A motorized drive device comprises an electromechanical actuator for a movable element for closing, concealing or providing sun protection such as a blind or any other equivalent material, hereinafter referred to as a screen.
Motorized drive devices for a closure or sun-protection home-automation installation are known. Such home-automation installations comprise a concealing device. The concealing device comprises a winding tube, a screen and a load bar. A first end of the screen is fastened to the winding tube. Additionally, a second end of the screen is fastened to the load bar.
The motorized drive device comprises an electromechanical actuator making it possible to wind and unwind the screen on the winding tube, between a wound position and an unwound position. The electromechanical actuator comprises an electric motor, an output shaft connected to the winding tube of the concealing device and an electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit comprises a device for measuring the rotation speed of a rotor of the electric motor.
When configuring the motorized drive device, the electronic control unit of the electromechanical actuator carries out a step for automatically determining end-of-travel positions of the screen.
The automatic determination of the end-of-travel positions of the screen is carried out by analyzing the variation in the rotation speed of the rotor of the electric motor of the electromechanical actuator.
The motorized drive device can operate in a control mode and in a configuration mode.
Before the step for automatically determining the low end-of-travel position of the screen, a step for entering the configuration mode is carried out.
The entry in the configuration mode of the motorized drive device may be implemented by pressing on a programming selection element of a control point or by simultaneous pressing on two selection elements of the control point, the two selection elements of the control point being the raising and lowering keys of the screen.
After entering the configuration mode of the motorized drive device is implemented, a step for moving the screen toward the unwound position is carried out by activating the motorized drive device. The motorized drive device is activated by pressing the lowering key of the screen.
Once the low end-of-travel position of the screen is determined by the electronic control unit of the electromechanical actuator, the motorized drive device is stopped.
Nevertheless, between the moment at which the low end-of-travel position of the screen is determined and the moment at which the motorized drive device is stopped, the electromechanical actuator drives the winding tube in a movement lowering the screen.
In order to offset the reaction time of the motorized drive device following the determination of the low end-of-travel position of the screen, the motorized drive device is activated in the opposite direction to move the screen toward the wound position and stopped again.
The movement of the screen toward the wound position is implemented so as to reach a position higher than the position reached during the determination of the low end-of-travel position, in which the load bar of the screen does not rest on a threshold of an opening equipped with the screen belonging to the concealing device and where the screen is kept stretched.
The position higher than the position reached during the determination of the low end-of-travel position is a learning position and is determined as being a reference position to validate the low end-of-travel position of the screen.
However, the configuration of these motorized drive devices has the drawback of validating the learning position after a final upward movement of the screen, whereas, in the control mode of the motorized drive device, the reaching of the lower end-of-travel position is determined during a lowering movement of the screen.
Consequently, the learning position in the configuration mode is different from the low end-of-travel position of the screen reached in the control mode, since the learning position in the configuration mode is reached after an upward movement of the screen and the low end-of-travel position of the screen in the control mode is reached following a lowering movement of the screen.
Furthermore, to verify the learning position determined in the configuration mode of the motorized drive device, the installer performs a lowering movement of the screen toward the unwound position in the control mode of the motorized drive device.
In this way, the installer verifies that the low end-of-travel position reached in the control mode is correct, i.e. that, on the one hand, the screen is kept stretched, in other words the load bar of the screen is not resting on the threshold of the opening, and on the other hand, the load bar of the screen is not too far from the threshold of the opening.
Document EP 2,148,036 A1 is also known, which describes a closure home-automation installation comprising a rolling shutter, a motorized drive device and a control device. The rolling shutter comprises a winding tube and an apron. A first end of the apron is connected to the winding tube and a second end of the apron comprises a final end slat. The motorized drive device comprises an electromechanical actuator making it possible to wind and unwind the apron on the winding tube, between a wound position and an unwound position. The electromechanical actuator comprises an electric motor, an output shaft connected to the winding tube and an electronic control unit. The control device comprises two control keys, one of which makes it possible to command an upward movement of the apron and the other of which makes it possible to command a downward movement of the apron. The configuration of the rolling shutter is carried out by entering a configuration mode, then performing a first movement of the apron toward the unwound position by activating the lowering control key, a movement of the apron toward the wound position by activating the raising control key of the apron, a second movement of the apron toward the unwound position by activating the lowering control key and stopping the motorized drive device at a low end-of-travel position of the apron determined by the change in movement direction of the apron between the first movement of the apron toward the unwound position and the movement of the apron toward the wound position.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds