HIGH TRAFFIC FLOW ROBOTIC ENTRANCE PORTAL FOR SECURE ACCESS

• US 20100011665A1
• Filed: 07/14/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Osann Jr
• Original Assignee: Robert Osann Jr
• Inventors: Osann, Robert JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,499,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 49/31
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 15/58 with both swinging and sliding movements
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/00 Power-operated mechanisms for wings motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/608 for revolving wings
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 5/003 Entrance control E05G5/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/82 Images, Symbols
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors

Abstract

Electro-mechanical and electronically controlled access devices are described for controlling access to a building, premises or area in a secure manner such that a subject who is deemed ineligible for access will be barred entry and may be optionally retained. The devices can contain multiple rotatable door panels, which can be positioned behind one another. The door panels can be controlled by mechanized arms or other control devices in order to control the passage through the device. The direction of flow through a device according to these embodiments is electronically controlled and may be changed at any point in time. At any instant in time, the flow through the device is unidirectional. Multiple devices can be stacked together to form clusters, which can be controlled according to traffic, time of day, or other factors.

Claims

1. A device for securely controlling passage between two or more locations, comprising:

an entryway that controls said passage in a unidirectional traffic flow, said traffic flow being unidirectional at any particular moment in time, said entryway having at least a first sidewall and a second sidewall;

a first panel that moves in a direction of said traffic flow along the first sidewall of said entryway while being positioned perpendicular with respect to said first sidewall, wherein the first panel reaches a first point along said entryway and rotates into a position parallel with respect to said first sidewall, wherein upon having rotated, the first panel moves in a direction opposite to said traffic flow until said first panel reaches a second point along said entryway;

wherein upon having reached the second point, the first panel rotates into a position perpendicular with respect to the first sidewall and resumes moving in the direction of said traffic flow while being positioned perpendicular with respect to the first sidewall.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second panel that moves in the direction of said traffic flow along the second sidewall of said entryway while being positioned perpendicular with respect to said second sidewall, wherein the second panel reaches the first point along said entryway and rotates into a position parallel with respect to said second sidewall, wherein upon having rotated, the second panel moves in a direction opposite to said traffic flow until said second panel reaches the second point along said entryway;

wherein upon having reached the second point, the second panel rotates into a position perpendicular with respect to the second sidewall and resumes moving in the direction of said traffic flow while being positioned perpendicular with respect to the second sidewall.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the first panel and the second panel are configured to move simultaneously, such that the first panel is moving in the direction of said traffic flow while the second panel is moving in the direction opposite to said traffic flow.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first mechanized arm that controls a movement of said first panel, the first mechanized arm capable of moving along the direction of said traffic flow and opposite to said traffic flow; and

a second mechanized arm that controls the movement of said second panel, the second mechanized arm capable of moving along the direction of said traffic flow and opposite to said traffic flow.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein each mechanized arm further includes:

an attachment point to a panel, wherein the attachment point is capable of applying rotation to said panel and wherein the attachment point is further capable of moving along the mechanized arm laterally with respect to the direction of said traffic flow.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first panel further includes:

a filler component that fills a gap between the first panel and the second sidewall of said entryway when the first panel is positioned perpendicular to said first sidewall of the entryway.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein passage is blocked through said entryway when the first panel is perpendicular to the first sidewall.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the unidirectional traffic flow is electronically reversible.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more sensors that detect crowd motion, wherein the unidirectional traffic flow is reversed in response to signals received from the sensors.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one sensor selected from a group consisting of;

a metal detector, a chemical sensor, a biological sensor, a radiological sensor and an ultra-wideband (UWB) detector.

11. A method for securely controlling access in a unidirectional traffic flow through an entryway having at least one sidewall, said method comprising:

moving a first door panel in the direction of said traffic flow, while simultaneously rotating a second door panel from a position perpendicular to the sidewall into a position parallel to said sidewall, thereby allowing passage through the second door panel;

sliding said second door panel in a direction opposite to said traffic flow while maintaining the second door panel in the position parallel to the sidewall;

rotating the second door panel into the position perpendicular to the sidewall once the second door panel is in front of the first door panel; and

moving the second door panel in the direction of said traffic flow while maintaining the second door panel in the position perpendicular to the sidewall.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

rotating the first door panel into the position parallel to the sidewall while simultaneously moving the second door panel in the direction of said traffic flow;

sliding the first door panel in the direction opposite to said traffic flow while maintaining the first door panel in the position parallel to the sidewall; and

rotating the first door panel into the position perpendicular to the sidewall once the first door panel is in front of the second door panel; and

moving the first door panel in the direction of said traffic flow while maintaining the first door panel in the position perpendicular to the sidewall.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

stacking the entryway adjacent to a second entryway to form a cluster of entryways; and

controlling the unidirectional traffic flow among the cluster of entryways according to a current time or according to entry demand.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an alarm signal while an individual is between the first door panel and the second door panel; and

rotating the second door panel to the position perpendicular to the sidewall, thereby allowing passage for said individual in the direction opposite to said traffic flow.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

employing ducting to control air flow between the entryway and at least one other location.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting, via a sensor, a location of one or more objects passing through said entryway; and

controlling a rate of movement of said first door panel and said second door panel according to the location of the one or more objects.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an emergency signal; and

immediately rotating both the first door panel and the second door panel into the position parallel to the sidewall, thereby allowing passage through the entryway.

18. An apparatus for securely controlling passage in a unidirectional traffic flow, said apparatus comprising:

an entryway that allows the passage in a direction of said traffic flow, said entryway including at least two sidewalls; and

at least two door panels, each door panel being rotatable between a position perpendicular to said traffic flow and an position parallel to said traffic flow, wherein at least one of said two door panels is movable along the direction of said traffic flow while simultaneously being fixed in the position perpendicular to said traffic flow.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a top cover situated over the two sidewalls, wherein the top cover blocks objects from being thrown over said two door panels.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

mechanized arms that control rotation and movement of the two door panels; and

a gap filler extension situated between the mechanized arm and the top cover.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the gap filler is a separate mechanized arm that is unattached to either of said door panels.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the gap filler extension further includes a sideways telescoping extension.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

a seal that is situated between each of the two door panels and the mechanized arm that controls said each of the two door panels.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more filler panels attached to each door panel, wherein said filler panels extend out of said each door panel to block passage between the door panel and a sidewall when the door panel is in the position perpendicular to said traffic flow.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more sliding filler panels positioned parallel to each of the two sidewalls, wherein the sliding filler panels block passage between a door panel and a sidewall when the door panel is in the position perpendicular to said traffic flow.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

one or more sensors embedded in a door panel or a sidewall, wherein said one or more sensors include at least one of the following;

an imaging sensor, an imaging emitter, a biometrical identification sensor, and a biometrical input device.