Object sensing system for use with automatic swing door

• US 6,678,999 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2001
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nabco Ltd. (Nabtesco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nabco Ltd. (Nabtesco Corporation)
• Inventors: Zengguang, Ye, Sasaki, Shigeaki
• Primary Examiner(s): REDMAN, JERRY E
• Application Number:
  US09/963,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20020036476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 49/25, 493/24
• US Class Current: 49/25
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/74 using photoelectric cells
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/483 for detection during opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target

Abstract

An object sensor for use with an automatic swing door includes a light emitter, which is mounted on a door surface of the automatic swing door. The light emitter emits a light beam toward a floor. A distance detector is mounted on the door surface. The distance detector receives the light beam reflected from an object and develops an output signal having a value representing the distance of the object from the distance detector. A control unit makes a judgment based on the value of the output signal of the distance detector as to whether the object is approaching the door surface. The control unit stores the value of the distance detector output signal representing the distance between the distance detector and the floor, as a reference value. A dead zone is defined for the reference value to extend from the floor to a predetermined distance above the floor. When the value of the distance detector output signal is outside the dead zone, the control units judges the object to be approaching the door surface.

Claims

1. An object sensor for use with an automatic swing door, comprising:

a light emitter mounted on a door surface of said automatic swing door for emitting and projecting a light beam toward a floor surface where said swing door is installed;

a position sensitive device mounted on said door surface for receiving said light beam as reflected from an object, a position on said light sensitive device at which said light beam reflected from said object is incident changing as a distance of said object from said position sensititve device changes, said position sensitive device outputting a digital distance-representative signal having a value representative of the distance of said object from said position sensitive device, said value of said digital distance-representative signal varying in accordance with said incident position on said position sensitive device of said reflected light beam; and

a control unit making a judgment as to whether or not said object is approaching said door surface based on the value of said digital distance-representative signal of said position sensitive device;

wherein;

said control unit causes memory means to store therein, as a reference value, the value of said digital distance-representative signal which said position sensitive device outputs when said light beam is projected toward said floor surface in the absence of any object in the vicinity of said door,

said memory means having stored therein a value representative of a predetermined height from a structure including said floor surface; and

said control means, in an object detecting mode of operation, computes from said reference value and said predetermined height representative value, a value representing a distance from said position sensitive device to a boundary of a dead zone at said predetermined height from said structure including said floor surface, and judges that an object is approaching said door when the value of said digital distance-representative signal developed by said position sensitive device is smaller than said value representing the distance from said position sensitive device to said boundary of said dead zone.

2. The object sensor according to claim 1 wherein said control unit sets as the reference value for each of a plurality of door positions said swing door assumes during operation thereof, the value of said digital distance signal of said position sensitive device developed when said swing door is at a closed position thereof.

3. The object sensor according to claim 2 wherein said light emitter emits a light beam a plural number of times at each door position, and said control unit averages the values of a corresponding number of digital distance signals from said position sensitive device and sets the average value as said reference value for each of said door positions.

4. The object sensor according to claim 1 wherein said control unit sets as the reference value for each of a plurality of door positions said swing door assumes during operation thereof, the value of said digital distance signal of said position sensitive device developed when said swing door is at that door position.

5. The object sensor according to claim 4 wherein said control unit sets the dead zone for each door position of said automatic swing door.

6. The object sensor according to claim 4 wherein said light emitter emits a light beam a plural number of times at each door position, and said control unit averages the values of a corresponding number of digital distance signals from said position sensitive device and sets the average value as said reference value for each door position.

7. The object sensor according to claim 4 wherein:

said light emitter emits a light beam a plurality of times at each of said door positions during both of opening and closing strokes of said swing door, and said control unit averages the values of a corresponding number of digital distance signals from said position sensitive device at each door position during each of said opening and closing strokes of said swing door, said control unit averaging again the average for each door position obtained in said opening stroke and the average for the same door position obtained in said closing stroke and setting the resultant average as said reference value for that door position.

8. An object sensing system for use with an automatic swing door, said object sensing system comprising two object sensors as claimed in claim 1 respectively mounted on door surfaces on approach and swing sides of said automatic swing door, said object sensors being arranged to be able to communicate with each other;

and

a switch provided for each of said object sensors;

that one of said object sensors the switch of which is operated developing a sensor type identification signal indicating a type of said one object sensor, the other of said object sensors receiving said sensor type identification signal transmitted from said one object sensor and identifying a type of said other sensor;

each of said object sensors executing a program corresponding to the type of that object sensor.

9. The object sensing system according to claim 8 wherein said programs corresponding to the respective types of said object sensors are programs for preparing reference value data for use in judging the presence or absence of an object approaching said automatic swing door at each of a plurality of door positions said swing door assumes during operation thereof.

10. The object sensing system according to claim 9 wherein the sensor the switch of which is operated is predetermined to be the sensor mounted on the door surface on the approach side of said automatic swing door.

11. The object sensing system according to claim 9 wherein each of said sensors includes an alarming unit which operates for a predetermined time period following the operation of said switch.