Door Drive Control for Manual Closing Assistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Manual operation of building doors with electric drives often results in mechanical play and counter pressure issues, leading to incomplete sealing and increased effort, due to mechanical play in the drive system and counter pressure from door seals.

Innovation Solution

A door drive system with a position sensor that detects manual movement near the 'DOOR CLOSED' position, switches on the motor to gently guide the door into its natural end position, correcting for mechanical slip and play, and includes a door drive control that automatically adjusts speed and power to ensure proper sealing and reduce manual effort.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the door is manually closed without motor assistance, then the user can operate the door freely, but mechanical play and counter pressure prevent complete sealing and increase closing effort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanual closing effortVSAvoidsealing completeness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of manual closing action and prepares motor assistance in advance by activating the motor before the door reaches the closing position, ensuring the door is properly sealed before the user completes the closing motion

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The motor-driven door operator acts as an intermediary between the user's manual closing force and the door leaf, providing supplemental force to overcome mechanical play and seal counter pressure, ensuring complete sealing while reducing the effort required by the user

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If the motor drives the door to the closing position, then positioning accuracy improves, but mechanical play in the drive system reduces sealing effectiveness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning accuracyVSAvoidsealing effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system activates the motor in advance during the closing approach and maintains motor assistance through the final sealing phase, compensating for mechanical play that occurs in the drive system before and during engagement with the door frame

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The control unit monitors the door position and closing force, adjusting motor output in real-time to compensate for mechanical play and ensure the door leaf achieves complete sealing despite variations in the mechanical drive system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If the motor provides continuous assistance during closing, then sealing is improved, but the complexity of the door drive system increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesealing qualityVSAvoiddoor drive control complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The motor provides assistance only during the critical closing phase when sealing is required, rather than continuous operation, reducing control complexity while maintaining sealing quality through targeted motor intervention in the closing zone

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3240936B1Method for operating a door drive, door drive controller, door drive, and swing door
Publication Date: 2024.01.31 HORMANN ANTRIEBSTECHN
  • EP3240936B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3240936B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3240936B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for operating a door drive (14) connected to a leaf (18) of a building door (10), in order to provide for a comfortable manual actuation of a building door comprising a door drive. Said method comprises: sensing if the leaf (18) is being moved manually in the closing direction into a closing end range (72) adjoining the closing end position, and pulling the leaf (18) closed in a motor-driven manner by driving the leaf (18) into the closing end position if the leaf (18) is in the closing end range (72).