Rotary gate

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed to facilitate a rotary gate controller moving from one state to another in a manner wherein the gate controller uses the state condition to determine if an exit is taking place when an entry request has been sent. Once such an occurrence is determined to exist, the MID will send an exit request allowing the exiting customer to continue through the gate. When the internal state changes to going to a home position, the MID will send a new entry request, and the MID will indicate through MID display that the entering customer can pass through the rotary gate. The original payment of the entering customer will have been accepted and will allow the entering customer to proceed through the gate. On completion of the entry rotation, the rotary gate controller will revert back to free exit and restricted entry states.

Claims

1. A rotary gate system comprising a manually powered, bidirectional rotary gate and cage assembly having a bidirectional rotary gate, a rotation direction lock, a cage, an exit and an entry, an entry request controller at the entry, and a rotation direction sensor, the system further including: a processor for recognizing a false entry sequence comprising an entry request from a first customer including an accepted entry payment transaction from the entry request controller whereby a lock against exit direction rotation is initiated, and for recognizing a contemporaneous rotating of the rotary gate moving in an exit direction from a first home position by a second customer by the rotation direction sensor by a manual pushing of the rotary gate by the second customer to cause the moving in the exit direction comprising the false entry sequence whereby the lock against exit direction rotation is precluded, wherein upon reading a second home position of the rotary gate after a continued movement of the rotary gate from the first home position in the cage in the exit direction by the second customer, the entry request is then enabled.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the contemporaneous rotating further comprises a detecting by the rotation direction sensor of the rotary gate at the second home position.

3. The system of claim 2 further including the rotation direction lock to preclude the gate rotating from the detected first home position in an entry direction absent a customer entry request.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the gate rotation lock enables the gate rotating in the exit direction from the first home position during the recognizing of the contemporaneous customer entry request.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein upon the contemporaneous rotating of the rotary gate to the second home position, a subsequent rotating of the rotary gate in the exit direction is precluded until after the rotating of the rotary gate in the entry direction is completed for the enabled first customer entry request.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor includes a media information display recognizing an entry state condition and an exit state condition.

7. A method for operating bidirectional rotary gate and cage assembly of claim to avoid cancellation of the entry request and locking of the gate during the exit rotation due to concurrently occurring exit rotating with the entry request, comprising: sensing with the rotation direction sensor a rotating of the gate in the exit direction while receiving the entry request; allowing the gate to continue to rotate in the exit direction to the first home position for the exit by the second customer of the assembly; and enabling the entry request after the exit by the second customer and allowing rotating of the gate in an entry direction whereby the entry request is accepted as a first entry request.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first entry request is processed by a media information display recognizing an entry state condition and an exit state condition and the sensing of the rotating in the exit direction further includes sensing that the rotary gate is at an entry home position in the cage assembly.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the assembly includes a rotary gate controller and upon the sensing the rotating in the exit direction while receiving the first entry request, the rotary gate controller moves to the exit state condition for the allowing of the gate to continue to rotate in the exit direction.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the rotary gate controller moves to the entry state condition for allowing rotating of the gate in the entry direction upon a sensing of the gate at the exit home position.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor adds the accepted entry payment transaction to a pending queue during the movement of the rotary gate in the exit direction.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein upon the reading of the gate at the second home position, the gate is locked against further rotating in an exit direction, and the entry request is enabled.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bi-directional rotary gate and cage assembly;

(2) FIGS. 2A-2D are sectional planar views of the rotary gate at selected positions within the cage assembly illustrating a prior art problem;

(3) FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a disclosed embodiment comprising a false entry monitor sequence;

(4) FIGS. 4A-4D are sectional planar views of select positions of the rotary gate within the cage assembly in accordance with the disclosed embodiments;

(5) FIGS. 5 and 6 are elevated views of gate rotation locks and sensor assemblies; and

(6) FIG. 7 is an elevated view of a Media Information Display.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) In accordance with the present embodiments, there is disclosed systems and apparatus for monitoring and handling a false entry sequence at a rotary gate and cage assembly 10. With particular reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4A-4D, a false entry sequence may occur when a customer 20 exiting a station secured by the gate and cage assembly 10 (FIG. 4A) approaches with the intention of passing through the cage assembly in an exit direction (Arrow 41). The gate is shown in a home position (FIG. 4A) wherein the gate is in an intermediate mode state and allows a gate rotation for free exit, but requires a payment swipe for entry at MID 16. When the gate is at the home position, the home sensor 14 is made by the positioning of the bar 12 so that cam flag 13 is adjacent to the sensor 14 as shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 4B, entering customer 22 approaches the assembly 10 and swipes the payment card (not shown) at the MID 16 as indicated at block 30. At the time of the entry swipe, the home sensor is made 32 so the MID accepts the entry transaction. However, the exiting customer 20 has engaged the bar 12 and caused the gate to start to rotate in an exit direction 34. This occurs just as the entry MID tries to lock the gate against an exit rotation but since the exit customer has started to move the gate locking does not occur 36. In FIG. 4B, the home sensor 14 (Position 1 home sensor made) is still made 38 and the internal state of the rotary gate controller (not shown) within the MID 16 changes from the rotary gate at home to the rotary gate rotating in an exit direction 40. The rotary gate controller 16 thus recognizes that the internal state of the rotary gate assembly is rotating in an exit direction and that an entry transaction has been accepted but has not yet occurred. The rotary gate controller of the MID then unlocks the exit solenoid and latch mechanism 60 and locks the entry solenoid and latch mechanism 62 and the entry request is added to a pending queue 42 maintained by the controller 16. The MID monitors exit direction movement of the gate via the exit direction sensor 18 recognizing the cam flag 13, and changes the state of assembly to false entry by sending an exit request to the processing order gate controller within the MID 16. This will allow the exit by the exit customer to be completed without interruption, FIG. 4C. At the same time the internal state of the MID changes from rotary gate rotating in an exit direction to rotary gate near to exit home position, awaiting a Position 2 home sensor made as also shown in FIG. 4C whereby the bar 12 has been rotated enough to allow the exiting customer 20 to leave the cage assembly and the entering customer to pass within. The controller decides to lock the entry solenoid 62 until Position 2 home sensor is made to allow time for the exiting customer to exit the gate before it is locked against an exit. This is to prevent any follow-on exit traffic 44. The controller thus waits until the Position 2 home sensor is made 46 before it locks 42 the exiting solenoid and latch mechanism 60. When the Position 2 home sensor is made, another entry request can be sent to the controller effectively as a pendency from the first entry request made in FIG. 4B as the first entry request has been queued by controller 16. This will prevent further exits and allow the previously unsuccessful first entry request to be completed. However, the exiting customer 20 must first have left the cage assembly and the entering customer 22 will have entered the cage assembly so that the rotary gate can be allowed to rotate in the entry direction shown by arrow 43. Thus before the entering customer 22 engages bar 11 to start the entry rotating of the gate, the controller must first detect if the gate is at a home position 50 via alignment of flag 13 and home sensor 14. If so the internal state changes from rotary gate near home position to rotary gate at home position (home sensor made) 52. The entry solenoid 62 is unlocked 54 by the MID sending the pending entry request which was stored in the pending queue 56. FIG. 4D shows that the entering customer 22 has exited the assembly and the gate has returned to a home position where bar 12 is aligned at the Position 1 home sensor mode location. Once there are no more entry requests in the queue the controller reverts to the intermediate mode allowing free exit rotations of the gate and awaiting another entry swipe.

(8) With reference to FIG. 7, the MID 16 is implemented as a computer or other electronic processing device including a microprocessor, microcontroller, or other electronic processor (not shown). The illustrative computer 16 includes a display 70 and one or more user input devices such as card swipe 72 but may also include an illustrative keyboard, trackpad or other pointing device (e.g. mouse, trackball, a touch-sensitive overlay of the display 70, or so forth). The computer 16 or other device including the electronic processor is operatively connected with (e.g. includes or is connected with via a wired or wireless connection) a non-transitory storage medium (not shown) which stores instructions readable and executable by the electronic processor 16 to perform the method for gate operation in accordance with FIG. 3. The non-transitory storage medium may, for example, comprise one or more of: an internal hard disk drive of the computer 16, an external hard drive, a network-accessible hard drive or other magnetic storage medium; a solid state drive (SSD) of the computer 16 or other accessible hard drive or other magnetic storage medium; an optical disk or other optical storage medium; various combinations thereof; or so forth. The computer 16 is programmed by instructions on the non-transitory storage medium to implement the disclosed embodiments.

(9) The foregoing embodiment has the advantage of avoiding a conflict status with the rotary gate at transportation stations when one user swipes his or her payment card to enter while another user pushes from the inside to exit. The rotary gate controller of the MID lets the rotary gate continue to rotate in an exit direction to a next home position before it is locked against exiting rotation, and then it is unlocked against movement in an entry direction upon processing of the pending entry request by the customer who has submitted the entry request and awaits the exit of the exiting customer. The result is an improvement in transportation station throughput and user satisfaction.

(10) The exemplary embodiment has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.