EP1959083A1

EP1959083A1 - System for opening and closing electrically openable elements installed in buildings, and peripheral control unit for opening and closing said openable elements

Info

Publication number: EP1959083A1
Application number: EP08151462A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Paolo Caoduro; Carlo Caoduro
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-02-15
Filing date: 2008-02-14
Publication date: 2008-08-20
Also published as: ITVI20070040A1

Abstract

The invention is a system (1) for powering and controlling electric motors (2) for opening and closing openable elements installed in buildings, comprising: an electric line (3) for powering the motors (2); an electric line (5) for controlling the motors (2), comprising a central control unit (6) complete with operating means (7) accessible to a user; one or more atmospheric sensors (8) connected to the central control unit (6). Peripheral units (10) are provided, each comprising: a first port (11) for connection to the electric power supply line (3); a second port (12) for connection to a motor (2); a third port (13) for connection to the electric control line (5); a fourth port (14) for connection to a remote control (15) enabling a user to operate the motor (2); a programmable logic unit (16) for connecting the ports (11, 12, 13, 14) with one another.

Description

The invention concerns a system for opening and closing openable elements of any type installed in buildings, and particularly for opening and closing openable elements such as skylights and the like for the purpose of natural lighting and air circulation.
In an entirely general sense, the term "openable element" is used in the following description to indicate any openable structure installed in a building. The invention also concerns a peripheral control unit for opening and closing said openable elements.
It is common knowledge that suitable openable elements, commonly known by the term of skylights, are installed in the roofs of buildings as a source of natural daylight and ventilation for the room below.
According to the known state of the art, the motor for opening and closing each openable element is connected to a power supply line coming from a central control unit containing operating means that can be operated by the user.
In particular, one or more power supply lines go from the central control unit to the motors for operating the openable elements, and all the openable elements with motors powered by the same line can be opened and closed manually by means of push buttons provided on the central control unit.
Suitable sensors are also connected to the central control unit that automatically start the motors in order to close the openable elements, for instance, in case of rain or wind.
A first drawback of the system described above lies in that it is quite uncomfortable for a user who works in a given area to open and/or close the individual elements and thus selectively modify the ambient conditions in the area where said openable elements are installed or to intervene on the same due to a change in the external environmental conditions.
In fact, since the control buttons are arranged in the central control unit, sometimes the operator is forced to move from one place to another covering great distances, in particular if the systems comprise many openable elements distributed on large areas like, for example, warehouses, production plants, offices of big companies.
Another drawback of the systems of known type currently available on the market lies in that the central control units with which they are fitted have a limited capacity to transfer power to the motors, since all the lines that supply power to the motors of the openable elements pass through the central control unit.
For example, if motors having a power of approximately 175 watts are used, each central control unit can serve no more than four power supply lines.
A further drawback is represented by the high number of cables and wiring lines that make up the system, as a consequence of the fact that each power supply line of each motor must pass through the central control unit.
The present invention aims to overcome all the above-mentioned drawbacks.
In particular, a first object of the invention is to carry out a system for opening and closing openable elements installed in buildings that, compared to the known state of the art, enables the number of cables and wiring lines to be reduced with the same number of motors served.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system that enables each openable element to be opened and closed manually, independently of the others, operating directly in the area where the openable element is installed.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system where each openable element can be independently opened and closed from a respective control point installed in any remote position with respect to the openable element and with respect to the central control unit.
Another, not necessarily last, object is for the system of the invention to retain the opportunity to perform manual and automatic operations of each openable element from the central control unit.
The above-mentioned objects are achieved by a system for powering and controlling electric motors for opening and closing openable elements installed in buildings that has the characteristics described in the main claim, to which the reader is referred for the sake of brevity.
Other characteristics of the system that is the subject of the invention are described in detail in the corresponding dependent claims.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein, the system comprises a plurality of peripheral units, each of which is associated with the motor of an openable element and complete with a programmable logic unit that connects the motor of the openable element to an electric power supply line, to an electric control line coming from the central control unit and to a remote control that can be operated by the user.
The system that is the subject of the invention advantageously enables the use of central control units of known type currently available on the market, overcoming, however, the restriction on the number of lines and of the number of motors per line that such a unit can control.
Still advantageously, the system of the invention is more functional than the known systems, since it allows each openable element to be controlled independently not only from the central control unit, but also from any other point and especially at the level of the point where the openable element is installed.
The system of the invention also has the advantage of being easier to install than the systems of known type for powering an equivalent number of motors. The above-mentioned objects and advantages are highlighted in greater detail in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is provided here with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows the system that is the subject of the invention;
Figure 2 shows a detail of the system shown in Figure 1.

The system that is the subject of the invention is illustrated in Figure 1, where it is indicated as a whole by the numeral 1; it powers and controls electric motors 2 for the opening and closing of openable elements installed in buildings.
For the sake of simplicity, Figure 1 only shows the motors 2 for operating the openable elements, while the elements themselves are not shown.
The system comprises electric lines 3 for powering the motors 2, connected to a main power supply line 4, and electric lines 5 for controlling said motors 2, connected to a single central control unit 6.
More particularly, the latter unit is of known type currently available on the market and is complete with operating means 7, e.g. levers, push buttons, joysticks or other means, available to the user to operate the motors 2.
One or more atmospheric sensors 8, i.e. rain and wind detectors, are also provided, which are installed on the outside of the building and connected to the central control unit 6.
Clearly, the number of electric power supply lines 3 and electric control lines 4, and the number of motors 2 may vary, so the drawing in Figure 1 merely illustrates a given embodiment of the system.
According to the invention, the system comprises a plurality of peripheral units 10, shown in greater detail in Figure 2, each of which contains:

a first port 11 for connection to a corresponding power supply line 3;
a second port 12 for connection to a corresponding motor 2;
a third port 13 for connection to a corresponding electric control line 5;
a fourth port 14 for connection to a corresponding remote control 15 for enabling the user to operate the motor 2;
a programmable logic unit 16 for connecting said ports 11, 12, 13, 14 with one another.

Each peripheral unit 10 comprises a power supply unit 17 connected between the programmable logic unit 16 and the first port 11, and a relay device 18 connected to the programmable logic unit 16 that connects the second port 12 (and consequently the motor 2) to the first port 11.
The power supply unit 17 comprises a transformer 19 with the primary windings 19a connected to the first port 11 and the secondary windings 19b connected to the programmable logic unit 16, with a voltage regulator 20 between the two.
The relay device 18 comprises a first relay 18a and a second relay 18b, both connected to the programmable logic unit 16, wherein the first relay 18a is also connected to the first contact 12a of the second port 12, where the first line 2a powering the motor 2 that opens the openable element is connected, while the second relay 18b is connected to the second contact 12b of the second port 12, where the second line 2b powering the motor 2 that closes said openable element is connected.
The second port 12 also includes a third contact 12c, which connects the motor 2 to the primary windings 19a of the transformer 19 and to the first port 11 by means of a conductor 21.
For safety reasons, there are isolators, 22 and 23 respectively, between the programmable logic unit 16 and each contact 13a, 13b of the third port 13.
As for the remote control 15, this is an open/close type of control for operation by a user occupying any position at a distance from the openable element and from the central control unit 6, and accessible to any person operating in the area over which the openable element is located.
More particularly, in the fourth port 14 for the connection of the remote control 15 there are a first contact 14a and a second contact 14b that receive the conductors 15a, 15b, respectively for opening and closing the openable element, while a third contact 14c receives the neutral conductor 15c.
The above-described components of the system are in themselves of known type, are available on the market and are connected together by means of wiring according to the known state of the art.
In particular, the programmable logic unit 16 is also of known type and suitable for being programmed so as to control all the functions for opening and closing the openable element according to electric signals coming from the central control unit 6, from the remote control 15 and from the atmospheric sensors 8. In operational terms, after wiring each peripheral unit 10 and programming the corresponding programmable logic unit 16, the installer can install each peripheral unit 10 in the system 1.
The central control unit 6 can be installed in any position in the building, at the installer's discretion, whereas it is preferable to install each peripheral unit 10 in line with the motor 2 for operating each openable element.
Finally, the remote control 15 can be installed in any position readily accessible to the person(s) operating in the part of the building where the corresponding openable element is located.
Thus, any person may open or close the openable element by means of the remote control.
However, the centralized manual and automatic functions for opening and closing the central control unit 6 controlled by the atmospheric sensors 8 remain unchanged.
In the light of the above considerations, the system that is the subject of the invention, and particularly the peripheral units with which it is equipped, effectively enable all the previously-stated objects to be achieved.
First of all, the power supply lines to the motors of the openable elements do not pass through the central control unit, so the latter does not restrict the transfer of power because its function is only to transfer the control signals coming from the manual actuators or from the atmospheric sensors.
This makes it possible to exceed the number of lines, the number of motors per line, and the power of the motor that the central control unit can withstand. The central control unit can nonetheless be used to perform all the manual or automatic operations for opening and closing the openable elements powered by the same line, so the system of the invention still retains all the functions available in the systems carried out according to the known state of the art. Moreover, the presence of a remote control for each motor and corresponding openable element enables the user to autonomously modify the ambient conditions in the area coinciding with a given openable element.
Clearly, changes may be made to the system of the invention in the construction phase, e.g. to the circuitry (which may involve different types of connection from those described and illustrated herein), or to the components (which may involve the use of any type of component available on the market). This is on the understanding that any such changes in the circuitry or replacement of components coming within the scope of the main claim shall also be covered by the present patent.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference sings have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

System (1) for powering and controlling electric motors (2) for opening and closing openable elements installed in buildings, comprising:
- at least one electric line (3) for powering said motors (2);

- at least one electric line (5) for controlling said motors (2), comprising at least one central control unit (6) complete with operating means (7) available to a user;

- one or more atmospheric sensors (8) connected to said central control unit (6),
characterized in that it comprises a plurality of peripheral units (10), each of which contains:

- at least a first port (11) for connection to said electric power supply line (3);

- at least a second port (12) for connection to one of said motors (2);

- at least a third port (13) for connection to said electric control line (5);

- at least a fourth port (14) for connection to a remote control (15) to enable a user to operate said motor (2);

- a programmable logic unit (16) for connecting said ports (11, 12, 13, 14) to one another.
System (1) according to claim 1), characterized in that it comprises a power supply unit (17) connected between said programmable logic unit (16) and said first connection port (11).
System (1) according to claim 2), characterized in that said power supply unit (17) comprises a transformer (19), wherein the primary windings (19a) are connected to said first connection port (11) and the secondary windings (19b) are connected to said programmable logic unit (16) by means of a voltage regulator (20).
System (1) according to claim 1), characterized in that it comprises a relay device (18) for controlling said motor (2), connected between said programmable logic unit (16), said first connection port (11) and said second connection port (12).
System (1) according to claim 4), characterized in that said relay device (18) comprises:
- a first relay (18a) for opening said openable element;

- a second relay (18b) for closing said openable element.
System (1) according to claim 1), characterized in that it comprises isolators (22, 23) installed between said programmable logic unit (16) and said third connection port (13).
System (1) according to claim 1), characterized in that said remote control (15) is of the open/close type and can be operated by a user.
System (1) according to claim 1), characterized in that said atmospheric sensors (8) comprise at least one wind sensor.
System (1) according to claim 1), characterized in that said atmospheric sensors (8) comprise at least one rain sensor.
Peripheral unit (10) for controlling the electric motor (2) for opening and closing an openable element, particularly suitable for installation in systems for powering and controlling electric motors (2) for operating openable elements installed in buildings, characterized in that it comprises:
- at least a first port (11) for connection to an electric line (3) for powering said electric motor (2);

- at least a second port (12) for connection to said electric motor (2);

- at least a third port (13) for connection to an electric line (5) for controlling said motor (2), coming from a central unit (6) for the control of said openable element;

- at least a fourth port (14) for connection to a remote control (15) for said motor (2) suited to be operated by a user;

- a programmable logic unit (16) connected to said connection ports (11, 12, 13,14).
Peripheral unit (10) according to claim 10), characterized in that it comprises a power supply unit (17) connected between said programmable logic unit (16) and said first connection port (11).
Peripheral unit (10) according to claim 11), characterized in that said power supply unit (17) comprises a transformer (19) with the primary windings (19a) connected to said first connection port (11) and the secondary windings (19b) connected to said programmable logic unit (16) by means of a voltage regulator (20).
Peripheral unit (10) according to claim 10), characterized in that it comprises a relay device (18) for operating said motor (2), connected to said programmable logic unit (16), to said first connection port (11) and to said second connection port (12).
Peripheral unit (10) according to claim 13), characterized in that said relay device (18) comprises:
- a first relay (18a) for opening said openable element;

- a second relay (18b) for closing said openable element.
Peripheral unit (10) according to claim 10), characterized in that it comprises isolators (22, 23) inserted between said programmable logic unit (16) and said third connection port (13).