Electromagnetic door lock system
OwnerRalph A. Sittnick, Jr., Roy A. Mathersinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electromagnetic door lock system employs an electromagnetic lock which magnetically bonds with an armature plate. An acoustical sensor generates a detection beam. The detection beam is directed toward the doorknob. Reflected energy is received and electronically processed to detect the presence of a foreign object in the vicinity of the doorknob. The lock automatically deactuates when a foreign object is detected in the vicinity of the knob. The electromagnetic lock, sensor and processing circuitry are mounted in a housing which is located near the top of a doorway. An audio alarm and status light indicators are mounted at the housing to indicate the status of the lock.
Claims28
A method for automatically controlling the operation of an electromagnetic lock which magnetically bonds with an armature for locking a door comprising:
- (a) generating a detection beam from the vicinity of said lock and directing said beam toward a manually operable latch member of the door;
- (b) receiving energy from the general vicinity of said latch member;
- (c) forming a detection zone in the vicinity of said latch member;
- (d) processing the received energy to detect the presence of a foreign object in the detection zone;
- and
- (e) disabling the electromagnetic lock in the event of the detection of the presence of a foreign object in the detection zone.
An electromagnetic lock system adaptable for providing controlled access through a doorway having a frame mounting a door with an armature comprising:
- housing means adapted for mounting to the door frame;
- electromagnetic lock means mounted to said housing means and selectively electrically energizable to magnetically bond with the armature;
- sensor means mounted in said housing means to generate a detection beam for traversal along a path remote from said housing means and to receive reflected energy of said beam;
- processing means mounted in said housing means including means for defining a detection zone in said detection beam path for processing received energy to detect the presence of a foreign object in the detection zone;
- and
- lock disabling means to automatically prevent energization of said electromagnetic lock means for a pre-established time interval upon detection of the pressure of a foreign object in the detection zone.
An automatic electromagnetic lock system comprising:
- electromagnetic lock means selectively transformable between a non-energized unlock condition and an energized lock condition for magnetically bonding with an associated armature means;
- transmitter means for generating a detection beam and directing said beam generally in the direction of a target;
- pulsing means for pulsing said transmitter means so that said detection beam comprises a series of pulse bursts having a pre-established frequency and number of pulses;
- receiver means for receiving energy from the general direction of the target;
- processor means for converting said received energy into a generally digitized waveform;
- clock means for generating a zone signal having a pre-established time duration and a pre-estabished time relationship with a pulse of said detection beam so as to form a detection zone in the vicinity of said target;
- identifier means for identifying waveforms having a pre-established time relationship with the transmitted pulse bursts and occurring at a time defined by said zone signal and generating an identification signal indicative of the presence of an object in the detection zone and;
- lock disabling means responsive to said identification signal for automatically transforming said electromagnetic lock means to an unlock condition for a pre-established time interval.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.