WO2005052298A1

WO2005052298A1 - Security entrance with two doors

Info

Publication number: WO2005052298A1
Application number: PCT/FI2004/050178
Authority: WO
Inventors: Simo Saari
Original assignee: Megalock Oy
Current assignee: Megalock Oy
Priority date: 2003-11-26
Filing date: 2004-11-25
Publication date: 2005-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2006-05-26
Also published as: FI20035220A7; FI20035220A0; FI20035220L

Abstract

The invention relates to a security entrance (1) provided with two doors (7, 7a). Two substantially circular-arc shaped walls (2, 2a) define therebetween a cylindrical entrance space (16), whose passageway or doorway (4, 4a) can be closed or opened with two substantially circular-arc shaped sliding doors (7, 7a). Each sliding door (7, 7a) is suspended to a cradle (5, 6, 6'; 5a, 6a, 6a') equipped with at least three pairs of rollers (5), said cradle (5, 6, 6'; 5a, 6a, 6a') being supportable on a circular-arc shaped guideway element (3). A drive belt (8; 8a) is coupled to the cradle (5, 6, 6'; 5a, 6a, 6a') for moving the sliding door (7, 7a). The drive belt (8; 8a) has its belt pulleys (9; 9a) disposed on a curvilinear path adjacent to the guideway element (3). To the floor are fastened bearing-mounted support rollers (15), the sliding door (7; 7a) having its otherwise unsupported bottom edge adapted to travel therebetween.

Description

Security entrance with two doors

The present invention relates to a security entrance with two doors, comprising two substantially circular-arc shaped walls defining therebetween a cylindrical entrance space, as well as two passageways or doorways, two substantially circular-arc shaped sliding doors, a substantially circular-arc shaped guideway element, along which the sliding doors are adapted to travel individually and at various times in a curvilinear path, displacement means for the sliding door for moving the sliding door to open and close the doorway, said displacement means for each sliding door including a cradle supportable on the guideway element, a drive belt connected to the cradle for moving the sliding door along the guideway element.

Prior known are so-called interlocking entrances or vestibules of a similar type, which make sure that one person at a time passes through the entrance. In such arrangement, the entrance includes two doors, just one of said doors being open at a time. In addition, there is an identification mechanism to make sure that only one person at a time is present in the entrance.

The structural components of current security entrances are heavy and the erection and dismounting thereof takes a lot of work and time. Operating mechanisms are often of a special design and consequently expensive. Moreover, the nature of structures is such that the security entrance cannot be readily dismantled into separate modules for manufacture, shipping and erection.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a security entrance, wherein the above drawbacks are eliminated or substantially mitigated. In order to accomplish the above objective, the present invention is characterized in that the cradle is provided with at least three pairs of rollers, by which the cradle is adapted to bear on the guideway element, which is circular in cross-section and which has the rollers of each pair of rollers bearing on the opposite sides thereof with their circumferential grooves, that in engagement with the cradle are provided suspenders for the sliding door, fixed to the sliding door's top edge, that the drive belt has its belt pulleys disposed on a curvilinear path lying adjacent to the guideway element, and that the security entrance comprises floor-mounted support rollers, the sliding door having its otherwise unsupported bottom edge adapted to travel therebetween, as well as a mounting frame placed above the entrance space, having the displacement means attached thereto, the mounting frame, along with its displacement means, constituting an independent structural module.

A security entrance of this type, wherein a guideway element has a sliding door three-point supported thereon by way of pairs of rollers of a cradle, enables the security entrance's structures, such as displacement means for doors, to be constructed from light, inexpensive components of standard manufacture, such as standardized sliding door mechanisms. The suspension and displacement means for doors can be accommodated in a low cylindrical disc-shaped module, "a cap element", which constitutes a separate unit for manufacture and shipping. Such a structure is lightweight and, being a modular design, it is easy to assemble, for example even at the site of erection. This is advantageous in terms of shipping, as well. "A cap module" containing the operating equipment, functions and logic, can be manufactured separately and shipped economically to various countries of the World, in which the walls and doors can be ordered from local suppliers. It is of course possible to manufacture and ship all modules of the security entrance together. A preferred embodiment of the present invention is set forth in the dependent claim.

The present invention will now be described more closely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a plan view of a security entrance without a housing element, and

fig. 2 shows an elevation of sliding door displacement means.

Fig. 1 shows from above a security entrance of the invention, designated by reference numeral 1. The security entrance 1 comprises two circular-arc shaped walls 2 and 2a, a roof 13 and a floor 14 which define a cylindrical space 16, having typically a diameter of 1-2 meters. The space height is determined by a distance between the floor 14 and the roof 13 shown in fig. 2, which is typically 2-3 meters. The separate walls 2 and 2a have their edges on the same side curving towards each other, yet remaining spaced from each other in order to leave therebetween two passageways or doorways 4 and 4a large enough for a person to enter. The walls 2 and 2a can be made of glass.

In connection with the first doorway 4 is mounted a first sliding door 7 and in connection with the second doorway 4a is mounted a second sliding door 7a. The sliding doors 7 and 7a have also a shape substantially like a circular arc and are adapted to travel on a path of a substantially equivalent curvature, as will be described hereinafter. The first sliding door 7 and the second sliding door 7a are designed to have such a length in the direction of their path that, when in a closed position, the respective doorways 4 and 4a are completely shut thereby. In connection with the first sliding door 7 are provided displacement means 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 19 and in connection with the second sliding door 7a are provided displacement means 3, 5, 6a, 8a, 9a, 10a, 19a, whereby the sliding doors are operated for opening and closing the respective doorway 4 and 4a. The following description deals primarily with displacement means for the first sliding door 7, which for essential elements are identical to those of the second sliding door 7a.

The displacement means include a guideway element 3, for example of a square hollow section and secured to a mounting frame 11 set above the roof 13. The guideway element 3 constitutes a substantially circular track, which is located in a radial direction outside the roofs 13 edge and which has a curvature matching substantially that of the sliding doors 7 and 7a. Consequently, the guideway 3 (track) circles along the outer edge of the cylindrical space 16 above the space 16. The guideway element 3 is preferably manufactured in a round metal section.

The sliding door 7 is adapted to circle around a centre of curvature P of a track constituted by the guideway element 3. Hence, the sliding door 7 is suspended by its upper edge to the guideway element 3 by means of a cradle 5, 6, 6'. The cradle comprises at least three pairs of rollers 5 provided in association with the guideway element and, respectively, at least three flat-shaped flange members 6' with the pairs of rollers 5 attached thereto. The rollers included in a pair of rollers 5 are adapted to bear with their circumferential grooves on the opposite sides of the guideway element 3. The flange members are fastened to each other by a curving frame flat bar 6, whose centre of curvature P is the same as that of the guideway element 3 which has the frame flat bar 6 adjacent thereto. The flange member 6' has its bottom edge, preferably substantially below the pair of rollers 5, provided with a suspension element 17, the sliding door 7 being suspended thereto by its top end. Thus, the sliding door 7 is suspended and braced to the guideway element 3 at three points, two of which lie in the proximity of the opposite edges and one in the middle, the sliding door having its support system based on supporting points provided by three pairs of rollers. This triangular support system eliminates an unwanted tilting of the cradle or the sliding door, whereby the sliding door 7 or the cradle 5, 6, 6' is not capable of rising or tilting off its track, either.

In addition to this, to the top portion of the middlemost flange member 6' is secured, by means of a belt fastener 12, a drive belt 8, for example a cogged belt, which is in turn adapted to extend to a set of wheels constituted by belt pulleys 9. The pulleys 9 are fixed in position, preferably for vertical rotation axes. A traction capable of moving the sliding door 7 on its track is applied to the drive belt 8 by means of a traction drive mechanism 10, including a motor to rotate the axle of a drive pulley 19.

Some of the belt pulleys 9, five of them in the present embodiment, are disposed one after the other along a curvilinear track lying adjacent to the circular-arc shaped track constituted by the guideway element 3, above the latter. The disposition of these belt pulleys 9 is such that the belt fastener 12 associated with the flange member 6' by-passes the belt pulleys 9 as the sliding door 7 supported by the rollers 5 advances along the guideway element 3. When the flange member 6' and the fastener 12 by-pass the roller 9, the belt 8 presently at a coinciding position disengages itself a small distance from the roller 9. There are belt pulleys 9 arranged along the curvilinear track at such intervals that in all of its positions the sliding door 7 has preferably the support of at least three belt pulleys 9. By means of various settings of the belt pulleys 9, it is possible to change a direction of the belt's 8 traction force, which in this case is hence substantially consistent with the curvilinear path of the sliding door 7. This eliminates the possibility that forces crosswise to the curvilinear path would be applied to the cradle 5, 6, 6' and further to the sliding door 7. Such forces would apply lateral loads to the rollers 5, resulting in extra drag and possibly causing the sliding door 7 to rise off its position in the event that a lateral profiled clamping between the rollers' 5 circumferential grooves and the guideway 3 is not sufficiently reliable.

It is further seen from fig. 2 that the floor 14, in the vicinity of the sliding door 7, is provided with a pair of support rollers 15 for bracing the door 7 from below. Pairs of support rollers can be disposed anywhere along the sidelines of the door's 7 curvilinear path, although not directly on the path. Preferably, at least two pairs of support rollers 15 are provided, one in the proximity of either bottom edge of the doorway 4. The sliding door 7 with an otherwise unsupported bottom portion is adapted to advance through between the bearing-mounted rollers of each pair of rollers 15. The arrangement provides an extra support system for the sliding door 7, especially in its closed position. Thus, the sliding door does not have its bottom edge embedded in a guide groove, but instead above the floor surface, such that it is limited in a lateral direction only by the rollers of the pairs of rollers 15.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the walls 2 and 2a are provided at the top edge thereof with an attachment element 20, whose attachment flange can be screwed securily to the exterior of the frame 11 for placing the walls 2, 2a underneath the attachment frame 11. As for the bottom edge thereof, the walls 2, 2a are fitted in an attachment groove 18 formed on the floor 14 and secured therein for example by the application of an adhesive.

The inventive security entrance includes at least devices for identifying a person and a logic for controlling the doors between open and closed positions. However, it is not considered necessary to describe such devices any further in this context. The attachment frame 11 comprises a module of a low cylindrical contour, which houses all equipment needed for operating the doors. By virtue of its light weight, this module can be installed directly e.g. on glass walls 2 and 2a, resulting in a fully glass-enclosed security entrance.

Claims

1. A security entrance (1) with two doors (7, 7a), comprising two substantially circular-arc shaped walls (2, 2a) defining therebetween a cylindrical entrance space (16), as well as two passageways or doorways (4, 4a), two substantially circular-arc shaped sliding doors (7, 7a), a substantially circular-arc shaped guideway element (3), along which the sliding doors (7, 7a) are adapted to travel individually and at various times in a curvilinear path, displacement means (3; 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12; 5a, 6a, 8a, 9a, 10a, 12a) for the sliding door (7; 7a) for moving the sliding door (7; 7a) to open and close the doorway (4; 4a), said displacement means (3; 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12; 5a, 6a, 8a, 9a, 10a, 12a) for each sliding door (7; 7a) including a cradle (5, 6, 6'; 5a, 6a, 6a') supportable on the guideway element (3), a drive belt (8; 8a) connected to the cradle (5, 6, 6'; 5a, 6a, 6a') for moving the sliding door (7, 7a) along the guideway element (3), characterized in that the cradle (5, 6, 6'; 5a, 6a, 6a') is provided with at least three pairs of rollers (5), by which the cradle (5, 6, 6'; 5a, 6a, 6a') is adapted to bear on the guideway element (3), which is circular in cross-section and which has the rollers of each pair of rollers (5) bearing on the opposite sides thereof with their circumferential grooves, that in engagement with the cradle (5, 6, 6'; 5a, 6a, 6a') are provided suspenders (12) for the sliding door (7; 7a), fixed to the sliding door's (7; 7a) top edge, that the drive belt (8; 8a) has its belt pulleys (9; 9a) disposed on a curvilinear path lying adjacent to the guideway element, and that the security entrance (1) comprises floor-mounted support rollers (15), the sliding door (7; 7a) having its otherwise unsupported bottom edge adapted to travel therebetween, as well as a mounting frame (11) placed above the entrance space (16), having the displacement means (3; 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12; 5a, 6a, 8a, 9a, 10a, 12a) attached thereto, the mounting frame (11), along with its displacement means, constituting an independent structural module.

2. A security entrance (1) as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the walls' (2, 2a) top edges are provided with engagement elements (20), having their attachment flanges securily screwable to the mounting frame, and that a floor (14) is formed with an engagement groove (18) for fitting the walls' (2, 2a) bottom edges therein for attachment.