Door
From WikID
 [+] Electronics
[+] Interfaces
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A door provides access to an otherwise closed space and is often accompanied by windows. It is usually at least person-sized.
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History
Please focus on recent predecessors and development.
Subdivision
Hinged doors
Most doors are hinged along one side to allow the door to pivot away from the doorway in one direction but not in the other. The axis of rotation is usually vertical. In some cases, such as hinged garage doors often horizontal, above the door opening.
Doors can be hinged so that the axis of rotation is not in the plane of the door to reduce the space required on the side to which the door opens. This requires a mechanism so that the axis of rotation is on the side other than that in which the door opens. This is sometimes the case in trains, such as for the door to the toilet, which opens inward.
A swing door has special hinges that allow it to open either outwards or inwards, and is usually sprung to keep it closed.
Sliding doors
It is often useful to have doors which slide along tracks, often for space or aesthetic considerations.
A bypass door is a door unit that has two or more sections. The doors can slide in either direction along one axis on parallel overhead tracks, sliding past each other. They are most commonly used in closets, in order to access one side of the closet at a time. The doors in a bypass unit will overlap slightly when viewed from the front, in order not to have a visible gap between them.
Doors which slide between two wall panels are called pocket doors.
Sliding glass doors are common in many houses, particularly as an entrance to the backyard. Such doors are also popular for use for the entrances to commercial structures.
A tambour door is made of narrow horizontal slats and "rolls" up and down by sliding along vertical tracks and is typically found in entertainment centres and cabinets.
Folding doors
Folding doors (or accordion doors) have an multiple panels which fold upon one another.
Rotating doors
A revolving door normally has four wings/leaves that hang on a center shaft and rotate one way about a vertical axis. The door may be motorized, or pushed manually using pushbars. People can walk out of and into the building at the same time. Between the point of access and the point of exit the user walks through an airlock. Revolving doors therefore create a good seal from the outside and help to reduce the climate control costs of the building.
A butterfly door called because of its two "wings". It consists of a double-wide panel with its rotation axle in the centre, effectively creating two separate openings when the door is opened. Butterfly doors are made to rotate open in one direction (usually counterclockwise), and rotate closed in the opposite direction. The door is not equipped with handles, so it is a "push" door. This is for safety, because if it could open in both directions, someone approaching the door might be caught off-guard by someone else opening the other side, thus impacting the first person. Such doors are popular in public transit stations, as it has a large capacity, and when the door is opened, traffic passing in both directions keeps the door open. They are particularly popular in underground subway stations, because they are heavy, and when air currents are created by the movement of trains, the force will be applied to both wings of the door, thus equalizing the force on either side, keeping the door shut.
French Doors derived from an original French design called the casement door, can be created with two out-swinging or in-swinging door panels or two sliding panels or pocket doors.
Others
An up-and-over door is often used in garages. Instead of hinges it has a mechanism, often counterbalanced or torsion sprung, that allows it to be lifted so that it rests horizontally above the opening. Also known as an overhead door. A roller shutter is one variant of this type.
Automatic doors are powered open and closed either by power, spring, or both. There are several methods by which an automatic door is activated:
- A sensor detects traffic is approaching. Sensors for automatic doors are generally:
- A pressure sensor - e.g., a floor mat which reacts to the pressure of someone standing on it.
- An infrared curtain or beam which shines invisible light onto sensors; if someone or something blocks the beam the door is triggered open.
- A motion sensor which uses low-power microwave radar for the same effect.
- A remote sensor (e.g. based on infrared or radio waves) can be triggered by a portable remote control, or is installed inside a vehicle. These are popular for garage doors.
- A switch is operated manually, perhaps after security checks. This can be a push button switch or a swipe card.
- The act of pushing or pulling the door triggers the open and close cycle. These are also known as power-assisted doors.
In addition to activation sensors automatic doors are generally fitted with safety sensors. These are usually an infrared curtain or beam, but can be a pressure mat fitted on the swing side of the door. The purpose of the safety sensor is to prevent the door from colliding with an object in its path by stopping or slowing its motion.
Inward opening doors are doors that can only be opened (or forced open) from outside a building. Such doors pose a substantial fire risk to occupants of occupied buildings when they are locked. As such doors can only be forced open from the outside, building occupants would be prevented from escaping. In commercial and retail situations manufacturers have included in the design a mechanism that allows an inward opening door to be pushed open outwards in the event of an emergency (which is often a regulatory requirement). This is known as a 'breakaway' feature. Pushing the door outward at its closed position, through a switch mechanism, disconnects power to the latch and allows the door to swing outward. Upon returning the door to the closed position, power is restored. The automatic doors were invented by a company called Grupsa System in Spain.
Operation
A door can be opened to give access and closed more or less securely using a combination of latches and locks.
Functioning
A Door is a moveable barrier used to cover an opening. When open, they admit ventilation and light. The door is used to control the physical atmosphere within a space by enclosing it, excluding air drafts, so that interiors may be more effectively heated or cooled. Doors are significant in preventing the spread of fire. They act as a barrier to noise.
- A trapdoor is a door that is oriented horizontally in a floor or ceiling, often accessed via a ladder.
- Blast-proof doors are constructed to allow access to a structure but also to provide protection from the force of explosions.
- A garden door is any door that opens to a garden or backyard. It is often used specifically for double French doors in place of a sliding glass door. In such a configuration, it has the advantage of a very large opening for moving large objects in and out.
- A pet door (also known as a doggy door or cat flap) is an opening in a door to allow pets to enter and exit without the main door being opened. It may be simply covered by a rubber flap or it may be an actual door hinged on the top that the pet can push through. Pet doors may be mounted in a sliding glass door as a new (permanent or temporary) panel. Pet doors may be unidirectional, only allowing pets to exit. Pet doors may be electronic, only allowing pets with a special electronic tag to enter.
Usage
Doors are used widely and are found in walls or partitions of a building or space, furniture such as cupboards, cages, vehicles, and containers. Doors are nearly universal in buildings of all kinds, allowing passage between the inside and outside, and between internal rooms. They are also used to screen areas of a building for aesthetic purposes, keeping formal and utility areas separate. Doors also have an aesthetic role in creating an impression of what lies beyond. Doors are often symbolically endowed with ritual purposes, and the guarding or receiving of the keys to a door, or being granted access to a door can have special significance.
Competitive products
Windows are transparent, but are often smaller than person-sized and cannot always be opened.
Standards
Please add standards per geographic region.
Recent patents
- US U.S. Patent 2,724,258 – Fire exit lock
References
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