Abstract:
Improvements in human interaction with barrier movement operators are disclosed. A controller of the barrier movement operator is capable of a number of learning modes in which the controller cooperates with a user to learn operating parameters. The controller guides and corrects the necessary actions by the user. The barrier movement operator also includes an input/output unit remote from the main controller of the operator. Human interaction with the remote input/output unit enables diagnosis of operator faults remotely.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to barrier movement operators and particularly to human interface methods and apparatus for such systems. 
     Barrier movement operators are known which include a motor for moving a barrier between open and closed positions and a controller for selectively energizing the motor to move the barrier. Gate operators and garage door operators are examples of the wide range of such barrier movement operators. The controller of a barrier operator may be responsive to stimulus signals to perform various barrier movements with safety. For example, the barrier operator may include a control switch which, when pressed, reverses the direction of travel of the barrier or starts the barrier moving toward the open or closed position. 
     Barrier movement systems have proven to be safe and efficient in their operation and as the technology evolves more and more safety and convenience features have been added. Such new features are a benefit in the operation of barrier movement operator however, they have tended to make the installation and maintenance of the operators more complicated. A need exists for improved human interaction with barrier movement operators to simplify their installation and maintenance. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view of a barrier movement operator; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a controller of the barrier movement operator and apparatus which interacts with the controller; 
         FIG. 3  represents an interface with the controller of a barrier movement operator. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of an interactive diagnostic function, 
         FIG. 5  is a table showing signaling for various error codes; and 
         FIG. 6  is a flow diagram of an interactive learn mode function. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a view of an embodiment of a barrier movement operator.  FIG. 1  shows a jack shaft balanced, powered jack shaft moved residential garage door movement operator. It will be understood from the following that the improvements described and claimed herein apply to other types of barrier movement systems such as commercial door operators, rolling gate operators, swinging gate operators, other types of balancing such as tension spring, and other types of movement such as high lift and powered rail and trolley. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , a panel door  112  is raised and lowered in a pair of side tracks  114  and  116 . Door  112  is connected by cables  105  and  107  to a pair of drums  104  and  108  disposed on a jack shaft  106  and rotated under the power of a motor  150  contained by a head end  102 . The motor is selectively energized by a controller  208  and associated apparatus ( FIG. 2 ) to move the door  112  between a closed position, as shown in  FIG. 1 , and an open position. The controller  208 , which includes a programmed microprocessor, responds to user input signals from a wall control  124  and an rf transmitter  118  to initiate door movement. Obstructions to door movement may be detected by an optical transmitter  138  and receiver  142  which “watch” the door opening to detect when an obstruction is beneath the door. Similarly, an optional door edge sensor (not shown) may be attached to the bottom of the door to detect physical contact with an obstruction. 
     When the barrier movement operator is installed, the controller  208  is taught the open and closed positions of the door so that the motor  150  is energized only long enough to move the door between those limit positions. The described embodiment automatically learns the open and closed limits of door travel, with installer assistance and stores representations of the learned limits in a memory of controller  208 . The position of the barrier as it is moved is tracked by counting RPM signals representing the rotation of motor  150  and stored in the controller memory. Periodically the stored position tracking information is compared to a known position and the stored position is updated as needed. 
     The wall control  124  includes an open push button  135 , a close push button  134  and a stop push button  136 . After the barrier operator is installed, a user may press the open or close buttons  135  and  134  of wall control  124  which signals controller  208  via a path  126 . Controller assesses the present state of the barrier based on various inputs discussed and sends a signal on a communication path  220  to control relays  222  which apply power to motor  150  and to an optional light  234 . For example, when the barrier  112  is at the open limit and push button  134  is pressed, controller  208  energizes relays  222  to energize motor  150  to move the barrier toward the closed limit. During such movement the optical sensors  138  and  142 , and other safety equipment, are surveyed to assure safe movement of the door. A user can also initiate barrier movement by rf transmitting an appropriate security code from a transmitter  118  in a manner well known in the art. Such an rf transmission is received by a receiver  207  via an antenna  120  and the resultant received signal is sent on to controller  208 . A non-volatile memory  212  stores previously learned security codes and when a match exists between a previously learned code and a received code, the controller operates the door in the same manner as if a button of wall control  124  had been pressed. 
     The controller is also connected to a plurality of input/output devices  147  which are represented in greater detail in  FIG. 3 . The input/output devices are normally contained within head end  102  and are useful to installers and maintainers of the barrier movement operator. Input/output devices  147  includes a rotary switch  199  which a user rotates to set a particular wiring type for the operator (positions B, C, D, E, F,  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4  or  5 ) or request a special operation such as diagnosis (position  9 ) or programming (position  8 ). The various wiring types are known in the art and are not discussed in detail herein. A plurality of indicator LEDs are also included to advise a user of the status of particular controller functions. Such LEDs include 24V status  192 , 5V status  193 , IR present  194 , radio present  195  and edge obstruction  196 . As the controller  208  surveys the items represented by the LEDs  192 – 196  it lights them to show actual status. The status of the barrier is also displayed by a plurality of LEDs  197 ,  198  and  199  which are individually lighted when the barrier is at the open limit, a mid-travel limit and the closed limit, respectively. A plurality of learn enable switches  187 ,  204 ,  205  and  206  are also provided. The controller responds to a press of timer-to-close set switch  187  by entering a learn mode to learn a time value for the timer-to-close routine. Controller responds to a press of mid-learn switch  204  by entering a learn mode to learn an optional mid-travel position. Similarly, a switch  205 , when pressed, causes the controller  208  to enter a maximum run time learn mode in which the time of travel between the open and closed position is learned. Finally, a maintenance alert switch  206  when pressed causes controller  208  to enter a mode in which predetermined maintenance parameters are learned which are used later to notify users, via a MAS LED  209  that maintenance is to be performed. 
     An open switch  215 , a close switch  214  and a stop switch  213  are also provided to allow maintenance personnel to control the barrier from the head end  102 . In addition, an open LED  217  is associated with the open switch  215 , a close LED  218  is associated with the close switch  214  and a stop LED  219  is associated with the stop switch  213 . 
     The present embodiment includes a timer-to-close feature which is in part implemented with routines to be performed by controller  208 . The timer-to-close feature automatically moves the barrier toward the closed position when the barrier has been in the open position for a predetermined period of time. The predetermined period of time may be preset and stored in controller  208  at the time of manufacture or optionally it may be established by user controlled methods during installation. 
     Controller  208  continues to survey the operating characteristics of the barrier movement operator as it functions. During the continuing surveys some errors may be detected and representations of the errors are stored in memory of the controller  208 . Occasionally the errors become serious enough that the controller  208  stops moving the barrier and awaits servicing by maintenance personnel. Maintenance personnel can grasp the efficacy of the barrier movement operator by assessing the error codes and correcting whatever faults and errors might be represented by the error codes. The present embodiment provides methods and apparatus for maintenance personnel or other user to read the error codes remotely from the head end  102 . 
     The diagnostic mode of operation is entered by controller  208  in response to the user setting switch  199  to the diagnostic position  9 . In the diagnostic mode the user can access error codes from controller  208  by input signals from wall control  124  which is mounted remotely from head end  102 . The error codes are displayed at wall control  124  by blinking an LED  137  thereof.  FIG. 4  represents the responses of controller  208  to user interaction with wall control  124 . The flow diagram of  FIG. 4  begins with block  240  in which controller  208  enters diagnostic mode in response to user control of switch  199 . When a user presses one of the push buttons  134 ,  135  and  136  while controller  208  is in the diagnostic mode, a block  242  is performed to determine which switch was pressed. When block  242  determines that the open switch  135  was pressed a block  244  is entered in which pulses are sent to LED 137  causing it to pulse once for each stored error code. This action provides the user with the number of error codes stored by controller  208 . After block  244  flow proceeds to block  249  where a determination is made whether the diagnostic mode is to be continued or whether the user has changed the position of switch  199  to a position indicating some other function. When switch  199  remains in the diagnostic position, flow proceeds back to block  242  to await another button press. 
     When block  242  detects a press of the close button  134 , flow proceeds to block  245  where the number of close button presses since entering the diagnostic mode is counted. From block  245  flow proceeds to block  246  in which controller  208  sends a number of pulses to wall control  124  to pulse LED 137  a number of times corresponding to the next error code.  FIG. 5  shows seven error codes and the number of blinks which corresponds to each. 
     When controller  208  has stored more than one error code, the next error code is displayed for each transit through block  246 . That is, the first error code will be displayed the first time block  246  is performed during a diagnostic mode and the second through the n th  stored error codes are displayed on the second through the n th  transition through block  246 . 
     When block  242  detects that the stop button  136  has been pressed; controller  208  clears all stored error codes in a block  248  and proceeds to block  249 . Eventually a user will switch controller  208  from the diagnostic mode causing an exit of the flow diagram of  FIG. 4 . 
     The present embodiment also includes the ability to guide a user through installation and learn mode actions.  FIG. 6  is a flow diagram of such guidance by controller  208 .  FIG. 6  begins at block  251  in which a learn mode operation begins and proceeds to block  253  in which controller  208  determines the user activities or steps needed during the learn process. From the performance of block  253  controller identifies the proper beginning status (such as barrier position) of the barrier movement operator. Block  255  checks actual status to determine whether or not the operator is in the proper beginning status. If not, an indication of the correct status is displayed to the user in a block  257  and a check is performed in block  259  to determine if the correction to the proper status has been performed by the user. If the correction action is not taken within a predetermined period of time flow proceeds to block  261  where failure is displayed to the user and the learn mode is exited. 
     When block  259  determines that the proper correction has been made flow proceeds to block  263  via block  255 . In block  263  the first user action is identified to the user. A check is then performed in block  265  to determine whether the correct action has been taken within a predetermined period of time. If not, failure is signaled to the user in block  267  and the learn mode is exited. When block  265  determines that the correct action has been taken a block  269  is performed to identify if more actions are needed. Flow returns to block  263  and a loop continues until block  269  determines that no further steps are needed in which case the parameters are learned (stored) in block  271  and the learn mode is exited. 
     The following is an example of the interactive learn mode in accordance with  FIG. 6  as performed to learn a time value for the max run timer. This timer is used by controller  208  to determine whether the movement of the barrier has been going on for too long without reaching the destination limit. The value for the max run timer is generally a measured time between open and closed limits plus five to 10 seconds. Initially the user presses the MRT set button  205  ( FIG. 3 ) to begin the learn mode. Controller responds by identifying the proper beginning status and steps for the user to perform. For this learn mode the barrier is to start from the closed limit. If the door is not at the closed limit, the close limit LED  202  is flashed to advise the user who should then move the door to the closed limit. If the user does not move the barrier to the closed limit all of the limit LEDs  200 ,  201  and  202  are flashed to advise of the failure and the learn mode is exited. If the barrier is moved to the closed limit when directed (or was in the closed limit position when the learn mode began) controller  208  flashes the open LED  217  to direct the user to move the barrier to the open position by pressing the open button  215 . Should the open button not be pressed or should the barrier for other reasons not be moved to the open limit, failure is signaled and the learn mode is exited. However, if the open button is pressed by the user and the barrier proceeds to the open limit the controller  208  counts the time of travel and adds five seconds to the counted value and stores the result for use in controlling the barrier movement operator.