Elevator brake

• US 6,289,727 B1
• Filed: 07/28/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Inventors: Ammon, Urs
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller, Benjamin R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMPSON, JEWEL VERGIE
• Application Number:
  US09/362,512
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 731/29, 731/30, 731/31, 731/21, 340/453, 340/4
• US Class Current: 73/129
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 3/00 Applications of devices for indicating or signalling operating conditions of elevators
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0037 Performance analysers
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/18 and applying frictional retarding forces
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 5/08 embodying blocks or shoes
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2066/005 Force, torque, stress or strain
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 66/00 Arrangements for monitoring working conditions, e.g. wear, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/28 for testing brakes

Abstract

A torque-measuring device for an elevator brake measures the elastic deformation of active parts of a brake, for example, a shoe brake. In that case, regions with a reduced bending moment resistance are formed at the brake levers and elastically deform under the action of braking torque. The elastic deformation is detected by strain gauge strips arranged in these regions and connected as a measuring bridge and the generated voltage signals are provided to an elevator control as reference signals by an analog-to-digital converter and a microprocessor. The elevator control uses these reference signals to generate in a drive motor a motor torque compensating for the measured torque before the release of the brake. Thus, the resulting torque at the brake shaft is zero and a jerk-free start of the elevator car, without a torque jump, results therefrom after release of the brake.

Claims

1. A brake for an elevator comprising:

a rotatable portion to be braked;

at least one brake lever having a brake shoe for applying a force to said portion of the elevator brake; and

a torque-measuring means connected to said brake lever for measuring an elastic deformation of said brake lever during an application of said force to said portion of the elevator brake through said brake shoe.

2. The brake according to claim 1 wherein said torque-measuring means includes at least one signal generating device for generating an electrical signal corresponding to an amount of elastic deformation of said brake lever.

3. The brake according to claim 1 wherein said brake lever has at least one region of a relatively smaller cross-section with a smaller bending resistance moment relative to a larger cross-section and a larger bending resistance of adjacent regions thereof and said torque-measuring means is mounted in said one region.

4. The brake according to claim 3 wherein said one region of said smaller cross-section has at least one of a passage formed therethrough and a constricting shaping thereof.

5. The brake according to claim 3 wherein said torque-measuring means includes at least one resistive strain gauge strip for measuring the elastic deformation of said brake lever.

6. The brake according to claim 3 wherein said torque-measuring means includes at least one semiconductor element for measuring the elastic deformation of said brake lever.

7. The brake according to claim 1 wherein said brake shoe is immovably fastened to said brake lever.

8. A brake for an elevator comprising:

a rotatable portion to be braked;

a pair of brake levers each having a brake shoe for applying a force to said portion of the elevator brake; and

a torque-measuring means mounted to each said brake lever for measuring an elastic deformation of said brake levers during an application of said force to said portion of the elevator brake.

9. The brake according to claim 8 wherein said torque-measuring means mounted to said brake levers are connected in a bridge circuit forming oppositely disposed branches of said bridge circuit having an input and an output and including a current supply connected to said bridge circuit input, said bridge circuit generating at said bridge circuit output a voltage signal representing an amount of elastic deformation of said brake levers.

10. The brake according to claim 8 including an analog-to-digital converter connected between said bridge circuit output and an input of a microprocessor for generating a torque reference signal to an elevator control connected to an output of said microprocessor in response to said voltage signal.