Impact detection system for industrial doors

• US 6,612,357 B1
• Filed: 04/27/1998
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rite-Hite Holding Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rite-Hite Holding Corporation
• Inventors: Beringer, Mark D., Leppert, David P., Schulte, Peter S.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEV, BRUCE ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US09/067,358
• Time in Patent Office: 1,954 Days
• Field of Search: 160/8, 160/9, 160/10, 160/3, 160/238, 160/267.1, 160/273.1, 160/274, 250/221
• US Class Current: 160/10
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6836 sensing obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 2009/6845 sensing position
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 9/88 for limiting unrolling

Abstract

An impact detection system for an industrial door, the system including two members that are releasably coupled to each other to move together with the door as it travels, disposed beyond the doorway opening is a radiation emitter and a radiation detector, preferably packaged together in a photoeye device, and emitting a beam of radiation; the first member carries a reflector that, when the two members are coupled, reflects the radiation back to the photoeye, and that is movable to a position wherein it does not reflect the radiation back to the photoeye in response to separation of the two members caused by the door being impacted, the change in state from 1) the radiation being reflected to the photoeye to 2) the radiation not being reflected to the photoeye thus serves as an indication that an impact on the door has occurred.

Claims

1. An industrial door including an impact detection system, the door being movable relative to a doorway between blocking and unblocking positions, the detection system comprising:

a first member disposed adjacent the door, and which moves with the door relative to the doorway between the blocking and unblocking positions during unimpeded door operation;

a second member coupled to the door for travel with the door relative to the doorway between the blocking and unblocking positions;

the first member and second member being disposed in an initial state of engagement during unimpeded door operation, and disposed in a different state of engagement for an impact on the door above a predetermined magnitude;

a radiation emitter and a radiation detector which form a part of a subsystem which is in a first state when the first and second member are in the state of initial engagement, and a second state when the first and second member are in a different state of engagement.

2. The door of claim 1, wherein the different state of engagement between the first member and the second member is separation.

3. The door of claim 1, wherein the subsystem includes a reflector.

4. The door of claim 3, wherein the reflector has a reflecting position in which it reflects radiation from the emitter to the detector, and a non-reflecting position in which it reflects radiation from the emitter away from the detector.

5. The door of claim 4, wherein the reflector is responsive to movement of the first and second members to the different state for moving between the reflecting and non-reflecting position, and vice-versa.

6. The door of claim 4, wherein the reflector is responsive to separation of the first and second members for moving between the reflecting and non-reflecting positions, and vice-versa.

7. The door of claim 4, wherein the reflector is carried with the first member and rotates between the reflecting and non-reflecting position.

8. An industrial door including an impact detection system, the door being movable relative to a doorway between blocking and unblocking positions, the detection system comprising:

a first member disposed adjacent the door, and which moves with the door relative to the doorway between the blocking and unblocking positions for unimpeded door operation;

a second member coupled to the door for travel with the door relative to the doorway between the blocking and unblocking positions;

a coupling between the first member and the second member, such that the first and second members travel together with the door during unimpeded door operation, and providing relative movement of the first and second members for an impact on the door above a predetermined magnitude;

a movement-responsive member having a first state and a second state, the member being changeable between states in response to relative movement between the first member and the second member;

a radiation emitter which emits a radiation beam, and a radiation detector, which are disposable adjacent the doorway such that the radiation beam is received by the detector with the movement-responsive member in one of the first and second states, and such that the radiation beam is not received by the detector with the movement-responsive member in the other of said first and second states.

9. The door of claim 8, wherein the movement-responsive member is a reflector.

10. The door of claim 9, wherein the reflector reflects the radiation beam to the detector when in the first state, and reflects the radiation beam away from the detector when in the second state.

11. The door of claim 8, wherein the movement-responsive member is coupled to the first member and changes states by rotating between a first position and second position in response to relative movement between the first member and the second member.

12. An industrial door including a detection system, the door being movable relative to a doorway between blocking and unblocking positions, the door comprising:

sideframe enclosures disposed adjacent lateral edges of the doorway for receiving the lateral edges of the door such that the door moves relative to the sideframes between its blocking and unblocking positions, the sideframes including sideframe doors movable between open and closed positions,

a radiation emitter which emits a radiation beam, and a radiation detector, which are disposable in the sideframe such that the radiation beam can be received by the detector;

a blocking member movable relative to the sideframe between a first position wherein the blocking member allows passage of the radiation beam to the detector, and a second position wherein the blocking member blocks passage of the radiation beam to the detector, and which moves responsive to movement of the sideframe door such that the position of the sideframe door in one of the open and closed positions determines the position of the blocking member.

13. The door of claim 12, wherein the blocking member is pivotally mountable to the sideframe.

14. A method for detecting impact above a predetermined magnitude or an industrial door movable relative to a doorway between blocking and unblocking positions, comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a mechanical subsystem in an initial state of engagement in which the elements of the subsystem move with the door relative to the doorway between blocking and unblocking positions for unimpeded door operation;

(2) responsively causing elements of a mechanical subsystem to move away from the initial state of engagement for an impact on the door above the predetermined magnitude; and

(3) responsively changing the state of a radiation-based subsystem for movement of the mechanical subsystem away from the initial state of engagement.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of responsively changing the state of a radiation-based subsystem comprises moving a movement-responsive member forming a part of the radiation-based subsystem.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of responsively changing the state of a radiation-based subsystem comprises moving a reflector from a reflective to a non-reflective position relative to other components of the radiation-bases subsystem.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of responsively changing the state of a radiation-based subsystem comprises changing the state of communication between a radiation emitter and a radiation detector.

18. The method of claim 17, including the steps of permitting radiation to be received by the detector from the emitter when the mechanical subsystem is in the initial state of engagement, and preventing radiation from being received by the detector when the mechanical subsystem moves away from the initial state.