Power boost module for a door closer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018334841-A1
Application number	US-201816040765-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 20, 2018
Priority date	Dec 7, 2015
Publication date	Nov 22, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a door closer having a pinion adapted to be operably coupled to a door and rotate in a first direction in response to opening the door and to rotate in a second direction in response to closing the door, and a power boost module operably coupled to the pinion. The power boost module includes a motor adapted to generate electrical energy via rotational movement of the pinion and supply a boost force to the pinion to assist closing the door, a gearing operably coupled to the pinion and the motor and structured to back drive the motor to generate the electrical energy in response to rotation of the pinion, and an energy storage device adapted to store the electrical energy generated by the motor and supply stored electrical energy to the motor for the boost force.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for dynamically varying a harvesting force of a door closer control device, comprising:
a motor configured to generate a motor voltage that is triggered by a force applied to the motor; a boost converter configured to increase the motor voltage as a motor current associated with the motor voltage that propagates through the boost converter thereby generating a boost voltage associated with the increased motor current; and a controller configured to dynamically adjust a harvesting force applied by the motor so that the harvesting force is relative to the force applied to the motor.

2 . The variable harvesting force system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
monitor the motor voltage triggered by the force applied to the motor; apply a duty cycle to the boost converter based on the motor voltage, wherein the selected duty cycle corresponds to a magnitude of the harvesting force that is applied to the motor; and dynamically adjust the harvesting force applied by the motor so that the magnitude of the harvesting force corresponds to the duty cycle that is applied to the boost converter that corresponds to the force applied to the motor based on the monitored motor voltage.

3 . The variable harvesting force system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
increase a duty cycle that is applied to a buck converter to decrease the boost voltage when the boost voltage is higher than a boost voltage threshold, wherein the boost voltage threshold is a threshold that the boost voltage is maintained to dynamically adjust the harvesting force applied by the motor so that the harvesting force is relative to the force applied to the motor; and decrease the duty cycle that is applied to the buck converter to increase the boost voltage when the boost voltage is lower than the boost voltage threshold.

4 . The variable force system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
apply the selected duty cycle to an H-bridge configuration included in the boost converter based on the motor voltage; dynamically adjust the harvesting force applied by the motor so that the magnitude of the harvesting force corresponds to the selected duty cycle that is applied to the H-bridge configuration that corresponds to the force applied to the motor; and dynamically adjust the duty cycle applied to the buck converter so that the boost voltage is within the boost voltage threshold.

5 . The variable force system of claim 4 , wherein the H-bridge configuration is further configured to:
allow the motor current associated with the motor voltage to propagate through the H-bridge configuration by activating a switching action of the H-bridge configuration to transition into a closed state, wherein the motor current continues to increase as the motor current propagates through the H-bridge configuration when the switching action is transitioned into the closed state thereby increasing the boost voltage associated with the increased motor circuit.

6 . The variable force system of claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
activate the switching action of the H-bridge configuration to transition to an open state when the boost voltage is higher than the boost voltage threshold to decrease the boost voltage to be within the boost voltage threshold; and activate the switching action included in the H-bridge configuration to transition to a closed state when the boost voltage is lower than the boost voltage threshold to increase the boost voltage to be within the boost voltage threshold.

7 . The variable force system of claim 6 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
increase a duty cycle that is applied to the buck converter to decrease the boost voltage to activate the switching action of the H-bridge configuration to transition to the open state when the boost voltage is higher than the boost voltage threshold; and decrease the duty cycle that is applied to the buck converter to increase the boost voltage to activate the switching action of the H-bridge configuration to transition to the closed state when the boost voltage is lower than the boost voltage threshold.

8 . A method for dynamically varying a harvesting force applied to a motor, comprising:
generating a motor voltage that is triggered by a force applied to the motor; increasing the motor voltage as a motor current associated with the motor voltage propagates through a boost converter thereby generating a boost voltage associated with the increased motor current; and dynamically adjusting the harvesting force applied by the motor so that the harvesting force is relative to the force applied to the motor.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the dynamic adjusting of the harvesting force further comprises:
monitoring the motor voltage triggered by the force applied to the motor; applying a duty cycle to the boost converter based on the motor voltage, wherein the applied duty cycle corresponds to a magnitude of the harvesting force that is applied to the motor; and dynamically adjusting the harvesting force applied by the motor so that the magnitude of the harvesting force corresponds to the duty cycle that is applied to the boost converter that corresponds to the force applied to the motor based on the monitored motor voltage.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the dynamic adjusting of the harvested force further comprises:
increasing a duty cycle that is applied to a buck converter to decrease the boost voltage when the boost voltage is higher than the boost voltage threshold, wherein the boost voltage threshold is a threshold that the boost voltage is maintained to dynamically adjust the harvesting force applied by the motor so that the harvesting force is relative to the force applied to the motor; and decreasing the duty cycle that is applied to the buck converter to increase the boost voltage when the boost voltage is lower than the boost voltage threshold.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
applying the selected duty cycle to an H-bridge configuration included in the boost converter based on the motor voltage; dynamically adjusting the harvesting force applied by the motor so that the magnitude of the harvesting force corresponds to the selected duty cycle that is applied to the boost converter that corresponds to the force applied to the motor; and dynamically adjusting the duty cycle applied to the buck converter so that the boost voltage is within the boost voltage threshold.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
allowing the motor current associated with the motor voltage to propagate through the H-bridge configuration by activating a switching action of the H-bridge configuration to transition into a closed state, wherein the motor current continues to increase as the motor current propagates through the H-bridge configuration when the switching action is transitioned into the closed state thereby increasing the boost voltage associated with the increased motor current.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
activating the switching action on the H-bridge configuration to transition to an open state when the boost voltage is higher than the boost voltage threshold to decrease the boost voltage to be within the boost voltage threshold; and activating the switching action included in the H-bridge configuration to transition to a closed state when the boost voltage is lower than the boost voltage threshold to increase the boost voltage to be within the boost voltage threshold.

14 . The method

Assignees

• Schlage Lock Co Llc

Inventors

• Langenberg Daniel
• Eickhoff Brian C
• Mckibben Aaron P

Classifications

• H02J50/001

  Energy harvesting or scavenging · CPC title

• H02K11/215

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• E05Y2900/132

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• E05F3/22 Primary

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• E05Y2400/616

  Generators · CPC title