, control proceeds to block 2008 where the motion control circuitry 1114 adjusts the position of the door panel 102 based on the height and / or width of the object. In block 2010, the motion control circuitry 1114 adjusts the speed of the door panel 102 based on the speed of the object. In some examples, either block 2008 or block 2010 can be omitted and / or otherwise skipped. As a result, in some examples, the position of the door panel 102 is adjusted without adjusting the speed at which the door panel 102 moves, regardless of the detected speed of the object. Similarly, in some examples, the speed of the door is adjusted without adjusting the preset position to which the door panel 102 moves (e.g., independent of the detected height and / or width). Control then proceeds to block 2012 to determine whether to continue the process. If so, control returns to block 2002. If not, the example process of FIG. 20 ends.

[0109]

[0125] The example machine readable instructions and / or example operations of FIG. 21 may be implemented in conjunction with, in parallel with, and / or independently of any of the example programs represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-20. The example program of FIG. 21 begins at block 2102, where the example memory 1118 stores a profile of the current used by the motor to move the door panel 102. In some examples, the current profile is captured when the door system is initially installed and / or after a maintenance check to ensure that it is operating properly and that there is no significant wear on the door seal 716 and / or associated protrusions 718. In block 2104, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 monitors the current used by the motor to move the door panel 102.

[0110]

[0126] In block 2106, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the difference between the monitored current and the stored profile meets (e.g., exceeds) a threshold value. If so, control proceeds to block 2108, where the example operation control circuit 1114 determines whether to generate an alert and / or notification. In some examples, an alert is not generated until a threshold number of door cycles result in the difference meeting (e.g., exceeding) the threshold value. If an alert and / or notification should be generated, control proceeds to block 2110, where the operation control circuit 1114 generates an alert and / or notification indicating potential wear of the door seal 716. Control then proceeds to block 2112. Returning to block 2108, if the example operation control circuit 1114 determines not to generate an alert and / or notification, control proceeds directly to block 2112. In block 2112, the controller 116 determines whether to continue the process. If so, control proceeds back to block 2104. If not, the example process of FIG. 21 ends.

[0111]

[0127] The example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations of FIG. 22 may be implemented in conjunction with, in parallel with, and / or independently of any of the example programs represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-21. The example program of FIG. 22 begins at block 2202 where the example motion control circuit 1114 determines whether the door panel 102 should be held stationary in an open position. If not (e.g., the door is not open or is moving between an open position and a closed position), the program of FIG. 22 does not apply and ends. However, if the door panel 102 should be held stationary in an open position, control proceeds to block 2204. In block 2204, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether movement of the door panel is detected. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 detects such movement based on feedback from the encoder 115. In some examples, such movement is detected when the amount of movement meets (e.g., exceeds) a threshold distance of movement (e.g., at least 2 inches, at least 3 inches, at least 6 inches, etc.). If no motion that meets the threshold is detected, control returns to block 2202. If the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 detects motion, control proceeds to block 2206.

[0112]

[0128] Movement of the door panel (detected in block 2204) when such movement is not expected (based on the door panel intended to be held stationary as determined in block 2202) indicates that a brake associated with the door 101 has failed and the door panel 102 is falling under its own weight. Thus, in block 2206, the example motion control circuit 1114 actuates the motor 114 to engage an associated drive system. Engaging the drive system can stop the free fall of the door panel 102. In some examples, the motor 114 is actuated to return the door panel 102 to an open position. In other examples, the motor 114 is actuated to move the door panel 102 to a closed position. Once the drive system is engaged, control proceeds to block 2208, where the example motion control circuit 1114 closes the door panel 102 of the door 101. In block 2210, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the door panel 102 has reached a closed position. If so, control proceeds to block 2216 where the example motion control circuit 1114 locks the door and places the door in a fault state. Thus, the example program attempts to close the door 101 as soon as possible after a brake failure is detected, and lock the door 101 to prevent the door panel 102 from falling and potentially causing damage or injury.

[0113]

[0129] Returning to block 2210, if the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that the door panel 102 has not yet reached the closed position, it may be necessary to reopen the door 101 (based on actuation or reversal signals from associated sensors and / or manual input). Thus, in block 2212, the example operation control circuit 1114 determines whether to open the door before reaching the closed position in order to lock the door. If so, control proceeds to block 2214, where the example operation control circuit 1114 reopens the door. Control then proceeds back to block 2208, where another attempt is made to fully close the door so that it can be locked. If the door does not need to be opened (as determined in block 2212), control proceeds directly back to block 2208, where the door 101 continues to close until it is fully closed.

[0114]

[0130] Once the door is fully closed, locked, and in a fault state (at block 2216), control proceeds to block 2218 where the example motion control circuit 1114 generates an alert and / or notification indicating a potential brake fault. In some examples, the alert and / or notification may also indicate that the door is locked during maintenance. The example process of FIG. 22 then ends.

[0115]

[0131] The example machine-readable instructions and / or example operations of FIG. 23 may be implemented in conjunction with, in parallel with, and / or independently of any of the example programs represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-22. The example program of FIG. 23 begins at block 2302, where the example motion control circuit 1114 determines whether to test the brake system of the door 101 for potential wear and / or failure. In some examples, such testing is performed on each door cycle. In other examples, such testing is performed periodically and / or aperiodically, as defined by a schedule, a set number of door cycles, and / or based on user input. If a test is not to be performed, control remains at block 2302. If a test of the brake system is to be performed, control proceeds to block 2304, where the example motion control circuit 1114 applies the brakes to prevent movement of the door panel 102. In block 2306, the example motion control circuit 1114 applies a test torque or test speed to the motor 114 while the brakes are applied. In some examples, the test torque or test speed is selected to be insufficient to overcome the force of the brakes if they are in good working condition, but sufficient to overcome the force of worn brakes to cause movement to the door panel 102. In block 2308, the example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the door panel 102 has moved. In some examples, this is determined based on feedback from the encoder 115. If no movement is detected, it can be determined that the brakes are in good working condition. Thus, in some examples, control proceeds to block 2310, where the example motion control circuit 1114 generates a notification indicating that brake wear and / or failure was not detected. The example process then ends. In some examples, block 2310 is omitted.

[0116]

[0132] Returning to block 2308, if movement of the door panel 102 is detected, this is an indication that the brakes are wearing and / or beginning to fail. Thus, in some examples, control proceeds to block 2312, where the example motion control circuit 1114 generates a warning and / or notification indicating that potential brake wear and / or brake failure has been detected. The example process of FIG. 23 then ends.

[0117]

[0133] Figure 24 is a block diagram of an example processor platform 2400 configured to execute and / or instantiate machine-readable instructions and / or operations of Figures 13-23 to implement the controller 116 of Figure 11. The processor platform 2400 can be, for example, a server, a personal computer, a workstation, a self-learning machine (e.g., neural networks), a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet such as an iPad), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, a headset (e.g., an augmented reality (AR) headset, a virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.) or other wearable device, or any other type of computing device.

[0118]

[0134] The processor platform 2400 of the illustrated example includes a processor circuit 2412. The processor circuit 2412 of the illustrated example is hardware. For example, the processor circuit 2412 can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, FPGAs, microprocessors, CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, and / or microcontrollers from any desired family or manufacturer. The processor circuit 2412 may also be implemented by one or more semiconductor-based (e.g., silicon-based) devices. In this example, the processor circuit 2412 implements an example time stamp circuit 1106, an example data logging circuit 1108, an example sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110, an example motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112, and an example motion control circuit 1114.

[0119]

[0135] The processor circuitry 2412 of the illustrated example includes local memory 2413 (e.g., cache, registers, etc.). The processor circuitry 2412 of the illustrated example communicates with main memory, including volatile memory 2414 and non-volatile memory 2416, by bus 2418. The volatile memory 2414 can be implemented by synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), RAMBUS® Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM®), and / or any other type of RAM device. The non-volatile memory 2416 may be implemented by flash memory and / or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory 2414, 2416 of the illustrated example is controlled by a memory controller 2417.

[0120]

[0136] The processor platform 2400 of the depicted example also includes an interface circuit 2420. The interface circuit 2420 can be implemented by hardware according to any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Bluetooth interface, a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interface, and / or a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interface. In this example, the interface circuit implements the device interface circuit 1102 and the exemplary remote server interface circuit 1104.

[0121]

[0137] In the depicted example, one or more input devices 2422 are coupled to the interface circuitry 2420. The input devices 2422 allow a user to input data and / or commands into the processor circuitry 2412. The input devices 2422 may be implemented, for example, by a voice sensor, a microphone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, buttons, a mouse, a touch screen, a track pad, a track ball, an isopoint device, and / or a voice recognition system.

[0122]

[0138] Also connected to the interface circuitry 2420 of the illustrated example are one or more output devices 2424. The output devices 2424 may be implemented, for example, by display devices (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, in-place switching (IPS) displays, touch screens, etc.), haptic output devices, printers, and / or speakers. Thus, the interface circuitry 2420 of the illustrated example generally includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chip, and / or graphics processor circuitry, such as a GPU.

[0123]

[0139] The interface circuitry 2420 of the depicted example also includes communications devices such as transmitters, receivers, transceivers, modems, residential gateways, wireless access points, and / or network interfaces to facilitate data exchange with external devices (e.g., computing devices of any type) over the network 2426. Communications may be via, for example, an Ethernet connection, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection, a telephone line connection, a coaxial cable system, a satellite system, a line-of-sight wireless system, a cellular telephone system, an optical connection, etc.

[0124]

[0140] The processor platform 2400 of the depicted example also includes one or more mass storage devices 2428 for storing software and / or data. Examples of such mass storage devices 2428 include magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, floppy disk drives, HDDs, CDs, Blu-ray disk drives, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) systems, flash memory devices and / or solid-state storage devices such as SSDs, and DVD drives. In this example, the mass storage devices 2428 implement the exemplary memory 1118.

[0125]

[0141] The machine-readable instructions 2432 that can be implemented by the machine-readable instructions of Figures 13-23 can be stored in the mass storage device 2428, the volatile memory 2414, the non-volatile memory 2416, and / or a removable non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as a CD or DVD.

[0126]

[0142] FIG. 25 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the processor circuit 2412 of FIG. 24. In this example, the processor circuit 2412 of FIG. 24 is implemented by a microprocessor 2500. For example, the microprocessor 2500 may be a general-purpose microprocessor (e.g., a general-purpose microprocessor circuit). The microprocessor 2500 executes some or all of the machine-readable instructions of the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23 to effectively instantiate the circuit of FIG. 11 as a logic circuit for performing operations corresponding to those machine-readable instructions. In some such examples, the circuit of FIG. 11 is instantiated by the hardware circuit of the microprocessor 2500 in combination with the instructions. For example, the microprocessor 2500 may be implemented by a multi-core hardware circuit such as a CPU, DSP, GPU, XPU, etc. Although any number of the exemplary cores 2502 (e.g., one core) may be included, the microprocessor 2500 of this example is a multi-core semiconductor device including N cores. The cores 2502 of the microprocessor 2500 may operate independently or cooperate to execute machine-readable instructions. For example, a firmware program, an embedded software program, or machine code corresponding to a software program may be executed by any of the cores 2502 or may be executed at the same or different times by multiple cores 2502. In some examples, the firmware program, the embedded software program, or machine code corresponding to a software program is divided into threads and executed in parallel by multiple cores 2502. The software programs may correspond to some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or operations represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23.

[0127]

[0143] The cores 2502 may communicate via a first exemplary bus 2504. In some examples, the first bus 2504 may be implemented by a communication bus to facilitate communication related to one of the cores 2502. For example, the first bus 2504 may be implemented by at least one of an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) bus, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus, a PCI bus, and a PCIe bus. Additionally or alternatively, the first bus 2504 may be implemented by any other type of computing or electrical bus. The cores 2502 may obtain data, instructions, and / or signals from one or more external devices via the exemplary interface circuitry 2506. The cores 2502 may output data, instructions, and / or signals to one or more external devices via the interface circuitry 2506. The cores 2502 in this example include an exemplary local memory 2520 (e.g., a level 1 (L1) cache, which may be divided into an L1 data cache and an L1 instruction cache), but the microprocessor 2500 also includes an exemplary shared memory 2510 that may be shared by the cores (e.g., a level 2 (L2) cache) for fast access to data and / or instructions. Data and / or instructions may be transferred (e.g., shared) by writing to the shared memory and / or reading from the shared memory 2510. The local memory 2520 and the shared memory 2510 of each core 2502 may be part of a hierarchy of storage devices that includes multiple levels of cache memories and main memories (e.g., main memories 2414, 2416 of FIG. 24). In general, memories at higher levels in the hierarchy exhibit lower access times and have smaller storage capacities than memories at lower levels. Changes in the various levels of the cache hierarchy are managed (e.g., cooperative) by cache coherency policies.

[0128]

[0144] Each core 2502 may be referred to as a CPU, DSP, GPU, etc., or any other type of hardware circuit. Each core 2502 includes a control unit circuit 2514, an arithmetic and logic (AL) circuit (sometimes referred to as an ALU) 2516, a number of registers 2518, a local memory 2520, and a second exemplary bus 2522. Other structures may exist. For example, each core 2502 may include a vector unit circuit, a single instruction multiple data (SIMD) unit circuit, a load / store unit (LSU) circuit, a branch / jump unit circuit, a floating point unit (FPU) circuit, etc. The control unit circuit 2514 includes semiconductor-based circuitry configured to control (e.g., coordinate) data movement within the corresponding core 2502. The AL circuitry 2516 includes semiconductor-based circuitry configured to perform one or more mathematical and / or logical operations on data within the corresponding core 2502. The AL circuitry 2516 of some examples performs integer-based operations. In other examples, the AL circuitry 2516 also performs floating-point operations. In yet other examples, the AL circuitry 2516 may include a first AL circuit that performs integer-based operations and a second AL circuit that performs floating-point operations. In some examples, the AL circuitry 2516 may be referred to as an arithmetic logic unit (ALU). The registers 2518 are semiconductor-based structures for storing data and / or instructions, such as results of one or more of the operations performed by the AL circuitry 2516 of the corresponding core 2502. For example, the registers 2518 may include vector register(s), SIMD register(s), general purpose register(s), flag register(s), segment register(s), machine specific register(s), instruction pointer register(s), control register(s), debug register(s), memory management register(s), machine check register(s), etc. The registers 2518 may be arranged in banks as shown in Figure 25. Alternatively, the registers 2518 may be organized in any other configuration, format, or structure, including being distributed throughout the core 2502 to reduce access times.The second bus 2522 may be implemented by at least one of an I2C bus, an SPI bus, a PCI bus, or a PCIe bus.

[0129]

[0145] Each core 2502 and / or microprocessor 2500 more generally may include additional and / or alternative structures to those described above. For example, there may be one or more clock circuits, one or more power supplies, one or more power gates, one or more cache home agents (CHAs), one or more convergent / common mesh stops (CMSs), one or more shifters (e.g., barrel shifters), and / or other circuits. Microprocessor 2500 is a semiconductor device fabricated to include a number of transistors interconnected to achieve the structures described above in one or more integrated circuits (ICs) contained in one or more packages. The processor circuitry may include and / or cooperate with one or more accelerators. In some examples, accelerators are implemented by logic circuits to perform certain tasks more quickly and / or efficiently than can be done by a general-purpose processor. Examples of accelerators include ASICs and FPGAs, such as those discussed herein. GPUs or other programmable devices may also be accelerators. The accelerator may be integrated into the processor circuitry, may be in the same chip package as the processor circuitry, and / or may be in one or more separate packages from the processor circuitry.

[0130]

[0146] 26 is a block diagram of another exemplary implementation of the processor circuit 2412 of FIG. 24. In this example, the processor circuit 2412 is implemented by an FPGA circuit 2600. For example, the FPGA circuit 2600 may be implemented by an FPGA. The FPGA circuit 2600 may be used to perform operations that may be performed, for example, by the exemplary microprocessor 2500 of FIG. 25 executing corresponding machine-readable instructions. However, when configured, the FPGA circuit 2600 instantiates the machine-readable instructions in hardware and is therefore often able to perform operations faster than may be performed by a general-purpose microprocessor executing corresponding software.

[0131]

[0147] More specifically, in contrast to the previously described microprocessor 2500 of FIG. 25 (which is a general-purpose device whose interconnects and logic are fixed once manufactured, although it may be programmed to execute some or all of the machine-readable instructions represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23), the example FPGA circuit 2600 of FIG. 26 includes interconnects and logic that may be configured and / or interconnected in different ways after manufacture, e.g., to instantiate some or all of the machine-readable instructions represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23. In particular, the FPGA circuit 2600 may be considered an array of logic gates, interconnects, and switches. The switches may be programmed to change how the logic gates are interconnected by the interconnects, effectively forming one or more dedicated logic circuits (unless the FPGA circuit 2600 is reprogrammed). The configured logic circuits allow the logic gates to cooperate in different ways to perform different operations on data received by the input circuits. These operations may correspond to some or all of the software represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23. In this manner, FPGA circuitry 2600 can be configured to effectively instantiate some or all of the machine-readable instructions of the flowcharts of Figures 13-23 as special purpose logic circuitry to perform operations corresponding to those software instructions in a dedicated manner similar to an ASIC. Thus, FPGA circuitry 2600 can perform operations corresponding to some or all of the machine-readable instructions of Figures 13-23 faster than a general purpose microprocessor can perform them.

[0132]

[0148] In the example of FIG. 26, the FPGA circuit 2600 is configured to be programmed (and / or reprogrammed one or more times) by an end user with a hardware description language (HDL) such as Verilog. The FPGA circuit 2600 of FIG. 26 includes an example input / output (I / O) circuit 2602 for obtaining and / or outputting data from an example configuration circuit 2604 and / or external hardware 2606. For example, the configuration circuit 2604 may be implemented by an interface circuit that can obtain machine-readable instructions for configuring the FPGA circuit 2600 or a portion thereof. In some such examples, the configuration circuit 2604 can obtain machine-readable instructions from a user, a machine (e.g., a hardware circuit (e.g., a programmed or dedicated circuit) that can implement an artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) model to generate the instructions), etc. In some examples, the external hardware 2606 may be implemented by an external hardware circuit. For example, the external hardware 2606 may be implemented by the microprocessor 2500 of FIG. 25. The FPGA circuit 2600 also includes an array of exemplary logic gate circuits 2608, a plurality of exemplary configurable interconnects 2610, and an exemplary storage circuit 2612. The logic gate circuits 2608 and the configurable interconnects 2610 are configurable to instantiate one or more operations that may correspond to at least some of the machine-readable instructions of FIGS. 13-23 and / or other desired operations. The logic gate circuits 2608 shown in FIG. 26 are fabricated in groups or blocks. Each block includes semiconductor-based electrical structures that can be configured into logic circuits. In some examples, the electrical structures include logic gates (e.g., And gates, Or gates, Nor gates, etc.) that provide the basic building blocks of logic circuits. There are electrically controllable switches (e.g., transistors) within each of the logic gate circuits 2608 to enable configuration of the electrical structures and / or logic gates to form circuits to perform desired operations. The logic gate circuits 2608 can include other electrical structures such as look-up tables (LUTs), registers (e.g., flip-flops or latches), multiplexers, etc.

[0133]

[0149] The configurable interconnects 2610 in the depicted example are conductive paths, traces, vias, etc. that may include electrically controllable switches (e.g., transistors), the state of which can be changed by programming (e.g., using an HDL instruction language) to activate or deactivate one or more connections between one or more of the logic gate circuits 2608 to program a desired logic circuit.

[0134]

[0150] The storage circuits 2612 in the illustrated example are configured to store the results of one or more of the operations performed by the corresponding logic gates. The storage circuits 2612 may be implemented by registers, etc. In the illustrated example, the storage circuits 2612 are distributed among the logic gate circuits 2608 for ease of access and speed of execution.

[0135]

[0151] The example FPGA circuit 2600 of FIG. 26 also includes example dedicated operation circuitry 2614. In this example, the dedicated operation circuitry 2614 includes dedicated circuitry 2616 that can be called upon to implement commonly used functions to avoid the need to program those functions in the field. Examples of such dedicated circuitry 2616 include memory (e.g., DRAM) controller circuitry, PCIe controller circuitry, clock circuitry, transceiver circuitry, memory, and multiplier-accumulator circuitry. Other types of dedicated circuitry may be present. In some examples, the FPGA circuit 2600 may also include example general-purpose programmable circuitry 2618, such as an example CPU 2620 and / or an example DSP 2622. Additionally or alternatively, there may be other general-purpose programmable circuitry 2618, such as a GPU, XPU, etc., that can be programmed to perform other operations.

[0136]

[0152] 25 and 26 show two exemplary implementations of the processor circuit 2412 of FIG. 24, many other approaches are possible. For example, as previously mentioned, modern FPGA circuits can include an on-board CPU, such as one or more of the exemplary CPUs 2620 of FIG. 26. Thus, the processor circuit 2412 of FIG. 24 may be additionally implemented by combining the exemplary microprocessor 2500 of FIG. 25 with the exemplary FPGA circuit 2600 of FIG. 26. In some such hybrid examples, a first portion of the machine-readable instructions represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23 may be executed by one or more of the cores 2502 of FIG. 25, a second portion of the machine-readable instructions represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23 may be executed by the FPGA circuit 2600 of FIG. 26, and / or a third portion of the machine-readable instructions represented by the flowcharts of FIGS. 13-23 may be executed by an ASIC. Thus, it should be understood that some or all of the circuits of FIG. 11 may be instantiated at the same or different times. Some or all of the circuitry may be instantiated in one or more threads that execute simultaneously and / or serially, for example. Further, in some examples, some or all of the circuitry of Figure 11 may be implemented within one or more virtual machines and / or containers that execute on a microprocessor.

[0137]

[0153] In some examples, the processor circuitry 2412 of Figure 24 may be in one or more packages. For example, the microprocessor 2500 of Figure 25 and / or the FPGA circuitry 2600 of Figure 26 may be in one or more packages. In some examples, an XPU may be implemented by the processor circuitry 2412 of Figure 24, which may be in one or more packages. For example, an XPU may include a CPU in one package, a DSP in another package, a GPU in yet another package, and an FPGA in yet another package.

[0138]

[0154] A block diagram illustrating an exemplary software distribution platform 2705 for distributing software, such as the exemplary machine-readable instructions 2432 of FIG. 24, to hardware devices owned and / or operated by a third party is shown in FIG. 27. The exemplary software distribution platform 2705 may be implemented by any computer server, data facility, cloud service, etc. that can store and transmit software to other computing devices. The third party may be a customer of the entity that owns and / or operates the software distribution platform 2705. For example, the entity that owns and / or operates the software distribution platform 2705 may be a developer, seller, and / or licensor of the software, such as the exemplary machine-readable instructions 2432 of FIG. 24. The third party may be a consumer, user, retailer, OEM, etc. that purchases and / or licenses the software for use and / or resale and / or sublicensing. In the illustrated example, the software distribution platform 2705 includes one or more servers and one or more storage devices. The storage devices store machine-readable instructions 2432, which may correspond to the exemplary machine-readable instructions of FIGS. 13-23, as described above. One or more servers of the exemplary software distribution platform 2705 communicate with an exemplary network 2426, which may correspond to the Internet and / or any one or more of any of the exemplary networks 2710 described above. In some examples, the one or more servers respond to requests to transmit software to a requester as part of a commercial transaction. Payment for distribution, sale, and / or license of the software may be handled by one or more servers of the software distribution platform and / or a third party payment entity. The servers enable purchasers and / or licensors to download machine readable instructions 2432 from the software distribution platform 2705. For example, software that may correspond to the exemplary machine readable instructions of FIGS. 13-23 may be downloaded to the exemplary processor platform 2400, which will execute the machine readable instructions 2432 to implement the controller 116.In some examples, one or more servers of the software distribution platform 2705 periodically provide, transmit, and / or force updates to the software (e.g., the example machine-readable instructions 2432 of FIG. 24) to ensure that improvements, patches, updates, etc. are distributed and applied to the software on the end-user device.

[0139]

[0155] From the foregoing, it can be seen that exemplary methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed that combine feedback data from existing and / or new / additional sensors associated with a door system to gain insight into the operating state of the door system, to gain insight into the conditions of the surrounding environment, and / or to facilitate adjusting the operation of the door system in a manner that may improve efficiency, increase safety, and / or reduce wear and / or damage to door system components. The disclosed methods, apparatus, and products are thus directed to one or more practical applications of technological improvements to the functionality of the door system.

[0140]

[0156] Further examples and combinations thereof include:

[0141]

[0157] Example 1 includes an apparatus having at least one memory, instructions, and a processor circuit for executing the instructions to monitor a position of a door panel associated with a door system, detect when a beam from a photo eye sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected, non-triggered state based on the position of the door panel, and generate an alert or notification indicating the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected, non-triggered state.

[0142]

[0158] Example 2 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the processor circuit determines that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing tab on a side edge of the door panel.

[0143]

[0159] Example 3 includes the device of Example 2, where the beam is in an unexpected, untriggered state when the beam passes through a hole in the door panel, the hole corresponding to the position of the tab on the door panel before it was missing.

[0144]

[0160] Example 4 includes the apparatus of example 3, wherein the processor circuit is configured to determine that the meaning of the beam being unexpectedly untriggered corresponds to a missing tab when the beam is unexpectedly untriggered for at least one of a time or distance less than a threshold time or a threshold distance of door panel movement, the threshold time corresponding to a duration for which the hole crosses the path of the beam and the threshold distance corresponding to a width of the hole.

[0145]

[0161] Example 5 includes the apparatus of example 1, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to determine that the sense of the beam being in an unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal at a bottom corner of the door panel.

[0146]

[0162] Example 6 includes the apparatus of example 5, wherein the processor circuit is configured to determine that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal when the beam is detected not to be interrupted by the door panel when the leading edge of the door panel is within a threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor.

[0147]

[0163] Example 7 includes the apparatus of example 1, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a side edge of the door panel being off track.

[0148]

[0164] Example 8 includes an apparatus including a sensor feedback analysis circuit that monitors a position of a door panel associated with a door system and detects when a beam from a photo eye sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected, non-triggered state based on the position of the door panel, and an operational control circuit for generating an alert or notification indicating the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected, non-triggered state.

[0149]

[0165] Example 9 includes the apparatus of Example 8, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuit determines that the sense of the beam being in an unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing tab on a side edge of the door panel.

[0150]

[0166] Example 10 includes the device of Example 9, wherein the beam is in an unexpected untriggered state when the beam passes through a hole in the door panel, the hole corresponding to the position of the tab on the door panel before it was missing.

[0151]

[0167] Example 11 includes the apparatus of example 10, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuitry is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpectedly untriggered state corresponds to a missing tab when the beam is in an unexpectedly untriggered state for at least one of a time or distance less than a threshold time or a threshold distance of door panel movement, the threshold time corresponding to the duration the hole crosses the path of the beam and the threshold distance corresponding to a width of the hole.

[0152]

[0168] Example 12 includes the apparatus of example 8, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuit determines that the sense of the beam being in an unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal at a bottom corner of the door panel.

[0153]

[0169] Example 13 includes the apparatus of example 12, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuit is configured to determine that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal if the beam is detected as not being interrupted by the door panel when the leading edge of the door panel is within a threshold distance of the photoeye sensor.

[0154]

[0170] Example 14 includes the apparatus of example 8, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuit determines that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a side edge of the door panel being off track.

[0155]

[0171] Example 15 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least monitor a position of a door panel associated with a door system, detect when a beam from a photo eye sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected, non-triggered state based on the position of the door panel, and cause an operational control circuit to generate an alert or notification indicating the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected, non-triggered state.

[0156]

[0172] Example 16 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing tab on a side edge of the door panel.

[0157]

[0173] Example 17 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 16, wherein the beam is in an unexpected untriggered state when the beam passes through a hole in the door panel, the hole corresponding to a position of the tab on the door panel before it was missing.

[0158]

[0174] Example 18 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 17, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpectedly untriggered state corresponds to a missing tab when the beam is in an unexpectedly untriggered state for at least one of a time or distance less than a threshold time or a threshold distance of movement of the door panel, the threshold time corresponding to a duration for which the hole crosses the path of the beam and the threshold distance corresponding to a width of the hole.

[0159]

[0175] Example 19 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal at a bottom corner of the door panel.

[0160]

[0176] Example 20 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 19, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal if the beam is detected as not being blocked by the door panel when a leading edge of the door panel is within a threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor.

[0161]

[0177] Example 21 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a side edge of the door panel being off track.

[0162]

[0178] Example 22 includes a method that includes monitoring a position of a door panel associated with a door system; detecting when a beam from a photo eye sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected, untriggered state based on the position of the door panel; and generating an alert or notification indicating the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected, untriggered state.

[0163]

[0179] Example 23 includes the method of example 22, including the step of determining that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to a missing tab on a side edge of the door panel.

[0164]

[0180] Example 24 includes the method of example 23, wherein the beam is in an unexpected untriggered state when the beam passes through a hole in the door panel, the hole corresponding to a position of the tab on the door panel before it was missing.

[0165]

[0181] Example 25 includes the method of example 24, including determining that a meaning of the beam being in an unexpectedly untriggered state corresponds to a missing tab when the beam is in an unexpectedly untriggered state for at least one of a time or distance less than a threshold time or a threshold distance of movement of the door panel, the threshold time corresponding to a duration for which the hole crosses the path of the beam and the threshold distance corresponding to a width of the hole.

[0166]

[0182] Example 26 includes the method of example 22, including the step of determining that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal at a bottom corner of the door panel.

[0167]

[0183] Example 27 includes the method of example 26, including the step of determining that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal when the method detects that the beam is not blocked by the door panel when the leading edge of the door panel is within a threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor.

[0168]

[0184] Example 28 includes the method of example 22, including the step of determining that the meaning of the beam being in an unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a side edge of the door panel being off track.

[0169]

[0185] Example 29 includes an apparatus comprising a sensor feedback analysis circuit for analyzing sensor feedback data from sensors associated with a door system, and an operational adjustment analysis circuit for determining an adjustment to be made to a first one of the sensors based on the analysis of the sensor feedback data.

[0170]

[0186] Example 30 includes the device of example 29, further including operational control circuitry for generating a warning or notification recommending a human implement the adjustment.

[0171]

[0187] Example 31 includes the apparatus of example 29, further including an operational control circuit for automatically performing an adjustment to the first sensor.

[0172]

[0188] Example 32 includes the apparatus of example 29, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a disengagement sensor, the door actuation sensor adapted to trigger actuation of a door of the door system, and the disengagement sensor adapted to detect a disengagement event indicating when a panel of the door system disengages from a track that guides a side edge of the panel.

[0173]

[0189] Example 33 includes the apparatus of example 32, wherein the motion adjustment analysis circuit is adapted to determine whether adjustments should be made based on a number of disengagement events detected by the disengagement sensor over a given period of time.

[0174]

[0190] Example 34 includes the apparatus of example 33, wherein the performance adjustment analysis circuitry is adapted to compare the number of withdrawal events to a threshold value to determine whether adjustments should be made.

[0175]

[0191] Example 35 includes the apparatus of example 33, wherein the motion adjustment analysis circuit determines a ratio of the number of breakaway events to a total number of door operation cycles during a given period of time and compares the ratio to a threshold value to determine whether an adjustment should be made.

[0176]

[0192] Example 36 includes the apparatus of example 29, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a photo eye sensor, the door actuation sensor adapted to trigger actuation of a door of the door system, and the photo eye sensor adapted to detect traffic passing through a doorway associated with the door system.

[0177]

[0193] Example 37 includes the apparatus of example 36, wherein the motion adjustment analysis circuit determines whether an adjustment should be made based on the time between the door actuation and the photoeye sensor actuation.

[0178]

[0194] Example 38 includes the apparatus of example 36, wherein the motion adjustment analysis circuitry determines whether an adjustment should be made based on the frequency with which the photoeye sensor does not detect traffic passing through the doorway while the door is open in response to being actuated by the door actuation sensor.

[0179]

[0195] Example 39 includes the apparatus of example 36, wherein the motion adjustment analysis circuitry adjusts a reclose timer for the door based on a duration between a first time that sensor feedback data from the photo eye sensor indicates traffic has left the doorway and a second time that the door begins to close.

[0180]

[0196] Example 40 includes the apparatus of example 36, wherein the photo eye sensor is a first photo eye sensor and the sensor includes a second photo eye sensor, and the sensor feedback analysis circuit is configured to determine at least one of a direction of traffic or a speed of traffic based on a difference between a timing when the first photo eye sensor is activated and a timing when the second photo eye sensor is activated.

[0181]

[0197] Example 41 includes the apparatus of Example 36, wherein the photo eye sensor is a first photo eye sensor and the sensor includes a second photo eye sensor, the first photo eye sensor is disposed proximate a base of the door system and the second photo eye sensor is disposed at an elevated position, and the sensor feedback analysis circuit is configured to designate the detected traffic as either pedestrian traffic or vehicular traffic based on the sensor feedback data from the first and second photo eye sensors.

[0182]

[0198] Example 42 includes the apparatus of example 29, wherein the sensor includes a second sensor emitting a beam at an angle relative to a door panel in a closed position across a doorway of the door system, the sensor feedback analysis circuitry is adapted to determine at least one of a speed, height, or width of an object approaching the doorway based on a distance from the second sensor at which the object crosses the beam, and the apparatus further includes operational control circuitry for adjusting movement of the door panel based on at least one of the speed, height, or width of the object.

[0183]

[0199] Example 43 includes the device of example 42, wherein the motion control circuitry adjusts the position of the door panel in response to a change in at least one of the height or width of the object.

[0184]

[0200] Example 44 includes the apparatus of example 42, wherein the motion control circuit adjusts the speed of the door panel based on the speed of the object.

[0185]

[0201] Example 45 includes the apparatus of example 29, wherein the sensor includes a current sensor for measuring a current used by a motor to move a door panel associated with the door system, the sensor feedback analysis circuit is adapted to generate a profile of the current used by the motor at a first time point and compare the profile to the current used by the motor at a second time point after the first time point, and the apparatus further includes operational control circuitry for generating a warning or notification indicative of potential wear of a seal associated with the door panel.

[0186]

[0202] Example 46 includes an apparatus comprising at least one memory, instructions, and a processor circuit for executing the instructions to analyze sensor feedback data from sensors associated with a door system and determine an adjustment to be made to a first one of the sensors based on the analysis of the sensor feedback data.

[0187]

[0203] Example 47 includes the apparatus of example 46, wherein the processor circuitry is adapted to generate a warning or notification recommending that an adjustment be made by a human.

[0188]

[0204] Example 48 includes the apparatus of example 46, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to automatically perform an adjustment to the first sensor.

[0189]

[0205] Example 49 includes the apparatus of example 46, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a disengagement sensor, the door actuation sensor adapted to trigger actuation of a door of the door system, and the disengagement sensor adapted to detect a disengagement event indicating when a panel of the door system disengages from a track that guides a side edge of the panel.

[0190]

[0206] Example 50 includes the apparatus of example 49, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to determine whether an adjustment should be made based on a number of disengagement events detected by the disengagement sensor over a given period of time.

[0191]

[0207] Example 51 includes the apparatus of example 50, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to compare the number of departure events to a threshold value to determine whether an adjustment should be made.

[0192]

[0208] Example 52 includes the apparatus of example 50, wherein the processor circuit determines a ratio of the number of breakaway events to the total number of door operation cycles during a given period of time and compares the ratio to a threshold value to determine whether an adjustment should be made.

[0193]

[0209] Example 53 includes the apparatus of example 46, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a photo eye sensor, the door actuation sensor adapted to trigger actuation of a door of the door system, and the photo eye sensor adapted to detect traffic passing through a doorway associated with the door system.

[0194]

[0210] Example 54 includes the apparatus of example 53, wherein the processor circuit determines whether an adjustment should be made based on the time between the door actuation and the photo-eye sensor actuation.

[0195]

[0211] Example 55 includes the apparatus of example 53, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to determine whether an adjustment should be made based on the frequency with which the photoeye sensor does not detect traffic passing through the doorway while the door is open in response to being actuated by the door actuation sensor.

[0196]

[0212] Example 56 includes the apparatus of example 53, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to adjust a reclose timer for the door based on a duration between a first time that sensor feedback data from the photo eye sensor indicates traffic has left the doorway and a second time that the door begins to close.

[0197]

[0213] Example 57 includes the apparatus of example 53, wherein the photo eye sensor is a first photo eye sensor and the sensor includes a second photo eye sensor, and the processor circuit is configured to determine at least one of a direction of traffic or a speed of traffic based on a difference between a timing when the first photo eye sensor is activated and a timing when the second photo eye sensor is activated.

[0198]

[0214] Example 58 includes the apparatus of Example 53, wherein the photo eye sensor is a first photo eye sensor and the sensor includes a second photo eye sensor, the first photo eye sensor is disposed proximate a base of the door system and the second photo eye sensor is disposed at an elevated position, and the processor circuit is configured to designate the detected traffic as either pedestrian traffic or vehicular traffic based on sensor feedback data from the first and second photo eye sensors.

[0199]

[0215] Example 59 includes the apparatus of example 46, wherein the sensor includes a second sensor for emitting a beam at an angle relative to a door panel in a closed position across a doorway of the door system, and the processor circuit determines at least one of a speed, height, or width of an object approaching the doorway based on a distance from the second sensor at which the object crosses the beam, and adjusts movement of the door panel based on the at least one of the speed, height, or width of the object.

[0200]

[0216] Example 60 includes the apparatus of example 59, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to adjust the position of the door panel in response to a change in at least one of the height or width of the object.

[0201]

[0217] Example 61 includes the apparatus of example 59, wherein the processor circuit adjusts the speed of the door panel based on the speed of the object.

[0202]

[0218] Example 62 includes the apparatus of example 46, wherein the sensor includes a current sensor for measuring a current used by a motor to move a door panel associated with the door system, and the processor circuit is adapted to generate a profile of the current used by the motor at a first time point, compare the profile to the current used by the motor at a second time point after the first time point, and generate an alert or notification indicating potential wear of a seal associated with the door panel.

[0203]

[0219] Example 63 includes a non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to analyze sensor feedback data from sensors associated with a door system and determine an adjustment to be made to a first one of the sensors based on the analysis of the sensor feedback data.

[0204]

[0220] Example 64 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 63, wherein the instructions cause the machine to generate a warning or notification recommending an adjustment be made by a human.

[0205]

[0221] Example 65 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 63, wherein the instructions cause the machine to automatically perform the adjustment to the first sensor.

[0206]

[0222] Example 66 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of Example 63, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a departure sensor, the door actuation sensor adapted to trigger an actuation of a door of the door system, and the departure sensor adapted to detect a departure event indicating when a panel of the door system leaves a track that guides a side edge of the panel.

[0207]

[0223] Example 67 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 66, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine whether an adjustment should be made based on a number of disengagement events detected by the disengagement sensor over a given period of time.

[0208]

[0224] Example 68 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 67, wherein the instructions cause the machine to compare the number of departure events to a threshold value to determine whether an adjustment should be made.

[0209]

[0225] Example 69 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 67, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine a ratio of the number of breakaway events to a total number of door actuation cycles during a given period of time and compare the ratio to a threshold value to determine whether an adjustment should be made.

[0210]

[0226] Example 70 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 63, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a photo eye sensor, the door actuation sensor adapted to trigger actuation of a door of the door system, and the photo eye sensor adapted to detect traffic passing through a doorway associated with the door system.

[0211]

[0227] Example 71 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 70, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine whether an adjustment should be made based on the time between the actuation of the door and the actuation of the photo eye sensor.

[0212]

[0228] Example 72 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 70, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine whether an adjustment should be made based on a frequency with which the photo eye sensor does not detect traffic passing through the doorway while the door is open in response to being actuated by the door actuation sensor.

[0213]

[0229] Example 73 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 70, wherein the instructions cause the machine to adjust a reclose timer for the door based on the duration between a first time that sensor feedback data from the photo eye sensor indicates traffic has left the doorway and a second time that the door has begun to close.

[0214]

[0230] Example 74 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 70, wherein the photo eye sensor is a first photo eye sensor and the sensor includes a second photo eye sensor, and the instructions cause the machine to determine at least one of a direction of traffic or a speed of traffic based on a difference between when the first photo eye sensor is activated and when the second photo eye sensor is activated.

[0215]

[0231] Example 75 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of Example 70, wherein the photo eye sensor is a first photo eye sensor and the sensor includes a second photo eye sensor, the first photo eye sensor is configured to be positioned proximate a base of the door system and the second photo eye sensor is configured to be positioned at an elevated location, and the instructions cause the machine to designate the detected traffic as either pedestrian traffic or vehicular traffic based on the sensor feedback data from the first and second photo eye sensors.

[0216]

[0232] Example 76 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 63, wherein the sensor includes a second sensor for emitting a beam at an angle relative to a door panel in a closed position across a doorway of the door system, and the instructions cause the machine to determine at least one of a speed, height, or width of an object approaching the doorway based on a distance from the second sensor at which the object crosses the beam, and adjust movement of the door panel based on the at least one of the speed, height, or width of the object.

[0217]

[0233] Example 77 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 76, wherein the instructions cause the machine to adjust the position of the door panel in response to a change in at least one of a height or width of the object.

[0218]

[0234] Example 78 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 76, wherein the instructions cause the machine to adjust the speed of the door panel based on the speed of the object.

[0219]

[0235] Example 79 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 63, wherein the sensor includes a current sensor for measuring a current used by a motor to move a door panel associated with the door system, and the instructions cause the machine to generate a profile of the current used by the motor at a first time point, compare the profile to the current used by the motor at a second time point after the first time point, and generate a warning or notification indicating potential wear of a seal associated with the door panel.

[0220]

[0236] Example 80 includes a method that includes analyzing sensor feedback data from sensors associated with the door system by executing instructions on at least one processor, and determining, by executing instructions on the at least one processor, an adjustment to be made to a first of the sensors based on the analysis of the sensor feedback data.

[0221]

[0237] Example 81 includes the method of example 80, further including generating a warning or notification recommending that an adjustment be made by a human.

[0222]

[0238] Example 82 includes the method of example 80, further including automatically performing an adjustment to the first sensor.

[0223]

[0239] Example 83 includes the method of example 80, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a disengagement sensor, the door actuation sensor adapted to trigger actuation of a door of the door system, and the disengagement sensor adapted to detect a disengagement event indicating when a panel of the door system disengages from a track that guides a side edge of the panel.

[0224]

[0240] Example 84 includes the method of example 83, further including determining whether an adjustment should be made based on a number of disengagement events detected by the disengagement sensor over a given period of time.

[0225]

[0241] Example 85 includes the method of example 84, further including comparing the number of withdrawal events to a threshold to determine whether an adjustment should be made.

[0226]

[0242] Example 86 includes the method of Example 84, further including determining a ratio of the number of breakaway events to a total number of door operation cycles during a given period of time, and comparing the ratio to a threshold value to determine whether an adjustment should be made.

[0227]

[0243] Example 87 includes the method of example 80, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a photo eye sensor, the door actuation sensor adapted to trigger actuation of a door of the door system, and the photo eye sensor adapted to detect traffic passing through a doorway associated with the door system.

[0228]

[0244] Example 88 includes the method of example 87, further including determining whether an adjustment should be made based on a time between the door actuation and the photo-eye sensor actuation.

[0229]

[0245] Example 89 includes the method of example 87, further including determining whether an adjustment should be made based on a frequency at which the photo eye sensor does not detect traffic passing through the doorway while the door is open in response to being actuated by the door actuation sensor.

[0230]

[0246] Example 90 includes the method of example 87, further including adjusting a reclose timer for the door based on a duration between a first time that sensor feedback data from the photo eye sensor indicates traffic has left the doorway and a second time that the door begins to close.

[0231]

[0247] Example 91 includes the method of example 87, wherein the photo eye sensor is a first photo eye sensor and the sensor includes a second photo eye sensor, and the method further includes determining at least one of a direction of traffic or a speed of traffic based on a difference between a timing when the first photo eye sensor is activated and a timing when the second photo eye sensor is activated.

[0232]

[0248] Example 92 includes the method of Example 87, wherein the photo eye sensor is a first photo eye sensor and the sensor includes a second photo eye sensor, the first photo eye sensor is disposed proximate a base of the door system and the second photo eye sensor is disposed at an elevated position, and the method further includes designating the detected traffic as either pedestrian traffic or vehicular traffic based on sensor feedback data from the first and second photo eye sensors.

[0233]

[0249] Example 93 includes the method of example 80, wherein the sensor includes a second sensor for emitting a beam at an angle relative to a door panel in a closed position across a doorway of the door system, the method further including determining at least one of a speed, height, or width of an object approaching the doorway based on a distance from the second sensor at which the object crosses the beam, and adjusting movement of the door panel based on at least one of the speed, height, or width of the object.

[0234]

[0250] Example 94 includes the method of example 93, wherein adjusting the movement includes adjusting the position of the door panel in response to a change in at least one of a height or width of the object.

[0235]

[0251] Example 95 includes the method of example 93, wherein adjusting the movement includes adjusting a velocity of the door panel based on a velocity of the object.

[0236]

[0252] Example 96 includes the method of example 80, wherein the sensor includes a current sensor for measuring a current used by a motor to move a door panel associated with the door system, and the method further includes generating a profile of the current used by the motor at a first time point, comparing the profile to the current used by the motor at a second time point after the first time point, and generating an alert or notification indicating potential wear of a seal associated with the door panel.

[0237]

[0253] Example 97 includes an apparatus having at least one memory, instructions, and a processor circuit for executing the instructions to activate a brake to apply a force resisting movement of a door panel associated with the door system, to cause at least one of a threshold torque or a threshold speed to be used to drive a motor used to move the door panel, where at least one of the threshold torque or the threshold speed is used while the brake is activated, to monitor movement of the door panel, and in response to detecting movement of the door panel while the brake is activated, to generate a warning or notification indicating at least one of potential brake wear or potential brake failure.

[0238]

[0254] Example 98 includes the device of Example 97, wherein at least one of the threshold torque or threshold speed is insufficient to cause movement of the door panel when the brakes are not worn and are working properly.

[0239]

[0255] Example 99 includes the apparatus of example 97, wherein the processor circuit tests the brakes on every door panel opening cycle.

[0240]

[0256] Example 100 includes the apparatus of example 97, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to test the brakes at intervals defined by a threshold number of door panel opening cycles.

[0241]

[0257] Example 101 includes the apparatus of example 97, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to test the brakes at intervals defined by the threshold time.

[0242]

[0258] Example 102 includes the apparatus of example 97, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to test the brake when the brake is initially set up in the door system and to determine at least one of the threshold torque or threshold speed based on the results of the test.

[0243]

[0259] Example 103 includes an apparatus comprising: operational control circuitry that activates a brake to apply a force resisting movement of a door panel associated with the door system; at least one of a threshold torque or a threshold speed being used to drive a motor used to move the door panel; at least one of the threshold torque or the threshold speed being used while the brake is activated; and a sensor feedback analysis circuit that monitors movement of the door panel; and the operational control circuitry generates a warning or notification in response to detecting movement of the door panel while the brake is activated, indicating at least one of potential brake wear or potential brake failure.

[0244]

[0260] Example 104 includes the device of Example 103, wherein at least one of the threshold torque or threshold speed is insufficient to overcome the force of the brakes when the brakes are not worn and are operating properly.

[0245]

[0261] Example 105 includes the apparatus of Example 103, where the motion control circuit tests the brakes on every door panel opening cycle.

[0246]

[0262] Example 106 includes the apparatus of Example 103, where the motion control circuit tests the brakes at intervals defined by a threshold number of door panel opening cycles.

[0247]

[0263] Example 107 includes the apparatus of example 103, wherein the motion control circuit tests the brake at intervals defined by the threshold time.

[0248]

[0264] Example 108 includes the apparatus of Example 103, wherein the operational control circuit is adapted to test the brake when the brake is initially set up in the door system and to determine at least one of the threshold torque or threshold speed based on the results of the test.

[0249]

[0265] Example 109 includes a non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause a processor circuit to at least activate a brake to apply a force resisting movement of a door panel associated with the door system, cause at least one of a threshold torque or a threshold speed to be used to drive a motor used to move the door panel, where at least one of the threshold torque or the threshold speed is used while the brake is activated, monitor movement of the door panel, and in response to detecting movement of the door panel while the brake is activated, generate a warning or notification indicating at least one of potential brake wear or potential brake failure.

[0250]

[0266] Example 110 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 109, wherein at least one of the threshold torque or the threshold speed is insufficient to cause movement of the door panel when the brakes are not worn and are operating properly.

[0251]

[0267] Example 111 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 109, wherein the instructions cause the processor circuit to test the brakes upon each opening cycle of the door panel.

[0252]

[0268] Example 112 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 109, wherein the instructions cause the processor circuit to test the brakes at an interval defined by a threshold number of door panel opening cycles.

[0253]

[0269] Example 113 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 109, wherein the instructions cause the processor circuit to test the brakes at intervals defined by the threshold time.

[0254]

[0270] Example 114 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of Example 109, wherein the instructions cause the processor circuit to test the brakes when the brakes are initially set up in the door system and determine at least one of the threshold torque or threshold speed based on the results of the test.

[0255]

[0271] Example 115 includes a method that includes the steps of activating a brake to apply a force resisting movement of a door panel associated with the door system; causing at least one of a threshold torque or a threshold speed to be used to drive a motor used to move the door panel, where at least one of the threshold torque or the threshold speed is used while the brake is activated; monitoring movement of the door panel by executing instructions in a processor circuit; and in response to detecting movement of the door panel while the brake is activated, generating a warning or notification indicative of at least one of potential brake wear or potential brake failure by executing instructions in the processor circuit.

[0256]

[0272] Example 116 includes the method of example 115, wherein at least one of the threshold torque or the threshold speed is insufficient to cause movement of the door panel when the brakes are not worn and are working properly.

[0257]

[0273] Example 117 includes the method of example 115, further including testing the brakes on every door panel opening cycle.

[0258]

[0274] Example 118 includes the method of example 115, further including testing the brakes at intervals defined by a threshold number of door panel opening cycles.

[0259]

[0275] Example 119 includes the method of example 115, further including testing the brakes at intervals defined by the threshold time.

[0260]

[0276] Example 120 includes the method of example 115, further including testing the brake when the brake is initially set up on the door system, and determining at least one of the threshold torque or threshold speed based on the results of the test.

[0261]

[0277] Example 121 includes an apparatus having at least one memory, instructions, and a processor circuit for executing the instructions to monitor movement of a door panel associated with a door system when the door panel is to be held in an open position, actuate a motor used to drive the door panel, control the door panel to a closed position, and lock the door system in response to detecting movement of the door panel when the door panel is to be held in an open position.

[0262]

[0278] Example 122 includes the apparatus of example 121, wherein the processor circuitry is adapted to place the door system in a fault state.

[0263]

[0279] Example 123 includes the device of example 121, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to generate a warning or notification indicative of a potential brake failure.

[0264]

[0280] Example 124 includes the apparatus of example 121, where in response to detecting movement of the door panel, the processor circuitry actuates the motor in a direction to drive the door panel toward the open position.

[0265]

[0281] Example 125 includes the apparatus of example 124, where the processor circuit controls the door panel to an open position before controlling the door panel to a closed position.

[0266]

[0282] Example 126 includes the apparatus of example 121, wherein in response to detecting movement of the door panel, the processor circuitry actuates the motor in a direction to drive the door panel toward the closed position.

[0267]

[0283] Example 127 includes an apparatus having a sensor feedback analysis circuit for monitoring movement of a door panel associated with a door system when the door panel is to be held in an open position, and an operation control circuit for actuating a motor used to drive the door panel, controlling the door panel to a closed position, and locking the door system in response to detection of movement of the door panel when the door panel is to be held in the open position.

[0268]

[0284] Example 128 includes the apparatus of example 127, where the motion control circuitry puts the door system into a fault state.

[0269]

[0285] Example 129 includes the apparatus of example 127, wherein the motion control circuitry is adapted to generate a warning or notification indicative of a potential brake failure.

[0270]

[0286] Example 130 includes the apparatus of example 127, where in response to detecting movement of the door panel, the motion control circuitry operates the motor in a direction to drive the door panel toward the open position.

[0271]

[0287] Example 131 includes the device of example 130, where the motion control circuit controls the door panel to an open position before controlling the door panel to a closed position.

[0272]

[0288] Example 132 includes the apparatus of example 127, wherein in response to detecting movement of the door panel, the motion control circuitry operates the motor in a direction to drive the door panel toward the closed position.

[0273]

[0289] Example 133 includes a non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause at least a processor circuit to monitor movement of a door panel associated with a door system when the door panel is to be held in an open position, actuate a motor used to drive the door panel, control the door panel to a closed position, and lock the door system in response to detecting movement of the door panel when the door panel is to be held in an open position.

[0274]

[0290] Example 134 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 133, wherein the instructions cause the processor circuit to place the door system in a fault state.

[0275]

[0291] Example 135 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 133, wherein the instructions cause the processor circuit to generate a warning or notification indicating a potential brake fault.

[0276]

[0292] Example 136 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 133, wherein in response to detecting movement of the door panel, the instructions cause the processor circuit to operate the motor in a direction to drive the door panel toward the open position.

[0277]

[0293] Example 137 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of example 136, wherein the instructions cause the processor circuit to control the door panel to the open position before controlling the door panel to the closed position.

[0278]

[0294] Example 138 includes the non-transitory computer readable medium of example 133, wherein in response to detecting movement of the door panel, the instructions cause the processor circuit to operate the motor in a direction to drive the door panel toward the closed position.

[0279]

[0295] Example 139 includes a method including the steps of monitoring movement of a door panel associated with a door system when the door panel is to be held in an open position, and in response to detecting movement of the door panel when the door panel is to be held in the open position, by executing instructions in a processor circuit, actuating a motor used to drive the door panel, controlling the door panel to a closed position, and locking the door system.

[0280]

[0296] Example 140 includes the method of example 139, further including placing the door system in a fault state.

[0281]

[0297] Example 141 includes the method of example 139, further including generating a warning or notification indicating a potential brake failure.

[0282]

[0298] Example 142 includes the method of example 139, wherein operating the motor includes operating the motor in a direction to drive the door panel toward the open position.

[0283]

[0299] Example 143 includes the method of example 142, further including controlling the door panel to an open position before controlling the door panel to a closed position.

[0284]

[0300] Example 144 includes the method of example 139, wherein operating the motor includes operating the motor in a direction to drive the door panel toward the closed position.

[0285]

[0301] Although certain exemplary methods, apparatus, and articles have been disclosed herein, the scope of this patent is not limited thereto.On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus, and articles fairly falling within the scope of the claims of this patent.

[0286]

[0302] The following claims are hereby incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this disclosure.

Claims

1. At least one memory; With orders, Monitoring the position of a door panel associated with a door system; detecting when a beam from a photo sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected untriggered state based on the position of the door panel; generating an alert or notification indicating the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state; a processor circuit for executing the instructions to An apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing tab on a side edge of the door panel.

3. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the beam is in the unexpected untriggered state when the beam passes through a hole in the door panel, the hole corresponding to a position of the tab on the door panel prior to its failure.

4. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected, untriggered state corresponds to the missing tab when the beam is in the unexpected, untriggered state for at least one of a time or distance less than a threshold time or a threshold distance of movement of the door panel, the threshold time corresponding to a duration that the hole crosses the path of the beam and the threshold distance corresponding to a width of the hole.

5. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal at a bottom corner of the door panel.

6. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to the missing corner seal if the beam is detected as not being interrupted by the door panel when a leading edge of the door panel is within a threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor.

7. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor circuit is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a side edge of the door panel being off track.

8. Monitoring the position of a door panel associated with a door system; detecting when a beam from a photo sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected untriggered state based on the position of the door panel; a sensor feedback analysis circuit for an operational control circuit for generating an alert or notification indicating the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state; An apparatus comprising:

9. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuitry is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing tab on a side edge of the door panel.

10. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the beam is in the unexpected untriggered state when the beam passes through a hole in the door panel, the hole corresponding to a position of the tab on the door panel before it was missing.

11. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuit is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected, untriggered state corresponds to the missing tab when the beam is in the unexpected, untriggered state for at least one of a time or distance less than a threshold time or a threshold distance of movement of the door panel, the threshold time corresponding to a duration that the hole crosses the path of the beam and the threshold distance corresponding to a width of the hole.

12. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuitry is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal at a bottom corner of the door panel.

13. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuit is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to the missing corner seal if the beam is detected as not being interrupted by the door panel when a leading edge of the door panel is within a threshold distance of the photo eye sensor.

14. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuit is adapted to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a side edge of the door panel being off track.

15. A computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to perform at least: monitoring a position of a door panel associated with the door system; detecting when a beam from a photo eye sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected untriggered state based on the position of the door panel; causing an operational control circuit to generate a warning or notification indicating the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state. Computer-readable medium.

16. 16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing tab on a side edge of the door panel.

17. 17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the beam is in the unexpected non-triggered state when the beam passes through a hole in the door panel, the hole corresponding to a position of the tab on the door panel before it was missing.

18. 18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected, non-triggered state corresponds to the missing tab when the beam is in the unexpected, non-triggered state for at least one of a time or distance less than a threshold time or a threshold distance of movement of the door panel, the threshold time corresponding to a duration that the hole crosses the path of the beam and the threshold distance corresponding to a width of the hole.

19. 16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal at a bottom corner of the door panel.

20. 20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to the missing corner seal if the beam is detected not to be blocked by the door panel when a leading edge of the door panel is within a threshold distance of the photo eye sensor.

21. 16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the machine to determine that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a side edge of the door panel being off track.

22. monitoring a position of a door panel associated with the door system; detecting when a beam from a photo eye sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected untriggered state based on the position of the door panel; generating an alert or notification indicating the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state; The method includes:

23. 23. The method of claim 22, including determining that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing tab on a side edge of the door panel.

24. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the beam is in the unexpected untriggered state when the beam passes through a hole in the door panel, the hole corresponding to a position of the tab on the door panel before it was missing.

25. 25. The method of claim 24, comprising determining that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected, untriggered state corresponds to the missing tab when the beam is in the unexpected, untriggered state for at least one of a time or distance less than a threshold time or a threshold distance of movement of the door panel, the threshold time corresponding to a duration that the hole crosses the path of the beam and the threshold distance corresponding to a width of the hole.

26. 23. The method of claim 22, comprising determining that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal at a bottom corner of the door panel.

27. 27. The method of claim 26, comprising determining that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to the missing corner seal if the beam is detected as not being blocked by the door panel when a leading edge of the door panel is within a threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor.

28. 23. The method of claim 22, comprising determining that the meaning of the beam being in the unexpected untriggered state corresponds to a side edge of the door panel being off track.

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