A door operator is a motor that opens and closes automatically doors to enhance accessibility, convenience and safety. Door operators provide access for wheelchairs as well.
Door operators use electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic power. They can also intend to open gates and garages.

In this article I am going to tell you how we include those operators in access control systems.

I guess many people in north America are familiar with entrances with a wall button that opens the door when pushed. If you happened to do so, and the door doesn’t open, it is because the door is under restriction and the entrance through it is controlled with access control system. Or the door operator is in trouble 🤪🤣🤣
Access control systems would allow the button to do its job (opening the door) only if the person is allowed to get in.

Let’s dive in and see how door operators work. Then how access control intervenes to filter entrances.

Types of door operators

There are two major types:

• Sliding door operators.

This kind of doors is used in stores, public buildings and hospitals. It uses sensors, when a person approaches the door opens and closes after a programmable delay.

• Swing door operators.

Used in smaller retailed businesses. Like sliding door operators, they use also sensors to detect approaching persons. In addition to buttons that triggers the door automatic opening and closing.

How a door operator works

When the door operator receives the opening signal, the motor will start to open the door.

The speed of the opening is adjustable and the delay of opening before the door closes back as well.

Now, Let me show you what is the opening signal.

I am going to use Assa Abloy SW200i operator to show you. see the image bellow.

The image shows two push buttons wired to the operator, the wire is hooked with inputs which are respectively Exterior and interior impulse. If we short one of those inputs with the ground, the motor will trigger the action to open the door…. That is the impulse.

When the hold open time elapses, the operator will close automatycally.

Now as we have seen how a door operator works. The image bellow, shows how access control applies on a door with an operator.

The figure of a door operator with access control shows a circuits of wire open at two points whitch are the access control relay and the button.

This means that in order to make a short on the operators input, not only some one should push the button, but the access control should close its relay, that is to say :

• 1 – the person should swipe the access card and must have the access granted. Then
• 2 – Pushes the button.

Other functions of a door operator

• presence detector

When a presence detector is installed on an operator frame, and activated in the opeator. It will keep the door open or close when it detects activity on the field.

This function prevents from hitting the door. widely used in doors where trolleys or equipments are used such as hospitals.

In certain places, the door operator can be wired to open when a presence is detected. this means that there would be no push button. the pulse is triggered by the presence detector…😉😉 Of course, this is not possible form the outside if access control is aplied on the door

• Push and go function

It allows to trigger the door operator by simply pushing the door.

Many other function could be available on door operators. As those machines become more and more sophisticated.

Door operators major players

The door operators market is highly competitive, with many players dominating the industry.

Some of the key players in the market are :

• Stanley Access Technologies.
• ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems.
• Dorma.
• ERREKA.
• Horton.
• Micom Autodoor.
• Normstahl, GEZE, Dortek, MOTION4, Air-Lec Industries, Tormax.

Read more on access control systems here.