Apparatus and method for door control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12104425-B2
Application number	US-202217947656-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2022
Priority date	Jan 14, 2020
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

In example implementations, a method is provided. The method includes determining, by a processor, that a vehicle is approaching a door of a building based on a velocity vector of the vehicle, calculating, by the processor, a time of arrival of the vehicle at the door based on the velocity vector of the vehicle and a distance of the vehicle from the door, and controlling, by the processor, the door to begin opening at a time based on the time of arrival and an amount of time for the door to open such that the door is opened when the vehicle arrives at the door.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a door;
a motor to control operation of the door;
a controller communicatively coupled to the motor to control operation of the motor to open and close the door; and
a plurality of sensors communicatively coupled to the controller to collect movement data of a vehicle, wherein the controller is to calculate an initial velocity vector of the vehicle based on the movement data and to cause the motor to begin opening the door at a first speed at a time based on a time of arrival of the vehicle at the door that is calculated from the initial velocity vector and a distance of the vehicle from the door, and based on an amount of time for the door to open such that the door is opened when the vehicle arrives at the door, to determine an updated velocity vector of the vehicle, and to adjust operation of the door that has begun opening to open at a second speed based on the updated velocity vector, wherein the second speed of the door opening is different than a first speed of the door opening.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first data set from a first set of the plurality of sensors is used to calculate the initial velocity vector and a second data set from a second set of the plurality of sensors is used to calculate the updated velocity vector.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is to adjust operation of the door based on the updated velocity vector by increasing or decreasing the second speed at which the door is opened.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises laser sensors that capture the movement information based on time of flight data.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors uses an ultra-wideband (UWB) communications protocol to receive information from a tag on the vehicle to calculate the distance of the vehicle from the door.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors comprises an image capturing device to capture image data of the vehicle, wherein the movement information is calculated based on an analysis of the image data.

7. A method, comprising:
determining, by a processor, that a vehicle is approaching a door of a building based on an initial velocity vector of the vehicle;
calculating, by the processor, a time of arrival of the vehicle at the door based on the initial velocity vector of the vehicle and a distance of the vehicle from the door;
controlling, by the processor, the door to begin opening at a first speed at a time based on the time of arrival and an amount of time for the door to open such that the door is opened when the vehicle arrives at the door;
determining, by the processor, an updated velocity vector of the vehicle; and
adjusting, by the processor, the controlling of the door that has begun opening to open at a second speed based on the updated velocity vector, wherein the second speed of the door opening is different than a first speed of the door opening.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining that the vehicle is approaching the door is performed when the vehicle is determined to be within a virtual lane associated with the door.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the virtual lane is associated with a predefined route.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining the updated velocity vector of the vehicle is performed using data collected by different sensors as the vehicle moves within a virtual lane associated with the door.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein adjusting the controlling of the door comprises changing the time of arrival.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein adjusting the controlling of the door comprises increasing the second speed to be greater than the first speed at which the door is opened when the updated velocity vector is greater than the initial velocity vector.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein adjusting the controlling of the door comprises decreasing the second speed to be less than the first speed at which the door is opened when the updated velocity vector is less than the initial velocity vector.

14. The method of claim 7 , wherein the velocity vector comprises a velocity and a direction of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 7 , wherein the velocity vector is calculated based on data received from a plurality of sensors.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the data comprises time of flight measurements using ultra-wide band (UWB) protocol by the plurality of sensors.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the velocity vector is calculated based on image data received from the plurality of sensors.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:
instructions to determine that a vehicle is in a virtual lane associated with a door;
instructions to calculate an initial velocity vector of the vehicle;
instructions to determine that the vehicle is approaching the door;
instructions to calculate a time of arrival of the vehicle at the door based on the velocity vector of the vehicle and a distance of the vehicle from the door;
instructions to control the door to begin opening at a first speed at a time based on the time of arrival and an amount of time for the door to open such that the door is opened when the vehicle arrives at the door;
instructions to calculate an updated velocity vector of the vehicle at a different location within the virtual lane; and
instructions to adjust control of the door that has begun opening to open at a second speed based on the updated velocity vector, wherein the second speed of the door opening is different than a first speed of the door opening.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein a first data set from a first set of sensors along the virtual lane is used to calculate the initial velocity vector and a second data set from a second set of sensors along the virtual lane is used to calculate the updated velocity vector.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the controller is to adjust operation of the door based on the updated velocity vector by increasing or decreasing the second speed that the door is opened.

Assignees

• Cornellcookson Llc

Inventors

• Wu Zhizhuo
• Carroll Ryan

Classifications

• E05Y2400/36

  Speed control, detection or monitoring · CPC title

• E05F2015/767

  using cameras · CPC title

• E05Y2900/132

  Doors · CPC title

• E05Y2400/446

  Vehicle state sensors, e.g. parked or inclination · CPC title

• E06B2009/6818

  using sensors · CPC title