US1993309A - Escalator - Google Patents

Description

March 5, 1935. w RUBlN l 1,993,309

l EscALAToR I 4 l' a' l l March 5, 1935.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 5, 1 935 1,993,309 i UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE ESCALATOR William Rubin, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 24, 1934, Serial No. 717,219

4 Claims. (Cl. IS7-12) This invention relates to improvements in ele-I Figure 10 is a view in side elevation of the esvating mechanisms and pertains particularly to calator chair per se; an improved escalator, l Figure ll is a detail sectional view illustrat- The primary object of the present invention ing the manner in which the primary circuit 5 is to provide a new and'novel type of escalator is opened. y 5

which is particularly designed for use in a home Referring to the drawings wherein like nualthough, it is to be understood, that it is not merals of reference designate corresponding to be conned to such use. parts throughout the several views, the device Another object of the invention is to provide embodying the present invention is shown in an escalator of simple design and capable of be- Figure 1 in side elevation and in operative pol0 ing operated conveniently by the person riding sition on'a flight of stairs over which itis adaptthereon, either-while the person is actually in ed to be placed, the stairs being indicated genthe process o1 being carried by the device orprior erally by the numeral l. While the present deto the starting of the sa'me. vice may be disposed in a building in a location A further object of the invention is to provide particularly designed t0 receive it, it iS e150 15 an improved form of escalator having means adapted to be placed in already constructed whereby a person may be carried thereon while buildings over the steps of a regularly conin seated position and having means associated structed stairway, in which latter-position it is therewith whereby the device will be automatihere illustrated.

cally stopped when the carrier thereof has The device comprises a baseboard or wall 2 20 reached the end o f the device toward which it along the longitudinal edges of which are disis traveling. y posed the upstanding side walls 3. At the ends The invention will be best understood from a of the side walls are upstanding posts 4 which consideration of the following detailed descripare connected at their tops by the rails 5.

tion taken in connection with the accompany- Disposed between the walls 3 and in spaced 25 ing drawings forming part of this specication, relation therewith are upper and lower pairs of with the understanding, however, that the inbeams indicated by the numerals 6 and 7, that vention is not conned to any strict conformity is, each beam of the upper pair is indicated by with the showing of the drawings but may be the numeral 6, while each one of the lower pair changed or modified so long as such changes or is indicated by the numeral 7. The beams oi.' 30 modiilcations mark no material departure from each pair are in spaced parallel relation and the the salient features of the invention as expressed two pairs of beams are disposed one above and in in the appended claims. spaced relation with the other, suitable end walls In the drawings: 8 to which the beams are joined, serving to main- Figure 1 is a view partly in longitudinal sectain this relation. These walls also connect the 35 tion and partly in side elevation of the escalator ends of the side walls 3. There is thus formed,

embodying the present invention; when viewing the structure in cross section, the Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially parallel side spaces or alleys indicated by the upon the line 2 2 of Figure 1; numerals 9 and the transverse or horizontal area Figure 3 is a view in rear elevation of the power 10 which connects these alleys. 40 mechanism by which the escalator is operated: The beams 6 of the upper pair are connected Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figby the top wall or plate 11 which extends the full ure 1; length of the beams between the end walls 8. Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially Extending transversely of and between the D011 the line 5-5 0f Figure 2; upper and lower pairsof beams`6 and '7 are the 45 Figure 6 is a view in plan of the chair carrytransversely extending bolsters 12 of a truck ing truck, the chair having been removed therestructure which is indicated generally by the from; numeral 13. Each of these holsters at each end Figure 7 is a view in front elevation of one 0f is secured to a castor 14, the wheel of which rests two magnetic switches forming a part of the and runs upon the bottom 2 of the structure. 50 electrical system 0f the device; The holsters 12 are connected intermediate their Figure 8 is a view in side elevation of the magends by the longitudinal beam 15, which is disnetic switch; l posed beneath the same and upon the top of the Figure 9 is a diagram of'- the electrical system bolsters is a plate 16 which is located between 5.5 for the escalator; the beams 6 oi' the upper pair. 55

Secured to the tops ofthe bolsters 12 at the end s thereof 'and extending upwardly in the alleys 9 are the four legs of a chair or seat which is indicated 'as a whole by the numeral 17, the legs being indicated by the numerals 18 while the bottom of the seat is indicated by the numeral 19 and thearms'by the numeral 20. The legs at one side or at the iront of the seat have attached thereto brackets 21 which extend forwardly and downwardly over the adjacent side wall 3 and are connected by a step 22 upon which the feet of the occupant of the chair may be placed.

Connected with the upper end oi the central beam of the chair truck l3, is one end oi.' a cable or rope 23 which passes upwardly to the upper'end of the structure to engage about a pulley wheel 24 which is mounted in a suitable manner at the central part oi the device. 'Ihis cable or rope then passes back to the lower end of the device between the beams 7 and under the truck to a drum 25 to which it is attached and about which a portion of'it is wound. The drum 25 is mounted upon a shaft 26 which is suitably supported upon a base structure 27 at the lower end of the escalator and this shaft is connected by gears 28 and 29 with a suitable speed reduction mechanism, the encasing housing for which is indicated by the numeral 30. No attempt has been made to illustrate the speed reducing mechanism as such mechanisms are well known, and any suitable type of the same may be employed for carrying out the operation of the'devicev embodying this invention. Power is transmitted through the mechanism 30,'the gears 28 and 29, to the drum 25 by an electric motor 31, which is mounted upon the base structure 27 in the manner illustrated. Adjacent the motor or at any other suitable point, an instrument board 32 is located on which are mounted a stepdown transformer 33 which receives current from a power line 34, through a fuse block 35, connection being made with the fuse block and the power line through the terminal posts 36. Also mounted on this board or panel 32 are two electromagnetically operated switches which are indicated generallyby the numerals 37 and 38. The detailed construction of these switches is hereinafter described.

Extending longitudinally of the escalator strucvture and passing between the wall 11 and the plate 16 and connected at their ends with the walls 8 so as to be maintained in taut condition are three current conducting cables which are indicated by the numerals 39, 40 and 41. At the upper end of the escalator structure is fixed to a terminal post 42, a bowed spring contact 43 which rests against one of the cables, as for example, the cable 39. At the opposite end of the escalator is xed a terminal post 44 to which a similar bowed spring contact 45 is iixed, which rests upon another current conducting cable such as the cable 4l. 'I'he third cable 40 is disposed between the cables 39 and 41 and in spaced relation therewith. This is the power cable which, when the switches are closed, carries current to the controlling electro-magnets.

Carried upon the plate 16 of the truck 13 are three metal contact sleeves which are indicated by the numerals 48, 49 and 50, and these sleeves are slidably mounted respectively upon the cables 39, 40 and 41 so as to form electrical pick-up means for conducting electric currentv from the cable 40 to and from the two switches 5l and 52. 'I'he switch 51 is electrically connected with the current pick-up sleeve 50 by the wire 53, and

theV switch 52 is connected with the sleeve 48 by the wire 54, and when either of these switches is closed, it is connectedby the wire 55 with the central sleeve 49.

In addition to the three current pick-up sleeves carried by the truck plate 16, there are mounted on this plate two sleeves formed of insulation material, each ofwhich is indicated by the numeral 56. One of these sleeves surrounds the current conducting cable 39 while the other surrounds the cable 41, and each sleeve has an obliquely angled end 57 which is directed toward the spring contact which is in engagement with' the cable passing therethrough. This obliquely angled end of each sleeve serves as a wedge when the sleeve has been moved to the proper position on its cable, to lift the adjacent spring contact so as to break the electrical connection of the same with the cable as will be hereinafter described.

In the electrical system illustrated, there is an electric motor. This' is a Warner reversible motor which in actual practice gives about threeeighths of a horse power. There are also two electro-magnets connected in an interrupted circuit with the switches 68 and 69 and 51 and 52 aff 4will belater more fully explained. These magnets operate magnetic switches which in turn connect a source of current with the Warner electric motor to cause the motor to rotate in one direction or the other. Thus generally speaking, when it is desired to shift the sliding chair 17 upward on the escalator, the switch 68 is closed or if a party is in the chair and half way between the top and bottom and wishes to go to the top, the switch 52 is closed. If on the other hand, the carriage or chair is at the top of the escalator and the party is at the lower end thereof and wishes to bring the escalator down, he closes switch 69 or if he is on the chair, he closes switch 5l and this causes the actuation of the proper electro-magnet which in turn causes the passage of electric current through the motor to draw the chair downward.

Means are also provided for breaking the circuit through the motor automatically when the chair has reached its uppermost position or when it has reached its lowermost position.

It will thus be seen that one circuit includes the switch 69, the switch 51, the contact finger 45 and one of the electro-magnets while the other circuit includes the other electro-magnet and the switches 69, 51 and the contact nger 43 and that when either of the switches 68 or 52 is closed, the car or seat will move upward; that When either of the switches 69 or 5l is closed, the car or seat will move downward and that when the car or seat has practically reached its uppermost position, the insulating sleeve 56 will wedge out contact 43 and break the circuit through the electro-magnet and thus break the circuit through the motor and when on the contrary the car is moving downward, the sleeve 56 will force the finger 45 outward and break the circuit through the other magnet.

The two electro-magnets are designated 58 and 59 and each has the core 60. Each of these electro-magnets is associated with a switch 37 or 38 which, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, includes the lever 61 of insulating material, an armature 62 carried thereby and coacting with the core 60. Each lever 61 carries upon it at one end a metallic bridge 63 while at the other end are mounted two metallic arms 64 and 65 which are,

of course, insulated from each other. Spaced terminal posts 66 on each of the switches are electrically connected by the bridging plate 63 when the corresponding magnet 60 is deenerf gized and a similar pair of posts 67 is adapted to be engaged by the two arms 64 or 65, these arms .being electrically connected with fixed terminals 67 located on the base portion of the switch. At the upper and lower ends of the escalator are the manually operable switches 68 and 69 previously referred to, each switch, when closed, connecting the middle cable 40 with one of the lateral cables 39 or 41, the contacts with which these switches connect being designated 70 and havingthe ends of cable 40 connected therewith.

From the transformer 33 extends a-feed wire 71 which connects with the coil of the electromagnet 58, the wire 71 after it leaves this electro-magnet engaging the post 42 of the contact nger 43. The electro-magnet 59 is connected by a like wire 72 to the transformer 33 and this wire 72 extends from -the electro-magnet 59 to the post 44 of the contact finger 45.

Normally the switches 37 and 38 are in the position shown in Figure 8, this being .the position also shown in Figure 9 and the coils 74 and 75 of the motor are in an interrupted circuit with a source of power.

Assuming that the car is lowered and a person at the upper end of the escalator wishes to move the car upward to the landing, the switch 68 is closed against the action of the spring. The cable 40 is connected by a wire 76 to the transformer. When the switch 68 is closed, current, therefore, flows upward through the cable 40 to the switch 68, thence to contact 70, down cable 39 until it reaches the finger 43, then by wire 71 to the electro-magnet 58 of switch 37, the wire 71, after it leaves the magnet 58 going back to the transformer. When the electro-magnet 58 is energized, the contact arms 64 and 65 engage with the contacts 67 and complete a circuit through the two coils of the motor as follows:-

Current passes from the transformer to post 36, thence by wire 77 to arm 65 of switch 37, to the corresponding contact 67, thence to wire 78, to the post 67 of switch 38. As this switch 38 is open, no current passes through the switch 38 but current passes on wire 78 to one coil 74 of the motor, thence by wire 79 to wire 80. This wire connects one of the contacts 66 of the switch 38 with one of the contacts 66 of the other switch 37. Hence as the switch 37 has its bridge 63 out of engagement with contact 66, the current from coil 74 will pass to the contact 66 of switch 38 across the bridge 63 thereof to wires 80 and 8l and thence to coil 75 of the motor and from coil 75 current passes by wire 82 to switch arm 64, thence by wire 83 to one of the posts 36 on the fuse block and thence back to the transformer.

When the carriage moves upward to the upper end of the escalator, the wedge 56, as shown in Figure 11, breaks the circuit through wire 71 to the magnet 58, deenergizing this magnet and the motor controlling switch, therefore, returns to its initial position and, of course, the carriage stops.

The motor used is one in which it is necessary to reverse one of the field coils 75 or 74 in order to reverse the motor. When one of the magnets 58 or 59 is energized and the appropriate switch 37 or 38 is thrown, the contact to the ates to open the switch on that side leaving the field coils of the motor connected in the reverse direction.

If the carriage is at the top of the escalator and it is desired to move it downward, then the switch 69 is closed, thus operating the magnet 59, throwing the switch 58 in a position to connect the transformer with the coll 75 and then in a reverse direction through coil 74. The car descends and when it has reached its lowermost position, the insulating switch 66 will break the circuit through spring contact 45 and the car will stop.

It will be understood that no matter where the car is stopped on the escalator, it can be moved toits fully lowered position or its fully raised position by operating'these switches 69 or 68.

If a person is on the carriage 17, midway bei tween the. top and bottom of the escalator and wishes to-go to the top, he closes switch 52. Current then passes from the feed wire 76 to the cable 40, from the contact sleeve 49 tothe switch 52 and to sleeve 48, then up cable 39 to the contact finger 43, thence to magnet 59, and thence back to the source of power, thus shifting the switch 37 and causing the motor to operate to raise the escalator, the escalator stopping automatically when the insulating wedge 56 strikes the contact finger '43 and raises it from the cable 39. If the person wishes to move the carriage downward, he operates switch 51, taking current from the cable 40,'transmitting it to the contact sleeve 50, thence to the cable 41 and thence by spring contact 45 to magnet 59, operating the switch 38 and thus connecting the motor with the source of power. The. car then moves downward until the insulating switch 56 associated with sleeve 50 opens the spring contact 45.

It will be seen that I have provided an escalator which is particularly cheap to manufacture and' install and which is very easy to operate. The escalator because of the fact that the carriage may be readily shifted up or down from any middle position by a person either at the headof the escalator or vat the foot thereof or sitting on the carriage is particularly comfortable and convenient. The escalator has been put in use and found to be noiseless and in any installed escalator, there is no necessity of destroying walls or stairs. It takes up very little room and it can be readily taken down and moved from house to house at a small cost.

While I have illustrated certain details of construction and a certain particular arrangement of parts, I wish it to be understood that various minor changes might be made'in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed isz- 1. In an elevating structure of the character described, an inclined base, a carrier mounted for movement longitudinally on said base, electric current conducting cables extending longitudinally of the base, current pick-up devices carried by the carrier and connected with said cables, a reversible electric motor, a drum driven unwound from the drum to move the carrier, an

' disposed at an inclination, a truck movable longitudinally on the base structure, a seat carried by the truck, a cable drum at one end of the structure, a pulley at the opposite end of the structure. a cable connected at one end with the drum and extending longitudinally of the structure over said pulley and having its other end connected with the truck, an electric motor connected with said drum, a power circuit having said motor therein, three current carrying wires extending longitudinally oi the structure, a primary circuit having one of said wires permanently connected therein, switching lmeans carried by the seat structure for selectively coupling the other wires in the primary circuit, electric pick-up means carried by the truck and connected with said wires, an electromagnetic switch controlling said motor circuit and including an electromagnet, and an armature, said armature effecting the opening or closing of the motor circuit, and said electromagnet being connected in the primary circuit.

3. An elevator of the character described, comprising an elongated base structure designed to be disposed at an inclination, a truck movablelongitudinally on the base structure, a seat carried by the truck, a cable drum at one end of the structure, a pulley at the opposite end of the structure, a cable connected at one end with the drum and extending longitudinally of the structure over said pulley and having its other end connected with the truck, an electric motor connected with said drum, a power circuit having said motor therein, three current carrying wires extending longitudinally of the structure, a primary circuit having one of said wires pennanently connected th rein, switching means carried by the seat st cture for selectively coupling the other wires in the-primary circuit, electric pick-up means carried by the truck and connected with said wires, an electromagnetic switch controlling said motor circuit and including an electromagnet and an armature, said armature eil'ecting the opening or closing of the motor circuit, said electromagnet being 'connected in the primary circuit, a pair of spring contacts electrically connecting with the .primary circuits those wires which are controlled by the rst mentioned switches, and elements carried by the truck for shifting said spring contacts at the' end of the path of movement of the truck.

4. In an escalator, an inclined track, a carriage movable over the track, a reversible electric motor, three bare conductors extending parallel with the track, one of the conductors being connected to a source of power, the second conductor being an up conductor, and the third conductor being a donn conductor, sliding contacts on the carriage, eachengaging with one of said conductors, switches on the carriage to electrically connect the contact on the power conductor to either one or the other contacts, a switch at the upper end ofthe escalator whereby to connect the power conductor with the up conductor, a switch at the lower end of the escalator to connect the power conductor with the down conductor, two electrically operated controlling switches acting when operated to pass current through the motor, one in one direction and the other in an opposite direction, electrical means acting to throw one of said controlling switches in to operation when the up conductor is connected to the power conductor, electrical means acting to throw the other of saidl controlling switches into operative position when the down conductor is connected to the power conductor, and means carried by the carriage for breaking the previously established circuit when the'carriage arrives either at the limit of its upward movement or of its downward movement.

' WILLIAM RUBIN.

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