A doorway system for a robotic vehicle that accesses a separated area through a barrier that has a doorway formed through it. The system includes a wireless transmitter that transmits an electronic signal from the robotic vehicle, and a door movably disposed within the doorway, between a closed position and an open position. A doorway device with a wireless receiver that is coupled to a locking mechanism is configured to selectively engage and lock the door at the closed position, and unlock the door upon receipt of the electronic signal by the wireless receiver. Movement of the robotic vehicle toward the doorway device enables communication of the electronic signal from the wireless transmitter to the wireless receiver. Upon passage of the robotic vehicle through the doorway to the separated area, and return of the door to the closed position, the controller controls the locking mechanism to engage and lock the door.

A device and method for automatically closing a tailgate of a motor vehicle having a body and a tailgate closing device, is described. The tailgate closing device comprises first and second closing elements. A suspension strut is situated on a first side of the tailgate and a power strut is situated on a second side of the tailgate opposite the first side. The suspension strut and the power strut are both connected to the tailgate and to the body. The first closing element is situated on the tailgate and the second closing element is situated on the body. The first and second closing elements are designed to engage into each other during the closing of the tailgate to effectuate the closure of the tailgate. The torque acting via the power strut onto the tailgate is reduced during the closing of the tailgate when the distance between the first and second closing elements is less than a threshold value.

An exemplary modular hold-open device is configured for use with a door closer comprising a body, a pinion rotatably mounted to the body, and an armature connected with the pinion. The modular hold-open device is configured to be mounted to the door closer, to selectively prevent rotation of the pinion by exerting on the pinion a resistive torque in a door-opening direction, and to cease exerting the resistive torque in response to a door-closing torque on the pinion exceeding a threshold torque to thereby permit rotation of the pinion in the door-closing direction.

A refrigerator and a controlling method thereof are provided. The refrigerator includes a main body including first and second doors, a first motor for opening the first door and a second motor for opening the second door, and a processor configured to, based on a user command for opening the door being obtained, start driving the first motor to open the first door, and after a first time from the time when the first motor has started being driven, start driving the second motor to open the second door.

A safety cabinet includes an enclosure and at least one door to selectively seal the enclosure. The safety cabinet can be used to store, for example, flammable liquids, flammable waste, corrosives, pesticides, or combustible waste. The safety cabinet incorporates a thermally-actuated damper that includes a body, a valve plate, and a pivot assembly. The valve plate is disposed within the passage of the body such that the valve plate is movable between an open position and a closed position. The pivot assembly includes a biasing system adapted to bias the valve plate to the closed position and a fusible link interconnected between the body and the biasing system to constrain the valve plate from moving from the open position to the closed position. The fusible link is configured to melt at a predetermined temperature to thereby allow the biasing system to move the valve plate to the closed position.

A hinge includes a hinge arm, a hinge cup, at least one resilient member, and a retaining member. The hinge cup is pivotally connected with respect to the hinge arm and includes a receiving room. The resilient member is mounted in the receiving room of the hinge cup. The retaining member is mounted at the resilient member.

A combination door operator assembly and door, wherein the door operator assembly includes an operator unit mounted to the door on the pushing side thereof, an arm linkage having a driving arm and a driven arm, a second mounting bracket preferably on the frame of the door, a rechargeable power storage pack having at least one of a rechargeable battery and one or more capacitors, and a controller, for monitoring a speed and a position of the door, wherein when the door moves faster than a predetermined speed, the motor is used as a generator to charge the rechargeable power storage pack and the speed of the door is reduced.

A braking device for a movable door wing comprises an electric motor operated as a generator with a motor shaft which is rotatable by a movement of the door wing and which expends motion-dependent motor voltage at a contact pair, as well as a braking circuit upon which the motor voltage is applied or applicable and via which, the contact pair is short-circuitable in order to dampen a movement of the door wing. It is provided that the braking circuit comprises two anti-serially arranged field-effect transistors wherein their drain terminals are connected each to another contact of the contact pair and wherein their source terminals are connected to each other and preferably also connected to earth or a zero line, so that the contact pair is short-circuited depending on the switching state of the field effect transistors. Alternatively or in addition to such a design of the braking circuit, provision is made that the electric motor is designed as a brushless electric motor with a plurality of stator coils, in each of which an AC voltage is induced as a function of the movement of the door wing, and that one of the AC voltages induced in the stator coils is outputted at the contact pair. The braking circuit comprises a partial braking circuit to which the alternating voltage output on the contact pair is applied or can be applied and via which, the contact pair can be short-circuited.

A braking device for a movable door leaf comprises an electric motor operated as a generator, whose shaft is rotatable through a movement of the door leaf and at whose terminals a movement-dependent motor voltage is created and a brake circuit to which the motor voltage is applied or could be applied and which can be short-circuited via the motor terminals to dampen movement of the door leaf. In addition, the braking device comprises an emergency brake circuit to which the motor voltage is applied or applicable and via which the motor terminals can be short-circuited to dampen a movement of the door leaf. In doing so, means are provided which are designed to detect the presence of a malfunction of the brake circuit and to short-circuit the motor terminals via the emergency brake circuit when the presence of a malfunction of the brake circuit is detected.

An emergency door closing device that can be installed upon existing doors and hinges to automatically close doors in the response to smoke and fire. The improvements incorporated therein include a hinge cam pivot member that attaches to an existing hinge member of a door and produces a moment force about the existing hinge member allowing a reduced force necessary to pivot the door into a closed position. Further, a novel spring, cam, and lever system is incorporated to activate the moment force to close the door.