Gate-opening and closing apparatus and method

• US 4,403,449 A
• Filed: 08/09/1982
• Issued: 09/13/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Moscow K. Richmond
• Original Assignee: Moscow K. Richmond
• Inventors: Richmond, Moscow K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Downey, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US06/406,720
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 49/280, 49/340, 49/341, 49/343, 49/345, 49/139, 49/140, 403/323, 403/319, 403/350, 403/356, 318/382
• US Class Current: 49/340
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/63 operated by swinging arms
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/214 Disengaging means
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/236 using force or torque
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2201/244 by manual operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/334 by using pulse generators
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/454 in or on the motor
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/40 for gates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/597 Swiveled bolt

Abstract

An apparatus for shifting a gate from a closed position to an opened position and from the open position to the closed position with respect to an access opening. The apparatus comprises a housing with a motor in the housing, as for example, an electric motor. A drive shaft extends outwardly from the housing and is operable by the motor by means of a drive mechanism. A drive arm is connected to the outer end of the drive shaft, outwardly of the housing, and is rotatable thereby. The drive arm is designed to permit a lever arm or a lever arm assembly to be coupled thereto and which is also capable of being coupled to a gate for moving the same between the opened and closed positions. Further, the apparatus comprises a shaft coupling mechanism operatively associated with the drive arm for coupling the drive arm to the drive shaft so that the drive arm is rotatable with the drive shaft when the motor is operated. In addition, a disconnect mechanism, preferably a manually operable disconnect mechanism, is associated with the drive arm, and is operatively connected to the coupling mechanism for disengaging the drive shaft from the drive arm. This permits the drive arm to rotate independently of the drive shaft in emergency situations, as for example, in cases of power failure where the motor cannot be operated. The drive mechanism is designed with a worm and worm gear construction so that one cannot unauthorizedly attempt to rotate the drive arm without completing disengaging the drive arm from the drive shaft.

Claims

1. An apparatus for swinging a gate in an arcuate path from a closed position with respect to an access opening to an opened position and from the opened position to the closed position, said apparatus comprising:

(a) housing means,

(b) motive means in said housing means,

(c) a drive shaft extending from said housing means and being rotatable by said motive means in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions during normal operation,

(d) a drive arm respectively connected to said drive shaft and being rotatable thereby in both clockwise and counter-clockwise direction during normal operation,

(e) a lever arm means comprising;

(1) a first lever arm operatively coupled to said drive arm, and capable of being driven through an arcuate path upon operation of said motive means, and

(2) a second lever arm pivotally coupled to said first lever arm by a pivotal connection, said second lever arm also being operatively connected to said gate and moving through a somewaht arcuate path upon movement of said first lever arm,

(f) means associated with said drive arm to permit said first lever arm to be coupled thereto for arcuate movement with said drive arm and to permit coupling of the second lever arm to a gate for swinging same to an open position and to a closed position,

(g) shaft coupling means associated with said drive arm for coupling said drive arm to said drive shaft so that said drive arm is rotatable with said drive shaft when the motive means is operated, and

(h) disconnect means associated with said drive arm and being operatively connected to said shaft coupling means for disengaging said shaft coupling means from said drive arm to permit said drive arm to rotate independently of said drive shaft.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that said apparatus comprises a clutch operatively interposed between said motive means and said drive shaft to permit slipage between said drive shaft and motive means.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further characterized in that said motive means is an electrically operable motor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that said first and second lever arms each have one of their axis parallel in space to a similar axis of the other of said lever arms.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that said disconnect means is manually operable disconnect means.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that said gate is swingable between the open and closed position across the access opening on a hinge mechanism.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that said shaft coupling means comprises a bore in said drive arm and a hollow sleeve locatable in said bore, said sleeve having an opening receiving said drive shaft for causing said sleeve and drive arm to rotate with said drive shaft.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further characterized in that said disconnect means is manually operable and comprises a locking element adapted to be manually shifted between a slot in the drive arm and the sleeve to lock one another together to permit rotation together, said locking element being adapted to be manually shifted out of the slot in the sleeve to permit the drive arm to rotate independently of the drive shaft.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further characterized that said arm has an enlarged recess adapted to receive said first lever arm.

37. The drive arm forming part of the apparatus of claim 1 for use in shifting a gate between an open position and a closed position with respect to an access opening, said drive arm further comprising:

(a) an outer casing having an opening therein,

(b) a sleeve disposed in the opening of said casing and having a recessed portion therein,

(c) a locking element in said casing and being shiftable from a coupled position where said element is disposed in said recessed portion and locks said sleeve to said drive arm to an uncoupled position where said element is located out of said recessed portion and where said sleeve and drive shaft are moveable independently of said drive arm, and

(d) a manually actuable handle means operatively connected to said locking element and extending outwardly from said casing to shift said locking element from the position in said recessed portion to the position out of said recessed portion.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 further characterized in that means are operatively associated with said handle means to define stop locations such that the coupled position is represented by one stop location and the uncoupled position is represented by the other stop location.

39. The apparatus of claim 37 further characterized in that said motive means comprises:

(a) housing means,

(b) motive means in said housing means,

(c) said drive shaft extending from said housing means and operable by said motive means,

(d) said shaft coupling which connects said drive shaft and said motive means comprising an intermediate shaft,

(e) a worm gear operatively mounted on said drive shaft, and

(f) a worm on said intermediate shaft in meshing engagement with said worm gear, such that a rotational force exerted on said drive shaft will not cause unauthorized rotation of said intermediate shaft and said motive means to permit unauthorized opening of said gate.

40. The apparatus of claim 39 further characterized in that a clutch is associated with said intermediate shaft and interposed between the motive means and the combination of worm and worm gear.

10. An apparatus for shifting a gate hingedly mounted at one of its sides so as to be swingable from a closed position with respect to an access opening to an opened position and from the opened position back to the closed position, said apparatus comprising:

(a) housing means,

(b) motive means in said housing means,

(c) a drive shaft extending from said housing means and being rotatable by said motive means,

(d) coupling means operatively connecting said drive shaft and said motive means, said coupling means comprising an intermediate shaft,

(e) a worm gear mounted on said drive shaft for rotation therewith,

(f) a worm mounted on said intermediate shaft for rotation therewith and being disposed in meshing engagement with said worm gear, such that a rotational force exerted on said drive shaft will not cause unauthorized rotation of said intermediate shaft and said motive means and thereby prevent unauthorized swinging movement of said gate to open said gate, and

(g) means on said drive shaft for operative connection to a gate for opening and closing same in response to energization of said motive means.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further characterized in that a clutch is associated with said intermediate shaft and interposed between the motive means and the combination of worm and worm gear.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further characterized in that said motive means is an electrically operable motor.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 further characterized in that the means on the drive shaft for operative connection to a gate is a drive arm which is rotatable with the drive shaft.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further characterized in that shaft coupling means is associated with said drive arm for coupling said drive arm to said drive shaft so that said drive arm is rotatable with said drive shaft when the motive means is operated, and manually operable disconnect means is associated with said drive arm and is operatively connected to said shaft coupling means for disengaging said shaft coupling means from said drive arm to permit said drive arm to rotate independently of said drive shaft.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further characterized in that means is associated with said drive arm to permit the lever arm means to be coupled thereto and to be operatively coupled to a gate for shifting same to an open position and to a closed position.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 further characterized in that said gate is swingable in an arcuate path such that said apparatus moves said gate across said access opening.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 further characterized in that said shaft coupling means comprises a bore in said drive arm and a sleeve locatable in said bore, said sleeve having an opening receiving said drive shaft for causing said sleeve and drive arm to rotate with said drive shaft.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further characterized in that said disconnect means is manually operable and comprises a locking element adapted to be manually shifted between a slot in the drive arm and the sleeve to lock one another together to permit rotation together, said locking element being adapted to be manually shifted out of the slot in the sleeve to permit the drive arm to rotate independently of the drive shaft.

19. A drive arm assembly for use in shifting a gate between an open position and a closed position with respect to an access opening and which is operable by a powered rotatable shaft;

said drive arm assembly comprising;

(a) an outer casing having an opening therein,

(b) a sleeve disposed in the opening of said casing and having a recessed portion therein, said sleeve being coupled to and rotatable with said powered rotatable shaft,

(c) a locking element in said casing and being shiftable from a coupled position where said element is disposed in said recessed portion and locks said sleeve and shaft to said drive arm casing to an uncoupled position where said element is located out of said recessed portion and where said sleeve and shaft are moveable independently of said drive arm casing, and

(d) a manually actuable handle means operatively connected to said locking element and extending outwardly from said casing to shift said locking element from the position in said recessed portion to the position out of said recessed portion.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 further characterized in that means are operatively associated with said handle means to define stop locations such that the coupled position is represented by one stop location and the uncoupled position is represented by the other stop location.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 further characterized in that a drive mechanism is used with said drive arm assembly, said drive mechanism comprising:

(a) housing means,

(b) motive means in said housing means,

(c) a drive shaft extending from said housing means and being operable by said motive means,

(d) coupling means operatively connecting said drive shaft and said motive means, said couling means comprising an intermediate shaft,

(e) a worm gear operatively mounted on said drive shaft,

(f) a worm on said intermediate shaft in meshing engagement with said worm gear, such that a rotational force exerted on said drive shaft will not cause unauthorized rotation of said intermediate shaft and said motive means to permit unauthorized opening of said gate, and

(g) means on said drive shaft for operative connection to a gate for opening and closing same in response to energization of said motive means.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 further characterized in that a clutch is associated with said intermediate shaft and interposed between the motive means and the combination of worm and worm gear.

23. An apparatus for shifting a gate from a closed position with respect to an access opening to an opened position and from the opened position to the closed position, said apparatus comprising:

(a) housing means,

(b) motive means in said housing means,

(c) a drive shaft extending from said housing means and being operable by said motive means,

(d) a drive arm operatively connected to said drive shaft and being rotatable thereby,

(e) means associated with said drive arm to permit a lever arm means to be coupled thereto and to be operatively coupled to a gate for shifting same to an open position and to a closed position,

(f) shaft coupling means associated with said drive arm for coupling said drive arm to said drive shaft so that said drive arm is rotatable with said drive shaft when the motive means is operated,

(g) a source of light,

(h) a light sensitive transducer capable of generating an electrical pulse in response to incidence of light thereon,

(i) an interruption member capable of being rotatable with said drive shaft or shaft compling means and located between said source of light and said transducer to periodically interrupt the light incident on the transducer and thereby generate an electrical pulse for each interruption, and

(j) control means for counting the number of pulses and thereby determining the amount of drive shaft rotations and hence the amount of movement of the gate between the opened and closed positions in response to the number of rotations of the drive shaft.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 further characterized in that said interruptor member comprises a disc associated with and rotatable with said drive shaft and having at least one light passage area therein, said transducer is a photocell, and said light source and photocell being located with respect to said light passage area to count the rotations of said drive shaft.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 further characterized in that said control means is a solid state circuit control means.

26. The apparatus of claim 23 further characterized in that manually operable means is associated with said drive arm and is operatively connected to said shaft coupling means for disengaging said shaft coupling means from said drive arm to permit said drive arm to rotate independently of said drive shaft.

27. A method of shifting a gate from a closed position to an open position and from the open position to the closed position with respect to an access opening, said method comprising:

(a) energizing a motive means,

(b) causing rotation of a drive shaft in response to energization of said motive means,

(c) causing a drive arm connected to said drive shaft to shift a gate in response to rotation of said drive shaft,

(d) shifting a manually actuable arm on said drive arm to enable said arm to be rotated independently of said drive shaft about said drive shaft to thereby permit manual shifting of said gate,

(e) periodically interrupting light incident on a light transducer and thereby generating an electrical pulse for each interruption,

(f) counting the number of pulses and thereby determining the amount of drive shaft rotations and hence the amount of movement of the gate between the opened and closed positions in response to the number of rotations of the drive shaft, and

(g) controlling the amount of movement of said gate in response to the number of rotations of said drive shaft.

28. An apparatus for shifting a moveable member through a controlled distance from a closed position with respect to an access opening to an opened position and from the opened position to the closed position, said apparatus comprising:

(a) housing means,

(b) motive means associated with said housing means,

(c) drive means operable by said motive means and being coupled to said moveable member for moving same between the opened and closed positions,

(d) a source of light,

(e) a light sensitive transducer capable of generating an electrical pulse in response to incidence of light thereon;

(f) a counting element moveable by said drive means and which counting element moves in response to operation of the drive means between the source of light and with the movement of said moveable member from the opened to the closed position or from the closed to the opened position said counting element periodically interrupting the light incident on the transducer and thereby generate an electrical pulse for each interruption, said counting element thereby generating counts representing amount of movement as it moves; and

(g) control means operatively associated with said counting element for initially determining the number of counts and hence amount of movement of said counting element and thereby determining the amount of movement of said moveable member from the closed position to the opened position or from the opened position to the closed position, said control means being coupled to said motive means such that the motive means is operable to shift the moveable member from the opened position to the closed position or from the closed position to the opened position for the desired number of counts on subsequent occasions in accordance with the initially determined counts and initially determined amount of movement.

29. The device of claim 28 further characterized in that said control means comprises an electronic control means.

30. The device of claim 28 further characterized in that said control means comprises an electronic control means including a solid state circuit board.

31. The device of claim 28 further characterized in that said counting element comprises a disc having a plurality of apertures therein and said source of light and transducer are located with respect to said apertures to generate signals when the apertures become aligned with the source of light.

32. An improvement in opening and closing apparatus used for shifting a moveable member from a closed position with respect to an access opening to an opened position and from the opened position to the closed position, and which apparatus includes a drive means for shifting said moveable member, said improvement comprising:

(a) a source of light,

(b) a light sensitive transducer capable of generating an electrical pulse in response to incidence of light thereon,

(c) an interruptor member capable of being rotatated by a powered drive means which moves said moveable member and which is located between said sources of light and said transducer to periodically interrupt the light incident on the transducer and thereby generate an electrical pulse representative of a count for each interruption, and

(d) control means operatively associated with said transducer and the interruptor member moveable by said drive means for initially determining the number of counts generated by said interruptor member which is directly related to the amount of movement of said moveable member and thereby determining the amount of movement of said moveable member from the closed position to the opened position or from the opened position to the closed position, said control means being coupled to said drive means to thereafter control said drive means such that the drive means is operable to shift the moveable member from the opened position to the closed position or from the closed position to the opened position on subsequent occasions in accordance with the initially determined counts and hence the initially determined amount of movement.

33. The device of claim 32 further characterized in that said control means comprises an electronic control means.

34. The device of claim 32 further characterized in that said control means comprises an electronic control means including a solid state circuit board.

35. The device of claim 32 further characterized in that said interruptor member comprises a disc having a plurality of apertures therein and said source of light and transducer are located with respect to said apertures to generate signals when the apertures become aligned with the source of light.

36. A method of shifting a moveable member through a controlled distance from a closed position to an opened position and from the opened position to the closed position with respect to an access opening, said method comprising:

(a) energizing a motive means,

(b) causing rotation of a drive member in response to energization of said motive means,

(c) initially periodically interrupting light incident on a transducer.

(d) generating an electrical pulse for each interruption,

(e) initially counting the pulses and determining the amount of movement of said drive member and thereby determining the amount of movement of said moveable member from the closed position to the opened position or from the opened position to the closed position, and

(f) thereafter controlling the motive means such that the motive means is operable to shift the moveable member from the opened position to the closed position or from the closed position to the opened positioned on subsequent occasions in accordance with the initially determined amount of movement.

41. An apparatus for shifting a gate from a closed position with respect to an access opening to an opened position and from the opened position to the closed position, said apparatus comprising:

(a) housing means,

(b) motive means in said housing means,

(c) a drive shaft extending from said housing means and being operable by said motive means,

(d) a drive arm operatively connected to said drive shaft and being rotatable thereby,

(e) means associated with said drive arm to permit a lever arm means to be coupled thereto and to be operatively coupled to a gate for shifting same to an open position and to a closed position,

(f) shaft coupling means associated with said drive arm for coupling said drive arm to said drive shaft so that said drive arm is rotatable with said drive shaft when the motive means is operated, said shaft coupling means comprising;

(1) a casing forming part of said drive arm and having an internal bore therein axially aligned with said drive shaft,

(2) a sleeve located in said bore and being rotatable in said bore independently of said casing, and

(g) disconnect means associated with said drive arm and being operatively connected to said shaft coupling means for operatively disengaging said shaft coupling means from said drive shaft to permit said drive arm to rotate independently of said drive shaft, said disconnect means comprising a locking element capable of being shifted from a first position where it is disposed in a slot in said sleeve thereby coupling said sleeve and drive shaft to said drive arm to a second position where it is out of said slot thereby permitting said sleeve to rotate independently of said drive arm.

42. The apparatus of claim 41 further characterized in that said gate is swingable in an arcuate path and that said apparatus moves said gate across said access opening.

43. The apparatus of claim 42 further characterized in that said lever arm means comprises:

(a) a first lever arm operatively coupled to said drive arm, and capable of being driven through an arcuate path upon operation of said motive means, and

(b) a second lever arm pivotally coupled to said first lever arm by a pivotal connection, said second lever arm also being operatively connected to said gate and moving through a somewhat arcuate path upon movement of said first lever arm.

44. The apparatus of claim 42 further characterized in that said apparatus comprises a clutch operatively interposed between said motive means and said drive shaft to permit slipage between said drive shaft and motive means.

45. The apparatus of claim 42 further characterized in that said disconnect means is a manually operable disconnect means.

46. The apparatus of claim 43 further characterized in that said drive arm has an enlarged recess adapted to receive the first lever arm of said lever arm means.