GB2190126A

GB2190126A - Automatic door system

Info

Publication number: GB2190126A
Application number: GB08710043A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenzo Ono
Original assignee: Yoshida Kogyo KK
Current assignee: YKK Corp
Priority date: 1986-04-28
Filing date: 1987-04-28
Publication date: 1987-11-11
Also published as: MY101073A; KR900008059B1; GB2190126B; FR2597917A1; DE3712184A1; JPS62253889A; SG30392G; HK27692A; GB8710043D0; KR870009945A

Abstract

Associated instruments, such as an air curtain, chime or cooling fan, of an automatic door system are operated in synchronism with movement of the door from the control circuit of the door drive motor.

Description

SPECIFICATION An automatic door system and a method for driving associated instruments of an automatic door system This invention relates to a method for driving associated instruments of an automatic door system such as,forexample, an aircurtain,a chime,a cooling fan for a door drive motor contained in the automatic door, etc., which are disposed adjacent to the automatic door system.

Description ofthepriorart: In an automatic door system, as shown in Figure 1, a belt 4 is extended between and wound around a drive pulley 2 which is arranged within a transom at one end thereof so as to be driven by a door drive motor 1 and a driven pulley 3 which is also disposed within the transom at the other end thereof, and a door 5 is connected to the belt 4. In addition, an opening deceleration point sensor switch 6 and an opening end sensor switch 7 are disposed along the belt 4 on the opening side of the door 5, while a closing deceleration point sensor switch 8 and a closing end sensor switch 9 are arranged along the belt on the closing side thereof.Output signals of these respective sensor switches 6,7,8 and 9 and a human body sense signal R1 issued from a human body sensor 10 are inputted to a controller 1 1,which serves to control opening and closing operations of the door 5 by applying a normal or reverse rotation control signal and a high-speed or low-speed drive signal to the door drive motor 1.

On the other hand, an aircurtain and/or a chime is mounted adjacent to the automatic door system, a cooling fan forthe door dive motor is contained in the automatic door system. Thus, during the openingorclosing operation ofthedoor5,theair curtain is allowed to operate, and the chime is made to ring, and furtherthe door drive motor 1 is cooled by the cooling fan.

In order to realize the above-described operations of the associated elements, it is necessary to make a blowerforthe aircurtain,the chime and a motorof the cooling fan for the door drive motor operate jointly with the opening or closing operation ofthe door 5, and for instance, it may be conceived that the above-referred various sensor switches 6,7,8 and 9 are disposed in drivecircuitsfortheaircurtain blower,thechimeandthemotorofthecoolingfan forthe door drive motorto directly conduct ON and OFF switch operation of the supply of driving electric power to these associated instruments.However, the above-referred respective sensor switches 6,7,8 and 9are nQrmallyof lowpowertypeforconducting ON and OFFoperation of a lowvoltageand/orasmall current, and they are connected in a controller 11 which consists of a control circuit powered, for example, by a D.C. 1 2Vvoltage source. Accordingly, if these sensor switches are used for directly conducting ON and OFF switch operation of relatively high power as disposed in the drive circuits for the associated instruments which employ, for instance, a commercial power line of A.C. 1 00V or 230V, the switch contacts of these switches would be burnt and destroyed.

Therefore, in the prior art, as shown in Figure 1, a door closing end sensor switch 12 adapted for conducting ON and OFF switch operation of high power consisting of, for example, a lead switch or a limit switch was specially provided in addition to the low power sensor switches 6,7,8 and 9, and this door closing end sensor switch 12 was connected in the drive circuitsfortheabove-mentioned associated instruments so that when the door 5 beginsto open, the switch 12 may directly switch ON the drive circuits, i.e., the power supply circuits to drive the associated instruments such as the air curtain,the chime and the cooling fan forthe motor drive motor.

If provision is made such thatthe associated instruments may be driven through the specially provided door closing end sensor switch 12 as described above, then the door closing end sensor switch 12 must be additionally provided and wirings for that additional sensor switch must be made, resulting in rise of a manufacturing cost. Moreover, it is compelled to dispose the door closing end sensor switch 12within a narrow transom orwithin a narrow engine case and to make wiring thereto, and the worktherefor is troublesome.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a novel methods for driving various instruments associated with an automatic door system such as,for instance, an aircurtain, a chime, a cooling fan for a door drive motor, etc., which is free from the above-described disadvantages in the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for driving associated instruments of an automatic door system, in which the associated instruments are driven in synchronism with a door opening/closing operation by a control circuit for a door drive motor of the automatic door.

If, as is preferred, ON/OFF switch operations ofthe associated instruments are driven as controlled by a control signal issued in the control circuitforthe door drive motor, there is no need to provide a special door closing end sensor switch of high power type, hence a manufacturing cost becomes cheap, a work for installation of the automatic door system becomes simple and easy, and moreover, the door and the associated instruments can be driven in a reliably synchronized relationship.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an automatic door system, comprising a control circuitfora door drive motor of said automatic door, the control circuit being adapted and arranged to control driving of associated instruments in synchronism with a door opening/closing operation.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like references refer to like parts unless the context requires otherwise and wherein:- Figure 1 shows a known automatic door system in the prior art in a blockform; Figure2 shows one preferred embodiment of the present invention in a blockform; and Figure 3 is a flow chartforthe control operation in a controller 11 in Figure 2.

In Figure 2, similarlyto the known automatic door system shown in Figure 1 and described above, a controller 11 controls a door drive motor 1 so asto drive or stop it, to change the direction of rotation of the door drive motor 1 whether a normal direction or a reverse direction,that is,whetheran opening direction or a closing direction, and to select the rotational speed ofthe motor 1 whether high speed our a low speed, in response to detection signals issued from a opening deceleration point sensor switch 46, an opening end sensor switch 47, a closing deceleration point sensor switch 48, a closing end sensor switch 49 and a human body sensor switch 410.The modeofcontrolforthedoor drive motor 1 will be apparentforthose skilled in the art by reference to the flow chart in Figure 3.

In the automatic door system according to the present invention shown in Figure 2, besides the above-described component elements, a relay 13 is included in the controller 11. Relay contacts 1 3a of that relay 13 are disposed in a drive circuit 15 of a blower 14 of an air curtain associated with the automatic door so thatwhen the relay 13 is actuated in the controller 11, the relay contacts 1 3a can connect the blower 1 4to a power supply of A.C.

100V.

As will be seen from theflowchart in Figure 3, this relay 13 is actuated when a high speed opening operation of the door drive motor 1 has commenced in responseto a human body sense signal R1 issued from the human body sensor 410, and is kept actuated even when the door drive motor 1 stops at the opening end. The relay 13 is released when the door drive motor 1 stops at the closing end after its closing operation. Since the relay contacts 1 3a can deal with relatively high power, they suffice to switch on and offthe power supply of A.C. 100Vforthe blower 14, and the control circuit itself in the controller 11 would not be burnt or destroyed bythe switching operation for the relatively high power.

Therefore, there is no need to provide an additional sensor switch for controlling the blower 14 ofthe air curtain and to make wiringsforthe additional switch, hence a manufacturing cost of the automatic door system becomes cheap, installation workforthe automatic door system becomes simple and easy, and moreover, the actuation of the blower 1 4can be perfectly synchronized with the door opening/closing operation.

While a relay and relay contacts were employed in the above-described embodiment for isolating a low power control circuit in the controller 11 from a high powerdrivecircuitfora blower of an aircurtain, it should not be limited to only a relay but any conventional isolating means such as a thyristor, a silicon-controlled chopper, a high-powertransistor, etc. could be employed.

Since manyapparentlywidelydifferent embodiments ofthe present invention can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, all matter contained in the above description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted to be illustrative and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for driving associated instruments of an automatic door system, characterized in that said associated instruments are driven in synchronism with a door opening/closing operation by a control circuit for a door drive motor said automatic door.

2. A method for driving associated instruments of an automatic door system as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that said associated instruments are driven by said control circuit via isolating means.

3. A method for driving associated instruments of an automatic door system as claimed in Claim 2, characterized in that said isolating means is a relay whose actuating winding is connected to said control circuit, and whose relay contacts are rendered to control ON/OFF switch operation of a power supply of A.C. l00Vor240Vforsaid associated instruments by a control signal issued in said control circuit.

4. An automatic door system, comprising a control circuit for a door drive motor of said automatic door, the control circuit being adapted and arranged to control driving of associated instruments in synchronism with a door opening/closing operation.

5. An automatic door system as claimed in Claim 4, characterized in that said associated instruments are arranged to be driven by said control circuit via isolating means.

6. An automatic door system as claimed in Claim 5, characterized in that said isolating means is a relay whose actuating winding is connected to said control circuit, and whose relay contacts are rendered to control ON/OFF swtich operation of a power supply of A.C. 1 00V or 240Vfor said associated instruments buy a control signal issued in said control circuit.