Electrosensing edge for door

• US 5,964,058 A
• Filed: 08/14/1998
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Layne E. Richardson
• Original Assignee: Layne E. Richardson
• Inventors: Richardson, Layne E.
• Primary Examiner(s): REDMAN, JERRY E
• Application Number:
  US09/134,742
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: 49/26, 49/27, 49/28, 200/61.43
• US Class Current: 49/27
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/44 responsive to changes in electrical conductivity
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/106 for garages

Abstract

An electrosensing edge which automatically reverses the downward closing movement of a door such as a garage door when a sealing member and the electrosensing edge encounter an obstruction. The electrosensing edge is characterized by an elecricial cable which extends between two insulators located at each end of a metal bracket mounted on the leading edge of the door, inside the sealing member suspended from the bracket. The cable acts as a witch which is normally open, but is closed if the cable is forced against the bracket to ground the electrical circuit as the sealing member and cable strike the obstruction. Grounding of the cable trips a relay and causes the door actuator to immediately reverse downward movement of the door without injury or damage to the obstruction.

Claims

1. An electrosensing edge for reversing downward movement of a vertically-operated door by an actuator, said electrosensing edge comprising a relay electrically connected to the actuator;

a first electrical contact attached to the bottom edge of the door, said first electrical contact electrically connected to the relay and a second electrical contact attached to the door in normally spaced, non-conducting relationship to said first electrical contact, said second electrical contact also electrically connected to the relay for establishing electrical communication between said first electrical contact, said second electrical contact and said relay when said second electrical contact contacts said first electrical contact during operation of the actuator, whereby contact of said second electrical contact with said first electrical contact responsive to said downward movement of the door operates said relay and reverses the actuator and downward movement of the door.

2. The electrosensing edge of claim 1 comprising a resilient sealing member suspended from the door and wherein said first electrical contact and said second electrical contact are disposed inside said sealing member.

3. The electrosensing edge of claim 2 wherein said first electrical contact comprises a mount bracket substantially co-extensive with the bottom edge of the door and said sealing member is suspended from said mount bracket.

4. The electrosensing edge of claim 1 wherein said second electrical contact comprises a sensing cable.

5. The electrosensing edge of claim 4 comprising a resilient sealing member suspended from the door and wherein said first electrical contact and said sensing cable are disposed inside said sealing member.

6. The electrosensing edge of claim 5 wherein said first electrical contact comprises a mount bracket substantially coextensive with the bottom edge of the door and said sealing member is connected to said mount bracket.

7. The electrosensing edge of claim 1 wherein said first electrical contact comprises a mount bracket substantially coextensive with the bottom edge of the door and further comprising a pair of electrical insulators located substantially at opposite ends of said mount bracket and wherein said second electrical contact extends between said electrical insulators.

8. The electrosensing edge of claim 7 comprising a resilient sealing member suspended from said mount bracket, and wherein said second electrical contact extends inside said sealing member.

9. The electrosensing edge of claim 7 wherein said second electrical contact comprises a sensing cable.

10. The electrosensing edge of claim 7 wherein said second electrical contact comprises a sensing cable and comprising a resilient sealing member suspended from said mount bracket, and wherein said sensing cable extends inside said sealing member.

11. An electrosensing edge for reversing downward movement of a vertical door by an actuator when the door encounters an obstruction, said electrosensing edge comprising a relay electrically connected to the actuator;

an electrically conductive mount bracket attached to the bottom edge of the door, said mount bracket electrically connected to said relay for receiving an electrical current during operation of the actuator;

a pair of electrical insulators provided on said mount bracket in spaced-apart relationship with respect to each other;

an electrically conductive sensing cable extending between said electrical insulators in normally spaced, non-conducting relationship with respect to said mount bracket, said sensing cable also electrically connected to said relay, whereby contact of said sensing cable with said mount bracket responsive to contact between the door and the obstruction completes an electrical circuit through the actuator for reversing operation of the actuator and downward movement of the door; and

a cable clamp provided on each end of said sensing cable and a tension spring interposed between said cable clamp and said electrical insulator for exerting tension on said sensing cable.

12. The electrosensing edge of claim 11 comprising a resilient sealing member suspended from said mount bracket, and wherein said sensing cable is disposed inside said sealing member.

13. An electrosensing edge for reversing downward movement of a vertically-operated overhead door by an actuator when the door encounters an obstruction, said electrosensing edge comprising a relay electrically connected to the actuator;

an electrically conductive mount bracket attached to the bottom edge of the door, said mount bracket also connected to said relay;

a resilient sealing member suspended from said mount bracket;

a pair of electrical insulators mounted on said mount bracket in spaced relationship with respect to each other inside said sealing member;

an electrically conductive sensing cable extending through said electrical insulators in normally spaced, non-conducting relationship to said mount bracket, said sensing cable electrically connected to said relay for receiving an electric current during operation of the actuator, whereby downward movement of the door is reversed responsive to contact of said sensing cable with the obstruction and said mount bracket; and

a cable clamp provided on each end of said sensing cable and at least one tension spring interposed between said cable clamp and said electrical insulator for exerting tension on said sensing cable.