US2738489A

US2738489A - Auxiliary car button controls for automatic passenger elevators

Info

Publication number: US2738489A
Application number: US364866A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph H Borden
Original assignee: Haughton Elevator and Machine Co
Current assignee: Schindler Haughton Elevator Corp
Priority date: 1953-06-29
Filing date: 1953-06-29
Publication date: 1956-03-13
Anticipated expiration: 1973-03-13

Description

March 13, 1956 J. H. BORDEN 2,738,489

AUXILIARY CAR BUTTON CONTROLS FOR AUTOMATIC PASSENGER ELEVATORS Filed June 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JOSEPH H BURDEN BY :7 I

March 13, 1956 J. H. BORDEN 2,738,489

AUXILIARY CAR BUTTON CONTROLS FOR AUTOMATIC PASSENGER ELEVATORS Filed June 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a /9 24 (n) -o c o 26 28 A3 i /4 L 29-1 IN V EN TOR.

1/03? PH H BORDE/V United States Patent AUXILIARY CAR BUTTON CONTROLS FOR AUTOMATIC PASSENGER ELEVATORS Joseph H. Borden, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Haughton Elevator Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Application June 29, 1953, Serial No. 364,866

3 Claims. (Cl. 340-19) This invention relates to car button controls for passenger elevators intended to be operated by passengers without the assistance of an attendant.

Elevator control systems have been designed and built in which the entire operation of the elevator is controlled by push buttons, some at the landings and some in the cars. These elevators are intended to be operated by the passengers themselves without the assistance of an operator. As long as the elevator car is comparatively small so as to be used by a few persons at a time a single car button panel in each car is sufiicient. However, as the elevator cars are increased in size to accommodate larger passenger loads it becomes inconvenient to require each of the passengers to go to one control panel in order to register his call. It often happens as the passengers crowd into the car that some of them cannot conveniently get to the control panel. This condition has been corrected by supplying a second panel, a duplicate of the first, in some other place in the car and connecting it in parallel with the first control panel.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a simplified circuit and control mechanism for an auxiliary car button panel, the second panel or auxiliary panel to be located on the opposite side of the entrance door to the elevator car from the regular or main control panel.

Another object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary control panel circuit which provides the same indication and control on each control panel regardless of which one has been operated to register a destination call.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary control panel incorporating a minimum amount of auxiliary equipment.

More specific objects and advantages are apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

' 'According to the invention an auxiliary control panel or car button panel is arranged in an elevator car on the opposite side of the car from a main control panel. The auxiliary control panel includes a push button'and signal lamp for each of the floors to be served by the elevator. The main control panel is equipped with a push button for each of the floors to be served, the push button serving to control contacts for the signal circuits and being equipped with a magnetic holding coil which is continuously energized and which has a strength only sufiicient to hold the button once it has beenmanually pressed. The auxiliary panel control buttons are arranged, when pressed, to momentarily increase the strength of the magnetic holding coil of the corresponding button of the main control panel so as to operate that push button. Preferably the circuit comprises a resistance in series with each of the holding coils on the main panel the resistance serving to limit the current flow through the holding coil and contacts in the auxiliary control board arranged to short out the respective resistors whenever the corresponding auxiliary panel button is pushed, thereby caus- 2,738,489 Patented Mar. 13, 1956 ing the holding coil to operate the corresponding push button on the main control panel.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

.In the drawings:

Figure I is a perspective view of the interior of an elevatorcar equipped with a main and an auxiliary car button panel according to the invention.

FigureII is asectional view of one of the auxiliary car buttons that are used in the auxiliary car button panel.

.Figure III is a schematic wiring diagram showing the circuit arrangement of the main and auxiliary car buttons'locatedin the two panels so as to operate the signal circuits for controlling the operation of the elevator.

These specific figures and the accompanying description are intended to merely illustrate the invention but not to impose limitations on its scope.

An intending passenger when entering an elevator car 11 equipped according to the invention has his choice of registering his destination call on either a main car but- .ton panel 2 or upon an auxiliary car button panel 3 whichever is the more convenient. These car button panels 2 and 3 are shown arranged one on each side of the entrance doors to the elevator. The main car button panel 2 is equipped with a series of buttons 4 one for each floor to be served by the elevator car. The auxiliary car button panel 3 has a button 5 for each of the floors being served. in addition to the

car buttons

4 and 5 each of the panels includes one or more additional control buttons such as a stop button 6 in the main panel 2 and a similar stop button 7 in the auxiliary panel 3.

The elevator car 1 may also be equipped with a signal light panel 9 arranged above the doorway where it is visible to any of the passengers within the car. The signal light panel 9 ordinarily includes position signal lights indicating the floor that is being approached. It may include additional signal lamps one for each of the car buttons to indicate which floors have been signaled for stops. As shown in the figure one numeral is shown for each of the floors to be served by the elevatior car. These may be illuminated by different color lights one color showing the registered car calls and another color indicating the position of the car. Signal lights may also be included in one or both of the control panels.

While the main and auxiliary car button panels are shown in Figure I in relation to an elevator having the doors adjacent one side and opening from one side, sim ilar panel arrangements may be employed with center parting doors, i. e. cars in which the doors open at the center, one half of the door going to one side and the other half to the other side. In the latter case the car button panels may be located in the surfaces alongside the doors.

Referringto Figure ll, each of the buttons in the auxiliary car button panel comprises a base portion 10 that is arranged to be attached to'the panel with a button portion ltd-protruding through an opening in the panel. 'The base 10-is preferably made of an opaque plastic while the button 11 is made of a translucent plastic. The assembly also includesa contact or terminal panel 12 having

contact terminals

13 and 14 which cooperate with a movable contact lever 15 that is actuated by the button 11. The contact lever 15 is ordinarily held in non-contacting position by a spring 16 that engages the lever 15 near its fulcrum 17. When the button 11 is pushed, it

through an extension lit-pushes the lever 15 down so that 3 the signal lamp 19 is illuminated to indicate the registration of a call.

The car buttons 4 in the main car button panel 2 are of conventional design in that each of the buttons is arranged to operate a set of contacts and is equipped with a magnetic coil that is energized continuously and with sufiicient strength to hold the button depressed once it is actuated. Since these buttons are well known no description of such a button is considered necessary to understand the present invention.

Figure III shows the circuits for interconnecting the main and auxiliary car button panels in schematic form. As shown, the signal current supply power is fed through a first line Ll and returned through a line L2. A reset contact RS in the line L1 is momentarily opened whenever the direction of travel is reversed to release any operated push buttons. The main car buttons 4 and their associated holding coils are shown along the left-hand side of the diagram while the auxiliary car buttons are shown along the right-hand side of the diagram. Each of the main car buttons includes a button portion 23 that extends out through the panel and is adapted to be operated by the passenger. Each button 23 controls a first contact 24 and a second contact 25 that are arranged to close independent circuits. The stem of the button 23 also is connected to an armature 26 disposed within an electromagnetic coil 27. The coil 27 is continuously energized from the line L1 through a lead 28, a continuing lead 29, and a resistor 30 connected to the return line L2. The resistor 30 is of such resistance that the current flow through the coil 27 is not sufficient to actuate the button 23 but is sufficient to hold the button depressed once it has been manually operated.

The auxiliary push button switch comprising the

contacts

13, 14 and leaf operated by the contact button 11 is connected between the lead 29 and the return line L2 so as to short out or bypass the resistor 30 whenever the button 11 is pushed. Bypassing the resistor 30 allows sufiicient additional current to flow through the coil 27 to attract the armature 26 and close the

contacts

24 and 25. As far as this button is concerned this is equivalent to manually depressing the push button 23. The button remains depressed until the holding coils 27 are all deenergized by momentarily opening the reset contacts RS as the car reverses.

The contacts 24 of the main car button 23 are employed to control the current flow to the signal lamp 19 and any other signal lamps which may be connected to indicate the floor calls being registered in the car. The second contact 25 is arranged to energize the signal control circuits which control the stopping of the elevator at the signaled floors.

There is a main car button and an auxiliary car button for each of the floors to be served. The circuits for four such buttons are illustrated in Figure III it being understood that more buttons are added if there are more floors to be served.

In this arrangement, as far as the indication or result is concerned, it makes no diflerence which of the buttons 11 or 23 is pushed. Thus if the intending passenger on entering the car pushes one of the buttons in the main control panel 2 that button when pushed remains in its depressed position thus indicating at that panel that the car call has been registered. Likewise that button by closing its contacts 24 illuminates the signal light in the auxiliary control panel or such other indicating panel as may be provided. If on the other hand the intending passenger had registered his call by pushing a button in the auxiliary control panel 3 such action by shorting out the resistor 30 would have actuated the corresponding button in the main control panel 2 thus indicating at the main panel that a call had been registered for that floor and by lighting the signal lamp indicating the same condition at the auxiliary control panel. Thus regardless of which control panel is employed the signal circuit and the stopping circuit of the elevator is completed in the same manner and the same indication is displayed in the car.

Since the auxiliary panel is much simpler and less expensive this arrangement is preferred to the duplication of the main control panel with the two connected in parallel.

Various modifications of the actual car buttons and of the circuit may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, 1 claim:

1. in an automatic passenger elevator, in combination, a first car button panel mounted adjacent one side of the door of an elevator car, a second car button panel mounted adjacent the other side of the door, a plurality of push buttons in the first panei one for each floor served by the elevator, an armature attached to each push button, an electrical circuit for each button including a resistor and an electromagnetic coil cooperating with the armature, said resistor limiting the current flow in the coil to an amount sutficient to hold the button depressed but not to actuate it from an undepressed position, and a plurality of push button switches in the second panel one for each floor, each switch having contacts connected to by-pass the resistor of the electrical circuit of the corresponding push button of the first panel, whereby sufficient current flows through said circuit coil to actuate said first push button when the corresponding switch of the second panel is actuated.

2. In an automatic passenger elevator, in combination, a first and a second car button panel mounted within an elevator car one adjacent each side of the door of the car, a plurality of electromagnetically retained push button switches in the first panel one for each floor served by the elevator, a plurality of push button switches in the second panel one for each of the electromagnetically retained switches of the first panel, an energizing circuit individual to each of the retaining means of the electromagnetically retained switches, and a current limiting resistor in each circuit, each resistor being bypassed by contacts closed by operation of the corresponding push button of the second panel whereby a momentary depression and release of either buttonfor a floor leaves the first button in depressed condition.

3. In an automatic passenger elevator, in combination, a first and a second car button panel mounted at separated locations within an elevator car, a plurality of push button switches one for each floor mounted in each panel, an electromagnetic coil and armature associated with each switch in the first panel only, an individual circuit for each switch including a current limiting resistor in series with the coil for maintaining the switch depressed, a set of contacts on each switch of the second set, said contacts being connected to shunt the resistor of the corresponding switch in the first panel, whereby manual operation of either switch leaves only the switch of the first panel in depressed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 21, 1947