US1171518A

US1171518A - Safety control system for elevator-cars.

Info

Publication number: US1171518A
Application number: US57510010A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry George Hillman; Samuel M Ward Jr
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1910-08-02
Filing date: 1910-08-02
Publication date: 1916-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 1933-02-15

Description

H. G. HILLMAN 61 S. M. WARD. ls. SAFETY 00111301 SYSTEM FOR ELEVATOR CARS;

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2, I910. 1,171,518. 1

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

IXJi/ML QQQ 1.

Patented Feb. 15,1916.

H. G. HILLMAN 6: S. M. WARD. h.

SAFETY CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ELEVATOR CARS.

APPLICATION mzo AUG-2| 1910.

1, 171,5 18. Patented Feb. 15, 19m

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@JW Mu: was 8141mm l'ozs (/4 2 a 351 aHo uau o H. G. HILLMAN 61 S. M. WARD, JR.

SAFETY CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ELEVATORCARS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-2.1910. I 1,171,518, Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- 3:913 Streams}! a IWAGM the controller is in a position to UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY GEORGE HILLMAN, F MORRIS PARK, AND SAMUEL M. WARD, JR., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO JOHN T. CLARKE, OF NEW YQRK, N. Y.

SAFETY CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ELEVATOR-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

' To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HENRY G. HILLMAN, of Morris Park, Long Island, New York, and SAMUEL M. \VARD, Jr.,- of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSafety Control Systems for Elevator-Cars,- of which the followingis a specification.

Our invention relates to safety control systems for elevator cars and the like, and one of the objects of our invention is to provide a durable, inexpensive and efficient safety control system by means of which the landing doorsvwill be held latched until the car reaches the landing. and then opened, andby which the car controller mechanism is rendered inoperative to start the car until the landing door is closed again.

Another object of the invention is to reduce, as far as is consistent with safety, the amount of wiring and the number of electromagnets or solenoids used in suchnsystems.

Another object of the invention is to provide, where brakes are used in connection with car motors, suitable circuits and apparatus whereby'the brake will be applied by the opening of the door, but only when greatly reduce thespeed of or stop the car.

Still another object of the invention is to .provide suitable apparatus by means .of

which we may utilize relatively small mag- ,nets mounted on the car to unlatch the doors at the different landings, and to further pro vide a suitable control circuit and contacts whereby the door latch at any landing will be operated only when the car controller mechanism is brought substantially to its neutral position. v

Other objects and advantages of the invention, including novel forms of switches, contacts, etc., wi more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

Figure 1 is an embodiment of one form ofthe invention; Fig. 2 is an embodiment of a modification; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the preferred form of electro-magnetically operated device for operating the door latches; F ig. 4 is a novel form of door switch used in our system; Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively side and plan views of a novel form of contact used in our system.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1, 1 is a car which in this particular embodiment of the invention is operated by an electric motor 2, which in turn is governed by suitable controller mechanism 3, mounted on the car and from which a cable 4 containing the master control wires is led to the motor.

In order to lock the controller at certain times inits neutral position, a suitable device, such as a disk 5, is connected to the controller by means of a chain 6 or other suitable gearing, and this disk is provided with a locking notch 7. Adjacent to this disk a locking finger 8 is mounted on the car in position to engage the notch when the. controller is at, or substantially at, its neutral position and this finger is operated by a suitable solenoid 9. The apparatus thus far described forms no part of the present invention, the same being the subject of a patent granted to Henry G, Hillman January 10, 1911, No. 981,424, in which it is fully described and claimed. Upon this disk is mounted a contact plate 10, which engages two contact-

fingers

11, 12, mounted adjacent the plate and in position to be bridged by the plate only when the controller is in its neutral position. Upon the car is also mounted a relatively high resistance magnet 13, operating a suitable device 14 to move the latter into position to engage door latches 15 at the ditferent landings.

The unlatching mechanism shown in the present embodiment of the invention coinprises a shoe member 16, extending in the general direction of the travel of the car, which shoe is of such dimensions as to engage a roller 17 on the latch 15 whenever the car is in the vicinity of a landing and the solenoid 13 energized. The shoe should preferably be of such dimensions that it will only engage the latch 15 to unlatch the door when the floor of the car is within a few inches of the landing, i. 6. only when the car is in the proper position for passengersto step out of or into the car. The solenoid is connected to the shoe operating lever by means of a suitable pin and slot connec- 'tion 18.

The solenoid 13 is connected in circuit with locking solenoid 9 and with

contact fingers

11, 12, through the following circuit, bus bar 19, cable wire 20, through the cable to the car and thence out of the cable through said wire 20, through solenoid 13,

tion to stop the car, thus avoiding the noise and wear andtear occasioned if the solenoid was normally energized to throw the shoe into position to engage each latch as the car moved up and 'down the well.

The

solenoids

13 and 9, as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 1, are in serieswith ea c h other .and, as above stated, solenoid 13 is of comparativelyhigh resistance, and solenoid 9 is so wound that it will not be operatively energized to open contacts 35 and lock the notched disk as long as solenoid 13 remains in circuit with it; but

said solenoid 9 will only be operatively, energized when solenoid 13 is cut out of the circuit by means of the following apparatus.

A branch from each of the Wires and 21 leading to solenoid 13 continues to the

traveling contacts

30, 31 which are mounted on the car, and these contacts, when the car reaches the landing, engage with

stationary contacts

28, 29 from which

lead wires

26 and 27 to

stationary door contacts

24, 24

which are adapted to be bridged by the movable door switch contact 23 when the landing door is opened. that by means of this apparatus, when the cararrives at the landing and the controller handle 44 is moved to the neutral position,

contact strip 10 will close the circuit'from bus bar 19 through wire 20, solenoid 13, wire 21, switch 46, solenoid 9 through

contacts

12, 10 and 11, back through wire 21 to the negative bus'bar. This circuit being closed by the movement of the controller .handle 44 to the neutral position, solenoid 13 becomes operatively energized to throw the shoe 16 against the lower part of latch 15 so as to unlatch the door and permit its being opened; but the solenoid 9, although in series with solenoid 13, is not yet operatively energized, since solenoid 13 has not yet been cut out of circuit. But as soon as the landing door is opened, movable contact 23 of door switch .25 bridges the stationary contacts 24, 24', thus short-circuiting solenoid 13 through the previously traced branch circuit, thereby increasing the current through solenoid 9 and causing it to open contacts 35 in the master control circuit, 1 and at the same time'causing it to lock the notched disk and master control mechanism from further movement as long as the door remains open. Immediately upon the bridging of the stationary door contacts 24, 24' by movable contact 23, solenoid 13 is dei nergized and door latch 15 is permitted It will be seen,

- troller is in the running position.

to swing back to its normal or locking position, in which position, when the door is again closed, the latch will engage the notch on the door so as to hold it closed. Upon the door being closed, movable contact 23 of the door switch is forced from engagement with the stationary door contacts, thus opening the shunt circuit around solenoid 13 so as to throw solenoid 13 back into circuit with solenoid 9, thereby decreasing the current in the circuit to an extent sufiicient to permit the closing of contacts 35 in the master control circuit and the unlocking of the notched disk 5, so that the car may now be started.

In order to automatically apply the motor brake in some installations, and in others as in the present embodiment, to. prevent the application of the brake by the opening of landing doors until the controlleris brought to, its neutral position, we provide' the following apparatus. A suitable control circuit 34 contains contacts 35, which are controlled by solenoid 9 for the purpose of closing and opening said circuit and thereby energizing and deenergizing a solenoid 36, which in turn controls contacts 37 included in a circuit 38 containing the brake solenoid 39, which when deenergized permits the apmen to the different positions of the master control, the circuit being completed through any one of the other master control wires,

depending upon the position of the con- -troller handle 44', said circuit being .open

when the controller handle is in its neutral position .as shown, said common control wire being well understood in the art and needing no further explanation here. It has been customary to include door switches and certain other controlling devices in this circuit 34, but such an arrangement would result in a sudden application of the brake should a door he opened while the con- This sudden application of the brake by the opening of a door is not necessary, and it results in severe strains on the braking apparatus and operating parts of the car, as well as subjecting the passengers to considerable annoyance and probable injury. In order to overcome this difficulty we have placed the door switches in a branch of the circuit above traced, which circuit includes the solenoid 9 by which arrangement the solenoid is opera ted to lock the controller mechanism whenever a door-is opened and the of position and unlatch the door.

car controller brought to its neutral position; and in the circuit 34 we provide the contacts 35, which are opened only when solenoid 9 is operated to lock thecontroller. By this means We relay the door switch control of the brake in such manner as to prevent the application of the brake due to the opening of a door, until the controller is moved substantially to its neutral position. .Insystems in which the brake is not controlled by the regular control circuits, the circuit 34 may be a separate and independent auxiliary control circuit through which the brake may be applied by the opening and closing of contacts 35.

In order to ermit the magnetization of solenoid 13 to unlatch the landing doors in case the control supply should fail or get out of order, we provide an auxiliary source of current 45, carried upon the car and capable of being connected across the

wires

20 and 21 by means of a suitable switch 46, which is so arranged that it will open up the circuit through the control locking solenoid 9 and close the circuit of the auxiliary source 45 through the solenoid 13. By this means the unlatching of the different doors may be readily accomplished should the control mechanism be thrown out of order.

In Fig. 3 an enlarged side elevation of the magnetically operated shoe is shown for operating the different door latches 15. As shown in this figure the latch operating device comprises a shoe 16 which as above set forth extends in the general direction of the travel of the car and is so positioned with respect to the car that when its operating solenoid 13 is energized it will be thrown into position to engage the roller 17 of the door latch to throw the latch out The shoe may be formed integral with a suitable lever, as shown, or it may be arranged detachably to the operating lever so as to be readily renewed. The solenoid 13 is preferably connected to the shoe operating lever near its supporting pivot by means of the pin and slot connection 18, so that the core or armature of the solenoid or magnet as the case may be will have but relatively small movement and in order that there will be no tendency of the parts to bind.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, 47 is a suitable contact support secured to any suitable part of the elevator well adjacent to the landing, to which support is hinged a member 48 on which are mounted the contact strips or

plates

28, 29, suitably insulated from the supporting member 47. The member 48 carrying the contact plates is normally held out from the support 47 by means of a suitable spring 49, which fits over projections 50, 51, on said members: and the outward movement of the member 48 from the support 47 is limited by suitable means such as a chain 56.

IVhen traveling contacts

30, 31, which'are mounted on the car, engage the

contact plates

28, 29, the member 48 is forced down' against spring 49, thus insuring good contact between the traveling and stationary parts.

In Fig. 4 we have shown a novel form of door switch used in connection with our system. This switch consists of two

longitudinal side pieces

52, 52 of insulating material connected intermediate their ends by a cross piece of insulating material, which is preferably mortised into the longitudinal sides and secured thereto by suitable screws 54. A plunger. member 55 is mounted between the longitudinal side pieces and passes through a suitable opening in the cross piece 53 and through the ends of a suitable casing inclosing the switch. The plunger member 55, which may be formed of insulating material, carries a suitable contact member 23, which in this instance is cone-shaped and arranged to contact with the

contacts

24, 24 mounted on one of the side pieces 52, from which contacts suitable wires may lead to the control solenoid 9. The switch mechanism is inclosed at its ends and on its top and bottom by means of a suitable metallic casing.

In Fig. 2 we have shown a modification of our invention in which the two wire circuits including the door latch magnet and the door switches 25 are wired up the side of the elevator well as distinguished from being wired in the cable of the elevator car, as shown in Fig. 1. The operation of the apparatus shown in this modification is very similar to that described in connection with Fig. 1. In this modification of the invention'the control circuit wire 20 is wired up the side of the elevator well to one of the contacts of the different door switches. while the other control circuit wire 21 is carried through the cable 4 and wired through the

contacts

10, 11 and 12, and thence through solenoid 9 back through the cable and up the side of the elevator well to the second contact of the door switch. Also a magnet 60 is provided at each landing for unlatching the doors and each magnet is connected across the

control circuit wires

20 and 21 in multiple with the door latch switches. The circuit to each magnet is closed by means of a suitable contact 61 carried upon the car and engag ing the

stationary contact plates

28 and 2%). The operation of this modification is as follows: \Vhen the car reaches a landing. the traveling contact (31 mounted on the car bridges stationary contacts 28 mounted along the patch of travel of the car adjacent the landing, thus placing magnet 60 in series with solenoid 5) through the following circuit: from positive bus and 29 bar 19, through wire 20, magnet 60,

contacts

28, 61 and 29, wire 21, passing through the cable to the car, and out of said cable to

contacts

11, 10 and 12 controlled by the notched disk, thence through wire 21 and. solenoid 9 back down through the cable to the negative bus bar. The magnet 60 being energized by the bridging of

contacts

28 and 29, when the car reaches the landing, operates upon latch 15 to move it into the position shown, where the car is at the landing in Fig. 2, in which position the door is unlatched. Immediately upon the opening of the door, the movable contact 23 of the door switch is thrust forward and, bridging stationary door switch contacts 24-24', closes a shunt circuit around the magnet. 60, thus cutting it out of circuit with solenoid 9 so as to increase the current through the circuit to solenoid 9, as described in the operation of the first modification, thereby causing it to open contacts 35 in the master control circuit and at the same time lock the master control mechanism from operation. When the door is again closed, the circuit through the door switch contacts is broken and solenoid 9 is sufliciently' deenergized to permit the unlocking of the master control mechanism and the starting of the motor. One of the advantages of this modification over the first described, is that, in this modification the controller mechanism will be locked whenever it is brought to the neutral position, at any position of, the car in the well, should any door in the well be open, whereas, in the first modification, the controller mechanism will not be locked unlem the car is in the vicinity of that landing or until it reaches the landing.

It should be understood that by the use of the word magnet in the appended claims, we intend to cover magnets, solenoids or other electromagnetically operated devices, all of which at this state of the art are considered well known equivalents.

Obviously various modifications and changes may be made in the embodiment of our invention herein shown and described and we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to any particular embodiment of the invention, other than as indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a, safety control system for elevators, the combination of a landing, a door at said landing, a latch for the door, a magnet operating the latch, a car, controller mechanism therefor, a device for locking the controller mechanism at its neutral position, a magnet operating said device. a circuit common to each of said magnets and through which each receives current when the controller is in the neutral position irrespective of the position of the car, and means for causing the complete energization of the controller lock magnet when a door is open.

2. In a safety control system for elevators, the combination of a landing and a door at said landing, a door latch, a magnet for operating the latch, a circuit through which the magnet is operated, a car, controller mechanism for the car, a locking member operatively related to the controller mechanism, an electro-responsive device controlling the locking member and in circuit with the latch magnet, and a door switch controlling said circuit and operated when the door is opened to vary the current in said circuit and operate the electro-responsive device to lock the controller in its neutral position.

3. In a safety control system for elevators, the combination of a landing and a door at said landing, a door latch, a magnet for operating the latch, a circuit through which the magnet is operated, a car, controller mechanism for the car, a locking member operatively related to the controller mechanism, an electro-responsive device operating the locking memberand in series circuit with 1 the latch magnet, and a door switch operatively connected with said circuit and operated when the door is opened to cut the latch magnet out of circuit and vary the current in the electro-responsive device to operate the locking member and lock the controller mechanism at its neutral position.

4. In a safety control system for elevators, the combination of a plurality of landings with a door at each landing, a latch at each door, a car, a magnet carried on the car and operatingthe latches at the different landings, acircuit controlling said magnet, contacts at each landing, contacts on the'car connected in multiple circuit with the latch magnet and successively engaging the said landing contacts, car controller mechanism having a neutral position, a device for locking the controller in its neutral position, an electro-responsive device operating said locking device, and door switches at the landings in circuit with the landing contacts each operated when its door is opened and the car adjacent the corresponding landing to short circuit the latch magnet and increase the current through the electro-responsive device to lock the controller.

5. Ida safety control system for elevators, the combination of a plurality of landings with a door at each landing, a latch at each door, a car, a magnet carried on the car and operating the latches at thedifierent landings, a circuit controlling sald magnet, contacts at each landing, contacts on the car connected in multiple circuit with the latch magnet and successively engaging the said landing contacts, car controllermechanism having a neutral position, contacts in the latch magnet controlling circuit operated by car,

. landing and the controller mechanism to prevent the closing of said circuit until the controller is at its neutral position, a device for locking the controller in its neutral position, an electro-responsive device operating said locking device, door switches at the landings in circuit with the landing contacts, and each switch operated when its door is opened and the car adjacent the corresponding landing to short circuit the latch magnet and increase the current through the electro responsive device to lock the controller.

6. In an elevator safety control system, a

car, a motor device moving the car, an electro-magnetically controlled brake and a circuit controlling the same, car controller mechanism having a neutral position, a locking member engaging the controller mechanism to lock it substantially at its neutral position, and contacts in the brake controlling circuit operated by said locking means. A 7. In an elevator safety control system, a

a motor device moving the car, an electro-magnetically controlled brake and a circuit controlling the same, car controller mechanism having a neutral position, a locking member engaging the controller mechanism to lock it substantially at its neutral position, an electro-magnet operating said member, a circuit including said magnet, and contacts controlling the brake circuit and operated by said magnet to apply the brake when said member is moved into locking engagement with said controller mechanism.

8. In an elevator safety control system, a car, a motor device moving the car, an electro-magnetically controlled brake and a circuit controlling the same, car controller mechanism comprising a notched member, a locking finger engaging with the notch, a magnet operating the finger, and contacts controlling the brake circuit and actuated by the finger to apply the brake when the finger is moved into locking engagement with the notch.

9. In an elevator safety control system, the combination of a car, a motor device moving the car, a brake and a circuit controlling the same, car controller mechanism including a notched member, a finger engaging in said notch, a magnet operating the finger, a door, a door switch, circuits controlling the magnet to move the finger into engagement with the notched member when the door is opened, and contacts controlling the brake circuit and actuated by the magnet to operate the brake when the door is opened and the controller substantially at its neutral position.

10. In an elevator safety control system, a a door at said landing, a car, means operating the car, an electro-magnetically controlled brake for said means, car controller mechanism, a door switch, a locking finger engaging a part of the controller mechanism, an electro-responsive device moving the finger into locking engagement with said mechanism, a circuit through which the electro-responsive device is controlled by the door switch, and means controlled by the finger for applying the brake when the finger is moved into locking engagement with said mechanism.

11. In an elevator safety control system, a car, a motor device moving the car, an electro-magnetically controlled brake, a circuit controlling said brake, a car, controller mechanism, a locking finger engaging a part of the controller mechanism, and contacts operated by the movement of said finger into engagement with the controller mechanism and controlling the application of said brake through said circuit.

12. In an elevator safety control system, the combination of a car, a motor device moving the car, a brake and a circuit controlling the same, car controller mechanism having a neutral position, a door, a door switch, and means including contacts actuated by the controller mechanism when substantially at its neutral position and controlling the brakecircuit to apply the brake when the door is opened with the car substantially at its neutral position.

13. In an elevator safety control system, a car, controller mechanism on the car, a plurality of landings each having a door, door latch mechanism at each landing, an electro-magnet carried by the car and positioned thereon to control the latch mechanism of the door at any landing adjacent the car, a controlcircuit for said magnet and contacts in said circuit operated when the controller mechanism is at its neutral position only, to prevent the operation of any latch mechanism by the magnet when the controller is in any other than its neutral position.

14. In an elevator safety control system, a car, controller mechanism having a neutral position, a plurality of landings each having a door and door latch mechanism, latchengaging means carried by the car, an electro-magnet operating said means to move it into position to engage the latch mechanism of a door when the car is adjacent a landing, a circuit controlling said magnet and contacts in said circuit adjacent to and positively operated by the controller mechanism to prevent the energization of the magnet until the controller mechanism is at its neutral position, whereby the respective door latches will not be operated when the car is passin the different landings.

15. u an elevator safety control system, a car, a motor moving the car, a power circuit to the motor, a brake for the motor, master control circuits controlling the operation of said motor and brake, controller mechanism for the master control circuits, a locking finger locking the controller mechanism in its neutral position, an electro-magnet operating said finger, a door switch controlling said magnet, and contacts in one of the master control circuits operated by said locking finger to open said circuit.

16. In an elevator safety control system, one or more landings and a door at each landing, a car, means including a door latch magnet carried on the car to unlatch said doors, a circuit controlling said ma net, car controller mechanism having a neu ral position, and contacts in said circuit operated to close the circuit of the door latch magnet only when the controller mechanism is substantially at its neutral position, and preventing the energization of the door latch magnet for unlocking a door when the controller is in any other than substantially its neutral position.

In testimony whereof, We have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY GEORGE HILLMAN. SAMUEL M. WARD. JR.

lVitnesses H. B. Yonmux, J. O. GEMPLER.