Motorized door assembly with safety features for heated cabinet
A heated cabinet including door assembly having a door positioned between opposing jambs of a door frame, wherein the door is pivotable, about a pivot axis, between an open position and a closed position. The door assembly includes a motor assembly operably connected to the door to pivot the door about the pivot axis and a control board operatively coupled to the motor assembly. The door assembly further has a first break beam emitter mounted to one of the opposing jambs and a first break beam receiver mounted to another of the opposing jambs and operatively connected to the control board. The first break beam emitter and first break beam receiver are disposed along a beam axis extending parallel to the pivot axis and proximate to an edge of the door adjacent to the pivot axis. The door assembly is configured such that interruption of a beam projected between the first break beam emitter and the first break beam receiver alters operation of the motor assembly.
1. A heated cabinet including door assembly comprising:
a door positioned between opposing jambs of a door frame, wherein the door is pivotable, about a pivot axis, between an open position and a closed position;
a motor assembly operably connected to the door to pivot the door about the pivot axis;
a control board operatively coupled to the motor assembly;
a first break beam emitter mounted to one of the opposing jambs; and
a first break beam receiver mounted to another of the opposing jambs and operatively connected to the control board, wherein the first break beam emitter and the first break beam receiver are disposed along a beam axis extending parallel to the pivot axis and proximate to an edge of the door adjacent to the pivot axis, and wherein the door assembly is configured such that interruption of a beam projected between the first break beam emitter and the first break beam receiver alters operation of the motor assembly.
2. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the assembly is configured such that interruption of the beam projected parallel to the beam axis between the first break beam emitter and the first break beam receiver alters a signal of the operative connections to the control board, which alteration of the signal in turn causes the control board to alter operation of the motor assembly.
3. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the pivot axis is oriented horizontally.
4. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the first break beam emitter comprises a LED and a light pipe disposed over an emitting surface of the LED, wherein the light pipe extends through the one of the opposing jambs.
5. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the one of the opposing jambs is structurally hollow.
6. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein at least one of the opposing jambs is filled with thermal insulation material.
7. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the first break beam receiver comprises a photodiode and a light pipe disposed over a receiving surface of the photodiode, wherein the light pipe extends through the another one of the opposing jambs.
8. The cabinet of claim 7 wherein the other one of the opposing jambs is structurally hollow.
9. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the control board is configured, upon interruption of the beam, to stop operation of the motor assembly.
10. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the control board is configured, upon interruption of the beam while the motor assembly is moving the door, to reverse movement of the door.
11. The cabinet of claim 1 the opposing jambs of the door frame are both oriented vertically.
12. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the beam is configured to pass through an opening in at least one of the opposing jambs.
13. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the beam is configured to pass through an opening in both of the opposing jambs.
14. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein one of the opposing jambs has a pair of spaced apart walls defining a space therebetween, wherein the associated one of the first break beam emitter or the first break beam receiver positioned outside the space.
15. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein the one of the opposing jambs has pair of spaced apart walls defining a space therebetween, and wherein the beam is configured to pass through an opening in both of the walls.
16. The cabinet of claim 1 further comprising a supplemental door positioned between the opposing jambs, wherein the supplemental door is positioned vertically above or vertically below the door, wherein the door and the supplemental door each provide access, while in the open position, to an associated enclosed space, wherein each enclosed space is configured to be maintained at an elevated temperature for storing foodstuffs.
17. The cabinet of claim 1 further comprising:
a second break beam emitter mounted to one of the opposing jambs; and
a second break beam receiver mounted to another one of the opposing jambs and operatively connected to the same or the other such control board, wherein the second break beam emitter and the second break beam receiver are disposed along another beam axis oriented parallel to the pivot axis and positioned on an opposite side of the door relative to the pivot axis, and wherein the assembly is configured such that interruption of another beam projected along the another beam axis between the second break beam emitter and the second break beam receiver alters operation of the motor assembly.
18. The cabinet of claim 17 wherein the assembly is configured such that upon interruption of the same beam or the another beam the associated control board stops operation of the motor assembly.
19. A method for operating a door assembly of a cabinet comprising:
accessing or providing a door assembly including a door positioned between opposing jambs of a door frame, wherein the door is pivotable, about a pivot axis, between an open position and a closed position, a motor assembly operably connected to the door to pivot the door about the pivot axis, a control board operatively coupled to the motor assembly, a first break beam emitter mounted to one of the opposing jambs, and a first break beam receiver mounted to another of the opposing jambs and operatively connected to the control board, wherein the first break beam emitter and the first break beam receiver are disposed along a beam axis extending parallel to the pivot axis and either proximate to an edge of the door adjacent to the pivot axis, or proximate to an edge of the door opposite the pivot axis; and
causing or enabling the door to pivot about the pivot axis such that interruption of a beam projected between the first break beam emitter and the first break beam receiver alters operation of the motor assembly.
20. A motorized door assembly comprising:
a door positioned between opposing jambs of a door frame and pivotable about a pivot axis between an open position and a closed position; and
a motor assembly operatively coupled to the door, the motor assembly comprising:
a motor;
a slip clutch; and
a driven shaft operably connected to the door to pivot the door about the pivot axis;
wherein the slip clutch includes a clutch plate that is slidable along the driven shaft, a drive plate driven by the motor, and a clutch biasing member urging the clutch plate into engagement with the drive plate, wherein the clutch plate has a profiled face and the drive plate has a counter-profiled face for engagement with the profiled face.