US1963706A - Self-equalizing suspension tackle for elevator cars - Google Patents

Description

June 19, 1934. P. LA NEVE 1,963,706

SELF EQUALIZING SUSPENSION TACKLE FOR ELEVATOR CARS Filed May 1, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 l3 {4 /f /i 17 26 6 'INVENTOR fl /er LIA eve (F I fuf'wm ATTORNEY June 19, 1934. P. LA NEVE 1,963,706

SELF EQUALIZING SUSPENSION TACKLE FOR ELEVATOR CARS Filed May 1, 1933 INVENTOR I e/er Zd/K'z/e J15- ATTORNEY Patented June 19, 1934 SELF-EQUALIZING SUSPENSION TACKLE FOR ELEVATOR CARS Peter La Neve, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application May 1, weas l-m1 No. 668,727

This invention relates to elevator operating devices and more particularly refers to improvem'entsin suspension tackles, comprising a plurality-of cables, such as are used to connect an elevator car with its counterweight.

In elevator installations each elevator car is generally connected to a counterweight by means ofa plurality of cables, arranged to ride over a suitably grooved suspension drum or drums. In installations of this kind it is essential that the weight of the car and the counterweight be at all times equally distributed between the various cables. To this end, a number of different equalizing devices have been proposed, all presenting as a common characteristic the possibility of longitudinal shifting of any one cable with respect to the others.

However, in devices of this kind it is not only sufiicient to provide for a maximum flexibility and a positive and sensitive equalizing'action, but it is also imperative that a maximum factor of safety be provided for at all times. The possibility that one of the cables might break before the others must never be lost sight of; if this should happen, due to uneven wear or other causes, it is extremely desirable that the equalizing action remain unimpaired and that the weight become evenly distributed between all of the remaining cables.

The primary object of the present invention is to so arrange a plurality of cables between an elevator car and its counterweight that the load will be at all times equally distributed between the various cablesand such longitudinal slipping of any one cable with respect tothe others that should occur during the operation of the car, due to slight variations in the diameterof the grooves within which the cables are made to travel, or other causes, will be readily and instantly taken up by the other cables '50 as to equalize the tensionto which they are individual- 1y subjected.

Another object-of the invention isto; so connect a plurality of suspension cables'to the elevator car and to its counterweight, that should any one cable break or otherwise become ineffective, all of'the remaining cables will 'instant- 1y become adjusted to the new conditions, so that the load will become uniformly distributed among said remaining cables.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear as the description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed in the appended claims.

invention is illustrated by way of example injthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a detail side view in elevation, illustrating the connection between a six-cable tackle and the top of-anelevator car frame;

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the topplate of'said carframe, showing the arrangement of the rocking levers;

Fig. 3 is a detail side view in elevation, illustrating the connections between the-tackle and a counterweight;

Fig. 4 isa plan view of the top plate-of the counterweight structure;

Fig. 5 is a' detail side view in elevation, illustrating my invention as applied in connecting to an elevator a tackle comprising an uneven number of cables; a

Fig; 6 is a detail plan view of the top plate of the elevator car shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is-a'detail side view in elevation, illustrating the manner of connecting theother end of the tackle of Fig. 5 to the counterweight; and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration Y. of an alternative form of my invention as applied in connection with an elevator carand its counterweight.

According to my'invention, each cable has each one of its ends connected by means of an equalizing element such as, for 'instance, a rocking or equalizing lever to one of the ends of another cable, insuch a manner that all the cables form in effect a continuous cable passing back and forth between the elevatorcar and the counterweight in a closed circuit, all the ends of all ofthe cables being thus connected to the elevator'car and to connected and a shank 19 having its outer end 20 threaded so as to receive an adjusting nut 21.

The take-up elements 12 -and 13' are interconnected by a rocking-lever'22 interposed therebetweemsaid rocking lever being pivotally mounted" at 23 onto a forked bracket 24 depending from plate 10. In the construction illustrated,

the shank portions 19 of the take- up elements # 12, 13"," are 'caused-to -pass through the opposite ends of rocking lever 22 and to be slidably and resiliently connected thereto through the intermediary' of pivotal bushings 24 and springs, such as 25,- interposed'be'tween said pivotal bushings and nuts 21.

The other end of cable 12 is'similarly provided with a take-up element 12", consisting of a head 27', to wh'ich the cable is permanently connected, and a shank 28, having a threaded end 29 provided with an'adjustin'gnut 30.

Said shankis' slidably and pivotally connected to one of the arms of a rocking lever 31, pivotally connected at 32 to a forked bracket 33, depending from plate 11. Said rocking lever 31 is, in its turn, formed with two depending brackets 34, 35, to which are pivotally connected at 36, 37, two rocking levers 38, 39.

The other end of cable 13 is similarly provided with a take-up element 13", the shank portion of which is slidably and pivotally connected to one of the ends of the rocking lever 38. The connection between each shank and its corresponding rocking lever is also in this case preferably effected through the intermediary of a spring, such as 26. The other end of rocking lever 38 is connected in a similar manner to the counterweight end of cable 14, the other end of said cable being connected, as shown, to one of the ends of another rocking lever 40, pivotally connected at 41 to a bracket 42, depending from plate 10. The other end of said rocking lever 40 is connected to the elevator car end of cable 15, the other end of which is connected to one of the ends of rocking lever 39, as shown. The other end of rocking lever 39 is connected to the counterweight end of cable 16, the other end of which is connected to one of the arms of a rocking lever 43, pivotally connected at 44, to a bracket 45, depending from plate 10.

Finally, the other arm of rocking lever 43 is connected to the elevator car end of cable 17, the other end of which is connected to the arm of rocking lever 31, opposite to that connected to take-up element 12 of cable 13.

In the arrangement shown, the shank portions of take-up elements extend through openings, such as 46, provided in plates 16, 11, said openings being arranged in two spaced longitudinal series, as shown in Fig. 2, the openings of one series being in staggered relation to the openings of the other series. This arrangement is employed in order to make it possible for openings 46 to be longitudinally spaced from one another a relatively short distance, indicated by a, representing the distance between the grooves of the suspension drum (not shown), while the diagonal distance 1), between adjoining openings 46 is relatively much greater, the same corresponding to the distance between the pivotal bushings in opposite arms of the underlying rocking levers.

It will be seen that by virtue of the arrangement described, all the six cables are connected in an endless succession by rocking levers 22, 40, 43, 38, 39, 35, said rocking levers constituting connections between said cables and elevator car and counterweight, and at the same time acting as instantly responsive equalizing elements between the cables connected thereto.

The total load carried by the tackle is therefore uniformly distributed between the six cables. Should one of the cables break it would, of course, be highly dangerous if thereby the load should become unevenly distributed among the remaining cables, because one or more of the cables might then become subjected to excessive stresses, while the remaining cables might become relieved of all weight-carrying duties. Due to the closed circuit formation of the endless cable formed by the six unitary cables, I assure a condition whereby should any one of the cables break, the remaining cables will still form, in eifect, a continuous single cable, which although no longer of an endless character, would still effectively act to uniformly distribute the load between its component units. This resulting new tackle would in effect then be a single cable passing back and forth between the elevator car and the counterweight, each of its opposite ends becoming secured to one of the two counterbalanced bodies.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be observed that the distance 0 between the two end openings 46' corresponds to the distance between the pivotal bushings in the arms of rocking lever 31.

My improved equalizing method of connecting all the various cable units composing a suspension tackle of the character described can also be applied in connection with tackles consisting of an uneven number of unitary cables.

This possibility is shown in Figs. 5 to 7, in which the tackle comprises five unitary cables, 4'7, 48, 49, 50, 51, together forming in efiect a single cable, the extreme ends of which, constituted by take- up elements 52, 53, are connected to each other by the intermediary of auxiliary rocking levers 54, 55, respectively interposed between take-up ele ment 52 and rocking lever 56, which is interposed between the counterweight ends of cables 50, 51, and between take-up element 53 and rocking element 57, which is interposed between the elevator car ends of cables 4'7, 48. Also in this case, due to the use of said auxiliary rocking levers 54, 55, should one of the unitary cables break or otherwise become ineffective, the continuity of the remaining cables would not be destroyed and the load would still be evenly distributed between said remaining cables.

In Fig. 8, I illustrate the possibility of using two alternative features in place of those previously described. In the same, 58 designates the counterweight, 59 the elevator car top rail and 60 the grooved suspension drum. Like in the case of Figs. 1 to 4, the tackle also in this case comprises six unitary cables 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, which are interconnected by various rocking levers, forming therewith an endless cable, as described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4.

However, in the present case, the various rock ing levers, designated by numerals 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 and 72, are pivotally connected respectively to the upper ends of yokes 73, 74, '75, 76, '77, '78, upwardly extending from the counterweight and car frame structures and the ends of the unitary cables are pivotally connected'to the arms of the rocking levers by take-up elements, such as 79, without the intermediary of springs or other resilient elements.

In practice, I prefer to provide resilient connections such as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7, be cause they act as shock absorbers and, therefore, enhance the smooth riding qualities of the elevator system.

The constructional details of the structures described may vary from those shown without involving a departure from the inventive idea the drawings, therefore, will be understood as being intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense.

I accordingly reserve the right to carry my invention into practice in all those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with an elevator car, a counterweight therefor, and an operating drum interposed therebetween, of a plurality of cables extending between said car and counterweight around the drum, and a plurality of equalizing elements on the car and counterweight respectively connected to the ends of said cables so as to form a single endless tackle running alter nately from one of the two first mentioned bodies to the other, all of the cables being thus connected at both ends to said equalizing elements.

2. In an elevator suspension system comprising an elevator car, a counterweight therefor, an operating drum interposed therebetween, a plurality of cables extending between said car and counterweight around the drum, said cables being arranged in longitudinal series along said drum and comprising two outer cables and cables intermediate therebetween and a plurality of equalizing elements on the car and counterweight respectively connecting one end of each intermediate cable to the adjoining end of the adjoining cable at one side thereof, and the other end to the adjoining end of the adjoining cable at the other side thereof, so as to form in effect a single tackle, an equalizing element interposed between and connecting the ends of the two outer cables not connected to the intermediate cables adjoining thereto, to each other.

3. The combination with an elevator car, a counterweight therefor, and an operating drum interposed therebetween, of a plurality of cables extending between said car and counterweight around the drum, a plurality of equalizing elements on the car and counterweight respectively connected to the ends of said cables so as to form a single endless tackle running alternately from one of the two first mentioned bodies to the other, all of the cables being thus connected at both ends to said equalizing elements, and shock absorbing means interposed between said cables and said equalizing elements.

4. The combination with an elevator car, a counterweight therefor, and an operating drum interposed therebetween, of a plurality of cables extending between said car and counterweight around the drum, a plurality of equalizing elements on the car and counterweight respectively connected to the ends of said cables so as to form a single endless tackle running alternatively from one of the two first mentioned bodies to the other, all of the cables being thus connected at both ends to said equalizing elements, and springs interposed between said cables and said equalizing elements.

5. The combination with an elevator car, a counterweight therefor, and an operating drum interposed therebetween of a plurality of cables extending between said car and counterweight around the drum, a plurality of equalizing elements on the car and counterweight respectively connected to the ends of said cables so as to form a single endless tackle running alternately from one of the two first mentioned bodies to the other, all of the cables being thus connected at both ends to said equalizing elements, a take-up device forming part of the connection between each cable end and the equalizing element connected thereto, and shock absorbing means interposed between said take-up devices and said equalizing elements.

6. The combination with an elevator car, a counterweight therefor, and an operating drum interposed therebetween, of a plurality of cables extending between said car and counterweight around the drum, and a plurality of equalizing levers pivotally mounted on the car and counterweight respectively connected to the ends of said cables so as to form a single endless tackle running alternatelyfrom one of the two first mentioned bodies to the other, all of the cables being thus connected at both ends to said equalizing levers.

7. The combination with an elevator car, a counterweight therefor, and an operating drum interposed therebetween, of a plurality of cables extending between said car and counterweight around the drum, a plurality of equalizing levers pivotally mounted on the car and counterweight respectively, slidably' connected to the ends of said cables so as to form a single endless tackle running alternately from one of the two first mentioned bodies to the other, all of the cables being thus connected at both ends to said equalizing levers, a take-up device forming part of the connection between each cable end and the equalizing lever connected thereto, and shock absorbing means interposed between said take-up devices and said equalizing levers.

PETER LA NEVE.

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