US2793264A - Elevator signal control - Google Patents

Description

F. H. JONES ETAL ELEVATOR SIGNAL CONTROL May 21, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 29. 1954 May 21, 1957 F. H. JONES ETAL 2,793,264

ELEVATOR SIGNAL CONTROL Filed March 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent() ELEVATOR SIGNAL CONTROL Application March 29, 1954, Serial No. 419,498 3 Claims. (Cl. 20086) This invention relates to improvements in an elevator signal control device and refersV particularly to an elevator car construction whichV includes means for transmitting a signal when the elevator carries a predetermined load.

In the operation of elevators of either the operator serviced type or the self service type, and particularly the latter, and especially when the elevator is descending, it frequently happens that at an early part of its descent it becomes substantially fully loaded with passengers, most of whomk have a common destination, the main oor. After the lelevator is loaded it frequently happens that stop signals are givenby passengers awaiting the arrival of the elevator at lower floors. With conventional self vservice elevators the fully loaded elevator will stop at each floor that such stop signal is xgiven'even though there is no available room inthe elevator car for the passenger who gave the signal. Hence, the descent of the car is delayed for no useful purpose, delaying the passengers already in the elevator, and delaying the cyclic trip of the elevator.

Devices have heretofore been proposed for automatically canceling stop signals when the elevator car is already loaded, but such devices comprise complicated and ineffective means for actuating the signal-canceling mechanism in response to the passenger load in the elevator'car. i

The present invention is particularly directed to an elevator car which is so constructed as to actuate a signalcanceling mechanism in response to a predetermined passenger load in the elevator car, the construction being relatively economical, extremely elective and simple` in operation.

Brietly described, the present invention contemplates an elevator car construction having a floor which deflects under load, the tloor being so contrived as to transmit the weight carried on the car floor to a pressure-producing device wherein said weight is converted into an increase in pressure of the liquid in a closed hydraulic system which includes a pressure responsive electric switch. Actuation of the pressure responsive switch functions to energize a conventional signal canceling mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and following detailed description.

In the drawings, Fig. l is -a top plan view of an elevator car oor comprising an embodiment of the present invention, the car walls being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of said oor taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, detailed, sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is anV enlarged sectional view taken through an elevator car floor showing a modification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 indicates generally the lower portion of an elevator car, having a oor 2, side walls 3, 3, rear wall 4 and a front wall 5. The upper portions of A thenivalls 3, 3, 4 and 5 are broken away, since v .2,793,264 Patented May 21, 1957 the present invention is concerned primarily with the floor 2. The side walls, rear wall and front wall may be conveniently secured to the oor 2 adjacent its deiining edges by means of angle irons 6. The front wall 5 is provided with a door opening 7 through which ingress and egress may be had to the interior of the car. Gates or doors (not shown) may be positioned across the door opening '7 if desired.

The oor 2 is defined by an angle iron frame 8 which embraces a central iloor panel 9 which may conveniently be constructed of relatively strong lumber. The central panel 9 may be sandwiched between plywood panels 10 and 11, at the upper and lower faces of the panel 9, respectively. A steel plate 12 is disposed beneath the lower plywood panel 11 and is coextensive in area with said panel.

Of course, the basic tioor structure, hereinbefore described, is set forth for purposes of illustration only since any foundation floor construction may be employed which is suiciently strong and rigid to carry the load intended to be carried in the car 1.

Frame members 13 may be positioned on the upper plywood panel 10 adjacent its periphery, the front frame member 14 being of greater width than the side and rear frame members 13. If desired, hardwood strips 15 may be positioned upon the upper surfaces of the members 13 and 14.

A deiiecting floor assembly 16 is positioned above the upper plywood panel 10, said assembly being bordered by, and horizontally ilush with the strips 15 upon the frame members 13 and 14. The deilecting floor assembly 16 comprises a central panel 17 upon which is carried a plywood panel 18. A steel panel 19 may be positioned upon the lower face of the central panel 17 and is coextensive in area therewith. Resilient strips 20 may be positioned upon the plywood panel 10 adjacent the inner edges of the strips 13 and 14, said strips 20 functioning as a resilient support for the defining edge portions of the deflecting oor assembly 16. The strips may be constructed of sponge rubber or other soft rubber or rubberlike material. The floor 16 may be secured to the base floor by means of screws 20 whereby said detlecting iloor 16 is substantially laterally immovable. Yet, iloor 16 may deflect toward the base oor when a predetermined load is carried by the floor 2. As will be hereinafter more fully described the dellection of lioor 16 need not be great, since a `substantially static change of pressure in the hydraulic system associated with the oor is all that is necessary.

A plurality of pressure producing devices 21 are suspended beneath the oor 2. Each of the devices 21 comprises a head member 22 and a bottom member 23 which are secured together by means of bolts 24. The head member 22 and bottom member 23 are similar in construction and each is provided with a recess 25 which open into each other when the parts are assembled.

Certain of the bolts 24 extend upwardly through the metal panel 12, the plywood panel 11 and the central panel 9 of the subfloor assembly. These bolts, at their lower end portions are provided with threads which, in turn, are engaged by nuts 26 which fasten the head member 22 and the lower member 23 together. Nuts 27 also threadedly engage the bolts 24 intermediate the length of said bolts and bear upon the lower face of the metal panel 12. The upper plywood panel 10 is provided with recesses 28 for the reception of the heads 29 of bolts 24. Thus, the bolts 24 may be securely fastened to the subfloor, holding the pressure producing devices 21 in rigid suspended relationship with respect to the suboor.

A exible diaphragm 30 is positioned between each head member 22 and lower member 23, the edge portions of said diaphragm being anchored between said members and the central portion thereof extending across the recess provided vin said members. A rod 31 is slidably positioned in bore 32 provided in the head member 22 and the upper portion of said rod is secured to the lower face of the metal panel 9 of the deflecting floor assembly 16. The lower portion of said rod is secured, by means of tting V42, to the diaphragm 30.

There are four pressure producing members 21 suspended beneath the lloor 2, said members being symmetrically dispos-ed beneath the floor.

A threaded nipple 33 is connected into each lower member 23 of each of the pressure producing devices 21, 'said nipple connecting with a bore 34 which opens into the recess 25 of the lower member 23. Each nipple 33 is threadedly connected at its end to a litting 3S and all of said lfittings are joined together by pipes 36, that is, the pipes 36'connect all of the lower members of the pressure producing devices 21 together, However, included in said hydraulic pipe system is a conventional pressure actuated electric switch 37.

The hydraulic system comprising the pipes 36, pressure actuated switch 37 and the recesses 25 of the pressureproducing devices 21 is filled with a liquid 3S. In view of the fact that the deflecting floor 16 is carried upon the resilient strips 20, said oor is movable to a limited degree normal to its face. For instance, when a load is carried upon the deecting floor 16 the strips 20 will be compressed and the deecting floor will move downwardly. Such movement i-s transmitted to the rods 31 which, in turn, ex the diaphragms 30 of the pressure producing devices 21 downwardly. Hence, the liquid 38 is subject to pressure, said pressure being proportional to the load carried upon the deflecting iloor. The pressure operated switch 37 may be So adjusted that for a predetermined pressure exerted upon the liquid 38 said switch will close or open an electric circuit. Hence, it can be readily seen that an electric circuit including conductors 39 may be controlled in response to the load carried by the iioatiu-g floor 16. In the event, forinstance, that the elevator car 1 is employed as a self service elevator, it can readily be seen that when a predetermined load is carried upon the deilecting iioor 16 the-switch 37 may be caused to act to control the circuit connected to the conductors 39. For examplerif the elevator car 1 is at an upper portion of its travel and is moving downwardly, and if said car is loaded, a stop signal given by an awaiting passenger at a lower floor, may be canceled by the actuation of the pressure operated switch 37. Thus, the cancellation of the signal, which prevents the unnecessary stopping of v lthe elevator at the lower oors, will be responsive to a predetermined weight upon the deflecting door 16, that is, it will be responsive to the number of passengers carriedinthe elevator car. If, for instance, in a descending elevator car, the car is fully loaded at an upper floor, all lower stop signals will vbe canceled. lf, however, a nurnber of passengers leave the car at an intermediate oor, the pressure in the hydraulic system which actuates the switch will be reduced and, hence, stop signals at lower floors will again be effective in stopping the elevator. Of course, it is to be understood, that the switch 37 will not effect any stop signals which may originate within the car itself, the circuit including the conductors 39 only being effective to cancel stop signals originating exteriorly of the car.

If desired, resilient strips 40 may be positioned beneath the oating floor throughout desired portions of its area whereby to aiord greater V`.Support for the oor.

In the normal adjustment of the device the iloating floor `16 willrrest upon-the resilient strips 2t? and the upper surface of saidl deflecting iloor will be slightly above or be ush with the Vupper surfaces of the'bordering strips 15, Tojprevent; upward movement of any of the rods 31 beyond-this normaliposition -a stop ring 41 may em brace each rod. 31 and may he Vconined between the 4 coupling 42 and the lower defining 4surface of the upper lrecess '25. Thus, if the weight upon the deecting oor 16 is not uniformly distributed, no portion of the oor will ever move upwardly beyond its ilush position with the bordering strips 15.

Referring particularly to Fig. 5, a modification of the invention is illustrated. Insofar as the details of the construction of the door are concerned the floor shown in Fig. 5 is substantially identical with floor 2 and the parts will be so designated by corresponding reference numerals without further description.

A beam 43 may Vbe positioned beneath the suboorf of the elevator car, being carried from the bottom of said sublloor by channel irons 44, the upper anges of which are secured to beams 45 carried by the floor. A plurality of hydraulic cylinders 46, only one of which is shown, are pivotally secured at their lower ends to lugs 47 carried by beam 43. A piston (not shown) is slidably positioned in each cylinder, said piston carrying a piston rod 43, the upper end of which is secured to the panel 19 of the deflecting oor 16. The lower ends of the cylinders 46 are all connected together, as in the case of the pressure-producing devices 21, by means of pipes 49, the hydraulic system thus formed including a pressure actuated switch (not shown), similar to switch 37, hereinbefore described.

In employing the modified form of the invention, the cylinders 46 are appropriately spaced beneath the car floor such as in the case of the `pressure-producing devices 21. When a predetermined maximum weight, that is a predetermined maximum number of passengers,

v is carried by the car, Ythe liquid in the cylinders and asiit) sociated hydraulic partsis subject to a pressure sufficiently high to actuate the pressure operated switch. Thus, .by the use of the piston-cylinder type of pressure-producing device a stop-signal may be cancelled, as hereinbefore described in conjunction with the pressure-producing devices 21. y Y

Broadly, the present invention contemplates any type of pressure-producing device, such as, the bellows-type as well `as the types shown. In view of the fact that the pressure change-in the hydraulic system is substantially a static pressure change, there being only that amount of liquid movement necessary to actuate the pressure-responsive switch 37, the movement of the deflecting iloor 16 is substantially negligible and, hence, substantially lany type of pressure-producing or pressuretransmitting device will be suitable.

Of course, any conventional pressure-responsive switch may be employed which will actuate an electric switch to either open or close an electric circuit. Obviously, the conductors 39 may be connected to an external electric circuit which may function as a stop-signal canceling agency or the pressure-responsive switch may be ernployed to give any other desired signal in response to the weight load upon the deflecting floor 16.

As many pressure-producing devices as desired may be employed in conjunction with the deflecting floor, but preferably a suicient number thereof are appropriately spaced beneath the oor as to uniformly receive the load upon the floor.

We claim as our invention:

1. An elevator car signal controlling device comprising a door for an elevator car, said oor comprising a subfloor and a superimposed detlecting floor, 'a plurality of hydraulic pressure-producing devices suspended beneath and secured toV said suboor, rod means connected to said dellecting iloor and connected to said pressure-producing devices, resilient means carried on the upper face of said subfloor and bordering the entire periphery of the superimposed floor whereby weight applied to said superimposed floor is .applied by said rod vmeans to said :pressure-'producing devices to apply substantially static lpressure :to liquid 'carried'in said vpres sure-producing .devices when said deecting iloori'car.-

ries a predetermined weight, pipe means connecting said pressure-producing devices together whereby the liquid pressure in said devices is the same, a pressure-operated switch connected to said pressure-producing devices and operably responsive to the pressure of the liquid in said pressure-producing devices, and means for connecting said switch to an electrical circuit to control said circuit in response to the predetermined weight on said detlecting floor.

2. An elevator car signal controlling device comprising a floor for an elevator car, said floor comprising a subfloor and a superimposed deflecting iloor in planeparallel relationship to said subfloor, resilient means carried on the upper face of the subfloor adjacent the edges of said subfloor upon which the deflecting iloor is carried for resilient movement substantially normal to said subfloor, a plurality of hydraulic pressure-producing devices suspended beneath and rigidly secured to said subfloor, said pressure-producing devices being substantially equally spaced from each other and substantially equally spaced from the margins of said tloors, rod means connected to said deilecting lloor and connected to said pressure-producing devices to apply substantially static pressure to liquid carried in said pressure-producing devices when said deflecting floor carries a predetermined weight, a pressure-operated switch connected to said pressure-producing devices and operably responsive to the pressure of the liquid in said pressure-producing devices, and means for connecting said switch to an electrical circuit to control said circuit in response to the predetermined weight on said deilecting floor.

3. An elevator car signal controlling device comprising a iloor for an elevator car, said iloor comprising a subfloor and a superimposed deflecting iloor, a plurality of diaphragm type hydraulic pressure-producing devices suspended beneath and rigidly secured to said subfloor at substantially symmetrically spaced positions with respect to the area of said subfloor, rod means connected at one end to said deflecting floor and connected to the diaphragms of said pressure-producing devices at their other ends, resilient means carried on the upper face of the subfloor and bordering the entire periphery of the References Cited in the ille of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 823,455 Willcox June l2, 1906 1,414,913 Whittingham May 2, 1922 2,253,425 Garland Aug. 19, 1941 2,371,909 Naerbo Mar. 20, 1945 2,439,608 Krauer Apr. 13, 1948

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