Patent Publication Number: US-2021180386-A1

Title: Wireless safety system for Gate Opening Apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a gate opening apparatus, and more particularly to a wireless safety system for a gate opening apparatus comprising a positioning device which is capable of allowing a user to conveniently and precisely position the wireless safety system for working with the gate opening apparatus. 
     Description of Related Arts 
     A conventional gate opening apparatus may be utilized for actuating sliding movement of a door gate. The gate opening apparatus may be connected to the gate through a plurality of chains. A common feature of the above-mentioned gate opening apparatus is that some sorts of safety devices will be employed to make sure that when an object, such as a car or a human body, is passing through a specific area, the gate will not be actuated so as to avoid the gate from hitting the object. 
     A common safety device for the conventional gate opening apparatus as described above is a wireless safety system. The wireless safety system may utilize wireless technology, such as infrared radiation or photocell sensors, for detecting the presence or absence of an object in front of the gate. The wireless safety system may comprise a transmission unit mounted on one side of the gate and a receiver unit mounted at a distance from the transmission unit, usually opposite to the transmission unit. In normal circumstances, the signal transmitted from the transmission unit will be received by the receiver so that any interruption of the signal may indicate an object is blocking the entrance of the gate. The detection of interruption of the wireless signal may cause a control unit to temporarily stop actuating the gate until the wireless signal is received again. 
     A common problem with the above-mentioned gate opening apparatus and the wireless safety system is that it is very hard to properly align the transmission unit with the receiver unit when installing the gate opening apparatus and the wireless safety system. A common practice is to utilize a reflective mirror for measuring or locating the proper position of the receiver unit. Since the wireless signal is usually invisible, a technician will have a very hard time in locating the possible position of the receiver unit. The possible position of the receiver unit may be several feet away from and opposite to the transmission unit. The entire installation process of the wireless safety system may take several hours which is very time-consuming. 
     As a result, there is a need to improve upon conventional gate opening apparatuses and wireless safety system so as to resolve the above-mentioned problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     Certain variations of the present invention provide a wireless safety system for a gate opening apparatus comprising a positioning device which is capable of allowing a user to conveniently and precisely position the wireless safety system for working with the gate opening apparatus. 
     Certain variations of the present invention provide a wireless safety system comprising a transmitter unit, a reflection device, a receiver unit and a positioning device which is arranged to assist positioning of the reflection device so as to allow proper optical communication between the transmitter unit and the receiver unit. 
     Certain variations of the present invention provide a wireless safety system for a gate opening apparatus for a door gate, comprising: 
     a main housing; 
     a transmitter unit supported in the main housing and arranged to emit optical signal at a predetermined direction; 
     a reflection device mounted at a distance from the transmitter unit and optically communicated with the transmitter unit; 
     a receiver unit supported in the main housing and arranged to receive optical signal reflected from the reflection device; and 
     a positioning device, which comprises an light emitter mounted in the main housing at a position adjacent to the transmitter unit, the light emitter being arranged to emit positioning light beam at a same direction as that of the optical signal emitted from the transmitter unit, the positioning light beam being arranged to produce a colored indication on a targeted object as a proper position of the reflection device, whereby a user is able to mount the reflection device on the targeted object for properly and optically communicating with the transmitter unit. 
     This summary presented above is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify any key or essential features of the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  a perspective view of a wireless safety system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the wireless safety system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the wireless safety system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of the wireless safety system in use with a gate opening apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a reflection device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  a perspective view of a mounting bracket of the wireless safety system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is an illustrative side view of the wireless safety system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  an illustrative front view of the wireless safety system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments is the preferred mode of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in any limiting sense. It is presented for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 8  of the drawings, a wireless safety device for a gate opening apparatus according a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Broadly, the wireless safety device may comprise a main housing  10 , a transmitter unit  20 , a reflection device  60 , a receiver unit  30 , and a positioning device  40 . The wireless safety device may be for a gate opening apparatus  80  for slidably opening and closing a door gate  100  which may comprise at least a transverse member  101  and a longitudinal member  102 . The gate opening apparatus  80  may actuate the door gate  100  to move in a slidable manner through a plurality of chains. 
     The transmitter unit  20  may be supported in the main housing  10  and arranged to emit optical signal at a predetermined direction. 
     The reflection device  60  may be mounted at a distance from the transmitter unit  20  and optically communicated with the transmitter unit  20 . 
     The receiver unit  30  may be supported in the main housing  10  and arranged to receive optical signal reflected from the reflection device  60 . 
     The positioning device  40  may comprise a light emitter  41  mounted in the main housing  10  at a position adjacent to the transmitter unit  20 . The light emitter  41  may be arranged to emit positioning light beam at a same direction as that of the optical signal emitted from the transmitter unit  20 , and may be arranged to produce a colored indication on a targeted object as a proper position of the reflection device  60 , whereby a user is able to mount the reflection device  60  on the targeted object for properly and optically communicating with the transmitter unit  10 . 
     According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main housing  10  may be supported in the vicinity of the gate opening apparatus  80  which may be located in the vicinity of the door gate  100 , as exemplified in  FIG. 4  of the drawings. The purpose of the present invention is to detect movement in a designated space and temporarily deactivate the gate opening apparatus  80  so as to temporarily stop movement of the door gate  100 . 
     The main housing  10  may have a receiving cavity  11  for accommodating the transmitter unit  20 , the receiver unit  30  and the positioning device  40 . As shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 2  of the drawings, the main housing  10  may have a front surface  13 , a top surface  14 , two side surfaces  15 , a rear surface  18  and a bottom surface  17  for forming a substantially rectangular structure. Other geometrical structure and contours are also possible. 
     The wireless safety device may further comprise a mounting bracket  50  wherein the main housing  10  may be adjustably and movably mounted on the mounting bracket  50 . Referring to  FIG. 6  to  FIG. 7  of the drawings, the mounting bracket  50  may have a vertical mounting portion  51  and a horizontal mounting portion  52  extended from the vertical mounting portion  51  to form a substantially L-shaped structure. The mounting bracket  50  may have a through hole  53  formed on the horizontal mounting portion  52 , and a plurality of guiding slots  54  also formed on the horizontal mounting portion  52 . 
     The main housing  10  may be pivotally mounted on the mounting bracket  50  so as to allow a user of the present invention to adjust the angle of inclination of the main housing  10  with respect to the mounting bracket  50 . As shown in  FIG. 7  to  FIG. 8  of the drawings, the adjustment of the angle of inclination may be accomplished through adjusting at least one adjusting screw  16  adjustably connecting a bottom surface  14  of the main housing  10  and the corresponding guiding slot  54 . Each of the guiding slots  54  may have a curved cross-sectional shape when viewed from the top. Thus, the adjusting screw  16  may connect the main housing  10  to the mounting bracket  50  through penetrating the corresponding guiding slot  54  and in such a manner that the adjusting screw  16  may slide along the curved guiding slot  54  so as to allow the main housing  10  to be pivotally moved with respect to the mounting bracket  50 . 
     On the other hand, at least one of the transmitter unit  20 , the receiver unit  30  and the positioning device  40  may be electrically connected to the gate opening apparatus through electrical cables  80  penetrating the through hole  53  of the mounting bracket  50 . The through hole  50  may be formed on central part of the horizontal mounting portion  52  of the mounting bracket  50  while the guiding slots  54  may be formed only on the horizontal mounting portion  52  adjacent to the through hole  53 . The guiding slots  54  may be circumferentially surrounding the through hole  53 . The through hole  53  may be circular in cross sectional shape when viewed from the top, while a radius of curvature of each of the guiding slots  54  may be approximately the same as the radius of curvature of the through hole  53 . 
     The main housing  10  may further have a light admissible portion  12  formed at a position corresponding to the transmitter unit  20  and the positioning device  40  so that optical signal from the transmitter unit  20  and the positioning device  40  may be transmitted to the reflection device  60  through the light admissible portion  12 . In this preferred embodiment, the light admissible portion  12  may be accomplished by constructing the light admissible portion  12  from transparent plastic material or glass material. The remaining portion of the main housing  10  may be configured from metallic or plastic material so that light cannot penetrate the remaining portion of the main housing  10 . In this preferred embodiment, the light admissible portion  12  may be formed on the front surface  13  of the main housing  10 . 
     The transmitter unit  20  and the receiver unit  30  may together form a photoelectric sensor. The transmitter unit  20  may be configured to emit light which may travel through the light admissible portion  12  of the main housing  10  and reach the opposite side of the transmitter unit  20 . The light emitted from the transmitter unit  20  may be reflected back by the reflection device  60  and re-enter the main housing  10  through the light admissible portion  12  and eventually reach the receiver unit  30 . Thus, the transmitter unit  20  and the receiver unit  30  may be supported in the receiving cavity  11  and align with the light admissible portion  12 . The receiver unit  30  may be electrically connected to the gate opening apparatus  80  so that any interference of the optical signal may be transmitted to the gate opening apparatus  80  for actuating a corresponding response thereof. 
     The reflection device  60  may be supported at a position opposite to the main housing  10  and arranged to be disposed along the optical path of the light emitted by the transmitter unit  20 . The purpose of the reflection device  60  is to reflect the light emitted from the transmitter unit  20  back to the receiver unit  30 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  of the drawings, the reflective device  60  may comprise a protective cover  61  having a protective cavity  611 , and a reflective panel  62  supported in the protective cavity  611 . The protective cover  61  is structurally similar to that of the mounting cover  50 . A communicating opening  612  is formed for communicating the protective cavity  611  with an exterior of the protective cover  61 . The reflective panel  62  may be configured from light-reflective material such as reflective glass so that light may be effectively reflected from the reflective panel  62  when it is impinges upon the reflective panel  62 . In this configuration, light emitted from the transmitter unit  20  may reach the reflective panel  62  through the communicating opening  612 . The light impinging on the reflective panel  62  may be arranged to be reflected back toward the receiver unit  30 . 
     Therefore, the position of the reflection device  60  with respect to the transmitter unit  20  and the receiver unit  30  is of crucial importance, and this is reflected in the initial installation of the wireless safety system and the gate opening apparatus  80 . When the reflection device  60  is improperly positioned, the light from the transmitter unit  20  will not be properly reflected and the receiver unit  30  will not obtain a correct signal for actuating the gate opening apparatus  80 . 
     The positioning device  40  may be utilized to resolve the problem of difficult and inconvenient positioning of the reflection device  60 . The positioning device  40  may comprises the light emitter  41  mounted in the main housing  10  at a position adjacent to the transmitter unit  20 . The light emitter  41  may be arranged to generate light beam as the positioning light beam for producing a colored indication (such as a red dot) on a surface such as a wall surface. 
     In this preferred embodiment, the light emitter  41  may comprise a laser pointer which is capable of generating coherent low-power laser beam of visible light, wherein the laser beam may project toward where the reflection device  60  should be mounted. The light beam generated by the light emitter  41  may propagate in a direction parallel to the infrared light generated by the transmitter unit  20  and therefore may guide a technician to mount the reflection device  60  on a proper position. Since the light emitter  41  and the transmitter unit  20  are mounted in the main housing  10  at positions very close to each other, the colored indication on the opposite side of the main housing  10  may indicate a position where the light from the transmitter unit  20  impinges. Thus, when the reflection device  60  is mounted on that particular position, the light emitted from the transmitter unit  20  may impinge upon the reflective panel  612  and may properly be reflected back to the receiver unit  30 . 
     Note that the orientation of the transmitter unit  20  may be adjusted by adjusting the orientation of the main housing  10 . By partially unscrewing the adjusting screw  16  from the main housing  10 , the main housing  10  may pivotally move with respect to the mounting bracket  50 . A user will then be able to adjust the position of the main housing  10  with respect to the reflection device  60  by the indication provided through the illumination of the light emitter  41  on the reflection device  60 . 
     The present invention, while illustrated and described in terms of preferred embodiments and several alternatives, is not limited to the particular description contained in this specification. Additional alternative or equivalent components could also be used to practice the present invention.