Variable Keep-Open Time Control for Entrance Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Entrance systems with automatic door operators experience significant energy consumption due to prolonged periods of open doors, leading to increased energy costs and environmental impact, as existing systems often keep doors open for extended times to accommodate pedestrian traffic, resulting in air infiltration and the need for HVAC systems to compensate.
Innovation Solution
A control arrangement for entrance systems that includes a controller and sensors to detect presence or absence of individuals or objects, allowing for a longer initial keep-open time when activity is detected and a shorter keep-open time when no activity is sensed, enabling faster door closure when no passage is required, thereby reducing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the door is kept open for a long period to accommodate pedestrian traffic, then user convenience is improved, but energy consumption increases due to air infiltration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the door keep-open time variable rather than fixed. The control arrangement dynamically adjusts the door closing timing based on real-time sensor feedback about pedestrian presence and passage status. The door remains open longer when pedestrians are actively passing through, and closes promptly when no passage is detected, thereby balancing user convenience with energy conservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through sensor units that continuously monitor the entrance zone for pedestrian presence and passage. This feedback information is fed to the control arrangement, which uses it to intelligently determine when to close the door. The feedback mechanism ensures the door stays open only as long as necessary for actual passage, preventing unnecessary energy loss from keeping the door open during periods of no activity.
2Loss of energy
If the door closes quickly to reduce energy loss, then energy consumption decreases, but safety is compromised due to risk of hitting or jamming pedestrians
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having sensor units detect pedestrians and trigger door opening or prevention of closing before the pedestrian actually reaches the door. The control arrangement receives advance warning of pedestrian presence and adjusts door operation accordingly, ensuring the door remains open or closes safely after the pedestrian has cleared the entrance zone, thus preventing collisions while still enabling quick closure when appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback from sensor units that continuously monitor the entrance zone to determine pedestrian presence and passage status. This real-time feedback enables the control arrangement to make safety-conscious decisions about door operation, extending the keep-open time when pedestrians are detected and initiating closure only when the zone is clear, thereby ensuring safety while minimizing energy loss.
3Reliability
If sensors provide accurate detection to ensure safety, then safety is improved, but false alarms may occur causing user annoyance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback through multiple sensor units that cross-validate detection signals. The control arrangement processes feedback from various sensors to distinguish between genuine pedestrian presence and false alarm conditions. By requiring corroboration from multiple sensor inputs and analyzing the pattern of detection signals, the system achieves high safety reliability while minimizing false alarms that would cause user annoyance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the control arrangement to automatically distinguish between valid detection signals and false alarms through intelligent signal processing. The system self-regulates by analyzing sensor output patterns, timing characteristics, and spatial distribution of detection signals to determine whether to activate the door or maintain normal operation, thereby ensuring safety without requiring manual intervention and reducing false alarm impact on user convenience.
Data Source
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AI summary
Present invention relates to an entrance system (10) comprising a control arrangement (20) for controlling the automatic door operator (30). The entrance system (10) is configured to operate in any one of the following states: an opening state (OPS) wherein the one or more movable door members (D1...Dm) are moving between the closed position and the opened position towards the opened position; a closing state (CLS) wherein the one or more movable door members (D1...Dm) are moving between the opened position and the closed position towards the closed position. The control arrangement is configured to receive an opening command prompting the entrance system to be in the opened state (OS) and in response to the opening command, control the automatic door operator (30) to cause the entrance system (10) to switch to the opened state (OS) and select a first predetermined keep open time (TK1) as a current keep open time (TC) for which the entrance system shall be kept in the opened state (OS) and receive sensor data from the at least one sensor (S1...Sn) and in response to the sensor data indicating that no person or object is passing through the entrance system, select a second predetermined keep open time (TK2) as the current keep open time (TC). Present invention further relates to a control arrangement for an entrance system (10) and a method for operating said entrance system (10).