Add wireless vehicle detection to any electric gate operator for free exit, whether residential or commercial. Not appropriate for solar gates. Install sensor in the driveway, beside the driveway, or on a post adjacent to the drive. For more information, see sell sheet. Sensor Probes / Exit Wands are typically used on rough gravel roads that are not maintained regularly and on the side of already finished driveways where the preference is to avoid modifying the existing asphalt, concrete, or paver roadway.Because they can be placed on the side of the road rather than in the center of the roadway it can greatly reduce installation costs. Two sensors or loops to watch the traffic at the exit of the car wash. If a collision is possible the system will shut down the conveyor until the vehicle sitting at the exit end moves away. It then restarts the conveyor. The GS-DCX1 requires one sensor “loop” and a computer channel to signal the control box when a vehicle is coming to the.
Automatic Open (Free Exit) Loop Formula
Add value to gate systems with a well thought out Automatic Open or Free Exit Loop.
By Brian Dickson
The simple things make a big impression on customers. As installers we want to make a gate that works, but we often overlook the small features, the simple things that really make our gate installations stand out. We all know that if a customer really likes your installation they will recommend your work to a friend or neighbor and a referral is one of our best sales tools to increase business. A good exercise is to put yourself in the owners shoes and see how your system would perform under their standards.
A common overlooked feature on a gate system with loops is the automatic open. When a vehicle drives over this loop the gate will automatically open for them adding the convenience of a hands free exit. The automatic open loop is commonly known as a “Free exit loop” because no buttons are needed to be pushed to exit. The concept behind a free exit loop is the gate user already passed security entering the property, why should they pass security to go out. To get the most use of the automatic open loop, it should be installed up the driveway inside the property so that as someone is exiting by the time they reach the gate it will be completely open for them. The formula below will calculate the distance (in feet) the automatic open loop should be placed while maintaining a desired MPH.
X = Time for the gate to open in seconds.
Y = Desired MPH to reach gate.
Z = Distance in feet the automatic open loop should be placed (length of lead-in)
Alternatively, if you wanted to find out how fast (MPH) a vehicle can go so that by the time they reach the gate will be completely open for them for formula would be:
Free Exit Loop Installation Download
Several examples of this formula would be as follows:
If a gate takes 9 seconds to open and the customer wants to drive at 5MPH: 9 x 5 x 1.46 = 65.7ft. The same gate but the customer wants to drive at 12 MPH would read: 9 x 12 x 1.46 = 157.7ft. Same customer has a very long driveway and wants to drive 19 MPH would read: 9 x 19 x 1.46 = 249.7ft. Most loop manufactures will have available a 60 and 100ft lead-in as a standard stock item. Custom lead-in lengths of 250ft are common, but are available up to 1000ft.
It is important to keep in mind that if you install an exit loop over 100' away from the gate, it is recommended that you install a second exit loop closer to the gate. The second exit loop will open the gate if the car took too long coming down the driveway, or if they stopped along the way. Not having the second exit loop could cause the customer needless frustration.
If you are not offering an automatic exit loop currently you could be missing out on your opportunity to “up sell” your installation and make additional profit. The gate operator has all the interface to perform the exit loop function, all you need to do is install a loop and detector module and the customer will get more enjoyment from system potentially saving them time on their morning commute.
To learn more tips and tricks from the loop experts visit the BD Loops website at: www.BDLoops.com. Make sure to check out our educational editorials and tests and results in our special help and instructions section. While you are visiting our site find out how BD Loops superiorly design preformed direct burial and saw-cut loops can save you time on your next installation.
Brian Dickson is the President of BD Loops, an assembler of preformed direct burial and saw-cut inductance loops for the gate, door, and parking industry. With over 18 years in business the quality of our loops is unheard of. BD Loops products are available through 450+ distributors nationally. The company has several letters of recommendation testifying their professionalism and design, and is a member of the following associations: AFA, IDA, CODA, NOMMA, IMSA, and IPI. Call BD Loops at 714.723.0946 or email at team@bdloops.com
Free Exit Loop Installation Tool
Safety Loops are a term used to describe a vehicle detection system that uses one of more 'loops' of wire buried underground, in combination with a 'Loop Detector', to sense the presence of a vehicle.
It does this by generating a 'field' around the buried wires. When a metal mass comes into close proximity of this field, it changes the electrical characteristics of the field and this causes a frequency shift in the current flowing through the loop. The attached detector senses this change, and triggers a relay output which tells a gate operator that there is a vehicle in the loop.
On a standard slide gate or lift type gate, the safety loop installation will consist of two loops, one on either side of the gate. The minimum distance for the loop to the gate itself is three feet, and the maximum is five feet. If the loops are too close to the gate, the metal of the gate itself can be detected as the gate is moving and cause a false signal. If the loops are too far apart, it's possible for a small vehicle to stop in-between them and allow the gate to close.
Below is an example of how a safety loop for a slide gate is wired. It also shows how the detection field is generated.
Note: The two loops are connected so that the current flow in the wires closest to the gate is opposite of each other. This is done to reduce the chances of the loop picking up the gate itself.
- The number of turns in a loop depends on the size of the loop, which depends on the size of the driveway being covered. Generally, a smaller loop will have three turns, while a large loop will only have two.
- The two loop wires, from the corner of the loop back to the connection to the detector, should be twisted around each other approximately three to five times per foot. This is very important as this twisting causes the wires to not generate a detection field on their way back to the gate, which avoids false detections from the gate or the operator. The two wires are untwisted for the last few inches inside the operator to allow connection to the detector.
- When connecting more than one loop to a detector, always connect loops in series, and not in parallel. This is done so that if the wires of the loop break at any point, the whole circuit will become open, resulting in a loop fault and the detector going into its 'Fail Safe' mode and holding the gate open.
- A pre-formed loop can be used in place of a saw-cut loop. A low-temperature pre-formed loop can be used when hot material is not placed directly on the loop. Pre-formed loops are used when a driveway is composed of gravel or other crushed material.
- A high-temperature pre-formed loop is used when hot tar or asphalt is poured directly over the loops. The pre-formed loop requires at least one inch of sand or dirt fill to act as a thermal blanket when installed under asphalt.
- The loop location must be selected to avoid placing wires directly on reinforcing steel, electrical cables, conduits, or water pipes. Loop wires must be installed a minimum of four inches above metallic objects. Never install loops below metallic objects.
- Never install loops within ten feet of underground electrical de-icing systems.
- Adjacent loops connected to different loop detectors should operate on different frequencies to avoid interference.
- Loops use XLP (Cross-Link Polyethylene) insulated wire. This insulation is rated for use on loops. Use of non-rated wire will result in a loop that will fail, usually with a short circuit to earth ground. This will cause false detections.
- These loops are designed for automobile and light truck traffic. Other types of vehicles passing over the loops (Such as motorcycles, or semi truck trailers) may not be reliably detected. It is recommended that the gate be manually held open in these situations.
Free Exit Loop Installation Kit
Swing gate operators and barrier arm gates use loop layouts that are a little different from slide gates. A swing gate has 3 loops, while a barrier arm gate has only one.
Free Exit Loop Installation Instructions
Note: All gate types may have an additional loop for 'Free '. These are used in situations where there is no exit keypad at the gate, so that when a car pulls over the loop, the gate is opened automatically. We do not recommend the use of free exit loop detectors for several reasons, mostly because there is no way to tell when a tenant has left the facility.