Abstract: An anticatching device for automatic doors or windows, especially of vehicles. The motion of the door or window is divided into several segments and the time required to pass through a segment is compared with a given time interval. These given time intervals are obtained by storing the time intervals measured during each preceding motion of the door between the same positions. Once the time intervals have been compared, a control signal that stops or reverses the motion of the door is released only when the measured value is greater by a predetermined tolerance than the stored value. To determine the position and direction of motion of the door, the successive position signals are assigned values that are compared and this comparison produces a signal that indicates whether the door is opening or closing.