JP7833185B2 - Automatic door system - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an automatic door system. More specifically, this invention relates to an automatic door system that automatically operates a hinged door.

Doors at entrances to movie theaters, theaters, and other similar establishments are often hinged doors. This is because the system, including the door, needs to have a certain level of soundproofing and fireproofing capabilities, and it is structurally difficult for sliding doors to achieve these functions. Regarding these hinged doors, Patent Document 1 discloses an automatically operating hinged door (see Figure 6 in Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, the entire detection area of the area sensor is divided into multiple sub-detection areas. When a hinged door stops in one of these detection areas, its position is confirmed by detection within the sub-detection area.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-151996

However, when a hinged door is an automatic door, there is a problem of interference between the door and the person passing through it at the opening side. This interference will be specifically explained with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Figures 6 and 7 are both perspective views of a conventional hinged automatic door system, viewed from an oblique upward direction.

As shown in Figure 6, in the automatic door system 50 with hinged doors, when the area sensor 53 opens the hinged doors 51a and 51b, a passerby 54 needs to approach the hinged doors 51a and 51b in order for the area sensor 53 to work. However, if the passerby 54 gets too close to the hinged doors 51a and 51b, there is a problem that they may come into contact with the hinged doors 51a and 51b as they open. For this reason, the passerby 54 has to wait at a certain distance for the hinged doors 51a and 51b to open, which prevents the passerby 54 from passing through smoothly. Furthermore, in the automatic door system 50, when the area sensor 53 opens the hinged doors 51a and 51b, there is a problem that the area sensor 53 may work on a pedestrian walking along the wall on which the automatic door system 50 is installed, rather than passing through the automatic door system 50, causing the hinged doors 51a and 51b to open and potentially causing contact between the pedestrian and the hinged doors 51a and 51b.
Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, in areas with a high volume of pedestrian traffic, the automatic door system 50 for hinged doors may have push-button switches 55 installed on the wall 52 or on the hinged doors 51a and 51b, and these push-button switches 55 may be used to open the hinged doors. However, even in this case, pedestrians 54 need to approach the hinged doors 51a and 51b to press the push-button switches 55, and there is a problem that the hinged doors 51a and 51b that are being opened may come into contact with the pedestrians 54.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an automatic door system that can suppress interference between pedestrians entering from the opening side and the hinged door, thereby maintaining the smooth passage of such pedestrians.

The first automatic door system is an automatic door system that includes a hinged door that is installed in a wall and opens and closes automatically, and includes a gate pole installed on the opening side of the hinged door for restricting passage along the wall on the opening side, and a control device for controlling the operation of the hinged door, wherein the gate pole is provided with a signal transmitting device, and the control device opens the hinged door based on a signal transmitted from the signal transmitting device.
The automatic door system of the second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the signal transmitting device is a switch provided on the gate pole.
The automatic door system of the third invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the signal transmitting device includes a detection device provided on the gate pole for detecting pedestrians passing through the hinged door.
The automatic door system of the fourth invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the hinged door is a fire door.
The fifth automatic door system of the first invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, it is provided on the hinged door and includes a first area sensor for detecting an object in a predetermined space, and the control device stops or reverses the operation of the hinged door when the first area sensor detects an object.
The automatic door system of the sixth invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, it is provided with a second area sensor installed on the wall on the closing side of the hinged door for detecting an object in a predetermined space, and the control device performs an opening operation of the hinged door when the second area sensor detects an object.
The automatic door system of the seventh invention is characterized in that, in the second invention, the switch is configured to attract the attention of passersby of the hinged door with light.

According to the first invention, by providing a gate pole on the opening side of the hinged door, passage along the wall can be restricted, preventing the hinged door from opening accidentally. Furthermore, since the hinged door is opened by a signal transmitted from a signal transmitting device provided on the gate pole, the signal transmitting device on the gate pole can be placed at a position sufficiently far from the hinged door. This prevents passersby who transmit a signal from the signal transmitting device from coming into contact with the hinged door as it opens, allowing passersby to pass through the hinged door smoothly.
According to the second invention, since the signal transmitting device is a switch installed on the gate pole, the automatic door system can be configured simply and the cost of the automatic door system can be reduced.
According to the third invention, the signal transmitting device is installed on the gate pole and includes a detection device that detects pedestrians passing through the hinged door. This eliminates the need for pedestrians to perform actions necessary solely for opening the hinged door, allowing pedestrians to pass through the hinged door more smoothly.
According to the fourth invention, since the hinged door is a fire door, it is possible to prevent passersby from coming into contact with the heavy hinged door having a predetermined structure, thereby preventing passersby from accidentally coming into contact with the hinged door, and thus reducing the chances of those who come into contact with it getting injured.
According to the fifth invention, a first area sensor is provided on the hinged door, and when the first area sensor detects an object, the control device stops or reverses the movement of the hinged door, thereby preventing the hinged door from colliding with a passerby and providing a safe automatic door system.
According to the sixth invention, a second area sensor is provided on the wall on the closing side of the hinged door, and the control device opens the hinged door when the second area sensor detects an object. Since the hinged door does not come towards the closing side due to its structure, the hinged door can be controlled with a simple configuration, and the manufacturing cost of the system can be reduced.
According to the seventh invention, the switch installed on the gate pole is configured to attract the attention of passersby through the swinging door with light, so that even if the switch is located some distance from the swinging door, the switch for opening the door can be easily recognized.

This is a perspective view from diagonally above of the automatic door system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the gate pole that constitutes the automatic door system, taken from an oblique upward direction. Figure 1 is a block diagram of the automatic door system. Figure 1 is a control flow diagram of the automatic door system. This is a perspective view from diagonally above of a gate pole constituting an automatic door system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This is a perspective view of the conventional first automatic door system, taken from a diagonal upward direction. This is a perspective view of a conventional second automatic door system, taken from a diagonal upward angle.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. However, the embodiments shown below are illustrative examples of automatic door systems for realizing the technical concept of the present invention, and the present invention does not limit automatic door systems to those described below. Note that the size and positional relationships of the components shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for clarity of explanation.

(First Embodiment)
Figure 1 shows a perspective view from diagonally above of an automatic door system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The automatic door system 10 according to this embodiment has hinged doors 11a and 11b that are installed on a wall 12 and open and close automatically. The hinged doors 11a and 11b are so-called double doors and open and close toward the front in Figure 1, as indicated by the dashed arrows on the floor surface in Figure 1. The hinged doors 11a and 11b open and close around a plurality of hinges. The hinged doors 11a and 11b are automatic doors, and their opening and closing is performed by an electric motor. In the automatic door system 10 according to this embodiment, the opening and closing direction of the hinged doors 11a and 11b is depicted as being in one direction toward the front as shown in Figure 1, but depending on the hinge structure, a structure that allows opening and closing not only toward the front but also toward the back in Figure 1 can be adopted. Furthermore, although Figure 1 discloses a structure with two doors in the form of hinged doors 11a and 11b, the present invention is not limited to this and a structure with one door is also included in the automatic door system 10 of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the automatic door system 10 may have fire doors 11a and 11b. Fire doors, generally referred to as fire doors, fall under the category of specified fire-resistant equipment under the Building Standards Act, and are required to be "made of iron with a steel plate thickness of 1.5 mm or more" (Building Standards Notification No. 1369 of 2000). When the hinged doors 11a and 11b are fire doors, their weight becomes very heavy, increasing the likelihood of injury to passersby 30 if they come into contact with them compared to ordinary doors. By having fire doors 11a and 11b, contact between the heavy hinged doors 11a and 11b, which have a predetermined structure, and passersby 30 can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the chance of passersby 30 accidentally coming into contact with the hinged doors 11a and 11b, thereby reducing the opportunity for injury.

In this embodiment, the automatic door system 10 has gate poles provided on the opening sides of the hinged doors 11a and 11b. The opening side is the side on which the hinged doors 11a and 11b open relative to the wall 12; in Figure 1, this corresponds to the foreground side of Figure 1. These gate poles are poles that constitute a gate and are provided to restrict the passage of pedestrians and others walking along the wall 12.

In this embodiment, a first gate pole 20 and a second gate pole 21 are provided on the left side of the hinged door 11a, and a third gate pole 22 and a fourth gate pole 23 are provided on the right side of the hinged door 11b. Passage prevention members 14 are provided between the first gate pole 20 and the second gate pole 21, between the second gate pole 21 and the wall 12, between the third gate pole 22 and the fourth gate pole 23, and between the fourth gate pole 23 and the wall 12. In this embodiment, the passage prevention member 14 is a string-like member with a communication wire inside. However, the passage prevention member 14 is not limited to this string-like member. For example, it may be a plastic cylindrical member, or if a communication wire is not used, it may be a chain.

By providing gate poles on the opening sides of the hinged doors 11a and 11b, passage along the wall 12 can be restricted, preventing the hinged doors 11a and 11b from opening accidentally.

In this embodiment, each of the hinged doors 11a and 11b is equipped with a first area sensor 16 for detecting objects within a predetermined space. This first area sensor 16 is located relatively high on the hinged doors 11a and 11b, and an area is provided along the surface of the doors 11a and 11b from that point onward where the sensor operates. In this embodiment, when the first area sensor 16 detects an object, the hinged doors 11a and 11b are controlled to either stop their operation or reverse direction.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view from diagonally above of the first gate pole 20, which constitutes the automatic door system 10 according to this embodiment. The first gate pole 20 includes a pole portion 25 with a vertically elongated rectangular shape, a base portion 27 supporting the pole portion 25, and a switch 26 provided at the top of the pole portion 25. This switch 26 is one of the signal transmitting devices. The first gate pole 20 is also connected to a passage prevention member 14, which is a string-like member. The switch 26 is used to open the hinged doors 11 and 11b. In this embodiment, the switch 26 is a proximity sensor and can be operated without contact. However, the switch 26 is not limited to this. For example, a push-button switch would also be acceptable.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the surface of the switch 26 has a black circle in the center, with red illuminated areas arranged concentrically around it, configured to attract the attention of passersby 30 through the hinged doors 11a and 11b with light. However, the surface of the switch 26 is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to make the illuminated areas flash, to illuminate two triangular shapes with their vertices pointing to both sides, as used in elevators, or to illuminate the Chinese character "開" (kai), thereby attracting the attention of passersby 30 through the hinged doors 11a and 11b with light.

The switch 26 installed on the gate pole is configured to attract the attention of passersby 30 through the hinged doors 11a and 11b with light. Therefore, even if the switch 26 is located some distance from the hinged doors 11a and 11b, the switch 26 for opening the doors can be easily recognized.

As shown in Figure 2, the configuration of the first gate pole 20 in this embodiment has been described above. The third gate pole 22, installed on either side of the hinged doors 11a and 11b, has the same configuration as the first gate pole 20. Furthermore, although the second gate pole 21 and fourth gate pole 23 in this embodiment do not have switches 26, the configuration is not limited to providing one gate pole with a switch 26 on each side of the hinged doors 11a and 11b. For example, it is possible to provide two gate poles with switches 26 on each side.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the communication line for the switch 26 provided on the first gate pole 20 is provided within the passage prevention member 14, but this is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to provide a battery within the first gate pole 20 and transmit the signal from the switch 26 using power from this battery.

(Control configuration of automatic door system 10)
Figure 3 shows a block diagram of the automatic door system 10 according to this embodiment. The automatic door system 10 according to this embodiment has a control device 15 for controlling the operation of the hinged doors 11a and 11b. In Figure 3, the equipment that mainly transmits signals to the control device 15 is shown on the left, and the equipment that mainly receives signals from the control device 15 is shown on the right.

In the automatic door system 10 according to this embodiment, the control device 15 is housed within the wall 12 or within the opening/closing device attached to the door. The control device 15 receives signals from the switch 26 provided on the gate pole, the first area sensor 16 provided on the hinged doors 11a and 11b, and the second area sensor 17 provided on the wall 12.

Although not shown in Figure 1, the second area sensor 17 is installed on the upper transom of the hinged doors 11a and 11b of the wall 12, on the closing side opposite to the opening side, relative to the wall 12 in Figure 1. It detects objects in a predetermined space located below it.

A second area sensor 17 is installed on the closing side wall 12 of the hinged doors 11a and 11b. When the second area sensor 17 detects an object, the control device 15 opens the hinged doors 11a and 11b. Because the hinged doors 11a and 11b never move towards the passerby 30 due to the structure of the closing side, the hinged doors can be controlled with a simple configuration, reducing the manufacturing cost of the system.

The control device 15 operates the opening/closing motor 18 based on signals from the sensors mentioned above. In the automatic door system 10 according to this embodiment, the opening/closing motor 18 is installed in the transom above the opening side wall 12 of the hinged doors 11a and 11b.

(Control flow of automatic door system 10)
Figure 4 shows an example of a control flow diagram of the automatic door system 10 according to this embodiment. The automatic door system 10 according to this embodiment is closed at the initial point.

The control device 15 of the automatic door system 10 maintains a state of waiting for a signal from the switch 26 in step 001 (hereinafter referred to as S001) when the passerby 30 has not operated the switch 26.

A passerby 30 of the automatic door system 10 approaches the automatic door system 10 from a distance on the opening side and activates, for example, the switch 26 on the left-side first gate pole 20. Then, in S002, the control device 15, in accordance with the signal from the switch 26, opens the hinged doors 11a and 11b using the opening/closing motor 18 and maintains the hinged doors 11a and 11b in the open position.

Subsequently, in S003, the control device 15 maintains the open state of the hinged doors 11a and 11b if a predetermined time has not elapsed. While the doors remain open, the pedestrian 30 passes through the hinged doors 11a and 11b and reaches the closing side of the automatic door system 10. If the predetermined time has elapsed in S003, the control device 15 proceeds to S004.

In S004, the control device 15 closes the hinged doors 11a and 11b. The case where the first area sensor 16 is turned on during this closing operation will now be described.

The first area sensor 16 is turned on, for example, when a passerby 30, such as one using a wheelchair, has not been able to pass through doors 11a and 11b within a predetermined time and approaches doors 11a and 11b that are in the closing operation. If the first area sensor 16 is not turned on, the control device 15 continues the closing operation in S005, doors 11a and 11b become closed, and the control device 15 terminates the control flow.

When the first area sensor 16 is turned on while the hinged doors 11a and 11b are closing, the control device 15 advances the flow to S006.

In S006, the control device 15 stops the operation of the hinged doors 11a and 11b. Then, in S007, if a predetermined time has not elapsed, the control device 15 waits for that time to pass. Once the predetermined time has elapsed, it resumes the closing operation of the hinged doors 11a and 11b, and the control flow ends when the hinged doors 11a and 11b are in the closed state.

Since the opening of the hinged doors 11a and 11b is controlled by a switch 26 installed on the gate pole, the switch 26 on the gate pole can be positioned sufficiently far from the hinged doors 11a and 11b. This prevents a passerby 30 from coming into contact with the hinged doors 11a and 11b when pressing the switch 26, allowing the passerby 30 to pass through the doors smoothly.

The hinged doors 11a and 11b are equipped with a first area sensor 16. While the first area sensor 16 detects an object, the control device 15 stops the operation of the hinged doors 11a and 11b. This prevents the hinged doors 11a and 11b from colliding with pedestrians 30, thus providing a safe automatic door system 10.

In this embodiment, the flow described is that when the first area sensor 16 detects an object, the operation of the hinged doors 11a and 11b is stopped. However, the system is not limited to this flow. For example, when the first area sensor 16 detects an object, the operation of the hinged doors 11a and 11b can also be reversed. "Reversal" means, at a minimum, that when the hinged doors 11a and 11b are in the open position, the control device 15 closes the hinged doors 11a and 11b when the first area sensor 16 detects an object, or when the hinged doors 11a and 11b are in the closed position, the control device 15 opens the hinged doors 11a and 11b when the first area sensor 16 detects an object.

(Second Embodiment)
Figure 5 shows a perspective view from diagonally above of the gate pole constituting the automatic door system 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The other components are the same as those of the first embodiment, so their description is omitted.

The gate pole in the second embodiment includes a detection device 28 for detecting pedestrians passing through the hinged doors 11a and 11b. The detection device 28 is a signal transmitting device, and in this embodiment, it is a photoelectric sensor. Infrared light 28a is emitted from the light-emitting part of the photoelectric sensor, and when this infrared light 28a is blocked by a pedestrian or the like, the detection device 28 transmits a signal indicating that a pedestrian has been detected. Note that the detection device 28 is not limited to a photoelectric sensor; any device capable of detecting pedestrians is acceptable. Furthermore, a detection device 28 may also include a gate pole equipped with a swinging member that transmits a signal in accordance with its swinging motion.

(others)
In the above embodiment, it is described that both hinged doors 11a and 11b open in response to a signal from switch 26, but the system is not limited to this. For example, when the automatic door system 10 is used in a concert hall, both hinged doors 11a and 11b are required to open before the concert begins, but after the concert begins, only one of the hinged doors 11a or 11b is required to open, so it is possible that only one of the hinged doors 11a or 11b will open.

Furthermore, while it has been described that a second area sensor 17 is provided on the closing side, this is not the only option. For example, switches for opening the hinged doors 11a and 11b may be provided on the surfaces of the hinged doors 11a and 11b.

10 Automatic door system 11 (11a, 11b) Hinged door 12 Wall 15 Control device 16 First area sensor 17 Second area sensor 20 Gate pole 26 Switch 28 Detection device

Claims (7)

An automatic door system that includes a hinged door installed in a wall and which opens and closes automatically,
A gate pole is provided on the opening side of the aforementioned hinged door, for restricting passage along the wall on the opening side,
The control device includes a control device for controlling the operation of the aforementioned hinged door,
The gate pole is equipped with a signal transmitting device.
Based on the signal transmitted from the signal transmitting device, the control device performs the operation to open the hinged door.
An automatic door system characterized by the following features. The signal transmitting device is a switch provided on the gate pole.
The automatic door system according to feature 1. The signal transmitting device is installed on the gate pole and includes a detection device for detecting pedestrians passing through the swing door.
The automatic door system according to feature 1. The aforementioned hinged door is a fire door.
The automatic door system according to feature 1. The aforementioned hinged door is equipped with a first area sensor for detecting objects within a predetermined space,
When the first area sensor detects an object, the control device stops or reverses the operation of the hinged door.
The automatic door system according to feature 1. The aforementioned hinged door is provided with a second area sensor on the closing side of the wall for detecting objects within a predetermined space,
When the second area sensor detects an object, the control device performs an opening operation for the hinged door.
The automatic door system according to feature 1. The switch is configured to attract the attention of passersby through the hinged door with light.
The automatic door system according to feature 2.