US1492371A - Operating mechanism for elevator doors - Google Patents

Description

April 29, 1924.

1,492,371 T. E. GRIFFITH ET AL OPERATING MECHANISM FOR ELEVATOR DOORS Filed June 16 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

' Thomas LGr'nffiTh Lee L. Dodds ATTORNE may I!) sm 10 I0 v INVENTORS.

T. E. GRIFFITH ET AL OPERATING MECHANISM FOR ELEVATOR DOORS April 29, 1-924. 1,492,371

Filed June 16, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.6. 45

lNVzgNTpRs. Thomas E.Gnff\th By Lee L.Dod is A TTORNE Patented Apr. 2%, i924.

Ul liTEE STATES THOMAS E. GRIFFITE AND LEE L. DODDS,

0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOBIS TO THE W. S. TYLER OOIMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, B. CORPORATION OF 0310.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR ELEVATOR DOORS.

Application filed June 16, 1923. Serial No. 645,830.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS E. Ginn- FITH and LEE L. Donne, citizens of the United States, and residents of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, have jointly invented a new and useful Improvement in Operating Mechanism for Elevator Doors, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained, and the best mode in which we have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

The present invention, relating, as indicated, to operating mechanism for elevator doors, is more particularly directed to an improved mechanism for operating the doors of an elevator enclosure, which mechanism is provided with means preventing the unauthorized opening of the door, where the latter, by carelessness or accident, has been left in a partially open position. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and re lated ends, said invention, then, consists of: the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings Fig. 1 is a front elevation of elevator doors provided with the present operating means therefor; Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale of the locking mechanism for preventing the opening of the door under conditions to be described; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4.4= in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but showing the mechanism in the position assumed when the door is partially open; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a modified type of door opening and lockin mechanism; Fig. 7 is a view on an enlarged scale of the locking mechanism in the closed position of the door; Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing the mechanism in the wide open position of the door; Fig. 9 is a similar view but showing the mechanism in the partially open position of the door;

and Fig. 10 is a plan view of the mechanism of Fig. 7.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown an elevator enclosure 1, the opening in which is normally closed by means of doors 2 and 3. These doors are mounted to move laterally into the spaces 4:, and are so moved by means of operating means, consisting oi a link 5 attached to a bracket 6 on the frame of the enclosure, a second link or handle member 7, which is pivoted at the point 8 to the door 2, connected at one end to the link 5, and at its other end to a third link 10 about the pivot 11, the other end of link 10 being pivotally connected to door 3 at 15. Mounted on the lever 7 is a handle 12 which is grasped by the operator and pulled down to eilect an opening of the doors. The doors are opened by this movement of the handle member or lever 7 which throws the end 13 of the member upward, shortening the distance between the points 6 and 8 and bringing the door 2 to the left. At the same time the connection 11, between the levers 7 and 10, is brought down, shortening the efiective length of the levers 7 and 10 between the points 8 and 15, at which points these two levers are fixed to the doors 2 and 3, respectively, and this causes the movement of the door 3 to the left in unison with the door 2. The doors are closed by reversing the movement of the levers and adoor-closing device 16, operated by the swinging or the link 5 during the opening of the doors, serves to return the doors to the closed position as soon as the handle 12 is released. Thus far, the description relates to an ordinary construction of elevator doors and the operating mechanism therefor.

In the operation of elevators the operator occasionally only partly closes the doors, or the door closer for some reason fails to completely close thenrand they stand in a partially open position. it is essential that means be provided to prevent a further opening of the doors bysome one in the corridor when the doors are standing in such partially open position, and it is desirable that the doors be brought to a completely closed position before they can be again opened. As soon as they are closed they cannot of course be opened from the corridor,

so that if means are provided which make it necessary to close the doors completely before they are .re-opened after being partly opened, such means are effective to prevent a complete opening of the door from the corridor, andto prevent accidents. The means which we employ for this purpose consists of the following mechanism. Rigidly mounted on the inner end of the lever 10, and about the point 11 of pivotal connection of the other lever 7, is a plate 20 provided with a cam portion 21 and a concentric portion 22. This is also provided with a shoulder or lug 23. The lever 7, either throughout its length, or adjacent to its point of pivotal connection 11, consists of spaced bars or plates 25 and 26, which are shown in Fig. 3, and between these parts is pivotally mounted a combined pawl and cam 27, which is pivotally mounted on a pin 28. This pawl has a broadened weighted end portion 29 which limits the movement of the pawl in either direction, since the broadened end portion rests upon the bars 25 and 26, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 when the doors are in their closed position. The high point of the cam portion of the pawl 27 is at the point 30 and the high point of the cam plate 20 is at the point 31. The normal position of the parts before the opening of the doors is shown in Figs. 2 and 3, at which time the broad end 29 of the pawl rests upon the plates 25 and 26, and the cam 30 of the pawl is out of contact with the cam portion 21 of the plate 20.

When the doors are opened and the levers 7 and 10 swung downward about the points 8 and 15, respectively, the pawl 27 is swung in a clockwise direction until it drops by gravity against the lug 23. If the doors are now returned to the closed position, the levers 7 and 10 are swung upwardly, again and the pawl 23 is rolled upwardly without .producing any frictional engagement be tween the two cam surfaces 30 and 31. The final movement of the lever 10 brings the shoulder 23 into engagement with a lug 33 provided on the pawl 27 and swings the pawlinto the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, from which position said pawl drops by gravity into the position seen in full lines and then the doors may be again opened. If, however, during the closing of the doors, it is attempted to open the doors before they have been fully closed, then the cam surface 31 on the plate 20 will engage and rotate the pawl 27 in a clockwise direction, bringing the high point of the cam 30 on the pawl into engagement with the high point on the cam 31 and wedging the pawl and plate together to prevent further relative movement of the levers 7 and 10 in a downward direction. This action will take place at any time after the pawl 27 has fallen by gravity to the right, which is not until the end of the opening movement of the doors, but will not occur until this movement of the pawl has taken place and the pawl is so weighted that it will not drop to this position until the doors have been brought to their fully open position.

The action of the pawl as dropped into contact with the plate 20 during the opening of the doors is illustrated in Fig. 5, the cam surface 30 of the plate there being engaged with the concentric portion 22 of the plate. Upon further upward movement of the levers 7 and 10 the cam portion 31 of the plate rides up into engagement with the cam surface 30 of thepawl in position to effect the action described above ifthe levers are pulled downwardly to effect an opening a of the door before the doors have been brought to the closed position when the pawl is restored out of engagement with the plate 20.

The presentoperating means do not in any way affect the normal operation of the doors, and they add but few parts to the ordinary operating mechanism. It. will be evident, however, that the action of cam plate and paw] efiectively prevent the re-opening of the doors before they have been brought to their closed position. p

A similar construction is shown in Figs. 6 to 10, inclusive, in which, however, the locking mechanism is applied to two levers 40 and 41, which break upwardly instead of clownwardly when the doors are opened. These levers are applied to doors 42 and 43, which are of the two-speed type and interconnected so that action of either door effects a simultaneous operation of the other. The lever 40 is here fixed at one end to a bracket 44 and is pivoted at the point 45 to one end of the'second lever 41. The lever 41 in turn is pivoted at the point 46 to the door 43 and operation of the levers is effected by a handle 47 extending downward from the end of the lever 41. connected to a short extension 49 from the lever 40.

Mounted at the end of the lever 41 is a plate 50, provided with a portion 51 which is concentric with the pivot pin 45, and a cam portion 66, the high point of which is at thepoint 67, while a lug 52 is provided at the end of this cam portion '67 of the plate. Pivotally mounted on the lever 40 is a combined pawl and cam 55, provided with a shoulder or lug 56 adapted to engage against the lug 52 on the plate, and having a cam portion 57, the high point of the cam being at the point 58. 7

When the levers 40 and 41 are in align ment and the doors are closed the pawl 55 is in the position shown in Fig. 7.' As the levers are brought-into the position shown A door closing device 48 is in'Figs. 6 and 8, the pawl drops by gravity to the left, the weighted upper end effecting this action. The cam part of the pawl inseam then rests against the concentric portion 51 of the plate 50, as shown in Fig. 8. As the levers are brought downward to their normal position during the closing of the doors the cam 58 on the pawl first rides over the concentric portion 51 of the plate and then over the cam portion 66 thereof. If the doors are stopped before they are entirely closed and are started toward their open position again the high point 58 of the cam 57 is quickly rolled into looking engagement with the high point 67 on the cam 66, thus locking the levers 40 and ll and preventing further movement thereof toward the open position. It is not until the levers have almost reached their straight line position that the pawl 55 has been brought into a position to which the weighted upper end overbalances the lower end and throws this cam down into the position shown in Fig. 7, in which position the cam portion of the pawl cannot point against the cam portion of the plate until the pawl is again thrown into the position of F 6. Similar to the action of lugs 23 and 33, heretofore described, the lug 52 engages the lug 56 during the last part of the closing movement of the doors, and aids in restoring the pawl 55 to inoperative position.

The. action of the locking means shown in Figs. 6 and 10, and described above, is extremely similar to that of the means shown in Figs. 1 to 5. Both forms of locking means effect the same results, that is, they permit the normal operation of the doors, but prevent unauthorized opening of the doors from apartially open position. It will of course be understood that the operator can always reopen the doors even though he has not entirely closed them by holding the pawl out of action during the reopening or by closing the door the full distance and then opening it over again.

Other modes of applying the principle of our invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

ive therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention 1. Elevator door operating mechanism including a door, two pivotally connected levers for effecting the operation of said door, a cam plate mounted on one of said levers, and a cooperating cam pawl mounted on the other lever, said pawl and cam plate operating to prevent the reopening of said door prior to the complete closing thereof.

2. Door operating mechanism comprising two pivotally connected levers adapted to normally lie in longitudinal alignment, a cam plate mounted on one of said levers, a cam pawl mounted on the other lever and adapted to cooperate with said plate to prevent the reconverging of said levers after they have been once. converged, and means for rendering said pawl inoperative upon the complete straightening of said levers.

3. Door operating mechanism comp-rising two pivotally connected levers adapted to normally lie in longitudinal alignment, a cam plate mounted on one of said levers adj acent the pivotal point thereof, an eccentric cam portion on said plate, a cam pawl piv otally mounted on the other lever adjacent said pivotal point, and an eccentric cam portion on said pawl, said pawl being movable by gravity toward said plate upon the convergence of said levers, and said cam portions being adapted to prevent reconvergence of said levers.

a. Door operating mechanism comprising two pivotally connected levers adapted to normally lie in longitudinal alignment, a cam plate mounted on one of said levers adjacent the pivotal point thereof, an eccentric cam portion on said plate, a cam pawl pivotally mountedon the other lever adjacent said pivotal point, an eccentric cam portion on said pawl, said pawl normally being out of engagement with said plate and being movable by gravity toward the plate upon the convergence of said levers and said cam portions being adapted to prevent reconvcrgence of said levers, and means for restoring said pawl to inoperative 'position upon the final straightening of said levers.

5. Elevator door operating mechanism ineluding a door, two pivotally connected levers for effecting the operation of said doors and means mounted on said levers adjacent the pivotal point thereof for preventing the reopening of said door prior to the complete closing thereof, said means being ren dered inoperative upon said final closing of the door.

6. Elevator door operating mechanism including a door, two pivotally connected levers for effecting the operation of said door, and means mounted on said levers adjacent the pivotal point thereof for preventing the reopening of said door prior to the complete closing thereof, said means being rendered operable from the opening of said door and being rendered inoperative upon the final closing of said door.

Signedby us this 8th day of June, 1923.

THOMAS E. GRIFFITH. LEE L. DODDS.

Images