Operating an elevator door

What is AI technical title?
AI technical title is built by Patsnap AI team. It summarizes the technical point description of the patent document.
The system addresses the challenge of secure elevator door operation by integrating a locking mechanism with a rotatable hook assembly and safety circuit to enhance safety and reliability in elevator door operations.

HK40134687APending Publication Date: 2026-07-10KONE OYJ

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office: HK · HK
Patent Type: Applications
Current Assignee / Owner: KONE OYJ
Filing Date: 2026-04-17
Publication Date: 2026-07-10

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing elevator door systems lack efficient mechanisms for ensuring secure and reliable operation, particularly in scenarios where the elevator car is positioned in a landing area, and there is a need for improved safety features to prevent unintended door opening or closing.

Method used

A system incorporating a locking mechanism with a rotatable hook assembly and latch, a safety circuit for monitoring the locking mechanism's state, and a door controller to manage the locking mechanism's state based on elevator door movement, with the ability to detect damaged operations.

Benefits of technology

Enhances the security and reliability of elevator door operations by preventing unintended door movements and providing real-time monitoring and control, thereby ensuring safe and controlled door functions.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

Figure 00000000_0001_ABST
Figure 00000000_0000_ABST

Patent Text Reader

Abstract

In accordance with an example embodiment, there is provided a system for operating an elevator door (111, 131) when an elevator car (110) is located at a landing area of a landing (130), the system comprising: a locking mechanism (140) comprising a rotatable latch hook assembly (141) and a latch (145), where the latch hook assembly (141) comprises a latch hook portion (141a) and an actuation assembly (112), the latch hook portion (141a) is arranged to selectively engage or disengage the latch (145) via rotation of the latch hook assembly (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) to a locked state or an unlocked state, respectively, the actuation assembly (112) for rotating the latch hook assembly (141); a safety circuit (150) for indicating a state of the locking mechanism (140) wherein the safety circuit (150) comprises a switch (152) which is closed in a locked state of the locking mechanism (140) and opened in an unlocked state of the locking mechanism (140); and a door controller (220) arranged to operate the door drive system (230) as a function of movement of the elevator door (111, 131) to selectively relax the actuation assembly or apply a force causing the actuation assembly to rotate the latch hook assembly (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) in a locked or unlocked state, monitor current in the safety circuit (150), and control the door drive system (230) to selectively relax the actuation assembly or to apply a force causing the actuation assembly to rotate the latch hook assembly (141). And detect a compromised operation of the locking mechanism (140) when the elevator door (111, 131) is closed in response to detecting an electrical current when the actuation assembly is relaxed.

Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

(19) State Intellectual Property Office (12) Invention Patent Application (10) Application Publication Number (43) Application Publication Date (21) Application Number 202380098748.7 (22) Application Date 2023.05.31 (85) PCT International Application Entering National Phase Date 2025.11.27 (86) PCT International Application Application Data PCT / FI2023 / 050305 2023.05.31 (87) PCT International Application Publication Data WO2024 / 246408 EN 2024.12.05 (71) Applicant KONE AG Address Helsinki, Finland (72) Inventor M. Lin P. Quesma (74) Patent Agency Beijing Liu Shen Law Firm 11105 Patent Attorney Zhang Bangshuai (51) Int.Cl. B66B 13 / 16 (2006.01) B66B 13 / 22 (2006.01) (54) Invention Title: Operating Elevator Doors (57) Abstract: According to an exemplary embodiment, a system is provided for operating elevator doors (111, 131) when an elevator car (110) is located in a landing area of a landing (130), the system comprising: a locking mechanism (140) including a rotatable hook assembly (141) and a latch (145), wherein the hook assembly (141) includes a hook portion (141a) and an actuation assembly (112), the hook portion (141a) being arranged to selectively engage or disengage the latch (145) via rotation of the hook assembly (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) to a locked state or an unlocked state, respectively, and the actuation assembly (112) for rotating the hook assembly (141); a safety circuit (150) for indicating the state of the locking mechanism (140), wherein the safety circuit (150) The system includes a switch (152) that is closed in the locked state of the locking mechanism (140) and open in the unlocked state of the locking mechanism (140); and a door controller (220) arranged to operate a door drive system (230) according to the movement of elevator doors (111, 131) to selectively relax an actuation component or apply a force that causes the actuation component to rotate the hook assembly (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) to a locked or unlocked state, monitor current in a safety circuit (150), and detect a damaged operation of the locking mechanism (140) in response to the detection of current when the actuation component is relaxed when the elevator doors (111, 131) are closed. Claims: 3 pages; Description: 12 pages; Drawings: 5 pages; CN 121219221 A 2025.12.26 CN 1 21 21 92 21 A

Claims

1. A system for operating an elevator car door (111, 131) when the elevator car (110) resides at a landing area of a landing (130), the system comprising: a locking mechanism (140) comprising: a rotatable hook assembly (141) and a latch (145), wherein the hook assembly (141) comprises a hook portion (141a) arranged to selectively engage or disengage the latch (145) via rotation of the hook assembly (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) to a locked state or an unlocked state, respectively, an actuation assembly (112) for rotating the hook assembly (141), a safety circuit (150) for indicating a state of the locking mechanism (140), wherein the safety circuit (150) comprises a switch (152) that is closed in the locked state of the locking mechanism (140) and open in the unlocked state of the locking mechanism (140), and a door controller (220) arranged to: operate a door drive system (230) in dependence of movement of the elevator door (111, 131) to selectively relax the actuation assembly or to exert a force that rotates the hook assembly (141) by the actuation assembly to set the locking mechanism (140) to the locked state or the unlocked state, monitor a flow of the current in the safety circuit (150), and detect a compromised operation of the locking mechanism (140) in response to detecting the flow of the current when the actuation assembly is relaxed when the elevator door (111, 131) is closed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein, the switch (152) comprises: a first switch element (152a) attached to the hook assembly (141), and a second switch element (152b) arranged in a position that comes into contact with the first switch element (152a) when the hook assembly (141) is rotated to set the locking mechanism to the locked state.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein, one of the first switch element (152a) and the second switch element (152b) comprises one or more pins and the other of the first switch element (152a) and the second switch element (152b) comprises one or more sockets for receiving the one or more pins to close the switch (152).

4. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, the hook assembly (141) comprises an actuation member arranged to exert a force that causes the actuation assembly to rotate the hook assembly (141) towards a locking position of the locking mechanism (140) when the actuation assembly is relaxed.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein, the force exerted by the actuation member is smaller than the force exerted by the actuation assembly.

6. The system of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, the hook assembly (141) is rotatable in a first direction to set the locking mechanism (140) to the unlocked state and rotatable in a second direction opposite to the first direction to set the locking mechanism (140) to the locked state.

7. The system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The actuation assembly comprises a door coupler (112) for selectively coupling the landing door (131) to or decoupling the landing door (131) from the elevator car door (111), wherein the door coupler (112) is arranged to rotate the shackle assembly (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) in an unlocked state when coupling the landing door (131) to the elevator car door (111) and to rotate the shackle (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) in a locked state when decoupling the landing door (131) from the car door (111).

8. The system of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The door controller (220) is arranged to operate the door drive system (230) to: apply a first force causing the actuation assembly to rotate the shackle assembly (141) in a first direction to set the locking mechanism (140) in an unlocked state before opening the elevator doors (111, 131) when the elevator car (110) arrives at the landing (130), apply a first force causing the actuation assembly to rotate the shackle assembly (141) in a second direction opposite to the first direction to set the locking mechanism (140) in a locked state after opening and closing the elevator doors (111, 131) in preparation for the elevator car (110) to leave the landing (130), and relax the actuation assembly causing the locking mechanism (140) to be set in an unlocked state in case the elevator car (110) remains at the landing after the elevator doors (110) have been opened and closed.

9. The system of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The door controller (220) is arranged to operate the door drive system (230) to relax the actuation assembly causing the locking mechanism (140) to be set in an unlocked state in case the elevator car (110) remains at the landing after the elevator doors (111, 131) have been closed.

10. The system of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The door controller (220) is arranged to take a predetermined action in response to detecting a compromised operation of the locking mechanism (140).

11. The system of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The elevator door comprises an elevator car door (111) driven by a door drive system (230).

12. The system of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The elevator door comprises a landing door (131) of a landing (130) of the elevator system (100), wherein the landing door (131) is temporarily couplable to the elevator car door (111) driven by the door drive system (230) via a door coupler (112) connected to the car door (111), wherein the door coupler (112) is arranged for temporarily coupling the landing door (131) to the car door (111) when the elevator car (110) resides in a landing area of the landing (130) such that the landing door (131) moves together with the car door (111) between an open position and a closed position.

13. An elevator car (110) for vertical movement within an elevator shaft (120) of an elevator system (100) between a first landing (130) and at least one further landing, the elevator car (110) comprising car doors (111) movable between an open position and a closed position; a door drive system (230) for driving the car doors (111) in movement between the open position and the closed position; a door controller (220) for controlling operation of the door drive system (230); a locking mechanism (140) for selectively locking or unlocking the car doors (111), the locking mechanism (140) comprising: a rotatable hook assembly (141) and a latch (145), wherein the hook assembly (141) comprises a hook portion (141a) arranged to selectively engage or disengage the latch (145) via rotation of the hook assembly (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) in a locked state or an unlocked state, respectively, and an actuation assembly (112) for rotating the hook assembly (141); and a safety circuit (150) for indicating a state of the locking mechanism (140), wherein the safety circuit (150) comprises a switch (152) that is closed in the locked state of the locking mechanism (140) and open in the unlocked state of the locking mechanism (140), wherein the door controller (220) is further arranged to: operate the door drive system (230) in dependence of movement of the elevator doors (111, 131) to selectively relax the actuation assembly or to exert a force causing the actuation assembly to rotate the hook assembly (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) to the locked or unlocked state, monitor a current in the safety circuit (150), and detect a compromised operation of the locking mechanism (140) in response to detecting said current when the actuation assembly is relaxed while the elevator doors (111, 131) are closed.

14. The elevator car (110) of claim 13, wherein, the actuation assembly comprises a door coupler (112) for selectively coupling or decoupling the landing door (131) to or from the elevator car door (111), wherein the door coupler (112) is arranged to rotate the hook assembly (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) to the unlocked state when coupling the landing door (131) to the elevator car door (111) and to rotate the hook (141) to set the locking mechanism (140) to the locked state when decoupling the landing door (131) from the car door (111).

15. The elevator car (110) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the switch (152) comprises: a first switch element (152a) attached to the hook assembly (141), and a second switch element (152b) arranged in a position to come into contact with the first switch element (152a) when rotating the hook assembly (141) to set the locking mechanism to the locked state.

16. The elevator car (110) according to any of claims 13 to 15, wherein, the actuation assembly comprises an actuation member arranged to exert a force causing the actuation assembly to rotate the hook assembly (141) towards the locked position of the locking mechanism (140) when the actuation assembly is relaxed.

17. The elevator car (110) according to any of claims 13 to 16, wherein, The door controller (220) is arranged to operate the door drive system (230) to relax the actuation assembly so that the locking mechanism (140) is set to an unlocked state after the elevator doors (111, 131) are closed in case the elevator car (110) stays at the landing.