US959645A - Mechanically-controlled automatic elevator. - Google Patents

Description

A. SUNW. MEGBANIGALLY GGNTROLLED AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED 00T. 2, 1907.

Patented my 31, 1910.

mann/5r Again, .25

sar na f ric.

anss'r sUN'DfH, or YoNKEns, NEW YORK A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY,

atacan.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known ,that I, AUeUsT SUNDH, a citizen of the United States, residing in Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and "useful Improvement in Mechanically- Controlled Automatic Electric Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the control and operation of electric elevators, and one of its objects is to obviate the necessity of extending electrical connections to the car or cage and throughout the vicinity of the travel oi" the car,las in the elevator well and hallways.

In an electric elevator using high potential, great precautions are necessary for the protection of the connections to vavoid danger to the operator and users, and in the ordinary systems of electrical .control the switches and apparatus about the car and elevator wel] consume space for installation which it is not always convenient to provide.

the cost of the necessary-electric wiring for connecting the various switches and apparatus in and about the car and landings is expensive and the labor involved in properly connecting such apparatus is considerable.

My invention consists, primarily, in providing mechanical connections between the car and floors or landings and the controlling apparatus proper of the motor, thus doing away with the necessity of extending electrical connectionsv to the car/and floor landings; and it also contemplates using mechanical connections operated by the Well doors instead of electrical connections as heretofore, ,whereby the controlling circuits are broken whenever the well doors, or any one of them, are open.

My invention further consists in the various arrangement of -parts substantially or more fully disclosed hereinafter.

One embodiment of my invention is set forth herein and the same is illustrated in its many details in the accompanying drawing in whichp Figure l is a diagrammatic view of.apparatus made according to my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are side views 'of details thereof.

VReferring to the drawing, M represents.

a motor, shown as an electric motor, and B Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led October 2, 19W.

, ASSIGNB T0 OTIS ELEVA-TOR CGMPAY,

MECHAITICALLY-CONTROLLED AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR.

Patented May 31, iig, Serial No. 295,624.

' vusual,upon the elevator Well.

In order to operate the motor and to control its direction of rotation for moving the ing ein reversing electrical connections D are shown, but they may be of any suitable character, and, being no part ot my invention,need not be further described. Connections are made between the motor and a reversing switch E, which alsomay be of any convenient character, but is preferably of that form described in the patent to I hlder No. 710,914, granted October 7 1902, for an improvement 1n electrical operation of elevators by a single push-button system. In this type of reversing switch an armature F, carrying contacts, is arranged to be swung to one side or the other of the center and close the proper circuits for the operation of the motor in one direct-ion or the other, the Iarmature F being actuated by suitable electro-magnets D, U. rIhe arrangement is such in this instance that whenthe magnet D is energized it will attract'the armature I and so connect the field and armature of the motor M to the supply mains that rotaing the car B downwardly, while if the 'magnet U is energized the motor 'will rotate in such a direction as to move the car upwardly, and this rotation in-one'direction or the other will continue so long as one or the other of the magnets remains ener ized.

In order that the circuit may be roken at desired floor landing, .the control ing circuits include a Hoor controller or controlling device G, included in the controlling circuits of the motor and of a preferred construction hereinafter described.

' The motor and its controlling circuits and devices are controlled by mechanical means. At each floor landing Y, Y1, Y2, Y3 are shown levers 1, 2, 3 and 4, and levers l', 2, 3 and 4 are shown in the car, while mechanical connections extend from the levers at the floor landings and in the car elevator car upwardly or downwardly, starttion will take place in a direction for movthe proper time for the car to sto at the .l lower ends of the wires coperating with the -levers 1,2, 3 and 4 are connected to the bell cranks 03, 122, v1 and e, respectively, which 1n turn are connected through the wires H to other bell'cranks 32 provided with springs 3l. The latter are suitably connected to switches carrying contacts. rangement is produced suitable for controlling electric circuits from a distance. The levers 1, 2, 3 and 4 located at the various v.floor landings are connected to corresponding bell cranks ma, :02, 01 and which latter are connected to the bell cranks v3, r2, @l and fu, respectively. Thus it isseen that each lever located at the different floor landings is interconnected with a corres onding lever located in the elevator car, an furthermore these interconnected leversare arranged to effect the voperation of corresponding electric circuit- closing devices 33, 34, 35 and 36. The car levers 5 and 6 are connected to operate the switches 5a and 6a through the vertical wires 37 and 38, respectively. The switch 5a is arranged in connection with the motorcontrolling circuits andl devices,I and the handle or lever 5 in the car may be' termed the safety lever or. safety handle, since by operating it what will hereinafter be termed the safety circuit is controlled, while the lever`6 in the car controls a switch 6, and this may be called the stop lever, since its function is to break the controlling circuit in case of emergency and stop the motor, and therefore the elevator car.

Those points on the diagram indicated by the -land signs represent the positive and negative mains leading from a suitable source of electric supply to the motor and to the controlling circuits.

What I have termed my safety circuit nay be traced as follows: Starting from the point 7 on the positive main, connection is made through a switch L whose 'function will hereinafter` be referred to, and from thence connection made to the circuitbreaking switch contacts 8 controlled by the lever (3a. From thence the circuit extends by a wire 9 through the normally open switch contacts 1l, l2, through an electroinagnet 13, and by wire 14 through an electro-magnet 15, through one winding 1G of what I term my safety magnet S, and thence through a suitable balancing resistance R4 to the negative main at point- 17.

'lhus an ar-..

The resistance R4 is to prevent too much current passing through the safety circuit.

By any suitable mechanical connection -as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the levers l', 2, L 4 and 5 in the car are so arranged that the safety lever 5 is always operated at the same time as any one of the other levers l', 2, 3. 4 in the car, so that the safety y circuit must first be closed before any of the other controlling circuits a're closed. As shown, a swinging bar gin this instance is pivoted upon a rod g and is rigidly connected to the safety lever 5 (Fig. 3). This swinging bar g is held against ythe under side of the car levers l', 2', 3 and-4 by means of a spring or springs 39 (FigQ) whose function is to hold the swinging bar g and adjacent levers 1, 2, 3', 4 in theirv normal outward position. The car levers with the exception ofthe safety lever 5 are arranged as shown in F ig. 2 in which rollers .40 and 4l carried in suitable brackets fixed to the elevator car, are located directly behind corresponding vertical. wires H. A

third roller 42 is placed in front of the wire H and lies substantially in the plane of the stationary rollers 40 and 41, and is Acarried by a bracket43 attached to the car lever,

so that as a lever in Fig. is moved to the right the roller 42 will deflect, crimp or bend into a loop a portion of the wire H in such manner as to shorten its length and thusk effect an upward pull upon the bell crank to which this wire-is connected.

Referring Yto Fig. 3 it is seen that the lever 5, while having the same general arrangement'as the other levers in the car, carries a roller 42 on brackets 43 which are further removed from the common-pivot g than corresponding brackets carried by the other levers. The 'roller 42" carried-by the safety lever 5 will, for this reason, have a further movement for a given movement of its lever than will any one of the rollers carried by the levers l, 2', 3 and 4 for 'a corresponding movement. Therefore, when any one of the car levers is operated, the safety lever 5 is simultaneously operated, and the roller 42 carried by said safety lever, having a greater relative movement than corresponding rollers carried by the other car levers, will operate to shorten its wire .and so operate the safety switch 5 before the car lever has had suiiicient movedescribed, and electromagnets 13, l5 and tlie lSO coil 16 of safety magnet S will receive current. however, sufficient power to separate contact 18 from the contact 19 of the normally closed switch 20, but magnet 15 will .eect the connection of the normally separated contacts 21, 2,2, thereby completing a connection from one' Ycontact 22 to a branch or parallel conductor 23.

`Un the floor controller G are shown switch devices 33, 34, 35 'and 36 corresponding to the car levers 4, 3', 2 and 1 and floor landing levers 4, 3, 2 and 1, and so arranged that when any one of the above levers is operated'one of the normally open switches 33, 34, 35 or 36 is operated, In circuit with each oneof the switches just mentioned are electro-responsive devices 51, 52, 53 and 54 forming controlling magnets or devices, the solenoids of which are connected to a 'suitable conductor 48 leading to the negative main at 17'.

Vhen the safety l'ever 5 has been actuated by a partial movement 'of any one of the levers 1f, 2, 3 or 4 to close the safety circuit, a further movement of one of the latter levers will suiciently shorten the vert-ical wire H coperating therewith to effect the closing of a corresponding switch device, such as 36, thereby completing a circuit' in parallel with the safety circuit, including the normally closed switch 20, normally, open switch 36, and a magnet v51. Each of the magnets 51, 52, 53, 54 comprises a movable core carrying a contact t, normally out of engagement with a movable conductor or bar J but adapted to be moved lnto electrical connection with the latter in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto when .the solenoid is excited with current. When a contact t carried b v a. core is moved into engagement with the movable bar J av parallel circuit will be closed, starting from the point 26 and passing through the Winding 25 of the safety magnet S, thence through conductor 49 and one or the other of the magnets D or U to the vmovable bar J or J and thence through a contact t, andby a connection t to the magnet 51 and through conductor 48 and switch T to the negative line'. This movable conducting har J is connected with a moving part o the hoisting apparatus, as by means of a rack and pinion and worm and Wheel `with the shaft of the hoisting drum, and the travel of the movable bar is proportioned to move in harmony with the travel of the car.

Corresponding to the bar J is an additional bar J, between which bars is a section of insulation J adapted to come into engagement with one` of the contacts t and break a circuit to eti'ect the stopping of the car when the latter approaches its destination, while the travel of the movable bars J and J', as stated, is proportioned to The coil 16-of magnet S has not,

the' travel of the car. The distance between the contacts t must also be so arranged that the ca'r is traveling between two floor landings yduring. the time that the insulated portion- J is moving between any two adjacent contacts t.

Assuming that t-he parts are in the relative position shown on the drawing, with the ,carA at the third floor landing and at rest,

and the insulated portion J is adjacent the magnet 53 corresponding to switch 84.- and to the operating levers 3 and 3', let it be supposed that an operator in the car desires to bring the car to the `llrst floor landing Y. Let it be assumed also that the switches L and S are closed and all ofthe doors at the diderent Hoor landings are closed. Now when the operator first moves the car lever 1, the lever 5 will be actuated to close the safety circuit before described, and upon 'further movement of the lever 1 the switch 36 will be actuated to bring into electrical engagement the contacts operated thereby, and av circuit in paraiiel to the safety circuit will beclosed, starting from contacts 21 and 22 and including the contacts of switch 20, the contacts of switch 36, the magnet 51 corresponding to floor landing Y'and through connection 48 and switch T to the negative main. The magnet 51 thereby energized Will cause its contact t to impinge upon the movable bar J to close a circuit including'tbe magnet D, starting from the point 26 and including one winding 25 of the safety magnet.- S. The magnet D will operate the reversing switch. E to canse the motor to rotate in sucha direction as to move the elevator car downwardly. A s the car travels the-bar J will move to the 'rightuntil the car has about reached the lowermost landing Y when the insulation J moves under the contact t, thus interrupting the circuit through the magnet 51 and the magnet D. The reversingvswitch will therefore operate automatically to open position and the motor consequentlybe stopped.

It will he seen that when the safety cirever. is of sutlicient strength to separate the contacts 1S, 19 when separatelj7 excited or independently of the winding 16. Tt will be seen that by breaking the circuit of the switches 36, etc., at the contacts 1S, 19, interference with the operation of themotor from a Hoor landing is etfectually prevented.,`

since even though one ofthe switches 36,

etc., should be operatedit would have nov safety circuit remains v'energized after the motor has come to rest or the car has reached its destination, and this winding 16 is of suiiicient strength to maintain contacts 18, 19 of switch 20 separated until the safety circuit is broken by some appropriate means, as by operating the stop lever 6 or by operating the switch. L in any desired manner. Since, therefore, switch 2O is maintained open after the car has reached4 its destination, after the motor has been operated from the car, the car is still under control of the operator and its movement cannot be interfered with from a floor land.

ing until the safety circuit has been broken and again made, thereby restoring the parts to their normal positions in readiness to be operated from either car or Hoor landings.

With the vparts in their normal conditions,

contacts 11 and 11 are normally in electrical engagement and connection is made between these 'contacts and the point 26. lVhen a floor landing lever is operated the safet circuit is not completed, since the wire 3 is not actuated, but current passes from the pointv 7 on the positive main directly to contacts 8 and 11, 11, from thence through switch 20, through one of thefswitches 36, etc., magnet 51, etc., to the negative main, and thereby operating one of the contacts t to close a circuit through one of the magnets D U', at the same time energizing the winding 25 of safety magnet S. A. holding or retaining circuit excluding the switches 36, etc., is thus established from point 7, through contacts 8, 11 and 11, winding 25, conductor 49, magnet D or U, bar J or J', contact t, and a magnet 51, etc., to the negative main.l -The motor will .then be operated to cause the car to travel in the desired direction and to be automatically stopped. Boththe windings 16 and 25 do not receive current, but the winding 2 5Qalo`ne is suflicient to separate the contacts 18, 19 of the normally closed-switch 20, thereby effectually preventing interference with the operation of the 'car during its travel; but since the safety circuit is not energized in this case, the winding 16 receives no current and therefore ater the relay circuit is broken contacts 18 and 19 will resume their normally closed positions,a and' the motor and car may again be controlled from either the car or ioor landings.

Limit switches T and T are shown Aadapted to break the circuit at the supply mainsemergency whereinthe motor should continue to operate and cause the car to overrun its normal travel. In thisl case the mov- S lable Contact bar J is adapted to strike one of the switches T, T, should itsinovement Ybe continued beyond normal, and break'the A convenient I circuit and stop the motor. arrangement for this operation is as shown,

wherein the limit switches T, T are arranged respectively in the extended path of travel of the movablecontact bars J',`J.

Instead'of extending the controlling circuits through cntacts' controlled by the well doors, as is customary, so that when a door is opened the controlling circuit isbroken in order to avoid the use of wires carrying a heavy current or at a high voltage throughout the building, I provide an arrangement whereby the controlling. cirl cuit is always broken through the operation of mechanical means only upon the opening of a well door. The switch'L is 'arranged for this purpose in a suitable position, in this instance shown as bein R2, connected in any suitable manner with they door and engagin the wire L, so that when a door is opene the wire is caused to extend 'still farther between the sheaves, thereby lifting the weight W, and thusproviding means for actuating the' switch L. In this instance the cablev L` is shown connected to the lever arm 46 of the switch L at the point 47. As the rope L is shortened at the bottomv Vof the elevator well, and while different me- A strong, flexible wire, rope or ioo by opening a landing door, the weight W and switch arm 46 are lifted, thus causing the contact-44 which is mounted vupon the switch arm 46 to be moved out of electrical engagement with a stationary contact 45.

To summarize the operation lbrieiy, it"

should be noted that normally all circuits are open; When a car lever is operated,

'the contacts 11, 11 are first separated and the contacts 11, 12 connected.` This. willA close a circuit from the positive main through contacts 45, 44, contacts 8, contactsY magnet 13 will hold the contactsll, 12 'vtogether independently of the cai' levers and the magnet 15 will connect the @contacts 21,

22 and hold them together. Upon further',

. 19 are held disconnected by will be closed mechanically to cause current to flow from the positive main through con# tacts 45, 44, contacts 8, contacts 11, 12, magnet 13, magnet 15, contacts 21, 22, switch 20, switch 36, magnet 51,conductor 48 to the negative main. The contact t is then thrust downwardly onto the Vbar J and when this occurs curi'eiit will flow from the positive main through contacts 45, 44, 8, 11, 12, magnets 18, 15, contacts 21,' 22, winding 25, conductor 49, magnet D', bar J .magnet 51, conductor 48 to the negative inain.- The contacts 18, 19 will Vthen be separated and the coreV of the magnet S thrust farther into the winding 16. A holding circuit for the magnet 51 has been established and .the switches 3G,-etc.', excluded from having any el'ect, even though operated, by reason o the separation of the contacts 18,119.

l.When the car reaches the selected floor the insulation J interrupts thecircuit of the magnets D and 51 and of the winding 25, but the winding 16 .and the magnets 13 and 15 still receive current. The contacts 18, the winding 16, therefore even after the car stops it cannot be started again until'the contactsA 8 are opened by actuating the stop lever 6 in the cai' or a landing door the contacts 44, 45. In either event the magnets 13, -15 and winding 16 become d eenergized and the contacts 18, 19 are therefore again connected, v'the contacts 21, 22 separated and the contacts 11, 11 connected;

The mechanical controlling connections and controlling devices ot' the motor are so arranged that when any desired lever is o'ierated, the controlling circuits are com pleted and the motor o erated to bring the car to the desired floor landing corresponding to the lever operated, and there can be no interference with the operation oi the motor after it is started.v Furthermore, in operating any desired lever, whether the same is located in the car or at one of the floor' landings,

it is not necessary to retain the lever in its operative position until the motor has automatically operated to bring the car to the correspondinv floor landing. It is merely necessary to hold such lever in its operative position until the magnetv 51, etc., corresponding to the lever operated, has eected an eilectricl engagement between its contact t and the bar J or J of the floor cont-roller. Since it requires only u short time for the magnet 51, etc., to become energized and operate its contact t after the circuit to its solenoid has once been closed, the o erator can almost immediately release the liever after the saine has been operated, and the springs 31, operating through the' various bell cranks, will at once move said lever to thel switch 36, etc., corresponding to the is opened to separate -vices in the car,

its initial position andv lever operated will return tcits open position by reason of its own weight or by spring tension, thereby separating its contacts. The circuit through theA magnet 51, ctc., is maintained through-the floor controller contact .I or J until the latter has moved to such position that this self-maintained circuit is automatically broken by the opera.- tion of the floor controller'as before described.

lWhile I have described my invention in connection with a ypical elevator apparatus in which direct current of constant potential is used, my invention is equally adapted to alternating or intermittent current, in which case a motor adapted to use with such current would be employed, the system of operation remaining substantially the saine. K

Obviously those skilltd in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and I desire therefore not to be limited to the precise construction disclosed.

What I claim is 1. In an apparatus for controlling eievators, the combination with a motor andia car, of a stationary controlling-'device for the motor, levers in the car, and a mechan ical'connection between each lever and the controlling device.

2. In an apparatus for controlling elevators, the combination w-ith a car and a motor, of motor controlling circuits, stationary switches in the circuits, switch operating deconnections between said devices and the switches. l

3. In an lapparat-us for controlling elevators, the combination with a car and a motor, of switches in the motor circuits located outside the path of travel-ofthe car, switch operating devices in the car, and 'separate mechanical connections between said devices and the switches.

4. In an apparatus for controlling elevators, the combination with a car and a motor, of a `motor controlling circuit, switches in said circuit 'located outside the path of travel of the car, manually operable devices withinthe car, and mechanical connections between each of said devices and one of said switches.

5. In an apparatus for controlling elevators, ,the combination with a car and a motor,

of electrical circuits forit'lie motor located outside of the path of travel of the car, a' plurality of independently operable circuit controlling devices within the car, and mechanicalconnections between said devices and the circuits.

6. In an apparatusfor controlling elevators, the combination with a car and a motor, of motor controlling circuits, switches iii said icoand separate mechanical circuits, levers in the car, levers at the iioor landings interconnected with the levers in the car, and mechanically connected with the switches.

7. Aln an apparatus for controlling elevators, the combination with car and a motor, of a floor controller comprising a plurality or switches, operating levers in the car and at the licor landings, and mechanical connections between the levers and the switches.

8. ln an elevator system, the combination with a car and a motor, of an automatic stationary floor controller, and mechanical means tor governing the operation' (it the controller 'from the car.

9. ln an elevator system, the confibination with a car and motor, of a floor controller, mechanical means tor governing the operation of t-he controller from the several floor landings and means for governing the operation of the controller from the car.

10. ln an apparatus for controlling elevators, the combination with a car and operating means therefor, of a plurality ot flexible L members extending parallel with the path if travel of the car, manually operable de! vices within the car adapted to tleX the respective members, and means controlled by said members for automatically bringing the car to rest at 'predetermined positions corresponding to the devices operated.

ll. In an elevator system, the combination with a cai"A and operating means therefor, of a plurality of flexible members extending parallel with the path of travel of the car,

manually operable devices within the car adapted to flex the' respective members, switches, operating connections between the senese switches and flexible members, andv means for automatically bringing-the car to rest 10 at predetermined positions corresponding'tot` the switches operated.

12. In an automatic elevator system, the combina-tion with a car, a motor, and a floor controller, of devices located at the Hoor landings for governing the operation of the floor controller, devices in the car for also. governing the controller, a stationary device for 'automatically rendering the devices at the floor landings ineffective-when any of the devices in the car are operative and mechanical connections between said devices in the car and said stationary device for operating the latter. A 13. ln an automaticlelevator system, the combination with a car and a motor, of a plurality of normally open switches corresponding to the several floor landings, de'- vices for operating said switches at thevtloor landings and in the car, connections between the switches and said'devices, means operative upon the closure of one of said switches to coiitrol'the 'motor circuits and bring the car to a tloor landing corresponding -to said' switch, a circuit including said switches, and mechanically operated means for automatically opening said circuit upon the operationvot one of Ithe switch ope ating devices in the car. y In testimony whereof, I have signed my i name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

` AUGUST SUNDH. YVitnesses CHAS. M. Nissan, DAVID LAnsoN,

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