Method and apparatus for monitoring and / or adjusting the operation of a door

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 from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 185,838, filed on May 7, 2021, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002]

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to doors, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for monitoring and / or adjusting door operation.

Background Art

[0003]

[0003] Various motorized doors have a movable door panel for selectively blocking and unblocking a passage through an entrance. Door panels come in various configurations and operate in various ways. Examples of some door panels include roll-up panels (e.g., flexible or pliable sheets), rigid panels, flexible panels, pliable panels, vertically translating panels, horizontally translating panels, translating and tilting panels, swing panels, segmented articulated panels, panels having a plurality of folding segments, multi-layer insulation panels, and various combinations thereof including doors formed from a plurality of panels.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0004] [Figure 1] 1 is an exemplary door system constructed in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary door system of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the exemplary position, orientation, and / or field of view of an exemplary sensor in an exemplary adjustment position. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the exemplary door system of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 5 is another exemplary door system constructed in accordance with the teachings disclosed herein. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary door system of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] Another exemplary door system configured according to the teachings disclosed herein, wherein the exemplary door panel is in an exemplary open position. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary door system in Figure 7, along line 8-8 in Figure 7. [Figure 9] This diagram is similar to Figure 7, but shows an exemplary door panel in an exemplary closed position. [Figure 10] This is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary door system in Figure 9, along line 10-10 in Figure 9. [Figure 11] Figures 1, 5, 7, and / or 9 show exemplary implementations of the exemplary controller. [Figure 12] Figure 1 shows an exemplary implementation of a remote server. [Figure 13] These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 14] These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 15] These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 16] These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 17] These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 18] These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 19]These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 20] These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 21] These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 22] These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 23] These are flowcharts illustrating machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations for implementing the exemplary controllers shown in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 24] This is a block diagram of an exemplary processing platform, which includes processor circuits configured to perform exemplary machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations in Figures 13-23, in order to implement the exemplary controllers in Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. [Figure 25] Figure 24 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of the processor circuit. [Figure 26] Figure 24 is a block diagram of another exemplary implementation of the processor circuit. [Figure 27] This is a block diagram of an exemplary software distribution platform (e.g., one or more servers) for distributing software (e.g., software corresponding to the exemplary machine-readable instructions in Figures 13 to 23) to client devices related to end users and / or consumers (e.g., for licensing, sales, and / or use), retailers (e.g., sales, resale, licensing, and / or sublicensing), and / or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) (e.g., for inclusion in products distributed to other end users such as retailers and / or direct purchasing customers). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0005]

[0021] Drawings are not necessarily to scale. Generally, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings and accompanying descriptions to refer to the same or similar parts. As used herein, references to connections (e.g., attached, joined, connected, joined) may, unless otherwise indicated, include intermediate members between the elements referred to by the connection reference and / or relative motion between those elements. Thus, a reference to a connection does not necessarily mean that two elements are directly connected to and / or fixed to each other. As used herein, it is defined that any part is “in contact” with another part, meaning that there are no intermediate members between the two parts.

[0006]

[0022] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “above” refers to the relationship between the two parts to the Earth. If the second part has at least one part between the Earth and the first part, then the first part is above the second part. Similarly, as used herein, if the first part is closer to the Earth than the second part, then the first part is “below” the second part. As previously stated, the first part may be above or below the second part, with no other part in between, the first and second parts in contact, or the first and second parts not in direct contact with each other.

[0007]

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

[0008]

[0024] Unless otherwise specified, descriptors such as "first", "second", and "third" are used herein without negating or otherwise implying any meaning of priority, physical order, arrangement in a list, and / or ordering, and are merely used as labels and / or arbitrary names to distinguish elements for facilitating understanding of the disclosed examples. In some examples, the descriptor "first" may be used to refer to an element in the detailed description, while the same element may be referred to in a claim with a different descriptor such as "second" or "third". It should be understood that such descriptors are only used, for example, to clearly identify elements that may otherwise share the same name.

[0009]

[0025] As used herein, "approximately" and "about" modify their subject / value to recognize the potential existence of variation that occurs in real-world 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 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 an occurrence that is nearly instantaneous, recognizing that real-world delays in calculation time, transmission, etc. may exist. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, "substantially real-time" refers to real-time + / - 1 second.

[0010]

[0026] As used herein, “processor circuit” is defined to include (i) one or more dedicated electrical circuits configured to perform a particular operation and comprising 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 comprising 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) capable of instantiating instructions, central processor units (CPUs), graphics 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 comprising 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 the one of the multiple types of processor circuits best suited to performing the computing task.

[0011]

[0027] Industrial electric door systems are frequently used in warehouses, material handling facilities, and other industrial environments. Often, such door systems include a controller that can operate (e.g., open and close) the door 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 within the door system can be implemented to monitor and / or influence 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. Another example is that a sensor can monitor the space within an open doorway and prevent the door from closing if a person or something is detected within the doorway.

[0012]

[0028] Examples disclosed herein involve utilizing existing and / or new / further sensors associated with a door system to collect data that can be analyzed (e.g., in combination, individually, etc.) to gain insights into the operating state of the door system, to gain insights into the conditions of the surrounding environment, and / or to facilitate the adjustment of the operation of the door system in a way that can improve efficiency, enhance safety, and / or reduce wear and / or damage to components of the door system.

[0013]

[0029] Figures 1 to 3 show an exemplary door system 100 for a door 101, which includes a door panel 102 in a fully open position to allow traffic (e.g., pedestrians, fork trucks, etc.) to pass through the entrance. In this example, the door panel 102 is a flexible sheet or curtain including side edges that are held in channels 104 of the respective left and right guides or tracks 106. In the illustrated example, the door panel 102 moves up and down in the track between a fully open position (e.g., as shown in Figure 1) and a fully closed position (e.g., when the door panel 102 is prevented from passing through the entrance). In the illustrated example, the movement of the door panel 102 relative to the entrance is achieved by wrapping or enclosing the door panel 102 around a roller, drum, or mandrel 108 housed in a housing 110 adjacent to the entrance (e.g., as shown above). More specifically, in this example, the roller 108 is driven by a motor control unit 112 having a motor 114 that rotates the roller 108 in a first rotational direction to pull the door panel 102 towards the fully open position and roll it up (for example, as shown), or in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction to unfold and unwind the door panel 102 to the fully closed position (for example, a position where the passage through the doorway is blocked by the door panel 102). In some examples, instead of being wrapped around the roller 108, the side edges of the door panel 102 may be driven by the motor 114 along a storage track positioned close to the doorway (for example, as shown above) to store the door panel 102 when the door panel 102 is in the fully open position. In such examples, the storage track close to the doorway (for example, as shown above) can follow any suitable path (for example, straight, curved, coiled, etc.).

[0014]

[0030] In some examples, the operation, speed, and / or direction of rotation of the motor 114 can be controlled by a controller 116 that is communicatively coupled to the motor 114. In some examples, control signals from the controller 116 are supplied directly to the motor 114. In addition to or instead of this, in some examples, input signals to the motor 114 are provided by a motor control unit 112, which functions as a separate controller from the controller 116 shown in Figure 1. Input signals from the motor control unit 112 can be based on or independent of the control signals provided by the controller 116. In some examples, the motor control unit 112 (and / or the motor 114) provides feedback to the controller 116 to indicate the state of the motor 114 and / or related components (e.g., rotational speed, current draw, rotational position (e.g., indicated by the encoder 115)).

[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 instruct the operation of the door system 100. Furthermore, the exemplary controller 116 in the illustrated example includes a display screen 120 for providing the user with a visual output showing the status of the door system 100, specific components of the door system 100, and / or any other relevant information. In some examples, the display screen 120 may be a touchscreen that allows the user to provide input to the controller 116. In some such examples, the physical buttons or switches 118 can 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 release sensors 122. An exemplary release sensor 122 is configured to detect when one or both side edges of the door panel 102 are displaced or pulled out of the channel 104 of the track 106 (e.g., released) due to a collision with the door panel 102. In some examples, the release sensor 122 can detect the extent (e.g., amount) to which the door panel 102 has been pulled out of the channel 104. Furthermore, in some examples, the release sensor 122 can detect the height of the partially open position of the door panel 102 at the time the release event occurs (e.g., the height of the lower edge of the door panel 102 relative to the ground at the time of collision). In the illustrated example, the release sensor 122 is located near the top end of the track 106. However, in other examples, the detachment sensors 122 can be located at different points along the track 106 (e.g., midpoints). In some examples, the detachment sensors 122 (e.g., multiple detachment sensors) can be distributed at different points along the track 106. Furthermore, in some examples, the detachment sensors 122 can be located inside the channel 104 of the track 106 and / or incorporated into the side edge of the door panel 102. Examples of the detachment sensors 122 and associated detachment detection systems are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 016,019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0017]

[0033] Generally, a detachment event is the result of a collision between the door panel 102 and a fork truck 123 or other vehicle passing through an entrance / exit while the door panel 102 is in a position that blocks at least a portion of the entrance / exit (e.g., a partially open position). A collision may occur, but the door panel 102 may not actually detach from the truck 106. In some examples, such a door collision event can still be detected by the detachment sensor 122 and / or other sensors (e.g., a reverse 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 detachment event, for example, the door panel 102 opening too slowly, opening too slowly, and / or closing too quickly. In response to detecting a detachment event using the detachment sensor 122, the controller 116 in the illustrated example generates a warning or notification to the relevant personnel so that they can adjust the operation of the door system 100 (e.g., to open faster, to open faster, and / or to open longer, to open faster in response to an approaching fork truck 123). In some examples, the controller 116 automatically adjusts the operation of the door system 100 in response to the detection of a departure event (for example, without direct human input).

[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 distance sensors 124 (e.g., radio detection and ranging (RADAR) sensors, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors, etc.) on both sides of the doorway that scan the area adjacent to the doorway to detect oncoming traffic. In addition to or instead of this, the door system 100 in the illustrated example includes an infrared-based motion and / or presence sensor 125 for detecting movement and / or the presence of oncoming traffic near the doorway. When traffic is detected, the distance sensors 124 and / or motion sensors 125 transmit signals to the controller 116, which then transmits signals to the motor control unit 112 to actuate the motor 114 and move the door panel 102. Any other mechanism that can trigger the operation of the distance sensors 124, motion sensors 125, buttons or switches 118, and / or door panel 102 is generally referred to herein as a door actuation sensor. The door panel 102 being subjected to impact relatively frequently, thereby causing relatively frequent detachment events, may indicate that the distance sensor 124 and / or motion sensor 125 are detecting traffic too late, insufficient time for the door panel 102 to fully open and provide a clear passage for traffic through the doorway. In such cases, 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 is detected earlier and collisions with the door panel 102 are reduced.

[0019]

[0035] In other scenarios, the distance sensor 124 and / or motion sensor 125 may activate door 101 based on traffic that was not attempting to pass through the doorway but was simply passing through and / or approaching door 101 and then turning to proceed in a different direction (e.g., away from doorway) without passing through doorway. Opening door panel 102 in response to detection of traffic when the traffic has finally ceased to pass through doorway is referred to herein as a malfunction. In the illustrated example, a malfunction is detected by monitoring feedback from one or more photo-eye sensors 134,136 located near the bottom (e.g., bottom) of doorway (e.g., after activation of 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 (e.g., interrupted or blocked) extending between the corresponding emitters 134a,136a and receivers 134b,136b of sensors 134,136. Therefore, 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 has moved to the open position (and / or until the door 101 moves to the closed position), it indicates that no object is passing through the doorway and a malfunction can be inferred. Opening the door 101 when it is not actually needed may release conditioned air, thereby requiring the cooling and / or heating systems to work harder to maintain the desired temperature, so a malfunction can contribute to energy loss. Therefore, 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] Therefore, there could be several different reasons why the controller 116 might determine that the distance sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125 (or any other sensor) may need to be adjusted. In some cases, the controller 116 may identify the need for such adjustment based on feedback from the sensors (e.g., the departure sensor 122, the distance sensor 124, the motion sensor 125, and / or the photo-eye sensors 134, 136) and generate a warning or notification to be provided to the relevant personnel to address the issue by making the appropriate adjustment.

[0021]

[0037] In other examples, the controller 116 can perform automatic 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, an exemplary sensor adjustment system 126 is shown and described in relation to the distance sensor 124 in Figure 1. However, any embodiment of the sensor adjustment system 126 described herein can be appropriately adapted for implementation in relation to the motion sensor 125 and / or any other sensor described herein. The sensor adjustment system 126 in 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 enabling a change in the position of the distance sensor 124 relative to the rest 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 indicated by the different positions of the distance sensor 124 on the right side of the doorway (shown in the drawings) in Figures 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 may include multiple tracks and / or other mechanisms to allow the distance sensor 124 to move in two dimensions (e.g., both vertical and horizontal) 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 oriented in different directions (e.g., as indicated by the different inclinations of the distance sensor 124 on the right side of the doorway in Figures 2 and 3 (shown in the drawings)). In addition to or instead of the above, 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 distance measuring sensor 124 (for example, as shown by the different fields of view 202 of the distance measuring sensor 124 on the left side of the entrance in Figures 2 and 3).In addition to or instead of the above, the sensor adjustment system 126 may include one or more optical elements (e.g., lenses) for adjusting the field of view by zooming in or zooming out.

[0022]

[0038] In some examples, sensors can be used to detect and monitor the speed of traffic passing through an entrance or exit. A fork truck 123 traveling at too high a speed may collide with the door panel 102 and cause it to detach, even if the door 101 is activated in the appropriate time based on properly placed sensors. Even if no collision occurs, monitoring traffic speed may be useful for other safety purposes and / or to gain a greater understanding of how traffic moves through entrances and exits associated with the door system 100. In addition to or instead of this, sensors can be used to determine the direction of traffic, which may also be useful for understanding traffic patterns and flow through entrances and exits.

[0023]

[0039] In some examples, a ranging sensor 124 implementing LiDAR detection can determine the velocity and / or direction of a detected object by monitoring multiple different detection areas (e.g., safety zone, working zone, presence zone, etc.) defined by multiple different laser planes emitted from the sensor at different angles. In some examples, LiDAR measurements are performed 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. Therefore, the traffic speed can be calculated by tracking the time at which each laser plane intersects. 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 among the laser planes. Similarly, the direction of traffic can be determined based on the order in which each laser plane intersects. For example, suppose the laser planes define three different zones, including (1) a safety zone closest to an entrance / exit, (2) a working zone furthest from the entrance / exit, and (3) a presence zone between the other two zones. In such cases, if an object is detected in the activation zone before being detected in the safe zone, it can be inferred that the object is moving towards the exit. Conversely, if the safe 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 exit.

[0024]

[0040] In addition to or instead of the above, the motion sensor 125 can be set to a one-way detection mode to detect the detection of traffic in a configured direction. If detection of both traffic approaching and moving away from an entrance / exit is desired, two separate motion and / or presence sensors 125 can be configured for one-way detection, where the direction of motion detection is opposite to that of the other sensor.

[0025]

[0041] In some examples, 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 may be retroreflective sensors having emitters and receivers housed in the same housing. Door systems often include one photo-eye to detect when someone or something is passing through an entrance or exit in order to prevent the door from closing. However, in the examples disclosed herein, there is a set of at least two photo-eye sensors 134,136 arranged side by side in the direction of travel through the entrance or exit, separated by a fixed distance stored in the memory of the controller 116. Similar to the separate laser plane or associated sensing area of ​​the distance sensor 124, each photo-eye sensor 134,136 is activated or triggered at slightly different times when traffic passes through the entrance or exit due to the spacing or distance of the sensors 134,136. By tracking the time each sensor 134,136 is activated and dividing the distance between the sensors by the time difference, the controller 116 can determine the traffic speed. Similarly, by tracking the sequence in which a series of sensors 134,136 are activated, the direction of traffic can also be determined.

[0026]

[0042] In the illustrated example, the photo-eye sensors 134 and 136 are located on the same side of the entrance / exit. However, in other examples, the speed and / or direction of traffic can be determined based on the time difference between traffic detected between either of the photo-eye sensors 134 and 136 on one side of the entrance / exit and a separate photo-eye sensor 138 on the opposite side of the entrance / exit. In such examples, one of the photo-eye sensors 134 and 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 opposite side of the entrance / exit communicates with a second controller 140, which is also located on the opposite side of the entrance / exit, from controller 116. In some such examples, the first controller 116 communicates with the second controller 140 so that the sensor feedback data collected by the two controllers 116 and 140 can be used together. In another example, a photo-eye sensor 138 (and / or any other sensor) on the opposite side of the entrance / exit can communicate directly with the first controller 116 (for example, the second controller 140 is optional).

[0027]

[0043] In some examples, different sensors can be positioned to independently detect the direction of traffic on both sides of an entrance simultaneously. 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 sensor 124 is used to detect motion and / or presence so that separate motion or presence sensors 125 are unnecessary. By monitoring traffic on both sides of the door in this way, information can be provided about how often traffic approaches the door from both sides simultaneously, thus creating potential collisions (e.g., near misses). By tracking near misses over time, adjustments can be made to traffic flow and / or other safety measures.

[0028]

[0044] The photo-eye sensors 134, 136, and 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 mentioned, any of the photo-eye sensors 134, 136, and 138 can be used to detect a malfunction (triggered by data indicating that the door 101 has been opened, for example, by a person pressing the appropriate button or switch 118 on the controller 116, etc.). A malfunction indicates that no traffic passed through the entrance while the door panel 102 was open. In some examples, the photo-eye sensors 134, 136, and 138 can detect that traffic did pass through, but that the traffic left the entrance well before the door panel 102 was closed. That is, the photo-eye sensors 134, 136, and 138 can initially detect traffic passing through the entrance immediately after the door 101 is opened, but then soon after, they will no longer detect traffic while the door panel 102 remains open until it is finally closed. A relatively long period of time during which no traffic is detected after the initial detection of traffic may indicate that the door panel 102 is open for longer than the time required to allow traffic to pass. Therefore, in some cases, the controller 116 can adjust the re-closing timer of the door 101, thereby reducing the duration for which the door 101 is open to save energy costs.

[0029]

[0045] In some examples, instead of tracking the duration for which the door panel 102 is open but nothing is detected as crossing the beams of the photo-eye sensors 134,136, the controller 116 may, in addition to or instead, track the duration for which something is detected as crossing the beams of the photo-eye sensors 134,136. In some examples, the door panel 102 remains open as long as something is detected by the photo-eye sensors 134,136, ensuring that the door panel 102 does not close over something or someone that activates the photo-eye sensors 134,136. However, if something is detected for a relatively long period (e.g., exceeding a threshold), the controller 116 may generate a warning or notification and / or record an excessively long open time and / or record that an object that has not moved for at least the length of a threshold is at the doorway.

[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, a distance sensor 124 can determine the size of an object within the range of the laser plane generated by the distance sensor 124 to infer or determine the type of traffic (e.g., pedestrian or fork truck). In addition to or instead of this, 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 transmitter 142a and receiver 142b) is positioned at a height higher than the typical height of most humans (e.g., above 6 feet) but lower than the typical height of a fork truck 123. Positioned at such a height, pedestrians pass under the beam of the photo-eye sensor 142 when passing through an entrance / exit without activating the sensor. In contrast, when a fork truck 123 passes through an entrance / exit, the fork truck 123 activates the photo-eye sensor 142, which transmits 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 pedestrians from false alarms (traffic not passing through the entrance / exit), another sensor (for example, one of the photo-eye sensors 134, 136 located at the base of the truck 106) can be used in combination with the elevated photo-eye sensor 142 to confirm that something or someone has actually passed through the entrance / exit.

[0031]

[0047] In some examples, feedback from sensors can provide other types of information regarding the operation of the exemplary 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 the open or closed position. In some examples, this sensor feedback data can be compared to a command speed provided to the motor control unit 112 by the controller. The difference between the command 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. Also, feedback from the current sensor can be used to detect an increase in the current used to drive the motor, indicating that the motor 114 is operating more strongly 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 be detected by wind sensors and / or pressure sensors, in addition to or instead of this. Therefore, in some examples, when such a problem is detected, the controller 116 can trigger the generation of a warning and / or notification to maintenance personnel to investigate the problem. In some examples, the sensor feedback data described above can be combined with data from other sensors, such as the release sensor 122 and / or the backup sensor 144, to gain further insight into the state of the door system 100. In some examples, the backup sensor 144 corresponds to a photo-eye sensor transmitter 144a and a corresponding photo-eye sensor receiver 144b that generate a beam extending forward and backward from the door panel 102. Under normal operation, the beam is not blocked and remains separated from the door panel 102. However, in situations where it is prevented to move the track 106 downward while the door panel 102 is deployed toward the closed position (e.g., in high-friction scenarios and / or in the case of any other obstruction), the door panel 102 backs up and crosses the beam of the backup sensor 144.When the controller 116 receives a signal from the backup sensor 144 indicating that the door panel 102 is bagged, the controller 116 determines that there is something preventing the door panel 102 from moving freely, such as wind load, pressure load, or maintenance issues.

[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 brake of the door system 100. More specifically, as the drop brake begins to wear, the door panel 100 may take longer to stop and therefore may move further than intended 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 the 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 brake to bring the door panel to a complete stop, despite the fact that the actual stopping position corresponds to the intended or desired stopping position, even though the wear indicates that the brake is not operating as efficiently as intended. Furthermore, in some cases, if the amount of wear exceeds a threshold (for example, determined based on the stopping position being adjusted beyond a threshold), the controller 116 may generate a warning and / or notification to a maintenance worker to mechanically adjust and / or replace the braking system.

[0033]

[0049] In some cases, when there is no expectation of movement (for example, the door panel 102 is intended to remain stationary in the open position), a brake failure could result in the door panel 102 moving (for example, falling in the form of its own weight). Such a brake failure would pose a potential hazard to traffic passing through the relevant doorway and risk damage to the door panel 110 and / or other components associated with the door 101. In some cases, the controller 116 can determine that such a brake failure has occurred by monitoring the movement of the door panel 102 when it is expected to be stationary (for example, not moving). More specifically, in some cases, when the door panel 102 is in the open position, the controller 116 monitors feedback from the encoder 113 of the motor control unit 112. If movement is detected, the controller 116 acts the motor 114 to engage the relevant drive system with the door panel to prevent the door panel 102 from free-falling. Furthermore, in some examples, the controller 116 drives the door panel 102 to the fully closed position, and once it reaches the fully closed position, switches the door 101 to a fault state where the door panel 102 is in the locked position, preventing the door 101 from opening until the brake failure can be resolved. Further details regarding the implementation of brake failure monitoring are provided below in relation to Figure 22.

[0034]

[0050] In some examples, instead of responding to detected maintenance failures, the controller 116 can monitor feedback from various sensors to identify potential preventative maintenance (e.g., potential failures that can be anticipated before they occur so that corrective actions can be taken). In some examples, the controller 116 can automatically implement corrective actions. In other examples, the controller 116 can generate warnings and / or notifications to maintenance personnel to implement any appropriate corrective actions.

[0035]

[0051] In a specific example, a torque sensor and / or rotational speed sensor associated with the motor 114 may be used to determine the amount of torque and / or rotational speed (or frequency used to determine the speed of the 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 a threshold (e.g., exceeds the 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 a threshold (e.g., is below the threshold), the controller 116 can infer that the brakes are beginning to wear out or fail. In some such examples, the amount of torque and / or speed applied to overcome the brakes may be recorded over time, along with shifts in torque and / or speed over time (e.g., reductions) indicating brake wear. In other examples, instead of applying torque and / or speed until the door panel 102 moves, the controller 116 can drive the motor with sufficient torque and / or speed to move the door panel 102 when a faulty brake (e.g., worn) is applied, but with a threshold amount smaller than the threshold amount described above (so that the door panel does not move if the brake is in good working order). In such examples, brake wear and / or failure is determined when movement of panel 102 is detected, and it is confirmed that the brake is in good working order when no movement is detected. In the aforementioned examples, the torque and / or speed thresholds can be determined by applying the brake when a new brake is first installed and / or calibrated, and then monitoring the torque and / or speed required to overcome the new brake to move the door panel 102. In such examples, the torque and / or speed required to overcome the brake is defined as a baseline or threshold for subsequent preventive maintenance tests. In some examples, maintenance tests are performed as part of each opening cycle of the door 101.In other examples, such maintenance tests are performed according to 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 the implementation of preventive maintenance tests for brake wear and / or failure are provided below in relation to Figure 23.

[0036]

[0052] In some cases, feedback from one or more sensors associated with the door system 100 can be used to improve the security of the facility in which the door system 100 is implemented. For example, in some cases, the distance sensor 124, motion sensor 125, photo-eye sensors 134, 136, 138, 142, 144, and / or inverted edge sensors can be used when the door system 100 is not in use (e.g., for several hours) to infer whether 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 the 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 a period, the controller 116 can generate a warning and / or notification indicating that there is an unexpected and / or potentially unauthorized use of the door system. In some such cases, the controller 116 can generate and / or maintain an operation schedule for the door system 100 to identify when to analyze the sensor feedback for such situations. In some examples, such schedules can be entered by the user via buttons or switches 118 and / or display screens 120. In some examples, a person may attempt to tamper with the door by attempting to log in to controller 116 to change the door settings (whether or not during normal use). In some examples, controller 116 may lock out the user for a set period of time after a threshold number of failed attempts to enter the correct password. In addition to or instead of this, 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 communicate with the remote server 146. In some examples, one of the two controllers 116,140 communicates only with the remote server 146 indirectly through the other controller. Furthermore, in some examples, one of the two controllers 116,140 can be completely omitted. For illustrative purposes, only direct communication between the first controller 116 and the remote server 146 will be described. More specifically, in some examples, the first controller 116 transmits values ​​corresponding to operational parameters and / or state parameters related to 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 following: motor control unit 112, departure sensor 122, distance sensor 124, motion and / or presence sensor 125, photo eye sensors 134, 136, 138, 142, backup sensor 144, and / or any other sensors related to the door system 100. Furthermore, in some examples, the information provided to the remote server 146 includes user input data received via buttons or switches 118 and / or display screen 120 (if the screen is touch-sensitive).

[0038]

[0054] In some examples, the controller 116 may analyze 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 may determine, based on an analysis of feedback from different sensors among those disclosed herein, that a warning and / or notification should be provided to the relevant personnel. In some examples, the controller 116 may send the warning and / or notification (along with any relevant information) to the remote server 146, which then distributes the warning and / or notification to the relevant recipients of the warning and / or notification. In other examples, the controller 116 sends the warning and / or notification directly to the relevant recipients, independent of the remote server 146. In addition to or instead of this, in some examples, the remote server 146 may perform an analysis on the sensor feedback data independently of any analysis and then take any appropriate action based on the results of the analysis. For example, instead of the controller monitoring the sensor feedback data over time to detect problems that could trigger a warning, 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 the work performed based on the analysis of such data, may be divided 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 way, the remote server 146 can aggregate data from different sources and perform a higher level of analysis on that data to identify trends and / or other relationships that would otherwise be impossible.

[0039]

[0055] Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the exemplary door system 100 of Figure 1. More specifically, Figure 4 shows a partial cutaway of track 106 on the right side of the doorway in Figure 1 (shown in the figure), where the door panel 102 extends 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 portion of track 106 is cut out to show individual tabs or projections 402 distributed along the side edge of the door panel 102. The tabs 402 are positioned along the side edge of the door panel 102 and hold the door panel 102 within the track as it moves between the open and closed positions. In this example, the tabs 402 are entirely within the track 106. In other examples, at least a portion of the tabs 402 extends from the track 106.

[0040]

[0056] In some examples, the tab 402 is attached to the door panel 102 by any suitable mounting mechanism 404 (e.g., screws, bolts, pins, rivets, etc.) extending through holes in the door panel 102. In some examples, the tab 402 on the front of the door panel 102 is attached to the corresponding tab on the back of the door panel 102 via corresponding holes.

[0041]

[0057] In the illustrated example in Figure 4, one of the tabs 402 is missing or detached from the door panel 102 (as represented by the dashed line 406), thereby exposing the corresponding hole 408. As long as the tab 402 is at least partially within the track 106 (or entirely within the track 106 in the illustrated example), it may be difficult to determine when the tab 402 has come loose or is otherwise missing. In some examples, the detachment sensor 122 used to detect detachment, as described above, can be used in addition to or instead to detect the absence of one or more of the tabs 402. More specifically, in this example, the detachment sensor 122 is implemented as 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 intersects or is blocked (e.g., triggered state). A detachment event can be detected when the door panel 102 is pushed out of track 106 so as not to cross the beam of the detachment sensor 122, when it is expected to cross the beam of the detachment sensor 122 (for example, because the door panel 102 has not moved to the fully open position where the front edge of the door panel 102 is above the detachment sensor 122). In the illustrated example in Figure 4, the detachment sensor 122 is aligned with a tab 402, more specifically, with a hole 408 used to attach the tab 402 to the door panel 102. As a result, if the tab 402 is missing and thereby the corresponding hole 408 is exposed, the beam emitted by the detachment sensor 122 will pass through the hole 408 for a relatively short period of time as the hole 408 passes through the detachment sensor 122. Therefore, the absence of either tab 402 can be detected using the signal from the detachment sensor 122 indicating that the beam was not momentarily interrupted (e.g., an unexpected non-triggered condition). Furthermore, 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 ,Ta Bu402 of missing but The vertical position on the detected door panel 102 can be determined. In some examples, ,Ta Bu402 MissingThe detection of a departure event is distinguished from the detection of a departure event (both of which include the state in which the beam of the departure sensor 122 is not interrupted or blocked while the door panel 102 is in the closed or partially closed position) based on the duration for which the beam of the departure sensor 122 is not interrupted or blocked. In particular, the hole 408 is relatively small and passes through the departure sensor 122 relatively quickly as the door panel 102 moves. As a result, the beam is not interrupted or blocked only for a limited period (e.g., less than 500 milliseconds, less than 200 milliseconds, etc.) and / or for a limited change in the position of the door panel 102 (e.g., less than or equal to the width of the hole 408) ,Ta Bu402 Missing It can be inferred that a signal reporting an uninterrupted or unblocked beam while the beam remains uninterrupted or unblocked for a longer period of time, and / or while the door panel 102 is moving a longer distance, represents a disconnection event. As used herein, a condition under which the beam becomes uninterrupted or unblocked at an unexpected time (for example, when the leading edge of the door panel 102 is below the beam and the door panel 102 is expected to block, interrupt, or suspend the beam) is referred herein to as an unexpected non-trigger condition or state.

[0042]

[0058] In the illustrated example in Figure 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 filling material placed inside the cavity formed by the loop seal 410. In some examples, the loop seal 410 is hollow inside. The loop seal 410 is elastically deformable so that when the door panel 102 moves to the closed position, the loop seal 410 deforms when it engages tightly with the floor to provide a seal between both 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 to the track 106 but not into the track. Consequently, air may leak at the corners of the door panel 102. In some examples, to reduce such leaks, the leading edge of the door panel 102 includes a secondary corner seal 412 that extends into the track 106 toward the side edge of the door panel 102 (for example, small enough to extend). In some examples, the corner seal 412 is also a loop seal formed from a sheet of material that loops beneath the bottom edge of the body of the door panel 102 and seals deformably against the floor when the door panel 102 is in the closed position.

[0043]

[0059] Just as tab 402 can detach or otherwise become missing, corner seal 412 can detach, get lost, or simply wear out. Furthermore, the absence or wear of corner seal 412 may not be immediately noticeable due to its relatively small size and / or location on the side edge of door panel 102 extending into track 106. Therefore, in some examples, a detachment sensor 122 can be used in addition to or in place of this to automatically detect when corner seal 412 is missing or worn out. In particular, if corner seal 412 is missing, the beam emitted by detachment sensor 122 will no longer be blocked sooner than expected as door panel 102 moves to the fully open position (e.g., under non-trigger conditions). ,Ko -ner seal 412 Missing This can be distinguished from a detachment event based on the position of the door panel 102 (almost fully open) when the beam is no longer blocked (e.g., non-trigger condition), thereby reducing the likelihood of a detachment event. In addition to or instead of this, ,Ko -ner seal 412 Missing As a result, each time the door panel 102 repeatedly moves between the open and closed positions, the beam of the release sensor 122 is no longer blocked at the same position (e.g., a non-trigger condition). Therefore, in some cases (e.g., an unexpected non-trigger condition), if a release event is detected near the fully open position over a threshold number of consecutive door cycles, ,Ko -ner seal 412 Missing It is identified.

[0044]

[0060] Figure 5 shows another exemplary door system 500 configured according to the teachings disclosed herein. A cross-sectional view of the exemplary door system 500 is shown in Figure 6. The exemplary door systems 500 in Figures 5 and 6 are substantially similar to the door system 100 in Figure 1. Thus, the same components are identified using the same reference numerals. However, the exemplary door systems 100, 500 differ in that the door system 500 in Figure 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 photoeyes that generate a beam at a certain angle to the doorway. In the illustrated examples in Figures 5 and 6, the beam is also inclined with respect 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 in Figure 6, a person 602 is shown pushing a cart 604 toward a door 101, with an item 606 extending a considerable distance from the cart 604 in front of the person 602. As the person 602 approaches the door 101 (for example, moving to the left as shown in the illustrated example in Figure 6), the item 606 on the cart 604, positioned at a relatively low height (for example, near the midpoint of the person 602's legs), crosses the beam before the person reaches the beam of the array of height sensors 502. As a result, the detected height of the approaching object is determined to be relatively low (for example, near the midpoint of the person 602's legs). As the person 602 continues to approach the door 101, the height at which the item 606 crosses begins to rise as higher stacked items 606 on the cart 604 come into the beam's path. Once the person 602 enters the beam's path, the height at which the beam crosses continues to rise until it reaches the top of the person 602's head. At a specific point in time as shown in the example in Figure 6, the height at which the beams intersect is approximately the center of the arm of person 602.

[0045]

[0061] In the illustrated example, the array of height sensors 502 determines the distance from the sensor at which the beam intersects with an object (e.g., based on the beam's time of flight and the corresponding reflection from the object). In some examples, the distance from the sensor to the point where the object crosses the beam is measured in the direction of the beam (e.g., inclined relative to the doorway). Based on this distance information, the known height of the sensor 502, and the known beam angle, the height at which the beam intersects can be calculated. In some examples, the height sensor 502 performs this calculation and then transmits it to the controller 116. In other examples, the height sensor 502 transmits the detected distance of the object crossing the beam, and the controller 116 calculates the corresponding height. In any case, the controller 116 uses the height information to adjust the height at which the door panel 102 opens (e.g., based on the detected or calculated height value). In other words, instead of opening the door panel 102 to a preset height assumed to be higher than the object expected to pass through the doorway (e.g., a pedestrian, forklift, etc.), the controller 116 dynamically adjusts the position of the door panel 102 (e.g., the open position) based on the detected height of the object passing through the doorway. In addition to or instead of this, the rate of change in height at which the beams of the height sensor array 502 intersect indicates the speed at which the object is approaching the doorway. Thus, in some examples, the controller 116 uses the rate of change of height information to adjust or control the speed at which the door panel 102 opens. By 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, it is possible to prevent the door panel 102 from opening more and / or faster than necessary to allow the object to pass. This technique 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 the unconditioned or otherwise conditioned air on the other side.

[0046]

[0062] In some examples, the controller 116 moves the front edge 608 of the door panel 102 in accordance with the detected change in height at which the beams of the array of height sensors 502 intersect. Thus, as shown in the illustrated example in Figure 6, the front edge 608 of the door panel 102 is at a height corresponding to the center of a person's arm at which the beams of the array of height sensors 502 intersect. In particular, this is high enough for the front end of an item 606 to pass through the doorway, which 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 so that the beams intersect at a higher point. In some examples, the controller 116 can control the height of the front edge 608 of the door panel 102 to a threshold distance (e.g., 6 inches) above the detected height at which the beams intersect, providing some clearance for the person 602 (or other object) to pass through the doorway.

[0047]

[0063] In some examples, beams associated with different sensors within the array of height sensors 502 can intersect at different heights. In some such examples, the controller 116 uses the highest detection point as the assumed height of an object passing through the doorway. In some examples, as shown in Figure 6, a separate array of height sensors 610 is positioned on the opposite side of the doorway to generate a beam in the opposite direction, 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 an object approaching from one side of the door can be used in conjunction with height information collected by other arrays of height sensors 502, 610 on the other side to adjust the closing of the door panel 102. That is, in some examples, the controller 116 generates a height profile of an object approaching the door 101 based on height information provided over time by the array of height sensors 502. As an object passes through the doorway and moves away from the door 101 on the other side, it can be expected that a similar height profile will be detected by the other array of height sensors 610 on the other side of door 101. Based on the height profile generated during the object's approach, the controller 116 can predict the object's height profile when it leaves the other side and therefore adjust the height of the door panel 102 accordingly. For example, if the controller 116 knows from the height profile that the highest part of the object has already moved away from the doorway, it can close the door panel 102 partway from the top height it was at when it was open.

[0048]

[0064] In some examples, instead of controlling the door height to match (within a certain threshold) the height at which the beams of the height sensor array 502 intersect, the controller 116 can initially drive the door panel 102 to a preset height relatively quickly as soon as an object is detected (for example, regardless of the detected height). Once the door panel 102 has risen to the preset height, the controller 116 can adjust the height of the door panel 102 further as needed for taller objects, based on the height detected from the height sensor array 502.

[0049]

[0065] In this example, the array of height sensors 502 is positioned on the front of the housing 110 for the roller 108 (Figure 1). However, the array of height sensors 502 can be positioned in any suitable location. For example, in some examples, the array of height sensors 502 is embedded within the housing 110 or otherwise integrated with it. In other examples, the array of height sensors 502 is positioned 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 independent of the housing 110 (e.g., above or below the sensor adjustment system 126). In some examples, different mechanisms other than the array of photoeyes can be implemented to detect the height approaching an object. For example, in some examples, a laser beam emitted by the distance sensor 124 can be used in a similar manner to the beam of the array of height sensors 502 described above.

[0050]

[0066] A specific arrangement of the array of height sensors 502 is useful for detecting the height of an object to control the height of a door panel moving vertically (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 door that is moving horizontally. In particular, rather than detecting the distance of an object from the sensors, the controller 116 determines the width of an object based on the number and / or spacing of beams that intersect as the object approaches the horizontally translated door panel. In other examples, instead of using a nearly horizontally arranged array of height sensors 502 (as shown in Figure 5), one or more vertically arranged arrays of width sensors can be placed on the side of the horizontally translated door panel to detect the width of an approaching object, as detailed below in relation to Figures 7-10.

[0051]

[0067] Figures 7–10 show an exemplary door system 700 configured according to the teachings disclosed herein, including two horizontally translatable door panels 702, 704. The examples disclosed herein can similarly be applied to a single translational door panel or a translational door system having three or more door panels. In the illustrated examples, the door panels 702, 704 are suspended from a panel carrier 706 that can 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 Figures 7 and 8) and a closed position (e.g., as shown in Figures 9 and 10) by a motor control unit 710. In this example, the motor control unit 710 is controlled by a 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 photoeyes that generate beams at a certain angle to the doorway. In the examples shown in Figures 7 to 10, the beams are nearly perpendicular (e.g., nearly parallel) to the floor. In this example, separate arrays of width sensors 712, 714 are positioned on either side of the doorway, with each beam inclined toward a convergence point in front of the center of the door. As a result, the distance to both sides of an object (e.g., a pedestrian, a forklift, etc.) from each array of width sensors 712, 714 at the point where the sensor beams intersect can be detected. Based on this distance information, the width of the object can be determined in a similar manner to that described above for the array of height sensors 502. Furthermore, although not shown in Figures 7-10, one or more of sensors 122, 124, 125, 134, 136, 138, 144, and 502 can be appropriately adapted for implementations related to the exemplary door system 700 shown in Figures 7-10.

[0053]

[0069] Many horizontally translating door systems, such as the exemplary door system 700 in Figures 7–10, include a seal 716 mounted near the side edge of the door panel 702,704 furthest from the doorway when the panel 702,704 is in the open position. As shown in the illustrated examples in Figures 8 and 10, the seal 716 extends away from the door panel 702,704 and toward the wall on which the door panel 702,704 translates. Furthermore, in this example, the seal 716 is configured to be spaced apart from the wall when the door panel 702,704 is in the open position (Figure 8). However, the seal 716 engages with a projection 718 on the wall when the door panel 702,704 is in the closed position (Figure 10). In some examples, the projection 718 extends around the perimeter of the doorway (e.g., three edges). In some such examples, the door panel 702,704 may also include a seal that extends along its upper edge and engages with the upper portion of the projection. In some examples, the positions of the seal 716 and projection 718 can be reversed. That is, in some examples, the seal 716 is mounted to the wall so as to engage with the projection 718 on the door panels 702, 704 and extends outward from the wall.

[0054]

[0070] As the door panels 702 and 704 are repeatedly opened and closed, the seal 716 repeatedly engages with and disengages from the projection 718. Repeated engagement of the seal 716 with the projection 718 can lead to wear of the seal 716 and / or projection 718 over time. In some examples, the controller 116 detects such wear based on changes in the current used to drive the motor associated with the motor control unit 710. More specifically, as the seal 716 and / or projection 718 wear, the force required to drive the two components into seal engagement decreases. Therefore, if the 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 the closed position or near the closed position meets a threshold (e.g., below the threshold) that is below a default value or expected value (e.g., measured when the seal 716 is first engaged), the controller 116 determines that there is wear on the seal and / or projection. In some such cases, the controller 116 triggers or generates an alert and / or notification to maintenance personnel to investigate the problem.

[0055]

[0071] Figure 11 is a block diagram of the exemplary controller 116 of Figures 1, 5, 7, and / or 9, which controls the operation of one of the exemplary door systems 100, 500, and 700 of Figures 1 to 10. The controller 116 in Figure 11 may be instantiated by a processor circuit, such as a central processing unit, which executes instructions (e.g., creating an instance, having it exist for any length of time, realizing it, executing it, etc.). In addition to or instead of this, the controller 116 in Figure 11 may be instantiated by an ASIC or FPGA configured to perform the operation corresponding to the instructions (e.g., creating an instance, having it exist for any length of time, realizing it, executing it, etc.). Therefore, it should be understood that some or all of the circuit in Figure 11 may be instantiated at the same or different times. Some or all of the circuit may be instantiated, for example, by one or more threads running concurrently on hardware and / or in series on hardware. Furthermore, in some examples, some or all of the circuit in Figure 11 may be implemented by one or more virtual machines and / or containers running on a microprocessor.

[0056]

[0072] The following description is provided with respect to the controller 116 in Figures 1, 5, 7, and / or 9, but some or all of the controller components can also be implemented in a second controller 140. As shown in Figure 11, the exemplary controller 116 includes an exemplary device interface circuit 1102, an exemplary remote server interface circuit 1104, an exemplary timestamp circuit 1106, an exemplary data logging circuit 1108, an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110, an exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112, an exemplary motion control circuit 1114, an exemplary communication interface circuit 1116, and an exemplary memory 1118.

[0057]

[0073] An exemplary device interface circuit 1102 enables communication between the controller 116 and devices associated with the door system 100. That is, in some examples, the controller 116 can provide instructions and / or commands to different devices associated with the door system 100, such as a motor control unit 112 and / or a sensor adjustment system 126, via the device interface circuit 1102. Furthermore, the controller 116 can receive feedback from sensors associated with the devices via the device interface circuit 1102. In some examples, the device interface circuit 1102 includes a user interface that allows a user to provide input to the controller 116 to instruct its operation (e.g., via a button or switch 118 and / or a display screen 120). In some examples, the device interface circuit 1102 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes device interface instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23.

[0058]

[0074] The exemplary remote server interface circuit 1104 enables communication between the controller 116 and the remote server 146. Specifically, 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. Furthermore, 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 as represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23.

[0059]

[0075] An exemplary timestamp circuit 1106 times sensor feedback data acquired via the device interface circuit 1102 and stores such data in an exemplary memory 1118. An exemplary data logging circuit 1108 logs the sensor feedback data in memory 1118 to the associated timestamp provided by the exemplary timestamp circuit 1106. In addition to or instead of this, the exemplary data logging circuit 1108 can provide the timestamped sensor feedback data to a remote server 146 via the remote server interface circuit 1104. In some examples, the timestamp circuit 1106 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes a timestamp instruction and / or configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23. In some examples, the data logging circuit 1108 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes a data logging instruction and / or configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23.

[0060]

[0076] An exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 analyzes feedback signals or data and / or associated timestamp data from sensors associated with the door system 100, enabling the controller 116 to determine the state and / or conditions of the associated equipment and / or the environmental and usage 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 commands and / or is configured to perform operations as shown by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23. In some examples, the controller 116 can generate appropriate commands and / or instructions to the equipment based on the analysis of sensor feedback and timestamp 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 adjust the movement of the door panel 102. In addition to or instead of this, the controller 116 can 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. Furthermore, in some examples, the controller 116 can generate warnings and / or notifications based on the analysis of sensor feedback and timestamp data. In some examples, warnings and / or notifications can be visually represented via the display screen 120 of the controller 116. In some examples, the controller 116 can activate a separate output device (e.g., a light, bell, horn, etc.) to indicate a warning and / or notification. In addition to or instead of this, in some examples, the controller 116 can transmit warnings and / or notifications to a remote server 146. In some examples, the controller 116 does not have to perform specific actions in response to the analysis of the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110. However, in some cases, sensor feedback, timestamp data, and / or the results of the analysis of sensor feedback and timestamp data can be stored in memory 1118.In some cases, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 can analyze such historical data to identify trends, patterns, and / or changes in conditions that appear 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, and 138 to determine the speed and / or direction of traffic passing through an entrance / exit. In other examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 uses one or more of the distance sensor 124 and / or motion sensor 125 to determine the speed and / or direction of traffic. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 analyzes sensor feedback data indicating the direction of traffic on both sides of an entrance / exit to detect potential collisions and / or near misses. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 analyzes feedback from high-altitude photo-eye sensors 134, 136, and 138 in conjunction with feedback from at least one of the photo-eye sensors 142 located at the base of the entrance / exit to distinguish between pedestrians and fork trucks passing through an entrance / exit.

[0062]

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

[0063]

[0079] In some examples, analysis of sensor feedback data to determine whether door 101 is opened too early (and therefore too long) or too late (and therefore a collision occurs) can be performed, in addition to or instead of, 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 commands and / or is configured to perform actions as shown by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23. In some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 uses the determination that door 101 was opened too early or too late to recommend changes to the position, orientation, and / or field of view of the associated sensor that triggered the too-late or too-early action. In some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 generates warnings and / or notifications indicating the need for adjustment to the sensor. In addition to or instead, in some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 can automatically adjust the position, orientation, and / or field of view of the associated sensor (e.g., without direct human input) by generating commands and / or instructions to the associated sensor adjustment system 126. In some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 can incrementally adjust the sensor, then monitor any changes over a set period, and then make further adjustments to improve the sensor configuration (e.g., continuously) to improve the operation.

[0064]

[0080] While sensors can be adjusted to reduce detachment events, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may decide to adjust other aspects of the sensors and / or door system 100 based on other detected conditions and / or factors. For example, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 and / or motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may determine that the door panel 102 remains open for too long because the sensor incorrectly detected the presence of traffic near the entrance, rather than opening too early or too late. Similarly, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 and / or motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may determine that the door panel 102 moved to the open position (e.g., a malfunction) because the sensor incorrectly triggered the door 101 by detecting traffic simply passing near the door 101. In some such cases, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may again indicate that the relevant sensors need to be adjusted, and / or such sensors can be adjusted automatically.

[0065]

[0081] Other factors contributing to detachment events (leading to damage and / or wear of the door panel 102), malfunctions (leading to energy inefficiency), and / or over-opening of the door (leading to energy inefficiency) are, besides the door opening or closing at the wrong time based on the position, orientation, and / or field of view of the sensor that triggers such opening and / or closing. For example, traffic may be too fast, the door re-closing timer may be set for too long, the motor may be operating slowly due to a malconfiguration, increased friction between the door panel 102 and the track 106, and / or for other reasons. Thus, in some examples, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may analyze sensor feedback data indicating traffic speed and / or the operating state of the motor 114 when deciding to adjust the sensor. In some examples, in addition to, or instead of, adjusting the sensor, the motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may decide to adjust the control parameters of the motor 114 (e.g., adjust the re-closing timer, command speed, stop position, etc.). In some examples, such a decision may be provided to engineers and / or maintenance personnel to carry out the adjustment. In another example, the operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 can automatically perform such adjustments without user input.

[0066]

[0082] An exemplary operation control circuit 1114 controls the operation of equipment associated with the door system 100. Specifically, in some examples, the operation control circuit 1114 generates instructions and / or commands for the equipment based on the outputs 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 the user interface rendered on the display screen 120 of the controller 116. In some examples, the operation control circuit 1114 generates warnings and / or notifications to be sent to a remote server 146 and / or other remote computing devices (e.g., mobile devices) associated with the individual. In some examples, such warnings and / or notifications are sent directly to the remote computing devices via an exemplary 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, warnings and / or notifications can be sent to the remote server 146 via a remote server interface circuit 1104, and the remote server 146 then distributes the messages to other remote computing devices. In some examples, the remote server interface circuit 1104 and the communication interface circuit 1116 can be separate components of the controller 116. In other examples, the remote server interface circuit 1104 and the communication interface circuit 1116 can 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 configured to perform operations as shown by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23. In some examples, the communication interface circuit 1116 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes communication instructions and / or configured to perform operations as shown by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23.

[0067]

[0083] While an exemplary method for implementing the controller 116 in Figures 1, 5, 7, and / or 9 is shown in Figure 11, one or more of the elements, processes, and / or devices shown in Figure 11 can be combined, divided, rearranged, omitted, excluded, and / or implemented in any other way. Furthermore, the exemplary equipment interface circuit 1102, exemplary remote server interface circuit 1104, exemplary timestamp circuit 1106, exemplary data logging circuit 1108, exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110, exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112, exemplary motion control circuit 1114, exemplary communication interface circuit 1116, exemplary memory 1118, and / or, more generally, the exemplary controller 116 can be implemented in hardware alone or in hardware in combination with software and / or firmware. Therefore, for example, an exemplary device interface circuit 1102, an exemplary remote server interface circuit 1104, an exemplary timestamp circuit 1106, an exemplary data logging circuit 1108, an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110, an exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112, an exemplary motion control circuit 1114, an exemplary communication interface circuit 1116, an exemplary memory 1118, and / or more generally, an exemplary controller 116 can 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 exemplary controller 116 in Figures 1, 5, 7, and / or 9 may include, in addition to or instead of, those shown in Figure 11, one or more elements, processes, and / or devices, 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 its variations, encompasses direct and / or indirect communication through 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-off events.

[0068]

[0084] In some examples, the device includes 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 exemplary processor circuit 2412 in Figure 24. For example, the data logging circuit 1108 may be instantiated by an exemplary microprocessor 2500 in Figure 25 that executes machine-executable instructions, such as those implemented by at least blocks 1308, 1312, 1320, 1324, 1326, 1328 in Figure 13 and blocks 1410, 1414, 1420, 1422, 1426, 1430 in Figure 14. In some examples, the data logging circuit 1108 may be instantiated by a hardware logic circuit that can be implemented by an ASIC, XPU, or FPGA circuit 2600 in Figure 26, configured to perform operations corresponding to machine-readable instructions. In addition to or instead of the above, the data logging circuit 1108 may be instantiated by any other combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, the data logging circuit 1108 may be implemented by at least one hardware circuit (e.g., a processor circuit, discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuit, FPGA, ASIC, XPU, comparator, operational amplifier (op-amp), logic circuit, etc.) configured to execute some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or perform some or all of the operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions without executing software or firmware, but other structures are equally suitable.

[0069]

[0085] In some examples, the device includes means for analyzing sensor feedback data. For example, the means for analyzing sensor feedback data may be carried out by a sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 may be instantiated by a processor circuit such as the exemplary processor circuit 2412 in Figure 24. For example, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 may be instantiated by an exemplary microprocessor 2500 in Figure 25 that executes machine-executable instructions such as those implemented by at least blocks 1302, 1304, 1306, 1314, 1316, 1322, 1326, 1328 in Figure 13, blocks 1402, 1408, 1412, 1418, 1428 in Figure 14, blocks 1902, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1916, 1918 in Figure 19, blocks 2002, 2004 in Figure 20, blocks 2104, 2106 in Figure 21, blocks 2204, 2210 in Figure 22, and block 2308 in Figure 23. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 may be instantiated by a hardware logic circuit that can be implemented by an ASIC, XPU, or FPGA circuit 2600 shown in Figure 26, configured to perform operations corresponding to machine-readable instructions. In addition to or instead of this, 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 perform some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or perform some or all of the operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions without running software or firmware, but other structures are equally suitable.

[0070]

[0086] In some examples, the device includes means for analyzing data for operational adjustments related to the door system. For example, the means for analyzing the data may be carried out by an operational adjustment analysis circuit 1112. In some examples, the operational adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may be instantiated by a processor circuit such as the exemplary processor circuit 2412 in Figure 24. For example, the operational adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may be instantiated by an exemplary microprocessor 2500 in Figure 25 that executes machine-executable instructions, such as those carried out by at least block 1432 in Figure 14, blocks 1502, 1504, 1506, 1510, 1512 in Figure 15, blocks 1602, 1604, 1606, 1610, 1612 in Figure 16, blocks 1702, 1704, 1706, 1710, 1712 in Figure 17, and blocks 1802, 1804, 1806, 1810, 1812 in Figure 18. In some examples, the operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may be instantiated by a hardware logic circuit, which may be implemented by an ASIC, XPU, or FPGA circuit 2600 shown in Figure 26, configured to perform operations corresponding to machine-readable instructions. In addition to or instead of this, the operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 may be instantiated by any other combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, the operation 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 perform some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or perform some or all of the operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions without running software or firmware, but other structures are equally suitable.

[0071]

[0087] In some examples, the device includes means for controlling the operation of the door system. For example, the means for controlling the operation may be implemented by an operation control circuit 1114. In some examples, the operation control circuit 1114 may be instantiated by a processor circuit such as the exemplary processor circuit 2412 in Figure 24. For example, the operation control circuit 1114 may be instantiated by an exemplary microprocessor 2500 in Figure 25 that executes machine-executable instructions such as those implemented by at least blocks 1310, 1318 in Figure 13, blocks 1404, 1406, 1416, 1424, 1434 in Figure 14, block 1508 in Figure 15, block 1608 in Figure 16, block 1708 in Figure 17, block 1808 in Figure 18, block 1920 in Figure 19, blocks 2006, 2008, 2010 in Figure 20, blocks 2108, 2110 in Figure 21, blocks 2202, 2206, 2208, 2212, 2214, 2216, 2218 in Figure 22, and blocks 2302, 2304, 2306, 2310, 2312 in Figure 23. In some examples, the operation control circuit 1114 may be instantiated by a hardware logic circuit, which may be implemented by an ASIC, XPU, or FPGA circuit 2600 shown in Figure 26, configured to perform operations corresponding to machine-readable instructions. In addition to or instead of this, the operation control circuit 1114 may be instantiated by any other combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. For example, the operation control circuit 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 perform some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or perform some or all of the operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions without running any software or firmware, but other structures are equally suitable.

[0072]

[0088] In some examples, the device includes means for storing data. For example, the means for storing data may be implemented by memory 1118. In some examples, memory 1118 may be instantiated by a processor circuit, such as the exemplary processor circuit 2412 in Figure 24. For example, memory 1118 may be instantiated by an exemplary microprocessor 2500 in Figure 25 that executes machine-executable instructions, such as those implemented by at least block 2102 in Figure 21. In some examples, memory 1118 may be instantiated by a hardware logic circuit that can be implemented by an ASIC, XPU, or FPGA circuit 2600 in Figure 26, configured to perform operations corresponding to machine-readable instructions. In addition to or instead of this, 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 hardware circuit (e.g., a processor circuit, discrete and / or integrated analog and / or digital circuit, FPGA, ASIC, XPU, comparator, operational amplifier (op-amp), logic circuit, etc.) configured to execute some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or perform some or all of the operations corresponding to the machine-readable instructions without executing software or firmware, but other structures are equally suitable.

[0073]

[0089] Figure 12 is a block diagram of the remote server 146 in Figure 1. The remote server 146 in Figure 12 may be instantiated by a processor circuit, such as a central processing unit, that executes instructions (e.g., creating an instance, making it exist for any length of time, realizing it, executing it, etc.). In addition to or instead of this, the remote server 146 in Figure 12 may be instantiated by an ASIC or FPGA configured to perform operations corresponding to instructions (e.g., creating an instance, making it exist for any length of time, realizing it, executing it, etc.). Therefore, it should be understood that some or all of the circuit in Figure 12 may be instantiated at the same or different times. Some or all of the circuit may be instantiated, for example, by one or more threads running concurrently on hardware and / or in series on hardware. Furthermore, in some examples, some or all of the circuit in Figure 12 may be implemented by one or more virtual machines and / or containers running on a microprocessor.

[0074]

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

[0075]

[0091] The exemplary controller interface circuit 1202 in Figure 12 enables communication with controllers 116, 140 and other similar controllers associated with other doors and / or other equipment. Specifically, the controller interface circuit 1202 receives sensor feedback data of any other type of data collected and reported by controller 116 of the door system 100. Such data can be aggregated from multiple controllers associated with different doors within the facility and stored in memory 1216 for subsequent analysis and / or processing. In addition to or instead of this, in some examples, the controller interface circuit 1202 transmits instructions, commands, and / or other types of information to 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 in Figures 13–23.

[0076]

[0092] The exemplary timestamp circuit 1204 in Figure 12 provides similar functionality to the timestamp circuit 1106 of the controller 116 described in relation to Figure 11. In some examples, the timestamp circuit 1204 in Figure 12 is a duplicate of the timestamp circuit 1106 in Figure 11. In some examples, the timestamp circuit 1106 can be omitted from the controller 116 in Figure 11. In some examples, the timestamp circuit 1204 can be omitted from the remote server 146 in Figure 12. In some examples, regardless of whether the data is timestamped by the exemplary timestamp circuit 1106 in Figure 11 or the exemplary timestamp circuit 1204 in Figure 12, the exemplary data logging circuit 1206 in Figure 12 records the timestamped data in the exemplary memory 1216. In some examples, the timestamp circuit 1204 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes timestamp instructions and / or configured to perform operations such as those represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23. In some examples, the data logging circuit 1206 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes data logging instructions and / or configured to perform operations as shown by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23.

[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 configured to perform operations as shown by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23. The exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 in Figure 12 provides similar functionality to the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 of the controller 116 described in relation to Figure 11. Furthermore, in some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 in the remote server 146 shown in Figure 12 also analyzes sensor feedback data (and associated timestamps) related to one or more other door systems different from the door system 100 in Figure 1. Furthermore, in some such examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 compares aggregated sensor feedback data (and associated timestamps) from multiple different door systems. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 in Figure 12 is a duplicate of the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 in Figure 11. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 can be omitted from the controller 116 in Figure 11. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 can be omitted from the remote server 146 in Figure 12. In some examples, the data logging circuit 1206 records the data output by the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 in Figure 11 and / or the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208 in Figure 12.

[0078]

[0094] The exemplary motion adjustment and analysis circuit 1210 in Figure 12 provides similar functionality to the motion adjustment and analysis circuit 1112 of the controller 116 described in relation to Figure 11. In some examples, the motion adjustment and analysis circuit 1210 in Figure 12 is a duplicate of the motion adjustment and analysis circuit 1112 in Figure 11. In some examples, the motion adjustment and analysis circuit 1112 can be omitted from the controller 116 in Figure 11. In some examples, the motion adjustment and analysis circuit 1210 can be omitted from the remote server 146 in Figure 12. In some examples, the motion adjustment and analysis circuit 1210 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes motion adjustment and analysis instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as shown by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23.

[0079]

[0095] The exemplary report generation circuit 1212 in Figure 12 generates warnings, notifications, and / or reports that indicate aggregated sensor feedback data and / or the results of the analysis of the sensor feedback data. In some examples, the report generation circuit 1212 relays and / or incorporates warnings and / or notifications generated by the operation control circuit 1114 of the controller 116 in Figure 11. In some examples, the report generation circuit 1212 can provide warnings, notifications, and / or reports to a web server to display the information on one or more web pages accessible to the relevant personnel. In addition to or instead of this, the report generation circuit 1212 can generate warnings, notifications, and / or reports that are sent directly to the computing devices of the relevant personnel via an exemplary 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 in Figures 13 to 23. In some examples, the communication interface circuit 1214 is instantiated by a processor circuit that executes communication interface instructions and / or is configured to perform operations as shown by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23.

[0080]

[0096] An exemplary method for implementing the remote server 146 of Figure 1 is shown in Figure 12, but one or more of the elements, processes, and / or devices shown in Figure 12 can be combined, divided, rearranged, omitted, excluded, and / or implemented in any other way. Furthermore, the exemplary controller interface circuit 1202, exemplary timestamp circuit 1204, exemplary data logging circuit 1206, exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208, exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1210, exemplary report generation circuit 1212, exemplary communication interface circuit 1214, exemplary memory 1216, and / or, more generally, the exemplary remote server 146 of Figure 1 can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, and / or any combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. Therefore, for example, an exemplary controller interface circuit 1202, an exemplary timestamp circuit 1204, an exemplary data logging circuit 1206, an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208, an exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1210, an exemplary report generation circuit 1212, an exemplary communication interface circuit 1214, an exemplary memory 1216, and / or more generally, an exemplary remote server 146 may be implemented by one or more analog or digital circuits, logic circuits, programmable processors, programmable controllers, graphics 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 purely to cover embodiments of software and / or firmware, at least one of the exemplary controller interface circuit 1202, exemplary timestamp circuit 1204, exemplary data logging circuit 1206, exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1208, exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1210, exemplary report generation circuit 1212, exemplary communication interface circuit 1214, and / or exemplary memory 1216 is expressly defined herein to include a memory containing software and / or firmware, a non-temporary computer-readable storage device or storage disk such as a digital versatile disc (DVD), compact disc (CD), or Blu-ray disc. Furthermore, the exemplary remote server 146 in Figure 1 may include one or more elements, processes and / or devices in addition to, or instead of, those shown in Figure 12, and / or may include two or more of any or all of the elements, processes and devices shown. As used herein, the phrase “in communication,” including its variations, encompasses direct and / or indirect communication through 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-off events.

[0081]

[0097] Figures 13 to 23 show flowcharts representing exemplary hardware logic circuits, machine-readable instructions, hardware implementation state machines, and / or any combination thereof for implementing the controller 116 of Figures 1, 5, 7, 9, and / or 11. Although the controller 116 has been described in reference, as previously stated, many of the functions of the controller 116 can be implemented by the controller 140 and / or the remote server 146 in addition to or instead of the controller 140. Therefore, in some examples, one or more of the blocks in Figures 13 to 23 can 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 shown in Figures 13 to 23 can be one or more executable programs or parts of executable programs for execution by processor circuits, such as the processor circuit 2412 shown in the exemplary processor platform 2400 described below in relation to Figure 24, and / or the exemplary processor circuit described below in relation to Figures 25 and / or 26. The program can be executed as software stored on one or more non-temporary computer-readable storage media, such as a compact disc (CD), floppy disk, hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SDD), digital multipurpose disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc, or volatile memory (e.g., any type of random-access memory (RAM)), or non-volatile memory associated with a processor circuit located in one or more hardware devices (e.g., electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), FLASH memory, HDD, SSD, etc.). Alternatively, the entire program and / or parts thereof may be executed by one or more hardware devices other than the processor circuit, and / or by firmware or dedicated hardware. Machine-readable instructions may be distributed across multiple hardware devices and / or executed by two or more hardware devices (e.g., server and client hardware devices).For example, a client hardware device can be implemented by an endpoint client hardware device (e.g., a hardware device associated with a user), or by an intermediate client hardware device (e.g., a radio access network (RAN)) gateway that can facilitate communication between the server and the endpoint client hardware device. Similarly, a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium can include one or more media located in one or more hardware devices. Furthermore, although the exemplary program is described with reference to the flowcharts shown in Figures 13 to 23, many other methods of implementing the exemplary controller 116 can be used as alternatives. For example, the execution order of the blocks can be changed, and / or some of the described blocks can be modified, deleted, or combined. In addition to or instead of this, any or all of the blocks can 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 operation without running software or firmware. Processor circuits can be distributed across different network locations and / or locally distributed across one or more hardware devices (e.g., a single-core processor (e.g., a single-core central processing unit (CPU)), a multi-core processor in a single machine, multiple processors distributed across multiple servers in a server rack, multiple processors distributed across one or more server racks, or 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 the following formats: compressed format, encrypted format, fragmented format, compiled format, executable format, package format, etc. The machine-readable instructions described herein may be stored as data or data structures (e.g., as part of instructions, code, code representations, etc.) that can be used to create, manufacture, and / or generate machine-executable instructions. For example, machine-readable instructions may be stored in fragments on one or more storage devices and / or computing devices (e.g., servers) located in the same or different locations on a network or a collection of networks (e.g., a cloud, edge devices, etc.). Machine-readable instructions may require one or more of the following processes to make them directly readable, interpretable, and / or executable by computing devices and / or other machines: installation, modification, adaptation, updating, combining, supplementing, configuring, decrypting, decompressing, unpacking, distribution, reassignment, compilation, etc. For example, machine-readable instructions can be stored in multiple parts, each individually compressed, encrypted, and / or stored on separate computing devices, and when decrypted, decompressed, and / or combined, form a set of machine-executable instructions that perform one or more operations, which together form a program such as those described herein.

[0083]

[0099] In another example, machine-readable instructions can be stored in a state that can be read by processor circuits, but additional libraries (e.g., dynamic link libraries (DLLs)), software development kits (SDKs), application programming interfaces (APIs), etc., may be required to execute machine-readable instructions on a particular computing device or other device. In yet another example, machine-readable instructions and / or corresponding programs may need to be configured (e.g., stored settings, data inputs, recorded network addresses, etc.) before they can be executed in whole or in part. Thus, machine-readable media as used herein may contain machine-readable instructions and / or programs regardless of the particular format or state of the machine-readable instructions and / or programs, and the machine-readable instructions and / or programs may be stored, otherwise stationary, or in transit.

[0084]

[0100] The machine-readable instructions described herein may be expressed in any past, present, or future instruction language, scripting language, programming language, etc. For example, 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 stated, the exemplary operations in Figures 13 to 23 can be performed using executable instructions (e.g., computer and / or machine-readable instructions) stored in one or more non-temporary computer and / or machine-readable media, such as optical memory, magnetic memory, HDD, flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), CD, DVD, cache, any type of RAM, registers, and / or any other memory or storage disks on which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for a long period, permanently, for a short period, for temporary buffering, and / or for caching information). As used herein, the terms non-temporary computer-readable media, non-temporary computer-readable storage media, non-temporary machine-readable media, and non-temporary machine-readable storage media are expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and / or storage disk, excluding propagating signals and 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 excluding propagating signals and 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 independent disk redundant array (RAID) systems. As used herein, the term “device” means a physical structure such as a machine and / or electrical device, hardware, and / or circuit, which may or may not be composed of computer-readable instructions, machine-readable instructions, etc., and / or which may be manufactured to perform computer-readable instructions, machine-readable instructions, etc.

[0086]

[0102] The terms “including” and “comprising” (and all their forms and tenses) are used herein as open-ended terms. Therefore, whenever a claim uses any form of “including” or “comprising” (e.g., comprises, includes, comprising, including, having, etc.) as a preamble or in a list of any kind of claims, it should be understood that further elements, terms, etc., may exist without falling outside the scope of the corresponding claim or list. When used herein, the phrase “at least” is open-ended, just as the terms “comprising” and “including” are open-ended, for example, when used as a transitional term in the preamble of a claim. The term “and / or” refers to any combination or subset of A, B, and 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 in forms such as A, B, and C. When used herein in a context 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 (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 a context 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 (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 a context 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 (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 a context 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 (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B.

[0087]

[0103] Where used herein, singular references (e.g., “a,” “an,” “first,” “second,” etc.) do not preclude the plural. The term “a” or “an” object as used herein refers to one or more of those objects. The terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more,” and “at least one” are used interchangeably herein. Furthermore, multiple means, elements, or method actions, though individually listed, may be performed, for example, by the same entity or object. Additionally, individual features may be included in different examples or claims, but they may also be combined, and inclusion in different examples or claims does not mean that the combination of features is not feasible and / or advantageous.

[0088]

[0104] The exemplary machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary actions in Figure 13 begin in block 1302, where an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 monitors sensors for approaching traffic to door 101. In some examples, the monitored sensors correspond to one or more of the following: a button or switch 118 (or other manual door actuation mechanism), a touchscreen 120 on the controller 116, a distance sensor 124, and / or a motion or presence sensor 125. In block 1304, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether approaching traffic has been detected. If not, control returns to block 1302. If so, control proceeds to block 1306, where the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the traffic is approaching from both sides of the door. If so, control proceeds to block 1308, where the exemplary data logging circuit 1108 records a potential collision or near miss. Control then proceeds to block 1310, where the action control circuit 1114 opens the door panel 102 of door 101. In some examples, in response to the detection of a potential collision or near miss, the operation control circuit 1114 may generate a warning (e.g., trigger a bell, horn, lights, etc.) to notify individuals on both sides of the doorway that traffic is approaching from the opposite side. Returning to block 1306, if the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that no traffic is approaching from either side of the door, control proceeds directly to block 1310 to open the door panel 102.

[0089]

[0105] In block 1312, an exemplary data logging circuit 1108 (along with an exemplary timestamp circuit 1106) records the time the door is operating. In block 1314, an exemplary 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, or 142. In block 1316, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether traffic passing through the doorway has been detected. In some examples, traffic passing through the doorway is detected based on at least one beam from the intersecting or interrupted photo-eye sensors 134, 136, 138, or 142. If no traffic passing through the doorway is detected (e.g., the photo-eye sensor is not activated), control proceeds to block 1318, where the operation control circuit 1114 determines whether the re-closing timer has elapsed. Otherwise, control returns to block 1316. If the re-closing timer has elapsed (and if block 1316 has not detected that traffic has passed through the entrance or exit), control proceeds to block 1320, where the illustrated data logging circuit 1108 records the malfunction. In some examples, the specific sensor that triggered the operation of door 101 is associated with the malfunction log entry so that it can be linked to the specific sensor that triggered the operation. Associating this information is useful in identifying which sensor needs to be adjusted, as this is often the cause of the malfunction. After recording the malfunction, control proceeds to block 1424 in Figure 14, where the operation control circuit 1114 closes the door panel 102.

[0090]

[0106] Returning to block 1316, if the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that traffic has been detected passing through the entrance / exit, control proceeds to block 1322, where the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the photo-eye sensor beams have crossed for the first time since door 101 was opened (e.g., in a suspended state). If so, control proceeds to block 1324, where the exemplary data logging circuit 1108 (along with the exemplary timestamp circuit 1106) records the time when the photo-eye sensor beams first crossed. Control then proceeds to block 1326. If the traffic detected by the photo-eye sensor is not the first instance of detected traffic since door 101 was opened, control proceeds directly to block 1326. In block 1326, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 (along with the exemplary 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 a known distance between the sensors. In other examples, the speed can be determined based on feedback from the range sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125. In block 1328, an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 (along with an exemplary data logging circuit 1108) determines and records the direction of traffic. In some examples, the direction of traffic is determined based on the sequence of beams from two separate photo-eye sensors and a known distance between the sensors. In other examples, the direction can be determined based on feedback from the range sensor 124 and / or the motion sensor 125. The control then proceeds to block 1402 in Figure 14.

[0091]

[0107] In block 1402, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the photo-eye sensor beam is still crossed (or interrupted). The controller 116 determines that an object or something is still in the doorway path so that the door panel 102 cannot be safely closed in response to one of the photo-eye sensor beams being crossed or interrupted. Therefore, if the photo-eye sensor beam is crossed, control proceeds to block 1404, where the exemplary operation control circuit 1114 determines whether a threshold time has elapsed since the beam was first crossed (as logged in block 1324 in Figure 13). Otherwise, control returns to block 1402. If the threshold time has elapsed, control proceeds to block 1406, where the exemplary operation control circuit 1114 generates a warning indicating that the door 101 has been open for too long (e.g., for a period longer than the threshold time, over an excess period) and / or that an object is present at the doorway. In some examples, this warning may be generated locally by the door to inform an individual near the door of the situation. In addition to or instead of this, the operation control circuit 1114 can provide a warning to the remote server 146 and transmit the warning to the relevant personnel. Then, in block 1408, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the beam of the photoeye sensor is still crossing (e.g., in a suspended state). If so, control remains in block 1408. If the beam is no longer crossing (e.g., traffic is away from the entrance and / or the beam is not suspended), control proceeds to block 1410, where the exemplary data logging circuit 1108 (along with the exemplary timestamp circuit 1106) records the time the traffic is away from the beam of the photoeye sensor. Returning to block 1402, if the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that the beam of the photoeye sensor is not crossing (e.g., not suspended), control proceeds directly to block 1410.

[0092]

[0108] In block 1412, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether an detachment event has been detected (for example, based on feedback from the detachment sensor 122). If so, control proceeds to block 1414, where the exemplary data logging circuit 1108 (along with the exemplary timestamp circuit 1106) records the detachment event. In some examples, a specific sensor that triggered the operation of door 101 may be associated with the log entry of the detachment event, and as a result, the event may be linked to the specific sensor that triggered the operation. Associating this information is useful in identifying which sensor needs adjustment if the cause of the detachment event is (for example, frequently). After recording the detachment event, control proceeds to block 1416. If no detachment event is detected in block 1412, control proceeds directly to block 1416. In block 1416, the operation control circuit 1114 determines whether the re-closing timer has elapsed. If not, control returns to block 1314 in Figure 13 to continue monitoring the photo-eye sensor. If the re-closing timer has elapsed, control proceeds to block 1418, where exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the beam of the high-altitude photo-eye sensor 142 crossed during the door cycle. If so, control proceeds to block 1420, where exemplary data logging circuit 1108 labels the traffic as a fork track. Control then proceeds to block 1424. If, in block 1418, exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that the beam of the high-altitude photo-eye sensor 142 did not cross (e.g., was uninterrupted), control proceeds to block 1422, where exemplary data logging circuit 1108 labels the traffic as a pedestrian. Control then proceeds to block 1424. Although the high-altitude photo-eye sensor 142 is described as being used to distinguish between fork tracks and pedestrians, in other examples, a similar determination could be made based on feedback from a distance sensor 124.

[0093]

[0109] In block 1424, an exemplary motion control circuit 1114 closes the door panel 102. In block 1426, an exemplary data logging circuit 1108 (together with an exemplary timestamp circuit 1106) records the time when the door panel 102 begins to close. In block 1428, an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether to reverse the door panel 102. In some examples, reversing the door's movement (e.g., reopening the door when it is closed) may be determined based on feedback from a reverse edge sensor on the door panel 102, feedback from one of the activated photo-eye sensors 134, 136, 138, feedback from a departure sensor 142, feedback from a backup sensor 144, input from one of the buttons or switches 118, and / or further traffic detected by a distance sensor 124 and / or a motion sensor 125. If the door panel 102 should be flipped, control proceeds to block 1430, where an exemplary data logging circuit 1108 (along with an exemplary timestamp circuit 1106) records the time of door flipping. Control then returns to block 1310 in Figure 13, opening the door panel 102. If the door panel 102 should not be flipped, it returns to the fully closed position, and control proceeds to block 1432, where an exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 analyzes the data for adjustment to the operation of the door 101. An exemplary implementation of block 1432 is provided in more detail below in relation to Figures 15-18. In block 1434, the motion control circuit 1114 decides whether to continue or not. If so, control returns to block 1302 in Figure 13. Otherwise, the exemplary process in Figures 13 and 14 ends.

[0094]

[0110] Figures 15–18 are flowcharts representing exemplary machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary actions that can be performed to implement block 1432 of Figure 14. Any one of the flowcharts in Figures 15–18 can be implemented independently of the others. Thus, in some examples, embodiments of block 1432 in Figure 14 correspond to specific ones in Figures 15–18. In some examples, embodiments of block 1432 in Figure 14 may include several or even all of Figures 15–18. In some examples, one or more of Figures 15–18 can implement each iteration through the processes in Figures 13 and 14. In other examples, one or more of Figures 15–18 can be implemented periodically or aperiodically.

[0095]

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

[0096]

[0112] In block 1510, the exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to automatically adjust the sensor that triggers the operation of the door 101. In some examples, this decision is made automatically without human input. In other examples, this decision is made based on user feedback in response to warnings and / or notifications generated in block 1508. If adjustment should be made, control proceeds to block 1512, where the exemplary 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 provided to a sensor adjustment system 126 related to the sensor to be adjusted. In some examples, the nature of the commands and / or instructions and / or the specific sensor to be adjusted is determined based on which sensor triggered the operation of the door and / or other sensor feedback data regarding the opening of the door. The example process in Figure 15 then terminates and returns, ending the processes in Figures 13 and 14. Returning to block 1510, if the sensor is not automatically calibrated (for example, if the calibration is left to a technician or maintenance worker), the exemplary process in Figure 15 terminates, and the process returns to complete the processes in Figures 13 and 14. Similarly, if it is determined in block 1504 that the threshold is not met, the exemplary process in Figure 15 terminates, and the process returns to complete the processes in Figures 13 and 14.

[0097]

[0113] The exemplary program in Figure 16 begins in block 1602, where the exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines the duration between the time the photo-eye sensor is last cleared (logged in block 1410 in Figure 14) and the time the door panel begins to close (logged in block 1426 in Figure 14). In some examples, the duration can correspond to the current cycle of the door (e.g., the duration from when the fully closed door moves to the fully open position until it returns to the fully closed position). In other examples, the duration can be the average or median duration based on an analysis of multiple cycles of the door over several relevant periods (e.g., one hour, one day, one week, one month, etc.) and / or several relevant number of cycles (e.g., the most recent 10 cycles, 120 cycles, 100 cycles, etc.). In block 1604, the exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether the duration meets a threshold (e.g., exceeds a threshold). If the threshold is met, control proceeds to block 1606, where the exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to generate a warning and / or notification. If so, control proceeds to block 1608, where the operation control circuit 1114 generates a warning and / or notification indicating that the re-closing timer is too long (e.g., exceeds the time threshold duration). Control then proceeds to block 1610. Returning to block 1606, if the exemplary 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 exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to automatically adjust the re-closing timer. In some examples, this decision is made automatically without human input. In other examples, this decision is made based on user feedback in response to warnings and / or notifications generated in block 1608. If adjustment is to be made, control proceeds to block 1612, where the exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 automatically adjusts the re-closing timer. The example process in Figure 16 then terminates and returns, completing the processes in Figures 13 and 14. Returning to block 1610, if the re-closing timer is not automatically adjusted (for example, the adjustment is left to a technician or maintenance worker), the exemplary process in Figure 16 terminates and returns to complete the processes in Figures 13 and 14. Similarly, if it is determined in block 1604 that the threshold is not met, the exemplary process in Figure 16 terminates and returns to complete the processes in Figures 13 and 14.

[0099]

[0115] The exemplary program in Figure 17 begins in block 1702, where an exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines the number of detachment events (recorded in block 1414 in Figure 14) within a given period. In some examples, the number is the count of detachment events within a given period. In other examples, this number may be the ratio, percentage, or proportion of detachment events to all cycles of the door within a given period. In some examples, the given period corresponds to several relevant periods (e.g., one hour, one day, one week, one month, etc.) and / or several relevant sets of cycles (e.g., the most recent 10 cycles, 120 cycles, 100 cycles, etc.). In block 1704, the exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether the number meets a threshold (e.g., exceeds a threshold). If the threshold is met, control proceeds to block 1706, where the exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to generate a warning and / or notification. If so, control proceeds to block 1708, where the operation control circuit 1114 generates a warning and / or notification indicating the number of departure events and / or the need to adjust the sensor. Control then proceeds to block 1710. Returning to block 1706, if the exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines not to generate a warning and / or notification, control proceeds directly to block 1710.

[0100]

[0116] In block 1710, the exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to automatically adjust the sensor that triggers the operation of door 101. In some examples, this decision is made automatically without human input. In other examples, this decision is made based on user feedback in response to warnings and / or notifications generated in block 1708. If adjustment should be made, control proceeds to block 1712, where the exemplary 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 provided to a sensor adjustment system 126 related to the sensor to be adjusted. In some examples, the nature of the commands and / or instructions and / or the specific sensor to be adjusted is determined based on which sensor triggered the operation of door 101 and / or other sensor feedback data regarding the opening of door 101. The example process in Figure 17 then terminates and returns, ending the processes in Figures 13 and 14. Returning to block 1710, if the sensor is not automatically calibrated (for example, if the calibration is left to a technician or maintenance worker), the exemplary process in Figure 17 terminates, and the process returns to complete the processes in Figures 13 and 14. Similarly, if it is determined in block 1704 that the threshold is not met, the exemplary process in Figure 17 terminates, and the process returns to complete the processes in Figures 13 and 14.

[0101]

[0117] The exemplary program in Figure 18 begins in block 1802, where the exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines the number of malfunctions (recorded in block 1320 in Figure 14) within a given period. In some examples, this number is the count of malfunctions within a given period. In other examples, this number may be the ratio, proportion, or percentage of malfunctions to all cycles of door 101 within a given period. In some examples, the given period corresponds to several relevant periods (e.g., one hour, one day, one week, one month, etc.) and / or several relevant sets of cycles (e.g., the most recent 10 cycles, 120 cycles, 100 cycles, etc.). In block 1804, the exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether the number meets a threshold (e.g., exceeds a threshold). If the threshold is met, control proceeds to block 1806, where the exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to generate a warning and / or notification. If so, control proceeds to block 1808, where the operation control circuit 1114 generates a warning and / or notification indicating the number of malfunctions and / or the need to adjust the sensor. Control then proceeds to block 1810. Returning to block 1806, if the exemplary operation adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines not to generate a warning and / or notification, control proceeds directly to block 1810.

[0102]

[0118] In block 1810, the exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112 determines whether to automatically adjust the sensor that triggers the operation of door 101. In some examples, this decision is made automatically without human input. In other examples, this decision is made based on user feedback in response to warnings and / or notifications generated in block 1808. If adjustment should be made, control proceeds to block 1812, where the exemplary 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 provided to a sensor adjustment system 126 related to the sensor to be adjusted. In some examples, the nature of the commands and / or instructions and / or the specific sensor to be adjusted is determined based on which sensor triggered the operation of door 101 and / or other sensor feedback data regarding the opening of door 101. The example process in Figure 18 then terminates and returns, ending the processes in Figures 13 and 14. Returning to block 1810, if the sensor is not automatically calibrated (for example, if the calibration is left to a technician or maintenance worker), the exemplary process in Figure 18 terminates, and the process returns to complete the processes in Figures 13 and 14. Similarly, if it is determined in block 1804 that the threshold is not met, the exemplary process in Figure 18 terminates, and the process returns to complete the processes in Figures 13 and 14.

[0103]

[0119] The exemplary machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations in Figure 19 can be implemented in parallel with and / or independently of any of the exemplary programs represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 18. The exemplary program in Figure 19 begins in block 1902, in which an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 monitors feedback from a release sensor 122. In this example, the release sensor 122 is a photo eye that emits a beam intersected by the door panel 102 when it is not in the fully open position, as previously described in relation to Figure 4. In block 1904, the exemplary 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 a motor 114. In block 1906, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether a beam from the release sensor 122 is detected when the door panel 102 is expected to be blocked based on its position. In some examples, the beam is expected to be blocked whenever the door panel 102 is positioned such that its leading edge is below the beam's height. In some examples, the release sensor 122 is positioned near the top of the track 106 used to guide the door panel 102, such that the beam is expected to be blocked for most of the door cycle, except when the door panel 102 is in the fully open position or near the fully open position. If the beam is not detected when it is 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, an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the beam is detected over a threshold when unexpected (e.g., an unexpected non-triggered state). In some examples, the threshold is a time threshold (e.g., 500 milliseconds, 200 milliseconds, 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 a 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 exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the front edge of the door panel 102 is greater than a threshold distance below the position of the release 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 bottom 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 detected by passing through the hole 408 (e.g., if tab 402 is missing) and a beam detected due to a missing corner seal 412 at the bottom edge of the door panel 102. Thus, if the front edge of the door panel is greater than a threshold distance below the release sensor 122, control proceeds to block 1912, where the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that tab 402 of the door panel 102 is missing. In some examples, the sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines based on the position of the door panel 102 when the beam is detected. te Ta Bu402 Missing The position is calculated. Then the control proceeds to block 1920. If the front edge of the door panel is below a threshold distance below the release sensor 122, the control proceeds to block 1914.

[0106]

[0122] In block 1914, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the beam is detected over a threshold number of consecutive cycles when the door panel 102 is in a similar position (e.g., its leading edge is within the threshold distance of the release sensor 122). The threshold can be any appropriate number (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). If the beam is detected over the 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 so that control proceeds directly to block 1914 (this is substantially the same as setting the threshold number of consecutive cycles to 1). In block 1916, the exemplary 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] In block 1918, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines that a detachment event has occurred. In block 1920, the exemplary operation control circuit 1114 determines that the detected beam significance A warning and / or notification is generated indicating a decision of (significance) (for example, a decision in any one of blocks 1912, 1916, or 1918). Control then proceeds to block 1922 to decide whether to continue the process. If so, control returns to block 1902. Otherwise, the exemplary process in Figure 19 terminates.

[0108]

[0124] The exemplary machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary actions in Figure 20 can be implemented in parallel with and / or independently of any of the exemplary programs represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 19. The exemplary program in Figure 20 begins in block 2002, where an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 monitors feedback from an array of sensors (e.g., an array of height sensors 502 or an array of width sensors 712, 714). In block 2004, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines the velocity, height, and / or width of an object intersecting the path of beams generated by the array of sensors. In block 2006, the exemplary 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, the door panel 102 does not need to be moved because it is already in a position that provides adequate clearance to the object based on the detected height and / or width. If the door panel is not moved, control returns to block 2002. If the door panel should be moved based on the height and / or width of an object, the control proceeds to block 2008, where the motion control circuit 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 circuit 1114 adjusts the speed of the door panel 102 based on the velocity of the object. In some examples, either block 2008 or block 2010 can be omitted and / or skipped in other ways. 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 velocity 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). The control then proceeds to block 2012 to decide whether to continue the process. If so, the control returns to block 2002. Otherwise, the exemplary process in Figure 20 terminates.

[0109]

[0125] The exemplary machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary operations in Figure 21 can be performed in parallel with and / or independently of any of the exemplary programs represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 20. The exemplary program in Figure 21 begins in block 2102, where exemplary 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 first installed and / or after maintenance checks to ensure it is functioning correctly and there is no significant wear on the door seal 716 and / or associated projections 718. In block 2104, exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 monitors the current used by the motor to move the door panel 102.

[0110]

[0126] In block 2106, the exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether the difference between the monitored current and the stored profile meets a threshold (e.g., exceeds the threshold). If so, control proceeds to block 2108, where the exemplary operation control circuit 1114 determines whether to generate a warning and / or notification. In some examples, no warning is generated until a threshold number of door cycles result in the difference meeting the threshold (e.g., exceeding the threshold). If a warning and / or notification should be generated, control proceeds to block 2110, where the operation control circuit 1114 generates a warning and / or notification indicating potential wear of the door seal 716. Control then proceeds to block 2112. Returning to block 2108, if the exemplary operation control circuit 1114 determines not to generate a warning and / or notification, control proceeds directly to block 2112. In block 2112, the controller 116 determines whether to continue the process. If so, control returns to block 2104. Otherwise, the exemplary process in Figure 21 terminates.

[0111]

[0127] The exemplary machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary actions in Figure 22 can be performed in parallel with and / or independently of any of the exemplary programs represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 21. The exemplary program in Figure 22 begins in block 2202, where an exemplary motion control circuit 1114 determines whether the door panel 102 should be held stationary in the open position. Otherwise (e.g., the door is not open or is moving between the open and closed positions), the program in Figure 22 is not applied and terminates. However, if the door panel 102 should be held stationary in the open position, control proceeds to block 2204. In block 2204, an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether movement of the door panel has been 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 meeting the threshold is detected, control returns to block 2202. If the exemplary 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 being intended to be held stationary as determined in block 2202) indicates that the brake associated with door 101 has failed and door panel 102 is falling under its own weight. Therefore, in block 2206, exemplary motion control circuit 1114 acts on motor 114 to engage with associated drive system. By engaging the drive system, the free fall of door panel 102 can be stopped. In some examples, motor 114 acts to return door panel 102 to the open position. In other examples, motor 114 acts to move door panel 102 to the closed position. Once the drive system is engaged, control proceeds to block 2208, where exemplary motion control circuit 1114 closes door panel 102 of door 101. In block 2210, exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110 determines whether door panel 102 has reached the closed position. If so, the control proceeds to block 2216, where the exemplary operating control circuit 1114 locks the door and puts the door into a faulty state. Thus, this exemplary program attempts to close the door 101 as quickly as possible after a brake failure is detected, locking 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 exemplary 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 the actuation or inversion signals from the relevant sensors and / or manual input). Therefore, in block 2212, before reaching the closed position to lock the door, the exemplary operation control circuit 1114 determines whether to open the door. If so, control proceeds to block 2214, where the exemplary operation control circuit 1114 reopens the door. Control then returns to block 2208, attempting again to fully close the door so that it can be locked. If it is not necessary to open the door (determined in block 2212), control returns directly to block 2208, continuing to close the door 101 until it is fully closed.

[0114]

[0130] When the door is fully closed, locked, and in a fault condition (in block 2216), control proceeds to block 2218, where the exemplary operating control circuit 1114 generates a warning and / or notification indicating a potential brake failure. In some examples, the warning and / or notification may also indicate that the door was locked during maintenance. The process example in Figure 22 then terminates.

[0115]

[0131] The exemplary machine-readable instructions and / or exemplary actions in Figure 23 can be performed in parallel with and / or independently of any of the exemplary programs represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 22. The exemplary program in Figure 23 begins in block 2302, where the exemplary operation control circuit 1114 determines whether to test the door 101's brake system for potential wear and / or failure. In some examples, such a test is performed in each cycle of the door. In other examples, such a test is performed periodically and / or aperiodicly, as defined by the schedule, the set number of door cycles, and / or based on user input. If the test should not be performed, control remains in block 2302. If the brake system should be tested, control proceeds to block 2304, where the exemplary operation control circuit 1114 applies the brakes to prevent the door panel 102 from moving. In block 2306, the exemplary operation 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 such that it is insufficient to overcome the force of the brake when the brake is in good working order, but sufficient to overcome the force of a worn brake that causes movement to the door panel 102. In block 2308, an exemplary 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 confirmed that the brake is in good working order. Thus, in some examples, control proceeds to block 2310, where an exemplary motion control circuit 1114 generates a notification indicating that no brake wear and / or failure was detected. The exemplary process then terminates. In some examples, block 2310 is omitted.

[0116]

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

[0117]

[0133] Figure 24 is a block diagram of an exemplary processor platform 2400 configured to execute and / or instantiate machine-readable instructions and / or the operations of Figures 13-23 in order to implement the controller 116 of Figure 11. The processor platform 2400 could be, for example, a server, a personal computer, a workstation, a self-learning machine (e.g., a neural network), a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet such as 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 illustrated example processor platform 2400 includes a processor circuit 2412. The illustrated example processor circuit 2412 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 exemplary timestamp circuit 1106, an exemplary data logging circuit 1108, an exemplary sensor feedback analysis circuit 1110, an exemplary motion adjustment analysis circuit 1112, and an exemplary motion control circuit 1114.

[0119]

[0135] The illustrated example processor circuit 2412 includes local memory 2413 (e.g., cache, registers, etc.). The illustrated example processor circuit 2412 communicates with main memory, which includes volatile memory 2414 and non-volatile memory 2416, via 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 memories 2414 and 2416 in the illustrated example is controlled by a memory controller 2417.

[0120]

[0136] The illustrated example processor platform 2400 also includes an interface circuit 2420. The interface circuit 2420 can be implemented by hardware with 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 PCI interface, and / or a PCIe interface. In this example, the interface circuit implements an instrument interface circuit 1102 and an exemplary remote server interface circuit 1104.

[0121]

[0137] In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 2422 are connected to the interface circuit 2420. The input devices 2422 allow the user to input data and / or commands to the processor circuit 2412. The input devices 2422 can be implemented, for example, by a voice sensor, microphone, camera (still image or video), keyboard, button, mouse, touchscreen, trackpad, trackball, isopoint device, and / or voice recognition system.

[0122]

[0138] The interface circuit 2420 in the illustrated example is also connected to one or more output devices 2424. The output devices 2424 can 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, touchscreens, etc.), haptic output devices, printers, and / or speakers. Therefore, the interface circuit 2420 in the illustrated example generally includes graphics driver cards, graphics driver chips, and / or graphics processor circuits such as GPUs.

[0123]

[0139] The illustrated example interface circuit 2420 also includes communication 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., any type of computing device) via the network 2426. Communication can be, for example, via Ethernet connection, digital subscriber line (DSL) connection, telephone line connection, coaxial cable system, satellite system, line of site radio system, cellular telephone system, optical connection, etc.

[0124]

[0140] The illustrated example processor platform 2400 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 disc drives, independent disk redundant array (RAID) systems, flash memory devices and / or solid-state storage devices such as SSDs, and DVD drives. In this example, the mass storage device 2428 implements exemplary memory 1118.

[0125]

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

[0126]

[0142] Figure 25 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the processor circuit 2412 of Figure 24. In this example, the processor circuit 2412 of Figure 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 in the flowcharts of Figures 13 to 23, effectively instantiating the circuit of Figure 11 as a logic circuit for performing the operations corresponding to those machine-readable instructions. In some such examples, the circuit of Figure 11 is instantiated by the hardware circuit of the microprocessor 2500 in combination with instructions. For example, the microprocessor 2500 may be implemented by a multicore hardware circuit such as a CPU, DSP, GPU, or XPU. The microprocessor 2500 in this example is a multicore semiconductor device containing N cores, although it may contain any number of exemplary cores 2502 (e.g., one core). 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 one of the cores 2502, or by multiple cores 2502 at the same or different times. In some examples, the firmware program, an embedded software program, or machine code corresponding to a software program may be divided into threads and executed in parallel by multiple cores 2502. The software program may correspond to some or all of the machine-readable instructions and / or operations represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13 to 23.

[0127]

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

[0128]

[0144] Each core 2502 may be referred to as a CPU, DSP, GPU, or any other type of hardware circuit. Each core 2502 includes a control unit circuit 2514, an arithmetic and logic (AL) circuit (sometimes called an ALU) 2516, several registers 2518, local memory 2520, and a second exemplary bus 2522. Other structures may be present. 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, and so on. The control unit circuit 2514 includes semiconductor-based circuitry configured to control data movement (e.g., coordinates) within the corresponding core 2502. The AL circuit 2516 includes semiconductor-based circuitry configured to perform one or more mathematical and / or logical operations on data within the corresponding core 2502. In some examples, the AL circuit 2516 performs integer-based operations. In other examples, the AL circuit 2516 also performs floating-point operations. In yet another example, the AL circuit 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 circuit 2516 is sometimes referred to as an Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU). Registers 2518 are semiconductor-based structures for storing data and / or instructions, such as the results of one or more operations performed by the AL circuit 2516 of the corresponding core 2502. For example, registers 2518 may include vector registers (single or multiple), SIMD registers (single or multiple), general-purpose registers (single or multiple), flag registers (single or multiple), segment registers (single or multiple), machine-specific registers (single or multiple), instruction pointer registers (single or multiple), control registers (single or multiple), debug registers (single or multiple), memory management registers (single or multiple), machine check registers (single or multiple), and so on. Register 2518 may be located within a bank as shown in Figure 25. Alternatively, register 2518 may be organized in any other configuration, format, or structure, including being distributed across core 2502 to reduce access time.The second bus 2522 may be implemented by at least one of the I2C bus, SPI bus, PCI bus, or PCIe bus.

[0129]

[0145] Each core 2502 and / or more generally, the microprocessor 2500 may include further and / or alternative structures to those described above. For example, 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 convergence / common mesh stops (CMS), one or more shifters (e.g., barrel shifters), and / or other circuits may be present. The microprocessor 2500 is a semiconductor device manufactured to include a number of transistors interconnected to realize the aforementioned structures in one or more integrated circuits (ICs) contained in one or more packages. The processor circuit may include and / or cooperate with one or more accelerators. In some examples, accelerators are implemented by logic circuits to perform specific tasks faster and / or more efficiently than can be done by a general-purpose processor. Examples of accelerators include ASICs and FPGAs, for example, those discussed herein. GPUs or other programmable devices can also be accelerators. The accelerator may be integrated into the processor circuit, in the same chip package as the processor circuit, and / or in one or more separate packages from the processor circuit.

[0130]

[0146] Figure 26 is a block diagram of another exemplary implementation of the processor circuit 2412 of Figure 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 could be performed by the exemplary microprocessor 2500 of Figure 25, which executes the corresponding machine-readable instructions. However, when configured, the FPGA circuit 2600 can often perform operations faster than a general-purpose microprocessor that instantiates machine-readable instructions in hardware and therefore executes the corresponding software.

[0131]

[0147] More specifically, in contrast to the microprocessor 2500 in Figure 25 (which can be programmed to execute some or all of the machine-readable instructions represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13-23, but whose interconnects and logic circuits are fixed once manufactured), the FPGA circuit 2600 in the example of Figure 26 includes interconnects and logic circuits that can be configured and / or interconnected in different ways after manufacturing to instantiate some or all of the machine-readable instructions represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13-23, for example. In particular, the FPGA circuit 2600 can be thought of as an array of logic gates, interconnects, and switches. The switches can 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 can correspond to some or all of the software represented by the flowcharts in Figures 13-23. Thus, the FPGA circuit 2600 can be configured to effectively instantiate some or all of the machine-readable instructions in the flowcharts of Figures 13 to 23 as dedicated logic circuits and execute the operations corresponding to those software instructions in a dedicated manner similar to that of an ASIC. Therefore, the FPGA circuit 2600 can execute the operations corresponding to some or all of the machine-readable instructions in Figures 13 to 23 faster than a general-purpose microprocessor can.

[0132]

[0148] In the example in Figure 26, the FPGA circuit 2600 is configured to be programmed (and / or reprogrammed one or more times) by an end user using a hardware description language (HDL) such as Verilog. The FPGA circuit 2600 in Figure 26 includes exemplary input / output (I / O) circuits 2602 for acquiring and / or outputting data to and from exemplary configuration circuits 2604 and / or external hardware 2606. For example, the configuration circuit 2604 may be implemented by an interface circuit that can acquire machine-readable instructions to constitute the FPGA circuit 2600 or a part thereof. In some such examples, the configuration circuit 2604 can acquire machine-readable instructions from a user, a machine (e.g., hardware circuitry that can implement an artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) model to generate instructions (e.g., programmed or dedicated circuitry)), etc. In some examples, the external hardware 2606 may be implemented by external hardware circuitry. For example, the external hardware 2606 may be implemented by the microprocessor 2500 in Figure 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 memory circuit 2612. The logic gate circuits 2608 and configurable interconnects 2610 are configurable to instantiate one or more operations that can correspond to at least some of the machine-readable instructions in Figures 13–23 and / or other desired operations. The logic gate circuits 2608 shown in Figure 26 are manufactured in groups or blocks. Each block includes a semiconductor-based electrical structure that can be configured into a logic circuit. In some examples, the electrical structure includes logic gates (e.g., AND gates, OR gates, OR gates, etc.) that provide the basic building blocks of the logic circuit. Electrically controllable switches (e.g., transistors) are present within each of the logic gate circuits 2608 to enable the configuration of electrical structures and / or logic gates to form circuits for performing desired operations. The logic gate circuits 2608 may include other electrical structures such as lookup tables (LUTs), registers (e.g., flip-flops or latches), and multiplexers.

[0133]

[0149] The configurable interconnect 2610 in the illustrated example is a conductive path, trace, via, etc., which may include electrically controllable switches (e.g., transistors), and its state 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 in order to program a desired logic circuit.

[0134]

[0150] The memory circuit 2612 in the illustrated example is configured to store one or more results of operations performed by the corresponding logic gates. The memory circuit 2612 may be implemented by registers or the like. In the illustrated example, the memory circuit 2612 is distributed among the logic gate circuits 2608 to facilitate access and increase execution speed.

[0135]

[0151] The exemplary FPGA circuit 2600 in Figure 26 also includes exemplary dedicated operation circuitry 2614. In this example, dedicated operation circuitry 2614 includes dedicated circuitry 2616 that can be called upon to implement functions commonly used 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 exist. In some examples, FPGA circuitry 2600 may also include exemplary general-purpose programmable circuitry 2618 such as exemplary CPU 2620 and / or exemplary DSP 2622. In addition to or instead of this, there may be other general-purpose programmable circuitry 2618 such as a GPU, XPU, which can be programmed to perform other operations.

[0136]

[0152] Figures 25 and 26 show two exemplary implementations of the processor circuit 2412 of Figure 24, but many other methods are possible. For example, as mentioned above, modern FPGA circuits can include an onboard CPU such as one or more of the exemplary CPUs 2620 of Figure 26. Thus, the processor circuit 2412 of Figure 24 may be additionally implemented by combining the exemplary microprocessor 2500 of Figure 25 and the exemplary FPGA circuit 2600 of Figure 26. In some such hybrid examples, the first part of the machine-readable instructions represented by the flowcharts of Figures 13-23 may be executed by one or more of the cores 2502 of Figure 25, the second part of the machine-readable instructions represented by the flowcharts of Figures 13-23 may be executed by the FPGA circuit 2600 of Figure 26, and / or the third part of the machine-readable instructions represented by the flowcharts of Figures 13-23 may be executed by an ASIC. Thus, it should be understood that some or all of the circuit in Figure 11 may be instantiated at the same or different times. Parts or all of the circuit may be instantiated, for example, by one or more threads that run concurrently and / or in series. Furthermore, in some examples, parts or all of the circuit in Figure 11 may be implemented within one or more virtual machines and / or containers that run on a microprocessor.

[0137]

[0153] In some examples, the processor circuit 2412 in Figure 24 may be in one or more packages. For example, the microprocessor 2500 in Figure 25 and / or the FPGA circuit 2600 in Figure 26 may be in one or more packages. In some examples, the XPU may be implemented by the processor circuit 2412 in Figure 24, which may be in one or more packages. For example, the 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] Figure 27 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary software distribution platform 2705 for distributing software, such as the exemplary machine-readable instruction 2432 in Figure 24, to hardware devices owned and / or operated by a third party. The exemplary software distribution platform 2705 may be implemented by any computer server, data facility, cloud service, etc., that can store and transmit the 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 the developer, seller, and / or licensor of the software, such as the exemplary machine-readable instruction 2432 in Figure 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 that can correspond to the exemplary machine-readable instructions in Figures 13 to 23, as described above. One or more servers of the exemplary software distribution platform 2705 communicate with an exemplary network 2426 that can correspond to any one or more of the Internet and / or the exemplary network 2710 described above. In some examples, one or more servers respond to requests to send software to a requesting party as part of a commercial transaction. Payment for the distribution, sale, and / or licensing of the software can be handled by one or more servers of the software distribution platform and / or third-party payment entities. The servers enable purchasers and / or licensors to download machine-readable instructions 2432 from the software distribution platform 2705. For example, software that can correspond to the exemplary machine-readable instructions in Figures 13–23 can 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 compel the provision of updates to the software (e.g., exemplary machine-readable instructions 2432 in Figure 24) to ensure that improvements, patches, updates, etc., are distributed to and applied to the software on end-user devices.

[0139]

[0155] From the above, it can be understood that exemplary methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed that facilitate the adjustment of the operation of a door system in a manner that can be achieved by combining feedback data from existing and / or new / further sensors related to the door system to gain insights into the operating state of the door system, insights into the conditions of the surrounding environment, and / or improve efficiency, enhance safety, and / or reduce wear and / or damage to the components of the door system. Accordingly, the disclosed methods, apparatus, and products are intended for one or more practical applications of technical improvements to the function of a door system.

[0140]

[0156] Further examples and combinations thereof include the following:

[0141]

[0157] Example 1 includes at least one memory, instructions, and a door system that monitors the position of a door panel associated with the 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. significance The apparatus includes a processor circuit for executing the instruction to generate a warning or notification indicating [the specified value].

[0142]

[0158] Example 2 includes the apparatus from Example 1, and the processor circuit detects a beam in an unexpected non-triggered state. significance The side edge of the door panel no ta B Missing It is determined to correspond to that.

[0143]

[0159] Example 3 includes the apparatus from Example 2, where the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state as it passes through a hole in the door panel, and the hole corresponds to the position of the door panel tab before it was missing.

[0144]

[0160] Example 4 includes the device from Example 3, and the processor circuit is , threshold Value Time less than or Moving the door panel Threshold distance less than When the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state over at least one of the beams, The significance B Missing The system is designed to determine the corresponding threshold time, where the threshold time corresponds to the duration the hole traverses the beam path, and the threshold distance corresponds to the width of the hole.

[0145]

[0161] Example 5 includes the apparatus from Example 1, and the processor circuit detects a beam in an unexpected non-triggered state. significance The lower corner of the door panel no Ko -ner seal Missing It is determined to correspond to that.

[0146]

[0162] Example 6 includes the apparatus of Example 5, and the processor circuit detects that the beam is not obstructed by the door panel when the leading edge of the door panel is within the threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor, and the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state. The significance is -ner seal Missing It is determined to correspond to that.

[0147]

[0163] Example 7 includes the apparatus from Example 1, and the processor circuit detects a beam in an unexpected non-triggered state. significance However, it is determined that this corresponds to the side edge of the door panel being detached from the truck.

[0148]

[0164] Example 8 is a sensor feedback analysis circuit that monitors the position of a door panel associated with a door system and detects when the 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 the beam in the unexpected non-triggered state significance The device includes an operational control circuit for generating a warning or notification indicating [the above].

[0149]

[0165] Example 9 includes the apparatus from Example 8, and the sensor feedback analysis circuit detects the beam in an unexpected non-triggered state. significance The side edge of the door panel no ta B Missing It is determined to correspond to that.

[0150]

[0166] Example 10 includes the apparatus of Example 9, where the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state when the beam passes through a hole in the door panel, and the hole corresponds to the position of the door panel tab before it was missing.

[0151]

[0167] Example 11 includes the apparatus from Example 10, and the sensor feedback analysis circuit is , threshold Value Time less than or Moving the door panel Threshold distance Less than When the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state over at least one of the beams, The significance B Missing The system is designed to determine the corresponding threshold time, where the threshold time corresponds to the duration the hole traverses the beam path, and the threshold distance corresponds to the width of the hole.

[0152]

[0168] Example 12 includes the apparatus from Example 8, and the sensor feedback analysis circuit detects the beam in an unexpected non-triggered state. significance The lower corner of the door panel no Ko -ner seal Missing It is determined to correspond to that.

[0153]

[0169] Example 13 includes the apparatus of Example 12, and the sensor feedback analysis circuit detects that the beam is not obstructed by the door panel when the leading edge of the door panel is within the threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor, and the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state. The significance is -ner seal Missing It is determined to correspond to that.

[0154]

[0170] Example 14 includes the apparatus from Example 8, and the sensor feedback analysis circuit detects the beam in an unexpected non-triggered state. significance However, it is determined that this corresponds to the side edge of the door panel being detached from the truck.

[0155]

[0171] Example 15 is a non-temporary computer-readable medium containing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed, the machine monitors at least the position of a door panel associated with a door system, 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 the beam in the unexpected non-triggered state significance Warning or notice indicating to produce Including non-temporary computer-readable media that enables this.

[0156]

[0172] Example 16 includes the non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 15, where the instruction is in an unexpected non-triggered state of the beam. significance The side edge of the door panel no ta B Missing The machine will then decide which option is appropriate.

[0157]

[0173] Example 17 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium from Example 16, where the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state as it passes through a hole in the door panel, and the hole corresponds to the position of the door panel tab before it was missing.

[0158]

[0174] Example 18 includes the non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 17, and the instructions are , threshold Value Time less than or Moving the door panel Threshold distance less thanWhen the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state over at least one of the beams, The significance B Missing The machine determines the corresponding values, with the threshold time corresponding to the duration the hole traverses the beam path, and the threshold distance corresponding to the width of the hole.

[0159]

[0175] Example 19 includes the non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 15, where the instruction is in an unexpected non-triggered state of the beam. significance The lower corner of the door panel no Ko -ner seal Missing The machine will then decide which option is appropriate.

[0160]

[0176] Example 20 includes the non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 19, and the instruction is that when the leading edge of the door panel is within the threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor, the beam is detected to be in an unexpected non-triggered state. The significance is -ner seal Missing The machine will then decide which option is appropriate.

[0161]

[0177] Example 21 includes the non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 15, where the instruction is in an unexpected non-triggered state of the beam. significance This causes the machine to determine that the side edge of the door panel is detached from the truck.

[0162]

[0178] Example 22 includes the steps of monitoring the position of a door panel associated with a door system, detecting when a beam from a photoeye sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected non-triggered state based on the position of the door panel, and detecting when the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state. significance A method including the step of generating a warning or notice indicating

[0163]

[0179] Example 23 includes the method of Example 22, wherein the method involves a beam in an unexpected non-triggered state. significance The side edge of the door panel no ta B MissingThis includes a step of determining which corresponds to which.

[0164]

[0180] Example 24 involves the method of Example 23, where the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state as it passes through a hole in the door panel, and the hole corresponds to the position of the door panel tab before it was missing.

[0165]

[0181] Example 25 includes the method of Example 24, and the method , threshold Value Time less than or Moving the door panel Threshold distance less than When the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state over at least one of the beams, The significance B Missing This includes a step of determining that a threshold time corresponds to the duration the hole traverses the beam path, and a threshold distance corresponds to the width of the hole.

[0166]

[0182] Example 26 includes the method of Example 22, wherein the method involves a beam in an unexpected non-triggered state. significance The lower corner of the door panel no Ko -ner seal Missing This includes a step of determining which corresponds to which.

[0167]

[0183] Example 27 includes the method of Example 26, wherein the method detects that the beam is not obstructed by the door panel when the leading edge of the door panel is within the threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor, and the beam is in an unexpected non-triggered state. The significance is -ner seal Missing This includes a step of determining which corresponds to which.

[0168]

[0184] Example 28 includes the method of Example 22, the method of a beam in an unexpected non-triggered state significance However, this includes the step of determining that the side edge of the door panel is detached from the track.

[0169]

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

[0170]

[0186] Example 30 includes the apparatus of Example 29, further comprising an operational control circuit for generating a warning or notification recommending that adjustments be made by a human.

[0171]

[0187] Example 31 includes the apparatus of Example 29, further comprising an operating control circuit for automatically performing adjustments to the first sensor.

[0172]

[0188] Example 32 includes the apparatus of Example 29, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a release sensor, the door actuation sensor is configured to trigger the actuation of the door of the door system, and the release sensor is configured to detect a release event, which indicates when the panel of the door system separates from the track that guides the side edge of the panel.

[0173]

[0189] Example 33 includes the apparatus of Example 32, wherein the operation adjustment analysis circuit determines whether adjustment should be made based on the number of detachment events detected by the detachment sensor over a given period of time.

[0174]

[0190] Example 34 includes the apparatus from Example 33, and the operation adjustment analysis circuit is configured to compare the number of departure events with a threshold to determine whether adjustment should be made.

[0175]

[0191] Example 35 includes the apparatus of Example 33, and the operation adjustment analysis circuit determines the ratio of the number of release events to the total number of door operation cycles during a given period, compares this ratio to a threshold, and determines whether 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 is configured to trigger the operation of the door of the door system, and the photo-eye sensor is configured to detect traffic passing through an entrance associated with the door system.

[0177]

[0193] Example 37 includes the apparatus of Example 36, and the operation adjustment analysis circuit is configured to determine whether adjustment should be made based on the time between the operation of the door and the operation of the photo eye sensor.

[0178]

[0194] Example 38 includes the apparatus of Example 36, wherein the operation adjustment analysis circuit determines whether adjustment should be made based on how often the photo eye sensor fails to detect traffic passing through the doorway while the door is open in response to activation by the door operation sensor.

[0179]

[0195] Example 39 includes the apparatus of Example 36, wherein the operation adjustment analysis circuit is configured to adjust the re-closing timer for the door based on the duration between a first time when sensor feedback data from a photo-eye sensor indicates that traffic has left the entrance / exit and a second time when 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 determines at least one of the direction of traffic or the speed of traffic based on the difference between the timing at which the first photo-eye sensor is activated and the timing at which 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 being positioned close to the base of the door system, and the second photo-eye sensor being positioned at a higher location, and the sensor feedback analysis circuit designates the detected traffic as either pedestrian traffic or vehicular traffic based on 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 that emits a beam at a certain angle to a door panel in a closed position that crosses the entrance of the door system, and the sensor feedback analysis circuit determines at least one of the velocity, height, or width of an object approaching the entrance based on the distance from the second sensor to which the object crosses the beam, and the apparatus further includes an action control circuit for adjusting the movement of the door panel based on at least one of the velocity, height, or width of the object.

[0183]

[0199] Example 43 includes the apparatus of Example 42, wherein the motion control circuit is configured to adjust the position of the door panel in response to a change in at least one of the height or width of an object.

[0184]

[0200] Example 44 includes the apparatus of Example 42, wherein the motion control circuit is configured to adjust the speed of the door panel based on the velocity of an object.

[0185]

[0201] Example 45 includes the apparatus of Example 29, wherein the sensor includes a current sensor for measuring the current used by a motor to move a door panel associated with a door system, the sensor feedback analysis circuit generates a profile of the current used by the motor at a first time point and compares the profile to the current used by the motor at a second time point after the first time point, and the apparatus further includes an operation control circuit for generating a warning or notification indicating 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 analyzing sensor feedback data from sensors associated with a door system and executing the instructions to determine, based on the analysis of the sensor feedback data, adjustments to be made to a first sensor among the sensors.

[0187]

[0203] Example 47 includes the apparatus from Example 46, in which the processor circuit is configured to generate a warning or notification recommending that adjustments be performed by a human.

[0188]

[0204] Example 48 includes the apparatus of Example 46, wherein the processor circuit is configured to automatically perform adjustments to the first sensor.

[0189]

[0205] Example 49 includes the apparatus of Example 46, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a release sensor, the door actuation sensor is configured to trigger the actuation of the door of the door system, and the release sensor is configured to detect a release event indicating that the panel of the door system is released from the track that guides the side edge of the panel.

[0190]

[0206] Example 50 includes the apparatus of Example 49, wherein the processor circuit determines whether adjustments should be made based on the number of departure events detected by the departure sensor over a given period of time.

[0191]

[0207] Example 51 includes the apparatus from Example 50, in which a processor circuit is configured to compare the number of departure events with a threshold to determine whether adjustment should be made.

[0192]

[0208] Example 52 includes the apparatus of Example 50, wherein the processor circuit determines the ratio of the number of release events to the total number of door operating cycles during a given period, compares this ratio to a threshold, and determines whether 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 is configured to trigger the operation of the door of the door system, and the photo-eye sensor is configured to detect traffic passing through an entrance associated with the door system.

[0194]

[0210] Example 54 includes the apparatus of Example 53, wherein the processor circuit is configured to determine whether adjustment should be made based on the time between the operation of the door and the operation of the photo-eye sensor.

[0195]

[0211] Example 55 includes the apparatus of Example 53, wherein the processor circuit determines whether adjustments should be made based on how often the photo-eye sensor fails to detect traffic passing through the doorway while the door is open as activated by the door actuation sensor.

[0196]

[0212] Example 56 includes the apparatus of Example 53, wherein the processor circuit is configured to adjust a re-close timer for the door based on the duration between a first time when sensor feedback data from a photo-eye sensor indicates that traffic has left the entrance / exit and a second time when 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 determines at least one of the direction of traffic or the speed of traffic based on the difference between the timing at which the first photo-eye sensor is activated and the timing at which 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 being positioned close to the base of the door system, and the second photo-eye sensor being positioned at a higher location, 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 a second sensor radiates a beam at a certain angle to a door panel in a closed position that crosses the entrance of the door system, and a processor circuit determines at least one of the velocity, height, or width of an object approaching the entrance based on the distance from the second sensor to which the object crosses the beam, and adjusts the movement of the door panel based on at least one of the velocity, height, or width of the object.

[0200]

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

[0201]

[0217] Example 61 includes the apparatus of Example 59, wherein the processor circuit is configured to adjust the speed of the door panel based on the velocity of an object.

[0202]

[0218] Example 62 includes the apparatus of Example 46, wherein the sensor includes a current sensor for measuring the current used by a motor to move a door panel associated with a door system, and the processor circuit is configured 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.

[0203]

[0219] Example 63 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium containing instructions, the instructions causing a machine, when executed, to analyze sensor feedback data from at least one sensor associated with a door system, and to determine, based on the analysis of the sensor feedback data, what adjustments should be made to a first sensor among the sensors.

[0204]

[0220] Example 64 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 63, in which an instruction causes a machine to generate a warning or notice recommending that the adjustment be performed by a human.

[0205]

[0221] Example 65 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 63, in which a command causes the machine to automatically perform adjustments to the first sensor.

[0206]

[0222] Example 66 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 63, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a release sensor, the door actuation sensor triggering the actuation of a door in the door system, and the release sensor detecting a release event indicating that a panel in the door system is released from a track that guides the side edge of the panel.

[0207]

[0223] Example 67 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 66, in which an instruction causes a machine to determine whether adjustments should be made based on the number of detachment events detected by a detachment sensor over a given period of time.

[0208]

[0224] Example 68 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium from Example 67, in which the instruction causes the machine to compare the number of detachment events with a threshold to determine whether adjustment should be made.

[0209]

[0225] Example 69 includes the non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 67, wherein an instruction causes a machine to determine the ratio of the number of release events to the total number of door operating cycles during a given period, and to compare the ratio to a threshold to determine whether an adjustment should be made.

[0210]

[0226] Example 70 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 63, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a photo-eye sensor, the door actuation sensor being configured to trigger the operation of a door in a door system, and the photo-eye sensor being configured to detect traffic passing through an entrance associated with the door system.

[0211]

[0227] Example 71 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 70, in which a command causes the machine to determine whether an adjustment should be made based on the time between the operation of the door and the operation of the photo-eye sensor.

[0212]

[0228] Example 72 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 70, and the instruction causes the machine to determine whether adjustments should be made based on how often the photo-eye sensor fails to detect traffic passing through the doorway while the door is open in response to being activated by the door actuation sensor.

[0213]

[0229] Example 73 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 70, in which a command causes a machine to adjust a re-close timer for a door based on the duration between a first time when sensor feedback data from a photo-eye sensor indicates that traffic has left the entrance / exit and a second time when the door begins to close.

[0214]

[0230] Example 74 includes the non-temporary 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 command causes the machine to determine at least one of the direction of traffic or the speed of traffic based on the difference between the timing at which the first photo-eye sensor is activated and the timing at which the second photo-eye sensor is activated.

[0215]

[0231] Example 75 includes the non-temporary 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 being positioned close to the base of the door system, and the second photo-eye sensor being positioned at a higher location, and a command causes the machine to specify, based on sensor feedback data from the first and second photo-eye sensors, that the detected traffic is either pedestrian traffic or vehicular traffic.

[0216]

[0232] Example 76 includes the non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 63, wherein a second sensor radiates a beam at a certain angle to a door panel in a closed position across an entrance of a door system, and a command causes a machine to determine at least one of the speed, height, or width of an object approaching the entrance based on the distance the object is from the second sensor across the beam, and to adjust the movement of the door panel based on at least one of the speed, height, or width of the object.

[0217]

[0233] Example 77 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 76, in which a command causes a machine to adjust the position of a door panel in response to a change in at least one of the height or width of an object.

[0218]

[0234] Example 78 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium from Example 76, in which a command causes a machine to adjust the speed of a door panel based on the speed of an object.

[0219]

[0235] Example 79 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 63, wherein the sensor includes a current sensor for measuring the current used by a motor to move a door panel associated with a door system, and the command causes 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 comprising the steps of analyzing sensor feedback data from sensors associated with a door system by executing instructions on at least one processor, and determining, based on the analysis of the sensor feedback data, adjustments to be made to a first sensor among the sensors by executing instructions on at least one processor.

[0221]

[0237] Example 81 includes the method of Example 80, further comprising the step of generating a warning or notice recommending that the adjustment be performed by a human.

[0222]

[0238] Example 82 includes the method of Example 80, further comprising the step of automatically performing adjustments to the first sensor.

[0223]

[0239] Example 83 includes the method of Example 80, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a release sensor, the door actuation sensor is configured to trigger the actuation of the door of the door system, and the release sensor is configured to detect a release event indicating that the panel of the door system is released from the track that guides the side edge of the panel.

[0224]

[0240] Example 84 includes the method of Example 83, further comprising the step of determining whether adjustments should be made based on the number of detachment events detected by the detachment sensor over a given period of time.

[0225]

[0241] Example 85 includes the method of Example 84, further comprising the step of comparing the number of withdrawal events to a threshold to determine whether adjustments should be made.

[0226]

[0242] Example 86 includes the method of Example 84, further comprising the steps of determining the ratio of the number of detachment events to the total number of door operating cycles during a given period, and comparing the ratio to a threshold to determine whether adjustment should be made.

[0227]

[0243] Example 87 includes the method of Example 80, wherein the sensors include a door actuation sensor and a photoeye sensor, the door actuation sensor is configured to trigger the actuation of a door in the door system, and the photoeye sensor is configured to detect traffic passing through an entrance associated with the door system.

[0228]

[0244] Example 88 includes the method of Example 87, further comprising the step of determining whether adjustment should be made based on the time between the operation of the door and the operation of the photo-eye sensor.

[0229]

[0245] Example 89 includes the method of Example 87, further comprising the step of determining whether adjustment should be made based on how often the photoeye sensor does not detect traffic passing through the doorway while the door is open in response to being activated by the door actuation sensor.

[0230]

[0246] Example 90 includes the method of Example 87, further comprising the step of adjusting a re-closing timer for a door based on the duration between a first time when sensor feedback data from a photo-eye sensor indicates that traffic has left the entrance / exit and a second time when 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 the step of determining at least one of the direction of traffic or the speed of traffic based on the difference between the timing at which the first photo-eye sensor is activated and the timing at which 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, wherein the first photo-eye sensor is positioned close to the base of the door system, and the second photo-eye sensor is positioned at a higher location, and the method further includes the step of 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 a certain angle to a door panel in a closed position across an entrance of a door system, the method further includes the steps of determining at least one of the velocity, height, or width of an object approaching the entrance based on the distance from the second sensor to which the object crosses the beam, and adjusting the movement of the door panel based on at least one of the velocity, height, or width of the object.

[0234]

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

[0235]

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

[0236]

[0252] Example 96 includes the method of Example 80, wherein the sensor includes a current sensor for measuring the current used by a motor to move a door panel associated with a door system, and the method further includes the steps of 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 a warning or notification indicating potential wear of a seal associated with the door panel.

[0237]

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

[0238]

[0254] Example 98 includes the apparatus of Example 97, in which at least one of the threshold torque or threshold speed is insufficient to cause movement of the door panel when the brake is not worn and is functioning properly.

[0239]

[0255] Example 99 includes the apparatus from Example 97, and the processor circuit is configured to test the brakes each time the door panel is opened.

[0240]

[0256] Example 100 includes the apparatus of Example 97, in which the processor circuit is configured 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, in which the processor circuit is configured to test the brakes at intervals defined by a threshold time.

[0242]

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

[0243]

[0259] Example 103 comprises an operation control circuit that activates a brake to apply a force resisting movement of a door panel associated with a door system, such that at least one of a threshold torque or a threshold speed is used to drive a motor used to move the door panel, wherein at least one of the threshold torque or the threshold speed is used while the brake is activated, comprises a sensor feedback analysis circuit that monitors movement of the door panel, and the operation control circuit generates a warning or notification indicating at least one of potential brake wear or a potential brake failure in response to detection of movement of the door panel while the brake is activated.

[0244]

[0260] Example 104 comprises the apparatus of Example 103, wherein at least one of the threshold torque or the threshold speed is insufficient to overcome the braking force when the brake is not worn and operating properly.

[0245]

[0261] Example 105 comprises the apparatus of Example 103, wherein the operation control circuit is configured to test the brake for each opening cycle of the door panel.

[0246]

[0262] Example 106 comprises the apparatus of Example 103, wherein the operation control circuit is configured to test the brake at intervals defined by a threshold number of door panel opening cycles.

[0247]

[0263] Example 107 comprises the apparatus of Example 103, wherein the operation control circuit is configured to test the brake at intervals defined by a threshold time.

[0248]

[0264] Example 108 comprises the apparatus of Example 103, wherein the operation control circuit is configured to test the brake when the brake is initially set up in the door system, and determine at least one of the threshold torque or the threshold speed based on a result 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 a 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, wherein at least one of the threshold torque or the threshold speed is used while the brake is activated; cause movement of the door panel to be monitored; and cause a warning or notification indicating at least one of potential brake wear or potential brake failure to be generated in response to detecting movement of the door panel while the brake is activated.

[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 brake is not worn and is operating properly.

[0251]

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

[0252]

[0268] Example 112 includes the non-transitory computer-readable medium of Example 109, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor circuit to test the brake at intervals 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 are configured to cause the processor circuit to test the brake at intervals defined by a threshold time.

[0254]

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

[0255]

[0271] Example 115 includes a method comprising: acting a brake to apply a force to resist the movement of a door panel associated with a door system; ensuring that at least one of a threshold torque or threshold speed is used to drive a motor used to move the door panel, wherein at least one of the threshold torque or threshold speed is used while the brake is actuated; monitoring the movement of the door panel by executing instructions in a processor circuit; and, in response to the detection of the movement of the door panel while the brake is actuated, generating a warning or notification indicating at least one of potential brake wear or potential brake failure by executing instructions in a processor circuit.

[0256]

[0272] Example 116 includes the method of Example 115, where 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 functioning properly.

[0257]

[0273] Example 117 includes the method of Example 115, further including the step of testing the brakes after each cycle of opening the door panel.

[0258]

[0274] Example 118 includes the method of Example 115, further including the step of 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 the step of testing the brakes at intervals defined by a threshold time.

[0260]

[0276] Example 120 includes the method of Example 115, further comprising the steps of testing the brakes when they are first set up in the door system, and determining at least one of a threshold torque or a threshold speed based on the test results.

[0261]

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

[0262]

[0278] Example 122 includes the apparatus from Example 121, and the processor circuit is configured to cause the door system to malfunction.

[0263]

[0279] Example 123 includes the apparatus of Example 121, wherein the processor circuit is configured to generate a warning or notification indicating a potential brake failure.

[0264]

[0280] Example 124 includes the apparatus of Example 121, wherein, in response to the detection of movement of the door panel, the processor circuit causes the motor to actuate in a direction that drives the door panel toward the open position.

[0265]

[0281] Example 125 includes the apparatus of Example 124, wherein the processor circuit controls the door panel to the open position before controlling it to the closed position.

[0266]

[0282] Example 126 includes the apparatus of Example 121, wherein, in response to detection of movement of the door panel, the processor circuit causes the motor to actuate in a direction that drives the door panel toward the closed position.

[0267]

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

[0268]

[0284] Example 128 comprises the apparatus of Example 127, wherein the operation control circuit is configured to place the door system in a fault state.

[0269]

[0285] Example 129 comprises the apparatus of Example 127, wherein the operation control circuit is configured to generate a warning or notification indicating a potential brake failure.

[0270]

[0286] Example 130 comprises the apparatus of Example 127, wherein in response to detecting movement of the door panel, the operation control circuit is configured to operate the motor in a direction that drives the door panel toward the open position.

[0271]

[0287] Example 131 comprises the apparatus of Example 130, wherein the operation control circuit is configured to control the door panel to the open position before controlling the door panel to the closed position.

[0272]

[0288] Example 132 comprises the apparatus of Example 127, wherein in response to detecting movement of the door panel, the operation control circuit is configured to operate the motor in a direction that drives the door panel toward the closed position.

[0273]

[0289] Example 133 comprises a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which 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, in response to detecting movement of the door panel when the door panel is to be held in the open position; operate a motor used for driving the door panel; control the door panel to the closed position; and lock the door system.

[0274]

[0290] Example 134 comprises 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 a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 133, in which an instruction causes a processor circuit to generate a warning or notification indicating a potential brake failure.

[0276]

[0292] Example 136 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium from Example 133, in which, upon detection of movement of the door panel, a command causes a processor circuit to actuate a motor in a direction that drives the door panel toward the open position.

[0277]

[0293] Example 137 includes a non-temporary computer-readable medium of Example 136, in which an instruction causes a 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 a non-temporary computer-readable medium from Example 133, in which, upon detection of movement of the door panel, a command causes a processor circuit to actuate a motor in a direction that drives the door panel toward the closed position.

[0279]

[0295] Example 139 includes a method comprising the steps of: monitoring the movement of a door panel associated with a door system when the door panel is to be held in the open position; acting on a motor used to drive the door panel by executing an instruction in a processor circuit in response to the detection of the movement of the door panel when the door panel is to be held in the open position; controlling the door panel to the closed position; and locking the door system.

[0280]

[0296] Example 140 includes the method of Example 139, further including the step of causing the door system to malfunction.

[0281]

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

[0282]

[0298] Example 142 includes the method of Example 139, wherein the step of operating the motor includes the step of operating the motor in a direction that drives the door panel toward the open position.

[0283]

[0299] Example 143 includes the method of Example 142, further comprising the step of controlling the door panel to the open position before controlling the door panel to the closed position.

[0284]

[0300] Example 144 includes the method of Example 139, wherein the step of activating the motor includes the step of activating the motor in a direction that drives the door panel toward the closed position.

[0285]

[0301] While certain exemplary methods, apparatuses, and articles have been disclosed herein, the scope of this patent is not limited to these. Rather, this patent encompasses all methods, apparatuses, and articles that are duly included in the claims of this patent.

[0286]

[0302] The following claims are incorporated by this reference into this detailed description, and each claim stands independently as a distinct embodiment of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. At least one memory, Commands and, It monitors the position of the door panel associated with the door system, The system detects when the beam from the photo-eye sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected non-triggered state based on the position of the door panel. To generate a warning or notification indicating the significance of the beam in the aforementioned unexpected non-triggered state, A processor circuit for executing the aforementioned instructions, Equipped with, The above significance corresponds to the absence of a tab on the side edge of the door panel.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beam is in the unexpected non-triggered state when the beam passes through the hole in the door panel, and the hole corresponds to the position of the tab on the door panel before it is missing.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the beam is in the unexpected non-triggered state for at least one of less than a threshold time or less than a threshold distance of movement of the door panel, the significance of the beam in the unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to the absence of the tab, the threshold time corresponds to the duration for which the hole crosses the path of the beam, and the threshold distance corresponds to the width of the hole.

4. At least one memory, Commands and, It monitors the position of the door panel associated with the door system, The system detects when the beam from the photo-eye sensor associated with the door system is in an unexpected non-triggered state based on the position of the door panel. To generate a warning or notification indicating the significance of the beam in the aforementioned unexpected non-triggered state, A processor circuit for executing the aforementioned instructions, Equipped with, The above significance corresponds to the absence of a corner seal at the lower corner of the door panel.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processor circuit determines that the significance of the beam in the unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to the absence of the corner seal when it is detected that the beam is not obstructed by the door panel when the leading edge of the door panel is within the threshold distance of the photo eye sensor.

6. Monitor the position of the door panel associated with the door system, The beam from the photoeye sensor associated with the door system detects when the door panel is in an unexpected non-triggered state based on its position. A sensor feedback analysis circuit for this purpose, An operating control circuit for generating a warning or notification indicating the significance of the beam in the aforementioned unexpected non-triggered state, Equipped with, The above significance corresponds to the absence of a tab on the side edge of the door panel.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the beam is in the unexpected non-triggered state when the beam passes through the hole in the door panel, and the hole corresponds to the position of the tab on the door panel before it is missing.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuit determines that when the beam is in the unexpected non-triggered state for at least one of less than a threshold time or less than a threshold distance of movement of the door panel, the significance of the beam in the unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to the absence of the tab, the threshold time corresponds to the duration for which the hole crosses the path of the beam, and the threshold distance corresponds to the width of the hole.

9. Monitor the position of the door panel associated with the door system, The beam from the photoeye sensor associated with the door system detects when the door panel is in an unexpected non-triggered state based on its position. A sensor feedback analysis circuit for this purpose, An operating control circuit for generating a warning or notification indicating the significance of the beam in the aforementioned unexpected non-triggered state, Equipped with, The above significance corresponds to the absence of a corner seal at the lower corner of the door panel.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the sensor feedback analysis circuit determines that the significance of the beam in the unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to the absence of the corner seal when it detects that the beam is not obstructed by the door panel when the leading edge of the door panel is within the threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor.

11. A computer-readable medium containing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed, the machine can, at least, The door system monitors the position of the door panel associated with it. The beam from the photo eye sensor associated with the door system is used to detect when the door panel is in an unexpected non-triggered state based on its position. To generate a warning or notification indicating the significance of the beam in the aforementioned unexpected non-triggered state, A computer-readable medium in which the aforementioned significance corresponds to the absence of a tab on the side edge of the door panel.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the beam is in the unexpected non-triggered state when the beam passes through the hole in the door panel, and the hole corresponds to the position of the tab on the door panel before it is missing.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the instruction causes the machine to determine that the significance of the beam in the unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to the absence of the tab when the beam is in the unexpected non-triggered state for at least one of less than a threshold time or less than a threshold distance of movement of the door panel, the threshold time corresponds to the duration of the hole traversing the path of the beam, and the threshold distance corresponds to the width of the hole.

14. A computer-readable medium containing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed, the machine can, at least, The door system monitors the position of the door panel associated with it. The beam from the photo eye sensor associated with the door system is used to detect when the door panel is in an unexpected non-triggered state based on its position. To generate a warning or notification indicating the significance of the beam in the aforementioned unexpected non-triggered state, A computer-readable medium in which the aforementioned significance corresponds to the absence of a corner seal at the lower corner of the door panel.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the instruction causes the machine to determine that the significance of the beam in the unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to the absence of the corner seal when the leading edge of the door panel is within the threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor and the beam is not obstructed by the door panel.

16. A step of monitoring the position of a door panel associated with a door system, The steps include detecting 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, The steps include generating a warning or notification indicating the significance of the beam being in the aforementioned unexpected non-triggered state, Includes, A method for which the above significance corresponds to the absence of a tab on the side edge of the door panel.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the beam is in the unexpected non-triggered state when the beam passes through the hole in the door panel, and the hole corresponds to the position of the tab on the door panel before it is missing.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising the step of determining that when the beam is in the unexpected non-triggered state for at least one of less than a threshold time or less than a threshold distance of movement of the door panel, the significance of the beam in the unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to the absence of the tab, wherein the threshold time corresponds to the duration for which the hole traverses the path of the beam, and the threshold distance corresponds to the width of the hole.

19. A step of monitoring the position of a door panel associated with a door system, The steps include detecting 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, The steps include generating a warning or notification indicating the significance of the beam being in the aforementioned unexpected non-triggered state, Includes, A method for which the above significance corresponds to the absence of a corner seal at the lower corner of the door panel.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of determining that the significance of the beam in the unexpected non-triggered state corresponds to a missing corner seal when it is detected that the beam is not obstructed by the door panel when the leading edge of the door panel is within a threshold distance of the photo-eye sensor.

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