HK1174959B - Magnetic device for controlling door movement and method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Magnetic device for controlling door movement and method thereof

Background

There are various situations where motion control of the door is important. For example, it may be useful to lock the door to prevent it from opening without authorization. There are various known door locking mechanisms. In general, mechanical locks typically require a key to operate the lock for the purpose of opening the door. In recent years, electronic locks have been used in various situations to control whether a door is locked without a mechanical key.

Elevator systems also require controlled door movement. The elevator car doors and hoistway doors move together when the elevator car is at a landing to permit passage between the elevator car and the doorway. Many arrangements for coupling elevator car and hoistway doors together are of a mechanical nature. Mechanical door couplers suffer from the drawback of requiring special alignment which tends to complicate the installation process. Furthermore, mechanical components tend to wear out over time and require maintenance.

Other elevator door coupler arrangements have been proposed which include magnets in place of or in addition to the mechanical coupling members. Examples are shown in U.S. patent nos. 5,487,449 and 3,638,762. The use of magnets in an elevator door coupling arrangement may overcome some of the disadvantages associated with purely mechanical coupling arrangements.

Disclosure of Invention

An exemplary locking or coupling device includes a plurality of magnets each having a magnetization direction. A plurality of pole shoe members are positioned between selected magnets. The movable support supports some of the magnets and some of the pole shoe members. The movable support is movable to selectively change the relative orientation of the magnetization directions. One relative orientation primarily directs the flow of magnetic flux between the magnets through the pole shoe members, with the magnetic flux substantially maintained in a plane containing the magnets and the pole shoe members. The second, different relative orientation primarily directs the flow of magnetic flux from the pole shoe members in a transverse direction away from the plane.

An exemplary method of controlling magnetic coupling includes selectively arranging magnetization directions of a plurality of magnets in a first relative orientation to direct a flow of magnetic flux primarily between the magnets through pole shoe members between the magnets such that the magnetic flux is substantially maintained in a plane containing the magnets and the pole shoe members. The method includes selectively arranging the magnetization directions in different second relative orientations to primarily direct magnetic flux flow from the pole shoe members in a transverse direction away from the plane.

Various features and advantages of the disclosed examples will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.

Drawings

Figure 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary apparatus designed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 2 schematically shows the example of fig. 1 in a different operating state.

Figure 3 schematically shows features of the example of figure 1.

Figure 4 schematically shows features of the example in figure 2.

Figure 5 shows an exemplary door lock arrangement including a locking device having features similar to the example of figures 1 and 2.

Fig. 6 illustrates selected portions of an exemplary elevator system including a door coupling device having features similar to those in the example of fig. 1 and 2.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary elevator door coupler apparatus.

FIG. 8 illustrates selected features of the example of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 illustrates further selected features of the example of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a front view of an example apparatus such as the example doors of FIGS. 6 and 7 that may be used to lock or couple the doors together.

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of the example of fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is an end view of the example shown in fig. 10 and 11.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to fig. 11 showing the device in another operating state.

Fig. 14 is an end view similar to that shown in fig. 12, but showing the device in an operational condition consistent with that shown in fig. 13.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates selected portions of an example apparatus 20 for locking or coupling, for example, a door. The plurality of magnets 22,24 have magnetization directions 23,25, respectively. The magnetization directions are selectively arranged in different relative orientations to control whether the apparatus 20 establishes a magnetic coupling with objects in the vicinity of the apparatus 20.

The illustrated example includes a plurality of first magnets 22. The direction of magnetization of the first magnet 22 is schematically shown by arrow 23. For example, the magnetization direction 23 depends on the alignment of the north and south poles of the respective magnets. The plurality of second magnets 24 each have a magnetization direction schematically shown by arrow 25. As can be appreciated from the figure, the magnetization directions 23 and 25 are different from each other. In this example, they are directly opposite each other.

The example of fig. 1 includes a plurality of pole piece members 26 positioned between adjacent magnets. The pole shoe members 26 provide a desired amount of spacing between the magnets and facilitate control of the primary direction of the magnetic flux 28.

In fig. 1, the magnetization direction is in a first relative orientation. This relative orientation primarily directs the flow of magnetic flux 28 between the magnets 22 and 24 and through the pole shoe members 26. The magnetic flux 28 is primarily in the plane containing the magnets 22,24 and the pole shoe members 26. There may be some leakage flux in other directions, but the main flux path is as schematically shown in fig. 1. The direction of magnetic flux 28 in fig. 1 allows the control device 20 to prevent it from establishing a magnetic coupling with objects in the vicinity of the device 20.

Fig. 2 shows the magnetization directions in a different second relative orientation. In fig. 2, the relative orientation primarily directs the flow of magnetic flux from the magnets 22,24 to the pole shoe members 26, and away from the pole shoe members 26 in a direction transverse to the plane in which the flux 28 primarily resides in fig. 1. In one example, when the magnetization direction is in the second relative orientation in FIG. 2, the magnetic flux 28 flows primarily out of the page (according to the drawing). Flowing magnetic flux 28 out of the pole shoe members 26 allows the device 20 to establish a magnetic coupling with a nearby object.

The example device 20 is configured to permit selective change of relative orientation by moving at least some of the magnets 22,24 relative to other magnets 22, 24. For the purposes of the description, the first magnet 22 is considered collectively as a plurality since they all have the same magnetization direction 23. Likewise, the second magnet 24 is considered to be plural because they all have the same magnetization direction 25. The first magnet 22 need not be different in structure or composition from the second magnet 24. The magnetization directions 23,25, in contrast, distinguish one group from the other.

The example in fig. 1 includes some first magnets 22 in a first row 30, some more first magnets 22 in a second row 32, and other first magnets 22 in a third row 34. In this example, the third row 34 is between the first row 30 and the second row 32. Some of the second magnets 24 are in each of the first and second rows 30, 32. The other second magnets 24 are in a third row 34.

The apparatus 20 as shown in fig. 1 is in an inactive state in which the apparatus 20 does not tend to establish a magnetic coupling with objects in the vicinity of the apparatus 20. The arrangement in fig. 1 comprises magnetization directions 23,25 oriented relative to each other to limit the amount of magnetic flux emanating from the magnets 22 and 24 in the coupling direction. Instead, this relative orientation primarily directs the flow of magnetic flux 28 between the magnets 22 and 24 and through the pole shoe members 26. For example, the magnetic flux 28 is primarily in a plane containing the magnets 22,24 and the pole shoe members 26 as can be appreciated in fig. 3.

In this relative orientation, the second magnets 24 in the third row 34 are directly aligned with the first magnets 22 in the first and second rows 30, 32. Likewise, the first magnets 22 in the third row 34 are directly aligned with the second magnets 24 in the first and second rows 30, 32. The direct magnet alignment direction is perpendicular to the magnetization directions 23 and 25. Arranging the magnetization directions 23 and 25 in this orientation limits the amount of magnetic flux that diverges (according to the drawing) in the direction into or out of the page in fig. 1 and to the right or left in fig. 2. When the magnetization directions are in the inactive relative orientation shown, the magnetic flux will be primarily in the plane 42 shown in fig. 3 or in the plane of the page in fig. 1.

Fig. 2 shows different second positions of the magnets relative to each other and different relative orientations of the magnetization directions 23, 25. The third row 34 of magnets moves as schematically shown by arrow 36. The position in fig. 2 is considered the active position because it allows magnetic flux to diverge from the pole piece part 26 in the coupling direction towards the coupler part 40, as shown in fig. 4, which coupler part 40 is magnetically coupled to the device 20.

As can be appreciated from fig. 2, the magnetization directions 23 and 25 are in the second relative orientation, since the first magnets 22 are directly aligned with each other in a direction perpendicular to the magnetization direction 23. Similarly, the second magnets 24 are directly aligned with each other in a direction perpendicular to the magnetization direction 25. When the magnetization directions 23 and 25 are in the relative orientation in fig. 2 and 4, the device is positioned for establishing a magnetic coupling between the device 20 and the coupler member 40, wherein the coupler member 40 may for example comprise a ferromagnetic material.

Fig. 4 shows the arrangement when the magnets are in the active position of fig. 2. In this state, magnetic flux 28 is primarily directed from the pole shoe members 26 in a coupling direction toward the coupling member 40, through the coupling member 40 and back to the adjacent pole shoe members 26. With the magnetization direction in the second relative orientation, the coupler member 40 is magnetically coupled with the device 20.

The exemplary arrangement provides a passive magnetic device that is selectively controlled to be active or inactive for the purpose of establishing a magnetic coupling. In this example, magnets 22 and 24 are permanent magnets. No electromagnet is required and no power supply is required. This provides the advantage of using permanent magnets rather than more expensive electromagnets and eliminates any need for a power supply. At the same time, however, the device 20 can optionally be used to establish a magnetic coupling by controlling the relative orientation of the magnetization directions 23,25 of the magnets 22, 24.

Fig. 5 shows one exemplary use of such a device. In this example, the device 20 is part of a door lock for controlling whether the door 50 can be opened. The door 50 controls whether access exists to a zone 52, which zone 52 may be, for example, a room, a building, or an elevator cab. In this example, the coupler member 40 is associated with at least one door 50, and the device 20 including the magnets 22 and 24 is positioned relative to the stationary structure 54 at the entrance to the area 52. When the door 50 is in the closed position, the position of the magnets 22 and 24 is controlled to place the device 20 in the active position to establish a magnetic coupling with the coupler member 40, such as, for example, in the manner shown in the exemplary embodiment depicted in fig. 2 and 4. By placing the device 20 in the active position, the coupler member 40 is prevented from moving away from the device 20, which prevents the door 50 from opening. When it is desired to open the door, the magnetization directions 23,25 are switched into a first relative orientation corresponding to the inactive state of the device 20, such that there is no magnetic coupling with the coupler member 40, for example, in the manner shown in the exemplary embodiments depicted in fig. 1 and 3. When the device 20 is in the inactive state, the door is free to move to the open position.

Fig. 6 illustrates another exemplary use of the exemplary apparatus 20. Selected portions of the elevator system 60 are shown as including an elevator car 62 having elevator car doors 64. The apparatus 20 is associated with an elevator car door 64. Hoistway doors 66 are positioned at landings along a hoistway in which elevator car 62 moves. The coupler member 40, which in this example comprises a coupler blade, is associated with a hoistway door 66. In this example, the apparatus 20 is provided for coupling elevator car doors 64 with hoistway doors 66 for movement together between open and closed positions.

Fig. 7 illustrates one exemplary arrangement including a door interlock 70 associated with the coupler member 40, the interlock 70 being positioned for movement with the hoistway doors 66 (not shown in fig. 7). The interlock 70 controls whether the hoistway doors 66 are locked or openable and, in one example, operates in a known manner.

The device 20 is supported for movement with the elevator car doors 64 by coupler vanes 72. Also shown in fig. 7 is a catch 74 that operates in a known manner.

Fig. 8 shows the same arrangement with the interlock device 70 removed to better appreciate the relationship between the coupler member 40 and the device 20. As the elevator car doors 64 move from the closed position shown in fig. 7 and 8 toward the open position, the device 20 approaches the coupler member 40 that is supported for movement with the hoistway doors 66.

When the elevator car 62 moves through the hoistway, the device 20 remains in an inactive state such that there is no tendency for any magnetic coupling to be established between the device 20 and the coupler members 40 of any hoistway doors 66. When the elevator car 62 stops at the landing and the car doors 64 begin to open, the device 20 moves to an active state to establish a magnetic coupling between the device 20 and the coupler member 40.

As can be appreciated from the figures, as the elevator car door 64 moves to the left in this example, the vane member 72 and the apparatus 20 will tend to also push the coupler member 40 to the left. As the door 64 moves back toward the closed position (e.g., to the right in the figure), the magnetic coupling between the device 20 and the coupler member 40 ensures that they move together. This magnetic coupling ensures that the corresponding hoistway door 66 (fig. 6) moves back into the closed position with the elevator car doors 64.

Figure 9 shows selected portions of the arrangement of figure 7. Specifically, the door interlock 70, the coupler member 40 and the blade member 72 have all been removed from the figures. The apparatus 20 includes a follower 80, in this example the follower 80 comprises a roller. The follower 80 is selectively moved by an actuator 82 for the purpose of moving some of the magnets 22 and 24 relative to the other magnets 22 and 24 to change the relative orientation of the magnetization directions to switch the device 20 between the active and inactive states. In this example, the actuator 82 includes a bracket having angled surfaces 84 and 86. As the car door 64 moves out of the closed position, the follower roller 80 will roll along the surface 86, which urges the follower 80 downward. In this example, the actuator 82 includes a bracket that remains fixed relative to a header 88 associated with the elevator car 62.

As can be appreciated from the figures, the follower 80 tends to move downward along the inclined surface 86 as the elevator car door 64 moves leftward from the fully closed position in fig. 9. This downward movement changes the relative orientation of the magnetization directions 23 and 25 of the first and second magnets 22 and 24 to place the device 20 in an active state for magnetically coupling the device 20 with the coupler member 40. As the elevator car door 64 returns to the fully closed position, the follower 80 moves upward along the inclined surface 84, which moves some of the magnets 22,24 relative to the other magnets 22,24 to place the magnetization direction in a first relative orientation corresponding to an inactive state in which magnetic flux in the coupling direction toward the coupler member 40 is restricted. In other words, as the car door 64 moves to the fully closed position, movement of the follower 80 along the inclined surface 84 changes the device 20 from the active state to the inactive state to release any magnetic coupling between the device 20 and the coupler member 40.

Referring to fig. 10-12, one exemplary arrangement of the coupler device 20 includes a movable support 90, the movable support 90 supporting some of the first magnets 22 and some of the second magnets 24. The movable support 90 supports the magnets corresponding to the third row 34 as shown, for example, in fig. 1 and 2. This example includes three rows 30,32 and 34 of magnets arranged such that the magnets supported by the movable support 90 are positioned between the other two rows of magnets. The exemplary device also includes a base 92 that holds the first row 30 of magnets 22 and the second row 32 of magnets 24. The pedestal 92 remains fixed relative to the elevator car door 64. The movable support 90 moves relative to the base 92.

A plurality of rollers 94 and 96 are provided to facilitate relative movement between the movable support 90 and the base 92. In this example, the angled surface 98 is positioned to interact with the roller 94, while the angled surface 99 is positioned to interact with the roller 96. The roller 94 contacts a lower portion of the movable support 90 (according to the drawing), and the roller 96 contacts an upper portion of the movable support 90 (according to the drawing). When the device is in the inactive condition shown in fig. 10 to 12, the inclined surfaces 98 and 99 tend to push the movable support 90 and the magnets 22 and 24 in the third row 34 away from the coupling direction or slightly downwards (according to the drawings). In this example, when the device is in the inactive state, there is a change in position between the outer edges of the magnets 22 and 24 in the coupling direction. This is shown in fig. 12 as spacing 110. The magnets 22 and 24 in the third row 34 are slightly concave compared to those in the first rows 30 and 32. This relative position of the magnets in the different rows further minimizes any tendency for any leakage flux in the coupling direction, so as to have any magnetic coupling effect in the coupling direction. The relatively recessed position of the magnets 22 and 24 in the third row 34 increases the gap between these magnets and any nearby coupling components 40, which effectively reduces or eliminates any magnetic coupling effect of any leakage flux in the coupling direction.

Fig. 13 and 14 show the same device in an active state. For example, as compared to fig. 13 and 11, the follower or roller 80 and the movable support 90 move to the right relative to the stationary base 92 (according to the figures). In this position, the magnetization directions 23 and 25 are in a second relative orientation. In this orientation, the first magnets 22 are directly aligned with one another and the second magnets 24 are directly aligned with one another (e.g., as shown in fig. 2). The relative movement between the movable support 90 and the base 92 includes movement of the roller 94 along the inclined surface 98 and movement of the roller 96 along the inclined surface 99. This relative movement urges the magnets 22,24 and pole shoe members 26 in the third row 34 out of the recessed position, but instead aligns with the magnets in rows 30 and 32 such that the outer edges of the magnets in the coupling direction are all coplanar and aligned as shown at 112 in figure 14.

Some examples will include a biasing member 100, such as a spring as shown in fig. 11 and 13. The example biasing member 100 biases the movable support 90 and associated magnet and pole shoe members to a position corresponding to an active state of the apparatus 20. In this example, the biasing member 100 includes a coil spring 102 that acts against a first surface 104 that moves with the movable support 90 and a second surface 106 that remains fixed relative to the base 92. The bias of the spring 102 tends to urge the magnet and pole shoe members to a position corresponding to a second relative orientation of the magnetization direction (i.e., the active state of the device 20). When the base 92 is fixed relative to another surface (e.g., elevator car door 64), as the car door 64 approaches the fully closed position, movement of the roller 80 along the ramped surface 84 will overcome the bias of the spring 102 to move the device 20 to the inactive state as the roller 80 advances from the position shown in fig. 13 to the position shown in fig. 11 (e.g., to the left in accordance with the figures). As can be appreciated from fig. 12 and 14, such movement can also change the relative orientation of the magnet edges and the pole shoe members in the coupling direction.

In another example, a spring is fixed at one end to the movable support 90 and at the other end to the blade member 72 such that the tension of the spring biases the magnet and pole shoe members to a position corresponding to the active state. Examples that include the actuator 82 need not include a biasing member, such as a spring. The interaction between the follower 80 and the actuator 82 is sufficient to control the relative orientation of the magnets to maintain the device in a desired state. The illustrated example shows biasing member 100 as an assist feature.

The use of permanent magnets for the purpose of locking or coupling the door using the device as shown in the example shown allows to eliminate mechanical locking or coupling members that may tend to wear over time. Furthermore, the use of permanent magnets and the selective control of the relative orientation of their magnetization directions allows the selective actuation of the device to establish a magnetic coupling without the need for any power supply. The exemplary device is passive and selectively controllable. Being able to utilize the magnetic coupling and elevator door coupling arrangement allows for reduced tolerances during installation and reduced wear over time, both of which provide cost savings in installation and maintenance.

The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this invention. The scope of legal protection given to this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.

Claims (20)

1. A locking or coupling device comprising:

a plurality of magnets each having a magnetization direction;

a plurality of pole shoe members located between selected ones of the magnets; and

a movable support supporting some of the magnets and some of the pole shoe members, the movable support movable to selectively change the relative orientation of the magnetization directions between:

(i) a first relative orientation in which magnetic flux flow is directed primarily between the magnets through the pole shoe members and the magnetic flux is substantially maintained in a plane containing the magnets and the pole shoe members, an

(ii) A second, different relative orientation in which the magnetic flux flow is directed primarily from the pole shoe members in a transverse direction away from the plane.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first relative orientation corresponds to an inactive state of the apparatus in which the apparatus does not establish a magnetic coupling with an object out of the plane, an

The second relative orientation corresponds to an active state of the device in which the device is configured to establish a magnetic coupling with a nearby object.

3. The device of claim 1, comprising a coupler member positioned adjacent the magnet and the pole shoe member out of the plane such that the magnetic flux directed in the transverse direction is operable to magnetically couple the coupler member to the device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of magnets comprises:

a plurality of first magnets each having a first magnetization direction;

a plurality of second magnets having different second magnetization directions, respectively; and

some of the first magnets and some of the second magnets are supported on the movable support so as to be movable relative to the other of the first magnets and the second magnets.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a base configured to support the other of the first and second magnets in at least one row, an

Wherein the movable support is movable relative to the base, and the movable support supports some of the first magnets and some of the second magnets in another row.

6. The apparatus of claim 5,

the first magnets supported on the base alternate with the second magnets supported on the base,

the first magnets supported on the movable support alternate with the second magnets supported on the movable support, and

one of the pole shoe members is located between each of the magnets supported on the movable support and on the base and an adjacent one of the magnets.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the base is configured to support the other of the first and second magnets in two rows, and the movable support is at least partially received between the two rows.

8. The apparatus of claim 7,

the inactive state of the apparatus includes:

one of the first magnets in each of the two rows is directly aligned with one of the second magnets supported on the movable support, an

One of the second magnets in each of the two rows is directly aligned with one of the first magnets supported on the movable support; and

the active position of the device comprises:

one of the first magnets in each of the two rows is directly aligned with one of the first magnets supported on the movable support; and

one of the second magnets in each of the two rows is directly aligned with one of the second magnets supported on the movable support.

9. The apparatus of claim 8,

the inactive state includes the first magnet being directly aligned with the second magnet in a direction perpendicular to the magnetization direction, and

the active state includes the first magnets being directly aligned with each other in a direction perpendicular to the first magnetization direction and the second magnets being directly aligned with each other in a direction perpendicular to the second magnetization direction.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movable support is movable relative to the other magnets in the following directions:

(i) a first direction of movement for changing between the first relative orientation and the second relative orientation, an

(ii) A second, different direction of movement transverse to said plane.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a base supporting the other magnets;

a plurality of rollers supported on one of the movable support or the base to facilitate relative movement between the base and the movable support; and

a corresponding plurality of inclined surfaces on the other of the base or the movable support engaged by the rollers during movement of the movable support in the first direction of movement to cause the movement in the second direction of movement.

12. The device of claim 1, comprising a door lock associated with a door, the magnetic coupling resulting from the magnetization direction being in the second relative orientation preventing the door from moving from a closed position to an open position.

13. The device of claim 1, comprising an elevator door coupler that selectively couples an elevator car door to a hoistway door when the magnetization direction is in the second relative orientation.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus comprises:

an actuator that moves the movable support to a position corresponding to the second relative orientation when the elevator car door is moved from a closed position and moves the movable support to a position corresponding to the first relative orientation when the elevator car door is moved toward the closed position.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the actuator includes a bracket having a biasing surface and the movable support includes a follower that moves along the biasing surface in response to movement of the elevator car door near the closed position.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the biasing surface comprises a plurality of ramped surfaces and the follower comprises a roller received between the ramped surfaces.

17. The device of claim 15, comprising a biasing member that biases the movable support to a position corresponding to the second relative orientation, and wherein the actuator is operable to move the movable support against the bias of the biasing member.

18. A method of controlling a magnetic coupling, comprising the steps of:

selectively arranging magnetization directions of a plurality of magnets in a first relative orientation to direct a flow of magnetic flux primarily between the magnets through pole shoe members between the magnets such that the magnetic flux is substantially maintained in a plane containing the magnets and the pole shoe members; and

the magnetization directions are selectively arranged in different second relative orientations to primarily direct the magnetic flux flow from the pole shoe members in a transverse direction away from the plane.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising

Coupling the elevator car door to the hoistway door using the magnetic flux caused by the second relative orientation.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the method comprises:

preventing movement of the door from the closed position using the magnetic flux caused by the second relative orientation.