The innovation that is the automatic door is not just a product of recent history’s technological advances. The concept has been around for about half a century now and is still progressing and improving.
At present, there are a lot of choices for good manufacturers and distributors for automatic doors. Utah has many suppliers offering different styles and types that will match your home’s style. You have many options to choose from, but do you know which ones are in the market?
Types of Automatic Doors
- Sliding doors are frequently used for two-way traffic. They mostly come in single slide, bi-part slide, and telescopic slide configurations.
- Swinging doors are directional or narrow passage one-way doors. These come in single, pair, or double-doors.
- Folding doors are used for tight spaces. Pedestrians can walk in any direction through these single-fold or bi-fold doors.
- There are also low-energy swinging doors that can be activated by a push-button. These are for areas that are used by the physically-challenged, such as people with disabilities and senior citizens. These come in single, pair, or double door variants.
- Revolving doors are used in areas with heavy foot traffic. Its design allows people to enter and exit a place simultaneously. These are energy-efficient and prevent drafts from reducing the heating or cooling system of a building. They come in two-wing, three-wing, and four-wing designs.
How They Work
Generally, there are two categories for automatic doors: low-energy and high-energy doorways.
Low-energy doorways require a “knowing act” system that allows handicaps and pedestrians safe passage through the doorway. At its most basic form, it is powered by a motor activated by the push of a button. It is then held open for a certain time frame to allow the physically-challenged to pass through it.
In recent years, motion sensors have been incorporated into the system to keep the doors open for as long as there are people within its scope of “vision.”
High-energy doorways, on the other hand, have approach sensors that detect motion from a certain distance that triggers its mechanism.
One of the first sensors used was the control mat sensor or pressure sensor, that detected a change in pressure on certain areas in front of the doorway. A specific weight was set to trigger the sensor, usually lower than the average human weight, that runs the mechanism.
Nowadays, motion, optical, and infrared sensors are used for automatic doors. Motion and optical sensors detect, or “look for” physical activity to open doors. Infrared sensors detect changes in their surroundings and look for a body’s heat signature to trigger the door’s mechanism.
These different types of sensors are connected to a drive train attached to the doors’ panels which opens the doors at the slightest sign of any pressure, motion, or heat changes.
Proper Maintenance
Most of the automatic doors available in the market now are durable and safe as there are certain industry standards set for manufacturers. However, for automatic doors to remain efficient and safe, proper and regular maintenance must be observed.
These routine check-ups and repairs help ensure the sensors and mechanisms are in good working order to prevent any door-related mishap or accident.
Automatic doors utilize complex technology to function well. They are convenient and quite safe to use. Technology has made it possible for people to make homes accessible whatever the condition of their occupants.
