Flip-up gate

Abstract

To prevent displacement of a gate in an electrically operated flip-up gate that can be manually opened and closed.SOLUTION: A control unit 2 of a flip-up gate 1 has a rotation detection sensor 22 that outputs a rotation pulse signal each time an electric motor 20 rotates a predetermined angle, and a control microcomputer 26 that receives the rotation pulse signal being output from the rotation detection sensor 22 according to a predetermined reception cycle Ti, monitors a rotation angle of an arm 11 in real time based on the received rotation pulse signal, and controls the electric motor 20 and an electromagnetic brake 23 so that a gate 12 is located at a desired position. When an output cycle To of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor 22 becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference cycle Ts determined according to the reception cycle Ti, the control microcomputer 26 activates the electromagnetic brake 23 to decelerate the rotation of the electric motor 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lift-up gate used for entrances and exits to garages, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, flip-up gates have been used at garage entrances, etc. Generally, flip-up gates include a post, an arm rotatably attached at one end to the post, and a gate attached to the other end of the arm, and by rotating the arm around the part of the arm that is attached to the post as a rotation axis, the gate attached to the arm moves up and down, thereby opening and closing the garage entrance, etc. (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-279564 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, electric flip-up gates that use an electric motor and an electromagnetic brake to control the rotation of an arm to move the gate up and down have become popular. However, even with electric flip-up gates, it is preferable to be able to open and close the gate manually in case of an emergency. However, if an electric flip-up gate can be opened and closed manually, the following problems arise.

[0005] In an electric flip-up gate, a control microcomputer typically receives a rotation pulse signal from a rotation detection sensor attached to the electric motor each time the electric motor rotates a predetermined angle, and the control microcomputer monitors the rotation angle of the arm in real time based on the rotation pulse signal received from the rotation detection sensor, controlling the electric motor and electromagnetic brake to keep the gate in the correct position. Even if the gate is opened or closed manually, the control microcomputer must receive a rotation pulse signal from the rotation detection sensor attached to the electric motor in conjunction with the rotation of the arm and monitor the rotation angle of the arm in real time in order to open or close the gate correctly with subsequent electric operation. However, if the gate moves up or down at a rapid speed as a result of a manual opening or closing operation, or as a result of a manual opening or closing operation being added during an electric opening or closing operation, the electric motor will rotate at a speed faster than expected, and the output period of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor will be shorter than the period for capturing the rotation pulse signal in the control microcomputer.As a result, the control microcomputer will fail to capture the rotation pulse signal, and will not be able to correctly grasp the rotation angle of the arm, resulting in a positional shift of the gate.

[0006] In addition, by providing a position detection sensor at the fully closed or fully open position of the gate, and having the control microcomputer reset the arm's rotation angle to a predetermined angle based on the position detection signal output from this position detection sensor, it is possible to correctly manage the arm's rotation angle even in the above-mentioned case. However, in this case, it is necessary to provide a position detection sensor in addition to the rotation detection sensor provided on the electric motor, which increases costs.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technology that can prevent the position of a gate from shifting in an electric flip-up gate that can be opened and closed manually. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, in the present invention, the control microcomputer activates the brake to slow down the rotation of the electric motor when the output period of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor each time the electric motor rotates a predetermined angle becomes less than a predetermined reference period determined according to the capture period of the rotation pulse signal in the control microcomputer.

[0009] For example, the present invention provides A flip-up gate in which the rotation of an arm, one end of which is rotatably attached to a support, is controlled by an electric motor and a brake, and the gate attached to the other end of the arm is moved up and down. a rotation detection sensor that outputs a rotation pulse signal every time the electric motor rotates a predetermined angle; a control microcomputer that receives a rotation pulse signal being output from the rotation detection sensor in accordance with a predetermined reception cycle, monitors the rotation angle of the arm in real time based on the received rotation pulse signal, and controls the electric motor and the brake so that the gate is at a desired position; The control microcomputer When the output period of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference period determined in accordance with the acquisition period, the brake is activated to decelerate the rotation of the electric motor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] In this invention, when the output period of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor each time the electric motor rotates a predetermined angle becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference period determined according to the period of the rotation pulse signal received by the control microcomputer, the brake is activated to decelerate the rotation of the electric motor, thereby preventing the output period of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor from becoming shorter than the period of the rotation pulse signal received by the control microcomputer. Therefore, according to this invention, it is possible to prevent the control microcomputer from failing to receive the rotation pulse signal, thereby preventing the gate from shifting in position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1(A) is a schematic plan view of a flip-up gate 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1(B) is a schematic side view of the flip-up gate 1 shown in FIG. 1(A). [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the control unit 2. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the control microcomputer 26. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the speed limiting process of the control microcomputer 26. As shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] FIG. 1(A) is a schematic plan view of a flip-up gate 1 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 1(B) is a schematic side view of the flip-up gate 1 shown in FIG. 1(A).

[0014] The flip-up gate 1 according to this embodiment is used at the entrance to a garage or the like, and as shown in the figure, comprises a pair of support posts 10, a pair of arms 11 rotatably attached at one end to the support posts 10, and a gate door 12 attached to the other end of the arm 11, and by rotating the arm 11 around an attachment portion 13 of the arm 11 to the support posts 10 as a rotation axis, the gate door 12 is moved up and down, thereby opening and closing the entrance to the garage or the like. The flip-up gate 1 according to this embodiment is a so-called electric type, and although not shown in Fig. 1, it comprises a control unit 2 for electrically moving the gate door 12 up and down.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the control unit 2.

[0016] As shown in the figure, the control unit 2 has an electric motor 20, a motor drive circuit 21, a rotation detection sensor 22, an electromagnetic brake 23, a brake drive circuit 24, operation switches 25, a control microcomputer 26, and a power supply unit 27.

[0017] The electric motor 20 is, for example, a three-phase brushless motor, and is connected to the mounting portion 13 of the arm 11, and rotates the arm 11 around the mounting portion 13 as a rotation axis. The electric motor 20 may be provided on each of the pair of arms 11, or may be provided on only one of the arms 11.

[0018] The motor drive circuit 21 supplies power to the electric motor 20 to drive it in accordance with instructions from the control microcomputer 26. The motor drive circuit 21 also supplies power generated by regenerative braking of the electric motor 20 to a brake drive circuit 24.

[0019] The rotation detection sensor 22 is, for example, a rotary encoder, and outputs a rotation pulse signal every time the electric motor 20 rotates a predetermined angle (for example, 120 degrees).

[0020] The electromagnetic brake 23 is, for example, a solenoid brake, and is connected to the mounting portion 13 of the arm 11 to slow down the rotation of the arm 11. The electromagnetic brake 23 may be provided on each of the pair of arms 11, or may be provided on only one of the arms 11.

[0021] The brake drive circuit 24 supplies power to the electromagnetic brake 23 to drive it in accordance with instructions from the control microcomputer 26 .

[0022] The operation switches 25 are switches for receiving various operations from the user, including an operation for switching between operation modes (electric mode or manual mode) and an operation for opening and closing the gate 12 in the electric mode.

[0023] The control microcomputer 26 monitors the rotation angle of the arm 11 in both the electric mode and the manual mode (rotation angle monitoring process). In the electric mode, the control microcomputer 26 controls the operation of the electric motor 20 via the motor drive circuit 21 and also controls the operation of the electromagnetic brake 23 via the brake drive circuit 24 (electric opening / closing process). In both the electric mode and the manual mode, the control microcomputer 26 also limits the rotation speed of the electric motor 20 (speed limiting process).

[0024] Power supply device 27 supplies power (DC power) to motor drive circuit 21, rotation detection sensor 22, and control microcomputer 26 based on an externally supplied commercial power source (AC power). Power supply device 27 also has a built-in battery, and in the event of an emergency such as a power outage, supplies power to rotation detection sensor 22 and control microcomputer 26 from this built-in battery.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the control microcomputer 26. As shown in FIG.

[0026] The functional configuration of the control microcomputer 26 shown in FIG. 3 is realized as a process in the control microcomputer 26 by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program stored in a storage circuit.

[0027] As shown in the figure, the control microcomputer 26 has an operation receiving unit 260, a rotation pulse signal receiving unit 261, an output period calculation unit 262, a motor drive circuit control unit 263, a brake drive circuit control unit 264, and a main control unit 265.

[0028] The operation reception unit 260 receives various operations from the user via the operation switches 25, including an operation to switch between operation modes and an operation to open and close the gate 12 in the electric mode.

[0029] The rotation pulse signal receiving unit 261 receives the rotation pulse signal being output from the rotation detection sensor 22 according to a predetermined reception cycle Ti. Here, in order to prevent the measurement of the rotation pulse signal being output from the rotation detection sensor 22 from being missed even when the gate 12 moves up or down at a rapid speed and the electric motor 20 rotates at a rotation speed higher than expected, it is preferable to make the reception cycle Ti of the rotation pulse signal as short as possible by devising a program that realizes the functional configuration of the control microcomputer 26 or by increasing the execution speed of the control microcomputer 26 itself.

[0030] The output period calculation unit 262 calculates the output period To of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor 22 based on the rotation pulse signal received by the rotation pulse signal receiving unit 261.

[0031] The motor drive circuit control unit 263 controls the motor drive circuit 21 in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 265. In this way, the driving of the electric motor 20 is controlled.

[0032] The brake drive circuit control unit 264 supplies power to the brake drive circuit 24 and controls it in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 265, thereby controlling the drive of the electromagnetic brake 23.

[0033] The main control unit 265 controls the units 260 to 264 of the control microcomputer 26 in an integrated manner.

[0034] Furthermore, the main control unit 265 monitors the rotation angle of the arm 11 in real time based on the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor 22 (rotation angle monitoring process).

[0035] In addition, when the operation mode is set to the electric mode, the main control unit 265 controls the motor drive circuit control unit 263 and the brake drive circuit control unit 264 in accordance with the user's opening and closing operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 260 to open and close the gate 12 (electric opening and closing processing).

[0036] Specifically, in response to a gate-opening operation by the user, the motor drive circuit control unit 263 drives the electric motor 20 via the motor drive circuit 21 to rotate the arm 11 so that the gate 12 moves in the fully-open direction. When the rotation angle of the arm 11 approaches an angle corresponding to the fully-open position of the gate 12, the motor drive circuit control unit 263 stops driving the electric motor 20 via the motor drive circuit 21, and the brake drive circuit control unit 264 drives the electromagnetic brake 23 via the brake drive circuit 24 to stop the rotation of the arm 11. In addition, in response to a gate-closing operation by the user, the motor drive circuit control unit 263 drives the electric motor 20 via the motor drive circuit 21 to rotate the arm 11 so that the gate 12 moves in the fully-closed direction. Then, when the rotation angle of the arm 11 approaches the angle corresponding to the fully closed position of the gate 12, the motor drive circuit control unit 263 stops driving the electric motor 20 via the motor drive circuit 21, and the brake drive circuit control unit 264 drives the electromagnetic brake 23 via the brake drive circuit 24, thereby stopping the rotation of the arm 11.

[0037] Furthermore, the main control unit 265 monitors in real time the output period To of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor 22, which is calculated by the output period calculation unit 262, and limits the rotation speed of the electric motor 20 so that this output period To is always longer than the capture period Ti of the rotation pulse signal (speed limiting process).

[0038] FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the speed limiting process of the control microcomputer 26. As shown in FIG.

[0039] The main control unit 265 monitors whether the output period To of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor 22, calculated by the output period calculation unit 262, has become equal to or less than a predetermined reference period Ts (where Ts > Ti) determined according to the capture period Ti of the rotation pulse signal in the rotation pulse signal receiving unit 261 due to a sudden vertical movement of the gate 12 caused by an opening / closing operation in manual mode or a manual opening / closing operation during opening / closing operation in electric mode (S10). If the output period To of the rotation pulse signal has become equal to or less than the reference period Ts (YES in S10), the main control unit 265 causes the motor drive circuit control unit 263 to supply power generated by regenerative braking of the electric motor 20 to the brake drive circuit 24 via the motor drive circuit 21 (S11). At the same time, the brake drive circuit control unit 264 causes the electromagnetic brake 23 to drive via the brake drive circuit 24, causing the electromagnetic brake 23 to generate a damping force that is set to increase as the output period To of the rotation pulse signal becomes shorter (S12). This reduces the rotation of the electric motor 20, and adjusts the rotation speed of the electric motor 20 as necessary so that the output period To of the rotation pulse signal is always longer than the input period Ti of the rotation pulse signal.

[0040] One embodiment of the present invention has been described above.

[0041] In this embodiment, when the output period To of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor 22 each time the electric motor 20 rotates a predetermined angle becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference period Ts determined according to the capture period Ti of the rotation pulse signal in the control microcomputer 26, the electromagnetic brake 23 is activated to decelerate the rotation of the electric motor 20, thereby preventing the output period To of the rotation pulse signal from becoming shorter than the capture period Ti of the rotation pulse signal. Therefore, this embodiment prevents the control microcomputer 26 from failing to capture the rotation pulse signal, thereby preventing the gate 12 from shifting in position.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the output period To of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor 22 becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference period Ts determined according to the capture period Ti of the rotation pulse signal in the control microcomputer 26, power generated by the regenerative braking of the electric motor 20 is supplied to the electromagnetic brake 23 via the motor drive circuit 21 and the brake drive circuit 24, thereby activating the electromagnetic brake 23. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even in an emergency such as a power outage when commercial power is not available from an external source, the electromagnetic brake 23 can be activated by supplying power to the rotation detection sensor 22 and the control microcomputer 26 from the built-in battery of the power supply device 27. Furthermore, by using the electromagnetic brake 23 in combination with the regenerative braking of the electric motor 20, the load on the electromagnetic brake 23 can be reduced, thereby extending the life of consumables (e.g., brake pads) of the electromagnetic brake 23.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the output period To of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor 22 becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference period Ts determined in accordance with the capture period Ti of the rotation pulse signal in the control microcomputer 26, the electromagnetic brake 23 is controlled so that the damping force of the electromagnetic brake 23 increases as the output period To of the rotation pulse signal becomes shorter. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to operate the electromagnetic brake 23 with the minimum necessary damping force, thereby extending the life of the consumable parts of the electromagnetic brake 23.

[0044] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified within the scope of the invention.

[0045] For example, in the above embodiment, when the output period To of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor 22 becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference period Ts determined according to the capture period Ti of the rotation pulse signal in the control microcomputer 26, power generated by the regenerative braking of the electric motor 20 is supplied to the brake drive circuit 24 via the motor drive circuit 21 to activate the electromagnetic brake 23. However, the present invention is not limited to this. During normal operation when an external commercial power source is available, power may be supplied to the brake drive circuit 24 from the power supply device 27 to activate the electromagnetic brake 23.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the electromagnetic brake 23 is used as the brake for slowing down the rotation of the arm 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The brake for slowing down the rotation of the arm 11 may be another brake such as a short-circuit brake. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1: Lift-up gate 2: Control unit 10: Support 11: Arm 12: Gate 20: Electric motor 21: Motor drive circuit 22: Rotation detection sensor 23: Electromagnetic brake 24: Brake drive circuit 25: Operation switches 26: Control microcomputer 260: Operation reception section 261: Rotation pulse signal receiving unit 262: Output period calculation unit 263: Motor drive circuit control unit 264: Brake drive circuit control unit 265: Main control unit

Claims

1. A flip-up gate in which the rotation of an arm, one end of which is rotatably attached to a support, is controlled by an electric motor and a brake, and the gate attached to the other end of the arm is moved up and down. a rotation detection sensor that outputs a rotation pulse signal every time the electric motor rotates a predetermined angle; a control microcomputer that receives a rotation pulse signal being output from the rotation detection sensor in accordance with a predetermined reception cycle, monitors the rotation angle of the arm in real time based on the received rotation pulse signal, and controls the electric motor and the brake so that the gate is at a desired position; The control microcomputer When the output period of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference period determined in accordance with the acquisition period, the brake is activated to decelerate the rotation of the electric motor. A distinctive lift-up gate.

2. The lift-up gate according to claim 1, The brake is an electromagnetic brake. A distinctive lift-up gate.

3. The lift-up gate according to claim 1 or 2, The control microcomputer When the output period of the rotation pulse signal output from the rotation detection sensor becomes equal to or shorter than a predetermined reference period determined according to the capture period, the brake is operated so that the damping force of the brake increases as the output period of the rotation pulse signal becomes shorter. A distinctive lift-up gate.

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