Electrically opening / closing shield device and control method thereof

Abstract

To provide an electrically opening / closing shield device capable of detecting an obstacle without any positional limit when lifting down and closing a shutter curtain.SOLUTION: An electric shutter 10 is configured to allow a shutter curtain 24 provided with a plurality of slats 44 connected so as to form slits 64a to be driven by a motor 30 under action of a controller 50 and subsequent slats 44 to lift down so as to sequentially close the slits 64a after the shutter curtain lifts down through unwinding from a winding-up state and a tip of a seat plate 46 of the shutter curtain 24 is limited on lifting-down by a lower frame 20. A reference current Ib of the motor 30 is stored in a storage 52 when there is no obstacles at an inspection position Pd corresponding to an unwinding amount of the shutter curtain 24, and the controller 50 stops or reverses the motor 30 when a difference ΔI between a current I detected at the inspection position Pd and the reference current Ib read through the storage 52 is equal to or more than a threshold value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrically operated shutter device in which a shutter curtain is driven by a motor under the action of a control unit, unwound from a wound state, and lowered, and to a control method for the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Electric shutters open and close by winding and unwinding a shutter curtain using a motor. The shutter curtain has multiple connected slits. As shown in Patent Document 1, an obstacle detection device is known that uses the torque-current characteristics of a motor based on the current value of the motor to detect obstacles that may hinder the operation of the electric shutter. The obstacle detection device described in Patent Document 1 determines that an obstacle that may hinder the operation of the electric shutter is present (an obstacle is caught in the shutter) when the current value of the motor exceeds a threshold value.

[0003] As shown in Patent Document 2, there is a type of electric shutter called a slit shutter. A slit shutter is a shutter curtain made up of slits connected to form a slit at the connecting part. Driven by a motor under the action of a control unit, the slit shutter unwinds from a wound state and descends. After the seat plate at the leading end abuts against a lower frame or the like and is restricted in its descent, the following slats descend to successively close the slits. Because slit shutters have different current characteristics from ordinary electric shutters, it is difficult to detect obstacles with a configuration like that of Patent Document 1.

[0004] In Patent Document 2, obstacle detection is made possible by providing a ribbon switch arranged on a vertical guide rail that guides the seat plate and slats, and a rocking mechanism in which a rocking part protrudes and contacts the ribbon switch when the seat plate abuts against an obstacle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-194973 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-056195 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, it is structurally difficult to provide a ribbon switch such as that disclosed in Patent Document 2 at the lower end of the guide rail, and an area where an obstacle cannot be detected is created.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an electrically operated opening and closing closure device and a control method thereof that can detect obstacles without being restricted by position when lowering and closing the shutter curtain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the electrically operated opening and closing shading device of the present invention is an electrically operated opening and closing shading device in which a shutter curtain having a plurality of slats connected to form a slit at the connecting part is driven by a motor under the action of a control unit, is unwound from a wound state and descends, and after the tip of the shutter curtain is restricted from descending by a regulating unit, the subsequent slats descend to sequentially block the slits, and is characterized in that at one or more inspection positions corresponding to the amount of unwounding of the shutter curtain, the reference load of the motor when there is no obstacle is stored in a memory unit, and the control unit stops or reverses the motor when the difference between the detected load of the motor detected at the inspection position and the reference load read from the memory unit is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

[0009] In addition, the control method for an electrically operated opening and closing shading device of the present invention is a control method for an electrically operated opening and closing shading device in which a shutter curtain having a plurality of slats connected to form a slit at a connecting portion is driven by a motor under the action of a control portion, unwound from a wound state and descends, and after the tip of the shutter curtain is restricted from descending by a regulating portion, the subsequent slats descend to sequentially block the slits, characterized in that the control portion has a step of storing in a memory portion the reference load of the motor when there is no obstacle at one or more inspection positions corresponding to the amount of extension of the shutter curtain, and a step of stopping or reversing the motor when the difference between the detected load of the motor detected at the inspection position and the reference load read from the memory portion is greater than or equal to a threshold value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the reference load of the motor when there is no obstacle is stored in the memory unit, and the control unit stops or reverses the motor when the difference between the detected load of the motor detected at the inspection position and the reference load read from the memory unit is equal to or greater than a threshold value, so that obstacles can be detected without being restricted by position when lowering and closing the shutter curtain. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fixture equipped with an electric shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one end of a case for an electric shutter where a control device is provided. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electric shutter. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are longitudinal cross-sectional views of the seat plate and the swing mechanism, where FIG. 1A is a view showing a case where there is no obstacle, and FIG. 1B is a view showing a case where an obstacle abuts against the lower part of the seat plate. [Figure 6]1A and 1B are longitudinal cross-sectional views of a portion of an unrolled shutter curtain, where (a) is a view before the seat plate contacts the lower frame, and (b) is a view after the seat plate contacts the lower frame. [Figure 7] Schematic diagrams showing five states of a shutter curtain, where (a) is a diagram showing the first stage, (b) is a diagram showing the second stage, (c) is a diagram showing the third stage, (d) is a diagram showing the fourth stage, and (e) is a diagram showing the fifth stage. [Figure 8] 1 is a graph showing motor current. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of P3 in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of a teaching mode of a control method for an electric shutter. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart of a normal mode of a control method for the electric shutter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an electrically operated opening / closing shielding device and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fitting 12 equipped with an electric shutter (electric opening and closing shading device) 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric shutter 10 is integral with the fitting 12 and is provided on the exterior side of the room, but a similar structure could also be provided on the interior side of the room with certain design modifications and used as an electric blind (electric opening and closing shading device). The electric shutter 10 does not need to be an integral structure with the fitting 12, and could also be retrofitted to the fitting 12. The electric shutter 10 is not limited to be used for houses, and could be, for example, a garage shutter.

[0014] The fitting 12 is a sliding window that includes a frame 14 and two shoji screens 18 that are slidable left and right relative to the frame 14. The frame 14 is constructed by assembling a top frame (not shown), a bottom frame 20, and left and right vertical frames 22 all around. The configuration of the fitting 12 is not limited to this, and it may also be, for example, a single sliding window, a double-hung window, etc.

[0015] The electric shutter 10 includes a shutter curtain 24, a shaft 26, a spring (elastic material) 28, a motor 30, a control device 32, a case 34, a guide rail 36, a ribbon switch 38, a swing mechanism 40, and an operator 42.

[0016] The shutter curtain 24 comprises a number of slats 44 connected in series and a seat plate 46 connected to the lowermost slat 44. The slats 44 and seat plate 46 are elongated and extend in the left-right direction. The seat plate 46 has approximately the same width as the slats 44 and can essentially be considered one of the slats 44. The shutter curtain 24 is driven by the motor 30 under the control of the control device 32, unwound from the shaft 26, and guided by the left and right guide rails 36 to move up and down. The seat plate 46 at the tip of the shutter curtain 24 is not wound up, but its end is fitted into the guide groove 36a of the guide rail 36 (see Figure 4). Therefore, the seat plate 46 moves up and down. The electric shutter 10 can be manually operated in the event of a power outage or other such event. The guide rail 36 may be integral with the vertical frame 22 or may be a separate component.

[0017] The spring 28 applies an elastic force to the shaft 26 in the direction of winding up the shutter curtain 24, acting in a direction that offsets the weight of the shutter curtain 24, which is made up of multiple slats 44, as it descends. The spring 28 is set to act in a direction that offsets part, all, or more of the weight of the shutter curtain 24. The weight of the shutter curtain 24 and the elastic force of the spring 28 are appropriately balanced, allowing it to be raised and lowered with little force and allowing the motor 30 to be of a small capacity. The case 34 covers the shaft 26, the shutter curtain 24 wound around the shaft 26, the spring 28, the motor 30, and the control device 32. The case 34 is box-shaped with an inclined top surface facing outwards (see Figure 1), and an opening is formed in the bottom surface through which the shutter curtain 24 can enter and exit.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one end of the case 34 (not shown in FIG. 2) of the electric shutter 10 where the control device 32 is installed. The control device 32 is installed at one end of the case 34 and is covered by a thin, approximately arc-shaped housing that runs along the top and front surfaces of the case 34. In this embodiment, the motor 30 and control device 32 are installed at the right end of the case 34 when viewed from outside. The motor 30 is cylindrical, with its end positioned along the inner circumferential surface of the arc of the control device 32, and drives the shaft 26 via a predetermined drive transmission unit. An encoder 48 that detects the rotation angle is integrally installed in the motor 30. Therefore, the encoder 48 is essentially part of the motor 30, so the number of parts does not increase and costs remain essentially the same. Furthermore, assembly of the encoder 48 is not required at the construction site, which does not increase the burden on workers.

[0019] 3 is a block diagram of the electric shutter 10. The control device 32 includes a control unit 50, a memory unit 52, a driver 54, a current detection unit 56, an input interface 58, and a signal receiving unit 60. The control unit 50 is a processor configured using, alone or in combination, hardware such as a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a dedicated integrated circuit that executes a specific function such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 50 controls the electric shutter 10 by reading various programs stored in the memory unit 52.

[0020] The memory unit 52 has a volatile section and a non-volatile section and stores programs and data. The driver 54 drives the motor 30 based on commands from the control unit 50. The current detection unit 56 detects the current I supplied from the driver 54 to the motor 30 and supplies it to the control unit 50. The current I of the motor 30 detected by the current detection unit 56 is proportional to the torque generated by the motor 30 and therefore essentially serves as the detected load. The means for detecting the load of the motor 30 is not limited to the current I, and may also be, for example, a voltage value output by a torque detector.

[0021] The input interface 58 supplies signals from the ribbon switch 38 and the encoder 48 to the control unit 50. The signal receiving unit 60 receives an operation signal related to raising and lowering of the shutter curtain 24 by the operation device 42 and supplies it to the control unit 50. The control unit 50 rotates the motor 30 forward, reverse, or stops it based on the signal received from the operation device 42. In this specification, forward rotation of the motor 30 corresponds to the downward direction of the shutter curtain 24, and reverse rotation corresponds to the upward direction. The operation device 42 is a remote control type such as a wireless or infrared type, but it may also be a wired type.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the guide rail 36. The guide rail 36 is formed with guide grooves 36a into which the left and right ends of the shutter curtain 24 fit. A pocket 36b is formed near the bottom of the guide groove 36a. A ribbon switch 38 is provided in the pocket 36b. The ribbon switch 38 is, for example, a Tape Switch (registered trademark), and is inserted vertically. Because it is difficult to provide the ribbon switch 38 at the bottom end of the guide rail 36 for structural and assembly reasons, it is provided in a portion of the guide rail 36 other than the bottom end. Note that while the left and right guide rails 36 are symmetrical, the ribbon switch 38 is provided only on one side closer to the control device 32, which in this embodiment is on the right side when viewed from outside (see FIG. 1).

[0023] 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the seat plate 46 and the rocking mechanism 40, where (a) is a view when there is no obstacle O and (b) is a view when the obstacle O is in contact with the lower part of the seat plate 46. The rocking mechanism 40 is provided at the lower end of the seat plate 46 and is composed of a seat plate lower member 40a, a lower link 40b, and an upper link 40c. The seat plate lower member 40a is provided over the entire length of the seat plate 46. The lower link 40b and the upper link 40c are disposed inside the guide groove 36a (see FIG. 4).

[0024] The seat under-plate member 40a is pivotally supported at the end of the seat plate 46 so as to be able to swing freely. The upper link 40c is pivotally supported slightly above the seat under-plate member 40a so as to be able to swing freely. The lower link 40b is rotatably connected to the approximate midpoint of the seat under-plate member 40a and the upper link 40c. As shown in FIG. 5(a), when there is no obstacle O, the seat under-plate member 40a, the lower link 40b, and the upper link 40c each face downward due to their own weight. As shown in FIG. 5(b), when the seat under-plate member 40a comes into contact with the obstacle O, it swings toward the interior of the vehicle. A stopper may be provided for the swinging of the seat under-plate member 40a. When the seat under-plate member 40a swings, the upper link 40c swings toward the interior of the vehicle via the lower link 40b and protrudes, coming into contact with the ribbon switch 38. The control unit 50 can detect that the upper link 40c has come into contact with the ribbon switch 38 when the motor 30 is rotated forward to lower the shutter curtain 24, and therefore recognizes the presence of an obstacle O and stops or reverses the motor 30, thereby preventing a large force from being applied to the obstacle O.

[0025] 6A and 6B are longitudinal cross-sectional views of a portion of the unrolled shutter curtain 24, where (a) is a view before the seat plate 46 comes into contact with the lower frame 20, and (b) is a view after the seat plate 46 has come into contact with the lower frame 20. As described above, the shutter curtain 24 is made up of a large number of slats 44 connected in series, with the seat plate 46 attached to the lower end thereof.

[0026] The slats 44 have a main body 62 that is slightly vertically long and roughly rectangular, and a hanging hook 64 that protrudes upward from the main body 62. A hanging hook 64 is also provided on the upper part of the seat panel 46. The hanging hook 64 has a slit 64a in the middle that connects the indoors and outdoors, and the tip 64b is shaped like an upside-down J. Multiple slits 64a are formed along the longitudinal direction of the slats 44.

[0027] A partition 62a is provided in the approximate middle of the main body 62, with an outdoor piece 62b and an indoor piece 62c protruding downward from both ends of the partition 62a. The partition 62a, outdoor piece 62b, and indoor piece 62c form a downward-opening recess 62d. A hanging hook 64 fits into the recess 62d. The outdoor piece 62b has an inverted J shape, allowing it to engage with the tip 64b. The lower end of the indoor piece 62c protrudes slightly outside the room, narrowing the opening of the recess 62d and preventing the tip 64b from slipping out. The upper part of the main body 62 forms an outdoor shoulder 64e and an indoor shoulder 64f, sandwiching the hanging hook 64.

[0028] As shown in Figure 6(a), when the seat panel 46 is not in contact with the lower frame 20, the tip 64b of the hanging hook 64 is engaged with the upper exterior piece 62b and hung, exposing the slit 64a. This allows for adequate lighting and ventilation inside the room.

[0029] As shown in Figure 6(b), after the seat panel 46 abuts against the lower frame 20, which corresponds to the restricting portion, and is restricted from descending, the suspending hook 64 penetrates deep into the upper recess 62d. At this time, the slit 64a also enters the recess 62d, and the slits 64a are sequentially blocked from the bottom. Figure 6(b) shows a state in which the lower slit 64a is blocked, while the upper slit 64a is still open. When the suspending hook 64 enters the recess 62d, the upper outdoor piece 62b and indoor piece 62c abut against the lower outdoor shoulder 64e and indoor shoulder 64f, and the tip 64b abuts against the partition 62a, stabilizing the interior and exterior, making the interior and exterior nearly airtight and watertight. The seat lower member 40a swings when it comes into contact with the lower frame 20, and the swinging mechanism 40 (see Figure 5) operates to cause the upper link 40c to protrude into the room. However, since the ribbon switch 38 is not provided at the lower end, the motor 30 does not stop at this point, and the subsequent slat 44 can continue to descend.

[0030] 7 is a schematic diagram showing five states of the shutter curtain 24, where (a) is a diagram showing the first stage, (b) is a diagram showing the second stage, (c) is a diagram showing the third stage, (d) is a diagram showing the fourth stage, and (e) is a diagram showing the fifth stage. In each diagram, the slits 64a are shown with dots to make them easy to identify.

[0031] In the first stage shown in FIG. 7(a), the shutter curtain 24 is entirely wound around the shaft 26 and housed in the case 34. In the second stage shown in FIG. 7(b), the shutter curtain 24 is partially unwound. At this stage, the seat plate 46 does not abut against the lower frame 20, and all of the slits 64a in the unwound portion are open. In the third stage shown in FIG. 7(c), the shutter curtain 24 is restricted in its downward movement as the seat plate 46 abuts against the lower frame 20, but all of the subsequent slats 44 are suspended from the adjacent slats 44 above, allowing the suspension hooks 64 to enter the recesses 62d, and the motor 30 continues to rotate. At this stage, all of the slits 64a are open.

[0032] 7(d), the hanging hooks 64 of the lower slats 44 sequentially enter the recesses 62d of the adjacent slats 44 above. At this stage, the slits 64a are closed sequentially, starting with the lower slats 44, but the upper slits 64a remain open. The shutter curtain 24 can be stopped at any time between the second and fourth stages.

[0033] In the fifth stage shown in Figure 7(e), the shutter curtain 24 is fully extended, all slats 44 are restricted from descending, and the load on the motor 30 increases. Therefore, the control unit 50 detects an increase in current I and automatically stops the motor 30. At this stage, all slits 64a are closed, shielding the interior from the outside, providing light-blocking, waterproofing, and wind protection. Furthermore, if the base plate 46 has a locking mechanism for the sill 20, it can be prevented from being operated from the outside. While the closing operation of the shutter curtain 24 has been described, the opposite occurs when opening it. Returning to the first stage shown in Figure 7(a), the lift is restricted, and the load on the motor 30 increases. Therefore, the control unit 50 detects an increase in current I and automatically stops the motor 30.

[0034] FIG. 8 is a graph showing the current I of the motor 30. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of P3 in FIG. 8. As mentioned above, the current I of the motor 30 corresponds to the detected load. The horizontal axis represents the number of pulses P output by the encoder 48, with P1 representing the first stage in FIG. 7(a), i.e., the fully open state of the shutter curtain 24. P3 represents the third stage in FIG. 7(c), i.e., the fully closed state of the slats 44 and the fully open state of the slits 64a. P5 represents the fifth stage in FIG. 7(e), i.e., the fully closed state of the slats 44 and the fully closed state of the slits 64a. The P2 region between P1 and P3 represents the second stage in FIG. 7(b), and the P4 region between P3 and P5 represents the fourth stage in FIG. 7(d). The horizontal axis of FIG. 8 conceptually represents the range from P1 to P3 corresponding to the downward advancement position of the seat plate 46 of the shutter curtain 24, and the range from P3 to P5 corresponding to the positions where the multiple slits 64a are successively blocked from bottom to top. Moreover, the total of P1 to P5 corresponds to the extension amount of the shutter curtain 24.

[0035] In Figure 9, Px, slightly before P3, indicates the lower limit of obstacle detection by ribbon switch 38. In other words, Px to P3 is the region where ribbon switch 38 cannot detect. The distance between P3 and Px is narrow. In Figures 8 and 9, the dashed line indicates the current I0 of motor 30 when operating without an obstacle, and the solid line indicates the current I1 of motor 30 when operating with an obstacle. Note that currents I0 and I1 may vary slightly from product to product; Figures 8 and 9 are merely examples.

[0036] In this case, the obstacle is located at Po between Px and P3. Pd is an obstacle inspection position set a predetermined distance ΔP ahead of P3, and control unit 50 detects the presence or absence of an obstacle at Pd. Pd is set between Px and P3 and is capable of detecting obstacles that cannot be detected by ribbon switch 38. Multiple Pds may be set between Px and P3 depending on the processing power of control unit 50, etc. Also, if multiple Pds can be set in the area from P1 to Px, ribbon switch 38 may be omitted.

[0037] Returning to Figure 8, the current I0 increases slightly after the start of movement at P1, then fluctuates repeatedly until it reaches its initial maximum value Im. As described above, the current I0 is suppressed because the shutter curtain 24's own weight is moderately offset by the spring 28. P3 is the point at which the load begins to increase, after which the current I0 begins to tend to increase. This is because, after the base plate 46 at the tip of the shutter curtain 24 abuts against the lower frame 20 and is restricted from descending, the shutter curtain 24's own weight acting on the shaft 26 decreases, while the elastic force of the spring 28 continues to apply, creating an imbalance, and the motor 30 begins to resist the elastic force. The current I0 exceeds the initial maximum value Im in the region P4 after P3. Therefore, if obstacle detection were to be performed using the initial maximum value Im or a value slightly greater than it as a threshold, a false detection would occur somewhere in the range of P4, resulting in a stop, making this method inapplicable.

[0038] When an obstacle is present, the current I1 has substantially the same value as the current I0 from P1 to P3, although there is some error. Then, as shown in Fig. 9, the current I1 tends to exceed the current I0 from Po onwards.

[0039] Note that the currents I0 and I1 may not be suitable for analysis as they are because their fluctuation ranges are relatively large. In such cases, the control unit 50 may perform filtering on the currents I0 and I1 read from the current detection unit 56. Examples of filtering include stabilization processing such as moving average processing, weighted average processing, and first-order lag processing, but other processing may also be performed depending on the characteristics of the product.

[0040] Next, a control method for the electric shutter 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be further described. This control method is basically executed by the control unit 50.

[0041] Figure 10 is a flowchart of the teaching mode of the control method for the electric shutter 10. The teaching mode is executed in the initial stage after the installation of the fixture 12 or by a predetermined mode transition operation, and is executed by the contractor when it has been confirmed that there are no obstacles. The teaching mode starts with the shutter curtain 24 in the fully open state (see Figure 7(a)).

[0042] 10, the first half of steps S1 to S7 can be classified as a first teaching mode for determining the load increase start point P3 and the test position Pd, and the second half of steps S7 to S12 can be classified as a second teaching mode for testing the reference current Ib at the test position Pd. The first teaching mode and the second teaching mode do not necessarily have to be performed consecutively.

[0043] In step S1, the operation of extending and lowering the shutter curtain 24 begins. At the start of step S1, the number of pulses P of the encoder 48 is 0, which corresponds to P1 in FIG. 9. In step S2, the current I of the motor 30 is detected and the number of pulses P of the encoder 48 is counted. In step S3, it is determined whether the slats 44 are fully closed and the slits 64a have reached the fully closed state (see FIG. 7(e)). If this is the case, the process proceeds to step S4 (Yes); if not, the process returns to step S2 (No). This determination is made based on an increase in the current I of the motor 30. The number of pulses P of the encoder 48 at the time of transition from step S3 to step S4 is stored as the number corresponding to P5 in FIG. 9.

[0044] In step S4, the shutter curtain 24 starts to be wound up and raised. In step S5, it is determined whether the shutter curtain 24 has returned to the fully open state (see FIG. 7(a)), and if it has returned, the motor 30 is stopped and the process proceeds to step S6 (Yes), but if it has not yet returned, the process continues to raise the shutter curtain 24 (No). This determination can be made based on the current I of the motor 30, as in step S3.

[0045] In step S6, a load increase start point P3 is determined, at which the current I shows an increasing tendency. The load increase start point P3 can basically be determined from a relational expression between P1 and P5, but other methods or predetermined corrections may also be added.

[0046] In step S7, the obstacle inspection position Pd is set to a value smaller than P3 by a predetermined amount ΔP (see FIG. 9), i.e., Pd = P3 - ΔP. ΔP is a predetermined small value, and Pd is set to an appropriate point between Px and P3. The calculated Pd is stored in the memory unit 52. ΔP may be changeable depending on the design conditions and construction conditions.

[0047] In step S8, the extension and lowering operation of the shutter curtain 24 is resumed. In step S9, the current I of the motor 30 is detected and the number of pulses P of the encoder 48 is counted. In step S10, it is determined whether the number of pulses P has reached the obstacle inspection position Pd. If it has reached it, the process proceeds to step S8, and if it has not reached it, the process returns to step S9.

[0048] In step S11, the current I0 at the inspection position Pd is read and stored as a reference current (reference load) Ib in the memory unit 52. In step S11, the teaching mode ends. By executing the teaching mode, P3, Pd, and Ib can be found without being affected by individual differences between products.

[0049] Figure 11 is a flowchart of the normal mode of the control method for the electric shutter 10. The normal mode is executed by the user. Figure 11 shows the process of detecting an obstacle at the inspection position Pd when the shutter curtain 24 is closed in the normal mode, and omits the detection process by the ribbon switch 38 and the process related to the opening operation. Also, although not shown in Figure 11, when a stop signal is received during the closing operation, the shutter curtain stops, and when an open operation signal is received, the shutter curtain reverses and rises.

[0050] In step S101, it is confirmed whether a close operation signal has been received from the operating device 42. If it has been received (Yes), the process proceeds to step S102, and if it has not been received (No), the process waits. In step S102, the close operation, that is, the extension and lowering operation of the shutter curtain 24, is started.

[0051] In step S103, the current I of the motor 30 is detected and the number of pulses P of the encoder 48 is counted. In step S104, it is determined whether the number of pulses P has reached the obstacle inspection position Pd. If it has, the process proceeds to step S105, and if it has not, the process returns to step S103.

[0052] In step S105, the difference ΔI between the current I of the motor 30 at the inspection position Pd and the reference current Ib read out from the memory unit 52 is calculated as ΔI = I - Ib (see FIG. 9). In step S106, the difference ΔI is compared with a predetermined threshold, and if it is greater than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S107, and if it is less than the threshold, the process in FIG. 11 ends. In step S107, an obstacle is detected, so the descending operation is stopped and the robot is reversed and ascended (including reversing after a temporary stop). The process in FIG. 11 ends in step S107.

[0053] Of course, the above control method may be replaced with another process that produces substantially the same results. For example, in steps S105 to S106, instead of comparing the difference ΔI with a threshold value, the same result can be achieved by comparing the current I with the value obtained by adding the threshold value to the reference current Ib.

[0054] If it is confirmed that there is no obstacle during the closing operation in a mode other than the teaching mode, such as the normal mode, the reference current Ib may be updated. This allows the reference current Ib to be set in response to changes in the load due to aging or other reasons.

[0055] The extension amount of the inspection position Pd and the like is determined by the number of pulses P of the encoder 48, but it may also be determined by the time that the motor 30 is driven from the start of the closing operation. If it is expected that the extension speed of the shutter curtain 24 will change due to a decrease in the performance of the motor 30 or changes in the friction of each part over time, it is advisable to perform an appropriate calibration process.

[0056] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can of course be freely modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0057] The electric shutter 10 of this embodiment is an electric shutter 10 in which a shutter curtain 24 having a plurality of slats 44 connected to form a slit 64a at the connecting portion is driven by a motor 30 under the action of a control unit 50, unwound from a wound state and descends, and after the tip of the shutter curtain 24 is restricted from descending by a lower frame 20, the subsequent slats 44 descend to sequentially block the slits 64a, and is characterized in that the standard load of the motor 30 when there is no obstacle at one or more inspection positions Pd corresponding to the amount of unwounding of the shutter curtain is stored in a memory unit 52, and the control unit 50 stops or reverses the motor 30 when the difference Δ between the detected load of the motor detected at the inspection position Pd and the standard load read out from the memory unit 52 is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

[0058] In addition, the control method for the electric shutter 10 in this embodiment is a control method for the electric shutter 10 in which a shutter curtain 24 having a plurality of slats 44 connected to form a slit 64a at the connecting portion is driven by a motor 30 under the action of a control unit 50, unwound from a wound state and descends, and after the tip of the shutter curtain 24 is restricted from descending by a lower frame 20, the subsequent slats 44 descend to sequentially block the slits 64a, and is characterized by having the following steps: the control unit 50 stores in a memory unit 52 the standard load of the motor 30 when there is no obstacle at one or more inspection positions Pd corresponding to the amount of unwounding of the shutter curtain; and the control unit 50 stops or reverses the motor 30 when the difference Δ between the detected load of the motor 30 detected at the inspection position Pd and the standard load read out from the memory unit 52 is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

[0059] According to this embodiment, the reference load of the motor 30 when there is no obstacle is stored in the memory unit 52, and the control unit 50 stops or reverses the motor 30 when the difference Δ between the detected load of the motor 30 detected at the inspection position Pd and the reference load read from the memory unit 52 is equal to or greater than a threshold value, so that obstacles can be detected without being restricted by position when lowering and closing the shutter curtain 24.

[0060] The shutter curtain 24 is provided with a spring 28 that acts in a direction that offsets the weight of the descending shutter curtain 24, and the detected load indicates a load increase start point P3 at which the detected load increases against the elasticity of the spring 28 after the tip end is restricted from descending by the lower frame 20, and in a first teaching mode in which it is confirmed that there is no obstacle, the control unit 50 may extend the shutter curtain 24 to determine the load increase start point P3 and set the inspection position Pd to a position a predetermined amount ΔP before the load increase start point P3. This makes it possible to determine the load increase start point P3 and the inspection position Pd without any individual differences between products.

[0061] After the first teaching mode, in a second teaching mode in which it is confirmed that there is no obstacle, the control unit 50 may unfold the shutter curtain 24, read the detected load at the inspection position Pd, and store the read load as the reference load in the storage unit. This makes it possible to detect the reference load without individual differences between products.

[0062] The control unit 50 may determine the amount of feed by reading a signal from an encoder 48 that detects the rotation of the motor 30. The encoder 48 is easy to incorporate into the motor 30, and does not substantially increase the number of parts or installation procedures. The encoder 48 outputs digital pulses, so no analog input circuit is required.

[0063] The control unit 50 may determine the amount of extension from the time for which the motor 30 is driven, because the amount of extension roughly corresponds to the driving time of the motor 30.

[0064] The robot may include a ribbon switch 38 provided along the direction of travel of the tip, and a swing mechanism 40 having a swing part that protrudes and contacts ribbon switch 38 when the tip abuts against an obstacle, and the controller 50 may stop or reverse the motor 30 when ribbon switch 38 detects the contact of the swing part, and at least one of the test positions Pd may be set in an area where obstacles cannot be detected by ribbon switch 38. This allows obstacle detection by ribbon switch 38 and obstacle detection based on the difference Δ between the detection load at test position Pd in ​​the area where ribbon switch 38 cannot detect and the reference load to be performed complementarily, thereby reducing the burden on the controller.

[0065] The load to be detected can be easily detected from the current value of the motor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10 electric shutter, 12 fittings, 14 frame body, 18 shoji screen, 20 lower frame (regulating part), 24 shutter curtain, 26 shaft, 28 spring (elastic material), 30 motor, 32 control device, 44 slat, 46 seat board, 48 encoder, 50 control part, 56 current detection part, 64 hanging hook, 64a slit, Ib reference current (reference load), O obstacle, P number of pulses, Pd inspection position

Claims

1. A shutter curtain having a plurality of slats connected to form a slit at a connecting portion is driven by a motor under the action of a control portion, unwound from a wound state and lowered, and after the leading end of the shutter curtain is restricted from lowering by a restricting portion, the succeeding slats are lowered to sequentially close the slats. a reference load of the motor when there is no obstacle at one or more inspection positions corresponding to the extension amount of the shutter curtain is stored in a memory unit; The control unit stops or reverses the motor when a difference between the detected load of the motor detected at the inspection position and the reference load read from the storage unit is equal to or greater than a threshold value. An electrically operated opening and closing shielding device.

2. An elastic material is provided that acts in a direction that offsets the weight of the descending shutter curtain, the detected load indicates a load increase start point at which the detected load increases against the elasticity of the elastic material after the tip end portion is restricted from descending by the restricting portion, In a first teaching mode in which it is confirmed that there is no obstacle, the control unit unrolls the shutter curtain to obtain the load increase start point, and sets the inspection position to a position a predetermined distance before the load increase start point.

2. The electrically operated opening and closing shielding device according to claim 1.

3. After the first teaching mode, in a second teaching mode in which it is confirmed that there is no obstacle, the control unit unrolls the shutter curtain, reads the detected load at the inspection position, and stores the read load as the reference load in the storage unit.

3. The electrically operated opening and closing shielding device according to claim 2.

4. The control unit reads a signal from an encoder that detects the rotation of the motor and determines the amount of feed.

2. The electrically operated opening and closing shielding device according to claim 1.

5. The control unit determines the amount of extension from the time the motor is driven.

2. The electrically operated opening and closing shielding device according to claim 1.

6. a ribbon switch provided along the direction of travel of the tip; a swing mechanism in which a swing part projects and contacts the ribbon switch when the tip part abuts against an obstacle; Equipped with the control unit stops or reverses the motor when the ribbon switch detects contact with the swinging unit, At least one of the inspection positions is set in an area where the ribbon switch cannot detect an obstacle.

2. The electrically operated opening and closing shielding device according to claim 1.

7. The detected load is the current value of the motor.

2. The electrically operated opening and closing shielding device according to claim 1.

8. A control method for an electrically operated shutter curtain having a plurality of slats connected to form slits at connecting portions is driven by a motor under the action of a control unit, unwound from a wound state and lowered, and after the leading end of the shutter curtain is restricted from lowering by a restricting unit, the succeeding slats are lowered to sequentially close the slats, The control unit stores in a memory unit a reference load of the motor when there is no obstacle at one or more inspection positions corresponding to the extension amount of the shutter curtain; the control unit stops or reverses the motor when a difference between the detected load of the motor detected at the inspection position and the reference load read from the storage unit is equal to or greater than a threshold; have A method for controlling an electrically operated opening and closing shading device.

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