Ever wondered how those big doors at the shopping centre know when you’re walking towards them? Ever wondered why a door will sometimes just slide open for you, even if you had no intention of going in? Or perhaps you are looking towards getting automatic doors for your own premises and want to know how they work? Well, you’re in luck because today we are going to go over the basic things you need to know about the way automatic doors work.
Quite simply, they work with the help of sensors, different sensors will work from different activating stimuli. Sensors can be used to detect movement, lights, barcodes/images, magnetic strips, weight and even sound. Once the activating stimuli has been received, calculated and processed by the sensor, then it will send an electrical signal to the motor that powers the door and operates the door, causing it to move the parts which will slide the door along its track or push it open in a swinging motion.
One of the most common sensors is an optic motion sensor, next time you’re in front of some automatic sliding doors, take a look above where the door opens and look for a small round, often camera-looking device… This is an optic motion sensor.
The fact that they can be activated by these specific stimuli’s means that they are an ideal door solution for airport interior/ exteriors, science labs, schools, offices, supermarkets and care homes. The fact that they are not conventionally activated by manual human opening also makes them perfect for users in wheelchairs, or users with limited mobility. It also eliminates the need to hold doors open for loads of people in crowded places as the door will just remain open if the sensor still detects weight or motion. Which is a bonus for avoiding those awkward “how long am I supposed to hold this door open” encounters. So there you have it, if you’d like any more information on automatic doors and automation systems, get in touch.