Door closer communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10047551-B2
Application number	US-201715594963-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2017
Priority date	May 16, 2016
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A door closer system having a door closer that includes at least one sensor configured to sense an operating characteristic or condition relating to the door closer including a position or speed of displacement of at least a portion of the door closer or an associated entryway device. The sensor(s) can also provide information relating to the performance or condition of one or more components of the door closer, such as the operation of a backcheck mechanism, as well as tracking the number of door cycles. Information obtained by the sensor(s) of the door closer system can be communicated to a lockset device of an entryway control system. The lockset device can be configured to communicate information received from the door closer system to an access control system, which can in turn provide the communicated information to a management system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A door closer for an entryway device, the door closer comprising:
a closer body;
at least one sensor configured to sense at least one of: (a) a position of the door closer or the entryway device, and (b) a speed of displacement of at least a portion of the door closer or the entryway device; and
a wireless communication transceiver positioned within the closer body, in communication with the at least one sensor, and configured to wirelessly transmit information detected by the at least one sensor to a lockset device having a lock mechanism adapted to control access through the entryway device and a lockset transceiver adapted to wirelessly transmit the information received from the wireless communication transceiver to an access control system.

2. The door closer of claim 1 , further comprising a counter structured to track a number of door closing cycles that have occurred over a period of time.

3. The door closer of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication transceiver is configured to wirelessly receive at least information relating to operation of the door closer, the information received by the transceiver used to adjust an operating characteristic of the door closer.

4. The door closer of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication transceiver is further configured to wirelessly receive information from at least the lockset device.

5. The door closer of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor includes:
at least one position sensor structured to sense the position of with the door closer or the entryway device; and
at least one speed sensor structured to sense the speed of displacement of at least a portion of the door closer or the entryway device.

6. The door closer of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor includes a temperature sensor.

7. The door closer of claim 3 , wherein the door closer includes a backcheck mechanism, and wherein the at least one sensor includes a sensor configured to detect an operating characteristic of the backcheck mechanism.

8. An entryway control system for the operation of an entryway device, the entryway control system comprising:
a lockset device having a lock mechanism and a lockset transceiver, the lock mechanism adapted to lock and unlock the entryway device at a closed position; and
a door closer having a closer body, at least one sensor, and a closer transceiver positioned within the closer body, the door closer structured to be coupled to the entryway device, the closer transceiver adapted to wirelessly transmit information sensed by the at least one sensor relating to operation of the door closer to the lockset transceiver; and
wherein the lockset transceiver is adapted to wirelessly transmit the information received from the closer transceiver to an access control system.

9. The entryway control system of claim 8 , wherein the door closer includes a backcheck mechanism, and wherein the at least one sensor is configured to sense at least one of:
a position of the door closer or the entryway device; and
a speed of displacement of at least a portion of the door closer or the entryway device; and
wherein the closer transceiver is adapted to receive information from at least the lockset device, and wherein the information received by the closer transceiver is used to adjust an operating characteristic of the door closer.

10. The entryway control system of claim 8 , wherein the door closer further comprises a counter structured to track a number of door closing cycles that have occurred over a period of time.

11. The entryway control system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one sensor includes a temperature sensor.

12. A method for communicating information relating to operation of a door closer structured to be coupled to an entryway device, the method comprising:
sensing, by one or more sensors, one or more operating characteristics of the door closer, the one or more sensors being operatively coupled to the door closer;
wirelessly communicating, from the door closer, the sensed one or more operating characteristics of the door closer to a lockset device having a lock mechanism adapted to lock and unlock the entryway device; and
wirelessly communicating, from the lockset device, the sensed one or more operating characteristics of the door closer received from the door closer to an access control system.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises:
wirelessly communicating, from the lockset device, to a closer connecting device of the door closer at least one operating characteristic; and
adjusting, by the closer device, operation of the closer device based on the communicated at least one operating characteristic.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the sensed one or more operating characteristics include at least one of:
a position of the door closer;
a position of the entryway device;
a speed of displacement of at least a portion of the door closer; and
a speed of displacement of an entryway device.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the step of counting, by a counter device of the door closer, a number of door closing cycles that have occurred over a period of time using information from the sensed one or more operating characteristics.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising the steps of:
communicating the sensed one or more operating characteristics from the access control system to a management system; and
communicating, from the management system to the access control system, information regarding an access permission of a credential device to operate the lock mechanism.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising the step of analyzing, by the management system, the one or more operating characteristics received by the management system.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the sensed one or more operating characteristics includes a sensed condition of the backcheck mechanism, and wherein the access control system is an access control panel.

19. The door closer of claim 1 , further comprising a wireless sensor network, wherein the wireless sensor network includes the at least one sensor.

20. The door closer of claim 7 , wherein the door closer adjusts the backcheck mechanism in response to the information received by the transceiver used to adjust the operating characteristic of the door closer.

21. The entryway control system of claim 8 , wherein the lockset transceiver is adapted to wirelessly transmit the information received from the closer transceiver to the access control system over at least one of a WIFI communication protocol, a Bluetooth communication protocol, or a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication protocol.

Assignees

• Schlage Lock Co Llc

Inventors

• Eickhoff Brian C

Classifications

• E05F3/22

  Additional arrangements for closers, e.g. for holding the wing in opened or other position · CPC title

• E05F15/611

  for swinging wings · CPC title

• E05F2015/631

  the end of the arm sliding in a track; Slider arms therefor · CPC title

• E05F15/632

  for horizontally-sliding wings · CPC title

• E05Y2400/66

  Wireless transmission · CPC title