TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the technical field of entrance systems. The present invention also relates to a method and an automatic door operator system for an entrance system. The present invention also relates to a computer program product.

BACKGROUND

An entrance system typically comprises one or more movable door members, each door member being arranged in a door frame, and an automatic door operator being arranged to move the door members. Entrance systems may be used in a variety of different private or public locations, for instance in garages, logistic facilities, airports, shopping malls or stores, to name a few. The door members may be, for instance, industrial vertical-lifting doors, overhead sectional doors, folding doors, swing doors, sliding doors or revolving doors.

In a conventional overhead sectional door system, an automatic door operator system is mounted generally in the ceiling above the door member and adapted to pull the door member by means of an elongated transmission element, e.g. wires, chains or belts, being attached to the door member. Such an overhead sectional door system often implements balancing springs to reduce the force required to open the door.

Other, more sophisticated, automatic door operator systems known in the art involve arranging an automatic door operator unit in conjunction with a transmission system, wherein the automatic door operator unit is mounted directly to the door member, and more specifically to the door leaf thereof. The automatic door operator, comprising a motor, drives a drivable member of the transmission system into connection with an elongated member. The elongated member is accordingly adapted to interplay with the drivable member such that the drivable member is driven along the elongated member on at least one side of the associated door frame. The door member can thus be driven up and down, i.e. between an open and closed position, with respect to the door frame. Two (and sometimes even more) separate and individually operable automatic door operators having the above explained functionality are typically arranged at a respective lateral side of the door leaf of the door member. An example of this type of automatic door operation procedure is disclosed in detail in the PCT patent application no. WO 2021/260085, filed by the present applicant.

During operation, mechanical components of the automatic door operator system, such as rolls, tracks or motors suffer from e.g. wear and tear or weather conditions. This may potentially result in malfunctions causing the sectional door to misalign and becoming skewed or inoperable. Moreover, door members need to be aligned during the installation thereof such that they can function as intended. It is therefore important for door members of the entrance system to be properly levelled with respect to the prevailing conditions, such as the characteristics of the entrance system and the relation between the door and the floor. Unlevelled or misaligned doors results in energy losses and unwanted transmission of particles through leaks between the door and the floor. In some situations, the unlevelled doors may also be a safety hazard for people in the vicinity of the entrance system since the doors suffer a greater risk of malfunctioning.

The prior art suggests some solutions for handling misalignment problem. For instance, a technique that has been applied in prior art systems involves trim cutting the bottommost portion of the door leaf such that it can be aligned with the floor. This has obvious drawbacks in terms of costs, time, adaptability, and so forth. Another solution involves equipping each automatic door operator with sensor units, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes, and using data retrieved therefrom to balance the automatic door operators. However, this solution relies on very precise arrangement of the sensors and the automatic door operators, which has shown to be practically infeasible. Additionally, the sensor data obtained from such sensor units may be associated with various types of disturbances that negatively affect the data.

It is therefore desired to provide efficient and exact door member alignment in an entrance system. The present inventors have identified the problems and shortcomings associated with the prior art, and are in the present disclosure suggesting an improved solution to the problems discussed herein. SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a solution to, or at least a mitigation of, one or more of the problems or drawbacks identified in the background section above.

In this disclosure, a solution to the problems outlined in the background section is proposed. In a first aspect of the proposed solution, an entrance system is provided. The entrance system comprises a movable door member having a door leaf with a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the door member is arranged in a door frame and adapted to be moved between open and closed positions; a door status module being transversally arranged along the leading edge and adapted to trigger one or more outputs being indicative of the closed position of the door member; and an automatic door operator system comprising a first automatic door operator arranged at a first lateral side of the door leaf and a second automatic door operator arranged at a second lateral side, opposite the first lateral side, of the door leaf, wherein the automatic door operators are independently of one another adapted to travel in a travelling direction along opposing posts of the door frame to cause controlled movement of said door member; the entrance system having a calibration mode and an operation mode, wherein in the calibration mode, the automatic door operator system is adapted to selectively cause the first and/or second automatic door operator to drive the door member such that the door status module triggers said one or more outputs, and based on said one or more outputs, acquire a positional difference between said first and second automatic door operators in the travelling direction; and wherein in the operation mode, the automatic door operator system is adapted to cause control of the door member between the open and closed positions while adjusting the respective positions of the automatic door operators in accordance with the positional difference as acquired in the calibration mode.

In one or more embodiments, the automatic door operator system is adapted to adjust the respective positions of the automatic door operators in accordance with the acquired positional difference upon the door member approaching the closed position and upon leaving the closed position. In one or more embodiments, the automatic door operator system is adapted to selectively cause the first and/or second automatic door operator to drive the door member according to a predetermined calibration sequence. The predetermined calibration sequence may comprise: causing the first and second automatic door operators to simultaneously drive the door member to the closed position such that the door status module triggers one or more outputs being indicative of the closed position, causing the first and second automatic door operators to simultaneously drive the door member towards the open position until the door status module no longer triggers one or more outputs being indicative of the closed position, and save current positions of the first and second automatic door operators in the travelling direction as respective first positions, causing the first automatic door operator to drive the first lateral side of the door member to the closed position such that the door status module triggers one or more outputs being indicative of the closed position, save a current position of the first automatic door operator in the travelling direction as a second position, and drive the first lateral side back to its first position, and causing the second automatic door operator to drive the second lateral side of the door member to the closed position such that the door status module triggers one or more outputs being indicative of the closed position, save a current position of the second automatic door operator in the travelling direction as a third position, and drive the second lateral side back to its first position.

In one or more embodiments, the automatic door operator system is adapted to acquire the positional difference by calculating a difference between the second position and the third position.

In one or more embodiments, the door status module at the leading edge is driven into physical contact with a floor level for said triggering of one or more outputs.

In one or more embodiments, adjusting the respective positions of the automatic door operators in accordance with the acquired positional difference comprises driving the first and/or second automatic door operator differentially with respect to a travelling distance, a travelling speed, or a combination thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the door status module comprises one or more sensor units being pneumatic sensor units, ultrasonic sensors, inductive sensors, optical sensors, galvanic sensors, magnetic sensors, photoelectric sensors, capacitive sensors, pneumatic sensors, weight or pressure sensors, cameras, electromechanical switches, or any combination thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the calibration mode is activated during installation or maintenance of the entrance system.

In one or more embodiments, the operation mode is automatically activated upon the positional difference between said first and second automatic door operators having been established.

In one or more embodiments, each one of the first and second automatic door operators comprises a respective transmission system having a drivable member and an elongated transmission member, the transmission members extending along the opposing posts of the door frame and at least partially wrapping around the respective drivable members.

In one or more embodiments, each automatic door operator comprises a motor, each motor being connected to the respective transmission systems, wherein actuation of said motors causes transmission of torque to the respective drivable members such that they are driven into connection with the respective transmission members, the transmission members translating the motion of the drivable member into said movement of the door member.

In a second aspect of the proposed solution, a method for an entrance system is provided, the entrance system comprising a movable door member having a door leaf with a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the door member is arranged in a door frame and adapted to be moved between open and closed positions; a door status module being transversally arranged along the leading edge and adapted to trigger one or more outputs being indicative of the closed position of the door member, wherein the door status module assumes a position in relation to a floor level below the door member; and an automatic door operator system comprising a first automatic door operator arranged at a first lateral side of the door leaf and a second automatic door operator arranged at a second lateral side, opposite the first lateral side, of the door leaf, wherein the automatic door operators are independently of one another adapted to travel in a travelling direction along opposing posts of the door frame to cause controlled movement of said door member; wherein the method comprises: in a calibration mode, selectively causing the first and/or second automatic door operator to drive the door member for triggering one or more outputs from the door status module, and based on said one or more outputs, acquiring a positional difference between said first and second automatic door operators; and in an operation mode, causing control of the door member to move between the open and closed positions while adjusting the respective positions of the automatic door operators in accordance with the positional difference as acquired in the calibration mode.

In a third aspect of the proposed solution, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer program code for performing the method according to the second aspect when the computer program code is executed by a processing device.

In a fourth aspect of the proposed solution, an automatic door operator system for an entrance system is provided, the entrance system comprising a movable door member having a door leaf with a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the door member is arranged in a door frame and adapted to be moved between open and closed positions; and a door status module being transversally arranged along the leading edge and adapted to trigger one or more outputs being indicative of the closed position of the door member, wherein the door status module assumes a position in relation to a floor level below the door member, the entrance system having a calibration mode and an operation mode, wherein the automatic door operator system comprises: a first automatic door operator arranged at a first lateral side of the door leaf and a second automatic door operator arranged at a second lateral side, opposite the first lateral side, of the door leaf, wherein the automatic door operators are independently of one another adapted to travel in a travelling direction along opposing posts of the door frame to cause controlled movement of said door member; wherein in the calibration mode, the automatic door operator system is adapted to selectively cause the first and/or second automatic door operator to drive the door member such that the door status module triggers one or more outputs, and based on said one or more outputs, acquire a positional difference between said first and second automatic door operators in the travelling direction; and wherein in the operation mode, the automatic door operator system is adapted to cause control of the door member to move between the open and closed positions while adjusting the respective positions of the automatic door operators in accordance with the positional difference as acquired in the calibration mode.

It should be emphasized that the term “comprises/comprising” when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof. All terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the [element, device, component, means, step, etc]" are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of the example embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the example embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an entrance system comprising an automatic door operator system, represented as a schematic block diagram, according to one embodiment.

Figs. 2a-h are schematic illustrations of a predetermined calibration sequence for a movable door member according to one embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a method for an entrance system according to one embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of a computer-readable medium in one exemplary embodiment, capable of storing a computer program product.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The terminology used in the detailed description of the particular embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.

Throughout the present disclosure, the terms “align/aligned”, “level/levelled”, etc., are used interchangeably. Generally, these terms refer to two surfaces being substantially parallel with one another. More specifically, the two surfaces are in this disclosure substantially parallel with one another as well as a horizontal plane.

With reference to Fig. 1, a schematic block diagram illustrating an entrance system 100 according to one embodiment is shown. The entrance system 100 may be designed for installation in a building to control access into the building from the outside of said building, or between different sections of the building. The entrance system 100 comprises a movable door member 110 being a sectional door member 110.

The door member 110 comprises a door leaf 111 having a plurality of door panel sections 11 la-e. An opening movement of the door member 110 caused by an automatic door operator system 10 causes the door panel sections 11 la-e to move upwards, i.e. in opposite direction of a floor level 21, and vice versa for a closing movement. The floor level 21 may, for instance, be the floor or ground upon which the entrance system 100 is arranged. The door member 110 comprises a trailing edge 113 at the end of the uppermost door panel section H ie and a leading edge 112 at the end of the lowermost door panel section I l la, wherein “trailing” and “leading” relate to the closing movement of the door member 110. The door member 110 is arranged in a door frame 114, the door frame 114 defining the opening of the entrance system 110. The door frame 114 comprises two (essentially vertically aligned) opposing posts and an upper horizontal member that is interconnecting the two posts.

The automatic door operator system 10 is coupled to cause movement of the door member 110. The movement is typically caused between at least a closed position in which passage through said entrance system 100 is prevented, and an open position in which passage is admitted. Movement of the movable door member 110 between intermediate positions in between the closed and opened positions may also be caused.

The automatic door operator system 10 comprises two separate automatic door operators lOa-b. In alternative embodiments, the automatic door operator system 10 may comprise more than two automatic door operators.

A first automatic door operator 10a is arranged at a first lateral side 115 of the door leaf 111. In this example, the first automatic door operator 10a is arranged at the lowermost door panel 11 la of the door leaf 111. The first automatic door operator 10a may alternatively be arranged at any one of the other door panel sections 11 Ib-e.

A second door operator 10b is arranged at a second lateral side 116 of the door leaf 111, which in this example is located oppositely from the first lateral side 115. The second automatic door operator 10b is arranged at the lowermost door panel 11 la or alternatively at any one of the other door panel sections 11 Ib-e.

The first and second automatic door operators lOa-b and associated transmission systems 30a-b comprise similar functional and structural features, i.e. units 12a-b, 13a-b, 14a-b, 16a-b (and memory M with program instructions), 18a-b, 32a-b and 34a-b. The first and second automatic door operators lOa-b are thus arranged to cause controlled movement of the door member 110 independently of one another. To this end, the first automatic door operator 10a is capable of causing the movement of the door member 110, in particular the first lateral side 115, upon the actuation thereof. Correspondingly, the second automatic door operator 10b is capable of causing the movement of the door member 110, in particular the second lateral side 116, upon the actuation thereof. Accordingly, by causing a drive of the door member 110 by means of the first and/or second automatic door operators lOa-b, the door member 110 is adapted to be moved between the open and closed positions. If the first and second automatic door operators lOa-b are controlled with the same power throughput, the first and second lateral sides 115, 116 are ideally moved at the same velocity, thereby achieving a uniform upwards or downwards movement of the door member 110. Correspondingly, different power throughput of the first and second automatic door operators lOa-b will cause either one of the lateral sides 115, 116 to be moved at a different velocity than the other.

The skilled person will appreciate that the general principle as described above involves essentially ideal working conditions of the automatic door operator system 10. However, it is realized that the health of the mechanical components, and possibly some external factors (e.g. a person or object pulling either lateral side 115, 116 of the door member 110), may affect the drive of either one of the lateral sides 115, 116.

In the following description of the units of the automatic door operator system 10, it is assumed that the respective units of the first automatic door operator 30a and the first transmission system 30a are identical to those of the second automatic door operator 30b and the second transmission system 30b. Hence, only the first automatic door operator 10a will be described in detail below.

The automatic door operator 10a comprises a controller 16a having an associated memory Ma and program instructions 17a stored therein, a power supply 18a, a drive unit 14a, at least one motor 12a, typically an electric motor, and a revolution counter 13 a. The electric motor 12a may be a BLDC (brushless DC) motor, a stepping motor, a DC motor or an AC motor. The automatic door operator 10a is however not restricted to having these particular components. Other arrangements may alternatively be realized.

The controller 16a is adapted to cause controlled actuation of the drive unit 14a by means of electrical power from the power supply 18a. The drive unit 14a is configured to feed electricity into the motor 12a in varying amounts and at varying frequencies, thereby indirectly controlling the speed and torque of the motor 12a. The motor 12a is connected to the transmission system 30a, and more specifically to a drivable member 32a of the transmission system 30a. Upon actuation of the motor 12a, torque is transmitted to the drivable member 32a of the transmission system 30a such that it is rotated. A gearbox may be arranged between the motor 12a and the drivable member 32a. The drivable member 32a is driven into connection with an elongated transmission member 34a. The connection of the drivable member 32a and the transmission member 34a may be obtained in that the transmission member 34a at least partially wraps around the drivable member 32a. The drivable member 32a may engage with the transmission member 34a when the transmission member 34a at least partially wraps around the drivable member 32a. The transmission member 34a translates the motion of the drivable member 32a into a movement of the movable door member 110.

The drive procedure can be seen as the automatic door operator 10a “climbing” along the transmission member 34a by means of the transmission system 30a. One end of the transmission member 34a may thus be generally arranged at a lower (leading) edge of the door member 110, i.e. nearby the automatic door operator 10a. The other end of the transmission member 34a may be generally arranged near an upper (trailing) edge of the door member 110. The transmission member 34a thus extends along a post of the door frame 114.

In some embodiments, the transmission system 30a may alternatively be in the form of an endless-loop transmission system wherein the transmission member 34a is an elongated endless-loop transmission member being adapted to endlessly rotate around at least one side of the door member 110.

The transmission member 34a may be in the form of a suspended bendable member. The transmission member 34a may be a substantially straight member. In one embodiment, the transmission member 34a is a belt. The belt may be a timing belt. The belt may be provided with teeth. The drivable member 32a may be a toothed pulley configured to transmit a large amount of torque and force to the belt. The belt and the toothed pulley thus have a movable connection such that they interplay with one another. The toothed pulley and belt may together transmit high speeds. Such transmission is reliable and requires a small amount of maintenance. Such transmission is also compact and requires little space.

In one embodiment, the transmission member 34a is a drive chain. The drivable member 32a may be a sprocket configured to transmit a large amount of torque and force to the drive chain. The drive chain and the sprocket thus have a movable connection such that they interplay with one another. The sprocket and drive chain may together transmit high speeds. Such transmission is reliable and requires a small amount of maintenance. Such transmission is also compact and requires little space.

The revolution counter 13a may be an encoder or other angular sensor. The revolution counter 13a is provided at the motor 12a to monitor the revolution of a motor shaft of the motor 12a. The revolution counter 13a is connected to an input of the controller 16a. The controller 16a is configured to use one or more readings of the revolution counter 13 a, typically a number of pulses generated as the motor shaft rotates, for determining a current position of the movable door member 110 of the entrance system 100. Positional information of the automatic door operator 10a may thus be determined.

The controller 16a is configured for performing different functions of the automatic door operator 10a. The controller 16a may be implemented using instructions that enable hardware functionality, for example, by using computer program instructions executable in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor that may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium (disk, memory, etc.) to be executed by such a processor. The controller 16a is configured to read the instructions 17a stored in the memory Ma and execute these instructions 17a to control the operation of the automatic door operator 10a. The controller 16a may be implemented in any known controller technology, including but not limited to microcontroller, processor (e.g. PLC, CPU, DSP), FPGA, ASIC or any other suitable digital and/or analog circuitry capable of performing the intended functionality. The memory Ma may be implemented in any known memory technology, including but not limited to E(E)PROM, S(D)RAM or flash memory. In some embodiments, the memory Ma may be integrated with or internal to the controller 16a.

The entrance system 100 further comprises a door status module 20. The door status module 20 is transversally arranged along the leading edge 112 of the door member 110. The door status module 20 may be mounted to the leading edge 112 using any fastening means known in the art, for instance screws, bolts, adhesives, etc. Alternatively, the door status module 20 may form an integrated edge portion of the door member 110.

The door status module 20 may comprise a rubber material for reducing the impact force of the door member 110 contacting the floor level 21. The door status module 20 may comprise a plastic material, such as thermoplastic elastomer, for maintaining the shape of the door status module 20 after contact with the floor level 21 has occurred. The length of the door status module 20 may be adjustable to fit with different types of doors.

The door status module 20 is adapted to trigger one or more outputs of the door member 110. Movement of the door member 110 will cause the leading edge 112 to trigger one or more outputs from the door status module 20. In one embodiment, the door status module 20 arranged at the leading edge 112 is driven into physical contact with the floor level 21 for triggering one or more outputs. The one or more outputs are indicative of a closed position of the door member 110, i.e. whether the door is closed or not. The one or more outputs may be binary outputs, e.g. “NOT CLOSED” or “CLOSED”, for indicating whether leading edge 112 has driven the door status module 20 into a closed or no longer closed position, respectively. The door status module 20 may be configured to output the state of the door member 110 continuously during the operation of the entrance system 100, for instance each 0,1 second, 1 second, or at any other suitable time interval. For instance, as long as the leading edge 112 is engaging the floor level 21, the door status module 20 is configured to output “CLOSED”, and vice versa for whenever the leading edge 112 no longer engages the floor level 21 (i.e. “NOT CLOSED”). Hence, a shift in triggered outputs from the door status module 20 indicates that the leading edge 112 has either reached its closed position or left its closed position.

The door status module 20 may constitute a safety edge sensor device. Upon the safety edge sensor device coming into contact with the floor level 21, the controller 16a is configured to monitor the one or more outputs from the door status module 20 and act accordingly, for instance stopping and/or reversing the motor. The safety edge sensor device may be a passive safety edge device, mechanical safety edge device, resistive safety edge device or conductive safety edge device.

The door status module 20 may comprise one or more pneumatic sensor units. The pneumatic sensor units may comprise an airflow valve that is adapted to determine an amount of exhaust air passing through said valve. To this end, whenever the leading edge 112 engages the floor level 21 such that the door status module 20 is triggered, an amount of air passes the valve such that it can be determined whether there are any airflow leaks between the leading edge 112 and the floor level 21. In alternative embodiments, the door status module 20 may comprise one or more sensor units being ultrasonic sensors, inductive sensors, optical sensors, galvanic sensors, magnetic sensors, photoelectric sensors, capacitive sensors, weight or pressure sensors, cameras, electromechanical switches, or any combination thereof.

The door status module 20 may further comprise a control unit adapted to communicate the output from the door status module 20 to the automatic door operator system 10. Said communication may be wired or wireless. Hence, the automatic door operator system 10 may detect a change of state of the door status module 20 and cause subsequent control accordingly.

As described above, the automatic door operator 10a is adapted to travel in a travelling direction along the opposing posts of the door frame 114. The travelling direction is essentially vertical along the posts (the posts may in some cases be skewed to some extent) of the door frame 114. Hence, the automatic door operator 10a will be associated with a position in the travelling direction. This position will typically be related to the corresponding position of the leading edge 112 in relation to the floor level 21, considering that the door status module 20 is arranged or otherwise mounted thereto. The position of the automatic door operator 10a may be continuously measured by the controller 16a, for instance by means of the revolution counters 13a as previously described. During movement of the door member 110, the position of the automatic door operator 10a will vary, as will the position of the door status module 20, in relation to the floor level 21. The controller 16a may store the position of the automatic door operator 10a in the memory Ma.

Due to the different automatic door operators lOa-b possibly causing movement of the respective lateral sides 115, 116 differently, it has, in the prior art, been proven difficult to handle undesirable transmission of particles occurring through leaks between the door member 110 and the floor level 21. This was discussed in the background section. Moreover, the problem also emerges whenever installation or maintenance of the entrance system 110 is due; particularly when unevenness between the floor level 21 and the door frame 114 defining the attitude of the door member 110 exists. The present inventors have thus realized a way of providing efficient and exact alignment of the door member 110 with respect to the floor level 21. The solution involves providing selective control of at least one of the automatic door operators 10a- b, acquiring a positional difference between the automatic door operators lOa-b in the travelling direction, and causing subsequent control of the door member 110 in accordance with the acquired positional difference. Two different control modes for the entrance system 100 are presented herein: a calibration mode and an operation mode.

In the calibration mode, a positional difference, in the travelling direction, between the first and second automatic door operators lOa-b is acquired. The calibration mode may be activated during installation or maintenance of the entrance system 100. Hence, during the calibration mode, the entrance system 100 is not suitable for normal use.

In the calibration mode, the automatic door operator system 10 is adapted to cause selective control of the first and/or second automatic door operator lOa-b. Selective control may, for instance, involve instructing either one or both of the automatic door operators lOa-b to drive the associated lateral side 115, 116 such that the leading edge 112 of the door member 110 is moved in a vertical upwards or downwards direction, and/or is angularly tilted with respect to a central horizontal axis of the door leaf 111. Driving of the door member 110a is caused in the travelling direction. The first and/or the second automatic door operators lOa-b may accordingly cause the leading edge 112 of the door member 110, and thus the door status module 20, to be driven towards, or away from, the floor level 21 for causing the door status module 20 to trigger one or more outputs.

Based on the triggering of said one or more outputs from door status module 20, a positional difference may be acquired.

Once the calibration is completed, the entrance system 100 may switch from the calibration mode to the operation mode. The respective controllers 16a-b may be configured to perform said switch between modes.

In the operation mode, normal operation of the door member 110 is activated. “Normal” in this sense refers to that the door is being suitable for use. If additional calibration is required at some point in time, for instance whenever maintenance is due, the entrance system 100 may switch back to the calibration mode and repeat the procedure as explained above. In the operation mode, control of the door member 110 between the open and closed positions is performed. During said control, the acquired positional difference is taken into account such that the respective positions of the automatic door operators lOa-b are adjusted. Hence, levelness between the leading edge 112 and the floor level 21 is consistently achieved.

In one embodiment, adjusting the respective positions of the automatic door operators lOa-b in the travelling direction involves causing either one or both of the automatic door operators lOa-b to be driven in a vertical upwards or downwards direction, with respect to the floor level 21, for a distance determined by the positional difference. For instance, if it is determined that the positional difference between the two automatic door operators lOa-b is 10 cm, the goal is to make the automatic door operators lOa-b level. This may be done either by causing vertical movement of one of them 10 cm towards the other, or alternatively by causing vertical movement of one of them 9 cm towards the other, and 1 of the other towards the first. Clearly, 8/2 cm, 7/3 cm, 6/4 cm or any other suitable driving procedure relation may be realized, provided that the effect is an achieved levelness between the automatic door operators lOa-b. If levelness between said the automatic door operators lOa-b can be achieved, the leading edge 112 will accordingly be levelled with respect to the floor level 21 in the door member’s 110 closed position, hence ideally eliminating air flow leaks.

In one embodiment, adjusting the respective positions of the automatic door operators lOa-b in the travelling direction, during a closing movement, involves causing the first and second automatic door operators lOa-b to drive the door member 110 until one of the lateral sides 115, 116 reaches its closed position. Subsequently, the adjusting involves causing either the first or second automatic door operator lOa-b whose associated lateral side 115, 116 has not yet reached the floor level 21 to be driven in the travelling direction for a distance determined by the acquired positional difference. In this embodiment, a corresponding opposite control procedure is realized for the opening movement. This embodiment may involve driving the first and/or second automatic door operators lOa-b differentially with respect to a travelling distance, a travelling speed, or a combination thereof. The adjusting of relative positions between the automatic door operators lOa-b may be caused any time during the normal operation in the operation mode.

Preferably, the adjusting of relative positions is caused upon the door member 110 approaching the closed position and upon leaving the closed position. Upon approaching or upon leaving may, for instance, correspond to 1 to 10 centimeters from triggering an output switch of the door status module 20 (transitioning from closed to non-closed state, or vice versa). The effect is that the door member 110 is driven along the vertical structures of the entrance system 100, for instance the door frame 114, without causing wear and tear on said structures. Then, once approaching the closed position of the door member 110, tilting of the door member 110 is caused such that the alignment thereof corresponds to the tilt of the floor level 21. Hence, in this preferred embodiment, the calibration values (positional difference) are determined in the calibration mode of the entrance system 100, and the relative positional adjustment of the automatic door operators lOa-b, and thus the door member 110, is caused in the operation mode whenever a few centimeters (for instance less than approximately 5 cm) are left before the closing of the door member 110, or whenever the door has moved a few centimeters (for instance less than approximately 5 cm) away from the closing position during the opening procedure.

The last thing that happens before the door status module 20 outputs a closed state is thus a tilt of the door member 110 with respect to the floor level 21. Correspondingly, the first thing that happens after the door status module 20 no longer outputs a closed state is thus an “un-tilt” of the door member 110 with respect to the floor level 21. This embodiment is particularly useful for entrance systems being arranged on floor surfaces being relatively uneven.

Although the first and second automatic door operators lOa-b are independently operable to cause controlled movement of the door member 110, data may be transmitted therebetween. More specific, in order to acquire the positional difference between the automatic door operators lOa-b, respective positional data of each automatic door operator lOa-b is utilized.

In one embodiment, the entrance system 100 further comprises a central controller. The central controller may be configured to be in operable communication with the automatic door operators lOa-b for receiving respective positional data therefrom. Based on the received data, the central controller may be configured to calculate the positional difference. The central controller may be further configured to communicate the calculated positional difference to each one of the automatic door operators lOa-b for subsequent control of the door member 110 while taking the positional difference into account. The automatic door operators lOa-b may be connected to the central controller by means of any wired or wireless communication standards known in the art. Wireless communication may be established by means of short-range or long-range communication interfaces based on IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, ZigBee, WirelessHART, WiFi, Bluetooth®, BLE, RFID, WLAN, MQTT loT, CoAP, DDS, NFC, AMQP, LoRaWAN, Z-Wave, Sigfox, Thread, EnOcean, mesh communication, any other form of proximity-based device-to-device radio communication signal such as LTE Direct, W-CDMA/HSPA, GSM, UTRAN, or LTE.

In another embodiment, the automatic door operators lOa-b are in a masterslave configuration. The first automatic door operator 10a may be the master operator, and the second automatic door operator 10b may be the slave operator. The master operator may receive positional data being indicative of the position of the slave operator, and accordingly calculate the positional difference and cause subsequent control. Master-slave communication may be based on similar technologies as used for communication with the central controller as described in the embodiment above.

With reference to Figs. 2a-h, an embodiment of a predetermined calibration sequence for selectively causing the first and/or second automatic door operators lOa-b to drive the door member 110 is shown. The predetermined calibration sequence that is shown and which will now be described is an exemplary predetermined calibration sequence controlled by the automatic door operator system 10, as described above. The skilled person will appreciate that other potential predetermined calibration sequences for achieving levelness between the leading edge 112 and the floor level 21 may be realized. For reasons of brevity, Figs. 2a-h only show the door status module 20, arranged at the leading edge 112 of the door member 110, and its engagement with the floor level 21. In Figs. 2a-g, the entrance system 100 is in the calibration mode, and in Fig. 2h, the entrance system 100 is in the operation mode. Fig. 2a shows the beginning of the predetermined calibration sequence. As discussed above, the objective of the calibration sequence is to achieve levelness between the leading edge 112 of the door member 110 and the floor level 21 for sealing the door member 110 upon being closed. This may be done by controlling the door member 110 such that a positional difference pos between the automatic door operators lOa-b is mitigated, and ideally nullified. An angular difference cp of the door member 110 with respect to the floor level 21 also indicates that the depicted door member 110 is skewed.

In Fig. 2b, the automatic door operator system 10 is adapted to cause the automatic door operators lOa-b to simultaneously drive the door member 110 to the closed position (floor level 21), thereby triggering an output switch of the door status module 20. More specifically, the output switch is indicative of the door member 110 being in the closed position.

In Fig. 2c, the automatic door operator system 10 is adapted to cause the automatic door operators lOa-b to simultaneously drive the door member 110 towards the open position (away from the floor level 21). As soon as an output switch of the door status module 20 is triggered, indicating that the leading edge 112 is no longer in the closed position, the movement is halted. Hence, the door status module 20 no longer outputs the closed state. The current positions of the first and second automatic door operators 10a, b, in the travelling direction, as shown in Fig. 2c is saved as respective first positions posia,posib. The first positions posia,posib thus correspond to the closest position the leading edge 112 may be positioned at in relation to the floor level 21 without triggering an output from the door status module 20 indicating a closed position of the door member 110.

In Fig. 2d, the automatic door operator system 10 is adapted to cause the first automatic door operator 10a to (individually) drive the first lateral side 115 to the closed position (towards the floor level 21), thereby triggering an output switch of the door status module 20. More specifically, the door status module is adapted to trigger one or more outputs being indicative of the closed position of the door member 110. The current position of the first automatic door operator 10a, in the travelling direction, as shown in Fig. 2d is saved as a second position pos2. The second position pos2 thus corresponds to the position wherein the first lateral side 115 causes the door status module 20 to provide one or more outputs being indicative of the closed position of the door member 110, i.e. when the first lateral side 115 of the door member 110 reaches the floor level 21 such that an output switch is triggered by the door status module 20.

In Fig. 2e, the automatic door operator system 10 is adapted to cause the first automatic door operator 10a to (individually) drive the first lateral side 115 back to its first position posi.

In Figs. 2f-g, the procedure explained and shown in Figs. 2d-e is repeated, but (individually) for the second automatic door operator 10b instead causing movement of the second lateral side 116.

Finally, in Fig. 2h, the automatic door operator system 10 is adapted to calculate the positional difference posA as a difference between the saved second and third positions pos2, pos3. The calibration is thus completed, and the entrance system 10 may enter the operation mode for control of the door member 110, taking into account the calculated positional difference pos .

In view of the above embodiment of the predetermined calibration sequence, an example may be realized as follows. The automatic door operators lOa-b travel in the travelling direction (towards the floor level 21) such that the door member 110 is driven to the closed position, as seen in Fig. 2b. Then, the automatic door operators lOa-b travel in the travelling direction (away from the floor level 21) such that the door member 110 is driven to the first positions posia,posib as seen in Fig. 2c, which may be (+ x) cm above the floor level 21. The first automatic door operator 10a then travels in the travelling direction (towards the floor level 21) such that the first lateral side 115 is driven to the second position pos2, as seen in Fig. 2d. The second position pos2 may be approximately 7 cm. After the first automatic door operator 10a has returned to the first position posia, the second automatic door operator 10b then travels in the travelling direction (towards the floor level 21) such that the second lateral side 116 is driven to the third position pos3, as seen in Fig. 2f. The third position pos3 may be approximately 2 cm. The positional difference posA is then calculated as the difference between the second and third positions pos2, p0S3, i.e. 7 - 2 = 5 cm. This is an indication that the automatic door operators lOa-b are misaligned by approximately 5 cm, and the adjustment is applied accordingly in subsequent operation of the entrance system 100, for instance upon the door member 110 approaching and leaving the closed position.

Fig. 3 illustrates a schematic flowchart diagram of a method 200 for an entrance system 100. The method 200 comprises, in a calibration mode, selectively causing 210 a first and/or second automatic door operator 10a, 10b to drive the door member 110 for such that the door status module 20 triggers one or more outputs. The method 200 further comprises, based on said one or more outputs, acquiring 220 a positional difference between said first and second automatic door operators 10a, 10b in a travelling direction. The method 200 further comprises, in an operation mode, causing 230 control of the door member 110 to move between open and closed positions while adjusting the respective positions of the automatic door operators 10a, 10b in accordance with the positional difference as acquired in the calibration mode. An automatic door operator system 10 may be adapted to carry out the method 200 in accordance with the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of a computer-readable medium 300 in one exemplary embodiment, capable of storing a computer program product 310. The computer-readable medium 300 in the disclosed embodiment is a memory stick, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) stick. The USB stick 300 comprises a housing 330 having an interface, such as a connector 340, and a memory chip 320. In the disclosed embodiment, the memory chip 320 is a flash memory, i.e. a non-volatile data storage that can be electrically erased and re-programmed. The memory chip 320 stores the computer program product 310 which is programmed with computer program code (instructions) that when loaded into a processing device, will perform a method 200 according to the method 200 explained with reference to Fig. 3. The processing device may, for instance, be the controller 16a or 16b of the automatic door operators 10a or 10b, or the aforementioned central controller of the automatic door operator system 10. The USB stick 300 is arranged to be connected to and read by a reading device for loading the instructions into the processing device. It should be noted that a computer- readable medium can also be other mediums such as compact discs, digital video discs, hard drives or other memory technologies commonly used. The computer program code (instructions) can also be downloaded from the computer-readable medium via a wireless interface to be loaded into the processing device.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.