Patent Publication Number: US-11661315-B2

Title: Monitoring system, elevator door system having monitoring system, and method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/220,496, filed Jul. 27, 2016 which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/197,280, filed Jul. 27, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Embodiments of this disclosure pertain to an elevator door, and more particularly to a monitoring assembly for use with an elevator door. 
     Elevator systems are widely known and used. A typical elevator system includes an elevator cab that moves within a hoistway between landings in a building, for example, to transport passengers, cargo or both between building levels. Typically, a hoistway entrance includes at least one landing door that hangs from a set of rollers that roll along a track near the top of the hoistway entrance. The cab also has at least one door. An actuator supported on the cab moves the cab and landing doors between open and closed positions when the cab is at a landing. The bottom of each elevator door includes a gib that is received into a guide groove within a door sill near the bottom of the door. The gib follows the guide groove as the elevator door moves. The gib and guide groove also cooperate to keep the door plumb. 
     When the landing doors of a particular landing are closed, the hoistway is inaccessible to passengers and cargo, thus blocking the passengers and cargo, as well as other passerbys, from access to the hoistway when the cab is not at that particular landing. In this closed position, the gib must remain in the guide groove so that the landing door does not swing into the hoistway if it is bumped by the cargo, passengers, or passerbys. If the gib is not properly seated in the guide groove and the landing door is accidentally bumped, the landing door is at risk of swinging into the hoistway. Field adjustment of the landing doors is required to achieve prober gib engagement with the sill, and routine maintenance to ensure the gib is properly seated in the guide groove should be conducted. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     A sill gap monitoring system includes a sensor assembly configured to sense a sill gap between an elevator sill and at least one of a bottom surface of an elevator door and a bottom surface of a gib. The sill gap monitoring system generates an alert when the sill gap is greater than a sill gap limit. 
     The sill gap monitoring system may be operatively attached adjacent to a bottom surface of the elevator door. 
     The sensor assembly may be operatively attached to the sill or operatively attached to a bottom surface of the gib. 
     The sensor assembly may include a non-contact sensor including one of sound, light, and magnetic detection to sense the sill gap. 
     The sensor assembly may include a sensor configured to make physical contact between the sill and at least one of the door and the gib. 
     The sensor may be a microswitch having a roller operatively engaged with the sill during movement of the door from an open position to a closed position. 
     The sensor assembly may include a plunger movable within a plunger housing towards the sill. The plunger may be connected to an actuator, the actuator moving in a first direction to move the plunger towards the sill when the door is in a closed position and moving in a second direction opposite the first direction to move the plunger away from the sill when the door is in an open position. 
     When the sill gap limit is exceeded, a plunger head of the plunger may contact the plunger housing and a circuit within the sensor assembly may be closed and send a signal to generate the alert. When the sill gap limit is not exceeded, the plunger head may not contact the plunger housing and the circuit may be open. 
     An elevator door system may include an elevator door movable from an open position to a closed position, the elevator door having a bottom surface, a gib secured to the elevator door adjacent the bottom surface, a sill having a guide groove and a face, the gib slidable within the guide groove, the face facing the bottom surface of the elevator door in the closed position, and a sill gap monitoring system including a sensor assembly configured to sense a sill gap between the sill and at least one of the bottom surface of the elevator door and the gib. An alert is generated by the sill gap monitoring system when the sill gap is greater than a sill gap limit. 
     The elevator door may be a landing door at a hoistway entrance. 
     At least a portion of the sensor assembly may be operatively attached to the sill. Alternatively, at least a portion of the sensor assembly may be attached to and movable with the elevator door. 
     The sensor assembly may sense the sill gap continuously along a length of the sill during movement of the door between the open and closed positions. 
     The sensor assembly may include a microswitch having a roller operatively engaged with the sill during movement of the door from an open to a closed position. 
     The sensor assembly may be activated to sense the sill gap when the door is in the closed position and deactivated when the door is in the open position. 
     The sensor assembly may include a non-contact sensor including one of sound, light, and magnetic detection to sense the sill gap. 
     The sensor assembly may include a plunger movable within a plunger housing towards the sill, wherein, when the sill gap limit is exceeded, a plunger head of the plunger may contact the plunger housing and a circuit within the sensor assembly may be closed and send a signal to generate the alert. When the sill gap limit is not exceeded, the plunger head may not contact the plunger housing and the circuit is open. 
     A method of monitoring an elevator door sill gap includes selecting a sill gap limit between a sill and at least one of a gib and a bottom surface of an elevator door; configuring a sensor to monitor the sill gap; sending a signal from the sensor when the sill gap exceeds the sill gap limit; arranging a controller to receive the signal from the sensor; and, generating an alert when the sill gap limit has been exceeded. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The subject matter which is regarded as the present disclosure is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the present disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG.  1    shows a perspective view of an embodiment of an elevator system having a gap monitoring system; 
         FIG.  2    shows a partial side cross-sectional view of an elevator door system; 
         FIG.  3    shows a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of portions of a gap monitoring system for the elevator system of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    shows a diagrammatic view of another embodiment of portions of a gap monitoring system when the elevator door is open or opening; 
         FIG.  5    shows an enlarged view of a sensor assembly for use in the gap monitoring system of  FIG.  4   ; 
         FIG.  6    shows a diagrammatic view of the embodiment of the gap monitoring system of  FIG.  4    when the elevator door is closed; 
         FIG.  7    shows an enlarged view of the sensor assembly of  FIG.  5    when the gap is not exceeded; 
         FIG.  8    shows an enlarged view of the sensor assembly of  FIG.  5    when the gap is exceeded; 
         FIG.  9    shows a diagrammatic view of another embodiment of portions of a gap monitoring assembly for the elevator system of  FIG.  1   ; and, 
         FIG.  10    shows a diagrammatic view of another embodiment of portions of a gap monitoring assembly for the elevator system of  FIG.  1   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG.  1    shows selected portions of an embodiment of an elevator assembly  8  including a cab  9  that moves within a hoistway  10  between building levels or landings  11  (one shown). The cab  9  and a hoistway entrance  12  each include an elevator door system  18  having elevator doors  13 , more particularly cab doors  20  and landing doors  22 , that move in a direction of elevator door movement D between open and closed positions. Although double doors  13  are illustrated on the cab  9 , one or each of the cab  9  and the hoistway entrance  12  may include a single door  13 . The elevator door assemblies  18  each include one or more retainers  14 , hereinafter referred to as a “gib,” which are fixedly coupled to each of the elevator doors  13 . The gibs  14  are guided within a sill  15  on the cab  9  and at the hoistway entrance  12 . 
     As further shown in  FIG.  2   , the sills  15  include a slot or guide groove  24 , having a depth  42 , to slidably receive the gibs  14 . With the gibs  14  in the guide groove  24  of the sills  15 , the elevator doors  13  are guided in the direction of door movement D ( FIG.  1   ) to control the motion of the elevator doors  13  and to maintain the elevator doors  13  plumb such that the lower portion  26  of each door  13  near the sill  15  does not move significantly in directions transverse to the direction of door movement D. As shown in  FIG.  2   , movement of the door in directions T is substantially restricted via receipt of the gib  14  in the guide groove  24 . Field adjustment achieves proper engagement of the gibs  14  within the sills  15  and with respect to any relevant codes. While the gibs  14  are illustrated as having an L-shaped attachment portion  28 , a reinforcement beam  30  (including, by example only, a metal) and glides  32  (including, by example only, a nylon) for reducing friction, the gibs  14  may be any shape and made of any materials or combination of materials suitable for attaching to the door  13  and include any portions for engaging with the guide groove  24  in the sill  15 . Further, while the illustrated gib  14  may be installed to an exterior surface of the door  13 , the gib  14  may be alternatively integrally positioned between exterior panels of the door  13 . 
     The doors  13  are installed or adjusted so that the bottom surface  34  of the door  13  is within a certain distance  36  from the face  38  of the sill  15 , so that the installer or maintenance staff will know that the gibs  14  are properly seated within the guide groove  24 . The small gap between the bottom surface  34  of the door  13  and the face  38  of the sill  15  will hereinafter be referred to as a door gap  36 . While the face  38  of the sill  15  is illustrated as substantially planar, it should be understood that the sill  15  may be grooved such as for traction purposes. It has been determined that, over time, the door gap  36  between the bottom surface  34  of the elevator door  13  and the face  38  of the sill  15  may change due to high sill loading (such as by repeatedly moving heavy items over the sill  15 ), door impacts, door adjustments or roller adjustments on the track at the top of the door  13 , or an incorrect installation. If the door gap  36  becomes too great and exceeds a maximum allowable sill gap (a sill gap limit), then a distance  112  (gib gap  112 ) between a bottom surface  40  of the gib  14  and the bottom surface  25  of the guide groove  24  increases. Also, a distance between a bottom surface  40  of the gib  14  and the face  38  of the sill  15  correspondingly reduces, thus reducing the length of the gib  14  within the guide groove  24 . The gib  14  in such a scenario may not fully or properly seat within the guide groove  24  in the sill  15 , which may lead to a deleterious change in door panel impact resistance, particularly if the landing door  22  is impacted near the lower portion  26 . 
     Thus, in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure, a gap monitoring system  44  ( FIG.  1   ) is included in the elevator door system  18  for monitoring, sensing and/or measuring one or both of the door gap  36  and the gib gap  112 . Because the guide groove  24  is within the sill  15 , both the door gap  36  and the gib gap  112  are herein collectively referred to as sill gaps  114 . It is further noted that the sill  15  may be one integral unit or may include separate portions for the guide groove  24  and the face  38 , and therefore the sill refers to any portion below the respective door  13  and gib  14 . The gap monitoring system  44  includes a sensor assembly  46  installed at one or all of the landing door  22 , gib  14 , and the sill  15  to detect if the door gap  36  and/or gib gap  112  exceeds a gap limit when the landing door  22  is in the closed position. The sensor assembly  46  may include a contact type or non-contact type of sensor for monitoring, sensing, measuring, and/or detecting at least one of the gap  36  and gap  112 . For illustrative purposes only, the sensor assembly  46  in  FIG.  2    is depicted as positioned to measure the door gap  36  and on an opposite side of the door  13  than the attachment portion  28  of the gib  14 , however it should be understood that both the gib  14  and the sensor assembly  46  may be connected to a same side of the landing door  22 , or within exterior panels of the landing door  22 . Also, while the gap monitoring system  44  is described with respect to monitoring the gap  36  or gap  112  between the landing door  22 /gib  14  and the sill  15  at the hoistway entrance  12 , it may, if desired, be further incorporated to monitor a gap between the cab door  20  and/or gib  14  and the sill  15  of the cab  9 . If there are two doors  13  at a particular landing  11  or cab  9 , then a sensor assembly  46  may be attached to one or both doors  13  or to separate locations along the sill  15 . Also, the gap monitoring system  44  may be retrofitted onto any existing elevator door  13  to monitor for a gap maintenance condition that needs to be addressed. 
     With reference again to  FIG.  1   , the gap monitoring system  44  may further include a controller  48  to receive a signal from the sensor assembly  46  indicating that the gap limit has been reached or exceeded. The controller  48  may process the signal and determine any next steps. Such next steps may include the generation and sending of a notification or alert. The alert, diagrammatically shown at  50 , may be sent to onsite personnel (such as the onsite maintenance department) or offsite personnel (such as to a property manager or remote elevator monitoring company), for the coordination of a maintenance adjustment of the affected door  13 , maintenance to the sill  15 , maintenance to the gib  14 , or maintenance to any portion of the elevator door system  18 . Alternatively or additionally, the alert  50  may be localized, such as shown at area  52 , and may take the form of a light, indicia on an electronic display, or sound-emitting device such as a buzzer. The localized alert  50  may be triggered as soon as the signal from the sensor assembly  46  senses a sill gap limit has been reached or exceeded, or may be triggered via the controller  48 . The controller  48  may also store the signal in a memory for subsequent documentation and review of sill gap conditions for each landing door  22 . 
     One embodiment of portions of the gap monitoring system  44  is shown in  FIG.  3   . The door  13 , such as the landing door  22 , includes at least one gib  14  (two depicted, for illustrative purposes) fixedly attached to the door  13  for sliding movement within the sill  15  in directions D during the opening and closing of the door  13 . A sensor assembly  54  of the gap monitoring system  44  is also fixedly attached to the door  13 , such that the sensor assembly  54  moves with the door  13  in directions D during the opening and closing of the door  13 . The sensor assembly  54  may include a contact sensor  56  such as a microswitch  58  having a body  60  aligned with or adjacent to the bottom surface  34  of the door  13 , a roller  62 , and a switching arm  64  connecting the roller  62  to the body  60 . The roller  62  contacts the sill  15  during opening and closing of the door  13  and therefore movement of the switching arm  64  to close or open the microswitch  58  is directly related to the distance (door gap  36 ) between the sill  15  and the bottom surface  34  of the door  13 . The sensor assembly  54  could be designed to close (and thus send a signal) when the door gap  36  has met or exceeded the sill gap limit. For example, if the sill gap limit is 6 mm, then the sensor assembly  54  may electrically make and send a signal to the controller  48  when the door gap  36  exceeds 6 mm (or meets 6 mm) to alert that a maintenance condition exists. Alternatively, the sensor assembly  54  could be designed to close (and thus send a signal) when the door gap  36  is within an acceptable tolerance, such that the controller  48  would construe the loss of signal as an indication that the door gap  36  has exceeded the sill gap limit. In either case, the sensor assembly  54  is preset to an activation distance of the sill gap limit, where the sill gap limit is any distance selected by the operator/installer useful in determining a maintenance condition. This embodiment demonstrates a gap monitoring assembly  44  that monitors the door gap  36  along substantially an entire length of travel of the sensor assembly  54  with the door  13  and along a length of the sill  15 . Alternatively, while the sensor assembly  54  is depicted as attached to the door  13 , in another embodiment, the sensor assembly  54  may be attached to the sill  15  such that movement of the door  13  over the sensor assembly  54  will send a signal indicating if the door gap  36  between the door  13  and the sill  15  has exceeded the sill gap limit. In such an embodiment, the sensor assembly  54  may be installed adjacent to the location or locations of the gib  14  to alert when the door gap  36  adjacent the gib  14  has exceeded the sill gap limit. In yet another embodiment, as depicted in  FIG.  10   , a sensor assembly  110  may include the microswitch  58  as described with respect to  FIG.  3   , but may instead be installed on the gib  14  or the bottom surface  25  of the guide groove  24  and operatively arranged to send a signal indicating if the gib gap  112  has exceeded the sill gap limit. In any of the above-described embodiments, whether installed on the door  13 , face  38  of sill  15 , gib  14 , or bottom surface  25  of guide groove  24 , the signal from at least one of the sensor assembly  54  and  110  may be sent to the controller  48  as described with respect to  FIG.  1    and/or to one or any of the alert locations  50 . 
     Another embodiment of portions of a sill gap monitoring system  44  is shown in  FIGS.  4 - 8   . Although not illustrated, one or more gibs  14  slide within a guide groove  24  in the sill  15 , as in the previous embodiment. The roller assembly  66  for moving the door  13  in directions D parallel to the guide groove  24  is shown adjacent the upper portion  68  of the door  13 . A sensor assembly  70  is attached to the lower portion  26  of the door  13  and only senses the sill gap  114  when the door  13  is closed ( FIG.  6   ), since it is not necessary to know the door gap  36  when the door  13  is open ( FIG.  4   ) since the door  13 , in particular the landing door  22 , is only open when the cab  9  is at the landing  11 . While the sensor assembly  70  is illustrated and described with respect to sensing the door gap  36 , it should be understood that the sensor assembly  70  may alternatively be incorporated within the gib  14  to sense the gib gap  112 .  FIG.  4    shows the open position of the door  13  where a sensor actuator  72  deactivates the sensor assembly  70 . In one embodiment, the sensor actuator  72  includes a movable, such as pivotal, lever  74  in a first condition (which may be a spring biased position) that pulls a mechanical link  76  upwardly such that a sensor assembly plunger  78 , within a plunger receiving housing  80  attached to the door  13  (or attached to gib  14 ), is in a first, upwardly pulled first position, as shown in  FIG.  5   . When the plunger  78  is moved to the first position, the plunger head  82  is separated from the housing  80  by a distance  96 , and therefore the plunger head  82  does not make contact with the housing  80  and circuit wires  84 ,  86 , connected respectively to the plunger head  82  and housing  80 , are disconnected so that no signal is sent to the controller  48  and no alert  50  is made or sent. When the door  13  is closing and/or fully closed as shown in  FIG.  6   , the lever  74  rotates, such as in the clockwise direction as shown in  FIG.  6   , when a roller  88  attached to the lever  74  contacts a surface  90 , which may include a stationary ramp, a portion of a coupler on the car  9 , a landing door interlock, or other area of hoistway header  92 . The link  76  attached to the lever  74  actuates the sensing function of the sensor assembly  70  by moving the plunger end  94  or the plunger  78  to the sill  15 . As shown in  FIG.  7   , the wires  84 ,  86  are not connected and no signal is sent when the plunger head  82  does not contact the housing  80 . Note that the distance  96  in  FIG.  7    is smaller than the distance  96  in  FIG.  5   , however the lack of contact between the plunger head  82  and housing  80  still keeps the circuit between the wires  84 ,  86  open. Since the travel of the plunger  78  to the sill  15  cannot place the plunger head  82  into contact with the housing  80 , the door gap  36  (or gib gap  112 ) is below the sill gap limit (for example, less than 6 mm, although the sill gap limit may be the same or different for the door gap  36  and the gib gap  112 ) and no signal is sent, and thus no alert  50  is provided. However, as shown in  FIG.  8   , if the travel of the plunger  78  is such that the plunger head  82  contacts the housing  80  (eliminating the distance  96  between the plunger head  82  and the housing  80 ), then the circuit wires  84 ,  86  are connected, a signal is sent, and an alert  50  is provided to indicate that the sill gap limit has been reached or exceeded. Even if the plunger end  94  cannot reach the sill  15 , the plunger head  82  will still contact the housing  80  and the signal will be sent to indicate that the sill gap limit has been exceeded. 
     While the lever  74  shown in  FIGS.  4  and  6    may be a separate element used in a retrofit sill gap monitoring system  44 , alternatively the link  76  may be attached to an existing component of the elevator door assembly  18 , such as, but not limited to a landing side interlock that couples the landing doors  22  to the cab doors  20  or another door mechanism. Also, while a mechanical actuation of the sensor assembly  70  has been described, the sensor assembly  70  may alternatively be electrically or magnetically actuated, such as, for example, initiating movement of the plunger  78  within the plunger housing  80  when the door  13  passes over a certain location along the sill  15 , such as near the gibs  14 . Furthermore, while one particular embodiment of the sensor actuator  72  may include the lever  74  and link  76  as shown, other sensor actuators, including either mechanical or electrical/magnetic actuators, configured to actuate a sensor assembly  70  may also be incorporated into at least one of the door  13 , gib  14 , and the sill  15 . 
     Other embodiments of portions of a gap monitoring assembly  44  are demonstrated by  FIG.  9   . While the prior embodiments are based on contact type sensor assemblies  54 ,  70  to determine if the door gap  36  (or gib gap  112 ) has exceeded a sill gap limit,  FIG.  9    demonstrates embodiments that rely on a non-contact type sensor assembly  98 . The sensor assembly  98  may, for example, include a sensor  104 , such as an ultrasonic sensor, at the sill  15  (or alternatively on the door  13 ), which propagates sound waves to a location  100  along the door  13  (or to a location  106  on the sill  15 ) when the door  13  is in the closed position. The location  100  (or location  106 ) may include a receiver  102 , or alternatively the sensor  104  may include both the transducer and the receiver. With additional reference to  FIG.  10   , a sensor assembly  108  including the sensor  104  and receiver  102  may also be positioned on the gib  14  and guide groove  24 . The length of time that the sound takes to reach the receiver (whether at the door location  100  or at the sill location  106 ) is proportional to the sill gap  114 . Thus, information regarding the door gap  36  and/or gib gap  112  may be sent to the controller  48 . The sensor  104  may be configured to periodically initiate the sensing function, or may be triggered to initiate the sensing function by a movement of the door  13 . The sensor  104  may alternatively include a distance measuring photoelectric sensor positioned at either the sill  15  at location  106  or on the door  13  at location  100 . Due to the small distances being measured in the door gap  36  and gib gap  112 , the photoelectric sensor may utilize triangulation, which determines the distance of the target (the door  13 , gib  14 , or sill  15 ) based on the angle of the light reflected on the sensor receiver  102  from the target. The photoelectric sensor may utilize pulsed infrared, visible red, or laser light, or the sensor assembly  98  may alternatively include as sensors  104  an inductive distance sensor for metallic targets (where the sill  15  and/or the door  13  are made of metal), a magnetic sensor (where the absence of detection of a magnetic field due to an excessive door gap  36  may trigger an alert), or other distance measuring sensor  104 . In any of the above-described embodiments, the sensor  104  may be positioned at the location  100  along the door  13  or gib  14  instead of at the sill  15 . Also, the sensor  104  may be recessed from the face  38  of the sill  15 , from the bottom  40  of gib  14 , from the bottom surface  34  of the door  13 , or from the bottom surface  25  of the guide groove  24 . 
       FIG.  10    further illustrates an embodiment where a plurality of sensor assemblies, which may be the same type of sensor assembly or different types of sensor assembly, are utilized in the sill gap monitoring system  44 . The use of two or more sensor assemblies provides redundancy and back-up in the event one sensor assembly becomes inoperative. 
     Using embodiments of the sill gap monitoring system  44  described herein, at least one sill gap  114 , including at least one of the door gap  36  and gib gap  112 , is routinely and automatically monitored and an alert  50  is sent when the sill gap limit is met or exceeded. The sill gap monitoring assembly  44  may automatically check the sill gap  114  on each door cycle eliminating the possibility of human oversight from a mechanic or inspector, and is capable of detecting any deviations in the sill gap  114  over time. The monitoring of the sill gap  114  can thus take place many times, including hundreds and even thousands of times, in between routine maintenance checks of the sill gap  114  by personnel. Electrical monitoring can be used for signaling a maintenance instruction which can, with proper follow-up maintenance attention, prevent the gib  14  from disengaging with the guide groove  24  in the sill  15 . A method of monitoring the sill gap  114  using the sill gap monitoring system  44  may include setting the sill gap limit within the sensor assembly  46  or controller  48 , sensing the sill gap  114 , and generating the alert  50  when the sill gap limit is met or exceeded. 
     While the present disclosure has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the present disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the present disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the present disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.