US2856027A - Inclined passenger elevators - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1958 L.E.SCHRYVER INCLINED PASSENGER ELEVATORS Filed Aug. 24, 1955 v INVENTOR. 5w c//Hwf/P BY l Y- Mm ,gramm/5y@ Oct. M, 1958 E. scHRYvl-:R 2,856,027r

INCLINED PASSENGER ELEVATORS Filed'Aug. 24, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR f1/f Samy/5f? Oct. M, 1958 L. E. sczl-IRYVER 2,855,027

INCLINED PASSENGER ELEVATORS l Filed Aug. 24, 1955 v 4 sheets-sheetl :s

' y @Trae/vins 067i' M 1958 L. E. scHRYvl-:R' 2,856,07

INCLINED PASSENGER ELEVATORS Filed Aug. 24, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 JNVENToR. n? T Saw/WM5@ BY W'TMLJQ! 'A niteci States INCLINED PASSENGER ELEVATORS Application August 24, 1955, Serial No. 530,373

4 Claims.` -(Cl. IBL-12) 4 This vinvention relates to elevators and aims to provide an improved inclined passenger elevator of the type which travels along a plane parallel to, and yat the side of, a ight'of stairs.

Passenger elevators of the inclined plane type with which this invention is concerned are designed for installation in private dwellings. They are intended for use primarily by aged or inrm persons who nd it diflicult or impossible to climb aight 'of stairs. Such elevators must be of a rugged and compact construction and, as they are usually installedl along a side of a ilight of stairs in an existing dwelling, they must be of a simplied construction which can be readily adapted to an existing condition. Such elevators will accommodate only one person at a time, and as the user is usually an aged or partially disabled person; they must be of easy but completely safe operation. Also they must be of a limited size so that they will not obstruct or prevent the use of the stairs along which they are inclined.

The elevators which have been provided for installation and operation along a llight of stairs in they past have left much to be desired insofar as concerns fulfillmentk of the requirements enumerated above. A principal diiculty has been that elevators which have met requirements for compactness and ruggedness have been so expensive to install that their cost has been prohibitive for the great majority of those who most require such a device.

l have'discovered that it is possible to install a passenger elevator for operation along a Hight of stairs at a cost which, compared with previous devices, is very moderate and that this may be done without sacricingthe features of compact yet rugged construction and at thel same time providing safety factors heretofore unobtainable in passenger elevators of this type. The passenger elevator which l have inventedincludes a rail which can be attached to thewall' of a dwelling along the side'of a flight of stairs and a carriage which rides up and down along that rail. contains yan electric motor which `supplies the Amotive power for the elevator. The electric motor drives areel which winds or unwinds a cable to pull the elevator to the top of thellight of stairs or permit it to descend to the bottom. A chair is pivotally mounted on thehousing .so that it may be swung from a riding position which permits the occupantto look. eitherupstairs or downstairs by a mere turn of` the head to a position which permits the. occupant to` stepfrom the chair directly upon a landing at the topof the stairs withouttouching the stairs themselves. A normally open switch which is contained in` an electric circuit forthe elevator motor is mounted on the chairand isadapted to engage the housing; so thatit is closed only when vthe. chair is in riding position. The chairis swung awayy from riding position whenaiperson enters `or leaves the elevatorat the top of aflightof stairs.v Stillf, it is not. possible forzthezelevator to descend with. a. passengerr until, after suchl passenger` The carriage supports a housing which arent ice has actually entered the elevator and vassumed a normal. riding position.

The specilic embodiment of my inventionwhich I now prefer is illustrated in the ,accompanying drawings. in which:

Fig. 1 is a front, elevation of an elevator embodying. my invention in which the chair is located in the riding position;

Fig. 2 is a sideV velevation of the elevator in Fig. 1; t

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation ,off my elevatorshowingthe mounting of the carriage on thefrail along .which it rides;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of my elevator;

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the chair frame;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the` chairframe;`

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section .along the lines 7-7 of Fig. 8 showingthe releasable lock. which holds thechair in riding position; v

Fig. 8 is a section along the lines 8.--.8-of: Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a wiring diagram ofthe electric circuitfor the elevatormotor.

illustrated The apparatus illustrated in the drawings includes ay rail 15 which is attached toa rigidbase .16 `so thatV it will just clear a flight of stairs (not shown). -A car-V riage 17 is provided withtwo'pairs'of rollers 18 and 19 which engage the upper, and ,lower sides respectively of the rail 15. The carriage 17 is heldl in upright positionI on therail l5 by rollers 20 which engage the inner side of therail and the rollers 21 which engage theouter edge.

of the rail.

A housing 23 `is fastened` to the ,carriage 17- through, bolts 24 which extend through arcuate slotsv 25 in the.

carriage. This permits theV housinglto be located onv a horizontaljplane even though the inclination of the rail may be varied rather considerably. The housing 23 com tains an electric motor 26 and a cable reel 27.V A cable 28 has one end attached to the, reel 27 and the other:

end is fixed to an anchor (not shown) at the Vtopof the stairs vso that when the 'motor is driven forward ,it will: wind the'reel 27 to draw up cable thus pulling` the `elevaftor to the top of the stairs or, when the motor.isreversed,.=

the reel unwinds paying out cable. which. permitsY the. elevator to descend to the bottom of the stairs.

the bottom of chair 30. A second point of supportfor the chairv 30 is provided by la roller 34 journalled on the chair at its bottom so that it may ride'the top of housing 23 along an arc which has shaft 33 as its center.

The chair 30 includes'a frame 35, back 36, arms 137 and seat 38. The seat is pivoted to frame 35 at 40 so that ,it

maybe swung upward from the position shown in. fullE lines in Fig. 2 to that shown in dottedlines in. that same: figure where it will notr obstruct the ystairs whenthe chairzis,` not in use. The housing also contains a foot rest 41 piv-v oted at 42 so that it may be swung from the riding positionA illustrated in full lines in Fig. 2 to the position illustrated` in dotted lines in that same figure where it will not inter-Y fere with persons who wish to make normal use` of. the..

stairs.

The motor 26, which is a single phase -120 capacifI matically in the wiring diagram of Fig. 9 with'the parts-l which are operative in closing circuit 45 designated by the letter U and theparts wbichare operative in closing Afchair.. indicated generallyat 30, is carried by `housing 23;. A. bracket 31 which is bolted to therear faceof housingv 23 bears a journal 32 for shaft 33 which projects from,

circuit 46 designated by the letter D. Energy is supplied to the four-pole relay from the leads 47, 48 through transformer 51. The circuit 45 can be closed when the operator pulls switch 50 upward as far as it will go; the circuit 46 can be closed when the operator pushes switch 50 downas far as it .will go; and, when no pressure is exerted, on that switch by the operator, it is held in the neutral open position by a spring (not shown).

The elevator can also be caused to ascend by closing a push-button type call switch 53 located at the'top of the ilightA of stairs served by the elevator, or it may be caused to descend by closing push-button type switch 54 located at the bottom of the' stairs.

v In addition to the operating switch and call switches that have beenAdescribed, additional safety switches are'provided: The carriage 17 supports a bracket 56 which contains an upper limit switch 57 and a lower limit switch 5S. When the elevator reaches the top of the stairs which it serves, a stop 59 engages switch 57 opening that switch and causing the elevator to stop even though switch 50 maybe closed. A like stop 60 supported bythe rail 15 near Aits botom engages switch 58 when the elevator reaches the bottom of the stairs which it serves, thereby opening that switch, and the motor is stopped even though switch 50 is still held in closed position by the operator.

Another safety switch 68 is carried by the chair 30. The safety switch 68 is provided with a spring (not shown) which urges that switch to assume the open position. When the `chair 30 occupies the operating position illustrated in Figs. l and 2, for instance, the switch 68 engages the top of housing 23, and that switch is then held in closed position. However, if the chair is pivoted away from the riding position, switch 68 opens, and the elevator is automatically stopped, even though operating switch 50 is still closed.

The elevatoriis also provided with a combined safety switch and stop, mounted on carriage 17 and actuated Whenever slack occurs in cable 28: A switch 62' is mounted on the carriage 17 for pivotal movement and is urged to rotate in a clockwise direction by a spring (not shown). The switch 62 is closedwhen in the position illustrated in Fig. 3 and is held in such position by a system of pivoted links 63, 64 and 65 when the elevator is in normal operation.V The link 63 carries a roller 66 which rides on the taut cable 28. If any slack should occur in that cable the spring-67 causes link 65 to pivot in a counterclockwise direction permitting switch 62 to pivot in a clockwise direction and open the circuit. At

the same time the link`65, which normally rides above the rail y15, swings downwardly jamming against the rail and thereby electively preventing the elevator from descending. 1 v

The chair 30` is prevented from acidentally swinging away from the operating position lby the rel'easable catchillustratedin Figs. 7 and 8. Fixed to the top yof the housing 23 isa tapered stop 70 which is provided with aY tranverse dwell 71 adapted to hold the roller 72. A plate 73 which bears bolts 74, 75 is fixed to the chair frame 35. A bracket 76 which is adapted to ride up and down on bolts 74, 75 and which is centered by upper springs 78 and lower springs 79, supports the axle 80 for roller 72. When the chair is in normal riding position, the roller 72 rests in the dwell 71, and more force is then required to pivot the chair than would be applied 'to it accidentally when the elevator is in operation.

Themotor 26 is provided with an automatic safety brake 82. This brake 82 is a conventional shoe-type brake which is normally heldin closed position by a spring (not shown). When the solenoid -83 is energized, the brake is released. Thus, it will be seen that the brake is applied automatically to prevent rotation of the cable reel whenever there is any interruption of the current owing through the up circuit 45 or the down circuit 46. VTheoperation of the elevator which I have described is as follows: Assume that a person who is at the bottom of a ight of stairs wishes to ride to the top. If the elevator is then at the bottom of the stairs, it is merely necessary for that person to seat himself in the chair with his back to the wall so that the releasable catch is engaged. Then by pulling up on the switch 50 and retaining it in upward position, the elements of the fourpole relay, which are identified with the letter U,- actuate' their associated switches, the circuit is closed, the solenoid 83 releases the brake 82, and the elevator as-- cends until switch 57 is opened by stop 59 at the top of the stairs, thereby opening the circuit, de-energizing the solenoid 83 and setting brake 82. Then the operator may merely turn the chair to the position where his feet swing from the foot rest 41 to the stair platform and he may leave the chair without diiculty.

To cause the chair to descend, the operator seats himself in the chair at the stair landing, swings the chair to the riding position and depresses switch 50. This causes the elements marked D in the four-pole relay to actuate` their associated switches, thereby closing the circuit 46, energizing solenoid83, releasing brake 82 and causing motor 26 to unwind cable from the reel 27. The circuit is opened and the elevator is stopped when switch 58 is engaged and opened by stop 60.

If the elevator is not at the level where the operator wishes to enter it, he need merely push the up call button 53, or the down call button 54, as the case may be. The appropriate circuit is thus closed andthe elevator ascends or descends to the point where it is to be entered.

It is an important feature of my invention that the elevator cannot be caused to ascend or descend unless the chair is in riding position with the back of the operator to the wall so that he is supported at the sides by the arms of the chair, andthe possibility of accident is reduced to a minimum. Furthermore, even-if the operator of the elevator were to turn in his chair to observe his ascent or descent, the releasable latch will prevent the chair from, swinging to a position where the operator is not supported at his sides by the chair arms with'his feet over the stairs and his back to the wall.A

The terms which I have employed -in describing the preferred embodiment of my invention which is illustrated in the drawings are terms of description and not of limitation, and it is to be understood that departures may be made from the detailed construction-of the specilc embodiment of my invention which I have described without departing from the spirit of my invention as it is dened in the following claims.

What I claim is:

, 1. A passenger elevator comprising the combination, with -a `rail adapted to be mounted in inclined position along the side of a flight of stairs, of a carriage adapted to be mounted for movement on said rail and to be pulled along the same by a cable, a housing supported by said carriage, a cable reel mounted in said housing, an electric motor adapted to rotate said reel, a chair mounted on said housing for pivotal movement about a vertical Aaxisso that it may be swung from a riding position to another position, and a normally open switch mounted on said chair and contained in the electric circuit for said motor and adapted to engage said housing so that it is closed onlywhen the chair is in riding position.

2. A passenger elevator comprising the combination, with a rail adapted to be mounted in inclined position along lthe side of a. ight of stairs, of a carriage adapted to be mounted for movement on said rail and to be pulled alongA the same by a cable, a housing supported by said carriage, a cable reel mounted in said housing, an electric motor adapted to rotate said reel, a chair mounted on said housing for pivotal movement about a vertical axis so that itV may be swung from a riding position to another position, a releasable latch adapted to hold the chair in riding position, anda normally open switch mounted on said chair and contained in the electric circuit for said motor and adapted to engage said housing so that it is closed only when the chair is in riding position.

3. A passenger elevator comprising the combination, with a rail adapted to be mounted in inclined position along the side of a flight of stairs, of a carriage adapted to be mounted for movement on said rail and to be pulled -along the same by a cable, a housing supported by said carriage, a cable reel mounted in said housing, an electric motor adapted to rotate said reel, a chair having a vertical supporting shaft Xed thereto adjacent its upper inside corner, a bracket Xed to said housing, a journal carried by said bracket and providing a bearing for said shaft so that the chair may be pivoted from a riding position substantially centered above said housing to another position, and a normally open switch mounted on said chair and contained in the electric circuit for said motor and adapted to engage said housing so that it is closed only when the chair is in riding position.

4. A passenger elevator comprising the combination,

with a rail adapted to be mounted in inclined position along the side of a flight of stairs, of a carriage adapted to be mounted formovement on said rail and to be pulled along the same by a cable, motive power for said carriage comprising an electric motor supported thereby, a housing for said electric motor, a chair mounted on said housing for pivotal movement about a vertical axis so that it may be swung from a riding position to another position, a normally open switch contained in the electric circuit for said motor and adapted to engage said housing so that it is closed only when the chair is in riding position, a brake adapted to engage said electric motor when the circuit therefor is open, and means for disengaging said brake when the electric motor circuit is closed.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,768,650 Wood July 1, 1930 2,212,388 Cheney Aug. 20, 1940 2,619,195 Scott Nov. 25, 1952 2,719,607 Scott Oct. 4, 1955

Images