CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from United States provisional patent application

US62/099,984 entitled "HINGE WITH COMPLEMENTARY WIRELESS SENSOR" filed January 5, 2015, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein to the fullest extent permitted by law.

BACKGROUND

Field

The present invention relates to wireless sensors used in building (for example home) automation, security, energy management and assisted living industries. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of a complementary wireless sensor within a door hinge.

Descrip tion of Related A rt

The emergence of the Internet of Things and the Smart Home industries have created an increasing consumer demand for sensors within the home, retail, commercial and industrial environments for the monitoring and reporting on the state of many commonplace objects.

One such object is the entry/access door to a home or business or the privacy door of a room within a home or business. While the primary function of a sensor on such an object is to report on the object's physical position or state as being closed or open, other information such as environmental conditions and/or sensor power source status may also be reported. This reported state and other information may be used by an electronic controller, gateway or hub within the home or business to make decisions, often in conjunction with remote Cloud or smartphone applications, on a wide variety of home automation, security or energy management issues such as: security alarm status, adjusting lighting conditions or the control of HVAC equipment.

Door sensors, in one form or another, have been installed in new building construction or as retro-fitted modifications for many years, primarily by the security industry. Traditionally, these installations have been done with passive, remotely powered sensors requiring a professional installer to properly align and install the sensors and run long lengths of low voltage wire between the sensors and one or more system control panels. More recently wireless systems have become more popular, making use of battery-powered electronic products to remotely sense and report to one or more wireless controllers.

Historically, the sensor alignment and wiring challenges presented by these systems have required professional technicians, skilled at sensor installation, knowledgeable about running wires through walls and experienced in deploying and maintaining wireless equipment. The new Smart Home industries have created a Do It Yourself (DIY) retail marketplace, wherein home owners and/or unskilled employees are now faced with aligning, installing, operating and maintaining these types of wired or wireless systems and their accompanying sensors.

Given the recent changes in the technology and the emergence of DIY customer expectations, all of these types of systems now face the same challenging requirements for door sensor installation in the home, retail, commercial and industrial market segments. The sensors used to monitor the door must be: safe from theft, tampering, or accidental damage, either completely hidden or aesthetically pleasing to view, small in size and easily aligned and installed without professional knowledge or power tools.

Figure 1, 2, 3 and 4 (all PRIOR ART) illustrate door sensors that are known in the art and are representative of the majority of sensors commonly available.

Figure 1 depicts a Honeywell 945 magnetic door contact sensor 10 for door surface installations. The door contact 10 has a body housing 12 that contains a magnetic reed relay. This relay is actuated by an external magnet 11 to indicate open and closed states. Wires 13 are connected to the reed relay inside body housing 12. These wires 13 are typically connected by the installer to additional external wiring running back to a system controller. In this manner, the open and closed states are reported as electrical signals. Both body housing 12 and magnet 11 would be typically mounted to the door and door frame using double-side tape or screws. While body housing 12 and magnet 11 are small and relatively easy to install, they are plainly visible and easily prone to theft, damage, tampering and later misalignment due to vibration. Further, the wiring running back to a system controller requires specialized tools and knowledge that make it difficult for DIY customers to install these sensors.

Figure 2 depicts a Honeywell MPS5 magnetic door contact sensor 20 for recessed door installations. The door contact 20 has a body housing 22 that contains a magnetic reed relay. This relay is actuated by an external magnet 21 to indicate open and closed states. Wires 23 are connected to the reed relay inside body housing 22. These wires 23 are typically connected by the installer to additional external wiring running back to a system controller. In this manner, the open and closed states are reported as electrical signals. Both body housing 22 and magnet 21 would be typically mounted into separate holes drilled by the installer into the door and door frame. Both body housing 22 and magnet 21 would then be typically secured in place using a silicon adhesive. While body housing 22 and magnet 21 are well hidden and relatively protected from theft, damage or tampering, they are very difficult to align, install and secure for an unskilled person. Further, the wiring running back to a system controller requires specialized tools and knowledge that make it difficult for DIY customers to install these sensors.

Figure 3 depicts a Honeywell 8165 wireless magnetic door contact sensor 30 for door surface installations. The door contact 30 has a body housing 32 that contains a radio with electronic circuitry, a battery power source and a magnetic reed relay. This relay is actuated by an external magnet 31 to indicate open and closed states. Body housing 32 contains an internal antenna which is used to wirelessly report the open and closed states to a system controller. Both body housing 32 and magnet 31 would be typically mounted to the door and door frame using double-side tape or screws. While body housing 32 and magnet 31 are relatively easy to install, they are quite visible and easily prone to theft, damage, tampering and later misalignment due to vibration.

Figure 4 depicts a Honeywell 5800 PS wireless plunger-style door contact sensor 40 for recessed door installations. The door contact 40 has a body housing 42 that contains a radio with electronic circuitry, a battery power source and a relay. This relay is actuated by plunger 41 making contact with the door edge to indicate open and closed states. The radio in body housing 42 uses an external antenna 43 to wirelessly report the open and closed states to the system controller. Body housing 42 and external antenna 43 would be typically mounted into a hole/recess drilled/chiseled by the installer into the door frame. Body housing 42 would then be typically secured in place using a screws. While this plunger-style contact 40 is hidden and relatively protected theft, damage or tampering, it is difficult to align, install and secure for an unskilled person.

Consequently, there exists a need for a door sensor that will be: safe from theft, tampering, or accidental damage, either completely hidden or aesthetically pleasing to view, small in size and easily aligned and installed without professional knowledge or power tools.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to this need.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sensor complementary with a hinge having first and second brackets that radiate from a joint for rotation thereabout, the hinge having a closed state wherein the first and second brackets are opposite and an open state wherein the first and second brackets are not opposite, the sensor being operable to detect and transmit the state of the hinge, the sensor having: a housing adapted to reside on one of the first and second brackets, such that at least a portion of the housing is between the first and second brackets when the hinge is in the closed state, a detector enclosed within the housing and operable to detect when the other one of the first and second brackets is sufficiently proximate such that the hinge is in the closed state and insufficiently proximate such that the hinge is in the open state, and a radio, enclosed within the housing and in communication with the detector, operable to transmit a first signal in response to the detector detecting that the hinge is in the closed state and to transmit a second signal in response to the detector detecting that the hinge is in the open state.

The housing may be adapted to be affixed to the one of the first and second brackets, for example removably affixed to the one of the first and second brackets. In this regard, the housing may have fastener holes by which to be removably affixed to the one of the first and second brackets with fasteners. The sensor might be configured such that the housing includes a lever arm having a rest position and a deformed position and the detector includes a detection spring in communication with the lever arm, the detection spring having a relaxed position and a sprung position, such that when the hinge is in the open state, the lever arm is in the rest position and the detection spring is in the relaxed position, but when the hinge is in the closed state, the other one of the first and second brackets urges the lever arm into the deformed position and the lever arm urges the detection spring into the sprung position, so that the detector is operable to detect when the other one of the first and second brackets is sufficiently proximate such that the hinge is in the closed state and insufficiently proximate such that the hinge is in the open state.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus having a hinge with first and second brackets that radiate from a joint for rotation thereabout and a complementary sensor as described in the first aspect of the invention.

One or both of the first and second brackets of the hinge may include a cut-out to accommodate a portion of the housing.

The hinge may be electromagnetically tuned to propagate transmission of the signals from the radio.

The radio may further operable to receive signals and the hinge electromagnetically tuned to propagate reception of the signals to the radio.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door hinge with a complementary wireless sensor. The door hinge may include a physical supporting frame or hinge body attached to the door and door frame; a housing for a power source, radio and electronic circuitry which can be attached to and be located within the hinge body; a power source for the radio and electronic circuitry; a radio which can be used to report on the door state as well as other information; electronic circuitry which can be used to support the radio, facilitate door state sensing, manage the power source and sense other relevant information; and a means-to-detect the state of the door. The hinge body can be formed from metal or any other materials with a variety of finishes and colours. The hinge body design can be based upon ANSI standards A156.1, A156.7, A156.17, A156.18 or a variety of other ANSI or international hinge standards or non-standard designs. The hinge body design can be modified to accommodate a range of housing design variants or other design elements required by desired functions and features. The hinge body can be attached to the door and door frame, using pre-existing screws and holes or by any other means adequate to secure it in place, while providing for both the new and inventive function taught herein and door support. The installation of the hinge body requires no additional modification to either the door or the door frame.

The hinge body may further include means to generate energy, using electro-mechanical, piezo-electric, solenoidal or any other reasonable means that can be used by the power source. This energy can be derived from the rotational motion of the door hinge joint during the opening and closing movement of the door or from any other movement or vibration within, or external to, the body.

The housing may comprise a means to secure itself within the hinge body using screws, snaps, clips or any other means adequate to insure proper product operation and prevent product damage or failure. The housing may contain the power source, radio and electronic circuitry either completely or partially within its physical envelope. The housing may contain or provide physical assistance to part or all of the means-to-detect the door state.

The housing may further include means to generate energy that can be used by the power source, from the opening/closing of the door or from any other movement or vibration within, or external to, the housing.

The power source may include an energy storage device using a primary cell battery of lithium ion or any other technology or chemistry type. The power source may have the ability, by Power Management Integrated Circuits (PMIC's), passive electronic circuitry or any other means, to provide for product safety and to manage the discharging and other functions of the storage device. The power source may further include an energy storage device using a variety of rechargeable lithium ion batteries or any other technologies or chemistries. The power source may make use of energy from the hinge body, housing or any other energy generating element of the invention, to recharge the storage device. The power source may have the ability, by Power Management Integrated Circuits (PM IC's), passive electronic circuitry or any other means, to provide for product safety and to manage the recharging/discharging and other functions of the storage device.

The radio may include firmware and electronic circuitry necessary to support and implement the IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee HA Profile wireless communication standard, or any other form of appropriate communication standard. The radio may include an antenna internal or external to the housing to facilitate communication with the wireless system's network.

The electronic circuitry may include firmware and hardware circuitry necessary to support and implement: the radio and any supporting functions required by it; the means-to-detect the door state and any supporting functions required by it; power source management by Power

Management Integrated Circuits (PM IC's), passive electronic circuitry or any other means; and the sensing of other relevant information such as environmental conditions and power source capacity.

The electronic circuitry may further include means to generate energy that can be used by the power source, from the opening/closing of the door or from any other movement or vibration within, or external to, the invention.

The means-to-detect the state of the door may include a mechanical element such as a piece of bent metal made from spring steel or phosphor bronze, or any other material being physically displaced by the opening or closing of the hinge body, that through physical contact with one or both of the hinge brackets, makes contact with and creates a measureable change in electronic circuitry. This measureable change may be detected by the hardware circuitry and/or firmware to produce a discernible open or closed state. The means-to-detect the state of the door may further include sensing the physical displacement of the hinge body and one or both hinge brackets by: magnetic elements and sensors, optical sensing, or inductive or capacitive sensing. Alternatively, electronic contacts may be placed within the hinge body joint to measure rotational displacement, or electronic motors, dynamos or solenoids could be integrated within the hinge body joint to measure rotation. The accuracy of these rotational methods however, can be problematic due to the mechanical tolerance and natural slippage of the hinge joint itself.

Locating the means-to-detect the state of the door within the hinge body, to make use of the movement of the hinge brackets, provides a prefabricated, well-defined reference system for detecting the state of the door. Unlike prior art examples which require sensor alignment to measure the state of the door with respect to the relative positions of door and door frame, the invention relies on the pre-defined hinge body itself for determining the state of the door. This arrangement reduces the guess work from door sensor installation and the need for a professional installer, simplifying and improving the reliability of the process.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon considering the following drawings, description, and claims.

DESCRIPTION

The invention will be more fully illustrated by the following detailed description of non- limiting specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. In the figures, similar elements and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various elements of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar elements. If only the first reference label is identified in a particular passage of the detailed description, then that passage describes any one of the similar elements having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

Brief Description of the Drawings In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary prior art and exemplary embodiments of the present invention :

Figure 1 (PRIOR ART) is a perspective view of a wired, surface-mounted magnetic door contact from Honeywell, model number MPS45.

Figure 2 (PRIOR ART) is a perspective view of a wired, recess-mounted magnetic door contact from Honeywell, model number MPS5.

Figure 3 (PRIOR ART) is a perspective view of a wireless, surface-mounted magnetic door contact from Honeywell, model number 8165.

Figure 4 (PRIOR ART) is a perspective view of a wireless, recess-mounted plunger-style door contact from Honeywell, model number 5800RPS.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a door hinge with complementary wireless sensor, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, shown in a partially open position.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the hinge body, part of the door hinge with complementary wireless sensor shown in Figure 5, shown in a partially open position.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the housing, part of the door hinge with complementary wireless sensor shown in Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the power source, radio, electronic circuitry and means-to- detect the door state, contained within the housing shone in Figure 7, part of the door hinge with complementary wireless sensor shown in Figure 5.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the means-to-detect the door state and housing cover, part of the door hinge with complementary wireless sensor shown in Figure 5.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the door hinge with complementary wireless sensor shown in Figure 5, illustrating a closing action that will actuate the means-to-detect the door state.

Detailed Description

Dimensional or directional terms such as "front", "back, "top", "bottom", "lateral" and "transverse" in this Detailed Description are used merely to assist the reader in understanding the detailed embodiments and are not intended to limit the construction or operation of the embodiments described herein, nor the orientation or connection of the embodiments to the environment or to other structures.

Referring to Figure 5, there is shown a first embodiment of a door hinge with

complementary wireless sensor 50 that can be installed in the place of a standard mechanical door hinge. The door hinge 50 can include hinge body 51 and housing 52. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the door hinge 50 facilitates the same physical operation as a standard mechanical hinge, connecting the door to the door frame and providing door support and a rotational opening and closing motion.

Referring to Figure 6, there are shown the detailed elements of hinge body 51. The hinge body 51 as shown in the embodiment is based on the ANSI 156.7 standard, but could be based on any ANSI or other international standard or could be non-standard. While the hinge body 51 as shown in the embodiment is symmetric with respect to mounting on the door and the door frame, for the purposes of this Detailed Description, we will use the terms "left" and "right" as viewed in Figure 6. The hinge body contains a left bracket 61 and a right bracket 62. The left bracket 61 has a rectangular cut-out 63 and fastener holes 67, above and below cut-out 63, to accommodate housing 52. The right bracket 62 has a formed cut-out 64 to both accommodate housing 52 and to provide a mechanical assistance to the means-to-detect the door state, as will be further described below. Four screw holes 65, two in left bracket 61 and two in right bracket 62, are retained within the design from the ANSI 156.7 standard to simplify the installation of the door hinge 50 in place of an ANSI 156.7 standard mechanical hinge. In this embodiment, the door hinge joint 66 contains, for mechanical integrity, a simple mechanical pin (not shown), much like an ANSI 156.7 standard mechanical door hinge. It should be understood by anyone skilled in the art, that similar modifications to cut-outs 63 and 64 and fastener holes 67, as described above, could be performed on mechanical hinge designs that are based on other ANSI or international standards or on nonstandard designs. Referring to Figure 7, there are shown the detailed elements of housing 52. Housing 52 is designed to be a modular part that can be used in hinge body 51 or in any mechanical hinge design based on ANSI or international standards or non-standard designs. As shown in the embodiment, housing 52 includes a housing base 71 and housing cover 72. The housing base 71 contains two mounting bosses 73 to allow the housing base 71 to be affixed to left bracket 61 by #2 machine screws, for example. The housing 52 can be easily removed from left bracket 61 after the door hinge 50 has been installed, to facilitate product repair or upgrading, without removal of door hinge 50 or sensor re-alignment being required. The housing cover 72 and housing base 71 are connected by the use of two #0 machine screws 74, for example. Housing cover 72 can contain a lever arm 75 as part of the means-to-detect the door state, as will be described further below. The overall dimensions of the housing 52, as shown in the embodiment, might be: 1.64" x 1.16" x 0.23", for example. In general, the dimensions of the housing 52, especially the depth, would be selected for proper product operation within the allowable space when door hinge 50 is in a closed position. It should be appreciated by anyone skilled in the art, that the dimensions and design of housing 52 may vary significantly depending upon the size and structure of door hinge 50 with which it is being used.

Referring to Figure 8, there are shown the detailed elements of the electronic circuitry 80 contained within housing 52 for this embodiment. In this embodiment, the electronic circuitry 80 includes a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 81 on which is contained the radio 82, internal antenna 84 and detector 85, herein implemented as a detection spring 85. The exemplary radio 82 could be a Silicon Labs EM357 Integrated Circuit. The exemplary antenna 84 could be a Johanson Technology 2450AT18A100 2.4G Hz chip antenna. The detection spring 85 is a custom mechanical part designed specifically for detecting the state of a door, as will be further discussed below. Adjacent to, and electrically and mechanically connected to PCB 81, is the power source 83. The power source 83 could be a Panasonic CR2032 primary lithium ion coin cell battery. The size and dimensions of PCB 81 and the location of the electronic components on PCB 81 may both vary greatly depending upon the size and structure of housing 52.

Referring to Figures 8, 9 and 10, there is shown an exemplary means-to-detect the door state for door hinge 50. As indicated by the arrow in each of Figures 8, 9 and 10, the embodiment uses the physical contact from right bracket 62 on lever arm 75 as a means-to-detect the open or closed state of the door. When pressed by right bracket 62, lever arm 75 in turn presses on detection spring 85. When pressed, detection spring 85 makes physical and electrical contact with PCB 81, causing a change to the electrical state of the electronic circuitry 80. This electrical state change is detected by electronic circuitry 80 and in turn is reported to a system controller by radio 82. This pressed condition occurs when the left bracket 61 and right bracket 62 are in close physical proximity to one another, indicating that the door is closed. Relaxation in detection spring 85 occurs when left bracket 61 and right bracket 62 are removed from close physical proximity, releasing lever arm 75, indicating that the door is open. When relaxed, detection spring 85 is released from physical and electrical contact with PCB 81, causing a change to the electrical state of the electronic circuitry 80. This electrical state change is detected by electronic circuitry 80 and in turn is reported to a system controller by radio 82. In both the described open and closed states, this electrical state and a change of the state can be detected by the electronic circuitry 80 using a variety of means, including but not limited to: analog signal conditioning, polled level detection, change-of-state interrupts and edge-triggered interrupts.

Referring to Figures 5 and 10, the design of cut-out 63 in left bracket 61, cut-out 64 in right bracket 62 and housing 52 have been done so as to fit within the allowable space of 0.23", for example, when door hinge 50 is in a closed state. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that either or both of cut-out 63 and cut-out 64 might have a closed perimeter or, for a sufficiently thin housing 52, might not be through-cut. For a sufficiently thin housing 52, either one of cut-out 63 and cut-out 64 might on its own be sufficient to accommodate the housing 52 such that the other one of cut-out 63 and cut-out 64 might not be needed. Furthermore, the contents of the housing 52 might be housed instead within one or both of the left bracket 61 and the right bracket 62, such that the housing 52 itself might not be needed. Sufficiently thin contents might be surface mounted to a surface of one or both of the left bracket 61 and the right bracket 62, such that the housing 52 or one or both of cut-out 63 and cut-out 64 might not be needed. Finally, the left bracket 61 or the right bracket 62 might itself form the housing 52.

Referring to Figures 7, 8 and 10, the design of electronic circuitry 80, radio 82 and antenna 84 and the location of power source 83 have been done so as to maximize the propagation efficiency of antenna 84 when hinge 50 is in a closed position. The possible near-field presence of metallic door edges and metallic door frames to hinge 50 when in a closed position present a difficult design challenge to insure that the radiating field of antenna 84 is not adversely affected. The strong likelihood that hinge body 51 is composed of a metallic material can create a boxed-in effect on antenna 84 in conjunction with metallic door edges and frame. Further to this, the location of power source 83 must be done so as not to shadow antenna 84 and add to boxing-in effect. One method to minimize these effects and provide adequate wireless communication would be, for example, to locate antenna 84 toward the outer edge of PCB 81 as far away as possible from left bracket 61 and power source 83. An alternative method, for example, would be to include, as physical and electrical constructs, the hinge body 50, left bracket 61 and/or right bracket 62 in the electromagnetic design of radio 82 and antenna 84 and, by electrically connecting to them, to provide adequate wireless communications signal radiation. In this fashion, the boxed-in effect could be minimized by turning an interfering physical structure, hinge body 50, into a propagating element.

Typical materials that can be used to manufacture the depicted embodiment of the door hinge 50 are: stainless or carbon steel with a nickel-satin finish for the body hinge, polycarbonate plastic with a matte texture for the housing 52 and spring steel or phosphor bronze metal for the detection spring 85. The components of electronic circuitry 80 in the embodiment are readily available from third-party companies in the electronics industry. The left bracket 61 and right bracket 62 in the embodiment can be formed by a sheet metal bending process and the housing base 71 and housing cover 72 in the embodiment can be formed by an injection plastic molding process; however, other manufacturing techniques can be used as would be known to one skilled in the art.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention and are intended to be included herein. For example, the means-to-detect, as described above, is one fashion in which a pre-aligned and deterministic measurement of the open and closed states of the door can be determined by making use of direct and intimate physical contact with right bracket 62 of hinge body 51. The open and closed states of the door, through use of either or both of left bracket 61 or right bracket 62, could be achieved by a variety of means including, but not limited to: magnetic elements and sensors, optical sensing and inductive or capacitive sensing. Alternatively such a measurement of the open and closed states of the door could be achieved by placing electronic contacts within the hinge body joint 66 to measure rotational displacement, or by integrating electronic motors, dynamos or solenoids within the hinge body joint 66 to measure rotation.

Thus, it will be seen from the foregoing embodiments and examples that there has been described a way to identify the state of a door or other rotatable building element (such as a window) by measuring the state of a hinge about which it rotates.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims. In particular, all quantities described have been determined empirically and those skilled in the art might well expect a wide range of values surrounding those described to provide similarly beneficial results.

It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that modifications of and adjustments to the exemplary embodiments provided, are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Further, it will be appreciated that the invention has applications other than the examples provided, extending to other building elements such as windows and beyond to non-building applications.