Improvements in Controlling Devices for Elevators.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1893-Accepted, 9th Sept., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Controlling Devices for Elevators.
I, CHARLES EMERY MOORE, residing at Number 117 Dale Street, in the City
of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, in the State of Massachusetts, one of the
United States of America, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to elevator controlling mechanism, and has for its object to
start and stop the car gradually, thus avoiding any sudden shock or jar, and also to
stop the car automatically with its floor exactly opposite to or even with the
several landings, which cannot be accomplished with any degree of certainty when
dependent on the judgment of the operator. To this end my invention consists in
an elevator controlling mechanism comprising a detent or pawl adapted to be
operated by means located within the car, and connected with the starting and
stopping mechanism, a series of travelling stop-blocks or projections, actuated by
the elevator motor and adapted to engage said detent and thereby actuate the
mechanism connected therewith to stop the car, and a weight connected with said
starting and stopping mechanism and said detent, and adapted to be raised when
said detent is actuated by one of said stop-blocks to stop the car, and descend to
operate the mechanism, whereby the car is set in motion when said detent is thrown
out of engagement with said stop-block by the operator in the car, as hereinafter
more particularly set forth.
In the accompanying drawings,-
Figure 1 is a side view of an hydraulic elevator constructed in accordance with
my invention, the reversing and operating valves being shown in section.
Figure 2 is a view, partly in section, of the valves and their operating mechanism,
showing the positions of the parts when the elevator car is stopped in its ascent.
Figure 3 is a sectional detail, showing the position of the reversing valve when
moved to permit the elevator car to descend.
Figure 4 is a view representing a modification of my invention to be hereinafter
referred to.
In the said drawings, A represents the cylinder of an hydraulic elevator, and
B the cross-head which carries the hoisting-rope wheels C. D represents the
stationary hoisting-rope wheels and E the hoisting-rope which passes over the
wheels C, D, and up the hoistway over a wheel F, and is secured at 10 to
the elevator-car G. II is the cross-head guide, and I, I, are legs for supporting
the cylinder A; all of the parts thus far described being common to all hydraulic
elevators of this class, and forming no part of my invention.
J is a rope passing through the car G over a wheel K at the top of the hoistway
and down outside the car to and around a wheel L to which it is fastened, said
wheel L being secured to a crank-shaft M provided with a crank a, to which is
pivoted one end of a connecting rod b, the opposite end of which is pivoted to the
reversing-valve N, consisting of two heads 15 connected by a rod and adapted to
reciprocate within a casing 16, to which is connected the inlet pipe d through which
the water under pressure is supplied to the cylinder A to operate the elevator.
e is the discharge pipe, through which the water escapes from the cylinder A when
the car is descending, and is a port leading from the valve casing 16 into the
casing 17 of the operating valve P which consists of two heads 18 secured upon a
valve-rod 19, and adapted to control a port g through which the water passes
directly into the cylinder A.
Qis a horizontal bar secured at one end to the cross head B and supported and
guided by a bracket h. To this bar Q are adiustably secured by means of set

page_text: screws c, a series of stop-blocks or projections 1, 2, 3, 4, corresponding respectively
to the several floors or landings at which the elevator car is to stop, said blocks
travelling backwards and forwards in a horizontal plane with the bar Qas the
latter is reciprocated with the cross-head B when the elevator-car is ascending and
descending.
R is a detent or pawl which is adapted to be engaged by either one of the stop-
blocks of the bar Q when it is desired to stop the elevator at the floor or landing
corresponding to the particular stop-block which engages the detent. This
detent R is operated from within the car G to bring it into engagement with any
particular stop-block desired by means of a lever S fulcrummed at 20 and having
secured to its horizontal arm 21 a rope T which passes down around a wheel V and
thence up outside the car over a wheel U at the top of the hoistway, and down
to the top of the car to which it is secured at x.
The rope-wheel V runs loosely on a stud 22 at one end of a bell-crank lever W,
fulcrummed at 23 on a stud projecting from one of the walls of the hoistway or
other adjacent stationary part, and to the other end of this bell-crank is pivoted a
rod Y connected at 24 to one end of a bell-crank i fulcrummed at 25 on a stud
projecting from an adjacent stationary part, and to the other end of this bell
crank i is pivoted at 26, a rod 27, the lower end of which is pivoted at 28 to the
detent R, the latter being pivoted at 29 to the upper end of a lever k made in the
form of a cross, and fulcrummed on a stud 30 projecting from the cross-head H.
To the lower end of this lever kis pivoted at 31 a rod 32, the opposite end of
which is pivoted at 33 to the valve-rod 19 of the operating valve P, by which the
supply of water is admitted to and shut off from the cylinder A. With this
construction when the lever S in the car is moved into the position indicated by the
dotted lines, the detent R will be lowered into a position to be engaged by the next
advancing stop-block according to the direction in which the bar is travelling,
thus causing the cross-lever k to be swung over to the right or left hand as the case
may be, to shut off the water from the cylinder A and stop the car, and when said
lever S is thrown back into the position shown in full lines, the detent R will be
raised as shown in Fig. 1, out of the path of the travelling stop-blocks which are
then free to move without actuating the lever k.
7 is a weight adjustable on a lever m fulcrummed at n to the cross-head-guide H,
and to this lever are pivoted two rods q, r, slotted for the reception of pins 35 by
which they are connected to the lateral arms 36, 37, of the cross-lever k, whereby
when the latter is swung over to one side or the other by the contact of one of the
travelling stop-blocks with the detent R, the weight will be raised as shown in
Fig. 2, and when said detent is elevated out of engagement with a stop-block, the
weight will descend to move the lever k into the position shown in Fig. 1, thus
opening the valve F to start the elevator car up or down as the case may be.
The time occupied by the weight in descending to open the operating valve P
is regulated by a suitable retarding device, which consists, in the present case, of
a pipe t provided with a regulating cock w, said pipe communicating with both
ends of the casing of the valve P, whereby the water is caused to pass from one
end of the casing to the other, according to the direction in which the valve is
moving, the movement of the water through the pipe t being regulated by the
cock w, whereby the valve is caused to move slowly to start the car gradually, and
thus avoid any sudden shock or jar.
The operation of the above described mechanism is as follows:-
The parts being in the position represented in Fig. 1, with the elevator-car
ascending, and said car having passed the second landing, if it should be desired to
stop at the next landing, the operator moves the lever S in the car to the position
shown in dotted lines, which will lower the wheel V and permit the detent R to
drop onto the bar Q, which is at that time moving in the direction of the arrow.
The stop-block 3 will now engage the detent R and swing the lever k over into
the position shown in Fig. 2, which causes the port f to be closed, thus shutting
off the water from the cylinder and automatically stopping the car, the

page_text: stop-blocks 1, 2, 3, 4, being so arranged or adjusted on the bar Q as to cause the
portf to be closed at the instant that the floor of the car is even with the landing,
and consequently it is impossible for the car to stop either above or below the
same, which is an important advantage, as much time is frequently lost in making
a trip by the necessity of starting and stopping the elevator to bring the car even
with the landing when not originally stopped at the proper level.
The closing of the port f by the means described when the car is ascending, will
cause the weight to be raised into the position shown in Fig. 2. To continue the
ascent of the car the operator moves the lever S back to the position shown in full
lines in Fig. 1, which raises the detent R, and disengages it from the stop-block 3,
when the weight will instantly descend by its own gravity, and, through the
connections described, open the port f and admit the water to the cylinder A
through the pipe d and the ports f and g, as shown in Fig. 1. The car will now
ascend, and by moving the lever S back to the position shown dotted the detent R
will be dropped into position to be engaged by the stop-block 4, whereby the car
will be stopped even with the fourth floor or landing in the same manner as
described for the landings below. It will be obvious that the lever S can be
thrown over to stop the car at the next landing immediately after it starts from
the previous landing, or at any time sufficiently soon to insure the engagement of
the next stop-block with the detent R before the car reaches the landing at which
it is desired to stop.
While the car is ascending, the reversing valve N remains open as shown in
Fig. 1, only the operating valve P being used to stop and start the elevator at the
several landings.
•
When the car is to descend, the reversing valve N must be moved by means of
the rope J and its connections into a position to shut off communication between
the inlet or supply pipe d and the port f, and at the same time bring said portf
into communication with the discharge pipe e, as shown in Fig. 3, the operating-
valve P remaining closed and preventing the escape of the water from the cylinder
through the ports g and f. The operator next moves the lever S back into the
position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, which lifts the detent R and releases the
weight 1, which then descends and moves the valve P to open the ports f, g, when
the water will escape from the cylinder through the discharge pipe e and permit
the car to descend, the car being stopped at the several landings in the same
manner as in its ascent. The movement of the bar Q when the car is descending
is in a direction opposite to that previously described, and the valve P will also be
moved in the opposite direction to stop the elevator, causing the weight 1 to be
raised by the rod r as the cross-lever will then be swung over into a position
opposite to that shown in Fig. 2. It will be seen that the operating valve is
opened to start the elevator by the descent of the weight 1, and closed to stop the
elevator by the movement of the stop-bar Q acting through the detent R; it being
merely necessary for the operator to raise or lower the detent R by means of the
lever S as he may wish to start or stop the car, and as the operator has no control
of the time at which the operating valve is opened or closed it is impossible to
start with a sudden jerk or shock, or stop above or below the landings.
In Fig. 4 is represented a modification of my invention which represents it as
applied to an elevator provided with a hoisting drum which may be rotated by
electricity, steam, or other suitable power. In this figure A' represents the bed
plate of the elevator; B' is the hoisting drum, and E the hoisting rope, which is
secured to the car G in the usual manner. D¹ is the operating shaft connected
with the starting and stopping mechanism, by which the power is applied or shut
off. This shaft D' is provided with a pinion 50 with which meshes a rack-bar C¹
adapted to turn the pinion and shaft a half revolution in either direction to start
or stop the elevator. The rack-bar C' is pivoted to the arm 52 of the lever k
fulcrummed on a stud 51 and having pivoted to its arm 53 a detent R similar to
that shown in the other figures, and adapted to be operated by similar means
located within the car. This detent, when permitted to descend, is adapted to be

page_text: engaged by either one of a series of travelling stop-blocks or projections 1, 2, 3, 4,
which, instead of being placed on a horizontally reciprocating bar, as first described,
are arranged around the periphery of a flange 54 on a gear H', which is mounted
on the stud 51 and is adapted to be rotated by a pinion I on the shaft 55 of the
hoisting-drum B. The lateral arms 36, 37 of the lever k are connected by slotted
rods g, r, with the lever m, carrying the weight 7, which operates in the manner
previously described when the detent is raised, causing the lever in this case to
operate the rack-bar C₁ to start the elevator, instead of operating a valve as in
the construction first described, the rack-bar C₁ being moved in the opposite
direction to stop the elevator by the contact of one of the stop-blocks on the
gear H with the detent R when the latter is permitted to descend by moving the
lever S in the car. With this construction a "dash-pot" or retarding device
would in practice be applied to the weighted lever m to case it in its descent and
prevent a too sudden application of the power in starting the elevator.
The pinion I and gear H' are properly proportioned to cause the latter to make
a single revolution while the car is ascending or descending, which admits of the
stop-blocks being so arranged as to stop the car even with the several landings as
required.
The reversing rope J is shown as connected with the current-reverser L' of an
electric motor, but when the elevator is adapted to be driven by steam or other
power, it would be connected with a belt-shipper or other device for reversing the
direction of motion of the machine or motor in a well known manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. An elevator controlling mechanism, comprising a detent, means located within
the car for operating said detent, starting and stopping mechanism connected with
said detent, a series of travelling stop-blocks or projections actuated by the
clevator-motor and adapted to engage said detent and thereby actuate the
mechanism connected therewith to stop the car, and a weight connected with said
starting and stopping mechanism and said detent, and adapted to be raised when
said detent is actuated by one of said stop-blocks to stop the car, and descend to
operate the mechanism whereby the car is set in motion when said detent is thrown
out of engagement with said stop-block, substantially as set forth.
2. In an elevator controlling device, the combination, with the car and its
hoisting mechanism, of a detent, means located within the car for operating said
detent, a lever to which said detent is pivoted, starting and stopping mechanism
connected with said lever, a series of travelling stop-blocks or projections actuated
by the elevator motor and adapted to engage said detent and thereby move
the lever connected therewith to stop the car, and a weight connected with said
lever and adapted to move the same to start the car when the detent is released
fiom its engagement with a stop-block, substantially as described.
3. In an hydraulic elevator, the combination, with the car and its hoisting
mechanism, of a detent, means located within the car for operating said detent, a
lever to which said detent is pivoted, an operating valve connected with said lever,
a reciprocating bar connected with and actuated by the hoisting mechanism and
provided with a series of stop-blocks or projections adapted to engage said detent
and thereby move the lever connected with the operating valve to stop the car, and
a weight connected with said lever an adapted to move the operating valve
connected therewith to start the car when said detent is disengaged from a stop-
block, substantially as described.
4. In an hydraulic elevator, the combination, with the car and its hoisting
mechanism, of a detent, means located within the car for operating said detent, a
lever to which said detent is pivoted, an operating valve connected with said lever,
a reciprocating bar connected with and actuated by the hoisting mechanism and
provided with a series of stop-blocks or projections adapted to engage said detent

page_text: and thereby move the lever connected with the operating-valve to stop the car, a
weight connected with said lever and adapted to move the operating valve
connected therewith to start the car when said detent is disengaged from the stop-
block bar, and a reversing valve adapted to be operated by means located within
the car, all operating substantially as set forth.
5. In an hydraulic elevator, the combination, with the car and its hoisting
mechanism, of a detent, means located within the car for operating said detent, a
lever to which said detent is pivoted, an operating valve connected with said lever,
a reciprocating bar connected with and actuated by the hoisting mechanism and
provided with a series of stop-blocks or projections adapted to engage said detent
and thereby move the lever connected with the operating valve to stop the car, a
weight connected with said lever and adapted to move the operating valve
connected therewith to start the car when said detent is disengaged from the
stop-block bar, a reversing valve adapted to be operated by means located within
the car, and a retarding device connected with the operating-valve mechanism,
whereby the descent of the weight and the movement of the operating valve is
automatically controlled to effect the gradual application of the power in starting
the car, substantially as set forth.
6. In an elevator, the combination, with the elevator car and its hoisting
mechanism, of the detent R, means located within the car for operating said detent,
the lever k, starting and stopping mechanism connected with said lever, the latter
having the detent R pivoted thereto and provided with the lateral arms 36, 37, the
lever m with its weight 1, the slotted rods q, r, connected with the arms 36, 37, of
the lever k, and a series of travelling stop-blocks adapted to move in opposite
directions and engage the detent R to move the lever m and stop the car in its
ascent or descent, substantially as set forth.
7. In an elevator, the combination, with the elevator car, of the cylinder A, the
cross-head B, the hoisting-rope E, rope wheels C, D, the reciprocating bar Q secured
to the cross-head B and provided with a series of stop-blocks or projections
corresponding to the several landings, the detent R, means located within the car
for operating said detent, the lever k having the detent R pivoted thereto
and provided with arms 36, 37, the lever m with its weight 1, the slotted rods q, r,
connected with the arms of the lever k, the operating valve P connected to
the lever by the rod 19, the reversing valve N and means located within the car
to operate the same, and a retarding device for the operating valve, all constructed
to operate substantially as set forth.
DJ
13
CA
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.