GB2358623A

GB2358623A - Modular lock for elevator doors

Info

Publication number: GB2358623A
Application number: GB0017112A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roberto Zappa
Original assignee: Sematic SpA
Current assignee: Sematic SpA
Priority date: 2000-01-26
Filing date: 2000-07-13
Publication date: 2001-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 2020-07-13
Also published as: GB0017112D0; DE10037720B4; GB2358623B; DE10037720A1; ITMI20000099A0; IT1316302B1; ITMI20000099A1

Abstract

A modular lock (10) for elevator doors, in particular for locking and unlocking the floor doors of elevators and hoists, comprises a first fixed plate (12) and a second plate lever (14) articulated on the same, co-operating with the blades of the car activator and provided with means (52) for operating a switch contact (48). The means 50 are a shaped contact plate connected via e.g. rivets to a catch piece 44 and shaped and arranged to actuate either a switch 48 or a waterproof and powder-proof switch (56, Fig 2).

Description

1 2358623- MODULAR LOCK FOR ELEVATOR DOORS The present invention relates

to a modular lock for elevator doors.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a modular lock for locking the floor doors of elevators and hoists, which can be combined with devices which differ from each other according to the safety or protection norms of the electric parts of the system.

As is known, in the elevator and hoist systems, specific locking and unlocking of doors are provided for each of the doors located at the different floors. Such locks that have a tilting operation, are provided with wheels or rollers that are struck by the conventional blades mounted on the car activator. When the blades touch with the wheels substantially in coincidence with the arrival of the car at the floor the lock tilts and its hook disengages from the key-way, allowing the opening of the doors.

According with the laws in force for the safety or protection of electric parts, the locks of the floor doors must have specific and different characteristics; in particular, the differences concern the electric contacts of the locks which are markedly different from each other with respect to their structure, depending on whether they are of the water and powder proof type or also of the explosion proof type. The first ones further differ from each other according to the protection level required, which varies according to the characteristics of the environment where the elevator is installed. These variables, for instance, are constituted by the concentration of powder in the air, the exposure of the elevators to water - if they are installed in the open or if they are of the panoramic type, by the size of the holes through which the contacts are reached. Because of these variables, different types of locks are traditionally used provided generally with as many different locking- unlocking combinations or systems.

As a consequence, also the car must be equipped with complementary specific hooking devices.

All this involves severe drawbacks, caused by the need of preparing many nonstandardized locks, with the associated increase in production costs. As a consequence, the drawback affects the management of spare parts, for which a storehouse must be provided to store a large stock of locks. A further drawback of the known locks for the elevator floor doors concerns their structural complexity, which causes a further increase in the costs and difficulties during maintenance or repairs.

The present invention seeks to obviate or reduce the above drawbacks.

More particularly, this invention seeks to realise a modular lock for elevator floor doors to which it is possible to alternatively associate electric contacts of different type and/or function, keeping substantially unaltered the structure of said lock.

The invention also seeks to realise a modular lock wherein the contacts are alternatively applied in a simple and quick manner.

The invention further seeks to realise a modular lock provided with common locking-unlocking devices also in the presence of contacts of a different type.

The invention still further seeks to provide users with a modular lock for elevator floor doors suitable to ensure a high level of resistance and reliability in time, and also such as to be realised easily and economically.

According to the invention a modular lock for elevator floor doors, in particular for the locking-unlocking of floor doors of elevators and hoists, comprise a first fixed plate and a second plate articulated thereon and co-operating with the blades of the car activator, and provided contact actuating means.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:- Figure 1 shows schematically in front view the modular lock of the present invention to which there is associated, by way of example, an electric contact with a low level of protection from water and powder; and Figure 2 shows schematically in front view the same lock provided with a contact of the explosion-proof type or, alternatively, with a contact with a high level of protection from water and powder.

With reference to Figure 1, the modular lock of the present invention, indicated as a whole by 10, comprises a first base plate 12, of metal or other suitable materials, and a second plate 14 fixed to a third plate or lock bolt 14'; the second plate 14 and the lock bolt 14' are tied to each other through a pin 30, to be described hereafter. The plate 12 is laterally provided with a seat 16 for housing a pin or spring guide 18 or the like on which a spring 20 is fitted, as well as an element of elastic material 22 which protrudes from its front and constitutes a shock absorber when struck by the third plate 14', as will be specified hereafter.

The configuration of the first plate 12 is, by way of example, polygonal and irregular, with a trapezoid upper part from which a shaped extension 24 extends downwardly from one side and is integral with the seat 16 for the spring guide 18 and for element 22. The same plate 12 has one or more through-holes 26 for the insertion of screws or like means suitable stably fixing it to the floor door.

The second plate 14, also of metal or other suitable material, has preferably a substantially down-lying 'U' shape, fixed by means of screws 34 to the plate 14' which has an integral extension 28 which couples with a pin 30, integral, in its turn, with the plate 12. This extension, for instance of a generally circular shape is drilled in the middle to house said pin 30 or the like protruding from the front of the first plate 12. The second plate 14 is fitted onto the first plate 12, starting from extension 28 from whose central hole pin 30 protrudes. The latter is provided with a widening for housing an elastic ring or circlip, 32 that provides the superposed connection of the plates. Two or more screws 34 further connect plate 12 to the second plate 14. For this purpose, the second plate 14 is provided with slots 36 for guiding the screws. Thanks to this connection, plate 14 and lock bolt 14' can tilt with respect to the underlying plate 12.

Two suitably spaced wheels or rollers 38 are applied to the front of the second plate 14, suitable to be struck by the conventional blades mounted on the car activator (not shown). Wheels 38 are, for instance, fitted on pins 40 protruding from the front of the second plate 14, connected to the pins in a known manner, with elastic rings or circlips 42 or the like. The spring guide 18 for the spring 20 is fixed to the back of the plate or lock bolt 14' in substantial alignment with seat 16 of the first plate. At the free end of plate or lock bolt 14', an integral shaped extension 44 forms a hook that engages with the key-way of the lock, indicated by 46, fixed on the floor door. Extension 44 is adapted to fit in a slit obtained in the lock bolt of the floor door when the car is moving, to prevent the opening of the floor doors. Contact 48 is fixed to the key- way 46, which contact, in the embodiment of Figure 1, is an electric contact without a high level of protection from water and powder, with circuit opening and closing terminals 48. Beyond the shaped extension or hook 44, a shaped plate 52 is fixed to the lock bolt 14'which is suitable to bear on the movable bridge 48' of contact 48 and to move away therefrom. In the embodiment of Figure 1, plate 52 is provided with an integral rectilinear orthogonal oriented extension 52'.

During the running of the elevator system, when the car reaches the floor, the blades mounted on the car activator strike wheels 38 of the second plate 14, causing the tilting of the same and the lock bolt 14' with respect to the underlying first plate 12. In particular, the tilting movement takes place in a direction indicated by arrow T", with its fulcrum on pin 30. Hook 44 disengages from the slit of the lock bolt 46 and plate 52, connected to the second plate 14 and the lock bolt 14', moves away, with its extension 52', from contact 48, opening the circuit and causing the opening of the floor doors. During this step, the spring 20 is compressed.

Vice-versa, when the electric impulse is supplied again to cause operation of the car, the activator blades move away from wheels 38 and spring 20 releases, so that hook 44 enters the slit of the lock bolt 46 and the extension 52' of the plate 52 strikes the contact 48 closing the circuit.

Figure 2 represents the same lock 10 equipped with a contact of the explosionproof type or alternatively with a contact of the water and powder proof type. In this figure, the same reference numbers are used as in the preceding figure to indicate like parts. In this embodiment - the configuration and the general structure of plates 12, 14, 14' being the same - lock 10 is provided with a plate specifically shaped for the interaction with the contact of the explosion-proof type or alternatively with the contact of the water and powder proof type, indicated by 56 and without electric terminals. Contact 56 has on the lower front a downwardly protruding extension 58, intended for interacting with an electric release cam 66, suitably connected to the inside of the contact 56. The plate that interacts with contact 56 through a substantially triangle configuration 62 and is fixed with rivets 50, similarly to the plate 52 of Figure 1, to the lock bolt 14', beyond hook 44. Along the extension intended for striking extension 58 of contact 56, the plate 62 has an aperture 64, intended for co-operating with the cam 66.

During operation, the lock is tiltingly moved in the same way as in the solution described above with respect to contact 48. The lowering of the second plate 14 and the lock bolt 14' in the direction of arrow "F" causes the disengagement of hook 44 from the lock bolt 46 and disengagement of the plate 62 from extension 58 of the explosion-proof contact 56 or alternatively of the water and powder proof contact. In this case, the spring fitted on the pin 18, indicated by 70, has a greater compression resistance than spring 20, having to support a higher load, according to the type of contact present, on lock 10, i.e. an explosion-proof contact or alternatively a water and powder proof contact without electric terminations.

As can be inferred from the above, the advantages achieved by the invention are obvious.

Thanks to its general structure and the presence of specific plates 52, 62, the lock of the present invention can be advantageously used for electric contacts that have a different level of protection or are explosion-proof, changing only a minimum part of its components.

Besides contact 48 or 56, it is in fact sufficient to fix to the second plate 14 a plate 52 or 62 and utilise a spring 20 or 70, without changing the other components. This standardization involves significant savings both for production and the management of the spare parts, and renders also easier maintenance and repairs.

Claims

A modular lock for elevator doors, in particular for locking and unlocking the floor doors of elevators and hoists, comprising a first fixed plate and a second plate articulated to the first plate, co- operating with the blades of the car activator and provided with means for operating a contact.
2. The modular lock according to claim 1, wherein a third plate or lock bolt provided at its upper part with a shaped extension or hook is fixed to the second plate.
3. The lock according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the means are constituted by shaped plates alternatively associated with the second lever and fixed thereto by means of rivets or the like.
4. The lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the shaped plate has a substantially triangle configuration and is fixed correspondingly to the second plate beyond an extension or hook of the plate, intended for engaging a slit of the lock key-way.
5. The lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the shaped plate has an integral rectilinear extension which supports the electric activators of contact, the latter being supported by the key-way.
6. The lock according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shaped plate is provided with an aperture co-operating with a cam suitably connected to body of the electric contact for the actuation of a downwards protruding extension of contact.
7. The lock according to any preceding claim, wherein plate surmounts the first plate and is connected thereto by means of a pin protruding from the upper part of the first plate.
8. The lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the second plate has at its upper part an integral extension provided with a through-hole for receiving the pin, the latter having one or more widenings for housing one or more elastic rings or circlips.
9. The lock according to any preceding claim, wherein a spring is interposed between the first plate and the second plate which counteracts the tilting of said second plate.
10. The lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the plates are connected through screws whose heads are guided into slots located in the second plate.
11. The lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the first plate is provided with one or more through-holes for the insertion of screws suitable for fixing it to the floor door.
12. The lock according to any preceding claim, wherein wheels are fitted on to pins integral with the second plate.
13. The lock according to any preceding claim, wherein the contacts are respectively of the electric type with a different level of protection from water and powder and of the explosion-proof type.
14. A modular lock for elevator doors substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.