Abstract: Systems and methods to detect and warn proximate entities of interest are described herein. An example device for conveying audible warning signals to a person includes a memory to store a plurality of audible warnings and a user interface to present for selection an audible warning from the plurality of audible warnings.

Abstract: An example of a horizontal side-moving door with a side-winding or horizontally translating curtain includes an upper seal comprising an upper edge of the curtain sliding within a groove of a seal guide. To protect the door in the event of an impact, at least a portion of the curtain's upper edge can restorably pull out from within the groove. To avoid damage in certain situations, the seal guide might resiliently deflect as well. After an impact, the curtain's upper edge is automatically fed back into the groove by simply opening and closing the door. During normal operation, the curtain's upper edge advantageously deflects in response to air pressure against either side of the door. In some examples, the seal guide is of a uniform cross-section, which makes the seal guide easy to manufacture by way of a conventional plastic extrusion process.

Abstract: An example of a door with a pliable curtain includes various washdown features that make the door particularly suitable for use in food and drug related environments that demand cleanliness. To prevent product contamination, such as bacteria and other microorganisms, some examples of the door include a curtain storage track with a spiral groove machined in a unitary block of plastic, a ventilated side frame with a removable curtain guide track and a removable seal, and various curtain seams that not only join multiple sheets of the curtain together but also promote and strategically direct liquid runoff to avoid creating water-holding surfaces and to prevent liquid from dripping on products passing through the doorway.

Abstract: Systems and methods to detect and warn proximate entities of interest are described herein. An example signal generation system for a vehicle capable of different modes of movement includes a detector to determine at least one property of vehicle movement and an output representative of that at least one property and a selectively variable signal generator includes an input to receive the at least one output representative of the at least one property of vehicle movement and, responsively, generates a selected signal based on the received output. In some examples, a detector on a pedestrian detects the selected signal from the signal generator and, responsively, provides an output indicative of a vehicle in proximity to the pedestrian. In some examples, a trajectory vector is generated for at least two entities of interest based on at least one characteristic of movement of each entity.

Abstract: An example of a door with a pliable curtain includes various washdown features that make the door particularly suitable for use in food and drug related environments that demand cleanliness. To prevent product contamination, such as bacteria and other microorganisms, some examples of the door include a curtain storage track with a spiral groove machined in a unitary block of plastic, a ventilated side frame with a removable curtain guide track and a removable seal, and various curtain seams that not only join multiple sheets of the curtain together but also promote and strategically direct liquid runoff to avoid creating water-holding surfaces and to prevent liquid from dripping on products passing through the doorway.

Abstract: An example of a horizontal side-moving door with a side-winding or horizontally translating curtain includes an upper seal comprising an upper edge of the curtain sliding within a groove of a seal guide. To protect the door in the event of an impact, at least a portion of the curtain's upper edge can restorably pull out from within the groove. To avoid damage in certain situations, the seal guide might resiliently deflect as well. After an impact, the curtain's upper edge is automatically fed back into the groove by simply opening and closing the door. During normal operation, the curtain's upper edge advantageously deflects in response to air pressure against either side of the door. In some examples, the seal guide is of a uniform cross-section, which makes the seal guide easy to manufacture by way of a conventional plastic extrusion process.

Abstract: A horizontal side-moving door with a side-winding curtain or horizontally translating panel includes a breakaway brace that helps hold a relatively rigid leading edge of the curtain or panel in a substantially vertical orientation. Should a forklift accidentally strike the leading edge of the curtain or panel, a replaceable shear pin incorporated in the brace breaks away to release the leading edge, thus protecting the edge from damage. Although the shear pin can break into two or more pieces, the brace includes means for holding the pieces in place and preventing them from falling and hitting anything underneath the pin. Although with some limitations, the door is still operational even while the pin is broken.

Abstract: A sideways rollup door with a horizontal side-rolling curtain includes a vertical roller that is shielded by a pliable shroud. The shroud is supported by a frame that includes a breakaway feature and/or readily replaceable frame elements. To access the roller for servicing, the frame elements allow the shroud to be selectively moved (without the use of tools) between an installed position and a retracted position. In some cases, the breakaway feature enables the shroud to break away in certain directions easier than others. In some embodiments, the shroud includes a seal that engages the curtain when the shroud is in the installed position.

Abstract: A sideways rollup door with a horizontal side-rolling curtain includes a replaceable bottom seal that is zippered or otherwise removably connected to the curtain at an inclined joint. The inclination of the joint ensures that the joint wraps upon the curtain's take-up roller in an approximate helical pattern so as to prevent the joint from creating a concentrated bulge on the roller. In some cases, there is extra space underneath the roller to provide roll-up room for the bottom seal, which can be relatively thick. Such extra space could be further used to accommodate a seal joint and/or other curtain seams that are not necessarily inclined.

Abstract: A door signaling system can warn a forklift driver on one side of a closed door that a pedestrian may be on the other side, thereby averting a collision between the forklift and the pedestrian. In some embodiments, the signaling system includes an elongate light prominently disposed along a perimeter of the doorway. In response to the pedestrian being at the door or in response to some other predetermined door-related event, the light warns the forklift driver of the situation or event. In some embodiments, the signaling system warns the driver by sounding a horn on the driver's vehicle or by shining a light upon tile door or against the floor.

Abstract: A vertically operating door and its drive system can be configured to push a door panel along a track to various overhead storage configurations including vertical, horizontal, inclined and coiled. Semi-flexible drive strips extend continuously along lateral edges of the curtain. The system includes a drive gear that engages a series of projections on at least one drive strip so that the gear can push the door between its open and closed positions. To protect the door from being damaged by collisions, the track can include a breakaway feature that allows at least a portion of the panel with its drive strip to separate from the track without permanent distortion. The drive strip and panel remain together as they break away from the track. The threshold of the breakaway force can be changed by selecting a retention strip from a plurality of interchangeable strips having different degrees of flexibility.

Abstract: A door system includes an antenna-based proximity sensor with a releasable electrical connector that enables the sensor to function with a breakaway feature of the door. The sensor includes a signal generator and a door-mounted antenna for sensing a body or an obstruction near the door. The signal generator (or oscillator) can be installed at various locations between a power source and the antenna. In some cases, the wiring between the antenna and the power source includes a rotatable feature to accommodate the rotation of a drum that carries a wrap-up, pliable door panel. The rotatable feature may be a rotatable electrical connector, or it may be a wire having sufficient length and flexibility to twist about itself within the hollow interior of the drum.

Abstract: A detection system for detecting a body near a doorway includes two detectors having one or more activation lines that overlap each other. With certain mounting arrangements, the detectors cover areas within and on both sides of the doorway. The detectors are meant to help prevent an already open door from accidentally closing on the body. The door is powered by a drive unit that ignores the detectors when the door is closed.

Abstract: A door system includes an antenna-based proximity sensor with a releasable electrical connector that enables the sensor to function with a breakaway feature of the door. The sensor includes a signal generator and a door-mounted antenna for sensing a body or an obstruction near the door. The signal generator (or oscillator) can be installed at various locations between a power source and the antenna. In some cases, the wiring between the antenna and the power source includes a rotatable feature to accommodate the rotation of a drum that carries a wrap-up, pliable door panel. The rotatable feature may be a rotatable electrical connector, or it may be a wire having sufficient length and flexibility to twist about itself within the hollow interior of the drum.

Abstract: A detection system for detecting a body near a doorway includes two detectors having one or more activation lines that overlap each other. With certain mounting arrangements, the detectors cover areas within and on both sides of the doorway. The detectors are meant to help prevent an already open door from accidentally closing on the body. The door is powered by a drive unit that ignores the detectors when the door is closed.

Abstract: A method for recognizing potential faults of one or more remote body detectors of a door can be applied to a wide variety of conventional detectors that may not necessarily have a self-monitoring feature themselves. The method may be counter-based, timer-based or a combination of the two. In some embodiments, the method involves comparing the behavior of a detector to that of another detector at the door or to the activity of another door-related event, such as the door opening or closing. In some cases, the activity of a single detector is compared to a predetermined acceptable range of activity over a given period.

Abstract: A flexible guide for a door includes straps that are mounted in pairs along either side of a doorway. The straps for each pair are generally parallel, facing each other, and spaced apart to create a gap or channel between the two. As the door opens and closes, the straps guide the vertical movement of a door panel that travels within the channel. The straps are pulled in tension between upper and lower anchors to provide the straps with enough stiffness to effectively hold the door panel within the channel under normal operation. In some embodiments, springs are used to maintain the tension in the straps. The straps are also sufficiently pliable and resilient to allow an impact to dislodge the door panel out from within the channel without damage. The upper or lower anchor is moveable between a normally extended position and a yielded position to prevent an impact from breaking the anchor and may further be biased to the normal position.