Movable Barrier Obstruction Detection Using Good-Run Profiles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Movable barrier opener systems, particularly those with jack shaft drive assemblies, face challenges in reliably detecting and responding to obstructions and abnormal occurrences, especially in light-weight barriers, where normal variations in inertial forces can mimic obstruction conditions, leading to unnecessary interruptions and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring method that compares the current movable barrier behavioral profile with a stored good profile, using position factors like motor current and angular position, and calculates a correlation coefficient for force factors, to determine deviations and interruptions only when beyond pre-set criteria, ensuring uninterrupted travel unless true obstructions or abnormalities are detected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the monitoring system is made highly sensitive to detect obstructions, then the reliability of obstruction detection is improved, but false interruptions increase due to normal inertial force variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts the monitoring threshold based on real-time operational conditions. Instead of using a fixed threshold, the system adjusts the sensitivity criteria according to the actual force profile patterns observed during barrier operation, allowing it to distinguish between normal variations and true obstructions by comparing current operation against dynamic baseline patterns
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the monitoring parameters by analyzing multiple force factors simultaneously (such as motor current, voltage, and speed) rather than relying on a single parameter. By evaluating correlations across multiple parameters and comparing against stored good profiles, the system can differentiate between normal operational variations and actual obstruction conditions
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the monitoring threshold is lowered to reduce false interruptions, then false positives decrease, but the system fails to detect true obstructions promptly
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary comparison mechanism that evaluates current force profiles against stored reference profiles from normal operation. Rather than using a simple threshold, the system acts as an intermediary by calculating correlation coefficients between current and reference patterns, providing a nuanced assessment that reduces false positives while maintaining detection sensitivity
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring force profiles and adjusting its assessment based on the correlation between current operation and established normal patterns. The feedback mechanism allows the system to learn from operational history and refine its detection criteria, ensuring that the threshold adapts to maintain both sensitivity and accuracy
3Speed
If continuous monitoring of force factors is implemented, then rapid response to obstructions is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses copying by storing reference force profiles from normal operation and comparing current operation against these copies. Instead of implementing complex real-time analysis from scratch, the system creates and compares copies of normal operational patterns, simplifying the monitoring logic while enabling rapid detection of deviations
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system is integrated into the existing controller, making it multi-functional. The same controller that manages barrier operation also performs monitoring, profiling, and detection functions, eliminating the need for separate dedicated hardware and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining rapid response capability
Data Source
AI summary
Movable barrier monitoring apparatus and methods are provided for rapidly responding to barrier travel obstructions and other abnormal occurrences to cause the movable barrier operator to halt barrier travel or stop and reverse barrier travel, while ignoring typical and normal impediments to barrier travel. Alternate methods are described for programming the barrier operator controller to compare characteristics of the monitored barrier run over the defined travel path with the characteristics of a good barrier run without interruption to barrier travel, with the degree of differentiation of such characteristics determinative of whether the operator controller is to interrupt barrier travel or not.