Door safety system

• US 6,304,178 B1
• Filed: 08/03/1998
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tsuden, Tsuden Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tsuden
• Inventors: Hayashida, Tatekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US09/127,732
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 340/545.1, 340/686.6, 340/552, 320/2, 250/221, 250/341, 307/358, 328/5, 324/639, 318/468, 318/286, 318/452, 493/60, 49/30, 49/25, 49/26, 49/27, 49/28
• US Class Current: 340/545.1
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/73 responsive to movement or presence of persons or objects
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/434 with cameras or optical sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/487 Fault detection of safety edges
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/452 for saving energy
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/654 by electrical cables
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2600/46 in or on the wing
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/104 for elevators
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/10 Detecting, e.g. by using light barriers by reflection from the object G01S17/00

Abstract

The present invention provides a door safety system, which operates safely and surely with respect to an automatic door system having doors moving rapidly, and which prevents a person or an obstacle getting near the doors from colliding with the moving doors. Translucent-type and reflex-type non-contact proximity switches are provided at moving doors for detecting a person or an obstacle and for controlling movements of the doors so as to prevent the person or the obstacle from colliding with the moving doors. Furthermore, a cable guide electrically connects the moving doors and a side of building so that the person or the obstacle can be detected with respect to a moving space of the moving doors. Additionally, one or a plurality of signal transmitting sections or signal receiving sections of a non-contact proximity switch are separately provided at an immovable portion, so that the person or the obstacle can be detected with respect to a moving space of the moving doors so as to prevent the person or the obstacle from colliding with the moving doors

Claims

1. A door safety system comprising:

a translucent-type non-contact proximity switch, provided at moving doors used for an automatic door system, for detecting a person or obstacle and for controlling a movement of the doors so as to prevent the person or the obstacle from colliding with the moving doors, so that the person or the obstacle can be detected with respect to a moving space of the moving doors;

electric power supply cables for supplying at least one of electric power and signals to the moving doors; and

a cable guide for guiding and holding the electric power supply cables by a flexible support member,

wherein the support member is made of strip steel product, which is arc-shaped and curved in a transversal direction, wherein one end of the support member is fixed to the moving doors and the other end of the support member is fixed to an immovable portion, and wherein the at least one of electric power and signals are transmitted through the cable guide comprising parallel portions which are parallel to the fixed portion of the moving doors and the fixed portion of the immovable portion, and a curved portion substantially having a predetermined radius of curvature, where the arc-shaped convex portion constitutes an outer surface, wherein the radius of curvature of the arc-shaped portion of the support member with respect to the transversal direction is substantially equal to that of the curved portion of the support member.

2. The door safety system according to claim 1, further comprising:

measuring means for measuring a distance between moving doors, or between a moving door and an immovable portion; and

controlling means for outputting a control signal for controlling opening and closing of the moving door so as to prevent a person or an obstacle from colliding with the moving door, by amending output of the non-contact proximity switch based on the distance, and by eliminating an effect of the moving door or the immovable portion.

3. The door safety system according to claim 2, wherein the distance is obtained from output of the translucent type non-contact proximity switch.

4. A door safety system according to claim 1, further comprising the control means for controlling a plurality of non-contact proximity switches provided at the moving doors so that interference caused by outputs of the switches can be avoided by providing a phase deference between outputs.

5. The door safety system according to claim 1, wherein the translucent-type non-contact proximity switches are at least one of an optical-type proximity switch, an ultrasonic proximity switch, an infrared detecting type proximity switch and a millimeter wave radar sensor.

6. A door safety system wherein signal receiving sections or signal transmitting sections of a non-contact proximity switch for detecting a person or an obstacle and for controlling movements of moving doors, are provided at a side of one of the moving doors at safety sensible areas, and wherein signal transmitting sections corresponding to the signal receiving sections or signal receiving sections corresponding to the signal transmitting sections of the non-contact proximity switch are separately provided at a fixed immovable portion corresponding to the side, so that the person or the obstacle can be detected with respect to a moving space of the moving doors so as to prevent the person or the obstacle from colliding with the moving doors and the safety sensible areas sequentially shift to the movement of the doors, the door safety system further comprising:

electric power supply cables for supplying at least one of electric power and signals to the moving doors; and

a cable guide for guiding and holding the electric power supply cables by a flexible support member,

wherein the support member is made of strip steel product, which is arc-shaped and curved in a transversal direction, wherein one end of the support member is fixed to the moving doors and the other end of the support member is fixed to the fixed immovable portion, and wherein the at least one of the electric power and the signals are transmitted through the cable guide comprising parallel portions which are parallel to the fixed portion of the moving doors and the fixed immovable portion, and a U-shaped curved portion substantially having a predetermined radius of curvature, where the arc-shaped convex portion constitutes an outer or an inner surface.

7. The door safety system according to claim 6, wherein the non-contact proximity switches are translucent-type non-contact proximity switches respectively having at least one of spatial directivity and reflex-type non-contact proximity switches respectively having another spatial directivity.

8. The door safety system according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of signal transmitting sections or a plurality of signal receiving sections of the non-contact proximity switches are provided at the fixed immovable portion.

9. The door safety system according to claim 6, wherein at least one common signal receiving sections, which correspond to the signal transmitting sections provided at the fixed immovable portion, and at least one signal transmitting sections, which correspond to the signal receiving sections provided at the fixed immovable portion, are provided at the moving doors.

10. The door safety system according to claim 7, wherein the signal transmitting section of the translucent type or the reflex-type non-contact proximity switch is respectively used as that of the reflex type or the translucent type non-contact proximity switch, and wherein the signal receiving section of the translucent type or the reflex type non-contact proximity switch is respectively used as that of the reflex type or the translucent type non-contact proximity switch.

11. The door safety system according to claim 6, further comprising:

measuring means for measuring a distance between the moving doors, or between a moving door and an immovable portion; and

controlling means for outputting a control signal for controlling the signal transmitting sections and the signal receiving sections of the non-contact proximity switch based on the distance, and by eliminating an effect of the moving door or the immovable portion.

12. The door safety system according to claim 11, wherein the distance is measured by using the output of translucent-type non-contact proximity switch.

13. The door safety system according to claim 6, wherein the radius of curvature of the arc-shaped portion of the support member with respect to the transversal direction is substantially equal to that of the U-shape curved portion of the support member.

14. The door safety system according to claim 6, wherein the non-contact proximity switches are at least one of an optical-type proximity switch, an ultrasonic proximity switch, an infrared detecting type proximity switch and a millimeter wave radar sensor.

15. The door safety system according to claim 6, wherein the moving door is used for an automatic door system provided at an entrance or an exit of a building, or opening and closing doors for an elevator, or an automatic door system for a vehicle.

16. The door safety system according to claim 15, wherein when the doors are used for the opening and closing doors for an elevator, the non-contact proximity switch is operated according to a condition of the immovable portion.

17. A door safety system according to claim 6, wherein the moving door is moved to a straight-line direction or a circumferential direction.

18. A door safety system, comprising:

at least one signal receiving sections and signal transmitting sections of a first non-contact proximity switch, provided at a side of moving doors at safety sensible areas, for detecting a person or an obstacle and for controlling a movement of the doors to prevent the person or the obstacle from colliding with the moving doors; and

at least one signal transmitting sections, which corresponds to the signal receiving sections, or at least one signal receiving sections, which corresponds to the signal transmitting sections, provided at an immovable portion, so that the person or the obstacle can be detected with respect to a moving space of the moving doors so as to prevent the person or the obstacle from colliding with the moving doors, and the safety sensible areas sequentially shift according to the movement of the door, and

said door safety system further comprising a second non-contact proximity switch having a spatial directivity directed to an entrance direction and another spatial directivity directed to an exit direction, so that a person or an obstacle getting near the doors can be detected even if the doors are closed.

19. The door safety system according to claim 18, wherein the non-contact proximity switches are translucent-type non-contact proximity switches respectively having at least one of spatial directivity and reflex-type non-contact proximity switches respectively having another spatial directivity.

20. The door safety system according to claim 18, wherein a plurality of signal transmitting sections or a plurality of signal receiving sections of the first non-contact proximity switches are provided at the fixed immovable portion.

21. The door safety system according to claim 18, wherein at least one common signal receiving sections, which correspond to the signal transmitting sections provided at the fixed immovable portion, and at least one signal transmitting sections, which correspond to the signal receiving sections provided at the fixed immovable portion, are provided at the moving doors.

22. The door safety system according to claim 19, wherein the signal transmitting section of the first translucent-type or the first reflex-type non-contact proximity switch is respectively used as that of the reflex-type or the translucent-type non-contact proximity switch, and wherein the signal receiving section of the first translucent-type or the first reflex-type non-contact proximity switch is respectively used as that of the reflex-type or the translucent-type non-contact proximity switch.

23. The door safety system according to claim 18, further comprising:

measuring means for measuring a distance between the moving doors, or between a moving door and an immovable portion; and

controlling means for outputting a control signal for controlling the signal transmitting sections and the signal receiving sections of the non-contact proximity switch based on the distance, and by eliminating an effect of the moving door or the immovable portion.

24. The door safety system according to claim 23, wherein the distance is measured by using the output of translucent-type non-contact proximity switch.

25. The door safety system according to claim 18, further comprising:

electric power supply cables for supplying at least one of electric power and signals to the moving doors; and

a cable guide for guiding and holding the electric power supply cables by a flexible support member,

wherein the support member is made of strip steel product, which is arc-shaped and curved in a transversal direction, wherein one end of the support member is fixed to the moving doors and the other end of the support member is fixed to the fixed immovable portion, and wherein the at least one of the electric power and the signals are transmitted through the cable guide comprising parallel portions which are parallel to the fixed portion of the moving doors and the fixed immovable portion, and a U-shaped curved portion substantially having a predetermined radius of curvature, where the arc-shaped convex portion constitutes an outer or an inner surface.

26. The door safety system according to claim 25, wherein the radius of curvature of the arc-shaped portion of the support member with respect to the transversal direction is substantially equal to that of the U-shape curved portion of the support member.

27. The door safety system according to claim 18, wherein the non-contact proximity switches are at least one of an optical-type proximity switch, an ultrasonic proximity switch, an infrared detecting type proximity switch and a millimeter wave radar sensor.

28. The door safety system according to claim 18, wherein the moving door is used for an automatic door system provided at an entrance or an exit of a building, or opening and closing doors for an elevator, or an automatic door system for a vehicle.

29. The door safety system according to claim 28, wherein when the doors are used for the opening and closing doors for an elevator, the non-contact proximity switch is operated according to a condition of the immovable portion.

30. The door safety system according to claim 18, the second non-contact proximity switches are provided at the moving doors and/or the immovable portion.

31. The door safety system according to claim 18, wherein the moving door is moved to a straight-line direction or a circumferential direction.

32. The door safety system according to claim 28, wherein when the moving door is an automatic door system for a vehicle the vehicle is a train or automobile.