Electric barrier device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a motorized barrier device, an access control system for managing access to a protected area, and an installation for protecting the protected area. The motorized barrier device includes a housing (11), a horizontal rigid beam (21) having a storage position and a barrier position raised relative to the storage position, a pair of folding arms (29, 39) between the housing and the horizontal rigid beam, and a motorized gear arrangement (28, 39) for raising the horizontal rigid beam from the storage position to the barrier position and lowering the horizontal rigid beam from the barrier position to the storage position.

Description

【Technical Field】 【0001】 The present invention relates to an electric barrier device. 【Background Art】 【0002】 An electric barrier device is designed to raise and lower a barrier periodically. The barrier can be in the form of bollards, booms, etc. The electric barrier device can be deployed as either a permanent fixture or a portable fixture. The electric barrier device can be adopted as an independently operated manual type. Alternatively, the electric barrier device can be operated by remote control, a smartphone app, etc. 【Summary of the Invention】 【0003】 The present invention relates to an electrically operated barrier device, an access management system for managing access to a protected area, and equipment for protecting the protected area. The electrically operated barrier device includes a housing, a horizontal rigid beam having a retracted position and a barrier position raised relative to the retracted position, a pair of folding arms between the housing and the horizontal rigid beam, and an electrically operated gear component for raising the horizontal rigid beam from its retracted position to its barrier position and lowering the horizontal rigid beam from its barrier position to its retracted position. The electrically operated gear component includes a horizontal shaft, a motor for rotating the horizontal shaft in one direction and in opposite directions, and a pair of worm gears at both ends of the shaft for driving the pair of folding arms from a substantially horizontal folded position to a substantially upright extended position when the horizontal shaft is rotated in one direction, and from their substantially upright extended position to their substantially horizontal folded position when the horizontal shaft is rotated in the opposite direction. The left worm gear and the right worm gear, respectively, rotate the left folding arm and the right folding arm substantially perpendicularly between their folded position and their extended position. The motorized barrier device includes an auto-winding flexible barrier mount that forms a rigid frame at its barrier position, is initially stored in a housing, and is raised to form a barrier supported by the rigid frame at the barrier position. The flexible barrier mount allows the barrier position of the horizontal rigid beam to be determined by raising the horizontal rigid beam until the flexible barrier mount is stretched taut in the height direction. The flexible barrier mount automatically winds up when the horizontal rigid beam is lowered from its barrier position to its storage position. Preferably, the flexible barrier mount also includes a spring-driven auto-winding left cable and a spring-driven auto-winding right cable to ensure that it is stretched taut in the width direction. 【0004】 The electric barrier device of the present invention may include flexible barrier mounts of different lengths and / or heights for different applications. Since each folded arm of the flexible barrier mount is necessarily shorter than half the length of the electric barrier device when folded, the maximum height of the mount is limited by the length of the mount. The electric barrier device is designed to have an appropriate gear ratio depending on the intended application, in terms of the weight of the flexible barrier mount and the time required to raise and lower the flexible barrier mount. 【0005】 The electric barrier devices of the present invention can be deployed end-to-end to completely enclose a protected area, such as a construction site or swimming pool. For convenience and / or aesthetic reasons, the electric barrier devices can be installed in grooves to fit flush with the boundary adjacent to the protected area. The electric barrier devices can be installed to meet national technical standards in terms of sturdiness, barrier height, etc., for different applications. For example, the electric barrier devices of the present invention can be installed to comply with swimming pool fence regulations. 【0006】 An access management system for managing access to a protected area may employ one or more of the electric barrier devices of the present invention to prevent physical access for security or safety reasons. Such an access management system can automatically control access to the protected area by employing commercially available data recognition functions, including, in particular, barcode readers, biometric recognition, and vehicle registration recognition. 【0007】 To understand the present invention and to see how it can actually be put into practice, preferred embodiments are described here with reference to the accompanying drawings, which number similar parts, as non-limiting embodiments only. [Brief explanation of the drawing] 【0008】 [Figure 1] This diagram combines a front perspective view and a schematic diagram of an electrically operated barrier device equipped with a flexible barrier mounting component made of sheet material in its storage position. [Figure 2A] This is a partially disassembled front perspective view of the electric barrier device in its stowed position. [Figure 2B] This is a partially disassembled rear perspective view of the electric barrier device in its storage position. [Figure 3] This is an exploded view of an electric barrier device. [Figure 4A] This is a partially disassembled front perspective view of the motorized barrier device at the barrier position. [Figure 4B] This is a partially disassembled rear perspective view of the electric barrier device at the barrier position. [Figure 5A] This is a close-up view of the left worm gear of the electric barrier device in its storage position. [Figure 5B] This is a close-up view of the right worm gear of the electric barrier device in its stowed position. [Figure 6A] This is a close-up view of the left worm gear of the electric barrier device at the barrier position. [Figure 6B] This is a close-up view of the right worm gear of the electric barrier device at the barrier position. [Figure 7A] This is a partially disassembled front perspective view of an electric barrier device with a flexible barrier mounting consisting of horizontal wires at the barrier position. [Figure 7B] Figure 7A is a partially disassembled rear perspective view of the electric barrier device at the barrier location. [Figure 8A] This is a perspective view of an access control system that enables access to a swimming pool. [Figure 8B] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 8A. [Figure 9A] This is a perspective view of an access control system that would block access to a swimming pool. [Figure 9B] This is a cross-sectional view along line BB in Figure 9A. [Modes for carrying out the invention] 【0009】 Figures 1 to 6 show an electrically operated barrier device 10 having a roughly rectangular prism housing 11 comprising a front plate 12, a rear plate 13, a top plate 14, a bottom plate 16, a left end plate 17, and a right end plate 18. The top plate 14 is formed together with an uppermost longitudinal slot 19 extending along it. The external dimensions of the housing 11 are length L, width W, and height H. The length L may be, for example, in a wide range from 1 m to 3 m. The width W may be, for example, in a wide range from 20 cm to 40 cm. The height H may be, for example, in a wide range from 15 cm to 35 cm. The electrically operated barrier device 10 can be powered by a main power supply, a rechargeable battery, or the like. 【0010】 The barrier device 10 includes a horizontal rigid beam 21 having a left beam end 21A and a right beam end 21B, the horizontal rigid beam 21 having a retracted position and a barrier position raised relative to the retracted position. Preferably, the horizontal rigid beam 21 is flush with the top plate 14 in its retracted position. The barrier device 10 includes a spring-biased self-winding flexible barrier mount 22 installed in the housing 11. The flexible barrier mount 22 includes a leading flexible barrier mount edge 22A attached to the horizontal rigid beam 21. The flexible barrier mount 22 may be made of sheet material, mesh material, etc. The flexible barrier mount 22 may be made of cloth, plastic, metal, etc. 【0011】 The barrier device 10 includes a horizontal shaft 23 having a left shaft end 23A and a right shaft end 23B, and having the same spread as the horizontal rigid beam 21. The barrier device 10 includes an electric motor 24 for rotating the horizontal shaft 23 clockwise and counterclockwise via a gear transmission 26. The electric motor 24 is preferably a commercially available thin tubular motor. The electric motor 24 preferably includes an automatic switch-off function that automatically switches off when the electric barrier device 10 is in its stowed position and its barrier position. 【0012】 The barrier device 10 includes a left worm gear 28 at the left shaft end 23A to drive the left folding arm 29 between a folded position and an extended position. The left folding arm 29 includes a left upper arm 31 and a left lower arm 32. The left upper arm 31 includes a leading left upper arm end 31A rotatably connected to the horizontal rigid beam 21 and a trailing left upper arm end 31B equipped with a left upper arm gear wheel 33. The left lower arm 32 includes a leading left lower arm end 32A equipped with a left lower arm gear wheel 34 that engages with the left upper arm gear wheel 33 and a trailing left lower arm end 32B driven by the left worm gear 28. The barrier device 10 further includes a leading left support arm end 36A having a rotatable connecting bracket 37 rotatably connected to the trailing left upper arm end 31B and the leading left lower arm end 32A, and a trailing left support arm end 36B rotatably connected to the housing 11, and includes a left support arm 36 such that the left support arm 36 moves in conjunction with the left folding arm 29. 【0013】 The barrier device 10 includes a right worm gear 38 at the right shaft end 23B to drive the right folding arm 39 between a folded position and an extended position. The right folding arm 39 has a right upper arm 41 and a right lower arm 42. The right upper arm 41 includes a leading right upper arm end 41A rotatably connected to the horizontal rigid beam 21 and a trailing right upper arm end 41B equipped with a right upper arm gear wheel 43. The right lower arm 42 has a leading right lower arm end 42A equipped with a right lower arm gear wheel 44 that engages with the right upper arm gear wheel 43 and a trailing right lower arm end 42B driven by the right worm gear 38. The barrier device 10 further includes a right support arm portion 46, which includes a leading right support arm end 46A having a rotatable connecting bracket 47 rotatably connected to the trailing right upper arm end 41B and the leading right lower arm end 42A, thereby allowing the right support arm portion 46 to move in conjunction with the right folding arm portion 39. 【0014】 The flexible barrier mounting 22 preferably includes a spring-biased self-winding left cable 48 on the left side of the barrier device 10 and a spring-biased self-winding right cable 49 on the right side of the barrier device 10. Preferably, the left cable 48 and the right cable 49 are sewn to the left and right edges of the flexible barrier mounting 22, respectively. The left cable 48 has a cable end 48A installed on the housing 11 and an opposite cable end 48B attached to either the horizontal rigid beam 21 or the leading left upper arm end 31A. The right cable 49 has a cable end 49A installed on the housing 11 and an opposite cable end 49B attached to either the horizontal rigid beam 21 or the leading right upper arm end 41A. 【0015】 The flexible barrier attachment 22, the left folding arm 29, and the right folding arm 39 are sized such that the flexible barrier attachment 22 prevents the full extension of the left folding arm 29 and the right folding arm 39. In other words, raising the horizontal rigid beam 21 until the flexible barrier attachment 22 is stretched in the height direction prevents further upward movement of the horizontal rigid beam 21, thereby allowing the flexible barrier attachment 22 to determine the barrier position of the horizontal rigid beam 21. The housing 11, the horizontal rigid beam 21, the left folding arm 29, and the right folding arm 39 constitute a rigid frame 50 to support the flexible barrier attachment 22 in their substantially upright extended positions. Stretching the left cable 48 and the right cable 49 in the height direction then leads to stretching the barrier material between them. The left worm gear 28 and the right worm gear 38 are effectively self-locking, in the sense that the barrier device 10 remains in its barrier position without the operation of the electric motor 24. 【0016】 The barrier device 10 can be operated by a manual up / down switch 51, up / down remote control 52, a smartphone app 53, etc. The barrier device 10 can issue an alarm in case of a failure or the like. The barrier device 10 can be operated by a controller 54 having a user interface 56. The barrier device 10 can be automatically operated according to its deployment. For example, the barrier device 10 can be automatically operated according to a predetermined timing schedule. Alternatively, the barrier device 10 may be automatically operated according to the ambient light conditions, for example, in its stored position during the day, in the barrier position at night, or vice versa. Further again, the barrier device 10 can also be automatically operated by an access management system 57 that employs commercially available data recognition functions including, among other things, a barcode reader, biometric recognition, vehicle registration recognition, etc. 【0017】 The operation of the barrier device 10 between its stored position and its barrier position is as follows. 【0018】 In its stored position, the horizontal rigid beam 21 is in its stored position flush with the top plate 14, the flexible barrier attachment 22 is fully automatically wound, and the left folding arm 29 and the right folding arm 39 are folded inwardly toward each other. In order to facilitate reducing the height H of the barrier device 10, the upper left arm 31 can overlap the lower left arm 32 by the left bracket 37, and the upper right arm 41 can overlap the lower right arm 42 by the right bracket 47. The left folding arm 29 and the right folding arm 39 are preferably generally horizontal in the stored position of the barrier device 10. 【0019】 As shown in Figure 5A, looking at the left worm gear 28 from the gear transmission 26, the clockwise rotation of the horizontal axis 23 causes the left worm gear 28 to rotate its left lower arm 32 upward by approximately a quarter turn, and then rotate its left upper arm 31 upward relative to the left lower arm 32, extending the left folding arm 29. Then, as shown in Figure 5B, the right worm gear 38 rotates its right lower arm 42 upward by a quarter turn simultaneously, and then rotates its right upper arm 41 upward relative to the right lower arm 42, extending the right folding arm 39. Thus, the horizontal rigid beam 21 rises from its stowed position to its barrier position until it is held in place by the full extension of the flexible barrier mounting 22, forming a rigid frame 50. 【0020】 As shown in Figure 6A, looking at the left worm gear 28 from the gear transmission 26, the counterclockwise rotation of the horizontal axis 23 causes the left worm gear 28 to rotate its left lower arm 32 approximately a quarter turn downward, and then rotates the left upper arm 31 downward relative to the left lower arm 32 so that the left upper arm 31 overlaps with the left lower arm 32. Then, as shown in Figure 6B, the right worm gear 38 simultaneously rotates its right lower arm 42 approximately a quarter turn downward, and then rotates the right upper arm 41 downward relative to the right lower arm 42 so that the right upper arm 41 overlaps with the right lower arm 42. Thus, the rigid beam 50 tilts in a controllable manner, allowing the flexible barrier attachment 22 to automatically unwind in preparation for subsequent upward movement. 【0021】 Figures 7A and 7B show a barrier device 10 including a flexible barrier fixture 61, which consists of a horizontal wire 62 extending between the left cable 48 and the right cable 49. Stretching the left cable 48 and the right cable 49 in the height direction then leads to stretching the horizontal wire 62 between them. 【0022】 Figures 8A to 9B show a facility 100 including a swimming pool 101 that constitutes a protected area. The facility 100 includes a pool deck 102 that forms a boundary surrounding the swimming pool 101. The facility 100 includes a groove 103 formed in the pool deck 102. The groove 103 preferably has the same height and width as the barrier device 10 so that the barrier device can be tightly received. Figures 8A and 9A show an access management system 200 for managing access to the swimming pool 101. The access management system 200 includes 12 barrier devices 201 surrounding the swimming pool 101 and a controller 202 that controls their operation. The barrier devices 201 are positioned in the groove 103 such that the barrier devices fit flush with the pool deck 102 in their stowed positions (see Figures 8A and 8B). Adjacent barrier devices 201 are positioned close enough to block passage between them. The barrier device 201 preferably includes a flexible barrier attachment 203 that allows the swimming pool 101 to be seen through it at an inaccessible location (see Figures 9A and 9B). 【0023】 Although the present invention has been described in relation to a limited number of embodiments, it will be understood that many variations, modifications, and other applications of the present invention can be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

[Claim 1] An electric barrier device, a) The enclosure and b) A horizontal shaft attached to the housing, having a left end and a right end, c) A horizontal rigid beam having a left beam end and a right beam end, the horizontal rigid beam having a storage position and a barrier position raised relative to the storage position, d) Left folding arm section, The left upper arm portion has a leading left upper arm end rotatably connected to the horizontal rigid beam, and a trailing left upper arm end equipped with a left upper arm gear wheel, A left lower arm portion having a leading left lower arm end and a trailing left lower arm end equipped with a left lower arm gear wheel that engages with the left upper arm gear wheel, A left support arm portion including a leading left support arm end having a rotatable connecting bracket rotatably connected to the trailing left upper arm end and the leading left lower arm end, and a trailing left support arm end rotatably connected to the housing, Includes, The left folding arm portion is rotatable between a substantially horizontal folding position that aligns with the horizontal axis and a substantially upright extended position, e) Right folding arm section, The upper right arm portion has a leading upper right arm end that is rotatably connected to the horizontal rigid beam, and a trailing upper right arm end equipped with an upper right arm gear wheel, A right lower arm portion having a leading right lower arm end and a trailing right lower arm end equipped with a right lower arm gear wheel that engages with the aforementioned right upper arm gear wheel, A leading right support arm end having a rotatable connecting bracket rotatably connected to the trailing right upper arm end and the leading right lower arm end, and a right support arm portion including the trailing right support arm end rotatably connected to the housing. Includes, The right folding arm portion is rotatable between a substantially horizontal folding position that aligns with the horizontal axis and a substantially upright extension position. The right folding arm and the left folding arm are folded toward each other in their substantially horizontal folded position, and the right folding arm and the left folding arm are substantially parallel in their substantially upright extended position, f) A left worm gear located at the left end of the left shaft for driving the left folding arm between the folded position and the substantially upright extended position, g) A right worm gear located at the right end of the shaft for driving the right folding arm between the folded position and the substantially upright extended position, h) A motor for rotating the horizontal axis in a certain direction to drive the left worm gear and the right worm gear, such that the horizontal rigid beam is raised from the storage position to the barrier position, and the housing, the left folding arm, the right folding arm, and the horizontal rigid beam constitute a rigid frame, The motor rotates the horizontal shaft in opposite directions to drive the left worm gear and the right worm gear so as to lower the horizontal rigid beam from the barrier position to the storage position. i) An auto-winding flexible barrier mounting that is initially stored in the housing at the storage position and rises to form a barrier supported by the rigid frame at the barrier position, The flexible barrier mounting component enables the determination of the barrier position of the horizontal rigid beam by raising the horizontal rigid beam from the storage position until it is stretched in the height direction. The flexible barrier mounting component is automatically wound up when the horizontal rigid beam is lowered from the barrier position to the storage position, An electrically operated barrier device equipped with the following features. [Claim 2] The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible barrier attachment includes an automatic winding left cable on the left side of the electric barrier device and an automatic winding right cable on the right side of the electric barrier device. [Claim 3] An access management system for managing access to a protected area, (a) at least one electric barrier device according to claim 1 or 2, (b) A controller for controlling the at least one electric barrier device, An access management system equipped with the following features. [Claim 4] Equipment for protecting a protected area, comprising at least one electrically operated barrier device according to claim 1 or 2 for controlling access to the protected area. [Claim 5] The apparatus according to claim 4, comprising a boundary adjacent to the protected area and a groove in the boundary for housing the at least one electrically operated barrier device inside, wherein the horizontal rigid beam in the storage position is flush with the boundary. [Claim 6] The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the groove surrounds the protected area, and the at least one electrically operated barrier device is positioned in the groove so as to surround the protected area. [Claim 7] The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the at least one electrically operated barrier device allows viewing through it of the protected area. [Claim 8] The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the protected area is a swimming pool. [Claim 9] The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an access management system for controlling the at least one of the electric barrier devices. [Claim 10] A method for managing access to a protected area, (a) The step of providing at least one electric barrier device according to claim 1 or 2, (b) the step of controlling the at least one electric barrier device, Methods that include... [Claim 11] The method according to claim 10, wherein the equipment includes a boundary adjacent to the protected area and a groove in the boundary for housing the at least one electrically operated barrier device inside, and its horizontal rigid beam in its storage position is flush with the boundary. [Claim 12] The method according to claim 11, wherein the groove surrounds the protected area, and the at least one motorized barrier device is positioned in the groove so as to surround the protected area. [Claim 13] The method according to claim 10, wherein the at least one electrically operated barrier device allows viewing through it of the protected area. [Claim 14] The method according to claim 10, wherein the protected area is a swimming pool.

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