EP3464148B1

EP3464148B1 - Method and arrangement for opening the locking of a landing door of an elevator

Info

Publication number: EP3464148B1
Application number: EP16904530.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Markku Haapaniemi; Markku HÄIVÄLÄ; Matti RÄSÄNEN; Nithil Karimpanackal Natarajan; Jukka Turpeinen; Raimo Pelto-Huikko; Esfandiar GHARIBAAN
Original assignee: Kone Corp
Current assignee: Kone Corp
Priority date: 2016-06-07
Filing date: 2016-06-07
Publication date: 2022-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 2036-06-07
Also published as: WO2017212106A1; EP3464148A1; EP3464148A4

Description

The object of the present invention is a method as presented in the preamble of claim 1 and an arrangement as presented in the preamble of claim 15 for opening the locking of a landing door of an elevator.
Usually in elevators the elevator car is arranged to travel reciprocally up and down in an elevator hoistway, which is normally an enclosed space, to which people other than elevator servicing employees do not have access. In a servicing situation a servicing employee must possibly gain access to parts of the elevator that are situated in the hoistway, which parts can be situated at the base of the hoistway, in the top part of the hoistway or somewhere between them. In a servicing situation the elevator car must be driven to a suitable location, depending on which point in the hoistway the servicing procedures must be carried out. For example, if servicing is needed in the top part of the hoistway, the car can be driven to a suitable height in such a way that from the topmost floor level it is possible to perform the servicing procedures from the roof of the elevator car. Correspondingly, if e.g. the guide rails of the elevator or the door structures of a floor level must be serviced at some other point in the hoistway, the elevator car can be driven to a suitable height and access to the roof of it is possible from some suitable floor level.
It is endeavored for safety reasons to restrict access into the elevator hoistway, both onto the base of the elevator hoistway as well as onto the roof of the elevator car, in such a way that persons ignorant of elevator safety issues do not get into the elevator hoistway.
According to what is known in the art, an elevator has means for opening the locking of the landing doors of an elevator and for opening the landing doors themselves. Generally the locking of the landing doors is opened by means of an actuator on the elevator car when the elevator car is in position at a floor level. The landing doors are also generally opened and closed by means of the car door of the elevator, using a special door coupler. When the locking has been opened the door panels of the elevator car are opened and the door couplers moving along with the door panels of the elevator car take the door panels of the landing door along with them. Correspondingly door couplers pull the landing door closed, when the door of the elevator car closes. When the doors are closed, the landing door simultaneously locks. Often the closing of a landing door is additionally ensured by means of a closing weight or closing spring.
When servicing procedures are performed in the elevator hoistway from the roof of the elevator car or from the base of the elevator hoistway, the elevator hoistway is usually entered via the landing doors of a floor level. For the sake of safety, opening of the landing doors is prevented in elevator mechanisms if the elevator car is not exactly at the point of the floor level. When going onto the roof of an elevator car, the elevator car should be below the floor level in such a way that it is possible for the serviceman to go safely from the floor level onto the roof of the elevator car and for him/her to gain easy access e.g. to the landing door operator. Typically the height used from the floor level of the landing to the level of the roof of the elevator car is e.g. approx. one-half of the height of the elevator car. When the elevator car has stopped at this station, the serviceman must be able to open the doors of the floor level so that he/she has access to perform servicing procedures in the elevator hoistway from the roof of the elevator car.
When performing servicing activities, the elevator is placed into servicing mode, which prevents normal operation of the elevator and prevents calling an elevator car from the floor levels. In this case the locking of the landing doors can be made to open from the floor levels with a special key, e.g. with a so-called triangular key, even though the elevator car is not exactly at the point of the floor level. A problem in this type of solution is that these special keys are freely available from many sources and unauthorized people possibly have them, which people can use the car roof and elevator hoistway for other purposes, or even to damage the elevator. Accidents have also occurred in which an unauthorized person has opened a landing door and after that fallen into the elevator hoistway. Enabling the opening of a landing door with a mechanical solution, e.g. with a triangular key solution, incurs a moderate cost and also affects the visual appearance of the door area of the elevator since additional holes and opening mechanisms are made for each floor level in the architrave and/or door panels.
One solution known in the art for safer use of this type of special key is presented in Japanese patent publication no. JPH0952685A . In the solution in question the opening of the locking of the landing doors is prevented with a protective plate, which is disposed between the keyhole for the special key and the lock of the landing door to prevent mechanical opening of the locking of the landing door with a key. According to the JP publication, the aforementioned protective plate is pulled electrically to the side when the elevator is in servicing mode and the elevator car is in a safe servicing station at a landing. One problem is, however, that it is easy for e.g. an unauthorized person to drill a hole in this protective plate through the keyhole, in which case using the usual special mechanical key the landing door can be opened regardless of the position of the elevator car in the elevator hoistway. Another problem is also the aforementioned additional costs incurred by a triangular key solution as well as visual aspects of it, since it is necessary to make additional holes and opening mechanisms in the architrave and/or door panels for each floor level.
In EP 1 882 666 A1 , a method of controlling access to an elevator car, in particular to its ceiling and/or underside, is described which comprises the steps of: switching the elevator control into a maintenance mode which controls the car to travel to a predetermined stop position permitting access; and opening a landing door of the elevator shaft the car is running in. The elevator control is switched into said maintenance mode only if operating a landing call receiving means in a predetermined identification pattern which differs from a call pattern for calling the elevator.
The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks and to achieve an inexpensive and easy-to-implement method and arrangement, more briefly solution, for opening a landing door of an elevator for servicing purposes without the triangular key arrangement that is generally used. The method according to the invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 1 and the arrangement according to the invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 13. Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is disclosed in the other claims.
Some inventive embodiments are also discussed in the descriptive section of the present application. Likewise the different details presented in connection with each embodiment can also be applied in other embodiments. In addition it can be stated that at least some of the subordinate claims can, in at least some situations, be deemed to be inventive in their own right.
What is characteristic of the solution according to the invention is that when the elevator is in normal drive mode, the mode of the elevator is changed from normal drive mode, in which case the mode of the elevator is preferably changed to servicing mode, a command is given from a floor level to the control system of the elevator to prevent locking of the landing door and to drive the elevator car away from the floor level to a predetermined height, wherein the method is initiated with a predetermined opening code to be given from a floor level, and, when the elevator car has come to the desired floor level after giving the opening code, the landing door is opened from its locking by means of the car door and a gap is left in the car door and also a gap is left in the landing door, after which the elevator car is driven to the preferred servicing station in the area of the floor level.
One preferred solution applicable in the invention for preventing locking of the landing door when driving the elevator car away from the floor level is a separate controllable actuator, which acts on the mechanism of the lock of the landing door.
Another preferred solution applicable in the invention for preventing locking of the landing door when driving the elevator car away from the floor level, is, if the door coupler solution in use in the elevator permits it, to close the landing doors and the car doors so that they are almost closed, in which case the door opening is closed or to some extent ajar, at most approx. 100 mm ajar, but the locking effected by the closing movement or closing force of the door is not executed. In this case possibly other measures must be taken to prevent the locking, e.g. the effect of the closing weight or closing spring on the landing door must be prevented, which in practice could occur by arresting the movement of the door manually from the floor level.
One advantage, among others, of the solution according to the invention is that the simple and safe opening of the landing doors of an elevator in special situations, such as in a servicing situation, is effected without a triangular key, which is generally used, by giving from the desired floor level a pre-agreed opening code, e.g. by means of the landing call buttons. The above arrangement ensures that unauthorized persons cannot open landing doors, even if they had a generally-used triangular key available.
Another advantage bestowed by the solution is additional safety for the working of a serviceman. The program sequence initiated by a pushbutton combination opens the locking of a landing door only after the elevator car has safely stopped at the landing where the servicing work will be performed.
Another advantage also is that holes do not need to be made in the elevator door panels or in the edgings of a landing door for a key, such as a triangular key, intended for opening the landing door, nor is a mechanical door lock opening mechanism needed. This lowers the manufacturing costs of the elevator and improves the visual appearance of the elevator.
In the following, the invention will be described in more detail by the aid of some examples of its embodiment with reference to the simplified and diagrammatic drawings attached, wherein

Fig. 1: presents one flowchart of the method implemented according to the invention for opening the landing door of an elevator for servicing purposes,
Fig. 1 a: presents a simplified view, as seen from the front, of one landing door locking mechanism to be used in the solution according to the invention, in the situation in which the landing door is locked,
Fig. 1 b: presents a simplified view, as seen from the front, of the landing door locking mechanism according to Fig. 1a, in the situation in which the locking of the landing door has been opened,
Fig. 2: presents a simplified view, as seen obliquely from the side and from above, of one phase according to the method and the arrangement of the invention, of switching the elevator to servicing mode from the control cubicle of the elevator,
Fig. 3a: presents a side view of one phase according to the method and arrangement of the invention, wherein a serviceman is giving with the landing call buttons an opening code for driving the elevator to the servicing station and for opening the locking of the landing door,
Fig. 3b: presents a side view of one phase according to the method and arrangement of the invention, wherein the elevator has been driven to the servicing station and the landing door is ajar, and also the serviceman is manually opening the landing door for performing servicing activities,
Fig. 4 a: presents a simplified and oblique side view of one phase of the method and arrangement of the invention, wherein the serviceman is giving with the landing call buttons an opening code for driving the elevator to the servicing station and for opening the locking of the landing door,
Fig. 4b: presents a simplified and oblique side view of one phase of the method and arrangement of the invention, wherein the elevator has been driven to the servicing station and the landing door is ajar, and also the serviceman is manually opening the landing door for performing servicing activities, and
Fig. 4c: presents a simplified and oblique side view of one phase of the method and arrangement of the invention, wherein the elevator has been driven to the servicing station and the serviceman has manually opened the landing door and has also ascended onto the roof of the elevator car to perform servicing activities.

The method and the arrangement according to the invention improve the safety of the elevator and in the solution it is ensured, inter alia, that unauthorized persons cannot get the landing doors opened if the elevator car is not safely exactly at the point of a landing. According to the method and the arrangement, during elevator servicing procedures the landing doors of the elevator can exceptionally be opened by a serviceman, even though the elevator is not exactly at the point of a landing. In that case the safe method and arrangement according to the invention are used, wherein the serviceman gives from the desired floor level a special opening code for bringing the elevator to a servicing station at the aforementioned floor level, or into the proximity of it, and for enabling opening of the landing door of the floor level for performing the servicing procedures.
Fig. 1 presents one flowchart of the method implemented according to the invention for opening the landing door of an elevator for servicing purposes, and for closing it after the aforementioned servicing activity. The method is composed of e.g. the four following consecutive phases:
In the phase s1 the elevator is placed into a special servicing mode from the control cabinet of the elevator, i.e. from the control cubicle, which control cabinet is normally disposed in the machine room of the elevator or on some floor level of the elevator, generally on the topmost or lowermost floor level. Servicing mode prevents normal use of the elevator and e.g. prevents the calling of an elevator car to a floor level with the landing call buttons as normally called.
In the phase s2 a serviceman has gone e.g. along a stairway to the floor level on which he/she intends to do a servicing job. Since the elevator is in servicing mode, calling the elevator by normal pressing of a landing call button will not succeed. On the aforementioned floor level the serviceman gives a pre-agreed opening code, such as e.g. depressing both landing call buttons simultaneously for a particularly long time, in order to initiate a program sequence, which calls the elevator to the same landing on which the serviceman is. When the elevator car has come to the landing from which the opening code was given, the doors of the elevator car and the landing doors open and close in such a way that the landing doors do not fully close, nor do they lock, but instead remain slightly ajar, but, however, in such a way that the gap is so small that it is not possible to fall into the elevator hoistway through the gap. Next, the elevator car drives a pre-agreed distance, e.g. approx. one-half the height of the elevator car, downwards to a safe servicing station in connection with the same floor level from which the opening code was given and stops in its servicing station.
In phase s3, when the elevator car is safely in position in the servicing station, the serviceman manually pulls open the landing door and starts to carry out the necessary servicing jobs in the hoistway from the roof of the elevator car or directly from the floor level.
Figs. 1a and 1b present one locking mechanism 12 for a landing door, the mechanism being suitable for use in the method and the arrangement according to the invention. In the situation according to Fig. 1a the landing door is locked and in the situation according to Fig. 1b the locking of the landing door has been opened. The structure and control of the locking mechanism 12 of a landing door is preferably such that when a landing door left ajar in servicing mode has been opened once, the locking mechanism 12 activates, in which case when the landing door has closed again the landing door simultaneously locks. This prevents any outsider from being able e.g. to fall into the elevator hoistway when the serviceman is on the roof of the elevator car in the elevator hoistway. The locking of the landing door can in this case be opened from the elevator hoistway side.
In the solution according to Figs. 1a and 1b the locking latch 13 of the lock is e.g. in one of the door panels of the landing door and the counterpart 14 of the locking latch is e.g. in a center-opening door in the other door panel and in a door opening from one side in some suitable rigid fixing point. The locking latch 13 of the lock is adapted to lock to the counterpart 14 e.g. by means of the spring force of the spring 15, which spring force tries to keep the locking latch 13 locked all the time. Correspondingly, the locking of the locking latch 13 is opened with some suitable actuator 16, such as e.g. with a solenoid or with an actuator that is in the door operator of the elevator car.
When the servicing actions of the floor level in question have been performed, the serviceman gives with the landing call buttons a new predetermined code, i.e. a ready code, in which case for safety reasons the landing door closes and locks.
If there is a need on the same visit to perform servicing actions also on other floor levels, the serviceman repeats phases s2 and s3 on the necessary floor levels. For safety reasons it is good to prevent the giving of the predetermined opening code with software if a landing door is open on some other floor level.
In phase s4 all the service actions have been performed and the serviceman goes to the control cubicle and sets the elevator out of servicing mode into normal mode, i.e. into the ordinary drive state in which the elevator can be used normally.
Fig. 2 presents a simplified view of an opened control cabinet 1 of an elevator, as seen obliquely from the side and from above, the control cabinet being provided with a door 2, in which is a lock 3 to prevent the access of unauthorized persons to the control cabinet 1. In the phase s1 presented by Fig. 2, the serviceman 5 sets the elevator into servicing mode manually from inside the control cabinet 1, e.g. by turning the servicing mode switch 4 that is inside the control cabinet 1 into the ON position.
Figs. 3a and 3b present the phases s2 and s3 of the method of the solution according to the invention, as well as a simplified and sectioned side view of the bottom part of the elevator hoistway 7. In the solution according to the embodiment the control cabinet 1 of the elevator is situated on the ground floor and earlier in phase s1 the serviceman 5 has set the elevator into a special servicing mode from the control cabinet 1 of the elevator.
Figures 4a and 4b present an oblique front view of different phases of the method and of the arrangement according to the invention, wherein a serviceman 5 is making advance preparations for elevator servicing work on a certain floor level 11. Fig. 4c presents a phase according to the method, wherein the serviceman 5 has performed the preparatory phases of the servicing work and is performing servicing work in the elevator hoistway 7 from the roof of the elevator car 8.
In Figs. 3a and 4a, which present the start of phase s2, the serviceman 5 has gone e.g. along a stairway to that landing 11 on which the servicing work will be done. Since the elevator is in servicing mode, calling the elevator car 8 by normal pressing of a landing call button 6 will not succeed, but instead for starting the servicing work on the desired floor level 11 the serviceman 5 gives a pre-agreed opening code with the landing call buttons 6, such as e.g. depressing both landing call buttons 6 simultaneously for a particularly long time. The opening code activates means that perform e.g. a program sequence that first calls the elevator car 8 to the same floor level 11 on which the opening code was given and next the elevator car door 9 and landing door 10 open. Normally the landing door 10 opens and closes along with the car door 9 by means of a special door coupler. After opening of the doors, the doors 9 and 10 close in such a way that they do not fully close, nor do they lock, but instead a small gap 9a remains in the car door 9 and a small gap 10a remains in the landing door 10. The gap 10a of the landing door 10 is e.g. only 1-4 cm wide, preferably approx. 2 cm wide, which ensures that a person cannot fall through the gap 10a and that e.g. a person's limb cannot be put through the gap. The corresponding gap 9a of the car door 9 can be as wide as the gap 10a of the landing door or it can be of a different width.
Depending on the structure, it is not even necessarily need to leave a gap 9a in the car door 9.
The program sequence initiated by the opening code continues and next the elevator car 8 drives from the floor level 11 to a predetermined height required by the situation. If the intent is e.g. to do the servicing work on the base of the elevator hoistway 7 and the opening code has been given from the lowermost floor level 11, the elevator car 8 is driven upwards, after the opening of the landing door 10, to a height at which the bottom of the elevator car 8 is sufficiently high for a serviceman to safely step inside onto the base part of the elevator hoistway 7.
If, on the other hand, the floor level 11 from which the opening code was given is other than the lowermost floor level of the elevator, the elevator car 8 is driven, after the opening of the landing door 10, downwards optionally either to a height that is such that the roof of the elevator car 8 is approximately at the height of the floor of the floor level 11 in question, in which case it is easy and safe to go from the floor level 11 into the elevator hoistway onto the roof of the elevator car 8, or which height is such that the actuators, e.g. the door operator, on the floor level side on the top part of the elevator car 8 are at working height for a serviceman on the floor level 11.
In Figs. 3b and 4b, which present the start of phase s3, the elevator car 8 has safely stopped in its servicing station and the serviceman 5 is opening with his/her hands the landing door 10 from the gap 10a of the landing doors 10 to gain access for performing preplanned servicing procedures, either in the hoistway 7 from the roof of the elevator car 8 or by working from the floor level 11.
In Fig. 4c, which presents the middle part of the method phase s3 according to the invention, the elevator car 8 has safely stopped at the servicing station and the serviceman 5 is performing servicing work in the elevator hoistway 7 from the roof of the elevator car 8.
After the servicing work has been completed, the serviceman gives the so-called ready code with the landing call buttons 6 of the aforementioned floor level 11, in which case the elevator car 8 drives back to the aforementioned floor level 11 and the car door 9 closes and locks, closing and also locking the landing door 10 as well, and the aforementioned program sequence ends. For safety reasons it is wise to prevent initiation of the programmed sequence with a predetermined opening code if the landing door 10 is already open on some floor level and e.g. servicing work is still in progress.
If servicing procedures must be carried out on other floor levels, the procedures of Figs. 3a-4c are repeated also on the floor levels needing them. When all the servicing procedures have been completed, the following phase is s4, in which case the serviceman 5 goes to the control cabinet 1 and sets the elevator out of servicing mode and into normal drive mode.
It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited solely to the examples described above, but that it may be varied within the scope of the claims presented below. Thus, for example, the method and arrangement according to the invention can be different to what is presented above. For example, the opening code to be given from a floor level with the landing call buttons for initiating the program sequence, with which program sequence the elevator car is driven to the floor level in question, to the servicing station, and the locking of the landing door is opened, can also be given in some other manner than what is presented above. The program sequence can be activated e.g. with a remote control made for the purpose, with an identifier-reader pair or with some other suitable signaling device.
It is also obvious to the person skilled in the art that the program sequence to be initiated from the opening code can comprise different functions and safety checks than what is presented above. For example, for ensuring safety a condition can be made in the program sequence, the condition preventing the starting of a new program sequence when the opening code is given from other floor levels if the previous program sequence has not been completed with a new ready code from that floor level on which the servicing work was performed.

Claims

Method for opening the locking of a landing door in an elevator, which elevator comprises at least a control system, a lockable space, such as the control cabinet (1) or machine room of the elevator, an elevator car (8) arranged to move reciprocally in the elevator hoistway (7), a plurality of landing doors (10) and which elevator has means for opening a landing door (10) of the elevator, wherein when the elevator is in normal drive mode the mode of the elevator is changed from normal drive mode, in which case the mode of the elevator is preferably changed to servicing mode, a command is given from a floor level (11) to the control system of the elevator to prevent locking of the landing door (10) and to drive the elevator car (8) away from the floor level (11) to a predetermined height, characterized in that the method is initiated with a predetermined opening code to be given from a floor level (11), and, when the elevator car (8) has come to the desired floor level (11) after giving the opening code, the landing door (10) is opened from its locking by means of the car door (9) and a gap (9a) is left in the car door (9) and also a gap (10a) is left in the landing door (10), after which the elevator car (8) is driven to the preferred servicing station in the area of the floor level (11) .
Method according to claim 1, characterized in that at a floor level (11) the landing door (10) is opened with the driving force of the car door (9) of the elevator car (8) and locking of the landing door (10) is prevented.
Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the floor level (11) is the lowermost floor level of the elevator, the elevator car (8) is driven upwards to a height at which the bottom of the elevator car (8) is sufficiently high for a serviceman (5) to safely step inside onto the base part of the elevator hoistway (7).
Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the floor level (11) is other than the lowermost floor level of the elevator, the elevator car (8) is driven downwards optionally either to a height that is such that the roof of the elevator car (8) is approximately at the height of the floor level (11) in question, or is such that the actuators, e.g. the door operator, on the floor level side on the top part of the elevator car (8) are at working height for a serviceman (5) on the floor level (11).
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elevator car (8) is called to the floor level (11), the locking of the landing door (10) is prevented, the door (9) of the elevator car (8) is allowed to open and close the landing door (10), and the elevator car (8) is driven away from the floor level (11) to a predetermined height.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that with the opening code a program sequence is initiated, with which the elevator car (8) is driven to the desired floor level (11), after which the car door (9) of the elevator and the landing door (10) are opened and also closed in such a way that the lock of at least the landing door (10) remains in the open state.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a predetermined opening code is given by means of the landing call buttons (6) of that floor level (11), the landing door (10) of which floor level (11) it is desired to open.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a predetermined opening code is given with a separate remote control, identifier-reader pair or other suitable signaling device.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a landing door (10) left ajar is opened fully by hand, without special tools.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the servicing work is ended on the landing (11) by giving a predetermined ready code from the aforementioned landing (11), in which case the car doors (9) of the elevator and the landing doors (10) close and lock.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the giving of a predetermined opening code is prevented if a landing door (10) is open on some floor level (11).
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method comprises at least the following phases:
- the elevator is placed into servicing mode

- a predetermined opening code is given from the floor level (11) of which it is desired to open the landing door (10),

- the elevator car (8) is driven to the aforementioned floor level (11)

- the car door (9) of the elevator and the landing door (10) are opened

- the car door (9) and the landing door (10) are closed in such a way that their locks are left in the open state and gaps (9a, 10a) remain between the door panels or between a door panel and an architrave

- the elevator car (8) is driven to the servicing station,

- the landing door (10) intended for opening is opened by hand from the gap (10a),

- after performing the necessary procedures a ready code regarding completion of the work is given to the control system of the elevator,

- if necessary the opening code is repeated from another floor level and the necessary procedures are performed on the aforementioned floor level, and

- the elevator is placed into normal drive mode.
Arrangement for opening the locking of a landing door in an elevator, which elevator comprises at least a control system, a lockable space, such as the control cabinet (1) of the elevator, an elevator car (8) arranged to move reciprocally in the elevator hoistway (7), a plurality of landing doors (10) and which elevator has means for opening a landing door, wherein when the elevator is not in normal drive mode the locking of the landing door (10) of the desired floor level (11) is arranged to be opened by giving to the control system of the elevator a command to prevent locking of the landing door (10) and to drive the elevator car (8) away from the floor level (11) to a predetermined height, characterized in that a predetermined opening code is arranged to be given from the aforementioned floor level (11) to the control system of the elevator, which opening code is arranged to perform a program sequence, which drives the elevator car (8) to the aforementioned floor level (11), opens the car door (9) of the elevator and the landing door (10) and also closes the doors (9 and 10) and leaves the lock of at least the landing door (10) in the open state, the gap (9a) arranged in the car door (9) and the gap (10a) arranged in the landing door (10) are approx. 1-4 cm wide, preferably approx. 2 cm wide, and the landing door (10) is arranged to be opened by hand, without separate tools, via the aforementioned gap (10a).
Arrangement according to claim 13, characterized in that the predetermined opening code is a pushbutton combination of the landing call buttons (6).
Arrangement according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the predetermined opening code is a code to be given with a separate remote control, identifier-reader pair or other suitable signaling device.