Door Sensor Device Using Pre-Calculated Lead Angles for Safe Operation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing door sensor devices require complex assembly and learning processes, making them cumbersome to set up and operate safely without prior calibration.

Innovation Solution

A door sensor device that can be ready for operation without a learning run, utilizing its own sensors or externally entered parameters to detect angle and advance angles, evaluating radiation based on shifted measuring points within a protective field, and adjusting transmission accordingly to ensure safe operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a learning cycle is implemented to ensure safe operation, then safety is improved, but installation time and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidinstallation time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-calculates and stores lead angle values for multiple measuring points during manufacturing. These values represent the angular offset between the door element's rotation axis and each measuring point on the protective field boundary. During installation, the system directly uses these pre-stored values without requiring a learning cycle, enabling immediate safe operation while maintaining comprehensive protective field monitoring

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If multiple measuring points are monitored to ensure comprehensive safety coverage, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety coverageVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protective field is divided into multiple discrete measuring points, each with pre-calculated lead angle values stored in the system. The evaluation device independently evaluates radiation at each measuring point using its specific lead angle value, allowing comprehensive coverage of the entire protective field boundary without requiring complex real-time calculations or additional hardware for each point

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of manufacture

If lead angle values are pre-calculated and stored for each measuring point, then installation effort is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation effortVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

During manufacturing, the system pre-calculates lead angle values based on the geometric relationship between the door element's rotation axis and each measuring point on the protective field boundary. These calculated values are stored in the system's memory during production. This preliminary calculation eliminates the need for complex real-time computations during installation and operation, significantly reducing installation effort while the manufacturing complexity is confined to the initial setup phase

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables quick and safe setup with minimal assembly effort by determining the protective field limits using angle and advance angle values, ensuring the door element does not exceed predetermined safety boundaries during operation.

Implementation Method 1

The transmitting device (21) generates monitoring beams (S) which form measuring points (M1 to Mn) on a floor (30)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight propagation: Light

Implementation Method 2

A receiving device (22) is connected to the evaluation device (23). The receiving device (22) receives radiation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectRadiation detection: Photoelectric Effect

Data Source

PatentEP3695249B1Sensor device for a door and method of operating the same
Publication Date: 2022.08.17 PEPPERL & FUCHS SE
  • EP3695249B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3695249B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3695249B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates, among other things, to a door sensor device (20) for mounting on a door element (10), more particularly a swing door, which can be rotated about an axis of rotation (D), having at least one transmission device (21) for generating at least one monitoring beam (S) in the direction of the floor, said beam being oriented at an angle to the door leaf plane (E) of the door element (10), at least one receiving device (22) for receiving reflected or back-scattered radiation, and an evaluation device (23) for evaluating the radiation received by the receiving device (22) and generating an object detection signal. According to the invention, the evaluation device (23) is designed such that it checks whether a predefined exclusion condition is met, wherein the exclusion condition is dependent on at least three values, specifically an angle value specifying the rotational angle of the door element (10), a maximum value predefined for the evaluation device (23), said maximum value specifying a fixed, maximum permitted rotational angle of the door element (10), and a measuring-point-specific advance angle value, which specifies the angle between a section which is bounded by the measuring point (M1-Mn) formed by the monitoring beam (S) on the floor and the axis of rotation (D) of the door element (10), and the door leaf plane (E).