Position detection in an electric drive unit for cords of blinds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11035172-B2
Application number	US-201615757615-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2016
Priority date	Sep 4, 2015
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

Electric drive unit ( 104 ) for cords of blinds, comprising:
a DC driven electric motor ( 106 ), a cord winding/unwinding unit ( 107 ) driven by the electric motor ( 106 ), for winding/unwinding one or more cords ( 102 a ) of a blind ( 103 ), a control circuitry ( 105 ) arranged for controlling the operation of the electric motor ( 106 ) by controlling the DC supply of the electric motor ( 106 ),

the control circuitry ( 105 ) being functionally connected to one or more rotation detection sensors ( 108 ), each rotation detection sensor ( 108 ) being arranged for detecting increments of the rotation of the electric motor ( 106 ) by cooperating with a rotating element ( 109 ) driven by the electric motor ( 106 ), the rotating element ( 109 ) having at least two discrete elements ( 110 ), wherein the passage of which is detected as detection pulses by the one or more rotation detection sensor ( 108 ), characterized in that the control circuitry ( 105 ) is arranged for controlling the electric motor ( 106 ) dependent on the time development of the detected passages.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric drive unit for cords of blinds, comprising:
a DC driven electric motor,
a cord winding/unwinding unit driven by the electric motor, for winding/unwinding one or more cords of a blind,
a control circuitry arranged for controlling operation of the electric motor by controlling a DC supply of the electric motor,
the control circuitry being functionally connected to one or more rotation detection sensors, each rotation detection sensor being arranged for detecting increments of a rotation of the electric motor by cooperating with a rotating element driven by the electric motor, the rotating element having at least two discrete elements, wherein passage of the at least two discrete elements past the one or more rotation detection sensors is detected as detection pulses by the one or more rotation detection sensors,
wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the operation of the electric motor to:
drive the cord winding/unwinding unit to wind up the one or more cords of the blind, and
stop the cord winding/unwinding unit winding up the one or more cords of the blind at a defined wound up end position and then drive the cord winding/unwinding unit to turn in an opposite direction an amount less than that which would result in movement of the blind to a fully extended position to relax the one or more cords of the blind.

2. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuitry is arranged for comparing characteristics of one or more passages of different, subsequent, time periods.

3. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged for determining a position of the electric motor corresponding to a position of the one or more cords of the blind by counting a number of detection pulses.

4. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more rotation detection sensors include at least two rotation detection sensors and the control circuitry is functionally connected to the at least two rotation detection sensors, and the control circuitry is arranged for detecting a direction of the rotation of the electric motor by evaluating a phase shift of the detection pulses of the at least two rotation detection sensors.

5. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged for stopping the operation of the electric motor if a comparison of the detected passages indicates a defined reduction of a speed of rotation of the electric motor.

6. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged for determining a speed of rotation of the electric motor by determining at least one of a number of detection pulses and the pulse width of at least one detection pulse during a time window of defined length.

7. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged for determining an acceleration or deceleration of rotation of the electric motor by determining at least one of the number of detection pulses or a pulse width of at least one detection pulse during a first time window of defined length, and at least one of the number of detection pulses and the pulse width of at least one detection pulse during a second time window of the same length as the first time window, wherein a defined difference in the determination results indicates an acceleration or deceleration of rotation of the electric motor.

8. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is arranged for determining an acceleration or deceleration of rotation of the electric motor by repeatedly determining at least one of the number of detection pulses or a pulse width of at least one detection pulse during time windows of defined length, with a defined time period, between one time window and a successive time window, wherein a defined difference between the determination result of the one time window and the determination result of the successive time window indicates an acceleration or deceleration of rotation of the electric motor.

9. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein, for winding the one or more cords of the blind up to the defined wound up end position, the control circuitry is arranged for controlling the electric motor, such that
the electric motor stops the cord winding/unwinding unit winding up the one or more cords of the blind at a position, which is a defined number of detection pulses away from the defined wound up end position.

10. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 9 , wherein, for winding the one or more cords of the blind up to the defined wound up end position, the control circuitry is arranged for controlling the electric motor, such that the electric motor stops the cord winding/unwinding unit winding up the one or more cords of the blind if the control circuitry determines a defined reduction of a speed of rotation of the electric motor.

11. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 9 , wherein, for winding the one or more cords of the blind up to the defined wound up end position, the control circuitry is arranged for controlling the electric motor, such that after a defined time period the electric motor stops the cord winding/unwinding unit winding up the one or more cords of the blind.

12. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein, for winding or unwinding the one or more cords of the blind, the control circuitry is arranged for controlling the electric motor, such that
the electric motor accelerates from a rest position to a first speed,
the electric motor then drives the cord winding/unwinding unit at the first speed for a defined time period,
the electric motor then accelerates to a second speed, and
the electric motor then drives the cord winding/unwinding unit at the second speed until the control circuitry controls the electric motor to stop.

13. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein, for winding up the one or more cords of the blind, the control circuitry is arranged for controlling the electric motor, such that
the electric motor stops the cord winding/unwinding unit winding up the one or more cords of the blind if at least one of the control circuitry determines a defined reduction of a speed of rotation of the electric motor and after a defined time period.

14. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein the blind is a tensioned blind and, for winding up the one or more cords of the blind to the defined wound up end position, the control circuitry is arranged for controlling the electric motor, such that,
the electric motor stops the cord winding/unwinding unit winding up the one or more cords of the blind if at least one of:
the control circuitry determines a defined reduction of the speed of rotation of the electric motor,
the electric motor reaches an overvalue position, which is a defined distance in the direction of winding up away from the defined wound up end position,
and after a defined time period.

15. The electric drive unit for cords of blinds according to claim 1 , wherein the blind is a tensioned blind, and, for unwinding the one or more cords of the blind, the control circuitry is arranged for controlling the electric motor, such that
the electric motor stops the cord winding/unwinding unit unwinding the one or more cords of

Assignees

• Hunter Douglas Ind Bv

Inventors

• Rieper Norbert
• Lilienthal Heiko

Classifications

• E06B9/32 Primary

  Operating, guiding, or securing devices therefor (operation of tilting bars E06B9/307) · CPC title

• E06B9/68

  Operating devices or mechanisms, e.g. with electric drive · CPC title

• G05B2219/2653

  Roller blind, shutter, sunshade · CPC title

• E06B2009/6872

  using counters to determine shutter position · CPC title

• E06B9/70 Primary

  comprising an electric motor positioned outside the roller · CPC title