Door sensor and door equipped with such door sensor

• US 20040140782A1
• Filed: 07/08/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optex Company Limited (OPTEX GROUP Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Optex Company Limited (OPTEX GROUP Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Okabe, Junichiro, Matsuyama, Toshiyasu
• Granted Patent: US 6,970,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/445
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/608 for revolving wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/611 for swinging wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/74 using photoelectric cells
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/483 for detection during opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/54 Obstruction or resistance detection
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/46 in or on the wing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/40 Physical or chemical protection
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors

Abstract

Door sensor(s) 6, 7 may be attached to door body or bodies 3 of automatic swing doors. Door sensor(s) 6, 7 may be equipped with door position detecting means 67, 77 comprising geomagnetic sensor(s); sensor(s) 6, 7 being itself or themselves capable of detecting position(s) occupied by door body or bodies 3 during opening and/or closing thereof. During opening and/or closing of door body or bodies 3, determination may be made as to whether detected object(s) are object(s) intended for detection; and in the event that object(s) are object(s) intended for detection, opening and/or closing of door body or bodies 3 may be stopped, slowed, and/or reversed in correspondence to detected position(s) occupied by door body or bodies 3 during opening and/or closing thereof.

Claims

1. A door sensor characterized in that it is equipped with

at least one door position detecting means which is attached to at least one door body that can be opened and/or closed and which is capable of detecting at least one position occupied by the at least one door body during opening and/or closing thereof,

at least one object detecting means which is attached to the at least one door body and which detects presence and/or absence of at least one object in at least one detectable zone;

and

at least one object determining means which receives at least one output from the at least one door position detecting means and the at least one object detecting means, and which determines, in correspondence to at least one position occupied by the at least one door body during opening and/or closing thereof, whether at least one object detected by the at least one object detecting means is at least one object intended for detection.

2. A door sensor according to claim 1, the door sensor being characterized in that

the at least one door position detecting means is attached to at least one door body made capable of being opened and/or closed as a result of rotational motion and is constituted so as to be capable of detecting at least one angular displacement position of the at least one door body.

3. A door sensor according to claim 2, the door sensor being characterized in that

the at least one door position detecting means is made up of at least one sensor which employs geomagnetism to detect the at least one angular displacement position of the at least one door body and/or at least one sensor which employs at least one gyroscope to detect the at least one angular displacement position of the at least one door body.

4. A door sensor according to claim 1, 2, or 3, the door sensor being characterized in that it is further equipped with

at least one door controller that is attached to at least one surface facing toward at least one direction toward which the at least one door body moves when it is being opened and that stops, slows, and/or reverses the process of opening the door body in the event that at least one object detected by the at least one object detecting means is at least one object intended for detection.

5. A door sensor according to claim 1, 2, or 3, the door sensor being characterized in that it is further equipped with

at least one door controller that is attached to at least one surface facing toward at least one direction toward which the at least one door body moves when it is being closed and that stops, slows, and/or reverses the process of closing the door body in the event that at least one object detected by the at least one object detecting means is at least one object intended for detection.

6. A door sensor according to claim 4, the door sensor being characterized in that it is further equipped with

at least one door controller that is attached to at least one surface facing toward at least one direction toward which the at least one door body moves when it is being closed and that stops, slows, and/or reverses the process of closing the door body in the event that at least one object detected by the at least one object detecting means is at least one object intended for detection.

7. A door sensor according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 6, the door sensor being characterized in that

the at least one door position detecting means, the at least one object detecting means, and the at least one object determining means are housed within one sensor package.

8. A door sensor according to claim 4, the door sensor being characterized in that

the at least one door position detecting means, the at least one object detecting means, and the at least one object determining means are housed within one sensor package.

9. A door sensor according to claim 5, the door sensor being characterized in that

the at least one door position detecting means, the at least one object detecting means, and the at least one object determining means are housed within one sensor package.

10. A door sensor according to claim 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, or 9, the door sensor being characterized in that it is further equipped with

at least one fixed object detecting means which is attached to at least one fixed object installed at at least one arbitrary location and which detects presence and/or absence of at least one object within at least one detectable zone, the at least one detectable zone being at least one previously established fixed location.

11. A door sensor according to claim 4, the door sensor being characterized in that it is further equipped with

at least one fixed object detecting means which is attached to at least one fixed object installed at at least one arbitrary location and which detects presence and/or absence of at least one object within at least one detectable zone, the at least one detectable zone being at least one previously established fixed location.

12. A door sensor according to claim 5, the door sensor being characterized in that it is further equipped with

at least one fixed object detecting means which is attached to at least one fixed object installed at at least one arbitrary location and which detects presence and/or absence of at least one object within at least one detectable zone, the at least one detectable zone being at least one previously established fixed location.

13. A door sensor according to claim 7, the door sensor being characterized in that it is further equipped with

at least one fixed object detecting means which is attached to at least one fixed object installed at at least one arbitrary location and which detects presence and/or absence of at least one object within at least one detectable zone, the at least one detectable zone being at least one previously established fixed location.

14. A door sensor according to claim 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, or 12, the door sensor being characterized in that

at least one position information output from one of the at least one door position detecting means is used in shared fashion with a plurality of object detection outputs from a plurality of the at least one object detecting means.

15. A door sensor according to claim 4, the door sensor being characterized in that

at least one position information output from one of the at least one door position detecting means is used in shared fashion with a plurality of object detection outputs from a plurality of the at least one object detecting means.

16. A door sensor according to claim 5, the door sensor being characterized in that

at least one position information output from one of the at least one door position detecting means is used in shared fashion with a plurality of object detection outputs from a plurality of the at least one object detecting means.

17. A door sensor according to claim 10, the door sensor being characterized in that

at least one position information output from one of the at least one door position detecting means is used in shared fashion with a plurality of object detection outputs from a plurality of the at least one object detecting means.

18. A door sensor according to claim 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, or 17 characterized in that

whereas the at least one object detecting means is constituted so as to permit switching between or among detectable zones;

the door sensor is further equipped with at least one zone switching means which receives at least one output from the at least one door position detecting means and which switches between or among detectable zones of the at least one object detecting means in correspondence to at least one position occupied by the at least one door body during opening and/or closing thereof.

19. A door sensor according to claim 4 characterized in that

whereas the at least one object detecting means is constituted so as to permit switching between or among detectable zones;

the door sensor is further equipped with at least one zone switching means which receives at least one output from the at least one door position detecting means and which switches between or among detectable zones of the at least one object detecting means in correspondence to at least one position occupied by the at least one door body during opening and/or closing thereof.

20. A door sensor according to claim 5 characterized in that

whereas the at least one object detecting means is constituted so as to permit switching between or among detectable zones;

the door sensor is further equipped with at least one zone switching means which receives at least one output from the at least one door position detecting means and which switches between or among detectable zones of the at least one object detecting means in correspondence to at least one position occupied by the at least one door body during opening and/or closing thereof.

21. A door sensor according to claim 7 characterized in that

whereas the at least one object detecting means is constituted so as to permit switching between or among detectable zones;

the door sensor is further equipped with at least one zone switching means which receives at least one output from the at least one door position detecting means and which switches between or among detectable zones of the at least one object detecting means in correspondence to at least one position occupied by the at least one door body during opening and/or closing thereof.

22. A door sensor according to claim 10 characterized in that

whereas the at least one object detecting means is constituted so as to permit switching between or among detectable zones;

the door sensor is further equipped with at least one zone switching means which receives at least one output from the at least one door position detecting means and which switches between or among detectable zones of the at least one object detecting means in correspondence to at least one position occupied by the at least one door body during opening and/or closing thereof.

23. A door sensor according to claim 14 characterized in that

whereas the at least one object detecting means is constituted so as to permit switching between or among detectable zones;

the door sensor is further equipped with at least one zone switching means which receives at least one output from the at least one door position detecting means and which switches between or among detectable zones of the at least one object detecting means in correspondence to at least one position occupied by the at least one door body during opening and/or closing thereof.

24. A door characterized in that the at least one door sensor according to any one of claims 1 through 23 is attached to at least one door body, the door body engaging in opening and/or closing operations in linked fashion with object detecting operations of the at least one door sensor.