Door control apparatus

• US 6,344,642 B1
• Filed: 06/12/1998
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sensotech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sensotech, Inc.
• Inventors: Gal, Eli, Agam, Uri
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John R.
• Application Number:
  US09/068,314
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 250/221, 250/222.1, 250/341.1, 250/341.8, 250/342, 340/454, 340/552, 340/555
• US Class Current: 250/221
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/433 using reflection from the obstruction
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/506 for buses
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/51 for railway cars or mass transit vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/512 for recreational vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/87 Combinations of sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications

Abstract

Door control apparatus for vehicles including at least one sensor viewing at least one region in the vicinity of a door, logic circuitry responsive to the sensor for providing at least one region clear output signal and automatic door opening and door closing apparatus responsive at least to the absence of a region clear signal to cause opening of the door and responsive at least to the presence of a region clear output signal to cause closing of the door.

Claims

1. Door control apparatus for vehicles comprising:

at least one sensor viewing at least one region in the vicinity of a door;

logic circuitry responsive to said at least one sensor for providing at least one region clear output signal;

automatic door opening and door closing apparatus responsive at least to the absence of a region clear output signal to cause opening of said door and responsive at least to the presence of a region clear output signal to cause closing of said door; and

wherein said automatic door opening and door closing apparatus is responsive at least to the absence of a first region clear output signal in respect of a first region to cause opening of said door and responsive at least to the presence of a second region clear output signal, different from the first region clear output signal, in respect of a second region different from said first region, to cause closing of said door.

2. Door control apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said first and second regions are mutually overlapping.

3. Door control apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said first and second regions are mutually exclusive.

4. Door control apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said first and second regions are partially mutually overlapping.

5. Safety apparatus for preventing injurious engagement of machinery with a user and clothing and accouterments thereof within a predetermined volume comprising:

a sensor having two modes of operation;

a reference sensing mode of operation for sensing the boundaries of the predetermined volume; and

an engagement prevention mode of operation for sensing the presence of a user and clothing and accouterments thereof within the predetermined volume; and

control apparatus responsive to outputs from said sensor in both of said modes of operation for preventing operation of said machinery when the presence of a user and clothing and accouterments thereof within the predetermined volume could cause injurious engagement.

6. Safety apparatus according to claim 5 and wherein said sensor comprises at least one ultrasonic transducer.

7. Safety apparatus according to either of claims 5 and 6 and wherein said sensor is operative in said reference sensing mode of operation in the absence of a user or operator within the predetermined volume.

8. Safety apparatus according to claim 5 and wherein said sensor is operative in said reference sensing mode of operation with generally the same frequency as it is operative in said engagement prevention mode of operation.

9. Safety apparatus according to claim 5 and wherein said sensor is operative in said reference sensing mode of operation with a frequency much less than it is operative in said engagement prevention mode of operation.

10. Safety apparatus according to claim 5 and wherein said sensor comprises at least two sensors viewing the predetermined volume and together providing an output indication of the location of objects within the predetermined volume in at least two dimensions and wherein said control apparatus is responsive to said output indication for preventing operation of said machinery when the presence of a user and clothing and accouterments thereof at predetermined locations within the predetermined volume could cause injurious engagement.

11. Safety apparatus according to claim 5 and wherein said control apparatus is operative to be non responsive to predetermined regions within an outer boundary of said predetermined volume, corresponding to predetermined time domains.

12. Safety apparatus for preventing injurious engagement of machinery with a user and clothing and accouterments thereof within a predetermined volume comprising:

at least two sensors viewing the predetermined volume and together providing an output indication of the location of objects within the predetermined volume in at least two dimensions;

control apparatus responsive to said output indication for preventing operation of said machinery when the presence of a user and clothing and accouterments thereof at predetermined locations within the predetermined volume could cause injurious engagement.

13. Safety apparatus according to claim 12 and wherein said at least two sensors comprise at least two ultrasonic transducers.

14. Safety apparatus according to claim 12 or claim 13 and wherein said control apparatus excludes predetermined three-dimensional regions from said predetermined volume corresponding to predetermined combinations of different time domains of said at least two sensors.

15. An automatic door operating system for a vehicle comprising an automatically operable door, a sensor for sensing the presence of an object within a predetermined volume located at the door of the vehicle and above steps leading to the door of the vehicle from the outside thereof, and a door controller operative at least partially in response to an output from the sensor to actuate the automatically operable door.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15 and wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

17. Apparatus according to claim 15 or claim 16 and wherein said sensor is insensitive to inputs received from outside the predetermined volume.

18. A vehicle having a chassis, a body and propulsion apparatus, the body including at least one automatic door operating system comprising an automatically operable door, a sensor for sensing the presence of an object within a predetermined volume located at the door of the vehicle and above steps leading to the door of the vehicle from the outside thereof, and a door controller operative at least partially in response to an output from the sensor to actuate the automatically operable door.

19. Apparatus according to claim 18 and wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

20. Apparatus according to claim 18 or claim 19 and wherein said sensor is insensitive to inputs received from outside the predetermined volume.

21. An automatic door operating system comprising an automatically operable door, a single sensor for sensing the presence of an object within a plurality of disconnected volumes located at the door, and a door controller operative at least partially in response to an output from the sensor to actuate the automatically operable door.

22. An elevator having a cab arranged for motion along a travel path and comprising an automatic door operating system including an automatically operable door, a sensor for sensing an automatically operable door, a single sensor for sensing the presence of an object within a plurality of disconnected volumes located at the door, and a door controller operative at least partially in response to an output from the sensor to actuate the automatically operable door.

23. A vehicle having a chassis, a body and propulsion apparatus, the body including an automatic door operating system including an automatically operable door, a sensor for sensing an automatically operable door, a single sensor for sensing the presence of an object within a plurality of disconnected volumes located at the door, and a door controller operative at least partially in response to an output from the sensor to actuate the automatically operable door.

24. A vehicle including a chassis, a drive train, at least one door and door control apparatus comprising:

at least one sensor viewing at least one region in the vicinity of a door;

logic circuitry responsive to said at least one sensor for providing at least one region clear output signal;

automatic door opening and door closing apparatus responsive at least to the absence of a region clear output signal to cause opening of said door and responsive at least to the presence of a region clear output signal to cause closing of said door.

25. A vehicle according to claim 24 and wherein said automatic door opening and door closing apparatus is responsive at least to the absence of a region clear output signal to cause opening of said door and responsive at least to the presence of the same region clear output signal to cause closing of said door.

26. A vehicle according to claim 24 and wherein said automatic door opening and door closing apparatus is responsive at least to the absence of a first region clear output signal in respect of a first region to cause opening of said door and responsive at least to the presence of a second region clear output signal, different from the first region clear output signal, in respect of a second region different from said first region, to cause closing of said door.

27. A vehicle according to claim 26 and wherein said first and second regions are mutually overlapping.

28. A vehicle according to claim 26 and wherein said first and second regions are mutually exclusive.

29. A vehicle according to claim 26 and wherein said first and second regions are partially mutually overlapping.