ES2359257T3 - SECURITY SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATIC DOOR. - Google Patents

Abstract

Safety protection system for an automatic gate, said gate comprising at least one mobile wing (11, 12) adapted to cover an access passage (13) defined at its ends by fixed elements (14, 15) of said gate. The system presents a plurality of infrared transmitters and receivers whose transmitted and received rays define a protected area corresponding to the dimensions of the operational surface of the gate; the interruption of one of said rays, generates a state of alarm.

Description

The present invention relates to a security protection system for automatic doors.

The automatic door to which the system according to the present invention can be applied can be a tilting door, and more generally, the system according to the present invention can be applied to barriers, in which access is made by opening and closing at least one sheet. , automatically moved in an angular direction relative to the corresponding direction of the barrier.

Automatic doors that give access to private areas are normally activated by users from a fixed point, by means of a push button or a key for the opening-closing action, or by means of a remote control device that transmits an impulse by radio to an electronic unit that activates the movement of the door in the desired direction.

In addition, generally, in the case of the radio remote control transmission, once the door is opened, the subsequent closing action of the door is produced by a new order transmitted by the user, or is performed automatically after an interval of default time However, these types of sliding doors can cause serious security problems for the user due to the fact that, due to the intrinsic configuration of the structures, they usually comprise moving parts that have sharp corners that can be very dangerous for the user's safety. .

In fact, since these doors are activated by remote control from a fixed point, in certain cases the movement of the structure cannot be automatically interrupted at the moment when the collision of potential users or other objects against protruding parts of the structure cited above, and particularly against the leading edge, except by manually disconnecting the power from the system or reversing the movement of the structure in the moments following those strictly necessary.

As a result, the inevitable consequences are easy to imagine and sometimes they can even be dramatic as there is no possibility of rapid intervention.

To stop, interrupt or reverse the movement of an automatic movement door in case of imminent danger, without the need for manual intervention, safety protection systems have been used for sliding doors that are based substantially on the use of protective ribs.

Said ribs are placed in the most dangerous corners and are made of a flexible material and, for example, by a pressure switch, transmit an electrical signal to an electronic transmitter contact each time the pressure inside the unit changes rib, for example in the case of a contact

or accidental impact caused by vehicles during transit.

In fact, when the vehicle hits the rib, the electronic transmitter immediately sends a pulse to a receiver that can be activated by a radiocontact, located in the vicinity of a fixed point, and that immediately interrupts the supply of electrical energy to the system; therefore, if the door is in motion, it is immediately locked or reverses its movement in the position it has reached.

An alternative to pneumatic type ribs are other types of ribs, also of flexible material, which contain a thin steel cable stretched inside the rib that interposes, for example, in the system's electrical power supply.

In this way, any type of contact or accidental impact against the rib causes immediate blockage of the door in the position reached at the time of contact.

In the case of automatic sliding doors, after application of a specifically molded aluminum profile, the protective rib is mounted on the front surface of the door panel in the direction of travel.

The transmission of the signal generated by the protective rib for the door control unit is sent by radio or cable from the panel to the fixed part of the door, by means of flexible electric cables or sliding carriages located on it.

The applicant has observed that all known procedures for signal transmission present reliability problems. For example, the interruption signal transmitted by radio from the ribs to the door control unit may be affected by disturbances, and therefore it may happen that the signal is not received or is not recognized by the unit. An interruption signal transmitted by cable implies the need for a cable connection between a fixed part and a moving part of the door, with the consequent possibility of rupture and / or deterioration after a period of time, causing an increase in the production costs and system maintenance.

The applicant has provided a simple and reliable way to send said signal transmission from the rib, by the presence of at least one infrared ray signal along a path, which defines a certain area around the door. In particular, said "protected" area has a substantially quadrangular shape and comprises the closed gate barrier, two straight lines substantially perpendicular to the closed barrier, external to the door leaves, and a straight line opposite and substantially parallel to the closed barrier, which closes the protected area.

Any form of violation within the protected area will result in the arrest or reversal of the mobile door leaves. In addition, an intervention signal generated by the protective ribs placed on the door leaves, for example, caused by the impact of the rib itself against an obstacle, will deactivate an infrared transmitter and generate simultaneous stopping of the moving leaves.

Document US 2004/140782 shows a security protection system according to the preamble of claim 1. In said document, sensors attached to the door are arranged. WO 00/08286 shows a similar system with a sensor attached to the wall.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a security protection system for an automatic door, according to the attached claim 1.

The characteristics and advantages of the security protection system for automatic doors according to the present invention will be more clearly demonstrated by the following description, provided by way of example and without limitation, taken together with the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

-Figure 1 is a schematic top view of an automatic tilting door with two moving leaves, associated with the security protection system according to the present invention.

Referring to the aforementioned figure, the illustrated automatic door comprises a pair of movable sheets, 11, 12, which are represented in the figure by way of example with a rectangular shape, covering the access passage or barrier 13. Said step of access is defined at its ends by fixed parts of said door comprising a pair of columns, 14, 15, located at opposite ends of said passage or barrier.

Equivalently, the present invention is also applicable to access steps covered by a single tilting sheet.

The sheets carry out a turning action and each one of them is articulated on one of said columns; preferably, each one is moved by a motor, for example, an electric motor.

In an embodiment of the invention, the sheets are equipped with a protective rib made from rubber or, in any case, from some flexible material, the rib substantially presenting a triangular prismatic shape, and being attached to the wall front of said sheet.

For the purposes of the present invention, the protective rib can be manufactured according to different equivalent technologies, with the result that as a result of a pressure exerted against the flexible material of said rib, a signal is generated, or an electrical signal is interrupted, to communicate the impact of the rib against an obstacle and the movement of the leaf must stop.

The door is driven by said motors controlled by an electronic control unit located, for example, in the vicinity of the fixed elements of the door.

Said security protection system according to the present invention defines a protected area, which if violated, will cause the arrest and / or reversal of the movement of the moving parts, such as, for example, the door leaves.

Said protected area coincides with the dimensions of the operating surface of the door when it is open or closed, and has a substantially quadrangular shape, the perimeter of which is defined by the barrier of the closed door 13, two sides 16, 17 substantially perpendicular to the barrier closed and external to the door leaves, and an opposite side 18, substantially parallel to the closed barrier that closes the protected area.

The infrared transmitters or receivers are arranged at the intersection of said sides; the transmitters and receivers are located, so that the infrared ray transmitted by the transmitter travels substantially along the perimeter of the protected area until it reaches the position of the corresponding receiver.

Referring to the example illustrated in Figure 1, in particular, the system comprises a first transmitter 21 associated with one of the two columns, 14, 15, on which a sheet is articulated, and a first receiver 22 associated with the opposite column 15, 14, so that a first infrared ray R1 travels substantially along the access passage 13. A second transmitter 23, associated with the same column containing the first transmitter 21, sends a second infrared ray R2 in one direction substantially corresponding to one of said perpendicular sides 17 towards a second receiver 24, located at the intersection with the opposite side 18. A third transmitter 25, sends a third infrared ray R3 to said second receiver, which, for this purpose, is capable of receiving at least two rays of different directions, for example, perpendicular to each other. In addition, said third transmitter 25 can send a fourth infrared ray R4 in the direction of a third receiver 26 associated with the same column, in which the first receiver 22 is present; With this objective, the third transmitter 25 is capable of sending at least two radiations simultaneously in different directions from each other, for example, perpendicular.

According to the present invention, an alarm state can be generated by interrupting one of said rays, for example, in the event that an intrusion into the protected area causes said interruption. In addition, when the door is equipped with protective ribs, the alarm state will identify a state, in which there has been an impact against an obstacle of the leaf during the course of its movement,

or it can identify an operational failure of the rib, serious enough to justify the interruption of all door operation.

The infrared ray transmitters are activated by a pilot system circuit, connected to said electronic door control unit (not shown in the figure) comprising a microprocessor that activates or deactivates the transmitter in question; The power supply for circuits and transmitters preferably comes from a long-lasting battery.

In addition, said receivers are connected to a decoder circuit connected to an electronic door control unit.

Said pilot system circuit is adapted to keep the transmitter active during normal door operation, through the transmission of a predetermined infrared signal, which, when interrupted, identifies an alarm state.

The decoding circuit identifies the alarm status following the lack of reception of infrared signal and sends a blocking and / or reversal signal to the door control unit, which stops the motor and, therefore, also the movement of door movement.

This simple system minimizes the risk of operational failure of the security protection system. For example, in the event that the correct operation of the pilot system circuit or infrared ray transmitter fails for whatever reason, the door stops. Similarly, the door will also stop in cases where the signal from the protective rib cannot be transmitted correctly, or when an obstacle is interposed between the infrared transmitter or the infrared receiver.

On the other hand, the transmitter power is preferably fed by a battery that must be replaced regularly; for this purpose, the system according to the present invention comprises a battery charge signal circuit, which comprises a battery charge signal led located, for example, near the receiver.

With this objective, the pilot system circuit encodes the infrared signal by entering data regarding the corresponding battery status in your system. The decoding circuit can decode this data contained in the infrared signal and activate said battery status LED.

In particular, the pilot system circuit can encode the infrared signal by introducing regular pulses at a predetermined distance from each other. In the event that the battery begins to run out, the pilot system circuit can intensify or space the frequency of these pulses. In this way, the receiver decoding circuit can activate the pilot LED according to the frequency variation of the pulses. An appropriate setting position of the system can regulate the lighting of the low battery LED well in advance of the actual low battery status (for example, two or three months before).

Preferably, said signal LED should be arranged in the receiver, since it can be conveniently supplied by the electronic control unit of the door, so that the electronic circuits contained in the pilot system circuit controlling the transmitter are minimized.

Alternatively, said LED can be mounted directly on the transmitter. In any case, the infrared signal indicates the correct operating status of the door, whereby the failure to receive the signal will cause the movement of the moving door leaf to stop.

Claims (5)

1. Security protection system for an automatic door, said door comprising at least one movable sheet (11, 12) that can move in an angular direction, adapted to cover an access passage or barrier (13) defined at its ends by two columns or fixed elements (14, 15) of said door, being present a plurality of infrared transmitters and receivers whose transmitted and received rays define a protected area corresponding to the dimensions of the operative surface of the door, generating the interruption of one of said rays is an alarm state, said protected area having a substantially quadrangular shape, whose perimeter is defined by the aforementioned closed gate barrier (13), two sides (16, 17) substantially perpendicular to the closed and external barrier to said at least one door leaf (11, 12) and an opposite side (18) substantially parallel to the closed barrier, closing at therefore, the protected area and causing said alarm state the arrest and / or reversal of the movement of movement of said at least one sheet (11, 12) of said door, characterized in that said system comprises a first transmitter (21) associated with one of the two fixed columns or elements (14, 15) and a first receiver (22) associated with the opposite column (15, 14), such that a first infrared ray (R1 ) travel substantially along the access passage (13), a second transmitter (23) associated with the same column in which the first transmitter (21) is present, which sends a second infrared ray (R2) in a direction that substantially corresponds to one of said perpendicular sides (16, 17 ) towards a second receiver (24) arranged at the intersection with the opposite side (18), a third transmitter (25) that sends a third infrared ray (R3) to said second receiver (24), said third transmitter (25) being adapted to send a fourth ray (R4) in the direction of a third receiver (26) associated with the same column (15, 14), in which the first receiver (22) is present.

2.

System according to claim 1, wherein said transmitters (21, 23, 25) and said receivers (22, 24, 26) are associated with the intersections of said sides defining the protected area.

3.

System according to claim 1, wherein said second receiver (24) can receive at least two rays (R2, R3) from directions perpendicular to each other, and said third transmitter (25) is capable of sending at least two rays ( R3, R4) simultaneously in directions perpendicular to each other.

Four.

System according to claim 1, wherein the infrared transmitters are activated by a pilot system circuit connected to an electronic door control unit, comprising a microprocessor that activates or deactivates the transmitters.

5.

System according to claim 1, wherein said receivers are connected to a decoding circuit connected to said electronic door control circuit.