AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATOR

• US 3,852,592 A
• Filed: 06/07/1973
• Issued: 12/03/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Andrew E. Scoville, William R. Davis
• Original Assignee: Andrew E. Scoville, William R. Davis
• Inventors: Scoville, Andrew E., Davis, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lawrence, James W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nelms, D. C.
• Application Number:
  US05/367,734
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 250/221,222,223 318/1-6,480 340/258B,228S 343/5DD,6 317/124
• US Class Current: 250/221
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/483 for detection during opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors

Abstract

A novel automatic traffic responsive control is provided for controlling the energization of the reversible drive of a powered door. The traffic control includes a traffic detector which is unobtrusive or invisible, does not require any special floor preparation of fixtures, or posts or guard rails at the entrance or the exit of the doorway, and is insensitive to the presence of the swinging door in one of the zones adjacent the door which must be monitored for safety and control reasons. The traffic control involves an emitter and a detector of radiant energy, e.g., infra red, with the emitter mounted by the header substantially on the hinge line and emitting a downwardly directed energy beam of a preselected divergence which spans the path of travel of traffic approaching the doorway. The sensor is mounted adjacent the opposite jamb and has its axis of sensitivity pointed transversely of the beam of energy to define in the intersecton therewith, a three-dimensional control zone in which the presence of traffic is detected by reflected radiant energy. In the preferred embodiment, the bottom plane of the control zone is substantially parallel to the floor and the radiant energy is coded to render the control insensitive to ambient radiations.

Claims

1. An automatic door operator comprising a reversible drive including a drive motor for powering a door through a door opening and door closing cycle and a traffic responsive control therefor, said traffic responsive control comprising radiant energy emitter means for emitting a divergent beam of radiant energy spanning the path of travel of traffic through the door and radiant energy detector means spaced from said emitter and having an axis of sensitivity disposed transversely of said beam of radiant energy to intersect said beam and define in the intersection thereof a discrete divergent three-dimensional control zone for sensing diffuse reflected radiant energy from traffic within said three-dimensional control zone to control the actuation of said reversible drive, said three-dimensional control zone being spaced above and having a lower boundary substantially parallel to the floor along said path of travel of traffic through the door.

2. The automatic door operator of claim 1 wherein such a fixed three-dimensional control zone is provided on both the entrance and exit sides of the door.

3. The automatic door operator of claim 2 wherein the three-dimensional control zone on the side of the door toward which the door swings is spaced closer to the floor than the three-dimensional control zone on the other side.

4. The automatic door operator of claim 1 wherein one of said emitter and detector means is located above the door and the other is located at the side of the door.

5. The automatic door operator of claim 4 wherein the door opens into the three-dimensional control zone and said one of said emitter and detector means located above the door is disposed substantially on the hinge line of the door.

6. The automatic door operator of claim 5 wherein the other of said emitter and detector means is located adjacent the jamb on the side of the door opposite the hinge line.

7. The automatic door operator of claim 6 wherein said emitter means is located on the hinge line of the door.

8. The automatic door operator of claim 1 wherein the output of the emitter means is coded and the detector means is sensitive only to the coded output of the associated emitter means.

9. The automatic door operator of claim 8 wherein one of said emitter and detector means is located adjacent the top of the door near the hinge line of the door and the other of said emitter and detector means is located adjacent the top of the door on the side of the door opposite the hinge line.