Information
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Patent Grant
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6209262
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Patent Number
6,209,262
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Date Filed
Thursday, January 27, 200024 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, April 3, 200123 years ago
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Inventors
-
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Examiners
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 049 26
- 049 27
- 049 28
- 200 6143
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A sensing system for a gate to protect persons and equipment from impact damage by actuating a gate operating system when the end of the gate comes in contact with an obstruction. The force required to actuate the device varies between 3 and 5 pounds. Once the force is applied to the edge of the gate, the gate opening or closing operation will either stop or reverse depending on the specific safety requirements of the gate installation. The force can be applied to any available direction and the system will be activated.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a sensing system for a gate and more specifically to a sensing system that is applied to the vertical leading edge of a gate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many devices on the market that sense an object being in the path of a closing gate or closing garage door that will take corrective action. The requirement for the above stems from the a 1995 Federal mandate that governs the parameters of safety devices installed on residential garage doors which must be fail-safe, therefore, the automatic garage door must reverse itself without producing a force that would injure. Recently, the same requirement has been imposed on automatic gates. Some of the patents on sensing edges are:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,835 to Miller et al. This patent has a sensing edge with a switch assembly positioned thereon.
2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,552 to Miller et al. This patent includes a proximity sensing switch that detects a change in capacitance to actuate the device that controls a door.
3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,387 to Miller et al describes a sensing edge for a gate. Two layers of conducting material are spaced apart such that a force on the gate edge will cause the conducting material to contact and close a circuit.
4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,058 to Richardson describes an electrosensing edge for a garage door. A cable on the bottom edge is moved when the bottom edge strikes an object and thereby actuates switches attached to the ends of the cable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,417 to Strand describes a photocell beam shining through the door edge and if an object blocks the beam, the photo switch provides a signal to reverse the motion.
What is needed, is an inexpensive device that uses mechanical means to activate a switch whereby the force can be multiple directional.
From the foregoing, the need should be appreciated for an inexpensive and simple gate sensing system. Accordingly, a fuller understanding of the invention may be obtained by referring to the Summary of the Invention, and the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment, in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the present invention to provide a novel sensing edge for an automatic gate.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a sensing edge that can be activated in multiple directions.
It is yet another object of the present invention where the activation of the sensing edge will provide a signal to be transmitted to the gate mechanism.
It is still another object of the present invention where the activation of the sensing edge will directly provide an input signal to the gate mechanism.
Briefly, in accordance with the present invention there is providing a sensing edge that is mounted on the vertical edge of a powered gate. If the gate edge encounters an object in its path, a pressure of three to five pounds on the gate edge will activate the gate mechanism. The edge is designed such that any object in the gate path on the front, right or left side will activate the gate mechanism.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristics of the invention, both as its organization and its method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:
FIG. 1
shows a partial view of a gate with the sensing system attached to the leading edge of the gate.
FIG. 2
shows a switch box including the switch mechanism required to control the movement of the gate.
FIG. 3
shows the principle behind the gate sensing system.
FIG. 4
shows an alternate way to send a signal to the gate control mechanism.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon detailed consideration of the following Description of the Preferred Embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning now to
FIG. 1
there is seen a gate generally described as
10
. The gate has an opening and closing mechanism (not shown) that is powered. Attached to the leading edge
12
of the gate
10
is a plate
14
fastened by any acceptable fastening means. Fastened to the plate
14
are lower ball retaining members
16
and
18
held by fastening means
17
and
19
. On the top of the lower ball retaining members
16
and
18
are round balls
20
and
22
. The balls
20
and
22
may be made from any hard material such as metal or plastic. A rectangular tube
24
is used to conform to the shape of the leading edge of the gate. Fastened inside of the tube
24
are upper ball retaining member
26
and
28
. The fastening members are shown as
30
and
32
. The tube
24
is held in place on balls
20
and
22
by gravity. On the top of tube
24
is fastened a plate
34
which is more clearly seen in FIG.
2
.
FIG. 2
shows the plate
34
which is fastened to the top of tube
24
. Also seen in
FIG. 2
is a switch box
36
that is fastened to plate
14
by fastening means
38
and
40
. As seen in the cut away of
FIG. 2
, the switch box contains a snap action switch
42
that operates when plate
34
moves in an upward direction. Roller
43
moves on top of plate
34
when plate
34
moves in an upward direction.
FIG. 2
also shows a waterproof cover
37
fixed on the top of switch box
36
.
FIG. 3
shows the principle utilized in the sensing system in the present invention. As the force
44
is applied to an upper ball retaining member, either
26
or
28
, since the lower ball retaining members are fastened to the gate through plate
14
and the upper ball retaining members
26
and
28
are fastened to the tube
24
, the upper ball retaining members
26
and
28
will ride up the balls
20
and
22
and move the upper ball retaining members
26
and
28
in an upward movement. Since the upper ball retaining members
26
and
28
are fastened to tube
24
, the plate
34
fastened to the top of tube
24
will move upward and activate switch
42
. The action of switch
42
will complete a circuit and send a signal through wires
46
and
48
to transmitter
50
as seen in FIG.
1
. The transmitter
50
, in turn, will send a signal to the gate control mechanism (not shown) and the signal will either stop the gate control mechanism or reverse the gate control mechanism depending on how the gate control mechanism is configured which in turn depends on the safety requirement of the gate installation.
FIG. 4
shows an alternate method to send a signal to the gate control mechanism. The hard wire
54
directly sends a signal to activate the gate control mechanism. The hardwire can either be a curly wire or be in a spring retraction reel (not shown). As an option the leading edge of the tube
24
may have a rubber channel
25
fixed thereon.
Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the invention, a sensing edge for a gate that fully satisfies the objectives, aims, and advantages set forth above. While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiment thereof it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the aforegoing descriptions. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A powered gate having a mechanism to open and close said gate comprising:a plate fastened to the leading edge of said gate; at least two lower ball retaining members fastened to said gate; a tube, said tube having at least two upper ball retaining members fastened thereon, said tube having a front and two sides; a ball placed between said upper ball retaining members and said lower ball retaining members; said tube being held in place by gravity, said tube resting on said balls; a switch box fastened to the upper end of said plate which is fastened to the leading edge of said gate, said switch box containing a switch; a plate attached to the upper end of said tube.
- 2. A powered gate as described in claim 1 wherein said tube receiving a force, said tube will move vertically as said upper ball retaining members attempt to move over said balls.
- 3. A powered gate as described in claim 1 wherein said plate will provide contact means when said plate moves in an upward direction.
- 4. A powered gate as described in claim 3 wherein said plate moves vertically, said plate provides said contact means which, in turn, activates said switch and provides a closed circuit.
- 5. A powered gate as described in claim 4 wherein said closed circuit in said switch box provides a signal from said transmitter, said signal activating said mechanism.
- 6. A powered gate as described in claim 4 wherein a force is applied to said tube, said upper ball retaining members moving over said balls will cause said switch to close and said transmitter will send said signal to activate said mechanism.
- 7. A powered gate as described in claim 4 wherein a force is applied to said tube, said upper ball retaining members moving over said balls will cause said switch to close and said hard wire sends said signal to activate said mechanism.
- 8. A powered gate as described in claim 4 wherein a force on said tube may be applied multidirectional.
- 9. A powered gate as described in claim 8 when said gate mechanism will stop when a force is applied.
- 10. A powered as described in claim 8 wherein said gate mechanism will reverse when a force is applied.
- 11. A powered gate as described in claim 1 wherein said gate has a powered transmitter attached thereto.
- 12. A powered gate as described in claim 11 wherein said transmitter is electrically connected to said switch.
- 13. A powered gate as described in claim 1 wherein said signal from said switch box to activate said mechanism is provided by hard wire.
- 14. A powered gate as described in claim 13 wherein said hard wire is a curly wire.
- 15. A powered gate as described in claim 13 wherein said hard wire is a spring biased reel.
- 16. A powered gate as described in claim 1 wherein a force applied to said tube of three to five pounds will activate said gate mechanism.
US Referenced Citations (5)