WO2016207706A1

WO2016207706A1 - Safety system for maintenance of a lift or elevator

Info

Publication number: WO2016207706A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/057788
Authority: WO
Inventors: Carlos BONANOMI; Riccardo Andrea COSTA
Original assignee: Giovenzana International B.V.
Priority date: 2015-06-23
Filing date: 2015-10-12
Publication date: 2016-12-29
Also published as: BR112017027834B1; CN107820482B; RU2018102230A; ES2802989T3; BR112017027834A2; RU2018102230A3; CN107820482A; HK1247904A1; EP3313767B1; EP3313767A1

Abstract

A safety system for maintenance of a lift or elevator, the latter moving within a shaft or containment structure (3), said system comprising, in correspondence with a lower section (2) or, if hollow, pit of such shaft (3), a control member (1) of the lift within said shaft, said member (1) comprising control means (5) for controlling the movements of the lift along such shaft or structure (3) from its lower section (2) during lift maintenance, said control means (5) comprising push-buttons, said control member (1) being positionable in a rest station whenever it is not used and during the normal use of the lift. The system according to the invention comprises position detector means (13) associated at least with the rest station and co-operating with said control member (1) whenever it is located in such station, said position detector means (13) disabling the use of the lift by users whenever said control member (1) is separated from such station, this ensuring that the movement of the lift can only be made by operating the control means (5) of such control member (1). A lift equipped with such safety device is also claimed.

Description

SAFETY SYSTEM FOR MAINTENANCE OF A LIFT OR ELEVATOR

The subject matter of the present invention is a safety system for maintenance of a lift or elevator according to the preamble of the main claim. Another subject matter of the invention is a lift or elevator equipped with such device and according to the preamble of the main claim.

It is well known that a lift moves within a shaft or containment structure which is either of a masonry type or defined by in-sight guides located along a side of the building or structure or an internal portion of the latter. Usually, a lift is driven by motors located on an upper section of the lift itself (or "lift cage") or located within a machine compartment present on a top of the lift shaft .

The lift shaft also includes a lower section which is more or less hollow and far away from the lower stop position of the lift within its own shaft or containment structure, called lift shaft "pit".

In correspondence with the lower section, or simply

"pit" to make this description more comfortable, a lift's control member is usually present and is used during the usual maintenance which the lift and its driving and guiding parts are periodically submitted to. In particular, such member is used by an operator or a serviceman to prevent the lift from being used by third parties during maintenance and to move the lift itself as necessary during the maintenance operation.

So, in general the control member comprises usual control means consisting of push-buttons to move the lift in its shaft as well as means for activating such control means (and for disabling the usual push-button panel inside the lift cage) . In the pit and on such control member an emergency push-button (or "mushroom") is also present whose depression results in completely disabling the movement of the lift in the shaft. This in order to prevent the operator from being collided with by a lift unexpectedly operated by third parties during maintenance.

However, it has been found that an operator might leave the control member while performing his/her tasks in the pit and simultaneously be far away from the safety push- button located within the pit itself. In such an event, an undue use of the lift might cause a hazard situation for the operator who could not be in a position to block the movement of the lift itself.

A purpose of the present invention is to offer a safety system that always disables the use of the lift whenever a maintenance operation is in progress and there is an operator within the pit of the lift shaft who performs such operation .

In particular, a purpose or object of the invention is to offer a system of the mentioned type that is automatically set without any specific operator's intervention but displacing the control push-button panel located in the pit with respect to a rest station where such push-button panel is located while normally using the lift (i.e. whenever no maintenance is carried out) .

Another purpose is to offer a system of the mentioned type that warranties an absolute safety to an operator present in the pit of the lift shaft while performing maintenance .

These purposes and others which will be apparent to one skilled in the art are achieved by a system according to the attached claims and by a lift, equipped with such device and according to the attached, corresponding claims.

For a better understanding of the present invention the following drawings are attached for merely explanatory, not limitative purposes, wherein:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a system according to the invention in a first step of its use;

figure 2 shows a perspective view of the system depicted in figure 1 in a second step of its use;

figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the system according to the invention in a first step of its use; and figure 4 shows a third embodiment of the system according to the invention in a first step of its use.

With reference to the mentioned figures, a system according to the invention comprises a control member 1 of a lift (not shown) suitable for being located within a lower section or pit 2 (figure 4) of a lift shaft 3 (or a similar containment structure) . The control member 1 is a push-button panel of a type used by an operator whenever the lift is submitted to a (periodical or extraordinary) maintenance operation and comprises push-buttons 5 for driving the lift, a usual switch 6 (of the respective cam type with dual positive opening contacts), and an emergency push-button 7 whose depression immediately stops the movement of the lift within the shaft 3 whenever, for a reason whatsoever, the lift is driven into motion by third parties, while a maintenance operation is in progress, thus jeopardizing the safety of the operator present in the pit 2.

In order to make the presence of such operator within said pit even safer, a system according to the invention is provided whose goal is to identify the position of the control member 1 in a rest position (i.e. the presence of such member in said station) where such member is stored by said operator after performing the maintenance operation. For this purpose, said system comprises position (or presence) detector means suitable for detecting the position (or the presence) of the member 1 in the rest station .

If such presence or position is not detected, this would result in an operator being considered present in the pit 2 and the lift could not move.

More specifically, with reference to figures 1 and 2, it is envisaged that the control member 1 be suitable for cooperating with a sheath 10 integral with a wall 11 of the pit 2 (which might be a vertical wall or an horizontal one), said sheath 10 defining a specific rest station wherein the control member 1 is positioned whenever no maintenance action is performed on the lift.

The system according to the invention envisages that the sheath be provided with a presence sensor 13 for sensing the presence of the control member 1 within a pocket 14 of the sheath comprising side walls 15 and 16 and a terminal wall 17 rising up from a bottom wall 18 which is secured to the wall 11. The presence sensor can be of the contact type, for instance an electromechanical contactor associated with anyone of such walls 15 and 18, or be defined by a proximity sensor, for instance a magnetic sensor or an RFID detector or an optical sensor or a similar proximity sensor. The latter two sensors are preferred in that they are less subjected to dust, humidity, or others (which might interfere with their detection action) than an electromechanical contactor.

As an example, figures 1 and 2 show a proximity sensor

13 of the magnetic type, for instance a Hall or Reed sensor comprising a detector part 22 integral with the member 1 and a ferromagnetic metal part 21 integral with the terminal wall 17 of the sheath 10. The detector part 22 is connected to a control unit 24 (for instance, the usual control unit that controls the movement of the lift) which controls the usual motor 25 of the lift. In this way, whenever an operator, "goes in" the pit 2 to perform a maintenance operation on the lift and whenever such operator takes the control member 1 out of the sheath 10, the detector part 22 of the sensor 13 detects such extraction and informs the control unit 24 accordingly. The latter, preferably a microprocessor one, according to a first operational algorithm, intervenes onto the control of the motor 25 so as to prevent its activation (should, for instance, a user go in the lift and operate a push-button panel present therein) as long as such member 1 is out of the sheath 10.

Thanks to the "pocket" configuration of the sheath 10, the positioning of the control member 1 in the rest station is facilitated so that, after performing maintenance, a safe re-positioning of such member in said station allows the normal use of the lift.

According to a different embodiment of the invention shown in figure 3 (wherein parts corresponding to those already depicted in figures 1 and 2 are identified by the same numeral references), the rest station is implemented on a horizontal wall of the pit 2. According to the embodiment here shown for explanatory purposes, the part 21 of the sensor 13 is associated with such wall and its detector part 22 is still bound to the control member 1. This applies to both cases of a presence sensor and of a magnetic proximity sensor.

If the presence sensor is one of the contact type, then the detector part 22 is defined by a mechanical contactor and the part 21 is not present and replaced by the wall 11 of the pit itself. The part 21 of the member 1, upon positioning on the wall 11, makes it possible to detect the latter and consequently the positioning of such member in the rest station. Therefore, the lift can be used in the usual mode.

Figure 4, wherein parts corresponding to those of the previous figures are identified by the same numeral references, shows a solution similar to that depicted in figure 3, but applied to a vertical wall. In addition, the rest station includes a support 40 for the member 1 (which, in this example, is a shelf, but might even be defined by a hook which the member 1 is connected to) . The considerations made for the embodiment depicted in figures 1-3 apply to this embodiment too.

Thanks to the invention, even though the control member 1 (or "push-button panel") includes an emergency pushbutton 7 anyway, simply displacing such member 1 from the rest station triggers a lift safety system which prevents its use whenever an operator (who moved such member from said station) is present in the pit 2. Subsequently, the operator operates the switch 6 so as to safely perform the maintenance operation. Further, thanks to the invention, it is possible not to install one or several fixed emergency stop push-buttons.

The invention is easy to implement and to use and can be also applied to lifts already in operation, even for many years .

Specific embodiments of the invention have been described. However, others are possible including those which use support elements different from that of the control member described here above or envisage that a simple displacement of the member 1 from the rest station completely prevent the use of the lift by third parties, while allowing it to the operator only. Whenever such member is re-placed in the rest station, the use of the lift by third parties is restored and they are to be deemed to fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A safety system for maintenance of a lift or elevator, the latter moving within a shaft or containment structure (3), said system comprising, in correspondence with a lower section thereof (2) or, if hollow, pit of such shaft (3), a control member (1) of the lift within said shaft, said member (1) comprising control means (5) for controlling the movements of the lift along such shaft or structure (3) from its lower section (2) during lift maintenance, said control means (5) comprising pushbuttons, said control member (1) being able to be positioned in a rest station whenever it is not used and during the normal use of the lift, said system being characterized in that it comprises position detector means (13) associated at least with said control member (1) and activated whenever it is located in such station, said position detector means (13) disabling the use of the lift by users whenever such control member (1) is separated from such station, this ensuring that a movement of the lift can only be made by acting onto the control means (5) of such control member (1) .

2. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said position detector means (13) are a contact presence sensor .

3. A system according to claim 2, characterized in that said presence sensor is an electromechanical contactor.

4. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said position detector means (13) are a proximity sensor.

5. A system according to claim 4, characterized in that said proximity sensor is alternatively an RFID sensor, an optical sensor, or a magnetic sensor, for instance a Hall sensor.

6. A system according to claim 5, characterized in that the magnetic proximity sensor includes a detector part (22) associated with the control member and a fixed part (21) made of a ferromagnetic metal associated with the rest station.

7. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the rest station is defined by a sheath (10) having a pocket (14) suitable for receiving said control member whenever it is not used, said sheath carrying at least part of the position detector means (13) and being secured to a wall (11) of the shaft (3) of the lift or of its pit.

8. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the rest station is defined on a wall (11) of the shaft (3) of the lift or of its pit (2), shelf-like or hook-like support means (40) being provided, if necessary, to support the control member (1) .

9. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said position detector means (13) co-operate with a control unit (24) of the motor (25) of the lift, said unit (24) disabling the possibility of using the lift whenever the detector means (13) do not detect the control member (1) in the rest station.

10. A lift or elevator movable within a containment structure (3) having a lower sector or pit (2) wherein a safety system is present for lift maintenance, said safety system being according to claim 1.