Overview Block Gate Control

The function block controls a garage door, a sliding gate, a barrier or a motorised lock. From the two limit switches and the configured travel times it derives the state and the position in percent, reports "open", "closed", "moving" and "intermediate position", and detects when the gate gets stuck.

The drive is operated either through a single pulse output (the drive itself cycles through open, stop and close) or through separate outputs for open and close.

As with all block function blocks, the presence state comes from the Block Presence function block. See also Presence in general.

The matching control element is Block Gate Control. The switching times, the automatic closing and the partial opening time are set there; the function block must be linked to the control element.

Position and state

The position is estimated from the travel time and set exactly again whenever a limit switch is reached: the open limit means 100 %, the closed limit 0 %.

The controller remembers the position. It survives loading a project and a restart - otherwise "unknown" would be shown after every transfer, although nothing has changed at the gate. If a limit switch is active at start-up, that one applies; it is always more accurate than the remembered value.

The function block still reports unknown in three cases: at the very first start, when no position has ever been remembered; when the controller failed in the middle of a movement - the gate is then somewhere in between; and when the travel time expires without the expected limit switch. It then deliberately does not assume the gate is closed but reports "unknown" until the gate reaches a limit switch or completes a full movement.

If the gate is moved by hand or by its own remote control while the controller is switched off, the remembered value no longer matches. The position corrects itself with the next limit switch.

With a pulse drive the function block keeps track of what the next pulse will do. Without limit switches this cannot be determined reliably; the function block then does not guess but marks the position as unknown.

The limit switches are not mandatory. Many gates do not have any. Without them the function block relies on the travel time alone: after the first complete opening or closing the position counts as known, before that it reports "unknown". A movement then ends exactly with the configured travel time, and no fault for an exceeded travel time is reported - without a limit switch there is nothing that could reveal a stuck gate. Each direction is considered separately: if only one of the two limit switches is linked, the monitoring applies to that direction only.

Automatic closing

While the gate stands open it can close on its own after an adjustable time. The time is set in the control element, optionally with a different value per presence state - earlier while on holiday, for example.

Before such a movement the warning time elapses; during that time the warning light output is set and the gate does not yet move. If an obstacle is present, the function block is locked or a fault is pending, the movement is not started at all - the time then waits instead of running on, and the gate closes as soon as the obstacle is gone.

Feedback and fault

If the inputs RA or RZ are linked, the function block checks after every command whether the feedback arrives. If it does not, the command is repeated and after the configured number of attempts a fault is reported. With a pulse drive the command is never repeated: a second pulse would not be a repeated command but a stop.

A fault is also reported when the travel time plus its allowance expires without the expected limit switch. The fault is latching: it must be acknowledged through input QU or through the control element. While it is pending the function block accepts no travel commands.

Inputs

FG
 Enable
 Optional. 0 locks the function block, any value other than 0 enables it. If the input is not linked, the function block counts as enabled - a newly created block is therefore not locked.
AU
 Command open
 Optional. Opens the gate. The change from 0 to a value other than 0 is evaluated (rising edge); a permanently applied value has no second effect. Not linked: the command then only comes from the control element, the timer or the other inputs.
ZU
 Command close
 Optional. Closes the gate. The rising edge from 0 to a value other than 0 is evaluated.
AZ
 Open/close
 Optional. Open and close over a single address: a value other than 0 opens, 0 closes. Only the change of the value is evaluated - if the gate is stopped by hand afterwards, it stays where it is. On controller start-up only the initial value is adopted, nothing starts moving.
IM
 Command pulse
 Optional. Triggers the next step of the pulse sequence: a movement from standstill, a stop while moving. The rising edge from 0 to a value other than 0 is evaluated.
HA
 Stop
 Optional. Stops a running movement and cancels a running warning period. The rising edge from 0 to a value other than 0 is evaluated.
TE
 Partial opening
 Optional. Opens the gate for the partial opening time set in the control element - for the ventilation position or a pedestrian passage. Rising edge from 0 to a value other than 0. Without a configured partial opening time it has no effect.
SO
 Limit switch open
 Optional. Contact of the upper limit; a value other than 0 means reached. Sets the position to 100 % and ends the opening movement. Not linked: control runs without a limit switch - the opening movement then ends exactly with the configured travel time, and no fault for an exceeded travel time is reported.
SZ
 Limit switch closed
 Optional. Contact of the lower limit; a value other than 0 means reached. Sets the position to 0 % and ends the closing movement. Not linked: control runs without a limit switch - as with SO, each direction is considered separately.
RA
 Feedback open
 Optional. Feedback of the output Motor open, with a pulse drive that of the pulse output. With the setting standard it must carry the same value as the switching command, with pulse a rising edge to a value other than 0 is enough. Not linked: no monitoring - nothing is repeated and no fault is reported.
RZ
 Feedback close
 Optional. Feedback of the output Motor close, otherwise as RA. Not linked: no monitoring of this direction.
HI
 Obstacle
 Optional. Light barrier or safety edge; a value other than 0 means an obstacle was detected. During travel it stops, reverses or fully opens the gate, depending on the setting. Automatic closing never starts while the input is set. Not linked: an obstacle is never detected.
SP
 Lock
 Optional. A value other than 0 locks: a running movement is stopped and any further travel command is prevented. 0 releases it again. Not linked: never locked.
QU
 Acknowledge
 Optional. Acknowledges a pending fault. The rising edge from 0 to a value other than 0 is evaluated. Not linked: acknowledgement is then done through the control element.

Outputs

IP
 Pulse
 Pulse output to the gate drive. The pulse length is adjustable. Only used with the drive type Pulse.
MA
 Motor open
 Open control with separate outputs.
MZ
 Motor close
 Close control with separate outputs.
OF
 Open
 The gate is at the open limit.
GS
 Closed
 The gate is at the closed limit.
FA
 Moving
 The gate is moving, in either direction.
ZW
 Intermediate position
 The gate stands between the two limits.
PO
 Position
 Position in percent, 0 = closed, 100 = open. During travel the value is reported in steps of ten percent, exactly at the end of the movement. If the position is unknown, 0 is shown here - output ST is then authoritative.
SR
 Fault
 Latching fault: travel time exceeded or feedback missing.
LA
 Open for a long time
 The gate has been open longer than configured in the control element.
WL
 Warning light
 Set during the warning period and, depending on the setting, also while moving.
ST
 Info state
 All states in a single number. Each state has its own bit, several can be set at the same time. The function block Binary decoder splits the value back into the individual states; its output B1 is bit 0.
  • Bit 0 = 1: Opening
  • Bit 1 = 1: Closing
  • Bit 2 = 1: Open
  • Bit 3 = 1: Closed
  • Bit 4 = 1: Intermediate position
  • Bit 5 = 1: Position unknown
  • Bit 6 = 1: Fault
  • Bit 7 = 1: Obstacle
  • Bit 8 = 1: Locked
  • Bit 9 = 1: Open for a long time
  • Bit 10 = 1: Warning period running
  • Bit 11 = 1: Automatic closing pending
  • Bit 12 = 1: Feedback missing

Parameters

Drive type
 Pulse: one output, the drive itself cycles through open, stop and close. Separate control: one output each for open and close.
Open/close control
 Standard: the open and close outputs mirror the travel state, 1 while moving, otherwise 0. Send 1 only: exactly one 1 is sent to the respective output per command; a 0 is never sent and the command is never repeated. For drives that expect the command as a pulse.
Pulse sequence
 How the drive reacts to consecutive pulses: with or without a stop between open and close.
Pulse length
 How long the pulse is applied to the output.
Travel time open
 Time for a full upward movement. Basis for the position estimate and the fault detection.
Travel time close
 Time for a full downward movement.
Feedback
 Standard: the feedback carries the same value as the switching address. Pulse: the feedback only reports a pulse while the gate is moving - matching „Send 1 only“.
Feedback waiting time
 The feedback is awaited for this long before the command is repeated or a fault is reported.
Feedback repetitions
 How often the command is repeated before a fault is reported. With the drive type Pulse the command is never repeated.
On obstacle
 What happens when an obstacle is detected while moving: stop, reverse or fully open.
Obstacle applies
 Whether the obstacle is evaluated only while closing or during every movement.
Warning light
 Whether the warning light is never set, only for an automatic movement, or for every movement.
Warning time
 Before the function block closes on its own, the warning light runs ahead for this long. Only then does the gate move.
Push message
 Sends a push message to the apps when a fault occurs.


See also the general parameters of all function blocks.