CA1222904A

CA1222904A - Revolving door system

Info

Publication number: CA1222904A
Application number: CA000422501A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Stanley R. Heise; Michael D. Blackston; Michael B. Zekich; John L.B. Parselle
Original assignee: ENGINEERED ENTRANCES SYSTEMS Inc; RELATED ENERGY AND SECURITY SYSTEMS Inc
Current assignee: ENGINEERED ENTRANCES SYSTEMS Inc; RELATED ENERGY AND SECURITY SYSTEMS Inc
Priority date: 1982-03-01
Filing date: 1983-02-28
Publication date: 1987-06-16
Also published as: EP0342711A3; EP0087977A2; EP0342711A2; ATE54715T1; DE87977T1; EP0087977A3; US4475308A; DE3381735D1; EP0087977B1

Abstract

Abstract A controller driven revolving door system has facing spaced apart curved panels partially enclosing three equiangularly spaced center shaft coupled wings and defining entry and exit openings. The controller automatically selectively directs traffic flow through the entry and exit openings and is responsive to a microwave motion detector at the entry and a mat switch in a quarter-point position accessable to the exit. A DC motor is coupled by a gearing assembly to the center shaft. The controller monitors current passing through the motor windings sensing shaft rotation. Responsive to the mat switch, the controller applies a resistive load to the DC motor windings to regeneratively brake the rotation of the door. The controller thereafter reverses the polarity of the motor windings causing the door to rotate in a reverse direction and back any individual out of the exit area. Drum edge switches on the curved panels sense interference with foreign objects to cause the controller to regeneratively brake, halting rotation of the center shaft. A handicapped person switch is provided to reduce motor current and reduce shaft rotation speed.

Description

~Z~90~

REVOLVING DOOR SYST~M
Background of the Invention 1. Field of the Invention This invention pertains to revolving doors. More particularly this invention relates to revolving door security and safety syste~s.

2. Description of the Prior Art Automatic and electrical revolving doors have been in use for many years. Electrical revolving doors facilitate rotation particularly in applications where the stack pressure, that is, the pressure differential from the interior to exterior space on opposite sides of the revolving door, is significant. In some applications, mechanical gearing makes manual rotation difficult. Braking systems have also been used in connection with revolving doors for use in emergency events and to prevent unauthorized passage.
Security is oft~n important to prevent unauthorized access to various areas. In some situations, it is necessary to prevent exiting from the revolving door after one has already entered into a security region. It would be desirable to provide such selectively directed access without the necessity and costs of guard stations.
Summary of the Invention According to one aspect, the invention is a security door system for permitting passage of persons therethrough in one authorized direction while preventing persons from trying to pass therethrough in the other unauthori7ed direction, comprising: a rotatable center shaft defining an upright axis capable of 360 degree rotations; a plurality of at least 3 wings circumferentially disposed about the shaft rotatable , 1 ~
_ , , :i2'~290 ~
about the axis; a pair of upright opposing curved panels disposed in facing spaced apart relationship to define a partially enclosed region bounding the wings and defining opposing first and second openings: electrically operated means for rotating the shaft in first and second rotating directions;
means for actuating the door to turn in a first rotating direction to permit an authorized person to pass through the system; means for detecting the presence of a person attempting to pass through the system in the opposite unauthorized direction; means responsive to said detecting means for automatically stopping the rotation of the door and reversing its rotating direction before the unauthorized passage is completed to back the person out toward their point of entry;
and means for automatically re-enabling the rotation of the door in the first rotating direction when the unauthorized peræon is no longer detected, said stopping, reversing and re-enabling functions being performed by said system without human intervention.
According to a second aspect, the invention is a security door system for permitting passage of persons therethrough in one authorized direction while preventing persons from trying to pass therethrough in the other unauthorized direction, comprising: a central axis of rotation; a plurality of at least 3 wings circumferentially spaced about and rotatable about the axis; a pair of upright opposing curved panels disposed in facing spaced apart relationship to define a partially enclosed region bounding the wings and defining opposing first and second openings;
electrically operated means for rotating the wings a~out the axis in first and second rotating directions; means for lZ2290~

actuating the door to turn in a first rotating direction to permit an authorized person to pass through the system; means for detecting the presence of a person attempting to pass through the system in the opposite unauthorized direction;
means responsive to said detecting means for automatically stopping the rotation of the door and reversing its rotating direction before the unauthorized passage is completed to back the person out toward their point of entry; and means for automatically re-enabling the rotation of the door in the first rotating direction when the unauthorized person is no longer detected, said stopping, reversing and re-enabling functions being performed by said system without human intervention.
Brief Description of the Drawings A better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the specification taken in connection with the following drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a revolving door system in accordance with this invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along lines 2-2 of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional elevational view taken along lines 3-3 of Figure l;
Figure 4 is a detailed cross-sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of Figure l;
Figure 5 is a block diagram of the invention depicted in Figure l;
Figure 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of the invention - 2a -., lZ22904 1 ~epi~ted in ~ig. 1;
2 ~ig. 7 is a further diagrammatic plan view of

3 the invention depicted in l~ig. 1; and

4 Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of a different embodiment of the invention depicted in Fig. 1.
6 Detailed Description 7 With particular reference to Fig. 1, a revolving 8 door system 10 in accordance with this invention generally 9 comprises an upright vertical center shaft 12 defining an upright axis and three spaced apart upright panels 11 or wings 14 disposed circumferentially equiangularly about 12 and rotatable about the axis, with the shaft 12. A drum 13 16 is provided for covering the wings 12. The drum 16 14 includes facing substantially semicircular or curved panels 20, 22 partially enclosing the wings 14 and the shaft 16 12 and defining a partially enclosed generally circular 17 region 24. The panels 20, 22 are spaced apart to define 18 opposing entry and exit openings 26, 28. Extending outwardly 19 on opposite sides of the curved panels 20, 22 are front walls 30 for preventing access. The three wings 14 of 21 the revolving door 10 divide the generally circular region 22 24 between the curved panels 20, 22 into three moveable 23 cylindrical segments having a cross section of constant 24 equal area. The shaft 12 and thus the wings 14, though rotatable define into a quarter-point position when any 26 two of the wings 14 enclose a curved panel 20, 22. A
27 mat switch 29 is disposed on the floor within the confines 28 of the quarter-point position bounded by the panel 22 29 and a mat switch 31 is disposed on the floor within the confines of the quarter-point position bounded by the 31 panel 20. The mat switch 29 senses the presense of an 32 individual seeking entry from the exit opening 28. So , -3-~2Z2904 l tllat th~ door may bc used i.~l a r~VCLSe ~IOd~'J Lh~ irl~ r~/~ ' ch ~ 31 also senscs the presense of an individual seekir.g -~L)roper 3 access, w~en the entry 26 and ~xit 28 are reversed As '~ a result of the wing spacing an individual entering one S segment is separa~ed from any individual in eithe-~ adjacent 6 second segment.
7 The drum 16 comprises a ceiling 32 and a _ylindrical 8 vertical facia 34 extending upward from the ceiling 32.
9 As best viewed in Fig. 2, a pair of parallel spaced apart longitudinal rails 36 extend across the ceiling 3'> about 11 the diame-ter of the ceiling 32. A rectangular pla~e 38 12 disposed parallel to the ceiling 32 is joined to the rails ~3 36. As best viewed in Fig. 3, the shaft 12 extends through 14 the ceiling 32. A coaxial coupling 35 couples a rod 37 to the shaft 12. The rod 37 is coupled to a right angle 16 gear assembly 39. A different rod 37 extends upward from 17 an upper bevel gear 45 of the right angle gear assembly 18 39, and terminates in a circular plate 40 above a support 19 plate 41. The circular plate 40 is rotatable wi~h t'ne rod 37, and in this example, at the same speed as the 21 shaft 12. The right angled gear assembly 39 includes 22 a central bevel gear 43 which is coupled by another coaxial 23 coupler 35 to a gearing assembly 42, which in turn is ~4 coupled to a motor reducer 44. An electromechanical brake assembly 47 cou?les the motor reducer 44 to a motor '6.
26 The gearing provided by the right angle gear assembly 27 39 7 the gear box 42 and the motor reducer 47 typically 28 provides a motor to center sha~ gear ratio on the order 29 of 150:1. The motor 46 is typically a 1/4 horsepower 3G motor with a permanent magnet field, though the si~e depends 31 upon the particular installation. The motor 46 operates ~2Z2904 l in coi-nec~ion with Lhe ap~lica~ion of a rcsis~ Icjacl 2 _o regeneratively brake the motor 4O in most si~uations.
3 The combination of the high gear ratio along with -reger-liive 4 or dynamic braking provides sufficient resistance 'LO mov_ment

5 of the wings 14 for all practical purposes to pre~ent

6 manual rotation when regeneratively braked. This results

7 in an economical controller and braking arrangement. However,

8 in installations requiring exceptionally high security,

9 an electromagnetic brake, such as bra~e 47, may also be used to assure that the door is prevented from movemen~
11 when actuated.
12 A controller 48 located above the ceiling 32 13 is electrically coupled to and controls the motor 46, 14 a dynamic brake, when used, and a pair or light boxes 50 for illuminating the door or lighting signs. Three 16 magnets 52 are disposed on the circular plate 38. A pair 17 of proximity switches 54 are coupled adjacent the magnet 18 52 on the support plate 41 to sense the position of the 19 shaft 12. The first proximity switch 54 is used prior to the end of a cycle to direct the shaft 12 to slow down.
21 The other proximity switch 54 defines the end of a cycle, 22 causing the motor 46 to brake. Position sensing is independenc 23 of the starting location of the shaft 12 and the magnets 24 are posi~ioned so that rotation of the wings will always terminate in a quarter point position. The controller 26 48 receives power from an electric box 5S on one of the 27 rails 36.
28 ~ handicap pushbutton switch 58 is disposed 29 adjacent the opening 26 and exit 28. The swi~ch 53 is coupled to the controller to cause the running speed o~
31 the motor 46 to be reduced when actuated.
32 A motion detector 60 such as a microwave de,ector 33 is disposed on the facia 34 adjacent the entry 2S to sense 1~.22 9~4 1 che presense of a person in the reglon of t~le entry 26.
' An example of a suitable d~tector is that of Model D7 3 provided by Microwave Sensors of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
4 Typically the detector defines a region whereby the movement of an object within the general confines of the defined 6 region alters a very low power broad microwave beam, which 7 senses the movement and actuates a relay.
8 With particular reference to Figs. 1 and 4, a drum 9 edge switch 62 is disposed along the vertical edges 64 of the curved panels 20, 22. The drum edge switches 62 sense 11 physical interference between the drum edge 64 and the wings 12 -14, such as a human limb or object. The drum edge switches 13 62 comprise a curved rubber extrusion 66 vertically disposed 14 along the panel edge 64 and joined to a wooden support block 68 adjacent the vertical edge of the curved panels 20, 22.
16 A pair of narrow vertically disposed longitudinal metal plates 17 70 separated by an apertured thin (typically less than 2 .
18 mm.) rubber strip 72 are glued with a silicone compound to 19 the inner surface of the rubber extrusion 66. The interior space of the rubber extrusion is filled with foam rubber 21 74 to give it form. Similar edge switches 62 may be provided 22 for vertical edges of the wings 14 in some examples of the 23 inven~ion. Similarly, door edge switches 63 may be disposed 24 along edges 64 of the wings 14 where a weathe~stripping 65 is shown in Fig. 4.
26 In some examples of the invention a lock 80 and 27 remote switches 81 are available to prevent rotation of the 28 shaft 12, and in other situations to allow remote actuation, 29 bypass and reversing rotation of the shaft 12.
With particular reference to Fig. 5, the con~roller 31 48 comprises a plurality of logic circuits coupled to control 32 the motor 46. In particular, a motion detector circuit 82 3~ is coupled to the motion detectors 60 for sensing the presense ~22X904 ' of an individual in the proximity of the entry opening 26.
2 It should be recognized that in some situations, the entry 3 and e~it openings 26, 28 may be reversed. Thus in the e~/ening, 4 one opening may provide an entry, and in the morning, the same opening may provide an exit. In some embodiments, the 6 mat 31 or a separate mat in front of the opening 26 may be 7 used to detect the presence o an individual in the entry 8 opening 26. A push button circuit 84 and an optional mat 9 circuit 86 may be used to sense the actuation of these devices.
A handicapped button circuit 88 is provided to 11 sense the actuation of either of the handicapped switches 12 58 by handicapped persons to actuate the motor 46 to rotate 13 a slower than normal speed or typically, at half the normal 14 speed.
Coupled to the drum edge switches 62 is a drum 16 edge circuit 90. Similarly, a door edge circuit 92 is provided 17 to sense actuation of door edge switches to cause the motor 18 46 to stop rotation. A mat circuit 94 is provided for sensing 19 the actuation of the mat 29. This indicates the presense of an individual attempting to enter improperly and thus 21 is coupled to cause a stoppage of the motor 46. Similarl~J, 22 the lock circuit 96 responsive to the lock switch 80 and 23 optional remote push button circuit 98 responsive to the 24 remote switch 81 are also responsive to provide an indication ~5 to stop rotation of the motor 46.
26 A motor go circuit lO0 is coupled to and is responsive 27 to the motion detector circuit 82, the optional push button 28 circuit 84 and the optional mat circuit 86. The mo~or go 29 circuit 100 provides an output indication for initiating a rotation of the motor 46 upon receipt of an indication 31 ~rom the motion detection circuit 82, the optional push button 32 circuit 84 or the optional mat circuit 86.
33 A motor slow circuit 102 is responsive to the ' ~L~2~904 L [~ cli~a~ i L ~ O C~U~ rc~lu~ y~ .LC L~ o ' the motoL- ~6. The slow mode o roLa~ion ma~ ~llso b~ us~-3 ac the end o~ a forward rotation cycle, and in a reversirlg 4 mode.
A motor stop circuit 104 is coupled to i~he drum 6 edge circuit 90 to provide an indication to cause che motor 7 to stop rotating in response to interEerences with the door.
8 Presense of an individual on the mat will also r~ill cause 9 an indication signal to lock up the motor. Additionally, ~he stop circuit 104 is coupled to the lock circui~ 96 and 11 the optional remote push button circuit 98 to sense cause 12 the stop circuit 104 to provide a stopping indication output.
13 A torque limiting circuit 106 is coupled to the 14 stop circuit 104. The torque limiting circuit 106 senses lS the current through the windings of the DC motor 46 and thus 16 at the same time indirectly measures the rotation speed of 17 the shaft 12. The torque limiting circuit is coupled to 18 the motor go circuit 102 to enable rotation of the motor 19 46 when the wings 12 are manually rotated, such as in excess of about 2 RPM. The torque limiting circuit 106 is coupled 21 to the motor stop circuit 104 to brake the shaft 12 rotation 22 by applying a load to the windings of the DC motor 46, when 23 rotation in the reverse direction is attempted.
24 A reversing circuit 108 is coupled to the m~otor stop circuit 104. The purpose of the reversing circuit 108 26 is to reverse the polarity of current applied to the motor 27 in various situations. Reversal is required to back an individual 28 out of the drum 16 when approaching rrom the exit 2~ in response 29 to actuation of the mat switch 29 and the mat sensing ci~cuit 94.
31 With particular reference to Figs. l~ 2~ 3, 4, 32 5 and 6, the revolving door system 10 is initially opera~ed 33 by the motion detector 60 sensing the presence of a person --&--,; - , lX22904 1 adjacent the entry 26. The motion d~ect~-r 60 th~. causes 2 the motion detection circuit 82 to provide an indica~ion 3 to the motor go circuit 100. The motor go circuit 100 causes 4 the motor 46 to begin rotation, causing ~he gear box 42 to ro-~ate the center shaft 12 and thus accelerating the revolving 6 door system 10 to the normal run speed. Should the handicapped 7 push button switch 58 be pressed prior to the detection or 8 a person by the motion detector 60 or during rota'_ion of 9 the shaft 12, that indication will be sensed by the handicapped push button circuit 88 causing the motor slow circuit 102 11 to reduce the current to the motor 46. The wings 14 will 12 then rotate at half the normal speed.
13 If a person is not detected by the microwave sensor, 14 the doors can be manually pushed. When the door reaches a speed of 2 RPM, the motor 46 will generate a current sensed 16 by the torque limitlng circuit 106 enabling the motor go 17 circuit 100 to cause the motor 46 to automatically start 18 rotation.
19 Once a rotation of the shaft 12 has been initated, it will continue over a span of 120. As one of the magnets 21 52 closes the first proximity switche 54, an indica~or is 22 provided to the motor 46 to slow down. The second proximity 23 switch is then actuated by the same magnet 52 and causes 24 the current in the motor 54 to be turned off. Irrespec~ive of the position of the wings 14 at the beginning of a cycle, 26 the magnets 52 and proximity switches 54 index the wing 14 27 positions so that the shaft will always stop at a quarter-28 point position enclosing the panel 22. It should be recognized 29 that in some examples, it may be desirable to maintain a forward rotation of the door, particularly during busy hours, 31 continually at at least the slower handicapped speed.

32 Interference with a foreign object is sensed by 33 the drum edge switches 62. The interference of an object _9_ _ _ . . _ ~ . . ~ _ . _ l ~itl~ ~he rubber extrusion 66 causes a contactirlg Jf the rllecal ~ plates 70 along the apertures of the rubber strip 7~ Tnis 3 closure of the drum edge switch &2 c~uses an indication to 4 be provided by the drum edge circuit 90 to cause the mvtor s~op circuit 104 to brake the motor 46. Braking will be c maintained for about 5 seconds until after the drum edge 7 switch 62 has been cleared, after which the door system lO
8 will automatically continue its rorward rotation.
9 With reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 7, when the exit mat on the opposite side of the door system 10 that is being 11 used isg used is stepped on, the mat circuit 94 causes the 12 motor stop circuit 104 to regeneratively brake for a quick 13 stop. The alarm circuit 112 will energize and remain energized 14 as long as the mat switch 29 is on and~enabled. After about one second, the reversing circuit 108 is actuated and the 16 door system 10 automatically reverses direction and accelerates 17 to the handicapped speed until the door has reached a quarter-18 point position as sensed by the proximity switches 54. It 19 then stops and restarts automatically in the forward direction at the original speed, the motor go circuit 100 otherwise ~1 being enabled. Thus, if an individual attempted to enter 22 the exit 28 when another individual was seeking proper entry, 23 both individuals would be backed out, after whcih the individual 24 seeking proper entry could then pass through.
Should an individual seek to reverse the rotation 26 of the door, entering from the exit 28, the torque limiting 27 circuit 106 wilL sense a current flow of reversed polarity, 28 and will direct the motor and brake circuit llO to regeneratively 29 brake. The greater the force applied to the wings 14~ the greater the resistance from regenerative braking.
31 In some situations it may be desirable to have 32 more than three wings on the revolving door, though a preferred

-10 -i example here does show three wings. By limiting the d-entions, - the possibility of pi~gybacking two people through the sa~e 3 revolving door section can be eliminated ror all practical 4 purposes.
In some high security situations, a card~reader 6 120 may be incorporated to limit access through the entry 7 26, as shown in Fig. 8. The card reader 120 may be subs~ituted 8 for the motion detector 60. A second card reader 120 at 9 the exit 28 may be used to allow two way traffic or to reverse entry and exits 26, 28.
ll Thus a revolving door system has been shown which 12 prevents unauthorized exiting and causes individuals who 13 have attempted wrongful entry to be carefully removed from 14 the door without the necessity or presense of a guard.
While the invention has been shown and described 16 with respect to preferred examples thereof, it will be understood 17 that changes in the system may be made within the scope of 18 the claims without departing from the spirit and scope of 19 the invention.

-11-r~

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A security door system for permitting passage of persons therethrough in one authorized direction while preventing persons from trying to pass therethrough in the other unauthorized direction, comprising: a rotatable center shaft defining an upright axis capable of 360 degree rotations;
a plurality of at least 3 wings circumferentially disposed about the shaft rotatable about the axis; a pair of upright opposing curved panels disposed in facing spaced apart relationship to define a partially enclosed region bounding the wings and defining opposing first and second openings;
electrically operated means for rotating the shaft in first and second rotating directions; means for actuating the door to turn in a first rotating direction to permit an authorized person to pass through the system; means for detecting the presence of a person attempting to pass through the system in the opposite unauthorized direction; means responsive to said detecting means for automatically stopping the rotation of the door and reversing its rotating direction before the unauthorized passage is completed to back the person out toward their point of entry; and means for automatically re-enabling the rotation of the door in the first rotating direction when the unauthorized person is no longer detected, said stopping, reversing and re-enabling functions being performed by said system without human intervention.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said electrical rotating means includes circuitry for effecting regenerative braking when the shaft is stopped so that the doors may not be moved when the system is not rotating under power.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein said electrical rotating means includes circuitry for sensing manual rotation of the shaft in an authorized direction and initiating powered response thereto while detecting attempted manual rotation in the opposite unauthorized direction and causing regenerative braking in response thereto.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the electrical rotating means has a first speed and second slower speed which may be selected.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein said shaft rotates at said second speed when rotating in the reverse direction.

6. A system according to claim 1 in which the panels have vertical upright edges movable adjacent the curved panels, the panels comprising an edge switch for sensing the presence of foreign objects in the vicinity of the drum edge and the interior of the curved panels, the edge switch coupled to the electrical rotating means for braking the shaft upon sensing a foreign object in the vicinity of the edge.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein said electrical rotating means includes means to rotate the shaft at a first speed and delay means for providing a time interval between the stopping of the shaft in response to the presence of an attempted unauthorized passage and a reverse rotation of the shaft.

8. A security door system for permitting passage of persons therethrough in one direction while ejecting persons trying to pass therethrough in the other direction, comprising:
a rotatable center shaft defining an upright axis capable of 360 degree rotation; a plurality of at least 3 wings circumferentially disposed about the shaft rotatable about the axis; a pair of upright opposing curved panels disposed in facing spaced apart relationship to define a partially enclosed region bounding the wings and defining opposing first and second openings; electrically operated means for rotating the shaft in first and second rotating directions; means for actuating the door to turn in a first rotating direction to permit an authorized person to pass through the system; means for monitoring the rotation and position of the wings and including index means for stopping the rotation of the shaft at plural predetermined positions defined by quarter-point positions of the wings and panels; means for detecting the presence of a person attempting to pass through the system in the opposite unauthorized direction; means responsive to said detecting means for automatically stopping the rotation of the door and reversing its rotating direction to a point not further than the quarter-point position before the unauthorized passage is completed to back the person out toward their point of entry; and means for automatically re-enabling the rotation of the door in the first rotating direction when the unauthorized person is no longer detected, said stopping, reversing and re-enabling functions being automatically performed by said system without human intervention.

9. A revolving door system comprising: a rotatable center shaft defining an upright axis; a plurality of wings circumferentially disposed about the shaft rotatable about the axis; a pair of upright opposing panels disposed in facing spaced apart relationship to define a partially enclosed region bounding the wings and defining opposing first and second openings; means for rotating the shaft including a DC electric motor: and controller means for actuating the shaft rotating means in a forward rotation direction including means for coupling the motor in a regenerative mode to brake the rotation of the center shaft and in which the controller provides for an initial actuation of the shaft at a first rotational speed, and means for actuating the shaft at a second rotational speed less than the first rotational speed; first sensing means for detecting the presence of a person entering the partially enclosed region from the first opening, the controller means responsive to the first sensing means for stopping rotation of the shaft means in the forward rotational direction and for thereafter actuating the rotation means in a direction opposite the first direction; second sensing means responsive to a person at the second opening to initiate a normal rotation cycle; whereby a person attempting to pass from the first opening to the second opening is prevented from doing so and is forced back to the first opening.

10. A security door system for permitting passage of persons therethrough in one authorized direction while prevent-ing persons from trying to pass therethrough in the other unauthorized direction, comprising: a central axis of rotation;
a plurality of at least 3 wings circumferentially spaced about and rotatable about the axis; a pair of upright opposing curved panels disposed in facing spaced apart relationship to define a partially enclosed region bounding the wings and defining oppos-ing first and second openings; electrically operated means for rotating the wings about the axis in first and second rotating directions; means for actuating the door to turn in a first rotating direction to permit an authorized person to pass through the system; means for detecting the presence of a person attempting to pass through the system in the opposite unauthorized direction; means responsive to said detecting means for automatically stopping the rotation of the door and reversing its rotating direction before the unauthorized passage is completed to back the person out toward their point of entry;
and means for automatically re-enabling the rotation of the door in the first rotating direction when the unauthorized person is no longer detected, said stopping, reversing and re-enabling functions being performed by said system without human interven-tion.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein said electrical rotating means includes circuitry for effecting regenerative braking when the wings are stopped so that the door may not be moved when the system is not rotating under power.

12. A system according to claim 10 wherein said electrical rotating means includes circuitry for sensing manual rotation of the wings about the axis in an authorized direction and init-iating powered response thereto while detecting attempted manual rotation in the opposite unauthorized direction and causing regenerative braking in response thereto.

13. A system according to claim 10 wherein the electrical rotating means has a first speed and second slower speed which may be selected.

14. A system according to claim 10 wherein said wings rotate about the axis at said second speed when rotating in the reverse direction.

15. A system according to claim 10 in which the panels have vertical upright edges movable adjacent the curved panels, the panels including an edge switch for sensing the presence of foreign objects in the vicinity of the edge and the interior of the curved panels, the edge switch coupled to the electrical rotating means for braking the rotation of the wings upon sensing a foreign object in the vicinity of the edge.

16. A system according to claim 10 wherein said electrical rotating means includes means to rotate the wings about the axis at a first speed and delay means for providing a time interval between the stopping of the wings in response to the presence of an attempted unauthorized passage and a reverse rotation of the wings.

17. A security door system for permitting passage of persons therethrough in one direction while ejecting persons trying to pass therethrough in the other direction, comprising:
a central axis of rotation; a plurality of at least 3 wings cir-cumferentially spaced about and rotatable around the axis; a pair of upright opposing curved panels disposed in facing spaced apart relationship to define a partially enclosed region bounding the wings and defining opposing first and second openings;

electrically operated means for rotating the wings about the axis in first and second rotating directions; means for actuating the door to turn in a first rotating direction to permit an auth-orized person to pass through the system; means for monitoring the rotation and position of the wings and including index means for stopping the rotation of the wings about the axis at plural predetermined positions defined by quarter-point positions of the wings and panels; means for detecting the presence of a person attempting to pass through the system in the opposite unauthorized direction; means responsive to said detecting means for automatically stopping the rotation of the door and reversing its rotating direction to a point not further than the quarter-point position before the unauthorized passage is com-pleted to back the person out toward their point of entry; and means for automatically re-enabling the rotation of the door in the first rotating direction when the unauthorized person is no longer detected, said stopping, reversing and re-enabling functions being automatically performed by said system without human intervention.

18. A revolving door system comprising; a central axis of rotation; a plurality of wings circumferentially spaced about and rotatable around the axis; a pair of upright opposing panels disposed in facing spaced apart relationship to define a parti-ally enclosed region bounding the wings and defining opposing first and second openings; means for rotating the wings about the axis including a DC electric motor; and controller means for actuating the rotating means in a forward rotation direction including means for coupling the motor in a regenerative mode to brake the rotation of the wings and in which the controller provides for an initial actuation of the wing rotation at a first rotational speed, and means for actuating the wing rotation at a second rotational speed less that the first rotational speed;

first sensing means for detecting the presence of a person entering the partially enclosed region from the first opening, the controller means responsive to the first sensing means for stopping rotation of the rotating means in the forward rotational direction and for thereafter actuating the rotating means in a direction opposite the first direction; second sensing means responsive to a person at the second opening to initiate a normal rotation cycle; whereby a person attempting to pass in the unauthorized direction from the first opening to the second opening is prevented from doing so and is forced back to the first opening, while a person is allowed to pass in the authorized direction from the second opening to the first opening.