Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Pleating type – With power operating means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-20
2003-12-16
Purol, David (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Pleating type
With power operating means
C160S188000, C160S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06662848
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the control of automatic doors and, more specifically, to security-type doors including fire doors and systems utilized in the control of such doors.
2. State of the Art
Automatic doors are implemented in various configurations such as, for example, sliding doors, rotating panel doors, folding doors, and revolving doors. Automatic doors are often relied on for security and fire safety purposes. For example, referring to
FIG. 1
, an automatic door system
100
including one or more accordion-type doors
102
A and
102
B may be used as a security and/or a fire door. The doors
102
A and
102
B shown are formed with a plurality of panels
104
which are connected to one another with hinge-like members
106
. The hinged connection of the panels
104
allows the doors
102
A and
102
B to be compactly stored in pockets
108
formed in the walls
110
of a building when in a retracted or folded state. When the doors are required to secure an area, such as an elevator lobby
112
during a fire, the doors
102
A and
102
B are driven by a motor (not shown) along a track
114
in order to provide an appropriate barrier.
As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, two doors
102
A and
102
B may be utilized wherein each extends from its associated pocket
108
to cooperatively mate with one another. Referring to
FIG. 2
, a cross-sectional view is shown of two doors
102
A and
102
B (shown in a folded state and recessed in pockets
108
) also referred to as a bi-part configuration. The first door
102
A includes a male lead post
116
which is configured to cooperatively mate with the female lead post
118
of the second door
102
B when each door is properly extended.
Alternatively, the automatic door system
100
may comprise a single door which mates with a stationary structure to form a barrier. As shown in
FIG. 3
, a single door
102
A may include a male lead post
116
which is configured to mate with a female door post
118
′ formed in a wall
110
.
As can also be seen in
FIG. 3
, an accordion-type door
102
A may include a first accordion-style partition
119
A and a second accordion-style partition
119
B which is laterally spaced from and substantially parallel with the first partition
119
A. Each of the two partitions
119
A and
19
B has a first end
120
structurally fixed to a floating jamb
121
which is movable within the pocket
108
and a second end
122
which is attached to the lead post
116
. Such a configuration is often utilized as a fire door wherein one partition
119
A acts as a primary fire and smoke barrier, the space
124
between the two partitions
119
A and
119
B acts as an insulator or a buffer zone, and the second partition
119
B acts as a secondary fire and smoke barrier.
The automatic door system
100
may further include various sensors and switches to assist in the control of the doors
102
A and
102
B. For example, as shown in
FIG. 1
, either of the doors
102
A and
102
B (or possibly both), when used as a fire door, may include a switch or actuator
126
commonly referred to as “panic hardware.” Actuation of the panic hardware
126
allows a person located on one side of the doors
102
A and
102
B to cause the door(s) to open if they are closed, or to stop while they are closing, allowing access through the barrier formed by the door(s) for a predetermined amount of time.
The switches, sensors or other actuators associated with the doors
102
A and
102
B are typically electrically configured to operate as a normally-open circuit or a normally-closed circuit. Thus, for example, the panic hardware
126
may include a normally-open-type switch which, when actuated, closes to form a circuit, thereby causing the door motor to behave in a predetermined manner. Similarly, a switch or sensor may be formed as a closed circuit which, upon actuation, opens the circuit, indicating that a certain event has happened and thereby invoking a response by the door motor. Conventionally, each circuit is dedicated, or specifically associated with a given sensor switch or actuator. These circuits are typically formed using multiple conductors which are connected, at one end, to respective switches, sensors and actuators, which are located at various positions on the doors
102
A and
102
B, and to the drive controller at their opposing ends. The conductors are conventionally configured to extend substantially the length of the door and are located between the partitions
119
A and
119
B. For example,
FIG. 3
shows a cable
128
located in the space
124
between the partitions
119
A and
119
B. Such a cable
128
is conventionally configured to carry multiple conductors for connection with various switches and sensors.
The use of conductors to form circuits between a controller and various switches and sensors, while functionally adequate in certain environments, may cause the door to malfunction in various situations. For example, in fire doors, the insulation formed about the cables and conductors may melt when subjected to elevated temperatures, causing the conductors to short. When shorting occurs among one or more of the conductors, a change in a given circuit may occur. For example, the shorting of a given conductor may be seen by the door motor as the closing or opening of a circuit associated with that conductor. Thus, the door motor, responding to what it perceives as a change in a given circuit, causes the door to open or perform some other function when, in fact, the door should have continued in its previous state of operation.
The possibility of an automatic door malfunctioning in the above-described manner may result in the door failing to pass stringent codes or specifications for a given installation. More importantly, when such a malfunction occurs in a fire door, it may allow the spread of a fire, essentially obviating the presence of the fire door.
In view of the shortcomings in the art, it would be advantageous to provide an automatic door and a method of operating such a door which prevents the potential malfunction of the door in certain environments such as exposure to elevated temperatures. It would further be advantageous to be able to retrofit existing doors through simple modifications so as to also prevent such potential malfunctions.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an automatic door is provided. The automatic door includes a first partition and a second partition, each being defined to include a first end and a second end. The second partition is laterally positioned from the first partition, forming a space therebetween. A leading edge is coupled with the first end of each partition. A first processor is disposed between the two partitions at a location proximate the leading edge of the door. A second processor is remotely located from the first processor, such as, for example, proximate the second ends of the partitions. A bus, configured to transmit digital signals, is coupled between the first and second processors. The second processor is coupled with a drive which is configured to control the position of the door's leading edge.
The automatic door may further include one or more input devices such as, for example, sensors, switches, actuators, as well as output devices such as actuators and audible and/or visual indicators associated with the operation of the door. Such input and output devices may be coupled with the first processor, which is configured to communicate their status to the second processor for control of the drive. For example, a sensor may be used to detect an obstruction in the path of the door. Upon sensing such an obstruction, the sensor may communicate with the first processor, which then sends a digital signal to the second processor indicative of the sensor's communication. The second processor may then send an operating signal to the drive to behave in a specified manner based on the sensor's communication.
The automatic door includes various conf
Banta Kevin D.
Field D. George
Garrett John G.
Goodman E. Carl
Purol David
TraskBritt
Won-Door Corporation
LandOfFree
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