Patent
Number: us-6,308,644 B1
United States Patent
[10] Patent Number: us 6,308,644
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(54) FAIL-SAFE ACCESS
CONTROL CHAMBER
SECURFFY SYSTEM |
(76) Inventor: William Diaz, RO. Box 1149, Trujillo
Alto, PR (US) 00977 |
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(*)
Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or
adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. This patent is subject to
a terminal dis- claimer. |
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(21) Appl. No.: 09/441,917 |
(22) Filed: Nov. 17, 1999 |
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Related U.S. Application Data |
(63)
Continuation of application No. 08/987,187, filed on Dec. 8, 1997, now abandoned, which
is a continuation-in-part of application No.
08/718,023, filed on Sep. 23, 1996, now Pat. No. 5,604,867, which is a
continuation of application No. 08/255,488, filed on Jun.
8, 1994, now abandoned. |
|
(51) Int. Cl.7 ...............
E05G 5/02 |
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(58) Field of Search ..……… 109/2-8, 12,
9,109/11, 13-18, 67, 68; 49/25, 68, 263,268, 269, 31 |
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（56）
References
Cited U.S, PATENT
DOCUMENTS |
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4,060,039 * 11/1977 Lagarrigue .... .............109/3 |
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4,461,22l * 7/1984 Schandle et al .........
109/6 |
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4,586,441 * 5/1086 Zekich
................... 109/8 |
(52) U.S. CI ..........
109/6; 49/68; 109/7; 10.0/68 |
|
4,308,803 * 1/1082 Pretini
................... 109/3 |
4,741.275 * 5/1988 Lewiner .................. . 109/7 |
|
4,481,887 * 11/1084 Urbano ............. 109/6 X |
4,871,204 * 10/1989 Cook et al. ................ 70/276 X |
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4,656,954 * 4/1987 Tonali ...........….. 109/6 |
5,195,448 * 3/1993 Sims
.......................
109/6 |
|
5,311,166 * 5/1994 Frye
....................... 109/6 X |
5,694,867 * 12/1997 Diaz.-Lopez
............. 109/6 |
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5.90&094 * 11/1999 Diaz
..................... 109/6 X |
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FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS |
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268924 * 6/1988
(EP) ...........….. .... 109/3 |
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* cited by examiner |
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Primary Examiner - Lloyd A. Gall (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm - Nils H. Ljungman & Associates |
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us-6,308,644
B1
ABSTRACT
An
access control vestibule having first and second locking single doors, an
access control chamber formed between the two doors, magnetic locks for each of
the doom, a metal detector located between the doors to detect for a weapon,
the doors are manually operable and swing towards the outside of the chamber,
the frame of the vestibule is rectangular and formed of a metal material, the
door frames being formed of a metal material, transparent ballistic resistant
panels are mounted in the side walls of the chamber and the door frames,
ultrasonic sensors are positioned above the first and second halves of the
chamber to detect for the presence of more than one person within the chamber
or for the presence of an object such as a weapon on the floor of the chamber,
an ultrasonic sensor located above the metal detector, a touch-sensitive pad
located on the inside of the exit door of the chamber, a control device to
prevent both doors from being opened at the same time and to prevent the second
of exit door from being unlocked when the metal detector detects a metal object
or the sensors detect the presence of more than one person or an object on the
floor.
Reply hijacking security means of the Conclusion
Diaz,
( US Pat. No. 6,308,644 ) the
invention is a 4-door “2-room space” with limited check means, totally
different from the invention of Zhen-Man
Lin both in terms of uses and in terms of check means. Therefore, Lin’s
invention will not be affected.
Examiner, T. Dinh所列舉的『Jacoby
et al, Diaz, Anastassakis, and Bown disclose security systems.』提出己公開的安全系統專利可能對Zhen-Man
Lin專利有影。
在上述Jacoby et al & Diaz, 的個案中，對Zhen-Man Lin專利可以略，Bown更無權反對，而Anastassakis的知識產權己經過“數碼重量的比較單元IC”的應用所消化，例，電梯超重會停止早在生效的1973之前己經廣泛使用，Anastassakis的知識產權對此點有制約力直得懷疑？又或者：
a. 在Zhen-Man Lin專利應用中的一個小枝節涉及另一個專利是許可的；
b.
1973年至今Anastassakis的知識產權己超越保擴年限；
c.
Zhen-Man
Lin專利對重量的測定限定在道內光帘柵的區域中才可使“數碼重量的比較單元”產生效果。
因此，Examiner, T. Dinh所列舉的安全系統領域方面的專利對一個龐大的防劫機系統的專利工程關聯微不足道，Examiner應完全排除考慮其影響。
14
Claims, 35 Drawing Sheets
FAIL-SAFE ACCESS CONTROL CHAMBER
SECURITY SYSTEM
RELATED APPLICATIONS.
This application is a continuation of
U.S. application ser. No. 08/987,187, filed on Dec. 8, 1997, now abandoned,
which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/718,023, filed
on Sep. 23, 1996, now an issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,867, which is a
continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.08/255,488, filed on Jun. 8, 1994, now
abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to security access
systems for banks or the like which satisfy fire department regulations,
handicapped regulations, and which in also meets the needs of the bank for
reasonably rapid access and the prevention of robberies. The system makes use
of multiple security doors which lock to prevent more than one door from
opening at a time, and to prevent the inner-most door from opening when a
weapon such as a gun is detected by a metal detector.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Several types of access control
vestibules arc known, but do not meet the requirements for use with banks
within the U.S. because they do not provide the minimum access time required to
be effective in a bank, they do not provide adequate security to keep out
weapons, do not present an adequate appearance acceptable by a bank, are expensive
to maintain and operate, are expensive and labor intensive to install, and arc
not adequately secure. Some common access control security systems are
suggested in U.S. Pat. No.5, 195,448, to Sims, U.S. Pat. No.4,656,954 to
Tonali, and U.S. Pat. No.4,481,887 to Urbano. These and other common access
control chamber systems have significant problems which allow criminals who
plan around the system to enter the secured building with a weapon. The known
systems are either too costly to make and operate, do not provide the minimum
access rate for banks to use, do not operate effectively to keep out persons
carrying weapons, or do not have a good appearance.
In one example of a method a criminal
could use to evade a common access control chamber system, a would -be bank
robber can open the outer entry door and throw a weapon between the metal
detector panels without activating the unit, proceed to the second entry door,
pick up the weapon and enter the bank. Another means of evading a common access
control chamber system uses two bank robbers who enter the outer entry door
together. The first robber, who has no weapon, then proceeds to the second
entry door while the second robber, who has a hidden weapon, straddles the
entryway pulling his feet on the metal flaming, waits for the first robber to
open the second entry door, and then both enter the bank. In yet another method
of evading a common access control chamber system, a would-be bank robber would
proceed inside the entry chamber, activate the metal detector, drop his weapon
on the floor, exit the chamber through first entry door, wait for operator to
reset the system, and then re-enter, pick up his weapon and enter the bank.
Finally, a common access control chamber system could be evaded if while a customer
was exiting from a chamber, an armed robber entered the bank through the exit
outer door chamber and leaves a weapon for a second robber who is unarmed
standing by the inner exit door. The second robber would then open the inner
exit door and pick up the weapon. These and other methods of evading common
access control chamber security systems render common access control chamber
systems partially effective.
Protective door systems of the type which
provides some degree of protection and security for banks and similar office
environments are well known in the art. One well known device of this type
(U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,039 to Lagarrigue) shows a security system having
embodiments with a circular or a rectangular shape, the rectangular shaped
embodiment having a side-by-side entrance and exit chamber, each with an
entrance door into the chamber and an exit door out of the chamber. A control
system causes the second door to lock when a weapon carried by a person is
detected inside the entrance chamber, preventing the person carrying the weapon
from entering the bank. if a weapon is not detected, the second door is
unlocked only when the first door of the entrance chamber has been closed and
locked. This prevents a person inside the entrance chamber from holding the
second door open while another person who may have a weapon enters the entrance
chamber. The first door cannot be opened when the second door is open or a
person is on a contact pad on the floor of the entrance chamber. One big
disadvantage of the Lagarrigue access system is that the walls are made of
concrete and thus a bank personnel cannot observe a person passing through the
vestibule. A person in a wheel chair or a police or security officer carrying a
weapon could not be observed. Also, the concrete walls do not provide a good
appearance to match the front of the bank.
The metal detector in the Lagarrigue
patent is only for detecting Ferro-magnetic metals such as steel, and operates
on measuring changes in a static magnetic field (also called Continuous wave
technology), not changes in high frequency electromagnetic fields. The metal
detector in Lagarrigue also includes .several magnetic field sources (such as
ferrite magnets) arranged on each of the two side walls of the chamber and
fills the area to be crossed by a person with magnetic fields. A series of
large induction loops are adjoined to the magnetic field sources. An electronic
device averages or adds the induction voltages being generated in the induction
loops of the area crossed by the person. As a result, the reading obtained Ls
practically independent of the location where the weapon is taken through the
area.
Another disadvantage of the Lagarfigue
system is that the concrete walls must be poured at the assembly site, and must
make use of molds to form the walks. Concrete construction is a very timely and
costly construction method, and banks do not want to create a construction site
at their front door.
Another disadvantage of the Lagarrigue
system is the use of double doors. Banks want a system with a single door as
opposed to doubly doors used in the Lagarrigue patent. Double doors require
twice the number of locks, making the system more expensive, and the double
doors provide a space or gap between them in which an intruder can insert a
tool to pry, open the doors, making the system less secure.
Another disadvantage of the Lagarrigue
system Ls that the metal is - from a security standpoint designed to detect "Ferro-magnetic
metals" only, which in today's world is impractical, considering the wide
array of weapons made from exotic, non-Ferro-magnetic materials such as
stainless steel, zinc or aluminum and even plastics or ceramics.
Another disadvantage with the continuous
wave based metal detectors of the Lagarrigue patent is that the detectors have
high false alarm rates caused by poor electrical interference. The amount of
electrical instrumentation used in today's environment is much more than at the
time of theLagarrigue invention. If the unit false alarms often, it will
eventually be turned off or ignored by the security personnel, thus defeating
its purpose.
Another disadvantage with the
metal detector of the Lagarrigue invention is that, because the electronic
device uses one series of loops to pick up the magnetic field generated by
metals, the system cannot distinguish between a weapon and several pieces of
metals carded by a person on several parts of the body, such as the keys,
coins, metal watches, jewelry and other small items of metal carried by the
person. Thus, the metal detector would indicate the presence of a weapon when
no such weapon is present.
Another well known device of this type
(U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,887 to Urbano) shows a security door and system of
installation having bullet-proof walls and doors, the system being constructed
in modular form for on-site assembly, the framework is made of steel or heavy
aluminum, the vestibule (chamber) is rectangular or box shaped, the doors open
automatically by photo cells, green and red fights indicating whether to wait
or pass through the system, an automatic timing device is provided and operates
after a person has entered the vestibule through the first door a predetermined
time period to open the second door and allow the person to leave the vestibule
and enter the building, overhead ventilators, the side walls and doors are made
of transparent bulletproof glass or plastic so that a person entering and
leaving may be observed by bank personnel, and an overriding door lock system
with a manually operated switch can
be used whereby when a bank robber is
within the exit chamber all the doors are locked to trap the robber therein.
The Urbano system also discloses that the over-riding door lock switch can be
operated remotely by a hand-held remote control unit, and briefly suggests that
a weapon detector may be integrated into the operating circuit to lock the
doors. The Urbano patent does not provide any teaching as to how the weapon
detector can be integrated with the system, such as where the detector can be
placed.
One disadvantage of the Urbano system is
that the metal frame of the doors open into the access chamber and thus will
interfere with a metal detector and produce, false alarms if the metal detector
is located inside the chamber. The metal detector must be located inside the
access chamber in order that only one person can enter through at a time.
Another disadvantage of the Urbano system
is the use of automatically opening doors. Banks want a system with manually operated
doors as opposed to automatically operated doors. Automatic doors arc more
costly to maintain and operate by the bank, since repairs would require an
electrician, and an electric motor needed to power the automatic doors would
produce undesired magnetic fields that could interfere with the operation of
the metal detector.
Another disadvantage with the
Urbano system is the use of double doors as discussed above with respect to the
Lagarrigue system, whereby a space or gap is left between the doors that can be
used to pry open the doors, and the doors require twice the number of locks.
Another disadvantage with the Urbano
system is that the sides of the security chamber are formed of a single piece
of bullet proof glass extending from the entrance end to the exit end of the
chamber. This results in the requirement to use an extremely large piece of the
bullet proof glass, which is extremely heavy and costly. When shipping and
assembling the modular sections, the heavy piece of glass is harder to install
than would two or more pieces. Also, if the glass was to break due to a fired
bullet, the whole side section would require replacing instead of a smaller
section.
Another well known device of this type
(European Patent application 268,924-A to Maillot) shows an automatic access
control airlock with a weapon detector having an eddy current movement
detector, contact carpet presence detectors in the front and back of the
passageway, locking and unlocking of the doors are controlled automatically by
the presence detectors, the door frames are made of a non-metallic material
(fiberglass reinforced plastic), the first door opens toward the inside of the
access chamber, the first and second door hinges are on the outside and are
recessed, and the closing locking of both doors are set into the box frame. The
non-metallic (plastic) door frames are used for the purpose of reducing
interference of the metal detector when the door opens toward the detector. The
metal detector is located toward the first or entrance door.
One disadvantage of the European system
is that the door frames are made of plastic. If the main frame is to be made of
a metal such as aluminum, the cost and complexity of making the repairs is
greatly increased because of the need of different materials and processes of
making them. Also, if a repair of the door frame is necessary such as when a
bullet hole in the door must be repaired the entire door would have to be
replaced, resulting in the entire unit being shut down until a replacement door
can be delivered from the manufacturer. Also, the plastic used in the door
would tend to dry out over time and crack. Further, screws are used to secure
parts to the plastic door frame. The plastic around the screws tend to fracture
over time, and thus, the screws tend to come lose. Also, the first door opens
toward the inside of the chamber which requires that the unit be longer than
would a unit in which the door opens toward the outside.
Another well known device of this type
(U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,275 to Lewinder et al.) shows a device for controlling
access of the security chamber which can unlock all doors in case of a fire so
as to free the passage to the exit from the bank. Also shown is a wireless
remote control unit which is used to change the operating mode of the security
chamber.
A device for manually controlling access
to a security chamber such as that described in U. S. Pat. No. 4,741,275 to
Lewinder et al. might prevent robbers from evading or "tricking" a
completely electronically controlled system. However, the Lewinder &vice
would be completely ineffective if the human operator was removed by force or
did not detect the "trick."
Another well known device of this type
(U.S. Pat. No. 5.311,166 to Frye) shows a security vestibule having a security
access system which preferably operates on a low voltage independent power
source, and a high voltage DC power source is used to power a switch. This
patent is silent as to what parts of the system use the low voltage power
source and the high voltage power source.
One disadvantage of the systems in the
prior art devices is that the doors are made from a metal, and can cause the
metal detector to give false readings. A door that opens toward the metal
detector provides a metallic material within the range of the metal detector's
magnetic fields. Also, door frames made of a metal create an electrical closed
loop near the metal detector. When the door is opened (or moved), a magnetic
field is created by the closed metal loop within the door frame which causes
interference with the metal detector. This interference can cause the metal
detector to false alarm. One well known technique to reduce or eliminate the
magnetic effect from a closed electrical loop in the metal door frame is to
provide an insulated cut section in the door frame so that an open loop is
formed where the closed loop was so that movement of the door frame will not
generate a magnetic field. One disadvantage of cutting the metal door frame is
that the structural strength of the door frame is thus reduced.
Accordingly, it is desirable to
have an access control system that is more effective at detecting weapons and
not false alarming. Also, it is desirable to have an access control system that
has a good appearance, has low maintenance costs, provides quick access rates
for bank customers, is easy and less expensive to install, and is secure. The
more effective method would be able to prevent the techniques described above
for evading common access control chamber systems, and would meet with Access
Control Unit Requirements for Financial Institutions in the United States.
These requirements include: must have the ability to identify an armed person
and prevent entry; low cost; user friendly; low maintenance; made in the USA;
fail safe system; must meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and NFPA
(Fire) Federal requirements; fully automatic control system normally requiring
little operator intervention; bullet resistance glass and metal framing;
ability to "lock" or to "unlock" all doors simultaneously;
modular construction which would permit future relocation; low cost facility
renovation to accommodate unit in existing doorways; high flow (4-5 seconds
process time per person); manually operated doors; must permit access by only
one person at a time; ability to interface with building fire alarm system;
ability to interface with local existing security alarm system; ability to
discriminate between a weapon and other metals; ability to detect static metal
inside the chambers (Weapons left on floor); ability to prevent straddling;
user may be allowed to exit the entrance booth if he so desires even thought he
may be armed; integrated Close Circuit TV System interfaced with the system;
ability to allow a second person to release the entrance door via a wireless
button if the metal detector is activated; ability to detect a weapon if the
person throws the weapon between the metal detector's panels, closer to the
entrance door; and ability to allow an adult with a child to enter and exit.
Accordingly, a principal object of the
present invention is to provide a security access system for banks or the like
which satisfies fire department regulations, handicapped regulations, and which
also meets the needs of the bank for reasonably rapid access and the prevention
of robberies.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The access control system of the present
invention provides a system having a low cost of manufacture, installation and
operation, provides for the quick access rates needed for U.S. banks, provides
the effective use of detecting for weapons to prevent a banker robber from
entering into the bank or building, and provides a secure access chamber so
that a trapped robber cannot injure a person within the bank.
The instant invention overcomes the above
disadvantages and shortages of the prior art by providing an access control
chamber security system with substantial improvements. such as;
the access chamber is formed entirely of
a racial (such as aluminum) framing and bullet-resistant glass panels in the walls
and doors, the chamber uses a single metal detector in the center of the door
system or offset away from the entrance door of the entrance chamber and spaced
from the doors such that interference from the doors can be reduced or
eliminated;
the two side-by-side units are capable of
being split due to requirements of the building structure;
the sides of the access control chamber
are formed of two sections with a metal (such as aluminum) framing member
separating the two sections;
the door frames are made of the same
metal material as the rust of the access chamber in order to reduce the cost of
manufacture by minimizing the types of materials, provide a good appearance
when assembled, require less difficulty in assembling the unit or less
difficulty in making repairs to the doors;
a wireless remote control unit so that a
second person can control the opening of the second door in the event that the
main operator must leave the area in which the main control panel is located;
a 24 volt dc power source for the metal
detector and the magnetic locks for the purpose of preventing electrical shock
to a person within the chambers who may be installing or working on the system
or from a fired bullet that may short out the electrical system;
a battery backup at the control panel;
the metal detector to operate at 24 volts
de in order to prevent noise, surges and peaks in the metal detector circuitry;
the metal detector to remain on after the
assembly has been shut down in order that humidity in the air will not
accumulate on the electronics and cause the metal detector to short out and
produce false alarms;
an insulated cut section in the side wall
sections and/or in the door frames so that no closed electric loops are formed
in the main frame or door frame;
an ultrasonic sensor located above the
metal detector in which the metal detector is enabled when a person walks
through the detector, and,
two ultrasonic sensors above the entrance
chamber to detect if more than one person is in one of the chambers or d an
object such as a weapon was left on the floor.
For example, a fail-safe access control
vestibule may include a first interlocking door for providing passage from a
non-secure area into the entrance chamber and a secure area. The entrance chamber
may also include a first ultrasonic sensor and a second ultrasonic sensor
located between the first and second interlocking doors to determine the
location of a person within the entrance chamber, or to determine if more than
one person is inside the entrance chamber. The entrance chamber would also have
a means for preventing the simultaneous opening of the first and second
interlocking doors. An ultrasonic sensor could also be located above the metal
detector to activate the detector when the person walks through.
The exit chamber would include a third
interlocking door for providing passage from the secure area into the exit
chamber to the non-secure area. A third ultrasonic sensor located between the
third and fourth interlocking doors would be used to determine the location of
a person within the exit chamber. The exit chamber would also have means for
preventing the simultaneous opening of the third and fourth interlocking doors.
A control panel would preferably be provided to externally control the dual
chamber ACU. Finally, a power supply would be connected to and supply power to
the ACU.
The objects of the invention are realized
in that the access control system utilizes a skeleton frame made of metal such
as aluminum, door frames made of the same metal material to reduce the material
list, the doors in the chamber of the metal detector swing outward to reduce
interference therefrom, a metal detector located in the middle of the access
control chamber or far enough away from the entrance door that the movement of
the door does not interfere with the operation of the metal detector, a cut
section in the door frame and/or the side frame members of the vestibule to
eliminate the closed electrical loop effect, a 24 volt DC uninterrupted power
supply (UPS) which can be plugged into a typical AC outlet and which uses
common 24 volt DC batteries for the UPS source, the system and the metal
detector operating under 24 volt DC so that the system can be installed in any
part of the world with minimal modification and so that the possibility of
electrocution during installation or if a fired bullet was to short out the
system, using a wireless remote control box so that a second operator can
control the opening of the exit door, keeping power supplied to the metal
detector on at all times even after the rest of the system has been shut off
after closing of the doors so that water vapor docs not condense on the
electrical circuits and produce shorts and false alarms, using a plurality of
ultrasonic sensors to detect if more than one person is in the entrance chamber
or if an object such as a weapon has been left on the floor of the vestibule.
Other objects, features and advantages of
the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the
following detailed description, and from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIFFION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an
illustrative preferred embodiment of the invention from an interior angle.
FIG. 2 is an overhead schematic diagram
of the preferred embodiment of the access control unit (ACU) including an
entrance chamber and an exit chamber.
FIG. 3 is a front view of a control panel
which may be employed in the access control system.
FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of the
connections between the teller's switches and the exit portal of the system.
FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of the
connections between the teller's switches and the portal of the system.
FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram of the
connections involving the metal detector in the illustrated access control
system.
FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of the
entrance chamber interlocking doors system.
FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of the
exit chamber interlocking doors system.
FIG. 6A is a schematic top view of the
ACU of FIG. 2
FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of the ACU
taken along line 6B-6B of FIG. 6-A.
FIG. 6C is a schematic exterior view of
the ACU
FIG. 6D is a schematic interior view of
the ACU.
FIG. 7 is a block circuit diagram of one
embodiment showing the electronic connections of the access control system.
FIG. 8A is a block diagram of the power
requirements of the present access control system.
FIG. 8B is a block diagram of the
entrance chamber metal detector interface of the present system.
FIG. 8C-8D are block diagrams of the
entrance chamber interlocking doors system of the present ACU invention.
FIG. 8E-SF are block diagrams of the exit
chamber interlocking doors system of the ACU.
FIG. 8G is a block diagram of the
operation of the tellers' toggle switches to close exit chamber of the access
control system.
FIG. 8H is a block diagram of the
entrance chamber camera system interface of the system.
FIG. 8I is a block diagram of the
entrance chamber metal detector system interface of the system; and
FIG. 8J is a block diagram of the
operation of the ADA assistance push button arrangements the access control
system.
FIG. 9 shows the door flames with
insulated cut sections formed therein.
FIG. 10 shows the side frames of the
vestibule with insulated cut sections therein
FIG. 11 shows an access chamber of the
vestibule having two ultrasonic sensors located above the front section and the
rear section of the access chamber, and a third ultrasonic sensor positioned
above the metal detector.
FIG. 12a shows a sonic burst sent from
the ultrasonic transceiver and reflected off of an object.
FIG. 12b shows an oscilloscope display of
a signal from the ultrasonic transceiver.
FIG. 12c shows an ultrasonic transmission
from a transceiver and an echo from an object.
FIG. 12d shows a signal output from the
transceiver.
FIG. 13A--C show the flow charts for the
operation of the access control system using the ultrasonic transceivers.
FIGS. 14A through 14E show a flow chart
for the operation of the access chamber of the vestibule with a metal detector
on continuously.
FIGS. 15A through 15E show a flow chart
for the operation of the access chamber of the vestibule with a metal detector
on intermittently.
DETAILED DESCRIFFION OF TIIE
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The
preferred embodiment of the present invention, an access control vestibule,
preferably includes an access control unit (ACU) 10 having an entrance chamber
12 which includes a metal detector 60 and an exit chamber 14, a control panel
110, and a power supply 160. The vestibule also preferably includes switching
arrangements 180 for remote personnel such as bank tellers, to provide a
control signal to prevent exit from the exit chamber 14.
Referring more particularly to the
drawings, FIG.1 is a depiction of a perspective view of a preferred embodiment
of the ACU 10 as viewed from the is interior 16 of the protected or secured
area such as inside a bank. FIG.2 shows an overhead schematic diagram of the
ACU 10. The ACU 10 includes an entrance passage or chamber 12 which allows
controlled departure from the exterior 18 of a structure to the interior 16 of
the structure. The entrance chamber is divided up into a first haft 90 and a
second haft 92. A metal detector 60 separates the two halves. The entrance
chamber 12 preferably includes a first door 20 and a second door. The metal
detector is located half-way between the first door 20 and the second door 30.
When a shorter vestibule is required such as when space is a minimum -the metal
detector could be located closer to the second door 30. A magnetic lock 54 Ls
located on the top comer of the frame near the first door 20 to provide means
to lock the first door 20. A magnetic lock 44 is also located near the second
door 30 to provide means to lock the second door 30. Each door 20 and 30 also
includes a sensor to determine if the door is opened or cloud. The ACU 10 also
includes an exit passage or chamber 14 which allows controlled access from the
interior 16 to the exterior 18 of a structure. The exit chamber 14 preferably
includes a third door 40 and a fourth door 50. The exit chamber 14 is also
divided up into a first half 96 and a second half 94. Both doors 40 and 50 also
include a magnetic lock and a door closed position sensor All four doors
(20,30,40,50) arc single frame doors which are manually operated. By using
manually operated doors, the cost of the system is lower, the maintenance is
less (since electric motors to power automatically operated doors can burn out
and require replacing), electric motors used for automatically operated doors
would produce magnetic field interference with the metal detector, and no space
is present such as when double doors are used that a person can place a pry bar
into the space and force the door open.
Incidentally, in the following
specification the outer entry door is referred to both as the No. I door, and
by reference numeral 20, the inner door is referred to both as to the No. 2
door and as door 30, and the two exit doors are referenced both as the No. 3
and No. 4 doors and by reference numerals 40 and 50, respectively.
FIG. 2 also shows the first door 20
swinging open towards the outside of the entrance chamber 12. The second door
30 also swings towards the outside of the entrance chamber 12. This provides
less magnetic interference to the metal detector 60 than would doors swinging
inward or towards the magnetic detector 60. In order to reduce the magnetic
interference effect of the metal doors 20 and 30, an insulated cut section 350
is placed in the side walks of the vestibule and/or the door frames. See FIGS.
9 and 10 for the insulated cut sections. The cut sections are placed wherever
an electrical closed loop can be formed in any frame members. If the entrance
chamber is less than a certain length, then the swinging metal doors will
interfere with the operation of the metal detector because of the closed
electrical loop effect. One way to eliminate this effect is to provide the
insulated cut sections in the side walks of the access chamber. Placing the
insulated cut sections in the door frames is less desirable because the
structural strength of the door frames would be reduced. Since the lower
members on the side wall frames are secured to the floor, a cut section in this
member can be easily reinforced to maintain structural strength of the access
chamber. The entrance chamber 12 can be of such a length that the outwardly
swinging doors 20 and 30 would not interfere with the operation of the metal
detector 60. In banks where space is minimum, the shorter length access chamber
is desirable and therefore the cut sections are needed to improve the
performance of the metal detector and thus the access control system.
Another embodiment to eliminate the
closed electrical loop effect is to offset the metal detector 60 to the side
away from the first door 20 of the entrance chamber 12. The metal detector 60
should be far enough away from the first door 20 so that the closed loop
electrical effect is not strong enough to interfere with the operation of the
metal detector 60. Since there are many different manufacturers of metal
detectors and each one can be effected differently by outside magnetic
interference, an accurate distance cannot be established at this time. However,
normal experimentation with the metal detector can provide the proper distance
in which the magnetic effect from a closed loop door frame would be within
executable levels. In a vestibule having a length of 6 feet 6 inches, if the
metal detector is placed a little over four feet from the entrance door, the
swinging door docs not interfere with the magnetic detector and no cut section
is needed if the latching speed of the door (the closing speed of the door in
the last portion of the closing arc) is slow. A standard door closure device
will provide this slow latching speed. When the metal detector is offset
towards the second door 30, some means of deactivating the metal detector is
needed before the second door is opened, or the second door 30 will also
provide magnetic interference to the metal detector 60. A sensor to detect when
the second door begins to open will provide this means, or in the preferred
embodiment the touch sensitive push bar will be used.
In another embodiment, the access control
chamber can use a control system that will activate the metal detector 60 only
during periods when interference from the swinging doors 20 and 30 are at a
minimum. The first door 20 can be located far enough from the metal detector 60
such that closed electrical loop interference therefrom will not interfere with
the operation of the metal detector 60. A person would open the first door 20
and enter the access chamber 12, pass through the metal detector 60, and when
the person touches the touch bar on the second door 30 to enter the bank, the
control system could disable the metal detector so that closed electrical loop
interference from the second door 30 would not interfere with the operation of
the metal detector 60. The touch bar--which is described later--is used to
unlock the magnetic lock on the second door 30. The access chamber 12 can be
made even shorter by using an insulated cut section 350 (see FIG.10) in the
side walls of the entrance chamber, and placing the metal detector 60 as close
to the second door 30 as possible while using the control system to disable the
metal detector 60 when the touch bar on the second door 30 is touched. The
closest that the metal detector 60 can be placed to the second door 30 would be
such that when a person is directly under the metal detector 60, his reach
would just about touch the second door 30. The metal detector must remain on
for a period to allow the person to pass through. In one embodiment, when the
person touches the second door to begin opening the door, the metal detector is
disabled. If the metal detector 60 was closer to the second door 30, then the second
door 30 would begin to open (and create magnetic interference) before the metal
detector 60 is deactivated.
FIG. 5A shows the entrance chamber 12
which controls access using the two doors (20 and 30). The doors 20 and 30 are
located on either end of the chamber 12 and preferably have electromagnetic
locks (24 and 34) and touch sense bars (25 and 35, FIGS. 6C-6D). The exterior
No. 1 door 20 is normally in the closed position 21, but may be brought to an
opened position 22 by manually pulling exterior handle 26 (FIG. 6C) so that the
door opens outward. No. I door 20 may also include a push bar 25 (FIG. 6C). The
interior No. 2 door 30 is normally in the closed position 31, but may be
brought to an opened position 32 by pushing push bar 35 (FIG. 6D) so that the
door opens outward into the interior 16 of the secured facility. No. 2 door 30
may also include a handle 36 (FIG. 6D) on the "interior" side of the
door which the operator may use to manually open No. 2 door 30 after it has
been released by the control panel or other means. Associated with each of the
four doors is a magnetic lock located in the top corner of the frame opposite
to the side of the hinges on the door. Also located in the frame is a door
closed position sensor for each door a touch sense bar 25 for door No. 1, a
touch sense bar 35 for door No. 2, a touch sense bar 45 for door No. 3, and a
touch sense bar 55 for door No. 4, used to determine if the door is opened or
closed.
Within the entrance chamber 12 is a metal
detector 60 located approximately half way between the No. I door 20 and No. 2
door 30. The entrance chamber 12 also includes a first ultrasonic sensor 131
located above the entrance side 90 to the entrance chamber 12, and a second
ultrasonic sensor 133 located above the exit side 92 to the entrance chamber 12
and on the opposite side of the metal detector 60 than the first ultrasonic
sensor 131. The ultrasonic sensors are used to detect the presence of a person
in the respective half of the entrance chamber 12, and to detect for the
presence of an object such as a weapon left on the floor of the entrance
chamber 12. An additional ultrasonic sensor 171 located above the metal
detector 60 can be used to detect when a person enters through the metal
detector. In the embodiment in which the metal detector is not continuously in
operation, such as when the detector 60 is disabled so that the swinging doors
will not effect the operation of the metal detector, some means to detect the
presence of a person passing through the metal detector is needed in order to
activate the detector. The ultrasonic sensor 171 located above the metal
detector 60 will activate the detector when a person begins passage through the
detector. The scan area of the ultrasonic sensor 171 can be large enough to cover
an area such that the detector 60 will be activated when the person is about
1/2 to 1 foot from entering the detector. This
way, the detector will be activated when
the person is passing through the most effective region of the detector 60.
The swinging of the door causes a
magnetic interference with the metal detector. The farther the door is away
from the closing position, the less interference is generated. Only the last
portion of the closing arc of the door produces enough interference to cause
problems with the detector. When the door is opened more than about 1 foot, the
door motion docs not seem to cause interference problems. It is the last one
foot of swinging motion that causes the interference, if a door closure device
is used to regulate the speed at which the door is closed, the interference can
be reduced or eliminated. Door closures that provide an initial fast closing
speed, followed by a slow closing speed in the last foot, would provide the
least amount of interference from the door.
Entrance access is controlled by the
entrance chamber 12 so that only one person at a time may access the secured
facilities or structure. Normally, the outer or exterior No. 1 access door 20
is unlocked until someone enters and stands on the first half 90 of the
entrance chamber 12, which triggers the system to lock and secure No. l door 20
in the closed position 21 and prevents No.1 door 20 from being opened from the
exterior 18 of the secured environment. The person then proceeds through the
metal detector 60 and onto the second half 92 of the entrance chamber 12. If no
metal is detected, the person simply opens No. 2 door 30 and enters the
interior 16 of facility without any intervention from the operator.
If metal is detected, the inner No. 2
door 30 Ls locked and a metal detector alert 135 such as a pulsating audible is
sounded or a flashing LED is triggered on the control panel 110 (also see FIG.
3). At this point, there are several options; the person can return to the
outer entry door 20 and leave the chamber 12 freely or the operator may push a
button 130 (HG. 3) to release the No 2 door 30. The operator may also decide to
toggle the No. 1 control panel door switch 121 "up" which will trap
the person in the chamber 12, not allowing access or egress, This scenario may
be used when someone is brandishing a weapon and the police are being called.
If two people enter chamber 12 through
the No.1 door 20 and one of them stands on the first half 90 of the entrance
chamber 12 and the other stands on the second half 92, the inner entry door 30
will not open. If one of the persons tries to stand off the floor by straddling
and putting his feet on the aluminum or other suitable material framing 74, the
ultrasonic sensors 131 and 133 will also detect more than one person within the
access chamber 12--even if both people stand in the same half of the
chamber--and will not allow No. 2 door 30 to open. The ultrasonic sensor can be
programmed to detect if more than one person is standing within the range of
the sensor. One of the persons must exit the chamber 12 and may return only
when the first person exits the entrance chamber 12.
If a person enters through the No. 1 door
20 with a weapon, activates the metal detector 60, and leaves the weapon on the
second half 92 of the entrance chamber 12 and walks back out, the second
ultrasonic sensor 133 will detect the weapon on the floor of the second half 92
and prevent the No. 1 door 20 from opening until the chamber 12 is inspected
and the weapon removed. If the weapon is left on the first half 90 of the
chamber 12, the first ultrasonic sensor 131 will detect the weapon and alert
the control system so that the second door 30 is not unlocked, and the first
door 20 can optionally be locked.
Located inside the vestibule chamber and
above each section is an ultrasonic sensor or transceiver of the type marketed
by Herian Proffer (USA) of Stillwater, Okla. Model number HE-US Series
Ultrasonic transceiver is a low cost, super sensitive, ultrasonic transceiver
which can be used to measure position of objects as small as a grain of sand or
as large as a brick wall within a distance ranging from 0.2 meters to over 20
meters. Each ultrasonic sensor (see FIG. 12A) operates by omitting a series of
sonic bursts (TX) once each 60 micro-seconds (or 15 times per second) and reads
the resulting echo (RX). Thus, the ultrasonic sensor will not interfere with
the operation of the metal detector, e.g. produce signals that would give false
readings by the metal detector. The sensor has a memory in which is stored the
signal or echo of the sonic bursts off of an object. Any deviation of the
signal or echo from that stored in memory produces an alarm signal from the
sensor. The transceiver has 3 dip switch blocks containing four switches (16
levels) each. Block I selects sensitivity, block 2 selects inner boundaries of
the scanning zone, and block 3 selects the outer boundaries of the scanning
zone. The transceiver will transmit a sonic burst of lengths proportional to
the outer boundaries selected. Each transceiver has a synchronization pin, and
a switch that allows the sensor to be set in sequence or as a slave. The
transceiver can be programmed to detect the shape of a single person or more
than one person within the sensor's scan range. This way, the sensor can detect
if more than one person is in the scan area of the sensor such as in section 90
or section 92.
FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of the
exit chamber 14 with its interlocking door system which controls egress from
the secured facility. The exit chamber has two doors 40 and 50 on either end of
the chamber which also preferably have electromagnetic locks (44 and 54) and
touch bars (45 on FIG. 6D and 55 on FIG. 6C) mounted thereon. The interior No.
3 exit door 40 is normally in its closed position 41, but may be brought to an
opened position 42 by activating the touch bar 45 (FIG. 6D) so that the door
opens inward into the exit chamber 14. The exterior No. 4 exit door 50 is
normally in its closed position 5l, but may be brought to an opened position 52
by pushing push bar 55 (FIG. 6C) so that the door opens outward towards the
exterior 18 of the secured facility. The exit chamber 14 may include sensors
such as ultrasonic sensors to detect the presence of one or more people, or the
presence of an object such as a weapon on the floor, if the sensor can scan the
entire exit chamber 14, then only one is needed since it is not necessary to
know what section a person is in.
Exiting the facility is accomplished by
simply pushing the No. 3 door 40. If the chamber 14 is empty and No. 4 door 50
is closed, the person or persons are free to enter the chamber 14. Once in the
chamber 14, an ultrasonic sensor will detect the person's pres, once and cause
the third door 40 to be locked once the door closes, thus preventing re-entry
to the bank or additional people from entering the chamber 14 from the bank.
The person then must activate the push bar 55 (FIG. 6C) to unlock the fourth
door 50 and exit the chamber 14.
If robbery occurs, the tellers are
provided with a switch 181 (FIG. 4B) that will lock the fourth door 50 and trap
the person in the chamber 14, not allowing egress. Doors 40 and 50 may also be
locked from the control panel using the switches marked "3" and
"4”, (123 and 124 on FIG. 3).
If the person tries to stand off section
94 or section 96 by straddling and putting his feet on the aluminum framing 74
(FIG. 6B), an ultrasonic sensor or sensors will detect the person in the
chamber 14 and will prevent third door 40 from opening. Since it is not necessary
to detect if more than one person is present in the exit chamber 14, only one
ultrasonic sensor is required. More than one ultrasonic sensor may be needed if
the floor space is large enough such that one sensor cannot cover the necessary
area. If only one ultrasonic sensor above exit chamber 14 is used, then
sections 94 and 96 would be combined into a single section 94 for purposes of
describing the operation of the present invention.
If a person enters the chamber 14, leaves
a weapon on section 94 or 96, and returns to the interior 16 of the secured
facility, the ultrasonic sensors or sensor will detect the weapon on the floor
and not allow the third door 40 to be open from within the bank until the
chamber 14 is inspected and the weapon removed.
FIG. 12A shows a representation of the
transceiver transmitting a 40 K-hertz sonic wave (TX) through a distance (D)
toward an object. The transmitted signal is reflected off the object as a
reflected signal (RX) and returned to the transceiver. The transceiver determines
if the reflected signal is similar to the signal stored in the memory. FIGS.
12B through 121) mow the three wires connected to the transceiver and the
signals carded by them. When a 5 volt power is supplied to the black power wire
(FIG. 12b), an ultrasonic signal consisting of a cluster of sinusoidal waves
with varying amplitudes is transmitted through the white wire (FIG. I2C). The
signal applied to the black wire controls the length of the transmitted (TX)
signal. The signals through the brown wire (FIG. 12D) are square pulses all the
same in amplitude, and represent the echo signal off of an object.
For use in the vestibule of the present
invention, four ultrasonic sensors are used--one for each of the four sections
in the two chambers. The exit chamber can use a single ultrasonic sensor. They
are preferably positioned on the ceiling of the chamber directly over and
centered on the respective section of the chamber. Before use, each sensor
would need to have its memory programmed. This is done by activating the sensor
to scan for a period of 1/2 to 1 minute in duration. The sensor takes an
average reading of all the echo's or return signals during this scan period,
and stores that average in a non-volatile memory in the sensor. The sensor
includes a battery backup on the chip to keep the memory in storage should
power to the sensor be lost. Each sensor includes three electrical wires, one
for a power line, another for a ground line, and the third lot the alarm
signal. If the echo from a sonic burst is within a specified deviation of that
stored in the memory, then the alarm line is placed at a voltage of zero. If
the echo from the sonic burst is outside the specified deviation, then the
alarm line is placed at 5 volts. Thus, a control system could determine if an
alarm event has occurred by measuring the voltage of the alarm line. The exit
chamber can use only one transceiver to scan for an object such as a person or
a weapon on the floor, since it is not important to scan for more than a single
person in the exit chamber.
The sensitivity of the sensors can be
.set depending upon the environment for its use. For the present invention, an
object the size of a knife or hand gun must be detected. Thus, a setting of the
sensitivity for an object of thickness of is about 1/2 inch would accomplish
the objectives of the present invention. This specific sensitivity setting
would prevent false alarms due to normal vibrations of the vestibule, for
example when a person enters and bangs one of the doors against the frame, or
when a large and loud truck passes by. Vibrations in the vestibule could cause
the echo from the sonic bursts to vary beyond the normal value (deviate). The
vestibule is made from such strong materials as to prevent normal vibrations
from shifting the ceiling more than 1/2 inch from that of the floor.
The vestibule would preferably include a
control panel 110 which would provide multiple alarm features from a location
remote from, but preferably in view of, the ACU 10. FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment
of a control panel. The control panel 110 preferably has four door toggle
switches 120 which may be marked "1,"2, "3," and
"4" to control the doors 20, 30, 40, and 50 of the chambers 12 and
14.
The normal operational position of the
door toggle switches I20 is preferably "down," indicating automatic
actuation. One or more of the doors may be locked by toggling the desired door
switch "up." Please note that these positions could be reverse
without changing the intent of the invention. The control panel 110 may also
include a second door 30 release button 130 to release the second door 30 if
the metal detector 60 is activated. The second door 30 release button 1341
would allow an operator to enter the entrance chamber 12 to inspect and/or
remove the object which triggered the metal detector 60, or to permit the entry
of a known wheel chair customer or a known armed policeman. Alternately or in
addition to the second door 30 release button 130, a wireless transmitter and
receiver second door 30 release button (not shown) may be included in the
vestibule to allow a second operator to release the second door 30 from any
position in the secured facilities, in the event that the main operator needs
to leave his position near the main control box, such as for going to the
bathroom or into the vault, the main operator can leave the wireless remote
control box with a second person or operator. The second operator can then
control the opening of the door from their own desk without having to travel to
the main control panel.
The control panel 110 may also include an
emergency button 132 that will release all doors (20,30,40 and 50) in the event
of lire or any other emergency. The emergency button 132 may also be used to
de-activate the vestibule at the end of the day when everybody is leaving the
building and the doors are going to be locked with a key. In the preferred
embodiment, the metal detector 60 remains on at all times after the system has
been shut down for the night or after closing of the bank. Since the air in the
bank or building contains water vapor, water can form on the electronics of the
metal detector when the air conditioning in the building has been shut off or
lowered due to closing. The water can short out the metal detector. I have
found that leaving the metal detector on after the rest of the system has been
shut off prevents the water from forming on the electronic circuit of the metal
detector and eliminates the false alarms resulting from the electrical shorts.
The control panel 110 may also include
means 140 for controlling specific alarm features. The alarm features may be
controlled by an alternate action key switch 150 and toggle switches
(142,143,144,and 145) may be set to operate only when the key switch 154} is in
the "on" position 151 and not when it is in the "off” position
152. Preferably the toggle switches (142,143, 144 and 145) will only operate in
a predetermined sequence (i.e., manager switch 142 enables police switch 143,
etc.). These switches, however, could operate separately without changing the
scope of the invention.
A switch 142 may be provided to activate
an alarm to advise the manager of the institution if there is any problem.
Another switch 143 may be provided to activate the panic alarm system of the
institution that alerts the police department. Another switch 144 may be
provided to activate an alarm inside the entrance chamber in case of someone
brandishing a weapon. One or more additional features such as a switch for
activating a camera or for providing means of subduing the person in the
chamber such as by spraying the person with MACE, by the activation of a high
pitched, high intensity siren, or by other known means.
It should be noted that the features
described on the control panel 110 are meant to be exemplary and are not meant
to limit the scope of the invention. For example, a reset button 134 may be
provided to reset the vestibule. A metal detector alert means 135 such as
speaker for a pulsating audible is sound or flashing LED may also be included.
Another optional feature might be an ADA alert LED 136 may be provided to alert
the operator that a disabled person needs assistance. There may also be
intercom 138 with a microphone, speaker, is and controls which allows the
operator to communicate with persons in the chambers 12 and 14. Further, the
control panel may be constructed so as to utilize technology such as digital
control buttons, analog switches and dials,, mechanical means or any Know
technology. For example, the toggle switches 140 may be replaced by capacitance
actuated switches, by a key pad with numbered button, or a dial with specific
positions.
The control panel may be connected to the
vestibule as shown in FIG. 4A (power connections), FIG. 4B (connections between
the teller's switches and the exit portal), and FIG. 4C (connections to the
metal detector). The connection may be accomplished by means of
"hard-wiring" or wireless means such as radio waves, infrared ray
ultrasonic waves, or other means of wireless connection.
FIG. 4A shows a preferred power
connection of the present invention. Power supply 160 is preferably a 24 VDC
which may be connected by means 164 to a 110 VAC wall outlet power supply 162.
The power supply may also be an independent power supply such as a battery or
generator or may have similar means of back-up power supply in the event that
power from the wall outlet 162 fails or is prevented. Using a 24 volt DC power
source instead of high voltages like 110 AC or 220 AC (vac) would be safer,
since a person is not likely to be electrocuted from 24 veils such as when
installing the system or if a fired bullet was to electrically short the system
out. Using 12 volts DC (vdc) would require more power and more current than
would 24 vdc, and thus would also require larger wires to carry the larger
current. Installing a system with 110 vac would also require a licensed
electrician, and that would increase the cost of installing the system. A
licensed electrician would not be needed with the .smaller voltages of the
present invention. Also, a battery backup for 24 vdc power supply would need
only to use low-priced 24 volt batteries. A high voltage source like 110 vac
would require an expensive uninterrupted power supply (UPS). Using an
alternating current like 110 vac would also cause false alarms in the metal
detector because of the electrical noise, surges and peaks. The power supply
160 is connected to the control panel 110 by wiring 166 to supply 24 VDC to the
control panel 110. The power supply 160 is also connected to the metal detector
60 by means 168 to supply 24 VDC to the metal detector 60. 24 VDC is preferably
supplied from the control panel 110 by wiring 170 to the ACU 10 to control such
features as the Magnetic Locks (24 and 34 in FIG. SA and 44 and 54 in FIG. 5B),
push bars 25 and 55 in FIG. 6C and 35 and 45 in FIG. 6D), and other devices
needing power (such as buttons, sensors, and alarms). These power connections
are meant to be exemplary and are not meant to limit the scope of the
invention.
Another benefit to using the 24 volts DC
power supply is that the system can readily be adapted for use in countries
around the world that use a wide variety of voltages. Some countries, like
England, use 220 volts to make the system usable with the 220 volt power supply
in England, all that needs to be modified is the voltage regulator in the power
supply box, which is an inexpensive modification of about $40.
FIG. 4B indicates schematically the
connections which allow employees, such as tellers, at fixed locations, such as
the teller counter 180, to is remotely prevent exit from the exit chamber 14.
This feature would allow a teller to prevent the escape of a robber. The teller
counter 180 would have multiple switches or buttons 181 which the teller could
use in the event of a robbery. The switches 181 are preferably connected to the
control panel 110 by wiring 182. The control panel Il0 then sends a signal via
circuit 184 to the ACU 10 prevent the No 4 door 50 from opening by maintaining
the magnetic lock 54 energized, as well as the magnetic lock 44 on the No. 3
door 40. These connections are meant to be exemplary and are not meant to limit
the scope of the invention. For example, the teller switches 181 could be
connected directly to the No. 4 door 50.
FIG. 4C shows the vestibule contacts for
the metal detector 60. More specifically, the metal detector 60 sends a signal
(when activated) by the circuit 190 to the control panel 110. The control panel
110 circuitry then operates through circuit 192 to hold No. 2 door 30 locked.
An operator may release No. 2 door 30 by pushing a release button 130 whereby
the control panel 110 sends a signal through circuit 194 to release No. 2 door
30. These connections are meant to be exemplary and are not meant to limit the
scope of the invention. For example, the alarm signal from the metal detector
60 could be directly connected to No. 2 door 30. Also, as indicated above,
there may be alternate methods, of releasing No. 2 door 30. Normally, of
course,, when the entering person steps from the first section 90 onto the
second section 92, without activating the metal detector 60, the second
inference door 30 is unlocked; but this action is blocked is by a positive
response from the metal detector 60.
FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of the
preferred embodiment taken from the top view. The top panel cover 300,
including the framing 340, has a length 200 of approximately 7 feet 51/2 inches and width 202 of
approximately 8 feet 3 inches. As shown in FIG. 2, the width 202 includes comer
framing (204 and 212) of approximately 93/4 inches, doorways (206 and
210) of approximately 36 inches, and a central framing 208 of approximately 71/2 inches. FIGS. 6B-D show that
the preferred height 216 of the ACU 10 is approximately 7 feet and 4 inches.
The clearance 214 between the top panel cover 300 and the ceiling 320 is
preferably at least 2 feet and 0 inches. It may also be noted that the floor
for accommodating the ACU is preferably level within approximately +/-1/4 inches. The ACU may be
positioned so that the face of the building is flush with the front of the ACU,
flush with the back of the ACU. It should be noted that these dimensions arc
meant to be exemplary and may be adapted to correspond with specific needs of a
user. In passing, it is noted that regulations relating to disabled person&
using wheelchairs, require that the length of the entrance chamber 12 and exit
chamber 14 be at least seven(7) feet, and that the width of the chambers be 36
inches.
FIGS. 6A--6D also show one embodiment of
the framing system 340 of the ACU 10. The framing system 340 supports several
glass or high strength transparent plastic panels 310. Both the framing system
340 and the glass panels 310 are made of materials which are preferably
extremely strong and bullet proof glass or plastic to allow complete visual
access to the ACU 10. The access chamber is formed of aluminum framing along
all the sides of the box-shaped chamber. The framing secures the glass and
plastic panels in the sides and doors such that the inside of the chamber is
almost completely visible from the outside. Using the same material for the
side walls and doors significantly reduces the cost of the access control
chamber and makes it easier to manufacture and install. An assemblyman needs
only a basic knowledge of assembling the frame members with the glass panels
secured within the framing.
FIG. 6B shows a side view of the access chamber in which the sides are formed of two pieces of glass and separated by a vertical flame member. Using two sections instead of one large piece of glass is benefi