Accessing brake circuitry from landing

Abstract

A method of operating an elevator system is provided and includes: opening a door of a door side pillar at a landing of the elevator system to expose covers of an upper panel and a lower panel disposed in a cavity defined in the door side pillar; unlocking and opening the cover; removing the lower panel from the cavity; and accessing and controlling one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components using the lower panel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to elevator systems, and more particularly to a system and method for providing access to brake circuits from an elevator system landing. Background Art

[0002] In an elevator system, a hoistway is built in a building, and an elevator car travels up and down along the hoistway to reach the landing doors of different floors of the building. The movement of the elevator is driven by a machine, which is controlled by a controller according to instructions received from users of the elevator system. At each floor, the landing door can be opened to allow one or more passengers to move from the corresponding landing to the elevator car, or from the elevator car to the corresponding landing. Summary of the invention

[0003] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for operating an elevator system is provided, and the method includes: opening a door of a door jamb at a landing of the elevator system to expose a cover of an upper panel and a lower panel disposed in a cavity defined in the door jamb; unlocking and opening the cover; removing the lower panel from the cavity; and accessing and controlling one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components using the lower panel.

[0004] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the method further comprises redesigning the door jamb, wherein redesigning the door jamb comprises extending the cavity below the upper panel to accommodate the lower panel, and extending the door to cover the respective entireties of the upper panel, the cover, and the lower panel.

[0005] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the upper panel comprises an inter-communication panel.

[0006] According to additional or alternative embodiments, said unlocking and opening said lid comprises unlocking a lock that is locked by a key.

[0007] According to additional or alternative embodiments, removing the lower panel from the cavity includes rotating the lower panel away from the upper panel, sliding a lower panel mounting bracket out of the cavity, and removing a lower panel cover from the lower panel.

[0008] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the lower panel includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) for accessing and controlling one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components.

[0009] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the lower panel includes one or more brake relays, one or more additional relays and one or more electrical components.

[0010] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the one or more electrical components include at least one or more fuses, one or more LEDs, one or more jumpers, one or more diodes, and one or more varistors.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a door jamb of an elevator system is provided, and the door jamb includes: a partition formed to define a cavity and including a door covering the cavity; and an upper panel, a lower panel, and a cover of the lower panel disposed in the cavity. The lower panel is removable from the cavity when the door is opened and the cover is unlocked and opened. The lower panel includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) for accessing and controlling one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components.

[0012] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the cavity is configured to accommodate the upper panel, the lower panel, and the lid, and the door is configured to extend over the entirety of the upper panel, the lid, and the lower panel, respectively.

[0013] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the upper panel comprises an inter-communication panel.

[0014] According to an additional or alternative embodiment, the cover is located on the lower panel and is locked in place by a lock that is keyed.

[0015] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the lower panel may be removed from the cavity by rotating the lower panel away from the upper panel, sliding its mounting bracket out of the cavity, and removing its lower panel cover.

[0016] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the lower panel includes one or more brake relays, one or more additional relays and one or more electrical components, and the one or more electrical components include at least one or more fuses, one or more LEDs, one or more jumpers, one or more diodes and one or more varistors.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an elevator system is provided, and the elevator system includes: a landing; a door jamb located at the landing, the door jamb being formed to define a cavity and including a door covering the cavity; and an upper panel, a lower panel, and a cover of the lower panel disposed in the cavity. The lower panel is removable from the cavity when the door is opened and the cover is unlocked and opened. The lower panel includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) for accessing and controlling one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components.

[0018] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the cavity is configured to accommodate the upper panel, the lower panel and the lid, and the door is configured to extend over the entirety of the upper panel, the lid and the lower panel, respectively.

[0019] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the upper panel comprises an inter-communication panel.

[0020] According to an additional or alternative embodiment, the cover is normally threadedly fastened to the lower panel and locked in place by a lock which is keyed.

[0021] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the lower panel may be removed from the cavity by rotating the lower panel away from the upper panel, sliding its mounting bracket out of the cavity, and removing its lower panel cover.

[0022] According to additional or alternative embodiments, the lower panel includes one or more brake relays, one or more additional relays and one or more electrical components, and the one or more electrical components include at least one or more fuses, one or more LEDs, one or more jumpers, one or more diodes and one or more varistors.

[0023] Additional features and advantages are achieved through the technology of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the present disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered to be part of the claimed technical concept. In order to better understand the present disclosure with the advantages and features, please refer to the specification and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following brief description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts:

[0025] Figure 1A is a perspective view of an elevator system according to one or more embodiments;

[0026] Figure 1B According to one or more embodiments Figure 1A A perspective view of certain components of an elevator system;

[0027] Figure 2A is a perspective view of a door jamb at a landing of an elevator system according to one or more embodiments;

[0028] Figure 2B According to one or more embodiments, Figure 2A A top view of components of an elevator system having a door jamb;

[0029] Figure 3 According to one or more embodiments Figure 2Aand Figure 2B A perspective view of a cover of a lower panel of an elevator system;

[0030] Figure 4 According to one or more embodiments, Figure 2A and Figure 2B An exploded perspective view of a lower panel with a cavity of a door jamb of an elevator system removed;

[0031] Figure 5 is a diagram showing a method according to one or more embodiments Figure 4 a schematic diagram of components of a lower panel; and

[0032] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation of an elevator system (such as Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 3-Figure 5 Flow chart of a method for an elevator system). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In elevator systems, when certain maintenance actions are required, a technician must typically access control circuits that control certain electric elevator system operations. In a machine room-less elevator system, the control circuits are housed on the hoistway side of the door jamb of one of the elevator landings (i.e., the uppermost landing). The technician is able to access the control circuits by placing the elevator car just below the control circuits in the corresponding hoistway, whereupon the technician can climb to the roof of the elevator car to access the control circuits. Thus, the process of enabling the technician to access the control circuits housed in the hoistway side of the door jamb is complex and depends on the ability of the elevator car to move into position so that the technician can stand on its roof.

[0034] Therefore, as will be described below, an elevator system and method of operating an elevator system are provided so that a technician does not have to stand on the roof of an elevator car to access control circuits. Instead, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) is created for the brake relay, brake circuit, and supporting circuits, and the PCBA is mounted on a bracket assembly through a door jamb, just below the I&T panel. The door that originally concealed the I&T panel is lengthened to accommodate the PCBA. The PCBA allows a technician to access components of the elevator system, such as a brake control assembly. The technician gains such access when the technician is standing in the landing by the technician opening the door, removing a cover placed and locked on the PCBA, and then completely removing the PCBA from its stowed position.

[0035] refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1B, which is a perspective view of an elevator system 101 and components of the elevator system 101, the elevator system 101 including an elevator car 103, a counterweight 105, a suspension member 107, a guide rail 109, a machine 111, and a controller 115. The elevator car 103 and the counterweight 105 are connected to each other by a tension member 107. The tension member 107 may include or be configured as, for example, a rope, a steel cable, and / or a coated steel belt. The counterweight 105 is configured to balance the load of the elevator car 103 (typically about the car mass + about 45% to about 50% of the working load), and is configured to facilitate the movement of the elevator car 103 in opposite directions and simultaneously relative to the counterweight 105 within the elevator shaft 117 and along the guide rail 109.

[0036] The tension member 107 engages a machine 111 that is part of the overhead structure of the elevator system 101. The machine 111 is configured to control the movement of the elevator car 103 and can be configured to provide a position signal related to the position of the elevator car 103 within the elevator shaft 117. In other embodiments, the position reference system 113 can be mounted directly to the moving components of the machine 111, or can be located in other locations and / or configurations as known in the art. The position reference system 113 can be any device or mechanism for monitoring the position of the elevator car and / or counterweight as known in the art. For example, but not limited to, the position reference system 113 can be an encoder, sensor, or other system, and can include speed sensing, absolute position sensing, etc., as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0037] The controller 115 may be provided as a hoistway mounted control or as a machine roomless controller and is configured to control the operation of the elevator system 101 (and in particular the elevator car 103). It is to be appreciated that the controller 115 need not be located in the controller room 121 and may be located in the hoistway or other locations in the elevator system. For example, the controller 115 may provide drive signals to the machine 111 to control the acceleration, deceleration, leveling, stopping, etc. of the elevator car 103. The controller 115 may also be configured to receive position signals from a position reference system (not shown) or any other desired position reference device. When moving up or down along the guide rail 109 in the elevator shaft 117, the elevator car 103 may stop at one or more landings 125, as controlled by the controller 115. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the controller 115 can be located and / or configured at other places or locations within the elevator system 101. In one embodiment, the controller 115 may be remotely located.

[0038] The machine 111 may include a motor or similar drive mechanism. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the machine 111 is configured to include an electric drive motor. The power supply for the motor may be any power source, including the power grid, which is combined with other components to be supplied to the motor. The machine 111 may include a traction sheave that transmits force to the tension member 107 to move the elevator car 103 within the elevator shaft 117.

[0039] The elevator system 101 also includes one or more elevator doors 104 and one or more hoistway doors 1040 (see Figure 2B ). The elevator door 104 may be integrally attached to the elevator car 103. The hoistway door 1040 may be located on a landing 125 of the elevator system 101. The elevator door 104 and the hoistway door 1040 open to allow passengers to enter and exit the elevator car 103.

[0040] Continue to refer Figure 1A and Figure 1B , and additionally refer to Figure 2A and Figure 2B as well as Figure 3-Figure 5 , an elevator system 201 is provided for use with, for example, Figure 1A and Figure 1B The elevator system 201 includes a landing station 210, where passengers can Figure 2B The elevator door 104 and the hoistway door 1040 of the landing 210 provide access to the elevator car, such as the elevator car 103 of Figure 1. The landing 210 includes a door jamb 215 located at the landing 210. The door jamb 215 includes a partition 216. The partition 216 is formed to define a cavity 220 and includes a door 230 that can occupy at least an open and closed position. In the closed position, the door 230 covers and prevents access to the cavity 220 from the landing 210, and in the open position, the door 230 permits access to the cavity 220 from the landing 210.

[0041] The elevator system 201 also includes an upper panel 240 (such as an intercommunication panel 241), a lower panel 250, and a cover 260 of the lower panel 250, all of which are normally disposed in the cavity 220 and covered by the door 230 in the closed position. The cavity 220 is configured to accommodate the upper panel 240, the lower panel 250, and the cover 260. The door 230 is configured to extend over the entire upper panel 240, the cover 260, and the lower panel 250, respectively. The cover 260 is normally threadedly fastened to the lower panel 250 by screws 261 or other fasteners, and is locked in place by a keyed lock 262, which can only be opened by a person with the correct key, such as an authorized technician.

[0042] With the door 230 opened to the open position and with the cover 262 unlocked and opened, the lower panel 250 can be removed from the cavity 220. The lower panel 250 can be removed from the cavity 220 by rotating the lower panel 250 away from the upper panel 240 (i.e., pivoting about the underside of the lower panel 250), sliding the mounting bracket 251 of the lower panel 250 out of the cavity 220, and removing the lower panel cover 252 of the lower panel 250 from the mounting bracket 251 and the lower panel 250.

[0043] The lower panel 250 may include a PCBA 255 configured for access and control of one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components by a technician located at the landing 210. The lower panel 250 may include one or more brake relays 256, one or more additional relays 257, and one or more electrical components 258. The one or more electrical components 258 may include one or more fuses 2581, one or more LEDs 2582, one or more jumpers 2583, one or more diodes 2584, and one or more varistors 2585.

[0044] According to one or more embodiments, two brakes are required for redundancy. Each brake is controlled by a relay or solid-state controller. For additional redundancy, a third relay or solid-state controller is connected in series with the two brake control circuits. Each brake can stop and hold the elevator car from moving. Fuses are used to protect the wiring and equipment in the event of a ground short or other fault. In the event of a power failure or major component failure, a separate circuit can be used to control the brakes to manually raise the brakes and move the elevator car to the door to evacuate passengers. Once the passengers have been evacuated, the manual circuit can be used to position the elevator to allow access to the hoistway mounted controller components.

[0045] refer to Figure 6 , provides an operating elevator system (such as Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 3-Figure 5 The method includes opening a door of a door jamb at a landing of the elevator system to expose a cover of an upper panel (such as an intercommunication panel) and a lower panel disposed in a cavity defined in the door jamb (block 601), unlocking and opening the cover (block 602), removing the lower panel from the cavity (block 603), and accessing and controlling one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components using the lower panel (block 604).

[0046] As described above, the lower panel may include a PCBA for accessing and controlling one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components, and may include one or more brake relays or brake circuits, one or more additional relays, and one or more electrical components, such as one or more fuses, one or more LEDs, one or more jumpers, one or more diodes, and one or more varistors.

[0047] The method may also include an initial operation of redesigning the door jamb (block 605) by extending the cavity below the upper panel to accommodate the lower panel (block 6051), and extending the door to cover the respective entireties of the upper panel, the cover, and the lower panel (block 6052). Unlocking and opening the cover of block 602 may include unscrewing the cover from the mounting member (block 6021) and unlocking the lock locked by the key (block 6022). Removing the lower panel from the cavity of block 603 may include rotating the lower panel away from the upper panel (block 6031), sliding the lower panel mounting bracket out of the cavity (block 6032), and removing the lower panel cover from the mounting bracket and the lower panel (block 6033).

[0048] A technical effect and benefit of the present disclosure is to provide an elevator system in which a technician can access and control certain electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components while standing at a landing.

[0049] The corresponding structures, materials, actions and equivalents of all parts or steps plus function elements in the following claims are intended to include any structure, material or action for performing functions in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. For the purpose of illustration and description, the description of the present disclosure has been presented, but it is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the technical concepts in the disclosed form. Without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure, many modifications and changes will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments are selected and described in order to best explain the principles and practical applications of the present disclosure, and to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure of various embodiments with various modifications as being suitable for the specific purposes contemplated.

[0050] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be understood that various improvements and enhancements may be made by those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, which improvements and enhancements fall within the scope of the appended claims. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the disclosure first described.

Claims

1. A method of operating an elevator system, the method comprising: opening a door of a door jamb at a landing of the elevator system to expose covers of an upper panel and a lower panel disposed in a cavity defined in the door jamb; unlocking and opening the lid; removing the lower panel from the cavity; as well as One or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components are accessed and controlled using the lower panel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising redesigning the door jamb, wherein the redesigning the door jamb comprises: extending the cavity below the upper panel to accommodate the lower panel; as well as The door is extended to cover respective entireties of the upper panel, the cover, and the lower panel.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The upper panel includes an inter-communication panel.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The unlocking and opening the lid includes unlocking a lock that is locked by a key.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The removing the lower panel from the cavity comprises: rotating the lower panel away from the upper panel; sliding the lower panel mounting bracket out of the cavity; and Remove the lower panel cover from the lower panel.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The lower panel includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) for accessing and controlling one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The lower panel includes one or more brake relays, one or more additional relays, and one or more electrical components.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The one or more electrical components include at least one or more fuses, one or more LEDs, one or more jumpers, one or more diodes, and one or more varistors.

9. A door jamb of an elevator system, the door jamb comprising: a partition formed to define a cavity and including a door covering the cavity; as well as an upper panel, a lower panel and a cover of the lower panel disposed in the cavity, The lower panel is removable from the cavity with the door open and the lid unlocked and opened, and The lower panel includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) for accessing and controlling one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components.

10. The elevator system of claim 9, wherein: The cavity is configured to receive the upper panel, the lower panel, and the cover, and The door is configured to extend over the entirety of the upper panel, the cover, and the lower panel, respectively.

11. The elevator system according to claim 9, wherein: The upper panel includes an inter-communication panel.

12. The elevator system according to claim 9, wherein: The cover normally rests on the lower panel and is locked in place by a lock which is engaged by a key.

13. The elevator system according to claim 9, wherein: The lower panel may be removed from the cavity by rotating the lower panel away from the upper panel, sliding its mounting bracket out of the cavity, and removing its lower panel cover.

14. The elevator system of claim 9, wherein: The lower panel includes one or more brake relays, one or more additional relays and one or more electrical components, and The one or more electrical components include at least one or more fuses, one or more LEDs, one or more jumpers, one or more diodes and one or more varistors.

15. An elevator system, comprising: Landing station; a door jamb at the landing, the door jamb being formed to define a cavity and including a door covering the cavity; as well as an upper panel, a lower panel and a cover of the lower panel disposed in the cavity, The lower panel is removable from the cavity with the door open and the lid unlocked and opened, and The lower panel includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) for accessing and controlling one or more electrical and / or electromechanical elevator components.

16. The elevator system according to claim 15, wherein: The cavity is configured to receive the upper panel, the lower panel, and the cover, and the door is configured to extend over the entirety of the upper panel, the cover, and the lower panel, respectively.

17. The elevator system according to claim 15, wherein: The upper panel includes an inter-communication panel.

18. The elevator system according to claim 15, wherein: The cover is normally threaded onto the lower panel and locked in place by a lock which is keyed.

19. The elevator system according to claim 15, wherein: The lower panel may be removed from the cavity by rotating the lower panel away from the upper panel, sliding its mounting bracket out of the cavity, and removing its lower panel cover.

20. The elevator system of claim 15, wherein: The lower panel includes one or more brake relays, one or more additional relays and one or more electrical components, and The one or more electrical components include at least one or more fuses, one or more LEDs, one or more jumpers, one or more diodes and one or more varistors.

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