Patent ID: 7755223

Claim:
A movable barrier operator apparatus comprising: a power supply that operably couples to at least one source of alternating current; an obstacle detector; and a movable barrier operator which includes a controller, the movable barrier operator operably coupled to the power supply, receives operating power from the power supply and has at least a first and a second mode of energy consumption operation and being further configured and arranged to: selectively open and close a corresponding movable barrier; and develop an obstacle detector operating mode control signal from the controller as a function of movable barrier operator system state information that indicates whether the barrier is open or closed, the obstacle detector operating mode control signal being operable to directly control the energy usage of the obstacle detector, the control signal from the controller developed as a result of the state information, the state information selected from the group consisting of motor state information, time information, transmission state information, voltage state information, switch state information and combinations thereof, the obstacle detector operably coupled to the power supply and to the movable barrier operator, receives operating power from the power supply, and has a plurality of operating modes, wherein at least some of the operating modes have different energy usages, and wherein the obstacle detector is directly responsive to the movable barrier operator obstacle detector operating mode control signal such that: during the first mode of energy consumption operation, the obstacle detector operates using a first energy usage; and during the second mode of energy consumption operation, the obstacle detector operates using a second energy usage, wherein the operating power used in one of the energy usages is less than the power used by the other energy usage.