Patent Grant
8757238
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to movable partitions and, more particularly, to the control of such partitions including, for example, foldable doors.
2. State of the Art
Movable partitions are utilized in numerous situations and environments for a variety of purposes. Such partitions may include, for example, foldable or collapsible doors configured to enclose or subdivide a room or other area. Often such partitions may be utilized simply for purposes of versatility in being able to subdivide a single large room into multiple smaller rooms. The subdivision of a larger area may be desired, for example, to accommodate multiple groups or meetings simultaneously. In other applications, such partitions may be utilized for noise control depending, for example, on the activities taking place in a given room or portion thereof.
Movable partitions may also be used to provide a security and/or fire barrier. In such a case, the door may be configured to automatically close upon the occurrence of a predetermined event such as the actuation of an associated alarm. For example, one or more accordion or similar folding-type doors may be used as a security and/or a fire door wherein each door is formed with a plurality of panels hingedly connected to one another. The hinged connection of the panels allows the door to fold up in a compact unit for purposes of storage when not deployed. Thus, the door may be stored, for example, in a pocket formed in the wall of a building when in a retracted or folded state. When deployment of the door is required to secure an area during a fire or for any other specified reason, the door is driven by a motor along a track, conventionally located above the door in a header, until the door is extended a desired distance across the room to form an appropriate barrier.
When deployed, a leading edge of the door, which may be defined by a component known as a lead post, complementarily engages a receptacle in a fixed structure, such as a wall, or in a mating receptacle of another door. Such a receptacle may be referred to as a jamb or a door post when formed in a fixed structure, or as a mating lead post when formed in another door. It is desirable that the lead post be substantially aligned with the mating receptacle such that the door may be completely closed and an appropriate seal formed between the door and mating receptacle. For example, if the door is being used as a fire door, it is desirable that the lead post of a door is fully engaged with the mating receptacle to prevent drafts and any attendant flames or smoke from traversing the barrier formed by the partition and, more particularly, the joint formed by the lead post and receptacle.
In some cases, the lower edge of the door, including, perhaps, the lower edge of the door's lead post, may be laterally displaced relative to the top edge of the door which is relatively fixed in a lateral sense due to its engagement with the track and header. Such lateral displacement of the door's lower edge may be caused, for example, by a fire-induced draft, by an improperly balanced HVAC system, or simply from an occupant of a room pushing against the door while it is being deployed. If the lower edge of the lead post is laterally displaced relative to its upper edge as the leading edge of the door approaches the mating receptacle, the lead post will not be properly aligned with the mating receptacle and an appropriate seal will not be formed. In other words, the mating receptacle is conventionally installed to be substantially plumb. If the lower edge of a lead post of a door is laterally displaced relative to its upper edge, the lead post is not plumb (or substantially vertically oriented) and thus will not properly engage the substantially plumb receptacle.
As noted above, the failure of the lead post to properly engage the receptacle may have substantial consequences when, for example, the door is being used as a fire or security barrier. At a minimum, even when the door is not used as a fire or security barrier, the failure of the lead post to properly engage the mating receptacle will result in the inability to completely subdivide a larger room and visually or acoustically isolate the subdivided room.
One approach to preventing or controlling the lateral displacement of a lower edge of the door has included forming a guide track within the floor of a room and then causing the door or barrier to engage the track as it is deployed and retracted such that the door is laterally constrained relative to the path of the track. However, the placement of a track in the floor of a room is not an ideal solution for all environments. For example, such a track provides a place for collection of dust and debris and may, thereby, become an unsightly feature of the room. In some cases, the collection of debris may affect the proper operation of the door itself Additionally, the existence of a track in the floor, regardless of whether it is protruding from the floor or recessed within the floor, may act as a hazard or potential source of injury depending, for example, on the intended use of the area and the actual location of the floor track within that area.
Moreover, even if one were to use a track in the floor, floors often exhibit an undesirable amount of unevenness presenting additional difficulties. For example, it becomes difficult to install an even and level track in a floor or other supporting surface that is not even. If the track is not substantially even and level, the bottom edge of the partition, or some component associated therewith, may have trouble maintaining engagement with the track while it is being displaced. Likewise, other devices that may attempt to maintain engagement with (or maintain some other specified relationship with) an adjacent or an underlying surface may experience difficulty doing so due to the unevenness and undulating nature of such a surface.
In view of the current state of the art, it would be advantageous to provide methods, apparatuses and systems for directionally controlling movable barriers including, for example, extendable and retractable partitions. For example, in directionally controlling a movable partition or barrier, it would be advantageous to enable automatic control of the partition or barrier with respect to any lateral displacement of the lower edge of the barrier relative to the upper edge of the barrier without requiring the installation of an additional track in the floor.
The present invention is directed to apparatuses, systems and methods for controlling movable partitions including controlling displacement of movable partitions. For example, certain embodiments include apparatuses, systems or methods for reorienting a movable partition (or a portion thereof) or for maintaining a movable partition (or portion thereof) in a desired orientation.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for directionally controlling a movable partition is provided. The apparatus includes a frame member configured to be coupled to a portion of the movable partition. At least one roller assembly is coupled with the frame member and includes at least one roller element. A steering actuator is operatively coupled with the at least one roller assembly and configured to alter the orientation of the at least one roller assembly relative to the frame member. In one embodiment, one or more sensors that are located and configured to determine the vertical orientation of at least a section of the movable partition may be associated with the apparatus. The sensor (or sensors) may generate a signal representative of the vertical orientation of at least a portion of the movable partition and transmit the signal to a controller. The controller may then control the steering actuator to alter, if appropriate, the orientation of the at least one roller assembly relative to the frame member to bring the at least a portion of the movable partition back to a substantially vertical orientation. In another embodiment, the apparatus may be used for steering the partition along a specified pathway.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an automatic door is provided. The automatic door includes at least one partition, a drive configured to motivate the partition along a defined pathway, and a directional control apparatus coupled to a lower edge of the at least one partition. The directional control apparatus includes at least one roller assembly coupled to the at least one partition. A steering actuator is operatively coupled with the at least one roller assembly and configured to alter the orientation of the at least one roller assembly relative to the at least one partition. Additionally, one or more sensors that are located and configured to determine the vertical orientation of at least a section of the at least one partition may be associated with the directional control device. The sensor (or sensors) may generate a signal representative of the vertical orientation of the at least a section of the at least one partition and transmit the signal to a controller. The controller may then control the steering actuator to alter, if appropriate, the orientation of the at least one roller assembly relative to the at least one partition to bring the at least a section of the at least one partition back to a substantially vertical orientation.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a system may be provided that includes the apparatus for directionally controlling a movable partition. The system may include one or more movable partitions and may include a controller operatively coupled with the apparatus.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, a method of controlling a movable partition is provided. The method includes sensing a current orientation of at least a section of the movable partition and, upon sensing that the current orientation of the at least a section of the movable partition is substantially deviated from a desired orientation of the at least a section, displacing at least a portion of the at least a section of the movable partition until the at least a section of the movable partition is substantially at the desired orientation. In one embodiment the desired orientation may be a substantially plumb orientation. As used herein, the term “substantially out of plumb” means out of plumb by an unacceptable magnitude. The method may further include determining whether the movable partition is moving forward or in reverse along a defined pathway. Additionally, the method may include determining whether the defined pathway includes a curved portion.
In accordance with another method of the present invention, controlling a movable partition includes guiding a first edge of the movable partition along a defined pathway which includes at least one curved portion. At least one roller assembly is coupled to a section of the movable partition adjacent a second edge thereof. The direction of movement of the movable partition along the defined pathway is determined and a relative location of the section of the movable partition along the defined pathway is also determined. The at least one roller assembly is selectively steered as the section of the movable partition traverses through the at least one curved portion of the defined pathway.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for controlling displacement of a movable partition is provided. The apparatus includes at least one roller assembly comprising at least one roller element. A mounting bracket is configured to be coupled to a portion of the movable partition. An actuator is coupled to the mounting bracket and operably associated with the at least one roller assembly. The actuator is configured to selectively displace the at least one roller element relative to the mounting bracket. In certain embodiments of the invention, the apparatus may be configured to determine the magnitude of a force applied between the actuator and the roller element. The linear actuator may then be configured to selectively displace the roller element responsive to the determined force.
In yet another embodiment, the apparatus may further include a steering actuator configured to rotationally displace the roller element about a steering axis. A sensor may be used to determine a current orientation of the partition (or at least a portion thereof). The steering actuator may then rotationally displace the roller element responsive, at least in part, to the determined orientation of the partition.
In accordance with yet a further embodiment of the present invention, an automatic door is provided. The automatic door includes at least one partition and a drive configured to motivate the at least one partition along a defined pathway. An apparatus is coupled to a lower edge of the at least one partition and includes at least one roller assembly comprising at least one roller element. An actuator is operatively coupled with the at least one roller assembly and configured to selectively alter the position of the at least one roller element relative to the lower edge of the at least one partition.
In certain embodiments of the invention, the apparatus associated with the door may be configured to determine the magnitude of a force applied between the actuator and the roller element. The linear actuator may then be configured to selectively displace the roller element responsive to the determined force.
In other embodiments, the apparatus may further include a steering actuator configured to rotationally displace the roller element about a steering axis. A sensor may be used to determine a current orientation of the door (or at least a portion thereof). The steering actuator may then rotationally displace the roller element responsive, at least in part, to the determined orientation of the door.
In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, a system may be provided that includes the apparatuses for controlling a movable partition. The system may include one or more movable partitions and may include a controller operatively coupled with the apparatus.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for controlling a movable partition. The method includes coupling at least one roller assembly to a portion of the movable partition and positioning at least one roller element of the at least one roller assembly in contact with a surface of an adjacent structure that the at least one partition will traverse, wherein the surface of the adjacent structure includes at least one substantially nonplanar surface feature. The movable partition is displaced in a first direction along a path adjacent the surface of the adjacent structure and contact between the at least one roller element and the surface of the adjacent structure is maintained while the at least one element traverses the at least one substantially nonplanar surface feature. The method may further include maintaining a substantially constant force, or a force within a specified range, between the roller element and the adjacent surface while the partition is being displaced.
In accordance with another method of controlling a movable partition that is provided by the present invention, at least one roller assembly is coupled to a portion of the movable partition and the movable partition is displaced such that it traverses an adjacent surface of a structure. Contact between at least one roller element of the at least one roller assembly is maintained with the adjacent surface while the movable partition is being displaced regardless of the surface geometry of the adjacent surface. The method may further include maintaining a substantially constant force, or a force within a specified range, between the at least one roller element and the surface of the adjacent structure while displacing the movable partition.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, a further method of controlling a movable partition is provided. The method includes sensing a current orientation of at least a section of the movable partition and, upon sensing that the current orientation of the at least a section of the movable partition is substantially deviated from a desired orientation of the at least a section, displacing at least a portion of the at least a section of the movable partition until the at least a section of the movable partition is substantially at the desired orientation. In one embodiment the desired orientation may be a substantially plumb orientation. As used herein, the term “substantially out of plumb” means out of plumb by an unacceptable magnitude. Apparatuses and systems for accomplishing the method are also provided.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes at least one partition and a drive configured to motivate the at least one partition over the surface of a structure and along a defined pathway. At least one roller element is coupled with the at least one partition and configured for engagement with the surface of the structure. At least one steering actuator is coupled with the at least one roller element. A magnetic structure that is configured to generate a magnetic field is disposed adjacent the surface of the structure and extends substantially parallel to the defined pathway. At least one magnetic sensor is configured to detect a change in the strength of the magnetic field and generate a signal representative of a change in the strength of the magnetic field. The steering actuator is configured to selectively alter a direction of the at least one roller element responsive to the signal generated by the sensor.
In another method of the present invention, another method of controlling a movable partition is provided. The method includes defining a pathway of the movable partition over a surface of a structure. A magnetic structure is disposed along the defined pathway adjacent the surface of the structure. A lateral proximity of at least a portion of the movable partition relative to the magnetic structure is determined. Upon sensing that the lateral proximity of the least a portion of the movable partition is substantially deviated from a desired lateral proximity, the at least a portion of the movable partition is displaced until the at least a portion of the movable partition is substantially at the desired lateral proximity.
The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:
Referring to
When it is desired to deploy the door 102 to an extended position, for example, to secure an area such as an elevator lobby 112 during a fire, the door 102 is driven along a track 114 across the space to provide an appropriate barrier. When in a deployed or an extended state, a leading edge of the door 102, shown in the presently described embodiment as a male lead post 116, complementarily or matingly engages with a jamb or door post 118 that may be formed in a wall 110B of a building. As can be seen in
A drive, which may include, for example, a motor 124 and a drive belt or chain 125 (
It is noted that the drawings and description herein may refer to and illustrate signals as a single signal for clarity of presentation and description. It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the signal may represent a bus of signals, wherein the bus may have a variety of bit widths and the present invention may be implemented on any number of data signals including a single data signal. Furthermore, the signal may be implemented as a physical connection between two elements or a wireless connection between two elements.
It is also noted that, while the exemplary embodiment shown and described with respect to
Referring still to
It is noted that, while the present invention is generally discussed with respect to detecting that a section of a door 102 or other partition has deviated from a substantially plumb or vertical orientation and then correcting that deviation through use of a directional control apparatus 130, the present invention more broadly contemplates determining the current or actual orientation of a section of the door 102 relative to a reference orientation (e.g., a reference axis or reference plane) and actively positioning the section of the door to a selected or specified orientation relative to the reference orientation.
For example, an existing or previously installed door 102 may be retrofitted or modified to include a directional control apparatus 130. In certain installations, the door post 118, with which a lead post 116 is intended to engage, may have been improperly or carelessly installed such that it is out of plumb by a determined magnitude. In such a case, the directional control apparatus 130 may be configured to steer the lead post 116 of the door 102 such that it is also out of plumb by the same magnitude, and in a corresponding direction, thereby enabling the lead post 116 to engage with the door post 118 and effect a desired coupling or seal therebetween. In short, the present invention may include detecting the actual orientation of a section of the door 102 relative to plumb (or any other specified reference orientation) and, if necessary, reposition the section of the door 102 so that it is at a specified orientation relative to the reference orientation (e.g., plumb).
Referring now to
Referring briefly to
As also shown in
Referring back to
In aligning the roller assemblies 144 using the embodiment shown and described with respect to
In one embodiment, the sensors 178A and 178B may include a MAGNASPHERE® ferrous proximity switch available from Magnasphere Corporation of Brookfield, Wis. The alignment indicator may be formed of a material comprising steel or another ferrous metal or metal alloy. Of course, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that other components may be used for the sensors 178A and 178B and/or alignment indicator 180 in practicing the described embodiment. Additionally, other alignment assemblies or mechanisms may be used for initial and/or periodic alignment of the roller assemblies 144.
Referring to
If the section of the door 102 positioned above the directional control apparatus 130 becomes out of plumb, because of the geometric arrangement of the roller assemblies 144 relative to the centerline 190 of the door 102, various portions of the roller assemblies 144, including the inner steering shafts 174 will become displaced relative to the frame member 142, thereby causing the sensors 146 to generate new signals. Thus, for example, one wheel 156A and associated inner support member 166A may become generally displaced away from the frame member 142 while the other wheel 156B and associated inner support member 166B may become displaced generally toward the frame member 142 as shown in
It is noted that if the door 102 becomes out of plumb in the direction that is opposite to that indicated in
Thus, referring to
Referring briefly to
Referring now to
Referring now to
It is noted that, while the exemplary embodiments described hereinabove include a pair of roller/steering elements (e.g., roller assemblies 144 and/or wheels 156), the present invention may be practiced with a single roller/steering element if so desired. However, it is also noted that in some embodiments, an arrangement using multiple roller/steering elements that are spaced about, or substantially symmetrically located relative to, the vertical centerline of the door 102, 102′ (e.g., centerline 190 of
Referring now to
In one exemplary embodiment, the sensor 346 may include a tilt sensor, such as an MCL NARROW ANGLE 0703 sensor available from The Fredricks Company of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. The sensor 346, as well as the control module 348, may be mounted on a bracket 360 and include an adjustment mechanism 362, such as a screw or other device, to help adjust the orientation of the sensor 346 relative to the bracket 360 and calibrate the sensor to a true level or other desired orientation.
During operation of the directional control apparatus 330, if the section of the door 102 positioned above the directional control apparatus 330 becomes out of plumb, the tilt sensor 346 would become out of level and generate a representative signal of such a state or condition. Upon generation of such an out-of-level signal, the steering actuator 350 may displace the drive rods 352 and turn the roller assemblies 344 in an appropriate direction to steer the directional control apparatus 330 such that the portion of the door 102 to which it is attached becomes displaced back to a plumb condition such as has previously been described with respect to other embodiments disclosed herein.
Once the section of the door 102 returns to a plumb orientation, the sensor 346 will sense that it is back to a level state (commensurate with the in-plumb orientation of the section of the door 102) and generate an appropriate signal such that the steering actuator 350 returns the roller assemblies 344 to a commensurate steering position. It is noted that the sensor 346 may be configured to produce a signal that corresponds with the out-of-plumb magnitude of the section of the door 102. In other words, if the section of the door 102 being monitored is only slightly out of plumb, then the roller assemblies 344 will only be adjusted a relatively small amount. On the other hand, if the section of the door 102 being monitored is grossly out of plumb, the roller assemblies 344 may experience a substantial displacement or reorientation in order to bring the section of the door 102 back into plumb more quickly and efficiently. Again, while the exemplary embodiment is described in terms of “plumb” and “out of plumb” the present invention may be used to detect an orientation of a section of the door 102 relative to plumb and reposition the section of the door, if necessary, to a specified orientation which may or may not be plumb.
In another embodiment, the relative position of a section of the door 102 along a defined pathway of the door 102 may be utilized to determine the magnitude of steering correction applied by the roller assemblies 344. In one example, the section of the door 102 being monitored may include the lead post 116 and the magnitude of steering correction to be provided by the roller assemblies in order to bring the lead post 116 back to a plumb state may vary depending on the distance remaining between the door post 116 and the structure with which it will eventually engage (e.g., the door post 118 of
To assist in determining and controlling the magnitude of steering correction being applied by the roller assemblies 344, a rotational potentiometer or other sensor 370 may be coupled to a shaft 372 or other component of the roller assemblies 344 to determine the radial orientation of the roller assemblies 344 relative to an axis 374 about which such assemblies rotate. The information regarding the radial orientation, as determined by the potentiometer or other sensor 370, may be used to determine whether the applied steering correction is adequate for a given scenario, or whether additional steering correction is required.
In yet another embodiment, multiple sensors 346 may be used such that, for example, one sensor may be utilized in detecting the orientation of the door 102 (or section thereof) while it is being displaced in a first direction, (e.g., while deploying the door 102) and a second sensor may be utilized in detecting the orientation of the door 102 while it is being displaced in a second direction (e.g., while the door 102 is being opened or retracted). In one exemplary embodiment, a specified section of the door 102 may need to be placed in a first specific orientation while in a deployed state but in a second specified orientation, different from the first, while in a retracted state.
Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11A-11C with general reference to
A sensor 446 or other device may be coupled to the bracket 402 and configured to determine an orientation of an associated door 102 (or at least a portion of the door 102) to which the apparatus 400 is attached. For example, the sensor 446 may be configured to determine whether a portion of the door 102 is substantially plumb or is out of plumb by more than a specified magnitude, such as has been described hereinabove. In one embodiment, the sensor 446 may include a tilt sensor such as described hereinabove. The sensor 446 may further be configured to generate and transmit an appropriate signal representative of the sensed orientation of the door (or portion thereof) to a control module, a system controller or some other device.
A frame member 406 is coupled to the bracket 402 such that the frame member 406 and the bracket 402 are movable with respect to one another within defined limits. For example, a pivoting joint 408 may join the two components together. In other embodiments, it is contemplated that the two components may be slidably coupled with respect to each other.
Various components may be coupled to, or otherwise associated with, the frame member 406. For example, a roller assembly 444 may be coupled to, or otherwise associated with, the frame member 406. As with previously described roller assemblies, the roller assembly 444 may be configured such that a wheel 456 rolls about a first axis 458 (a rolling axis) and rotates relative to the frame member 406 about a second axis 462 (a steering axis).
A control module 448 may also be coupled to or otherwise associated with the frame member 406. In another embodiment, the control module 448 may be mounted to the bracket 402, to some other component of the apparatus 400, or even remotely located relative to the apparatus 400 and, for example, coupled to a portion of a system 100. The control module 448 may include various processing devices, memory devices, or both. In one embodiment, the control module 448 may facilitate communication with a system controller that includes various processing devices and/or memory devices, such as has been discussed hereinabove with respect to other embodiments of the present invention.
A steering actuator 450 may be associated with the roller assembly 444 and configured to rotationally displace the wheel 456 about the second axis 462. The steering actuator 450 may include, for example, a stepper motor or a servo motor that is coupled to and configured to rotationally displace a shaft of the roller assembly 444. Of course other actuators may be utilized as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art.
During operation of the apparatus 400, if the section of the door 102 positioned above or otherwise associated with the apparatus 400 becomes out of plumb (or displaced relative to a reference orientation), the tilt sensor 446 will sense the change in orientation and generate a representative signal of such a state or condition. Upon receipt of such a signal from the control module 448 (or in other embodiments, for example, from the sensor 446 or from a system controller), the steering actuator 45° rotationally displaces the roller assembly 444 such that the wheel 456 steers the apparatus, and thus, the portion of the door 102 or partition to which it is attached, in a desired direction. When the sensor 446 senses that the portion of the door 102 to which the apparatus is attached is plumb or within an accepted tolerance of being plumb (or back to some other specified orientation), the sensor 446 will provide an appropriate signal (or, perhaps stop providing a signal) such that the steering actuator 450 returns the wheel to a predetermined steering orientation. The apparatus 400, thus, steers or displaces the portion of the door 102 to which it is attached back to a desired orientation (e.g., back to plumb) such as has been described with respect to other embodiments disclosed herein. In other embodiments, additional functions may be provided by the steering actuator 450 and roller assembly 444 such as steering the door 102 around a bend or curve or otherwise reorienting a portion of the door 102 such as has been described hereinabove.
In addition to the steering and reorienting features of the apparatus 400, the apparatus 400 also provides what may be termed a constant force mechanism 469. For example, still referring to FIGS. 10 and 11A-11C, the apparatus 400 may include a linear actuator 470, such as a linear stepper motor or other device, having one end thereof coupled to the bracket 402 such as, for example, by a pivoting member 472. In one embodiment, the linear actuator 470 may include a model S12-09A4 or S12-17AB actuator available from Thompson Industries, Inc. of NY.
The linear actuator 470 may include a linear displacement member such as a linearly displaceable shaft or cylinder 474 having an end thereof coupled to strut 476, or other structural member. The coupling of the cylinder 474 and strut 476 may be configured to accommodate relative pivoting or other movement of the two components. In one embodiment, the strut 476 may be formed as a component of the frame member 406 or may be otherwise coupled to the frame member 406. As will be described in further detail hereinbelow, actuation of the linear actuator 470 results in displacement of the strut 476, frame member 406 and various components that may be coupled with the frame member 406.
Referring briefly to
In the embodiment described with respect to
The load sensor 486 may further be configured to provide a signal indicative of the magnitude of the force F sensed thereby (or, in another embodiment, the magnitude of a change in the force F sensed thereby) and transmit the signal to the control module 448, to a system controller or to another device (e.g., the linear actuator 470). If, for example, the load sensor 486 transmits a signal to the control module 448, the control module may, in accordance with specified operating parameters, transmit an appropriate signal to the linear actuator 470 such that the linear actuator 470 adjusts (e.g., extend or retract the cylinder 474) based on the sensed load or sensed change in load.
It is noted that other configurations may be employed to detect or determine the magnitude of a force being applied to a roller assembly 444 as it is pressed against a surface over which it is rolling. In one embodiment, one ore more strain gages may be utilized to determine changes in strain, for example, at a location of connection between the strut 476 and the frame member 406. An example of one suitable strain gage includes those commercially available from Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., of Malvern, Pa., currently offered as Micro-Measurements CEA-06-125UN-350.
As indicated in
Such a configuration may be used to maintain a substantially constant load (or a load within a specified range) between the portion of the bracket 402 to which the linear actuator 470 is attached and the surface supporting the wheel 456, via the linear actuator 470, the strut 476, the frame member 406 and associated roller assembly 444.
In operation, as the apparatus 400 traverses a surface, such as when the door 102 or movable partition to which is attached is being deployed, the constant force mechanism 469 enables the wheel 456 of the roller assembly 444 to maintain a constant force against the surface on which in it is rolling even though the surface may be relatively uneven and exhibit undulations (such as “peaks” and “valleys”) along the path of the door 102 or movable partition.
For example, referring more specifically to
Referring to
As the apparatus 400 continues in the direction indicated by directional arrow 488, the wheel 456 encounters a further elevational change in the adjacent surface 490 as it leaves the valley 492. The constant force mechanism 469 will again detect the elevational change, such as by sensing an increased load as the wheel 456 experiences the elevational change, and then again adjusting the elevation of the wheel 456 to accommodate the change in the adjacent surface 490.
Maintaining contact between the wheel 456 and the adjacent surface 490 provides various benefits. First, if the roller assembly 444 is coupled to a steering actuator 450 such as has been described herein, the steering actuator 450 will become ineffective during any period of time during which the wheel 456 breaks contact with an adjacent surface 490 since contact or friction is required for the wheel 456 to “steer” the apparatus 400 and associated portion of the door 102 in a desired direction.
Additionally, as previously discussed, various external forces may be applied to a door 102 during deployment thereof. Maintaining contact between the wheel 456 and an adjacent surface 490 (such as the floor of a building) with a specified force, or within a specified force range, acts to prevent external loads from laterally displacing the door 102, or at least the portion with which the apparatus 400 is associated. More specifically, as previously discussed, the upper portion of the door 102 is substantially laterally fixed due to its coupling with a track 114 (
Referring now to
While the embodiment shown in
Referring now to
In one example, a groove 552 may be formed in a floor (or other structure) along the intended or desired path of the door 102″ and the conductor 550 may be disposed in the groove 552. The groove 552 may be filled with a nonmagnetic component 554 (e.g., cement or epoxy) and a floor covering 556 placed over the floor and filler material (see, e.g.,
A directional control apparatus 558, which may include one or more wheels 560 and one or more steering actuators (not shown in
In one embodiment, a first magnetic sensor 562A is laterally positioned on a first side of the conductor 550 and a second magnetic sensor 562B is laterally positioned on an opposing side of the conductor 550. As the directional control apparatus 558 (and the portion of the door 102″ to which it is coupled) is laterally displaced relative to the conductor (and, thus, laterally displaced relative to its intended path or orientation), one of the magnetic sensors detects the presence of a magnetic field from the conductor 550, or the change in strength of the magnetic field, and causes the directional control apparatus 558 to steer door 102″ back into its desired position.
For example, looking at
In another embodiment, while still considering the example of the door 102″ as viewed in
Referring now to
If the door 102 is determined to be opening and the door 102 is also determined to be out of plumb, the door 102 may either be steered back to plumb as indicated at 614A or the wheel may simply be raised so that it no longer contacts the floor or other adjacent surface as indicated at 614B and as has been previously discussed herein. The process may then continue as indicated by loop 616 or by way of loop 616 combined with loop 618.
While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. It is also noted that various features of any of the described embodiments may be combined with features of other described embodiments as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The invention, therefore, includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/756,066, filed Apr. 7, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,688, issued May 28,2013, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/796,325, filed Apr. 27, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,740,046, issued Jun. 22, 2010, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Child | 13898198 | US | |
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| Child | 12756066 | US |
