Electronic system with facilitated access for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier

0001The present invention refers to an electronic system with facilitated access for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier, moved by an electric actuator.

0002By mobile barrier, we mean swinging or sliding gates, up-and-over or sectional doors or gates, barriers for the transit of vehicles, swinging or sliding wicket doors, traffic deterrents or any other selectively removable element obstructing the transit through an opening.

0003In managing the movement of a mobile barrier it is known to use electronic systems comprising at least one central unit that is suitable for controlling the activation of the actuators that move the mobile elements that make up the barrier.

0004Such central units in general require pre-emptive programming in order to set movement parameters of the mobile barrier.

0005In such known electronic systems, the movement parameters can be subsequently modified during maintenance or repairing operations through the intervention of trained experts provided with equipment that is suitable for establishing a cabled connection or in any case provided with software means that are specifically programmed so as to interface with the central unit.

0006Moreover, also in order to update the software means for driving the central unit itself it is in general required for there to be a specific proprietary cabled connection, or rather special devices that are equipped with software means that are specifically programmed so as to interface with the operating system of the central unit.

0007Basically, with the electronic systems for managing the movement of a known barrier, also mere intervention, diagnostic or ordinary maintenance operations of the central unit require the intervention of specialised workers that are equipped with special equipment.

0008Document <patcit id="pcit0001" dnum="US20020183008A1"><text>US 2002/0183008 A1</text></patcit> describes a system according to the preamble of claim 1.

0009The purpose of the present invention is that of avoiding the aforementioned drawbacks and in particular that of conceiving an electronic system for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier which can be easily accessed so as to carry out, diagnostic or ordinary maintenance operations without requiring special equipment.

0010Another purpose of the present invention is that of providing an electronic system for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier the access of which does not require a cabled connection or proprietary interface software means.

0011A further purpose of the present invention is that of making an electronic system for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier that makes it superfluous for specialised workers to carry out, diagnostic or ordinary maintenance operations, since such operations can possibly be carried out remotely. These and other purposes according to the present invention are achieved by making an electronic system for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier as outlined in claim 1.

0012Further characteristics of the electronic system are object of the dependent claims.

0013The characteristics and the advantages of an electronic system for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier according to the present invention shall become clearer from the following description, given as an example and not for limiting purposes, with reference to the attached schematic drawing representing a preferred embodiment of the electronic system for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier according to the present invention.

0014With reference to the figure, an electronic system for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier is wholly indicated with reference numeral 10.

0015The electronic system 10 for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier comprises a central unit 11 that is suitable for controlling the activation of at least one actuator 12 of the electric type that moves at least one movable element (not illustrated) which makes up the barrier, like for example a wing.

0016The movable element can be moved by the actuator 12 according to a swinging or sliding movement according to the type of the mobile barrier.

0017The central unit 11 is moreover connected to a plurality of peripheral units 13, 14 for collecting opening/closing commands of the mobile barrier and information relating to the presence of obstacles in the movement area of the barrier.

0018The at least one electric actuator 12 and the peripheral units 13, 14 are connected to the central unit directly or, according to one alternative embodiment not illustrated, through a special electric network for the exchange of data and, possibly, the transmission of power supply.

0019The central unit 11 moreover comprises software means 16 for setting the parameters and the management of the movement of the mobile barrier.

0020According to the present invention, the central unit 11 comprises at least one interface 15 for providing at least one wireless network access to the software means 16 of the central unit 11.

0021In particular, the at least one wireless network access interface 15 is of the Wi-Fi type i.e. operating according to IEEE 802.11 transmission protocols for wireless access to a local network.

0022As an alternative or in addition, the at least one wireless network access interface 15 is of the GSM, GPRS, UMTS type or another telecommunications system for transferring data based on mobile cell phone standards.

0023In order to exchange information through the local network and/or wireless mobile cell phone to which the at least one wireless interface 15 allows access, the software means 16 of the central unit 11 advantageously comprise interfacing means to the network operating according to HTTP protocols (HyperText Transfer Protocol), at the application level, and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), at the transportation level of the data packets.

0024Moreover, the software means 16 are such as to form a Web server, providing a hypertext structure of documents (Web pages) that can be accessed by means of any web browser that, being supported by an HTTP network protocol, allows access to the content of such documents as well as interaction with them.

0025In such a way it is possible to interface with the software means 16 residing in the central unit 11 through any electronic processing device 20 equipped with wireless access interface 21 of the Wi-Fi type and/or GSM, GPRS, UMTS and so on as well as software means (not illustrated) comprising a specific interfacing program to the Web server residing in the central unit 11, like for example a Web browser. Purely as an example and not for limiting purposes the electronic processing device 20 can be a personal computer, a palmtop computer, a multimedia cell phone (smartphone) or a PC tablet.

0026Advantageously, the central unit 11 in addition comprises a connection interface (not illustrated) to an Ethernet network for an alternative access to the software means 16 of the central unit 11, for example in the case of malfunctioning of the wireless access. In such a case, the electronic processing device 20 is also preferably equipped with a connection interface to an Ethernet network.

0027The operation of the electronic system 10 for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier according to the present invention is as follows.

0028Through the electronic processing device 20 it is possible to access the local network and/or wireless mobile cell phone network made available by the at least one wireless access interface 15 present on the central unit 11, possibly upon authentication of the device 20 in the case in which the security functions of the wireless network, known at the state of the art, are active.

0029Thanks to the software means provided with interfacing program to the Web server residing in the electronic processing device 20, it is possible to access the data made available by the software means 16 residing in the central unit 11.

0030In such a way it is possible to access the information of the state and the parameters of the central unit 11 itself, being moreover able to vary the settings of the movement parameters of the mobile barrier.

0031Purely as an example and not for limiting purposes, it is moreover possible to introduce commands for moving the mobile barrier; update the software means 16 residing in the central unit 11; as well as to modify the properties of the wireless network provided by the at least one wireless access interface 15 present on the central unit 11.

0032In the specific case in which the electronic processing device 20 is a multimedia cell phone or a PC tablet, the interfacing program to the Web server can be a specific proprietary application for such devices, made in a way such as to allow, purely as an example and non for limiting purposes, commands for moving the barrier to be entered; update the software means 16 residing in the central unit 11; update the configuration, vary the settings of the parameters for moving the mobile barrier; activate special diagnostic programs; access the history of the movement of the mobile barrier; enter commands for turning on/off a possible courtesy light present on the mobile barrier; block the mobile barrier so that it does not accept any type of opening command.

0033From the description made the characteristics of the electronic system for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier object of the present invention are clear, just as the relative advantages are also clear. Indeed, the presence of a wireless access interface makes it easy to access the software means residing in the central unit making it possible to carry out programming or ordinary maintenance operations.

0034Moreover, such an access as well as programming, diagnostic or ordinary maintenance operations, can be carried out, possibly also remotely, by means of any electronic device provided with wireless interface and an interfacing program to a Web server, currently very widespread.

0035It is thus also possible for the user to access such software means without requiring the mandatory intervention of specialised workers. In such a way, configuration, diagnostic and ordinary maintenance operations can also be carried out by the user himself. It is finally clear that the electronic system for managing the movement of at least one mobile barrier thus conceived can undergo numerous modifications and variants, all covered by the invention; moreover, all the details can be replaced by technically equivalent elements. In practice the materials used, as well as the dimensions, can be any according to the technical requirements.