Saving costs with intelligent door opening system

Wherever high-speed doors are installed in production and goods distribution centres, customers will benefit from the new Door Control module offered as part of Linde Material Handling’s (MH) innovative Safety Guard assistance system. The intelligent control system enables communication between industrial trucks and infrastructure, thus avoiding above all, high costs due to collision damage.

High-speed doors can be found in businesses of all sizes and in all industrial sectors. They enable the rapid passage from indoor to outdoor areas and at the same time help to maintain constant temperatures in production and logistics buildings, protect workers from unhealthy drafts, deter the entry of birds and unauthorised persons and prevent contamination.

However, the positive effects of high-speed doors are partially diminished by the fact that they are repeatedly subject to damaging incidents, including those involving industrial trucks. One example in this context is the collisions that occur when the roller shutters are not yet fully open at the time that entry is attempted. In most cases, this only leads to property damage, but these instances can add up to considerable costs if rolling doors and forklifts are in need of repair or transported goods are damaged.

“A single accident can quickly result in costs in the five-digit euro range,” Fabian Zimmermann, Product Manager Safety Solutions, recalls from practical experience. “Drivers are often under pressure to meet deadlines or their minds are simply elsewhere and therefore not paying attention,” says the expert, citing possible causes of collision damage.

“Using the Safety Guard Door Control, our customers can now effectively defuse this accident-prone area and thus avoid costs and disruptions to their operations,” says Zimmermann, describing the benefits of the new safety feature.

Forklift speed is adjusted as needed

Like the Linde Safety Guard assistance system, the new Door Control function is based on ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. The truck communicates with the building infrastructure via high-frequency radio waves. When a truck approaches a rolling door, its travel speed is gradually reduced and the door opens automatically. To accomplish this, the intelligent system determines the distance between the permanently installed units on the forklift and the high-speed door to within 10cm. After passing, the door closes again and the forklift driver can continue on at the usual speed.

To prevent the door from being triggered by passing forklifts or to prevent neighbouring doors from opening, the size and shape of the zones around it (spherical or rectangular) can be adjusted to suit the specific needs. Yet another advantage of this technology is that the doors are only open for as long as necessary.