US331405A - Safety device for elevators - Google Patents

Description

(No ModeL) W. W, JACKSON.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR BLEVATORS.

No. 381,405. Patented Deo. 1, 1885.,

Figj F592 liNTTnn STATES PATENT Trice.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent-No- 331,405, dated December 1,1885. Application filed April 24, 1885. Y Serial o. 163,268. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM W. J AcKsoN, brewer and maltster, a citizen4 of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the .county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Stop Devices for Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel and reliable stop mechanism for automatically arresting thedescent of the cage or car of an elevator immediately upon a rupture of the hoisting cable or A cables, and at any point within the elevator-shaft where a breakage of the cable may occur.

A further object is to adapt an automatic mechanism of such character to also serve as a means for braking or permitting the cage or car to descend at intervals, or as slowlyT as may be desired, and thereby place the cage or car under the control of the conductor.

In a stop mechanism for elevators embodyf ing the principles of my invention the elevator shaft isprovided at one or more, but preferably at two, of its opposite sides with upright ways or guide-bars having inclined plane faces extending substantially from top to bottom of the shaft. The degree of inclination of these faces from the vertical is such as to cause them to converge somewhat from their upper toward their lower ends,whereby the space between said faces is wedge-shaped, but having a taper so gradual as not to interfere with the free ascent and descent of the car. The car is provided with stops extend ing from opposite sides thereof, with their outer ends at all times resting against the inclined faces. The stops bear against these inclined faces with a yielding pressure as long as the cable is intact, so that during the ascent and the descent of the car the stops will gradually extend or retract in conformity to the inclination of the faces,against which they bear at their outer ends.

As a means forholding the stops immovable as soon as a rupture of the cable takes place, a movable abutment is connected with the cable in such a way that upon the breakage of the cable the abutment will automatically shift into position to oppose a positive resistance to the retraction of the stops, whereby the tendency of the car to drop will cause-its stops thus locked by the abutment to bind against the inclinedfaces at the sides of the elevator-shaft, and thus effectively prevent further descent of the car so long as the stops are held immovable.

Io permit the abutment to be operated at theV will of the elevator-conductor, so as to bring it at any time in position to arrest the retraction of the stops to stop the car, and also after it has been brought into such position to gradually withdraw it therefrom, in order to permit the stops to retract at intervals, or as slowly as may be desired, with a view to regulating the descent of the car, the connection between the abutment and thecable is made extensible in such manner that it may be adjusted by the conductor of the car, so as to operate and adjust the abutmentiu position relatively to the stops.

The principles of my invention may be applied in a variety of ways, as evidenced by the several figures of the accompanying drawings, .illustrating several arrangements embodying my invention.

In said drawings, Figure l is a section on a vertical plane through an elevator shaft and car, with a safety stop mechanism or stop devices embodying the principles of my invention. Figs. 2, 3, and Li are similar views, respectively illustrating different forms of stop mechanisms or stop Vdevices differing somewhat in` details of construction, but involving the same principles as the stop mechanism or stop devices shown in Fig. 1.

.The cage or car A, shaft B, and cable or cables C, for hoisting and lowering the car, may be of any ordinary or desired construction, the shaft being preferably provided at opposite sides with vertical guides D, for guiding and stead ying` the car, as usual.

In the elevator herein illustrated two hoisting-cables are arranged to pass over pulleys F, which are mounted in or upon a support, E, at the top of the shaft. One cable may, however, be employed, if desired, and a pulley or pulleys therefor supported at the top of the shaft in any suitable Way. The car is suspended from the cables by means of a drawhead, H, which isarranged to slide vertically through a suitable guide at the top portion of IOO the car, for example as at C', where a rectangular opening for the draw-head is provided through a horizontal bar or plate, C2, bolted tothe top braces, G3, of the car-frame. The cables are attached to the upper end of the draw-head, which latter is provided with a shoulder, h, which prevents the draw-head from being drawn up through the guide-opening C. In this way so long as the cable or cables is or are intact the weight of the car is sustained by the shoulder 7i of the drawhead, and the latter is suspended directly from .the cables.

L designates the abutment-block, which is connected with the draw-head, and arranged in such position relative to stops I that upon a-breakage of the cables the abutment-block will drop into position to hold the stops locked or immovable, it being understood that the instant a rupture in the cables takes place the draw-head will drop independent of and at a greater rate of speed than the car can descend.

As several forms of connecting devices between the draw-head and the abutment-block are herein illustrated, a description of the specific construction thereof will be hereinafter made, it being merely necessary to state, before describing the stops and the faces against which they act, that a rigid connection is preferably maintained between the drawhead and the abutment-block, which connection may be made extensible, for purposes hereinafter set forth.

The stops I consist of bolts or bars, preferably made of steel and arranged to slide in guideways in or on the car, so as to normally project from the car at opposite sides thereof.

As herein shown, the bolts are arranged horizontally and formed with their under sidesinclining upwardly from their outer to their inner ends. These inclined lower sides of the stops or bolts rest upon anti-friction rollers t', arranged in recesses 7c', formed at the bottom ofthe guideways, for the stops, in which ways the stops will move outwardly by gravity,and thus normally extend out from the car as far as theinclined faces d will permit them.y The inclined faces d are conveniently formed by channeling the guide'bars D so as to form the back walls of the channels with an incline. The faces d thus formed converge from their upper toward their lower ends, and extend substantially from the top tothe bottom of the elevator-shaft. 'The stops I rest or bear at their outer ends against these inclined faces with a yielding pressure, so that as the car ascends the stops will gradually extend out from the car, and when the car descends the stops will be gradually forced back by the inclination of said faces, the extent of longitudinal or end movement of the stops being in either case proportional to the degree of inclination of the faces from a vertical line. The weight of the stops maintains them at all times in contact with the inclined faces, it being immaterial, so far as this feature is concerned,

whether the entire stop is inclined,or whetherH its under side only is inclined, as herein shown. Where two stops are employed, the stops are conveniently arranged in line with each other, in order that a single abutment-block may serve for both stops. f

The abutment-block is best made of a wedge Or tapering shape, preferably in the form of an inverted cone. It is maintained with its lower end extending down into the space between the inner opposing ends of the stops, but not touching them so long as the cable remains intact. rlhe instant, however, the cable parts the draw-head and the abutmentblock drop with a rapidity which will bring the abutment-block between and against the inner ends ofthe stops, thus opposing a positive resistance to any back movement of the stops from the action of the inclined faces, and hence arresting the descent of the car, the weight of which latter will obviously cause the stops to bind against the opposing inclined faces d. In this way as soon as the cable has broken the car will be in effect wedged tightly within a wedge-shaped space,which is practically formed between the two opposing inclined faces d, the stops being under such circumstances held rigid with the car, and being thereby temporarily a rigid or fixed member thereof.

With regard to some of the points at which the stops may be arranged in the car, and the connections between the draw-head and the abutment-block, Fig. l shows a pair of proximately horizontal stops, I, arranged to slide in guideways, which are formed below the caroor in a cross timber or bar, K. The inner ends of the stops are presented at the sides of an opening or aperture arranged at the mid'- dle of the bar or timber, and designed to receive the abutment-block L. The abutmentblock is formed with or secured to the lower end of a slide-rod, L, which passes through openings in the floor and top of the car, and at its upper end screws into athreaded socket or bore in the draw-head. rIhe slide-rod Lhas a shoulder, Z, which limits its upward movement, and the draw-head is preferably provided with a shoulder, h', which may rest on the bar O2, when the draw-head is down to the required extent, after the cable has broken. The slidebar is provided with a hand-wheel, M, within reach of the conductor of the car, so that by turning the wheel, and consequently the rod to which the wheel is secured, the abutment can be raised or lowered independent of the position of the draw-head. A spring, N, is also provided for hastening the drop of the abutment-block after a rupture of the cable. This spring may be arranged at any suitable point to act either directly upon the abutment-block, the rod L, or the drawhead. It is herein shown confined in a casing, N', on top of the car, in which oase the rod L has a shoulder or pin, Z, which, when the draw-head is up in the position shown, acts against the lower end of the spring and compresses the same wit-hin the casing N',

IIO.

whereby the instant the draw-headis released by a rupture of the cable the spring will expand and force the rod down.

By turning rod L the abutment-block can at any time be brought down and against the inner ends of the stops; or, in case a break in the cable has taken place and the car has been stopped some way up within the shaft, it may be lowered, either gradually or at intervals, by turning rod L so as to gradually raise the abutment-block, which, by reason of its inclined sides, will permit the stops to retract as it is drawn upwardly. The same principles of operation are involved in the forms shown in the remaining figures.

In Fig. 2 the beam or bar K, in which the stops are guided, is arranged at the'top of the car, in which case the rod L is considerably shortened and extended somewhat below the abutment-block, so as to project below the top wallof the car to an extent only just sufficient to receive the hand-wheel IVI.

In Fig. 3 the rod L is provided withahandwheel, as in Fig. 2; but in lieu of'loeing connected directly with the abutment-block it is connected with and adapted to turn in the top cross-bar of a rectangular slide frame, L2, which is provided at the middle of its lower cross-bar with the abutment-block. This frame has its top bar above the top of the car and its lower crossbar below the floor thereof, the vertical side bars of said frame heilig` arranged to work in suitable guides in the sides of the car, and being of a proper length to admit of the required extent of vertical play on the part of the entire slide-frame.

In Fig. 4t the car is provided with two pairs of gravity or self-adjusting stops, one pair of stops, I, being below the iioor and the remaining pair of stops, I', being at the top portion of the car. In this case the rod L extends down through the center of the car, and is provided at its lower end with an abutmentblock, L', and at a point near its upper end with a similar abutment-block, L3, the lower one being provided for stops I and the upper one for stops I.

The springs are not shown in the last three iigures; but it is understood that they may be applied in any suitable way. The inclines d are not necessarily formed in the usual guides, D, for the elevator, but are preferably formed therein.

rlhe preferred form of abutment-block is that cfa cone, so that it may be rigid with the slide-rod L, and thereby' turn with said rod when the same is turned so as to adjust the abutment-block, as hereinbefore described. It will be evident, however, that, aside from this feature of raising and lowering the abutment-block by hand-power, any other form of wedge-block, or block having inclined sides, would answer; and hence I do not limit myself to the conical forrn of abutment-block. I also wish to be understood as claiming, broadly, the feature of a car for an elevator having a stop or stops which, upon the breakage of the cable, are rigidly held against one or more inclined faces extending from the top to the bottoni ofthe shaft, it being obvious that but one stop and one inclined face might be cmployed, although the result is not as good as where two or more stops an d inclined-faces are employed.

Vhat I claim as my invention isl. rlhe combination, with an elevator-shaft provided with inclined `faces converging from the upper to the lower portion of the shaft, of an elevator car provided with stop devices adapted to be projected therefrom to wedge the car between said converging faces of the shaft, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the elevator-shaft provided at opposite sides with inclined faces,

substantially as described, of the car provided with stops bearing with a yielding pressure against said inclined faces,and means for holding said stops immovable, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, with the elevator-shaft having inclined faces d, of the car provided with self-adjusting stops bearing against the inclined faces with a yielding pressure,and an abutment-block connected with the hoistingcable and located to drop into position to oppose a. positive resistance to the retraction of the stops upon the breakage of the cable, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in an elevator, of the inclined faces d with the stops I and an abutment-block, L', having a wedge or tapering form, and connected with the hoisting-cable, substantially in the manner and for the pur pose described.

5. The combination, in an elevator, of the inclined faces at the sides of the shaft with the stops I and the wedge or conical shaped abutment-block L, connected with a draw-head, H, which latter is in turn connected with the hoisting-cable, substantially as described.

6. In an elevator, the slidestops normally projecting from the sides of the car, in cornbination with a draw-head connected with the cable and sustaining the weight of the car, and means,substantially as described, connecting the draw-head with an abutment-block located in position to permit the retraction of the stops when the car is sustained by the draw-head, and to drop back of the stops and check their retraction when the drawhead is released by a breakage of the cable, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, in an elevator of the inclined faces d with the stops I,the abutmentblock L', connected with the cable, substantially as described, and a' spring for depressing the abutment-block as soon as a break has occurred in the cable, for the purpose specified.

8. The combination, in an elevator, of the inclined sides or faces d withthe stops I, the abutment-block L', connected with the cable, substantially as described, and the anti-fric- IOO IIO

tion rollers supporting said stops, for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination, in an elevator, ofthe longitudinally-sliding stops I, movable in direction transverse tothe line of motion of the car, substantially as set forth, with the wedge abutmentblock L', adjustable vertically in a plane between the inner opposing ends of the stops, and substantially at right angles to the plane of movement of said stops, the draw head H,connected with the cable and upholding the car, and a slide-rod, L, screwing into the draw`head and connected with the abutment-block, said rod being provided with a hand-wheel or handle for turning it, so as to effect a vertical adjustment of the abutmentblock between the stops, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination, in an elevator, of the inclined faces d at the sides of the shaft, with the car provided with stops I, the abutmentblock L', connected with a draw-head, II, and

the cables C, attached to the drawlhead and passing over pulleys at the top of the shaft, said draw-head being free to drop when a break occurs in the cables, and a spring being applied, substantially as described, to hasten the descent of the draw-head under such circumstances, for the purpose set forth.

1l. In an elevator, the vertical guides D, having inclined faces d, formed in grooves thereof, in combination with one or more pairs of sliding stops carried by the car, and having their outer ends maintained by gravity against t-he said inclined faces, and bearing against the same with a yielding pressure, and a conical or Wedge-shaped abutment-block connected, substantially as described, with the cable, said abutmentblock being arranged at a point above the space intervening between the inner ends of the stops, and being arranged, when permitted to drop, to bring its sides between the stops upon the rupture of the cable, substantially as and for the purpose described.

ILLIAM W. JACKSON.

Vitnesses:

CHAs. G. PAGE, WM. H. Rown.

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