Patent Publication Number: US-2022215709-A1

Title: Secure exit lane door

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of priority of provisional application No. 62/627,026 filed Feb. 6, 2018, entitled “Secure Exit Lane Door.” The said provisional application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This patent disclosure relates generally to secure exit lane door system and, more particularly, to a door system normally permitting only one way traffic but the door system has other modes that may permit other directions of travel for some or all traffic. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Sometimes it is desired to ensure that people all move through a door in the same direction. Sometimes people need to be moved safely and securely from a secure area to an unsecure area. One example includes people disembarking from a flight need to exit a secured area of an airport to an unsecured area. 
     Typically security personnel are stationed at exit doors to reduce the likelihood that unauthorized persons will enter the secured area through the exit doors, or to report to other security personnel in the event that someone does, or attempts to, enter the secure area through the exit doors. 
     Stationing security personnel at exit doors can be expensive and manpower intensive. Further, security personnel are subject to human error and may allow a person or object to enter a secured area through an exit door. As a result, it may be desirable to augment or replace security personnel stationed at exit doors with a door system that can reliably reduce the likelihood of people or objects entering a secure area through exit doors, and in some embodiments, report if people or object do and/or attempt to enter a secure area through an exit door. 
     SUMMARY 
     The foregoing needs are met to a great extent by embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure, which may include a door system that can reliably reduce the likelihood of people or objects entering a secure area through exit doors, and in some embodiments, report if people attempt to enter and/or objects are attempted to be entered into a secure area through an exit door. 
     In some embodiments, a door system is provided. The door system includes: a corridor sized to allow humans to move through the corridor, the corridor defined, at least in part by side walls, the corridor having a first end and a second end; a first door located at the first end, the first door configured to provide selective access between the corridor and a space outside of the corridor; a second door located at the second end, the second door configured to provide selective access between the corridor and a space outside of the corridor; and sensors configured to determine a direction of movement within the corridor, the sensors operatively connected to at least one of the first and second doors to cause at least one of the first and second doors to move to a closed position if any of the sensors detect a movement further than a threshold amount in an undesired direction. 
     In some embodiments in another aspect, a method of providing a secure exit is provided. The method includes: locating a first door at a first end of a corridor; locating a second door at a second end of the corridor; detecting movement in the corridor and closing at least one of the first and second doors when the movement is in an undesired direction further than a threshold amount. 
     In yet another embodiment in another aspect, a door system is provided. The door system includes: a corridor sized to allow humans to move through the corridor, the corridor defined, at least in part by side walls, the corridor having a first end and a second end; a first door located at the first end, the first door configured to provide selective access between the corridor and a space outside of the corridor; a second door located at the second end, the second door configured to provide selective access between the corridor and a space outside of the corridor; sensors configured to determine a direction of movement within the corridor, the sensors operatively connected to at least one of the first and second doors to cause at least one of the first and second doors to move to a closed position if any of the sensors detect a movement further than a threshold amount in an undesired direction; a controller operatively connected to the sensors and the doors, the controller configured to received data from the sensors and send control signals to the doors; an extension of the side walls past the second door, the extension forming a corridor extension; and a sensor configured to detect motion in the corridor extension and send data to the controller. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     Additional features, advantages, and aspects of the disclosure may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the disclosure and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the disclosure as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate aspects of the disclosure and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. No attempt is made to show structural details of the disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the disclosure and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a secure exit lane in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of a secure exit lane showing a person leaving the secure exit lane in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of a secure exit lane showing a person entering the secure exit lane in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is an end view of a secure exit lane with the doors closed in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is an end view of a secure exit lane with the doors opened in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a secure exit lane with an exit extension in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a secure exit lane installed in a building. 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view of a secure exit lane in accordance with present disclosure. 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram of a controller for the secure exit lane in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 10  is a top view of the secure exit lane in accordance with the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic diagram of a controller for the secure exit lane in accordance with the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The aspects of the disclosure and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting aspects and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one aspect may be employed with other aspects as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the aspects of the disclosure. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the disclosure may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, the examples and aspects herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     As shown in the FIGS., a door system  12  having a reliable breach system in place can allow people to leave a secure area  17  through an exit without allowing unauthorized people or objects to enter the sure area  17  from an unsecure area  19  through the exit. This allows security personnel to serve other areas of an operation rather than monitor the door system  12  or exit. Even in instances where security personnel are present, the door system  12  can augment and/or compliment the presence of the security personnel. 
     The door system  12  (also known as a secure exit lane  12  or corridor  12 ) has two ends  13 , and  15 . The secure exit lane or corridor  12  has an upper frame  14  and lower frame  16 . Side panels  18  connect the upper fame  14  and lower frame  16 . A first door, (which may include a single door or a pair of doors that work together to provide selective access to a first portal) is located at one end  13  or  15  and a second door (which may include a single door or a pair of doors that work together to provide selective access to a second portal) at the other end  13  or  15 . 
     An entry header  20  and entry frame  22  help define a doorway and an entry door  24  is mounted to the entry frame  22 . It will be understood that the terms “entry” and “exit” are arbitrary in that they refer to a direction through which traffic primarily moves through the doors  24  and  34 . In some installations the exit lane  12  may installed or modified so that the “entry” door  24  is an exit and the “exit” door  34  may be an “entry.” In addition, in some modes, as described later below, the primary direction of the flow of traffic may be reversed under certain conditions. As such, the terms “entry” and “exit” are descriptive and helpful but not limiting. 
     An exit header  30  and exit frame  32  help define a doorway and an exit door  34  is mounted to the exit frame  32 . The first door  24  and second doors  34  are separated by the bulk of the secure exit lane  12  which may by several feet long. One example exit lane  12  or corridor  12  may be 20 feet long and 5 feet wide. Other examples may have lengths in the ranges of 8 to 40 feet of separation between the first  24  and second doors  34 . Some door systems  12  may have a length of 20 feet (plus or minus 6 feet) that separates the first and second doors  24  and  34 . Other examples may have greater or less separation then described above and the exit lane or corridor  12  may be wider or more narrow than 5 feet. 
       FIGS. 2-5  are various views of secure exit lanes.  FIGS. 2 and 3  are side views.  FIG. 2  shows a person  28  exiting the secure exit lane  12 .  FIG. 3  shows a person entering the secure exit lane  12 .  FIGS. 4 and 5  are end views. In  FIG. 4  doors  34  and  36  are shut. In  FIG. 5  doors  34  and  36  are open. In  FIGS. 2-5 , the a first set of doors  24  and  26  can be seen and a second set of doors  34  and  36  can be seen.  FIGS. 4 and 5  show a sensor  38  mounted to the secure exit lane  12  that is configured to detect movement of a person or object approaching exit doors  34  and  36 . 
       FIG. 5  shows the interior  40  of the corridor or exit lane  12 . The corridor  12  is formed in part by the side panels  18 . The corridor  12  includes a ceiling  42  with additional sensors  44  and lights  46  mounted in or on the ceiling  42 . 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a secure exit lane  12  in accordance with another embodiment. The secure exit lane  12  shown in  FIG. 6  includes an exit extension  48  located in the secure exit lane  12 . The extension  48  includes an extension frame  50  attached to the frames  14  and  16  of the secure exit lane  12  and an extension frame header  52  (shown in  FIG. 8 ). The extension frame  50  has an open end  56 . The extension  48  is aligned with the corridor  12 . The panels  54  are aligned with the panels  18  on the corridor  12 . The sensors  44  and lights  46  can be seen. The sensor  62  is located above the doors  24  and  26  and entry frame  22 . A key actuated lock  58  and user interface  60  are shown attached to the secure exit lane  12 . 
     The key actuated lock  58  may be used to lock or unlock the user interface  60 . In some embodiments the key actuated lock  58  and/or user interface  60  may be used to unlock the secure exit lane  12 , turn off an alarm associated with the secure exit lane  12  or otherwise control the secure exit lane  12 . 
       FIG. 7  shows a secure exit lane  12  installed in a building  61 . An entry sensor  62  is located over the doors  24  and  26  to sense movement in the area near the entrance of the secure exit lane  12 . Guiding panels  64  channel traffic toward the doors  24  and  26 . 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the secure exit lane shown in  FIG. 6 . The entry frame  22  is shown with the entry header  20  and doors  24  and  26 . The entry sensor  62  is located on the entry header  20 . The ceiling  42  for the corridor  12  is shown with lights  46  and vents  70 . As shown in both  FIGS. 8 and 9 , ceiling curtain sensors  68  are mounted to the entry and exit headers  20  and  30 . These sense an area near the ceiling  42  as illustrated by parallel lines  73  as shown in  FIG. 9 .  FIGS. 8 and 9  show the wall sensors  69  which may be mounted to either the entry or exit frames  22  or  32 . The wall sensors  69  detect areas near the panels  18  as illustrated by parallel lines  75  in  FIG. 9 . Floor scanning sensors  77  may scan an area near the floor as shown by parallel lines  81  in  FIG. 9 . Door sensors  71  may be located near the doors  34 ,  36 . Similar door sensors may be placed near other doors for sensing movement of those doors or movement near those doors. Sensors  79  may also scan and monitor movement within the exit lane  12 . 
     In the exit extension  48 , sensors  68  may scan and sense an area near the extension ceiling  72  similar to the sensors  68  between the doors  24 ,  26 , and  34 ,  36 . There may also be floor sensors sensing areas near the floor, door sensors, and door sensors near the side panels  54  and the doors  32 ,  34  or opening  56  similar to the sensors in the areas between the doors  24 ,  26  and  34 ,  36 . Other sensors  74  mounted to the exit door header  30  and extension header  52  may be configured to detect people or objects moving into the area between doors  24 ,  26  and  34 ,  36  or into the extension area. Sensors  69  may be attached to the extension frame  50  and/or exit frame  32  to scan and detect areas near the extension panels  54 . 
       FIG. 10  is a top view showing an embodiment of the door system  12  having three sets of doors  24 ,  26 ,  34 ,  36 , and  124 ,  126 . For illustrative purposes, the doors  24 ,  26 ,  34 ,  36 , and  124 ,  126  are shown in both the open and closed positions. A first set of doors  24 ,  26  are at one end, a second set of doors  34 ,  36  are at the other end and a third set of doors  124 ,  126 , are in the middle of the secure exit lane  12 . The infrared light curtains  68 ,  79  are shown which provide object/direction detection. The infrared light curtains  68  (also  71  shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 ) and  79  may be off the shelf items that are commercially available. The infrared light curtains  68  (also  71  shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 ) and  71  or  79  are operatively connected to a door controller  76  (shown in  FIG. 11  and described in more detail further below) to allow the door controller  76  to determine whether to open or close the doors and/or active an alarm system or mode based on input from the infrared curtains. In embodiments having only two doors rather than three, Zone A is moved to where Zone D is shown and Zones B, C, and D and their corresponding structure are absent. Alternatively, Zones D and E are omitted with their corresponding exit lane  12  structure and Zones C and F are merged. The zones show what areas the various sensors, and/or sensor curtains monitor and detect. 
     The sensors  62  may be mounted to the entry header  20  and monitor the Zone A (the approach) to the secure exit lane  12  and Zone B which includes motion of the doors  24  and  26 . Additional sensors  68 ,  69  and  71 , (as shown in  FIG. 9 )  74 ,  79 , and other sensors may monitor the floor, ceiling  42 , along the side panels  18 . Sensors  62  may be mounted to the mid door header  122  and/or mid door frame  120  and sense Zones D and E as well as the movement of the mid doors  124  and  126 . Additional sensors  68 ,  69  and  71 , (as shown in  FIG. 9 )  74 ,  79 , may monitor the floor, ceiling  42 , along the side panels  18  for Zones D, E, F, and G. Sensors  62  or other sensors may be mounted to the exit door header  30  and/or exit door frame  32  and sense Zones G and H as well as the movement of the doors  34  and  36 . Additional sensors  68 ,  69  and  71 , (as shown in  FIG. 9 )  74 ,  79 , may monitor the floor, ceiling  42 , along the side panels  54  for Zones H and I. 
     A purpose of the extension  48  extending beyond the exit doors  34 ,  36  as shown in  FIGS. 6, 8, and 10  is that if someone (or an object) is going the wrong way to attempt to enter the secure exit lane  12  the person or object will be detected by sensors prior to entering through the exit doors  34  and  36 . During an initial movement toward the interior  40  of the exit lane  12 , warning lights and/or an audible alarm may activate to provide a warning to not enter the exit lane  12  and/or extension the  50  from the exit end. The alarm may include sirens, verbal instructions, and/or other audible and visional warnings. If continued movement into or toward the interior  40  of the exit lane is detected, the exit lane  12  may shut and lock the doors  34 ,  36  (or all of the doors  24 ,  26 , and  124 ,  126 ) sound an alarm, active a camera to document the incident, and notify security personnel. In some embodiments, various threshold amounts of movement may be set to trigger the different actions taken by the secure exit lane  12 . These threshold amounts may be factory set or modified on site. 
       FIG. 11  is a schematic diagram of a controller  76  for the secure exit lane  12 . The controller  12  may be a microcontroller and receive inputs, process those inputs, and generate outputs. The controller  76  may receive inputs from various sensors  86 ,  88  ( 88  represents any number of sensors represented by the subscript “n”). The sensors  86 ,  88  may include (but are not limited to) any of the above described sensors such as  38 ,  44 ,  62 ,  68 ,  69 ,  71 ,  74 ,  77 , and  79 . 
     In some embodiments, some, all or none of the sensors  86 ,  88  (such as  38 ,  44 ,  62 ,  68 ,  69 ,  71 ,  74 ,  77 , and  79 ) may be infra-red sensors. Infra-red sensors may have advantages in that infra-red sensors may work in low light conditions and very high or dazzling conditions. For example, several lights may shine near the sensors  86   88  and there may be reflections due do the reflexive surfaces associated with the exit lane  12 . Some light-based sensors may lose effectiveness due to dazzling light conditions. Infra-red sensors may not have such limitations. Further, in some embodiments, at least some of the sensors  86   88  may have the capability to count people and/or objects. As such, the sensors  86   88  may count X many people and/or objects moving in a certain directions and Y amount of people and/or objects moving in the opposite direction. The counting data may be provided to the controller  76 . The controller  76  may be configured to react if one person or object moves in a particular direction. 
     The controller  76  may receive data input from a camera  90 , and various remote user interfaces  102 ,  104 . The camera(s)  90  may be always on, on when the door system  12  is active, or only turn on when activated by the controller  76  when various movement thresholds are exceeded or turned on by some other triggering event. The user interfaces  102  or  104  may be the key lock  58  and/or the key pad  60  shown in  FIG. 6  or they could be computers, tablet computers, cell phones, or other devices that are configured to communicate with the controller  76 . 
     The controller  76  may send output signals to control features of the secure exit lane  12 , provide data to external devices, to request security assistance, to provide instructions to users of the secure exit lane  12  or for any other purpose. For example, the controller  76  may communicate with security personnel  92  if the data provided to the controller  76  indicates a person or object is moving the “wrong” way through the exit lane  12 . In addition, if other faults or conditions are detected, the controller  76  may contact security personnel  92 . The security personnel  92  may include local law enforcement, private security, Federal law enforcement, or any other security personnel. The controller  76  may also send data to a government agency  94  such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), or the like or other remote monitoring system  96 . The data may include data the sensors  86 ,  88 , and/or data from the camera(s)  90  input to the controller  76 . The data may also include operational data regarding the secure exit lane  12 . 
     The controller  12  sends control signals to the door  78   80  (the door  80  represents any number of doors represented by the subscript “n”). The doors represented by blocks  78 ,  80  in  FIG. 11  may include doors  24 ,  26 ,  34 ,  36 ,  124 , and  126  shown in the FIGS or other doors. In some embodiments, the controller  76  may send control signals to an audio system  82  and/or a light system  84 . The audio system  82  and the light system  84  (see reference number  81  in  FIG. 8 ) may be operated together or separately to provide warnings or instructions to persons attempting to approach, enter, or move through or have objects enter, approach, or move through the secure exit lane  12  in the wrong direction. 
     In some embodiments, if the sensors  86   88  detect persons or objects approaching, entering or moving through the exit lane the wrong way, the controller  76  has a threshold amount where the controller  76  takes no action. This may avoid action for unimportant or trivial movements. If the detected movement exceeds the threshold amount, the controller  76  may active the audio system  82  and/or light system  84  to warn or direct people near the secure exit lane  12  to stop moving (or moving an object) toward (or toward an interior of the) the exit lane  12  or the wrong way through the exit lane  12 . This may be particularly used to warn people to not move or move objects from a non-sure area  19  toward a secured area  17  via the exit lane  12 . 
     If the detected movement through exit lane exceeds another threshold amount after the audio  82  and/or light  84  systems have been activated an alarm system  98  and/or alarm systems  100  may be activated by the controller  76 . One alarm system  98  may be located on or proximate to the secure exit lane  12 . This alarm system  98  may warn people that the doors  78  and  80  are shutting and locking. (Which may be done by control signals to the doors  78  and  80  from the controller  76 ). A second alarm system  100  may be remotely located and warn security personnel  92 , governments agencies  94  and/or a monitoring system  96  that movement by one or more persons or objects have moved or attempted to move in an undesirable direction toward, into, or through the secure exit lane  12  (and in some embodiments, including the extension portion  48 ). 
     A door system  12  can be modified to best fit a desired security level or mode of operation. For example, different levels or modes may include: interlock, lockdown, all open, cleaning/service, and free flow mode. 
     In certain applications, it may be desirable to have different levels of security for the secure exit door  12 . For example, in case of emergency or fire, it may be desirable to allow the secure exit lane  12  to open its doors  78   80  to allow the free passage of first responders and/or allow for the evacuation of people. Other times such as cleaning or performing maintenance on the secure exit lane  12  it may be desirable to allow the secure exit lane  12  to operate in a modified way. Further, various installations may have different security requirements so it may be desirable to allow the secure exit lane  12  to operate in various way to accommodate various local conditions. As such, the secure exit lane  12  and operate in various modes. Each mode may be useful for various operation conditions. The following is a description the various modes the controller  76  may be set to operate the secure exit lane  12  in a desired way to accommodate local conditions. In some embodiments the controller  76  may be set to the various modes via remote a user interface  102 , or  104 . 
     When a security need is moderately low, the door system  12  may be configured to operate in a free flow mode. In the free flow mode, all of the doors  78 ,  80  may stay open to allow foot traffic to flow in a single direction. Sensors  86 ,  88  associated with the door system  12  may detect if a person tries to move in the opposite direction of flow (the “wrong” direction) and send a signal to a door controller  76 . The controller  76  may close a first door or set of doors  78  or  80  (for example the exit doors  34  and  36  and/or entry doors  24  and  26 ) to deny access to the person moving the wrong way to the secure area. In other embodiments, the door system  12  may close the second door (or set of doors) or both first and second (sets of) doors  78 ,  80  when a person and/or object is detected moving the wrong way. In some embodiments, the door system may allow a person to move a small distance in the wrong direction (for example a step or two) before closing the first and/or second (or sets of) doors  78 ,  80 . 
     As mentioned above, if a person is detected moving the wrong way, an alarm system  98 ,  100  may be activated or the door system  12  may enter an alarm mode. The alarm mode, the secure exit door (aka the door system)  12  may sound an audible signal, give voice commands to tell people to move in the correct direction, active a lights system  84 , activate a camera(s)  90  and/or alert security personnel  92 . The door system  12  may also detect if objects (such a contraband, luggage, bags, or other items) moves the wrong way through the door system  12 . If objects are detected as moving the wrong way or are stationary for too long a time or are unattended, the first, second and/or both doors (or sets of doors)  78 ,  80  may be shut and/or the alarm system  98 ,  100  activated or the door system may enter an alarm mode. 
     The door system  12  is adapted to permit an authorized official to reset the door alarm(s)  98   100  and allow the doors  78   80  to reopen. This may require an authorized official to turn a key such as the key operated user interface  58 , operate a user interface  60 , or remotely reset the door system  12  with a remote user interface  102  or  104 . 
     If it is desired to operate the door system  12  in a higher security mode, the door system  12  may be set to operate in an interlock mode. The modes may be selected by an authorized official by turning a key to a specific position, entering a command, code, or a sequence in the key operated user interface  58 , via a user interface  60 , or remotely setting the door system  12  to a desired mode with a remote user interface  102 ,  104 . 
     In the interlock mode, the door system  12  and controller  76  may be more strict in its operation. Allowance thresholds may be smaller or reduced to zero. For example, the door system  12  may allow a person to move a shorter distance the wrong way (or not at all) than in the free flow mode before shutting the first and/or second doors  78 ,  80  and triggering the alarm  89 ,  100  or entering an alarm mode. In the interlock mode, not all of the doors  78 ,  80  or sets of doors  78 ,  80  may be open at the same time. In the interlock mode, the first door (or set of doors)  78  may open while at least one other door or set of doors  80  is shut. For example, exit doors  34 ,  36  may be closed, but entry doors  24 ,  26  may be opened to allow people to enter the secure exit lane  12 . Then the entry door(s)  24 ,  26  will shut and the exit door(s)  34 ,  36  will open to allow people to exit the secure exit lane  12 . In optional embodiments, once it is detected that everyone (and/or everything) has exited the secure exit lane  12 , the exit door(s)  34 ,  36  will close. The process may then be repeated with the entry door(s)  24 ,  26  again opening. 
     The door system  12  may also be set to a lockdown mode. In the lock down mode, both the entry door(s)  24 ,  26  and exit door(s)  34 ,  36  (and other sets of doors  124 ,  126  if equipped) are closed and/or locked to prevent anyone (and/or anything) from leaving the area. The door system  12  may stay in a lock down mode with both the first and second doors locked until operated by an authorized user using any of the remote user interfaces  58 ,  60 ,  102 ,  104  as discussed above. 
     The door system  12  may also be set to an all open mode. In the all open mode, all doors  78 ,  80  are moved to the open position. The detection sensors may be disabled to allow the doors  78 ,  80  to stay open and the alarm(s)  98 ,  100  may not be triggered. In other embodiments, the alarm(s)  98   100  may be triggered and a notification sent to entities  92 ,  94 ,  96  monitoring the door status when the door system  12  is placed in all open mode. This allows rapid evacuation of the secure area during emergencies such as a fire and allows entry to the secure area for first responders or others who may need access. 
     The door system  12  may have a cleaning/maintenance mode. In the cleaning mode, one door (or set of doors)  78 ,  80  is open, while the other door (or set of doors  78 ,  80 ) is shut to allow cleaning and/or maintenance personnel to service the door system  12  without allowing access to the secure area  17 . 
     While the disclosure has been described in terms of exemplary aspects, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, aspects, applications or modifications of the disclosure.