Information about Garage Door Opener
A garage door opener is a motorized device that opens and closes garage doors. Most are controlled by switches on the garage wall, as well as by remote controls carried in the garage owner's cars.
The most common style of operator for residential use is the trolley operator. The motor hangs near the center of the ceiling and a rail guides the trolley across the ceiling to the top of the doorway. The trolley is attached to the door arm that is then attached to the top of the door. When the trolley traverses the rail the door opens and closes.
Another style of operator is the jackshaft that works with a torsional spring counterbalance system. Instead of attaching to the door, it attaches to the spring shaft. Rotation of the shaft still allows the springs to do most of the lifting while adding the extra force to move the door. The major advantage is that this operator resides to the side of the door and does not require a rail. The trolley style operator often is encumbered with obstacles (beams, pipes, etc) or it becomes an obstruction itself. Jackshaft operators are not as popular due to the inherent safety issues. It is very difficult for the machine to sense when the door is crushing someone.
There are several ways to make the trolley move across the rail. Older systems include a rotating rail with a wheeled trolley that used the rotary motion of the rail (pole) to force the trolley across the distance. It was called a monkey on a pole. It was too dangerous, but it did inspire the screw drive system which the Genie Company originally marketed.
The screw drive system uses a long screw that is encased in the rail. The rail guides the trolley and the screw pushes the trolley. This system opens a door slower than a chain or belt drive system, but can apply more force. This system is best used on a one piece door known as a California Door or heavy doors such as carriage house doors. The heavier the door the slower it should move for safety and longevity of the door and operator.
Most current systems have a chain loop or a steel-reinforced rubber belt that pulls the trolley across the rail. The rubber belt reduces the noise during operation.
A recently introduced feature in the garage door opener market is a battery backup system. When power to the home is lost, residents are still able to get in and out of their garage. An added feature is that all opener safety features still function while the unit is operating on battery power.
The second stage of the wireless garage door opener system deals with the shared frequency problem. To rectify this, systems required a garage door owner to preset a digital code via dip switches on the receiver and transmitter. While these switches provided garage door systems with 28 = 256 different codes they were not really designed with security in mind, the main idea was to avoid interference with similar systems nearby.
The current garage door opener market uses a frequency spectrum range between 300-400 MHz and most of the transmitter/receivers rely on hopping or rolling code technology. This approach prevents perpetrators from recording a code and replaying it to open a garage door. Since the signal is supposed to be significantly different from that of any other garage door remote control, manufacturers claim it is impossible for someone other than the owner of the remote to open the garage. When the transmitter sends a code, it generates a new code using an encoder. The receiver, after receiving a correct code, uses the same encoder with the same original seed to generate a new code that it will accept in the future. Because there is a high probability that someone might accidentally push the open button while not in range and desynchronize the code, the transmitter and receiver generate look-a-head codes ahead of time.
More exotic features are also available, such as an integrated carbon monoxide sensor to open the door in case of the garage being flooded with exhaust fumes. Other systems allow door activation over the internet to allow home owners to open their garage door from their office for deliveries. This feature violates UL safety codes that states the door must be in line-of-sight of the person operating the door for safety reasons.
Another recent innovation in the garage door opener is a fingerprint wireless keypad. This unit attaches outside the garage door on the jamb and allows users to open and close their door with the swipe of a finger, rather than creating a PIN. This is especially helpful for families with children who may forget a code and are "latch-key" kids.
The opener
A common misconception regarding openers is that the door opener lifts the door directly, however, most of the lifting is done by the counterbalance system using either torsion springs or linear expansion springs. There are also several clever counterweight systems. All of these systems allow the door to be moved with much less force and allows the door to come to rest in partially open positions.The most common style of operator for residential use is the trolley operator. The motor hangs near the center of the ceiling and a rail guides the trolley across the ceiling to the top of the doorway. The trolley is attached to the door arm that is then attached to the top of the door. When the trolley traverses the rail the door opens and closes.
Another style of operator is the jackshaft that works with a torsional spring counterbalance system. Instead of attaching to the door, it attaches to the spring shaft. Rotation of the shaft still allows the springs to do most of the lifting while adding the extra force to move the door. The major advantage is that this operator resides to the side of the door and does not require a rail. The trolley style operator often is encumbered with obstacles (beams, pipes, etc) or it becomes an obstruction itself. Jackshaft operators are not as popular due to the inherent safety issues. It is very difficult for the machine to sense when the door is crushing someone.
There are several ways to make the trolley move across the rail. Older systems include a rotating rail with a wheeled trolley that used the rotary motion of the rail (pole) to force the trolley across the distance. It was called a monkey on a pole. It was too dangerous, but it did inspire the screw drive system which the Genie Company originally marketed.
The screw drive system uses a long screw that is encased in the rail. The rail guides the trolley and the screw pushes the trolley. This system opens a door slower than a chain or belt drive system, but can apply more force. This system is best used on a one piece door known as a California Door or heavy doors such as carriage house doors. The heavier the door the slower it should move for safety and longevity of the door and operator.
Most current systems have a chain loop or a steel-reinforced rubber belt that pulls the trolley across the rail. The rubber belt reduces the noise during operation.
A recently introduced feature in the garage door opener market is a battery backup system. When power to the home is lost, residents are still able to get in and out of their garage. An added feature is that all opener safety features still function while the unit is operating on battery power.
Remote Control
The first garage door opener remote controls were simple and consisted of a simple transmitter (the remote) and receiver which controlled the opener mechanism. The transmitter would transmit on designated frequency; the receiver would listen for the radio signal, then open or close the garage, depending on the door position. The basic concept of this can be traced back to World War II. This type of system was used to detonate remote bombs. While novel at the time, the technology would run its course when garage door openers would become widely available and used. Then, not only did a person open their garage door, they opened their neighbor’s garage door as well. While the garage door remote is low in power and in range, it was powerful enough to interfere with other receivers in the area.The second stage of the wireless garage door opener system deals with the shared frequency problem. To rectify this, systems required a garage door owner to preset a digital code via dip switches on the receiver and transmitter. While these switches provided garage door systems with 28 = 256 different codes they were not really designed with security in mind, the main idea was to avoid interference with similar systems nearby.
The current garage door opener market uses a frequency spectrum range between 300-400 MHz and most of the transmitter/receivers rely on hopping or rolling code technology. This approach prevents perpetrators from recording a code and replaying it to open a garage door. Since the signal is supposed to be significantly different from that of any other garage door remote control, manufacturers claim it is impossible for someone other than the owner of the remote to open the garage. When the transmitter sends a code, it generates a new code using an encoder. The receiver, after receiving a correct code, uses the same encoder with the same original seed to generate a new code that it will accept in the future. Because there is a high probability that someone might accidentally push the open button while not in range and desynchronize the code, the transmitter and receiver generate look-a-head codes ahead of time.
Additional features
Additional features that have been added over the years have included automatic courtesy lights that turns on when the door opens (or via motion sensors) and automatically turns off after a preset amount of time. Remote lockout feature which basically turns off the radio receiver while you are on vacation. The availability of accessories has increased as well like wireless keypads and keychain remotes.More exotic features are also available, such as an integrated carbon monoxide sensor to open the door in case of the garage being flooded with exhaust fumes. Other systems allow door activation over the internet to allow home owners to open their garage door from their office for deliveries. This feature violates UL safety codes that states the door must be in line-of-sight of the person operating the door for safety reasons.
Another recent innovation in the garage door opener is a fingerprint wireless keypad. This unit attaches outside the garage door on the jamb and allows users to open and close their door with the swipe of a finger, rather than creating a PIN. This is especially helpful for families with children who may forget a code and are "latch-key" kids.
See also
- Chamberlain v. Skylink Legal case on Digital Millennium Copyright Act and a transmitter acting as a universal garage door opener
- Swing door operator
External links
- PDF on a Texas Instruments Remote Control Encoder/Decoder provides a lot of information on the operation of the device
- Code hopping
- How Garage Doors Work – The Ups and Downs of It All
- Official FCC notification on garage opener frequencies (pdf) - Consumers May Experience Interference To Their Garage Door Opener Controls Near Military Bases
- Garage Door Opener and Accessories Buying Guide
A garage door is a large door on a garage or carport that can either be opened manually or by a garage door opener. Although of many designs, most garage doors are sectional, upward-acting, and self-storing.
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remote control is an electronic device used for the remote operation of a machine.
The term remote control can be also referred to as "remote" or "controller" when abbreviated.
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The term remote control can be also referred to as "remote" or "controller" when abbreviated.
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automobile (from Greek auto, self and Latin mobile moving, a vehicle that moves itself rather than being moved by another vehicle or animal) or motor car (usually shortened to just car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor.
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Note: Free Dictionary cites: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.)
2. ^ Basic Crane Design principles .
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2. ^ Basic Crane Design principles .
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A torsion spring is a spring that works by torsion or twisting; that is, a flexible elastic object that stores mechanical energy when it is twisted. The amount of force (actually torque) it exerts is proportional to the amount it is twisted.
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Note: Free Dictionary cites: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.)
2. ^ Basic Crane Design principles .
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2. ^ Basic Crane Design principles .
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jackshaft is a device for turning the wheels of a locomotive. It is essentially an axle with no wheels. Each end of the jackshaft has a crank pin and a counterweight. The driving wheels are then connected by side rods.
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transmitter (sometimes abbreviated XMTR) is an electronic device which with the aid of an antenna propagates an electromagnetic signal such as radio, television, or other telecommunications.
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A radio receiver is an electronic circuit that receives its input from an antenna, uses electronic filters to separate a wanted radio signal from all other signals picked up by this antenna, amplifies it to a level suitable for further processing, and finally converts through
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bomb is an explosive device that generates and releases its energy very rapidly. The explosion creates a violent, destructive shock wave. Bombs cause destruction and injury to objects and living things within the blast radius by the crushing action of the shockwave (pressure) and
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wireless is normally used to refer to any type of electrical or electronic operation which is accomplished without the use of a "hard wired" connection. Wireless communication is the transfer of information
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FreQuency is a music video game developed by Harmonix and published by SCEI. It was released in November 2001. A sequel, titled Amplitude was released in 2003.
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DIP switch is an electric switch that is packaged in a group in a standard dual in-line package (DIP) (the whole package unit may also be referred to as a DIP switch in the singular).
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A rolling code (or sometimes called a hopping code) is used in keyless entry systems to prevent replay attacks (Where an eavesdropper records the transmission and replays it at a later time to cause the receiver to 'unlock'.
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Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. It is the product of the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing compounds, notably in internal-combustion engines.
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Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is a U.S. not-for-profit, privately owned and operated product safety testing and certification organization. Based in Northbrook, Illinois, UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and
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Line-of-sight propagation refers to electro-magnetic radiation travelling in a straight line. The rays are therefore deviated or reflected by obstructions and cannot travel over the horizon. Beyond that, material disperses the rays.
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Chamberlain v. Skylink, 381 F.3d 1178 (Fed. Cir. 2004), is an American legal case known for being one of the first uses of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) as a prosecution aid in a copyright case, setting the boundaries and limitations of the controversial act.
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A swing door operator (or swing door opener or automatic swing door operator) is a device that operates a swing door for pedestrian use. It opens or helps open the door automatically, waits, then closes it.
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