WO2011090665A2

WO2011090665A2 - Elevator safety circuit shorting tool

Info

Publication number: WO2011090665A2
Application number: PCT/US2010/061593
Authority: WO
Inventors: Guangya Ren; Jianjian Fang; Zubin Liu; Huanjian Chen; Yi Lu; Weixiang Xue
Original assignee: Otis Elevator Company
Priority date: 2010-01-22
Filing date: 2010-12-21
Publication date: 2011-07-28
Also published as: CN201717488U; WO2011090665A3

Abstract

An elevator safety tool (20) and method for safely short circuiting an elevator switch. The elevator safety tool (20) may comprise a control module (5) that receives elevator operating status data and determines whether an elevator operating status is normal or service, and a relay (6) including a switch (12) that is movable from a closed to an open position when the elevator operating status changes from service to normal. The tool (20) may also include a pair of pen heads (3) connected to the relay (6) by short stubs (4). The method may comprise receiving data, determining an elevator operating status based on the data, closing a switch (12) to allow conduction between two pen heads (3) when the elevator operating status is determined to be service, and opening the switch (12) when the elevator operating status is determined to be normal.

Description

ELEVATOR SAFETY CIRCUIT SHORTING TOOL

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This PCT Application claims priority under the Paris Convention to, and hereby incorporates by reference in its entirety, Chinese Patent Application No. 201020301299.1 , which was filed on January 22, 2010.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to an elevator service tool, and more particularly to an elevator safety circuit shorting tool.

BACKGROUND

[0003] A modern elevator system is provided with numerous protection devices to ensure safe operation of the elevator. However, elevators from time to time, require service and maintenance. When service personnel are conducting inspection and maintenance of an elevator, it is often necessary to use a short stub to short circuit a certain section of the elevator safety circuit to facilitate installation, debugging, or detection of problems.

[0004] Using the short stub, some switches can be shorted artificially, to complete the safety circuit, so that the elevator can operate without the protection of some switches. Leaving the short stub in place after its use is over may result in failure of the equipment to operate properly.

[0005] Disclosed in China Utility Model No. 02238539.8 is an elevator door circuit shorting safety device. On the circuit comprising the elevator control panel (and with the door travel switch, the safety circuit, and the door interlock switch connected to its circuit), a service switch and socket are connected in parallel between the safety circuit switch and the door circuit. A door interlock switch is provided in the elevator door circuit as a precaution against the elevator operating with the elevator door open. Under normal operation, when the elevator door is closed, the elevator door presses against a spring to turn on the door interlock switch. Activation of the door interlock switch guarantees that the elevator door must be closed before the elevator can ran normally. However, this arrangement can ensure the safety of the elevator only when the door interlock switch is not shorted to a shorting tool (as it may be for inspection, maintenance or repairs). The elevator does not test to determine whether a shorting tool is in use, and protective measures typically in place are overridden when the door interlock switch is connected to the shorting tool. In the event that an inspection, repair or maintenance job requires temporary shorting of the door interlock switch and work personnel forget to remove the shorting tool after completion of the job, there will be a potential safety hazard present in the elevator because the safe guards provided by the door interlock device under normal conditions will remain over-ridden by the presence of the shorting tool. Thus, the elevator may operate with the door open.

SUMMARY

[0006] The presently disclosed embodiment resolves the problem that use of an elevator shorting tool may cause accidents because it is likely to be forgotten after such use. The present disclosure also resolves the problem that some elevator shorting safety tools in the existing technology are not ideal in their protective results. The disclosed embodiment further provides an elevator safety circuit shorting tool that is simple, reasonable, and highly controllable.

[0007] Disclosed is an elevator safety circuit shorting tool comprising two pen heads, and a control box that controls if the circuit between the pen heads is on or off (open or closed), in accordance with the operating status of the elevator. Each of the two pen heads may be connected or inserted into the elevator inspection terminals (not shown). Each of the two pen heads may also be connected to the control box through a shorting stub. There may be connected to the control box a plug-in unit, and said plug-in unit may also be connected onto the elevator control panel. The plug-in unit, mentioned above, may provide the control box with power supply and the status of elevator operation. The status of elevator operation may be "normal" or "service" status.

[0008] When the shorting tool detects that the elevator control panel is powered on and the control box of the shorting tool has detected that the elevator is in the status of "normal" operation, that is, the service switch of the elevator is not switched "on," the elevator safety circuit shorting tool will not provide a short and the pen heads on both ends of the short stub will not conduct. When the elevator is being serviced and the control box of the shorting tool has detected that the elevator is in the "service" status, the pen heads on both ends of the short stub conduct. In the disclosed embodiment, conduction of the pen heads is controlled by the elevator safety circuit shorting tool in accordance with the operating status of the elevator ("normal" or "service" status), thus effectively ensuring the controllability of the safety circuit shorting, and preventing accidents or personal injuries by preventing the elevator from operating while a short is being provided by the elevator safety circuit shorting tool.

[0009] The control box described above may comprise a control module, a relay linked with the control module and a power circuit and signal reception circuit connected to the control module. The power circuit may be the power line connected to the power supply. The signal reception circuit may receive signals of the operating status of the elevator. The signal reception circuit may be connected with the control module through the power supply transfer module. The power circuit and the signal reception circuit described may be connected respectively to the plug-in unit. There is normally an open switch set on the relay, and the two pen heads described above are respectively connected to the contacts of the normally open switch. The control module reads the elevator operating status sent from the plug- in unit and controls the setting of the switch, "on" or "off," of the relay switch. The relay feeds back its own status, that is, if the switch is "on" or not, to the control module. The relay switch is normally an open switch, (i.e. "off in the normal case), and the shorting tool does not conduct. Only when the elevator operating status is "(in) service" will the relay switch be closed and the shorting tool conduct.

[0010] In an embodiment, there may be an acoustic-optical alann module connected to the control module. Said acoustic-optical alann module may comprise an LED light and sound player. The acoustic-optical alann module may be controlled by the control module. When the elevator is in the "service" status, the control module sends a control signal to drive the relay to close the relay switch so that the shorting tool conducts, and provides power supply to the acoustic-optical alann module for the acoustic-optical alarm module to activate. The LED light of the said acoustic-optical alann module turns "on" and the sound player is activated. The visual and auditory alarms provided by the acoustic-optical alann module remind the installation or maintenance personnel that the short stub is in the working status (conducting), so that the installation or maintenance personnel are not likely to forget removal of the elevator safety circuit shorting tool after servicing of the elevator is finished.

[0011] Advantages of the disclosed embodiment include, but are not limited to, the shorting tool being able to determine, in a simple way, the status of the elevator to ensure that only when the elevator is in the "service" status will the elevator safety circuit be shorted, thus enhancing the safety and the controllability of the shorting tool. Another advantage is that the acoustic-optical alann activates when the shorting tool is being used and thus prevents the short stub from being forgotten by service personnel after it is used.

[0012] These and other aspects of this disclosure will become more readily apparent upon reading the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and exemplary only, and are not restrictive of the subject matter as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the elevator safety circuit shorting tool according to the disclosure; and

[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the control box of the elevator safety circuit shorting tool of FIG. 1.

[0015] While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to be limited to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling with the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Efforts have been made throughout the drawings to use the same or similar reference numerals for the same or like components. Referring to the drawings, an embodiment of the elevator safety circuit shorting tool 20 is shown in FIG. 1 and comprises two pen heads 3, a control box 2, and a plug-in unit 1. There may be an insulating envelope slipped on the said pen head 3. Each pen head 3 may be connected through a short stub 4 to the control box 2. The short stub 4 may be a wire. The control box 2 may be connected with the plug-in unit 1 through an electric wire, and the said plug-in unit 1 may be connected to the main elevator control panel 1 1 of the elevator control cabinet. The plug-in unit 1 may provide power supply to the control box 2, and it may also provide a signal to the control box 2 indicating the elevator operating status. The elevator operating status may be "normal^"' or "service." The elevator status may be "service" when the elevator is being installed or maintained/serviced. The control box 2, through processing the elevator operating status signal, controls the closing and opening of a short between the two pen heads (see FIG. 2).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the control box 2 may comprise a control module 5 connected to a relay 6. The relay 6 comprises a normally open switch 12. The two pen heads 3 may be respectively connected to the contacts at the two ends of the normally open switch 12 of the relay 6. Connected to the control module 5 there may also be an acoustic-optical alarm module 8. The said acoustic-optical alarm module 8 may comprise an LED light 13 and a sound player 14. The said LED light 13 may be exposed on the surface of the control box 2, so that a user can observe it clearly. It may be considered a visual alarm. There may be two links between the control box 2 and the plug-in unit 1 , and they are, respectively, the power supply line 9 for connection to the power supply and the signal reception line 10 to receive the elevator operating status signal. The signal reception line 10 may be connected directly to the control module 5. The power supply line 9 may be connected to the power supply transfer module 7 for power conversion. [0018] The elevator safety circuit shorting tool 20 acquires power supply from the elevator control panel 1 1 through the plug-in unit 1 which is connected with the elevator control panel 1 1. After conversion by the power supply transfer module 8, the power supply transfer module 8 provides power supply to the control module 5. The shorting tool 20 also receives elevator operating status data (indicating "normal" operation or "service" operation) from the elevator control panel 1 1, and sends the data to the control module 5. Power supply to the relay 6, which in one embodiment is a coil, and to the acoustic-optical alarm module 8, is controlled by the control module 5. The two external short stubs 4 are connected to the normally open contacts of the relay 6. In the power-off status for the relay 6, the switch connection between the two pen heads 3 of the short stubs 4 is open and the short stubs 4 do not conduct.

[0019] When the shorting tool 20 detects that the control panel 1 1 of the elevator is powered "on," and if the control module 5 detects that the elevator is in the "normal" operating status (the service switch of the elevator is not switched "on"), the control module 5 will not drive the relay 6 to act (close the switch). Thus, the two pen heads 3 will not conduct, and the acoustic-optical alarm module 8 will not activate, or continue to activate in the situation where the elevator had been in the "service" status and changed to the "normal" status, the LED light 13 or the sound player 14. If the elevator had been in the "service" status and changed to the "normal" status, the acoustic-optical alarai module 8 may, in an embodiment, cause the sound player 14 to sound a different alarm or cause the LED light 13 to flash. When the service switch of the elevator is switched "on," and the control module 5 has detected that the elevator is in the "service" status, the control module 5 will send out a control signal to drive the relay 6 to act (close the switch) to connect the circuit between the two pen heads 3, and to provide power supply to the acoustic-optical alarm module 8. By providing power to the acoustic-optical alarm module 8, the LED light 13 is turned "on" and the sound player 14 audio turns "on." These visual and audio indicators remind the installation or maintenance personnel that the short stubs 4 are connected and in working status. After use of the shorting tool 20 is finished, the shorting tool 20 is disconnected from the elevator control panel 1 1 , the plug- in unit 1 and the short stubs 4 and the pen heads 3 are removed, and the acoustic-optical alarm module is no longer activated.

[0020] When the shorting tool 20 is working, if the control module 5 has detected that the elevator has returned to the normal status, but the relay 6 status according to the feedback provided by the relay 6 to the control module 5 is "on," the control module 5 will determine that it is a system error, immediately disconnect power supply to the relay 6 to deactivate the short stubs 4, and disconnect power supply to the acoustic-optical alarm module 8.

[0021] The specific example described in the present disclosure is only for illustration of the spirit of the present invention. Although terms like pen heads, short stub, control box, plug- in unit, etc., are used in the present disclosure, the possibility of using other similar elements is not outside the scope of the disclosure. Use of these tenns is only to facilitate the description and explanation of the nature of the present disclosure. Those of skill in the art in the technical field in which the present disclosure belongs can make various modifications or supplements of the specific example described, but these and other alternatives are considered equivalents and within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

Industrial Applicability [0022] The present disclosure is an elevator service tool and method having applicability in any industrial setting where elevators need to be serviced or installed safely. The elevator safety circuit shorting tool and method ensures that the relay switch is closed when the elevator is in a service status and open when the elevator is in a normal operation status. Further, the tool may activate visual and/or auditory alarms during the period that the relay switch is closed and providing a short. This reduces the likelihood of injury to passengers and service personnel from elevator switches remaining shorted after service and during normal operation.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An elevator safety circuit shorting tool (20), comprising: two pen heads; a control box (2) that controls if the circuit between the pen heads (3) is on or not in accordance with the operating status of the elevator; a plurality of short stubs (4), each short stub (4) connecting one of the pen heads (3) to the control box (2); and a plug- in unit (1) connected to the control box (2) and connected onto an elevator control panel (1 1).

2. An elevator safety circuit shorting tool as described in claim 1, wherein the control box (2) further comprises: a control module (5 ); a relay (6) linked with the control module (5), the relay (6) including a switch (12) movable between an open position and a closed position; and a power supply transfer module (7) connected to the control module (5), wherein the elevator safety circuit shorting tool (20) further comprises: a power circuit (9) connected to a power supply and the control module (5); and a signal reception circuit (10) that receives signals of the operating status of the elevator, the signal reception circuit ( 10) connected to the control module (5) through the power supply transfer module (7), and wherein the plug-in unit (1) is comiected onto the power circuit (9) and connected onto the signal reception circuit (10), the switch (12) is normally in the open position, and each of the two pen heads (3) is connected to the switch (12).

3. An elevator safety circuit shorting tool as described in claim 2, wherein the control box further comprises an acoustic-optical alarm module (8) connected to the control module (5).

4. An elevator safety tool (20), the tool comprising; a plug-in unit (1) configured to be connected to an elevator control panel (1 1); a control box (2) connected to the plug-in unit, the control box having a control module (5) configured to receive elevator operating status data and to determine from the data whether an elevator operating status is nonnal or service, and a relay (6) connected to the control module (5), the relay (6) including a switch (12) movable from a closed position to an open position when the control module (5) detects that the elevator operating status changes from service to normal; and a pair of pen heads (3), each pen head (3) connected to the relay (6) by a short stub (4) that conducts between the switch (12) and the pen head (3).

5. The tool (20) of claim 4, wherein the control box (2) is configured to receive power from the plug-in unit (1).

6. The tool (20) of claim 4, the control box (2) further comprising a power supply transfer module (7) that receives and converts power from the plug-in unit (1 ).

7. The tool (20) of claim 6, wherein the control module (5) is configured to receive power from the power supply transfer module (7) and is configured to provide power to the relay (6) when the operating status is service.

8. The tool (20) of claim 6, the control box (2) further comprising an alarm module (8), wherein the control module (5) is configured to receive power from the power supply transfer module (7) and is configured to provide the power to the alarm module (8) when the operating status is service.

9. The tool (20) of claim 8, the alarm module (8) including an LED light (13) configured to be activated when the operating status is service.

10. The tool (20) of claim 8, the alarm module (8) including a sound player ( 14) configured to be activated when the operating status is service.

1 1. The tool (20) of claim 4, wherein the relay (6) is configured to feedback relay status to the control module (5).

12. A method for shorting elevator control switches, the method comprising: providing a control box (2) including a control module (5) connected to a relay (6), the relay (6) having a switch (12) connected to two pen heads (3). each pen head (3) connected to the switch ( 12) by a short stub (4); receiving, by the control module (5), elevator operating status data from an elevator control panel (11) and determining an elevator operating status based on the data; closing the switch (12) to allow conduction between the two pen heads (3) when the elevator operating status is determined by the control module (5) to be service; and opening the switch ( 12) when the elevator operating status is determined by the control module (5) to be normal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, by the control module (5), power from the elevator control panel (1 1), wherein the closing step only occurs when power is being received from the elevator control panel (1 1).

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the closing step occurs in response to power being provided to the relay (6) by the control module (5).

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising activating an alarm when the elevator operating status is determined by the control module (5) to be service.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the alarm is an audio alarm.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the alarm is an LED light (13).

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing feedback from the relay (6) to the control module (5) indicating whether the switch (12) is open or closed.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising disconnecting power to the relay (6) if the elevator operating status changes from service to nonnal and the feedback indicates that the switch (12) is closed.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising disconnecting power to the alarm module (8) if the elevator operating status changes from service to normal.