US2859034A - Opening and closing device for vehicle doors - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 4, 1958 E. G. SKOGSBERG ET AL 2,359,034

OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE FOR VEHICLE DOORS INVENTORS .5567;

fiC/iarnel znwz 65,5220

Fa/r5 Filed Jan. 19, 1956 v i 2 6/ A51 [7/5 A! ATTORNEY5 United States Patent OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE FOR VEHICLE DOORS Ernst Georg Skogsberg and Karl Henning Harnell, Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, assignors to Aktiebolaget Hiigglund 6r So'ner, Omskoldsvik, Sweden This invention relates to a mechanism for automatically opening and closing the doors of vehicles, and particularly the exit doors of busses operated by only one person. The use of such singly operated vehicles has become more and more usual, and to reduce the drivers work and prevent clamping of passengers in the doors, the vehicles have been equipped with automatically opening and closing doors. This effect has been obtained by means of two different systems. 7

One of these systems functions as follows: At the halting-place, the driver tightens the brakes and feeds current to contacts, which are controlled by step plates or treadles. These contacts conduct the current to the door operating means. When a passenger steps down on said step plates or treadles, which are placed in the steps, the door opens, and when he leaves the treadle, the door closes.

The other system works substantially on the same principle, only the treadles are replaced by light beams directed past the door opening. The light beams actuate a photoelectric cell, which in turn controls the door operating means. When a passenger breaks the light beam, the door opens, and when the light beam falls on the photoelectric cell again, the door closes.

However, the above systems involve the drawback that a certain time will lapse after the driver has brought the vehicle to a stop and before the door is being opened by a passenger stepping on the treadle, or breaking the light beam, respectively. This loss of time will increase if the passenger first to leave is not accustomed to the system and hesitates to walk towards a closed door or is afraid of being clamped in it.

This invention has for its object to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior systems and is chiefly characterized by the brake system of the vehicle being combined with a control means, which is adapted to open the door automatically independently of any other operating means after the vehicle has been braked to stop and the brakes tightened at a halting-place, to hold the door open during a predetermined period, and to close the door automatically after the lapse of this period, provided that no other means for keeping the door open have entered into function. Thus, when the driver has stopped the vehicle at a halting-place and tightened the brakes, the door will simultaneously open automatically and remain open for a certain time, during which passengers will have time to reach the door and step down on the step plate or break the light beam respectively. If no passenger has stepped on the step plate or broken the light beam within the predetermined period, the door closes automatically. However, if a passenger steps on the step plate or breaks the light beam, the door is kept open and closes again independently of the said predetermined time interval.

Another feature of the invention is that this first opening of the doors is obtained only if some passenger has signalled to the driver that he wants to leave the vehicle at the next halting place. This arrangement serves the purpose of preventing passengers waiting at a. haltingplace from entering the vehicle through the exit door, which they could do in case the door opens without any passengers stepping out.

Vehicles such as busses and tramcars are always pro vided with a signal device, through which the passenger can signal to the driver that he wants to leave at the next halting-place. Usually, this device consists of contacts, such as push buttons, mounted in several places in the vehicle, or a signal cable. running along the sides of the vehicle and in turn actuating a contact. The contact actuates a relay, which connects the current to a signal lamp placed in front of the driver and also to the lamps of a sign, which usually is placed in the ceiling and carries the text Halts. The lamps are lighted until the exit door opens. Then a contact is actuated and the excitation current for the relay is interrupted.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which is a circuit diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of an opening and closing mechanism for vehicle doors.

Referring to the drawing the numerals 26 to 30 indicate a control relay for a double magnet valve 31, 32, B for locking the vehicle brakes by means of a pressure medium cylinder B, 10 to 13, a control relay for a double magnet valve 21, 22, D controlling the vehicle door by means of a pressure medium cylinder D, and relay 5, 7. Upon energization of coil 5 switch arm 6 is attracted away from its contact 6 and the circuit through light 8 is interrupted. Numeral 1 indicates an illuminated signal plate with the text Halt, 2 a control lamp in front of the driver, 3, 3', 3 push button contacts actuated by the passengers and placed within reach at different positions in the vehicle, 4 a contact means actuated by the door and which is closed as long as the door is not quite open. Numeral 8 indicates a lamp which throws light on a photoelectric cell 9, 14, a retardation mechanism. Numeral 23 designates a control or signal lamp which is lit as long as the door is open, 24 a contact actuated by the driver when the door is to be opened, 25 a contact mechanically coupled with the start controller of the vehicle, for example the throttle pedal.

The mechanism operates as follows: When a passenger wants to alight from the vehicle at the next halting place, he informs the driver by actuating one of the push button contacts 3 to 3 thereby illuminating the signal plate 1 and the control lamp 2 connected in parallel therewith and located near the driver and switching in relay 5, the contact 7 of which causes relay coil 5 to remain energized even after the contact 3 has been released. When the driver puts on the brake near the halting-place and actuates contact 24, the control relay coil 26 is energized. The contact means 28, 29 are closed and the double magnet air valve 31, 32, B is energized by the coil 31 in such a manner that the brake coupled with the double magnet 31, 32, B is locked by means of the servomotor B connected with valve B. At the same time as the coil 31 is energized, coil 10 of the control relay 10 to 13 is fed through the photoelectric cell 9 this resulting in the contacts 11, 12 of the relay 1043 being closed thereby operating the retardation mechanism 14. This arrangement, consisting of a piston 15 movable in an air cylinder 15', is coupled with the contact member 12, shown in its normal position. The piston 15 is loaded by a pressure spring 16. In front of the piston an outlet channel 18 with a throttle screw 19 is arranged. At the opposite side the cylinder is open at 20. The retardation arrangement acts in such a way that relay Ill to 13 operates immediately and contact members 11, 12 are closed. On the other hand the relay 10 to 13 releases at a rate predetermined by the adjustment of the retardation mechanism 14.

When the contacts 11, 12 of relay 10 to 13 are closed the coil 21 of the double magnet valve D is energized. this magnet valve controlling the air cylinder D for opening the door. When the door has reached its open position the contact 4 is actuated by the door and relay coil 5 is cut out, thereby causing contact 6 to close and contact 7 to open whereby the signal plate 1 and the control lamp 2 are extinguished. Upon the closing of switch arm 6 against its contact 6 the lamp 8 is fed, this lamp being placed at one side of the door and lighting the photoelectric cell 9 at the other side of the door. Thus, lamp 8 is extinguished the resistance of cell 9 increases considerably and relay coil 10 looses current so that contact member 12 moves to contact member 13 at a retarded speed defined by the piston arrangement 15. After the contact members 12, 13 have been closed the coil 22 of double magnet valve D is fed, this magnet valve actuating the door operating cylinder D to close the door.

The device described as before acts in such a manner that the door is opened immediately when the brake has been locked by means of the double magnet valve B and is closed after a fixed time predetermined by the retardation arrangement provided that no passenger breaks the beam of light from lamp 8 to photoelectric cell 9. If a passenger breaks the beam the control relay coil 10 will be fed thus holding the door open. The door will be closed first after the beam has been broken and when the retardation time has expired.

The brake is released by pushing the throttle pedal, the contact means 25 being closed. Thus the coil 27 of control relay 26 to 30 is fed, the contact members 29, 30 are 0 closed and the double magnet valve B is energized in such a way that the brake is opened.

The auxiliary means shown in the drawing, for instance, the relays, can even be replaced by other suitable means with the same functions. By way of example the double magnet valves B, D, with control relays 10, 26, 27 can be replaced by stepping relays and likewise the retardation arrangement shown can be substituted by other mechanically operated means or even by electronic devices. Instead of the photoelectric cell shown in the drawing movable step plates with mechanical contact means can be used or the cell can be completed by an electronic relay circuit as to obtain a sufficient feed current for the controlling relay 10 to 13.

The arrangement should preferably be completed with means which can be regulated by the driver or the service staff to vary the period during which the door is held open.

The above described arrangement is believed to eliminate the drawbacks of the door opening systems hitherto used in singly operated vehicles, among other things by reducing the halting time.

Obviously the details of the above arrangement can be modified in several ways without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. A control system for road and rail passengervehicles, which vehicles have a door and vehicle brakes arranged for operation by servo-motors, air valves for controlling said motors, respectively, electromagnetic means for controlling said air valves, respectively, a brake circuit including said brake controlling electromagnetic means, switch means in said circuit in position to be operated by the vehicle operator, a door operating circuit including said door operating electromagnetic means, a switch in said door operating circuit located in position to be operated by the vehicle operator, said door operating circuit including a second switch having a movable part, a retardation mechanism connected to said movable part and having means pressing said part in one direction and having means retarding its speed of movement, electromagnetic means attracting said movable switch part in one direction against the pressure of said pressing means when fed with suflicient current, a door controlling circuit including said electromagnetic switch part attracting means, a photoelectric cell connected in said door controlling circuit, an electric light source also connected in said door controlling circuit and located in position to effect the resistance of said photoelectric cell, a signalling circuit including a passengers signal switch for closing said signalling circuit, said circuit including a signalling device for apprising the operator a passenger desires to leave the vehicle, a relay coil in said signalling circuit, a movable switch arm under the control of said coil for maintaining said signalling circuit closed after release of said passengers signalling switch, a second switch located in position to be operated by said signalling circuit relay coil to be opened when said relay coil is energized, said second switch being connected in the circuit of said light source to extinguish said light source when said signalling circuit relay coil is energized, said second switch, when said relay is not energized, being closed and the light source illuminated to increase the resistance of the said photoelectric cell and prevent energizing of said door-operating electromagnetic means whereby the door does not open, said second switch, when said relay is energized, being opened to extinguish said light source, thereby decreasing the resistance of the photoelectric cell and energizing the door-operating electromagnetic means and moving the second switch in the door-operating circuit into position for opening the door, a third switch in the signalling circuit, means connected with said door for opening said third switch when the door is opened for opening the circuit to said relay coil whereupon the second switch in the signalling circuit is closed, and the light source illuminated, thus increasing the resistance of said photoelectric cell and allowing release of said movable part of said second switch of said door operating circuit to permit said retardation mechanism to press and move said movable part in said one direction for effecting completion of the circuit to said door closing electro-magnetic pneumatic valve control means.

2. A control system for road and rail passenger vchicles, which vehicles have a door and vehicle brakes arranged for operation by servo-motors, as claimed in claim 1, and in which said electric source of: light and said photoelectric cell are located on opposite sides of the vehicle door so that the light from said source to said cell is obstructed by a passenger leaving through the door.

Parvin Mar. 17, 1936 Johnson et al. Oct. 19, 1937

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