ELEVATOR EMERGENCY ACTUATOR AND RESCUE UNIT

• US 3,706,357 A
• Filed: 03/30/1970
• Issued: 12/19/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Joseph Elmer Simpson
• Original Assignee: Joseph Elmer Simpson
• Inventors: Simpson, Joseph Elmer
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilheany, Bernard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duncanson, Jr., W. E.
• Application Number:
  US05/023,925
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 187/29 307/66,64 320/40
• US Class Current: 187/290
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/027 to permit passengers to leave an elevator car in case of failure, e.g. moving the car to a reference floor or unlocking the door

Abstract

An auxiliary power unit is mounted in the power room and is connected to the operating system in such a way as to take over the operation of the elevator automatically in case of (a) loss of power to the elevator at the elevator disconnect switch, (b) loss of one or more phases of a three-phase power supply, (c) reversal of a phase, (d) if a call has not been answered within a predetermined time. When an auxiliary power unit goes into action it does a number of things including moving the car to the nearest floor level and opening the car and hoistway doors for passenger exit. The auxiliary power unit does not go into action if the safety circuit is open. A solid state device is provided which (a) converts a 12-volt DC current to a 220-volt AC current, (b) automatically starts the recharge of the auxiliary power unit battery upon resumption of the regular power supply, (c) maintains the battery fully charged, and (d) prevents over-charging of the battery.

Claims

1. In an elevator system having a car adapted to travel in a hoistway and to stop at a plurality of floor levels, hoist means, door and gate operating means, control means for said hoist means and operating means including a disconnect switch and trunk lines between an electric power supply and said hoist means, the improvement comprising an auxiliary power unit, said unit including actuating means responsive automatically to a malfunction of said power supply and unresponsive to an opening of said disconnect switch and said actuating means including delay means responsive to a malfunction of said control means to electrically connect said auxiliary power unit to said trunk lines to move said car to the next lower floor level and open the door and gate at that level, said auxiliary power unit including a storage battery, said actuating means including a rescue relay and a timing relay connected in parallel, said timing relay including delay contacts in series with said rescue relay and car direction contacts in series with said timing relay whereby said delay contacts will de-energize said rescue relay after a predetermined delay, said rescue relay being operatively connected to said trunk lines, an inverter connected to said battery and adaPted to deliver an alternating current to said trunk lines at a voltage sufficient to operate said hoist means.

2. In the elevator system of claim 1, said auxiliary power unit including battery charging means connected to said battery and adapted when connected to the normal power supply to charge said battery and maintain it fully charged without overcharging and means responsive to resumption of standard power for actuating said charging means.

3. In the elevator system in claim 2 wherein said battery charging means includes a meter connected to said battery, a light detector and light source mounted in operative association to said meter, a needle movable between said detector and said source for controlling said detector, said detector being operatively connected to said battery and adapted to control charging current to said battery according to the position of said needle.

4. In the elevator system of claim 1 including lighting means within said car and operatively connected to said auxiliary power unit.

5. In the elevator system of claim 1 including an alarm connected to said auxiliary power unit and energized by a malfunction.

6. In the elevator system of claim 1 including reset means connected to said system and responsive to resumption of normal power after interruption to return said system to a normal condition.