Linde MH: Save costs with intelligent door opening

Wherever high-speed doors are installed in production and goods distribution centres, users can benefit from the new Door Control module of the innovative Safety Guard assistance system from Linde Material Handling (MH). The intelligent door control system enables industrial trucks and infrastructure to communicate with each other, thus avoiding high costs due to collision damage.

High-speed doors can be found in companies of all sizes and in all sectors, because they enable rapid passage from the inside to the outside and at the same time ensure constant temperatures in production and logistics halls, protect workers from unhealthy draughts, block access for birds and unauthorised persons and prevent soiling. However, the positive effects are partly diminished by the fact that incidents, including with industrial trucks, occur time and again at the high-speed doors. One example is collisions when the roller shutter is not yet fully open at the time of passage. Then there is a crash in the truest sense of the word. Most of the time, there is only property damage, but this can add up to high amounts if roller shutters and forklifts have to be repaired 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, knows from practical experience. “The drivers are often under pressure to meet deadlines or they are simply preoccupied with other things and therefore inattentive,” says the expert, citing possible causes of collision damage. “With the Safety Guard Door Control, our customers can now effectively defuse this accident-prone area and thus avoid costs and disruptions in the operating process,” Zimmermann describes the benefits of the new safety function.

Forklift speed is controlled 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 radio waves in the high-frequency range: when a truck approaches a roller shutter, its travel speed is gradually reduced and the door opens automatically. For this purpose, the intelligent system determines the distance between the permanently installed units on the forklift and the high-speed door with an accuracy of ten centimetres. After passing through, the door closes again and the forklift driver can continue his journey at the usual speed.

To prevent the door opening from being triggered by passing forklifts or neighbouring doors from opening, the size and shape of the zones (spherical or rectangular) can be adjusted to suit the user. Another advantage: The gates are only open as long as necessary.

For more information, please visit: https://www.linde-mh.com/en/