Gate Equipment

Abstract

Gate equipment constituting at least one gate comprising a pair of parallel partition members defining a limited passageway in a specified area, for example, on the premises of a railroad station, shafts provided in said paired partition members and a pair of gate members disposed on the facing sides of said paired partition members, hinged at one end to said shafts and designed to open or close the passageway by rotation about the shafts whereby, when the passageway is to be closed, the free ends of said paired gate members are brought to rest in a state projecting from the hinge shafts in the direction in which there is admitted an object trhough the passageway. The drive mechanism for each gate member includes a pair of pivotally connected arms coupled respectively to a gate member and to a motor such that the arms are linearly aligned when the gate member is closed.

Description

This invention relates to gate equipment for permitting or preventing the passage therethrough of an object, and more particularly to gate equipment for permitting or preventing the passage therethrough of an object by causing at least one pair of gate members to rotate.

Gate equipment set up in a space is generally used to permit or deny the passage therethrough of men, animals and inanimate objects such as mail matter or parcels according to the associated conditions.

For example, at a railroad ticket gate, the railroad personnel examine ordinary or season tickets carried by passengers and permit or deny their passage through said gate. To save personnel requirement for such ticket examining work, there is a growing tendency to use automatic ticket-examining gate equipment and incorporate therein gate members or doors designed automatically to examine the validity or legitimacy of ordinary or season tickets and permit or decline the admittance of passengers into the ticket gate according to the results of said examination.

Heretofore, the aforementioned doors for operating the ticket gate for passengers have generally been rotatably supported at one end and have the other or free end rotated horizontally. According to the conventional gate equipment, however, when the ticket gate is closed, the doors are so designed as to stop at right angles to the direction in which passengers pass through the ticket gate. Accordingly, the doors have to rotate through a large angle, consuming much time for operation. This means that if streams of passengers whose tickets had to be examined failed to be smoothly handled, there would arise the possibility of illegitimate passengers being allowed to pass through the ticket gate instead of being denied their passage as they should. Since the prior art ticket gate doors are closed at right angles to the direction in which passengers travel therethrough, there will occur the danger of passengers being subjected to considerably strong impacts if they happen to strike against the doors with the resultant feeling of uneasiness and oppression. Such impact will apply a heavy load to the support and drive mechanism of the doors with their eventual destruction.

It is accordingly the object of the invention to provide gate equipment improved in the aforesaid drawbacks encountered with the prior art gate equipment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The gate equipment of the invention comprises at least one gate including its drive mechanism which comprises a pair of partition members defining a limited passageway in a specified area on the premises of an establishment; shafts provided on the facing sides of said partition members; and a pair of gate members hinged at one end of said shafts so as to rotate around said shafts and, when the passageway is to be closed, so designed as to have the other free end stopped in a state projecting from the hinge shaft in the direction in which an object travels through said passageway. The drive mechanism of each gate member includes, for example, a central rotation member fixed to the gate member between the hinged end and the free end of said gate member; a connection rod rotatably connected at one end with the central rotation member; a motor provided in the partition member; a control shaft disposed at a prescribed position in the partition member so as to have its rotation intermittently controlled by said motor; and an arm fixed at one end to the control shaft and rotatably connected at the other end with the connection rod so as to be rotated according to the rotation of the control shaft, thereby regulating the operation of the gate member through the connection rod.

Since according to this invention, the paired gate members are brought to rest in a state projecting from the hinge shaft in the direction in which an object travels through the passageway, they can be allowed to rotate through a smaller angle than 90.degree., for example, 45.degree.. As a result, the paired gate members can be operated in a shorter time than required for the prior art gate equipment, enabling streams of passengers subjected to ticket examination to be smoothly handled. This invention has further advantages that since passengers only receive slight impacts should they strike against the gate members, they can be relieved of mental disquietude and the drive mechanism of the gate members is prevented from being eventually damaged.

According to this invention, when the gate members are closed, the drive mechanism thereof is so designed as to have both the connection rod and arm linearly aligned, thereby enabling the closed position of the gate members to be firmly maintained even when an object collides with them.

The present invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of gate equipment according to an embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the gate equipment of FIG. 1 where one pair of gate members are closed and the other pair are opened;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, of the drive mechanism of a gate member used in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of the drive mechanism of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 1, there are formed a pair of parallel partition members 2,2 in the passageway of an object, for example, on the premises of a railroad station to constitute a ticket gate for passengers. There are first shafts 3,3 in said paired partition members 2,2. On facing sides of said paired partition members 2,2 there are provided a pair of gate members, for example, doors 5,5 so as to rotate horizontally about said first shafts 3,3 in the direction of the arrow 4. The two doors 5,5 formed in the same end portions of the paired partition members 2,2 constitute one gate. The doors shown on the right side of FIG. 1 are in a closed state. Numeral 6 denotes depressions to receive the gate members 5,5 when they are opened. When said members 5,5 are fully inserted into the depressions, the entire facing surfaces of the partition members 2,2 are rendered flush to facilitate the travel of passengers. At this time the doors 5,5 are made to rotate in the direction of the arrow 4 by means of the connection rod 7 (FIG. 2) constituting part of the later described drive mechanism. According to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, there are provided two pairs of gate members to allow passengers to move in either direction indicated by the arrow 8 or 9. When passengers are made to pass through the ticket gate in one way, only one pair of gate members have to be operated. Namely, when passengers are required to move through the ticket gate only in the direction of the arrow 8, the doors 5,5 on the indicated left side are kept received in the depressions 6,6 and those on the indicated right side alone are operated. Conversely, when passengers travel through the ticket gate only in the direction of the arrow 9, the gate members on the indicated right side remain retracted into the depressions 6,6 and those on the indicated left side alone are operated. When the doors 5,5 are closed, they are brought to rest with the free ends made to project from the first shafts 3,3 in the direction in which passengers travel through the ticket gate. According to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the doors to be closed rotates through 45.degree. relative to the facing sides of the paired partition members 2,2, thus defining an angle of 90.degree. in total on the side surrounded by both doors.

When passengers are allowed to move through the ticket gate in the direction of the arrow 8, the doors 5,5 on the indicated left side remain open. Under this condition, passengers throw their ordinary or season tickets into a ticket inlet slit 13 perforated in the indicated left side end portion of the head 12 of one of the paired partition members 2,2. When the passengers pass through the ticket gate in the direction of 9, they throw their tickets into a ticket inlet slit 13 formed in the indicated right side end portion of the head 12 of the other of said paired partition members 2,2. Within the head of each partition member are provided a feeder (not shown) for forwarding the tickets thrown in by passengers in the direction in which they travel through the passageway, and a readout device (not shown) for reading indications on the tickets and deciding whether the doors 5,5 should be opened or not for the passengers owning the tickets thus examined. In the diagonally opposite end portions of the paired head 12 are formed ticket outlet slits 14. If signals from the readout device order the ticket gate to be opened, then the doors 5,5 are opened. In the opposite case, they remain closed. Namely, the operation of the doors 5,5 is controlled according to the signal messages issued by the readout device in the head 12.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly in section, of gate equipment where the right side doors 5,5 of FIG. 1 are opened and the left side doors 5,5 thereof are closed. Door drive mechanisms for operating the doors 5,5 according to signals supplied by said readout device are separately received in the respective paired partition members 2,2. The door drive mechanism is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. There is disposed a first shaft 3 at the corner of the door-receiving depression 6 formed in the end portion of the inner wall of the partition member 2. Each door 5 is hinged to said first shaft 3 so as to rotate horizontally. Substantially at the middle part between the hinged end and the free end 10 of said door 5 are fixed supports 16,16 for a second shaft by means of bolts and nuts 16.sub.1,16.sub.2 to support a second shaft 17. The connection rod 7 is rotatably supported at one end on the second shaft 17 by means of a coupling member 19 (FIG. 4). To a support plate 20 placed in the partition member 2 is fitted a support member 21, on which there are mounted two bearings 22,22, which in turn rotatably support a control shaft 23. To each end of said control shaft 23 is fixed one end of an arm 24 by a key 25 (FIG. 3). The other end of the arm 24 is rotatably connected to the coupling member 19 which engages the other end of the connection rod 7 by means of a central rotation member 26.

To the control shaft 23 is fitted a timing pulley 28, which in turn is driven by a timing belt 29. Further in the partition member 2 is provided an electric motor 30 (FIG. 3) whose rotation is transmitted through a reduction gear 31 to a shaft 33 to which is fixed a pulley 32. The rotation of the pulley 32 is transmitted to the control shaft 23 by the timing belt 29. There is also provided a brake means for controlling the rotation of the control shaft 23, for example, an electromagnetic control means 34 (FIG. 4). As seen in FIG. 4, to the control shaft 23 are fixed cams 36 and 37 having a proper shape. The rotation and brake of the control shaft 23 are reliably effected by operating a microswitch 38 for controlling the rotation of the motor 30 and a brake control microswitch 39 by means of a sliding member 35 (FIGS. 3 and 4) contacting the surfaces of the cams 36 and 37 according to the rotation of the control shaft 23.

The door 5 is in a position to close the ticket gate 1 as indicated in solid lines in FIG. 3. At this time the connection rod 7 and arm 24 are linearly aligned. Therefore, if there is applied to the door 5 an external force acting in the direction of the arrow 8, the door 5 will maintain a stable rest position, reliably preventing passengers moving in said direction from passing through the ticket gate. Under this condition, the doors on the left side of FIG. 1 are left open as described above. Passengers advancing in the direction of the arrow 8 with a desire to pass through the right doors of FIG. 1 throw their tickets into the inlet slit 13 formed in the left end portion of the head on one of the paired partition members. If their tickets prove legitimate when read out by a readout device (not shown), then there will be supplied door-opening signals to a motor control circuit to start the drive of the motor 30. Its rotation is reduced by the reduction gear 31 and then transmitted to the timing pulley 28 through the shaft 33, pulley 32, timing belt 29 in turn. The timing supply 28 is brought to rest at a point where the arm 24 is rotated clockwise through 180.degree. that is, at the position 24' indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 3. Under this condition, the door 5 and connection rod 7 are respectively shifted to the positions of 5' and 7' indicated in dotted lines to open the ticket gate. The tickets previously thrown into the inlet slit 13 are taken out of the ticket outlet slit 14 formed in the right end portion of the head 12 of the same partition member as that in which said inlet slit 13 is formed. At this time the operation of the microswitches 38 and 39 is controlled by the cams 36 and 37 rotating in synchronization with the control shaft 23 to stop the motor 30 and the control shaft 23 is also brought to rest by excitation of the brake 34. When a passenger whose ticket has been recognized as valid passes through the ticket gate, said passage is detected by proper means (not shown) and the resulting detection signal actuates the door drive mechanism to bring the doors 5,5 back to the original closed position indicated in solid lines in FIG. 3. When the doors 5,5 stand at rest, the connection rod 7 and arm 24 are fully linearly aligned as previously described.

The foregoing embodiment of this invention relates to the case where the ticket gate was operated by signals issued by a readout device after examination of ordinary or season tickets carried by passengers who desired to pass through said gate. It will be apparent, however, that this invention is not limited to such application, but is also applicable to the case where the ticket gate is operated by other proper means than said readout device. It is also possible to provide only one set of doors for paired partition members constituting a passageway. Further, this invention may be used in the case where the passage of animals other than human beings, mail matter and parcels is allowed or denied according to the prescribed conditions.

Claims

What we claim is:

1. Gate equipment including at least one gate comprising:

a pair of partition members (2) located in a specified area so as to define a limited passageway for an object;

first shafts (3) respectively disposed in said paired partition members;

a pair of gate members (5) respectively hinged at one end to said first shafts (3) to rotate about said first shafts (3), such that when the passageway is to be closed to prevent passage of an object the other free ends of said gate members (5) are brought to rest in a state projecting from the hinged position in the direction in which the object is to pass through the passageway; and

a gate drive mechanism for each gate member including

a second shaft (17) rotatably connected to the respective gate member (5) between the hinged end and said other free end thereof;

a connection rod (7) rotatably connected at one end to said second shaft (17);

a motor (30) provided in the partition member (2) for the respective gate member (5);

a control shaft (23) disposed at a prescribed point in the partition member (2) and coupled to said motor so as to have its rotation intermittently controlled by said motor; and

an arm (24), one end of which is connected to the control shaft (23) to rotate therewith and the other end of which is rotatably coupled to the other end of said connection rod (7) so that when the paired gate members are closed to prevent passage of an object, the connection rod (7) and arm (24) are linearly aligned, the opening and closing of said gate members being according to the intermittent rotation of the control shaft.

2. A gate equipment according to claim 1, wherein said gate drive mechanism includes at least one cam rotating with said control shaft and a switch operated according to the rotation of said cam and coupled to said motor to control the drive of said motor.

3. A gate equipment according to claim 1, wherein said gate drive mechanism includes a brake for said control shaft, first and second cams rotating with the control shaft and first and second switches operated according to the rotation of said first and second cams and respectively coupled to said motor and brake for controlling the motor by the first switch and the brake by the second switch.

4. A gate equipment according to claim 1 including a pair of gate members across both end portions of an assembly of the paired partition members, the free ends of said paired gate members being directed to the end portions of said paired partition members such that when an object is to be allowed to travel through the passageway defined by said paired partition members, that pair of gate members alone whose free ends project in the advancing direction of said object are actuated and the other pair of gate members remain open.

5. A gate equipment according to claim 1 comprising a pair of depressions (6) formed in the facing sides of the paired partition members (2) for receiving the gate members (5) when they are opened, so as to render flush the entire facing surfaces of said partition members.

6. A gate equipment according to claim 1 wherein said first shafts are substantially vertical, and said gate members rotate about said vertical shafts.

7. A gate equipment according to claim 1 wherein said gate members project from their respective partition members with an angle of less than 90.degree. with respect to the direction of movement of an object passing through said passingway, when said gate members are in their closed state.

8. A gate equipment according to claim 7 said angle of projection is approximately 45.degree..