Patent Grant
11521445
Electronic entry door features, such as electronic door locks (e.g., push button, biometric sensor, RFID reader), intercoms, cameras, motion sensors, and lighting, have been provided as modular, battery powered solutions for installation on or near an entry door, to provide additional security and convenience, and may, for example, provide for remote communication with a user (e.g., homeowner, business owner, resident, or employee), for example, through wireless communication (e.g., Wi-Fi or cellular) with the user's cell phone, tablet or computer.
One embodiment relates to a door assembly. The door assembly includes a door slab, an electronic component embedded in the door slab, and electric wiring connected to the electronic component. The door slab includes a frame defining a cavity, a core disposed within the cavity, a front door skin disposed along a front side of the frame, and a rear door skin disposed along a rear side of the frame. The front door skin and the rear door skin encloses the core within the cavity. The frame has a hinged edge configured to be pivotally coupled to a door jamb. The electric wiring is connected to the electronic component and routed through the door slab to the hinged edge to facilitate electrically coupling the electronic component to an external power source.
Another embodiment relates to a door assembly. The door assembly includes a door slab, a first electronic component embedded within the door slab, a second electronic component embedded within the door slab, and electric wiring connected to the first electronic component and the second electronic component. The electric wiring is configured to facilitate electrically coupling the first electronic component and the second electronic component to an external power source. The first electronic component includes at least one of an electronically-controllable privacy window or a camera device. The second electronic component includes an electronic locking mechanism.
Still another embodiment relates to a door assembly. The door assembly includes a doorjamb, a door slab, a hinge, a first electronic component, a second electronic component, and electric wiring. The door slab has a first side, an opposing second side, a first longitudinal edge, and an opposing second longitudinal edge. The hinge pivotally couples the first longitudinal edge of the door slab to the door jamb. The first electronic component is embedded within the door slab. The first electronic component includes at least one of an electronically-controllable privacy window or a camera device. The second electronic component is embedded within the door slab. The second electronic component includes an electronic locking mechanism. The electric wiring is connected to the first electronic component and the second electronic component. The electric wiring is configured to facilitate electrically coupling the first electronic component and the second electronic component to an external power source.
Before turning to the figures, which illustrate certain exemplary embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.
As shown in
According to an exemplary embodiment, a composite (e.g., having a fiberglass or foam filled frame) door assembly may be provided with one or more electronic features integrated into the door and in wired electrical communication with the building's electrical system to provide an integrated electronic (or “smart”) entry door solution, without the need for separate end user installation of one or more modular electronic components.
While the electronic features and systems described herein may be integrated into many types of doors, the foam filled cavity of a composite fiberglass door facilitates incorporation of internal electronic features within the door, without requiring extensive machining or modification, as may be the case with a solid or monolithic door. Fiberglass doors typically include a door-shaped frame member (e.g., having wooden horizontal rails and vertical stiles), first and second fiberglass reinforced compression molded door skins secured to opposed first and second sides of the frame member, and a polymeric foam-type core (e.g., sprayed-in foam or cut block foam pieces) positioned between the door skins and within the frame member.
The door may include, within its foamed-in enclosure, electrical wiring for one or more electronic features, with the electrical wiring extending through a hinged portion (e.g., a hinged edge, etc.) of the door and into the door jamb for connection with the electrical system of the building. Exemplary electrical connections between the door edge and the door jamb, include, for example, electric transfer hinges (e.g., Series 1100 electric hinge, manufactured by ACSI) and flexible conduits (e.g., CDL series “concealed door loop,” manufactured by Command Access Technologies).
In some embodiments, an electronic feature that is integral to the door, such as, for example, an electrically activated privacy window (as manufactured, for example, by Innovative Glass Corp) may be connected to a building electrical system by electrical wiring integrated into a composite door. As shown in
The electrical wiring 110 may be installed in the door slab 105 after installation of the core 106, for example, into a slot or other such cutout in the core 106. In one embodiment, a channel for the electrical wiring 110 may be drilled into the core 106 of a completed door, allowing for post-production installation of an integrated electronic system. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the electrical wiring 110 may be installed in the door cavity prior to installation of the core 106. For example, the electrical wiring 110 may be secured (e.g., taped) against an interior surface of at least one of the door skins, and the core 106 may be subsequently installed (e.g., sprayed or inserted) over and/or around the electrical wiring 110.
In other embodiments, electronic features conventionally provided as mountable modular electronic components may be integrated into a door slab, with integrated electrical wiring connecting the electronic features to the building electrical system. As shown in
To prevent contact between the electronic features and their electrical wiring connections with the core 206 (which may be flammable), the electronic features and their wiring connections may be fully enclosed in housing members embedded in either or both of the outer door frame (e.g., the frame member 14, etc.) and the core 206.
As shown in
In some integrated electronic door systems, electronic features may require different electrical power supplies (e.g., high voltage and low voltage power supplies). As shown in
Additionally or alternatively, any one or more of the electronic door features may be provided with its own control system (e.g., an integrated controller, etc.) for remote user control of the electronic feature, for example, through wireless communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, etc.) with a smart phone or other computing device C (e.g., a locally stored or web-based application). Either or both of the door lock 330 and the camera 340 may be provided with backup battery units, for example, for powered operation of the door lock 330 and/or the camera 340 in the event of loss of power to the building. Additionally or alternatively, an internal power supply, shown as backup battery 395, may be integrated into the door slab 305 for connection with one or more of the electronic features of the door system 300 to supply backup power to the electronic features in the event of building power loss. In an exemplary embodiment, the backup battery 395 may be configured to supply only low voltage power to the corresponding low voltage electronic devices (e.g., the door lock 330, the camera 340, etc.) without powering high voltage electronic device(s) (e.g., the privacy window 320, etc.). The backup battery 395 may be a rechargeable battery connected with the building power supply and may be configured to recharge when power to the building is operational and/or restored.
Referring now to
As shown in
In still other embodiments, an electronic door system may include an integrated controller (e.g., a control board, a control system, etc.) embedded in a composite door for integrated, single-source control of a plurality of electronic door features. As shown in
The control board 580 may be provided with a wireless transceiver for wireless communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, etc.) between any one or more of the installed electronic features and a smart phone or other computing device C (e.g., using a locally stored or web-based application). Additionally or alternatively, any one or more of the installed electronic features may be provided with their own control systems (e.g., an integrated controller, etc.) for remote user control of the electronic feature, for example, through wireless communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, etc.) with a smart phone or other computing device C (e.g., using a locally stored or web-based application). Either or both of the door lock 530 and the camera 540 may be provided with backup battery units, for example, for powered operation of the door lock 530 and/or the camera 540 in the event of loss of power to the building. Additionally or alternatively, an internal power supply, shown as backup battery 595, may be integrated into the door slab 505 for connection with one or more of the electronic features of the door system 500 to supply backup power to the electronic features in the event of building power loss. In an exemplary embodiment, the backup battery 595 is configured to supply only low voltage power to the corresponding low voltage electronic devices (e.g., the door lock 530, the camera 540, etc.) without powering the high voltage electronic device(s) (e.g., the privacy window 520, etc.). The backup battery 595 may be a rechargeable battery connected with the building power supply and may be configured to recharge when power to the building is operational and/or restored.
In other embodiments, a composite door may include electrical features and wiring embedded or otherwise disposed in an outer frame portion (e.g., the frame member 14, etc.) of the door such that a door may be assembled from a complete, electronics-integrated door frame member, for example, to reduce door assembly time. As shown in
As shown in
The control board 680 may be provided with a wireless transceiver for wireless communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, etc.) between any one or more of the installed electronic features and a smart phone or other computing device C (e.g., using a locally stored or web-based application). Additionally or alternatively, any one or more of the installed electronic features may be provided with their own control systems (e.g., an integrated controller, etc.) for remote user control of the electronic feature, for example, through wireless communication (e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular, Bluetooth, etc.) with a smart phone or other computing device C (e.g., using a locally stored or web-based application). Either or both of the door lock 630 and the camera 640 may be provided with backup battery units, for example, for powered operation of the door lock 630 and/or the camera 640 in the event of loss of power to the building. Additionally or alternatively, an internal power supply, shown as backup battery 695, may be integrated into the door slab 605 for connection with one or more of the electronic features of the door system 600 to supply backup power to the electronic features in the event of building power loss. In an exemplary embodiment, the backup battery 695 may be configured to supply only low voltage power to the corresponding low voltage electronic devices (e.g., the door lock 630, the camera 640, etc.) without powering the high voltage electronic device(s) (e.g., the privacy window 620). The backup battery 695 may be a rechargeable battery connected with the building power supply and may be configured to recharge when power to the building is operational and/or restored. Like the control board 680, the backup battery 695 may be enclosed in a third housing installed in the frame 601, for example, to facilitate installation, and/or to provide a fire safe enclosure for the backup battery 695 and its wiring connections.
Referring now to
The control board 780 is in wireless communication with a local Wi-Fi router, shown as router 797, for communication with a user interface I. As one example, the user interface I may be a voice controlled personal assistant (e.g., Amazon Echo® or the like) in wireless communication with the router 797, or a smartphone or other computing device C in communication with the router via cloud service communication (e.g., cloud service management by any one or more of the door manufacturer and/or the lock, camera, and/or lighting element provider). The privacy window 720 may be in wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth®) with a wall mounted control switch 790 for local user control of the privacy window 720.
As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially”, and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony with the common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should be understood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure that these terms are intended to allow a description of certain features described and claimed without restricting the scope of these features to the precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimed are considered to be within the scope of the disclosure as recited in the appended claims.
It should be noted that the term “exemplary” and variations thereof, as used herein to describe various embodiments, are intended to indicate that such embodiments are possible examples, representations, or illustrations of possible embodiments (and such terms are not intended to connote that such embodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples).
The term “coupled” and variations thereof, as used herein, means the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary (e.g., permanent or fixed) or moveable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members coupled directly to each other, with the two members coupled to each other using a separate intervening member and any additional intermediate members coupled with one another, or with the two members coupled to each other using an intervening member that is integrally formed as a single unitary body with one of the two members. If “coupled” or variations thereof are modified by an additional term (e.g., directly coupled), the generic definition of “coupled” provided above is modified by the plain language meaning of the additional term (e.g., “directly coupled” means the joining of two members without any separate intervening member), resulting in a narrower definition than the generic definition of “coupled” provided above. Such coupling may be mechanical, electrical, or fluidic.
References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below”) are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the FIGURES. It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.
The hardware and data processing components used to implement the various processes, operations, illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or, any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor also may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some embodiments, particular processes and methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function. The memory (e.g., memory, memory unit, storage device) may include one or more devices (e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash memory, hard disk storage) for storing data and/or computer code for completing or facilitating the various processes, layers and modules described in the present disclosure. The memory may be or include volatile memory or non-volatile memory, and may include database components, object code components, script components, or any other type of information structure for supporting the various activities and information structures described in the present disclosure. According to an exemplary embodiment, the memory is communicably connected to the processor via a processing circuit and includes computer code for executing (e.g., by the processing circuit or the processor) the one or more processes described herein.
The present disclosure contemplates methods, systems and program products on any machine-readable media for accomplishing various operations. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using existing computer processors, or by a special purpose computer processor for an appropriate system, incorporated for this or another purpose, or by a hardwired system. Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure include program products comprising machine-readable media for carrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such machine-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way of example, such machine-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of machine-readable media. Machine-executable instructions include, for example, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions.
Although the figures and description may illustrate a specific order of method steps, the order of such steps may differ from what is depicted and described, unless specified differently above. Also, two or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence, unless specified differently above. Such variation may depend, for example, on the software and hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, software implementations of the described methods could be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule-based logic and other logic to accomplish the various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps, and decision steps.
It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the door systems and the components thereof as shown in the various exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Additionally, any element disclosed in one embodiment may be incorporated or utilized with any other embodiment disclosed herein. Although only one example of an element from one embodiment that can be incorporated or utilized in another embodiment has been described above, it should be appreciated that other elements of the various embodiments may be incorporated or utilized with any of the other embodiments disclosed herein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/714,273, filed Aug. 3, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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