Patent ID: 8258455

Claim:
An automatic door system, comprising: a door panel for opening and closing a door opening; door opening means for causing said door panel to open said door opening; an automatic door system sensor for said automatic door system including light-emitting means emitting light onto a passing area associated with said door opening, and including light-receiving means developing a light-reception indicative signal when said light-receiving means receives light from said light-emitting means that has passed said passing area; determining means for determining whether a human or object is present in said passing area on the basis of the light-reception indicative signal from said automatic door system sensor and causing said door opening means to cause said door panel to open said door opening; first light-emission control means for controlling said light-emitting means to change the state of said light-emitting means from a light-emitting state in which said light-emitting means emits light, to a light-emission stop state in which said light-emitting means stops emitting light, while said door opening is opened with said door panel moved to open said door opening by said door opening means according to the determination made by said determining means; first judging means for judging whether said light-receiving means develops said light-reception indicative signal when said first light-emission control means changes the state of said light-emitting means from said light-emitting state to said light-emission stop state, and, if said first judging means judges that said light-receiving means is developing said light-reception indicative signal, judging that said sensor is out of order; second light-emission control means for changing the state of said light-emitting means from said light-emission stop state to said light-emitting state when said first judging means judges that said light-reception indicative signal is not being developed; second judging means for judging whether said light-receiving means develops said light-reception indicative signal when said second light-emission control means places said light-emitting means in said light-emitting state, said second judging means judging that said sensor is in order if said second judging means judges that said light-reception signal is being developed and judging that said sensor is out of order if said second judging means judges that said light-reception indicative is not being developed; and door closing means for causing said door panel to close said door opening when said second judging means judges that said sensor is in order.