EP0865558B1 - Self-opening entry device for a controlled access area - Google Patents

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/FR96/01923 Sec. 371 Date Jun. 5, 1998 Sec. 102(e) Date Jun. 5, 1998 PCT Filed Dec. 3, 1996 PCT Pub. No. WO97/21898 PCT Pub. Date Jun. 19, 1997A self-opening and self-closing device enabling entry into a controlled access area includes a gate with two laterally retractable panels that may be opened by inserting a ticket or access card into a control mechanism. Each of the panels is controlled by a respective motor operated by the control mechanism. Each panel is secured to at least two runner members that are each operated by a roller secured to a link arm. The link arms are rotationally interconnected and rotated by the respective motor. Simultaneous rotation of the arms in opposite directions moves the two panels together (or apart) and thus closes (or opens) the entry device by moving each panel into a position in which it is locked by the respective arm in the horizontal position.

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to devices automatic allowing entry into controlled areas or with regulated access such as transport networks in common, and relates in particular to an input device in such areas with automatic opening and closing.

State of the art

The common technique for controlling the entry of users in a public transport network such as the metro or RER is to install input devices including opening is triggered by user input an access ticket, ticket or access card, in a control mechanism.

There are two types of current input devices. The first type is a three-branch turnstile whose 120 ° rotation allowing the passage of a single individual is allowed by the introduction of the ticket in the mechanism of control. Such a device has the major drawback it can be easily crossed by the user who wants defraud.

To overcome this drawback, a second type of input device has been installed to control users, either alone or in combination with the turnstile three branches. It is a single door or two leaves, quite high, including automatic opening, triggered by the introduction of the ticket into the control, is controlled by an electrical system or pneumatic. Such devices have a number disadvantages. First, the control systems current ones require a relatively long time to run their cycle and trigger the opening (about 0.5 to 0.7 s) and therefore require placing the ticket control mechanism access at a certain distance from the automatic door, this which decreases the flow rate. Once triggered, the opening is brutal. Therefore, the system is noisy and subject to vibration, mainly at the end which reduce its reliability. In addition, a large power is required which makes the system expensive. Finally, the door going from the closed position to the position open, standing in front of a closed door can cause a very unpleasant feeling of confinement for the user.

The system described in US Patent 1,643,454 relates a garage door operated by a crank driven by a motor. A roller attached to the crank rolls in a slide integral with the door, transforming the movement of rotation of the crank in translation of the door. Thus, a half-turn of the crank makes it possible to pass from the open position to closed position with locking due to the fact that the crank is stopped in a position slightly below the horizontal. This system which can be used profitably for closing and opening automatic gates, however has the disadvantage that the drive as well as the door lock by a single crank requires a heavy door and / or a rail-like ground guidance or long installation due to that the effort of opening or closing during accelerations and decelerations, and especially the effort break-in at the opening applied elsewhere than in alignment with the connecting rod creates a torque on the guide which is important and may damage the mechanism. In addition, a such system does not provide for automatic and rapid opening of passage in case of accidental power failure.

Statement of the invention:

This is why the object of the invention is to provide a automatic opening and closing entry device overcoming the disadvantages mentioned above.

This goal is achieved thanks to the input device, object of the invention, which is of the type comprising a gate with two side-erasing leaves, each leaf being secured to at least two actuated slide elements each by a roller attached to a crank, the cranks being interconnected in their rotation controlled by a motor associated with the fan and whose start-up is triggered by an access ticket control mechanism introduced by the user, the simultaneous rotation of the cranks in an opposite direction tending to spread (or bring together) the two leaves and therefore to drive the opening (or the closing) of the input device.

According to a characteristic of the invention, a clutch with power cut located between the motor and the shaft of a cranks to separate them so that a return mechanism integrated in the rotating transmission cranks go into action to allow automatic opening of each leaf.

According to another characteristic of the invention, when the input device is in a waiting situation, each crank is in a middle position between the closed position of the input device and its position opening so that the input device is at half open, which avoids the sensation locked up at the user's home.

Brief description of the drawings:

la figure 1 représente le dispositif d'entrée selon un mode de réalisation préféré de l'invention, dans sa position d'attente,

la figure 2 représente le même dispositif d'entrée dans sa position d'ouverture,

la figure 3 représente le même dispositif d'entrée dans sa position de fermeture, et

la figure 4 est une représentation schématique du système de commande du dispositif d'entrée selon l'invention.

The aims, objects and characteristics of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description made with reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents the input device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in its standby position,

FIG. 2 represents the same input device in its open position,

FIG. 3 represents the same input device in its closed position, and

Figure 4 is a schematic representation of the control system of the input device according to the invention.

Detailed description of the drawings:

According to a preferred embodiment, the device according to the invention shown diagrammatically on the Figures 1, 2 and 3, is composed of a gate with two leaves with side erasure 10 and 12. Each leaf has at minus two slide elements, the rollers associated with each elements and rollers for translational movement leaf. Thus, the left leaf 10 has a slide element 16, its roller 30 and a roller 14 in upper part, and a slide element 20, its roller 36 and a wheel 18 in the lower part. Likewise, the right leaf 12 has a slide element 24, its roller 42 and a roller 22 in the upper part, and a slide element 28, its roller 48 and a roller 26 in lower part.

Inside each slide element, i.e. between the two parallel walls of the element forming a slide, a cylindrical roller is rotating free around an axis at the end of a crank whose other end is secured to a shaft that can rotate the crank. Thus, in the slide element 16 is the roller 30 secured to the crank 32 rotated by the shaft 34. In the slide element 20 is the roller 36 integral with the crank 38 rotated by the shaft 40. In the slide element 24 is the roller 42 integral with the crank 44 rotated by the shaft 46. Finally, in the slide element 28 is located the roller 48 integral with the crank 50 driven in rotation by the shaft 52.

The input device according to the present invention shown schematically in Figure 1 is in position waiting, that is to say that it is in the rest position, in waiting for the introduction of a ticket in a control.

In the waiting situation in Figure 1, the cranks 32, 38, 44 and 50 are in the vertical position and the rollers 30, 36, 42 and 48 are highest in the elements 16, 20, 24 and 28. In fact, the input device is in an intermediate position, i.e. it is neither open neither closed. Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the space ℓ1 between the two leaves is 30 cm. This has goal of not giving the feeling to the user who presents himself that he is locked up, which could be the case if both the leaves were close to each other.

When a user shows up and introduces a ticket in a control mechanism, two solutions can be produce. In Figure 1, the arrows on either side of the pebbles also illustrate these two possibilities. If the entry ticket is valid, trees 34, 40, 46 and 52 are rotated counter-clockwise a watch (arrows on the left) for trees 34 and 40, and clockwise (right arrows) for shafts 46 and 52. The two leaves deviate one of the other to lead to the opening of the input device such that it is illustrated in FIG. 2. During this maneuver, the rollers 30, 36, 42 and 48 are lowered to their position the lower in their respective slide elements 16, 20, 24 and 28, while driving the slide elements 16 and 20 to the left and the slide elements 24 and 28 to the right.

During the opening movement, each leaf slides in its own plane while being guided and supported by the rollers 14, 18 (for the leaf 10) and 22, 26 (for the leaf 12). The rollers are guided in movement by guides having guide walls. So the rollers 14 and 18 roll in guides 54 respectively and 56 secured to a box 55, and the rollers 22 and 26 roll in guides 58 and 60 respectively of a box 57. It should be noted that other mechanisms could be used for sliding the leaves such as ball or skid mechanisms. For example, the leaves could slide in grooves made in the ground and / or ball bearings could be fixed under the leaves to facilitate this sliding.

In the open position of the input device such as illustrated in figure 2, and with cranks of length equal to 10 cm, the distance ℓ2 between the two leaves is approximately 50 cm, allowing the user to pass whatever its size.

The second case occurs when the user has entered an invalid ticket in the control mechanism. In this case, the input device moves to the closed position represented in FIG. 3. To do this, the shafts 34, 40, 46 and 52 are rotated, in the direction of clockwise for trees 34 and 40 and in the counterclockwise for trees 46 and 52. During this maneuver, the rollers 30, 36, 42 and 48 went down to their lowest position while driving the slide elements 16, 20 on the one hand and 24, 28 on the other hand to get closer, and therefore also to get closer the two leaves of each other. In this position, the distance ℓ3 between the two leaves is reduced to 10 cm, this which does not allow an individual to pass.

It should be noted that the spacings ℓ1, ℓ2, ℓ3 between the leaves in the respective waiting, opening positions and closing the input device are a function of the extent of rotation of the cranks driven by the drive shafts and their length. If in the mode shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, we increases the length of the cranks by 5 cm, the spacing ℓ1 from waiting position remains unchanged at 30 cm, but the opening position spacing ℓ2 changes to 60 cm then that ℓ3 (closed position) changes to O (the leaves are touch).

However, we can vary these spacings by playing on the angular distance of the cranks. While maintaining the vertical cranks in the standby position, that in the closed position of leaves 10 and 12, the cranks 32, 38, 44 and 50 are at least in position horizontal or even slightly below the horizontal of so as to ensure a locking preventing the opening of break-in leaves.

In addition, it is possible to use a speed of different motor when opening and closing so that have different leaf opening speed than their closing speed.

The embodiment illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, in which, in the open or closed position, the cranks are horizontal, preferably used. In effect, in this device, a rotational movement of drive trees is transformed into linear motion sinusoidal slide elements. Therefore, when the crank reaches a horizontal position at the end of movement opening or closing, the speed communicated to the slide element and therefore the leaf is zero. This speed zero avoids the sudden stop of the gate at the end of the previous devices.

Figure 4 schematically illustrates the system of drive rollers 42 and 48. This system includes a ticket control mechanism 62 which controls the operation of an engine 64. The latter controls the rotation of the shaft 46 by means of a clutch with current draw 66. The drive shaft 46 is connected to the shaft 52 by means of a belt 68. In the same way, the movement of the shaft 34 is communicated to the shaft 40 by means a belt 70 (see Figures 1, 2 and 3). It should be noted that the belts could be replaced by any other motion transmission system such as a chain or cable or any other mechanism, including a connecting rods preferably with an angle of rotation of the connecting rods less than 180 °.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the two belts 68 or 70 has a counterweight 72 or 74 respectively, which is in the low position when the gate is open (see figure 2) and in the high position when the gate is closed (see Figure 3). When there is a power cut, the current draw clutch 66 no longer supplied, the latter is then in the position of declutching. The trees are therefore no longer ordered and the two counterweights descend into their low position causing the movement of the belt which rotates the leaf drive trees to bring them into the position illustrated in Figure 3, i.e. in position opening hours.

Although of simple form in the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the roller 30, 36, 42, 48 can be more elongated or in two parts on either side of the crank, without departing from the scope of the invention.

According to another embodiment, the counterweight can be replaced by any other recall mechanism and in particular a spring, one end of which is fixed at the same point as the counterweight 72 or 74, the other end being fixed in the lower part of the boxes 55 and 57 in order to activate the belts 68 and 70 in the event of a power failure for allow an opening. According to another embodiment, the counterweight can be replaced by one or more springs torsion mounted on integral shafts 34, 40, 46 and 52, on the one hand, respective cranks, on the other hand, boxes 55 and 57. In the event of a power failure, their preloads in the closed position of the leaves will act on the cranks for rotation thereof to the open position of the leaves.

Another advantage is the low stroke opening or closing of the device thanks to the position waiting intermediary. This opening maneuver well faster than existing systems (approx. 0.2 s) also has the advantage of being able to place the ticket control or any other means of authorization very near the door itself safely, and therefore from guarantee a maximum flow of user passages.

As we saw earlier, the structure of the device imposes a zero speed of the leaves at the end of race. It is therefore not necessary to request an effort acceleration or deceleration to the engine. The engine torque necessary is therefore relatively small and therefore there is no need for force limiter for user safety during closure in the event of a fault. However, the combination which has just been described, comprising at least two cranks, has the particularity of guaranteeing a absolute locking in the closed position and therefore good aptitude for anti-fraud control insofar as opening attempt efforts are not passed on to guides or the drive mechanism.

Claims (9)

1. An automatic opening and closing entry device for a controlled access area of the type comprising a gate composed of two laterally retractable sliding panels (10, 12) the opening of which is activated by the insertion of an entrance ticket or the like into a control mechanism (62), each panel being driven by a driving mechanism controlled by an associated motor (64) whose starting up is triggered by said control mechanism;
      said device being characterized in that each panel is interdependent at least with two slide parts (16, 20, 24, 28) each operated by a roller (30, 36, 42, 48) interdependent with a crank (32, 38, 44, 50), the cranks associated with a same panel being linked each other in their rotation controlled by said motor, the simultaneous rotation of the cranks in opposite directions tending to move closer (or away) the two panels and thus to produce the closing (or the opening) of the entry device.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said cranks (32, 38, 44, 50) are horizontal or slightly below a horizontal plane when said panels (10, 12) are close each other in closing position so as to prevent any effort tending to forcibly open said panels from being passed on to said driving mechanism.
3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a return mechanism such as a counterweight (72, 74) permanently exerts a return force on said cranks (32, 38, 44, 50) tending to produce the opening of said panels (10, 12).
4. The device according to claim 3, wherein a single motor controls the motion of the two cranks (32, 38 or 44, 50) interdependent with the two rollers (30, 36 or 42, 48) associated with each panel (10 or 12) through a belt (70 or 68).
5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the driving of belts (70 or 68) by the motor associated with it is carried out through an inrush current clutch (66), so that the device be automatically open by the action of said return mechanism when no electric current feeds said clutch.
6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, when no entrance ticket has been inserted into the control mechanism (62), each crank (32, 38, 44, 50) is located halfway between the closing and the opening positions of the entry device so that the latter be half-open (figure 1), when in idle situation, that prevents users from having confinement feeling.
7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each crank (32, 38, 44, 50) rotates by 180° in one direction between the opening position (figure 2) and the closing position (figure 3) of the entry device, and rotates by 180° in the opposite direction between the closing position and the opening position of the entry device, the roller (30, 36, 42, 48) associated to said crank running along a semicircle to move from its furthest position from the associated panel (opening of the entry device) to the closest position to the associated panel (closing of the entry device).
8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the length of said cranks is 10 cm so that, if the gap between said panels (10, 12) in idle intermediary position (figure 1) is 30 cm, the gap between said panels in the opening position (figure 2) be 50 cm and the gap between said panels in closing position (figure 3) be 10 cm.
9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each panel (10 or 12) is interdependent with two slide parts (16, 20, or 24, 28) co-operating respectively with two rollers (30, 36 or 42, 48).

Images