Revolving security door for banks and the like

• US 5,542,211 A
• Filed: 06/12/1995
• Issued: 08/06/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tonali Spa
• Original Assignee: Tonali Spa
• Inventors: Colombo, Attilio
• Primary Examiner(s): KANNAN, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US08/489,235
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 49/42, 49/43, 109/8, 109/3
• US Class Current: 49/42
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 5/003 Entrance control E05G5/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/90 Revolving doors; Cages or housings therefor turnstiles E06B11/08
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 3/906 combining radially extending wings and separately movable arcuate wings

Abstract

A revolving security door for the controlled passage of persons from a non-protected environment to a protected environment, for example a bank, which permits the normal transit of persons even in the event of the interception of an unwelcome person, including a cylindrical chamber formed inside a structure, a turnstile rotatable within the chamber in a predetermined sense of rotation and having sectors each for accommodating a person, an entry aperture and an exit aperture formed in the structure, a sensor associated with the structure for detecting an unwelcome person or object and for emitting an alarm signal, an emergency door associated with the exit aperture and activated to close by the said alarm signal, the said door comprising a first panel and a second panel which are held together and made to rotate in the opposite sense of rotation from that of the turnstile, after the door has been closed by the first panel and before the door is opened by the opening of both panels.

Claims

1. A revolving security door for the controlled passage of persons from a non-protected environment to a protected environment including a cylindrical chamber formed inside a structure, a turnstile rotatable within the chamber in a predetermined sense of rotation and having sectors each for accommodating a person, the structure being formed with an entry aperture for entry into the chamber from the non-protected environment and an exit aperture for exit from the chamber to the protected environment, a sensor associated with the structure in the correspondence with the entry aperture for emitting an alarm signal when an unwelcome person has entered a first sector of said sectors within the chambers, and an emergency door associated with the exit aperture and activated to close by the said alarm signal, characterized in that the emergency door includes a first panel and a second panel located in their open positions respectively upstream and downstream of the exit aperture relative to the sense of rotation of the turnstile, and the apparatus further comprises means to move said panels to be joined and to continue to block said exit aperture, means to hold the panels joined and to rotate them together in the opposite sense of rotation from that of the turnstile until the turnstile first sector is rotated past the exit aperture, and means for opening the emergency door by returning both panels to their open positions and thus unblocking the exit aperture.

2. A revolving security door according to claim 1, characterised in that the width of the first panel is substantially equal to the width of the exit aperture, in that the width of the second panel is substantially half that of the exit aperture and in that the angular displacement of the two panels held together is substantially equal to half the width of the exit aperture.

3. In a revolving security door apparatus for the controlled passage of persons from a non-protected environment to a protected environment, the apparatus including:

a. a housing defining therein a cylindrical chamber about a vertical axis,

b. a tumstile rotatable about said axis within said chamber, said turnstile having a plurality of sectors, each for accommodating a person,

c. first motor means for rotating said turnstile,

d. said housing further defining separate entry and exit apertures respectively for a person to enter and exit the chamber, and

e. a sensor mounted to the housing for sensing when an unwelcome person has entered the chamber and is located within a first of said plurality of sectors, the improvement comprising;

(1) an emergency door movably supported by said housing, said emergency door having angular extent at least sufficient to block said exit aperture,

(2) second motor means for moving said emergency door to selectively block or expose said exit aperture,

(3) control means responsive to said sensor for activating said first and second motor means for moving said turnstile and emergency door in the following sequence when the sensor senses the presence of an unwelcome person in said first sector;

i. move said emergency door to block said exit aperture,

ii. rotate said turnstile causing said first sector to rotate past said blocked exit aperture,

iii. further move said emergency door to open and unblock said exit aperture, and

iv. further rotate said turnstile enough for sectors upstream and downstream of said first sector to be generally adjacent said entry and exit apertures respectively.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said turnstile has four sectors, each having a 90°

angular extent.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said emergency door comprises a first panel upstream of the exit aperture relative to the rotational direction of the turnstile, said first panel having angular extent substantially equal to that of said exit aperture.

6. In a revolving security door apparatus for the controlled passage of persons from a non-protected environment to a protected environment, the apparatus including:

a. a housing defining therein a cylindrical chamber about a vertical axis,

b. a turnstile rotatable about said axis within said chamber, said turnstile having a plurality of sectors, each for accommodating a person,

c. first motor means for rotating said turnstile,

d. said housing further defining separate entry and exit apertures respectively for a person to enter and exit the chamber, and

e. a sensor mounted to the housing for sensing when an unwelcome person has entered the chamber and is located within a first of said sectors, the improvement comprising;

(1) an emergency door formed of first and second panels respectively upstream and downstream of the exit aperture relative to the rotational direction of the turnstile and movably supported by said housing, said first panel having angular extent substantially equal to that of said exit aperture and said second panel having angular extent substantially half that of the exit aperture,

(2) second motor means for moving said panels to selectively block or expose said exit aperture,

(3) control means responsive to said sensor for activating said first and second motor means for moving said turnstile and panels in the following sequence when the sensor senses the presence of an unwelcome person in said first sector;

i. move said first panel and said turnstile together such that said first panel and the sector adjacent said first panel rotate in a first direction until said first panel blocks said exit aperture,

ii. couple said first panel to said second panel and rotate the coupled panels in a second direction opposite said first direction to continue to overlie and bar the exit aperture,

iii. further rotate the turnstile in said first direction causing said first sector to rotate past said blocked exit aperture,

iv. further move said first panel in said second direction to open and unblock said exit aperture, and

v. further rotate said turnstile in said first direction enough for sectors upstream and downstream of said first sector to be generally adjacent said entry and exit apertures respectively.

7. In a revolving security door apparatus for the controlled passage of persons from a non-protected environment to a protected environment, the apparatus including:

a. a housing defining therein a cylindrical chamber about a vertical axis,

b. a turnstile rotatable about said axis within said chamber, said turnstile having a plurality of sectors, each for accommodating a person,

c. first motor means for rotating said turnstile, and

d. said housing further defining separate entry and exit apertures respectively for a person to enter and exit the chamber.

(1) an emergency door movably supported by said housing, said emergency door having angular extent at least sufficient to block said exit aperture,

(2) second motor means for moving said emergency door to selectively block or expose said exit aperture,

(3) means for activating said first and second motor means for moving said turnstile and emergency door in the following sequence when the sensor senses the presence of an unwelcome person in said first sector;

i. move said emergency door to block said exit aperture,

ii. rotate said turnstile causing said first sector to rotate past said blocked exit aperture,

iii. further move said emergency door to open and unblock said exit aperture,

iv. further rotate said turnstile enough for sectors upstream and downstream of said first sector to be generally adjacent said entry and exit apertures respectively.

8. In a revolving security door apparatus for the controlled passage of persons from a non-protected environment to a protected environment, the apparatus including:

a. a housing having generally cylindrical inner walls which define a chamber about a vertical axis,

b. a turnstile rotatable about said axis within said chamber, said turnstile having a plurality of sectors, each for accommodating a person,

c. first motor means for rotating said turnstile,

d. said housing further defining separate entry and exit apertures respectively for a person to enter and exit the chamber, and

e. a sensor mounted to the housing for sensing when an unwelcome person has entered the chamber and is located within a first of said plurality of sectors, the improvement comprising;

(1) an emergency door movably supported by said housing, said emergency door having angular extent at least sufficient to block said exit aperture,

(2) second motor means for moving said emergency door to selectively block or expose said exit aperture,

(3) control means responsive to said sensor for activating said first and second motor means for moving said turnstile and emergency door in the following sequence when the sensor senses the presence of an unwelcome person in said first sector;

i. move said emergency door to block said exit aperture,

ii. rotate said turnstile causing said first sector to rotate past said blocked exit aperture,

iii. further move said emergency door to open and unblock said exit aperture, and

iv. further rotate said turnstile enough for sectors upstream and downstream of said first sector to be generally adjacent said entry and exit apertures respectively, and for said sector intermediate said upstream and downstream sectors to be adjacent one of said inner walls of said chamber to intercept said unwelcome person.

9. In a revolving security door apparatus for the controlled passage of persons from a non-protected environment to a protected environment, the apparatus including:

a. a housing having generally cylindrical inner walls which define a chamber about a vertical axis,

b. a turnstile rotatable about said axis within said chamber, said turnstile having a plurality of sectors, each for accommodating a person,

c. first motor means for rotating said turnstile,

d. said housing further defining separate entry and exit apertures respectively for a person to enter and exit the chamber, and

e. a sensor mounted to the housing for sensing when an unwelcome person has entered the chamber and is located within a first of said sectors, the improvement comprising;

(1) an emergency door formed of first and second panels respectively upstream and downstream of the exit aperture relative to the rotational direction of the turnstile and movably supported by said housing, said first panel having angular extent substantially equal to that of said exit aperture and said second panel having angular extent substantially half that of the exit aperture,

(2) second motor means for moving said panels to selectively block or expose said exit aperture,

(3) control means responsive to said sensor for activating said first and second motor means for moving said turnstile and panels in the following sequence when the sensor senses the presence of an unwelcome person in said first sector;

i. move said first panel and said turnstile together such that said first panel and the sector adjacent said first panel rotate in a first direction until said first panel blocks said exit aperture,

ii. couple said first panel to said second panel and rotate the coupled panels in a second direction opposite said first direction to continue to overlie and bar the exit aperture,

iii. further rotate the turnstile in said first direction causing said first sector to rotate past said blocked exit aperture,

iv further move said first panel in said second direction to open and unblock said exit aperture, and

e. further rotate said turnstile in said first direction enough for sectors upstream and downstream of said first sector to be generally adjacent said entry and exit apertures respectively, and for said sector intermediate said upstream and downstream sectors to be adjacent one of said inner walls of said chamber to intercept said unwelcome person.

10. In a revolving security door apparatus for the controlled passage of persons from a non-protected environment to a protected environment, the apparatus including:

a. a housing having generally cylindrical inner walls which define a chamber about a vertical axis,

b. a turnstile rotatable about said axis within said chamber, said turnstile having a plurality of sectors, each for accommodating a person,

c. first motor means for rotating said turnstile, and

d. said housing further defining separate entry and exit apertures respectively for a person to enter and exit the chamber,

(1) an emergency door movably supported by said housing, said emergency door having angular extent at least sufficient to block said exit aperture,

(2) second motor means for moving said emergency door to selectively block or expose said exit aperture,

(3) means for activating said first and second motor means for moving said turnstile and emergency door in the following sequence when the sensor senses the presence of an unwelcome person in said first sector;

i. move said emergency door to block said exit aperture,

ii. rotate said turnstile causing said first sector to rotate past said blocked exit aperture,

iii. further move said emergency door to open and unblock said exit aperture, and

iv. further rotate said turnstile enough for sectors upstream and downstream of said first sector to be generally adjacent said entry and exit apertures respectively, and for said sector intermediate said upstream and downstream sectors to be adjacent one of said inner walls of said chamber to intercept said unwelcome person.